Chapter 397: Karimar’s Trump Card

Lucian steeled his resolve, ready to trade his life for an opening in the battle.

Just as he was about to make his move—

BOOM——!

A colossal emerald-green spear descended from the sky without warning.

In the blink of an eye, it pierced straight through one of the Monsters, pinning it firmly to the ground.

“ROAR——”

The Monster tilted its head back and let out a scream of agony that echoed through the forest.

“What in the world—?!?”

Everyone present—friend and foe alike—stared in stunned silence at the sudden turn of events. The battle ground to a complete halt.

“......Did I just hear someone say this great me sacrificed himself? Tsk tsk. You guys are so ungrateful! Didn’t even consider the possibility that I’d survive?”

A familiar voice rang out from ahead. A figure descended slowly, landing gracefully on the Monster’s back.

“Russell——!!!”

The three adventurers stared in disbelief, their faces lighting up with elation.

His clothes were tattered and torn, his body soaked in blood—but there was no mistaking him. This was the same Russell who’d lured the Monster away and vanished from their sight not long ago.

Yet he was different now. His eyes blazed with a bright, unyielding light—as if he were an entirely new person.

SWISH!

Russell flicked his wrist, yanking the spear free from the Monster’s body. He twirled the weapon nimbly in his hand, then drove the tip downward with all his strength.

SPLURT——!

A fountain of blood sprayed into the air as the spear pierced the Monster’s skull clean through.

The light faded from the Monster’s eyes in an instant.

Russell pulled his spear out once more, raised his head to look at the three, and broke into a brilliant grin. He gave himself a thumbs-up, chest puffed out with pride.

“I told you, didn’t I? This great me would never die here~!”

“Russell, you’re......”

“Ah, hold on a sec, Lucian!”

Russell held up a hand to cut him off, his gaze snapping toward the only remaining Monster.

“ROAR!?!”

Sensing Russell’s eyes on it, the Monster that had been sneaking away froze in panic. It abandoned all pretense of stealth and turned to flee at full speed.

“Don’t you dare run!”

WHOOSH!

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

THUD!

A shield slammed into the ground, blocking the Monster’s escape route. The beast couldn’t stop in time, crashing headfirst into the shield and tumbling uncontrollably across the forest floor.

It skidded nearly a hundred feet before finally grinding to a halt.

The Monster shook its head dazedly and struggled to its feet.

But before it could regain its balance, the sound of rushing wind echoed above its head.

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It looked up instinctively.

The last thing it saw was a dazzling spear streaking toward it.

SPLAT!

The sound of the spear piercing flesh rang out clearly.

A few seconds later.

The Monster’s massive body toppled slowly to the ground.

BOOM!

A cloud of dust billowed up as the beast hit the dirt. Russell pulled his spear out casually, and the battle came to an end at last.

“Russell!”

His three companions ran toward him in a rush.

“Waaah! You’re alive! Thank goodness!”

Eileen threw herself at him, landing a solid punch on his arm.

“Ow! Eileen, what was that for?! Cut it out!”

“You idiot! You absolute fool! Why would you do something that stupid?!”

“......”

SLAP!

At that moment, Lucian clapped a hand heavily on Russell’s shoulder.

He fixed Russell with a dangerously cheerful smile.

“Well now, Russell—care to explain yourself? How does it feel to play the hero and risk your life all by yourself, huh~?”

“......I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please spare me.”

“ROAR——!”

Just then, a pack of Monsters charged toward Team Silver, their roars shaking the trees.

“Looks like we don’t have time for chitchat.”

Russell hefted his spear, staring fearlessly at the oncoming horde. His three teammates raised their weapons in unison, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

“Let’s move out......?”

Russell took a step forward, then froze abruptly—something was wrong with the Monsters charging at them.

“ROAR——”

They stumbled to the ground, whimpering in agony. Their life force faded at a terrifying pace, until they were barely clinging to life.

The four adventurers exchanged confused glances.

“What’s going on here?”

As they pondered the reason—

BOOM!

A bone-chilling, terrifying aura erupted from the battlefield to the south.

Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the source of the aura in unison.

“What’s happening over there......” Eileen murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

“......”

No one spoke. No one had an answer. But deep down, they all knew—something truly terrible was unfolding.

Lucian glanced at his three teammates, then spoke slowly.

“What do you all think?”

“Do we even need to think about it?”

Russell waved his spear confidently, his voice ringing with unshakable resolve.

“Our fight isn’t over yet!”

Frots and Eileen nodded in unison, their eyes hardening with determination.

“Russell’s right.”

“I’m still ready to fight.”

They gave him the same answer.

Lucian smiled.

“It seems we’re all on the same page. Team Silver——”

“Let’s move out!”

......

On the southern battlefield.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM......

Another round of devastating attacks rained down. It wasn’t until all movement at the epicenter ceased that the attackers finally paused, watching warily.

Uno spoke up, his voice laced with curiosity.

“Is he dead?”

Hulim Heyerar closed her eyes, focusing her senses, then shook her head firmly.

“No. He’s still alive——”

Before she could finish her sentence, her face paled abruptly. The others reacted the same way, their expressions turning to shock and horror.

Every single one of them stared in disbelief at the spot where Karimar had fallen. Without a moment’s hesitation, they unleashed another volley of attacks.

Just as countless spells and sword auras were about to descend on Karimar——

“ROAR——!!!”

BOOM——!

A violent Mana Tempest erupted around him, swirling outward with catastrophic force.

It shattered every incoming attack into dust—even the Ninefold Magic Array that Hulim had deployed was obliterated without mercy.

Moments later.

THUD!

Karimar stood up slowly, his body towering over the battlefield.

His aura began to swell uncontrollably, twisting and warping the air around him until it turned pitch-black. The terrifying power spread outward relentlessly, distorting everything in its path.

“You...... Worthless...... Vermin——!!!”

He fixed his gaze on the attackers, his voice dripping with cold, unbridled hatred, each word sharp enough to cut like a knife.

“I’ll make you die in the deepest, darkest despair!!!”

“ROAR——!!!”

He tilted his head back and roared to the heavens, then began to inhale deeply, greedily.

The Miasma Particles drifting in the air converged toward him like a swarm of moths to a flame.

“No! Stop him at once!”

Hulim realized what he was doing, her eyes widening in alarm. She unleashed her full power, summoning the Ninefold Magic Array above Karimar’s head once more. At the same time, she gripped Helkem tightly and charged straight at him.

The others followed close behind, their faces set with grim determination.

“It’s useless!”

BOOM——!

A shockwave exploded outward from Karimar’s body.

Every attacker was sent flying, their bodies crashing to the ground dozens of feet away.

As they lay there, too injured to move, they watched in horror as Karimar became the eye of the storm.

Wave after wave of Monsters collapsed to the ground, their life force draining away rapidly, all of it converging into Karimar’s body.

Far away from Bongisto,

Sethis lay immobilized on the ground, staring at the scene in astonishment.

“So this is his true trump card. No wonder he was so arrogant. He probably thought that even if the Adventure King abandoned everything to kill him, he could escape with this power.”

As a higher-ranking Demon than Karimar, Sethis recognized the ability instantly.

It was a rare power among Demons—one that allowed the user to explode back to their peak strength for a short time when their power was depleted or they were in a weakened state.

It came with severe side effects and a strict time limit, but there was no doubt that it was a life-saving ability in moments of crisis.

Furthermore......

If a weakened Karimar was merely at S-Rank Minus—powerful enough that Hulim and the others could still defeat him—

Then Karimar at his full, peak strength......

Would be a nightmare for them all.