Chapter 401: S-Rank Powerhouse—the “Saint”

At that very moment—

WHOOSH——!!!

A streak of emerald light arrow tore through the sky, crossing the vast distance in the blink of an eye. It shot from the horizon all the way to Bongisto, piercing straight through Karimar’s body in a burst of blinding green light.

“AAAH——!!!”

A scream of agony echoed across the entirety of Bongisto, making every soul in the city shudder.

Inside the Magic Array at the city’s center, Firuvin let out a long, relieved breath, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“You’ve finally arrived, Saint.”

Hulim Heyerar’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the scene unfolding before her. Overwhelmed by surprise, she cut off the incantation she’d been weaving. The ancient words of power that had surfaced in the depths of her mind faded rapidly, sinking back into the darkness of her consciousness.

In the next instant, her body went limp as if drained of all strength. She collapsed to the ground, her consciousness teetering on the edge of unconsciousness—but she forced herself to stay awake, by sheer willpower alone.

She had to see this person. She had to confirm her arrival with her own eyes.

A shower of emerald light descended from the sky, hanging in the air like a full moon. The deep, suffocating darkness that had shrouded the world ever since the Great Demon Karimar broke his seal was dispelled completely in that single, brilliant moment.

High above the clouds, a figure stood with a bow in hand, walking forward like a valkyrie. With just a few steps, she crossed the endless distance and appeared directly above Bongisto.

“AGH!” Karimar writhed in agony, his body convulsing uncontrollably. The arrow piercing his torso carried a power that refused to fade, relentlessly tearing him apart from the inside out.

He forced his head upward, his three blood-red eyes locking onto the figure in the sky with a gaze of pure hatred.

“It’s you——Irus Verdant Star Feyl!”

The figure who had descended upon Bongisto was none other than the owner of the nameless magic potion shop in Langard—and one of the few S-Rank powerhouses in the entire Himril World, the “Saint” Irus Verdant Star Feyl.

Irus hovered in mid-air, her aura of pure, unadulterated power completely suppressing Karimar.

Faced with her, Karimar—who had been so arrogant and overconfident just moments ago—could not hide the terror in his eyes.

“It seems you still remember me.”

Irus spoke, her voice calm and clear, yet laced with an unshakable authority.

Upon hearing her words, Karimar gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching so tightly it looked like it might shatter.

“How could I ever forget... It was you who sealed me here with your own hands!”

At the end of the great war four hundred years ago, the Himril Coalition Forces had been severely weakened by the prolonged conflict. They lacked the strength to eliminate the remaining demon stragglers, so they chose a more pragmatic solution: sealing the demons away, letting them fade away with the passage of time. In the process, the residual power of the sealed demons would even nourish the world, a small silver lining to their defeat.

In truth, after four hundred years of imprisonment, most of the sealed demons had already been reduced to nothingness. Only a handful of S-Rank demons like Karimar still clung to life, their vitality far too tenacious to be easily snuffed out.

“If you remember that it was I who sealed you, then why did you dare to run amok here? Did you think we would never show up?”

Irus asked slowly, her tone growing colder and more dangerous with every word.

This content has been unlawfully taken from NovelBin; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A chill ran down Karimar’s spine. He took an instinctive step backward, then—casting aside all his pride as a great demon—he turned and fled, his massive body streaking across the sky like a black meteor.

Four hundred years ago, when Irus had just ascended to S-Rank, he had been no match for her. Now, after four hundred years had passed, her power must have grown even more terrifying.

He didn’t even have the courage to test his luck against her. His only thought was to escape.

“You cannot run.”

Irus raised the stringless bow in her hand. She drew her right hand back, and a bowstring of condensed light materialized in her grasp, along with a single arrow made of pure emerald light.

“Since you’ve crawled out of your cage, you won’t be going back. Stay here—forever.”

WHOOSH——!

The light arrow shot forward, piercing through Karimar’s body in an instant, leaving another gaping hole in his torso.

“AAAH——!”

Karimar stumbled and fell to the ground, his body now riddled with wounds that oozed black, viscous blood.

“You damned woman! I’LL KILL YOU!”

Knowing that escape was impossible, Karimar threw caution to the wind. He let out a roar of fury and charged straight at Irus, his claws outstretched to tear her apart.

Irus watched him approach with a cold, impassive gaze. She lifted her bow above her head, aiming it at the sky, then drew the string back once more.

WHOOSH!

In the blink of an eye—

A rain of arrows descended from the sky.

Countless emerald light arrows poured down, covering every inch of Karimar’s body, turning him into a pincushion of light. His flesh was torn to shreds, his roars of pain echoing across the battlefield.

“ROAR——!”

Karimar endured the agony with all his remaining strength, opening his mouth wide and unleashing a beam of pitch-black energy, thick as a mountain, toward Irus.

BOOM!

The beam hurtled toward her—but before it could reach her, a wall of emerald light erupted out of thin air, blocking the attack completely. The black energy dissipated into nothingness upon contact, as if it had never existed.

Irus’s expression remained calm and unchanged. She aimed her bow directly at Karimar, drawing the string back a third time.

WHOOSH!

This time, the light arrow that materialized was several times larger than before. The entire arrowhead blazed with brilliant light, swirling like a miniature storm, its power so intense it warped the air around it.

“Go.”

BOOM——!

The storm arrow shot forward, cutting through Karimar’s black beam as if it were nothing more than a thin veil. It pierced straight into his open mouth, then exploded violently inside his body.

KA-BOOM——!

A massive explosion tore through Karimar’s torso, blasting a gaping hole through his body. A flood of black liquid rained down from the sky, splattering onto the ground below.

But he was still not dead. Demons possessed incredibly resilient vitality, and his life force clung to his broken body, refusing to fade. Yet with wounds this severe, he had lost all ability to fight back, reduced to a helpless, writhing mess on the ground.

Just as he had feared—four hundred years later, this elf who had slain countless demons in the past had grown even more powerful. Perhaps only a Demon General at the height of their power, like Sethis in his prime, could hope to stand against her now......

Karimar felt a surge of bitter regret well up inside him. He should have listened to Sethis’s warnings.

At first, he had thought Sethis had lost his pride as a demon after being sealed for so long, and he had scorned him for it.

Now, it seemed that Sethis had simply understood the reality of their situation far better than he had. He had foreseen that this would happen all along.

“I refuse to accept this......”

Karimar’s heart was filled with nothing but bitterness and despair. After struggling for four hundred years to break free from his prison, this was how his freedom would end.

But it was too late for regrets now.

BOOM——!!!

A torrent of emerald light descended from the sky, completely engulfing Karimar’s body, swallowing his screams of rage and despair.

When the light finally faded, the Great Demon Karimar—who had nearly brought Bongisto to ruin—had vanished completely from the world, leaving no trace behind.

“......I-Is it over?”

The people of Bongisto stared at the scene in stunned silence, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

It had all happened so quickly.

The invincible enemy who had threatened to destroy them all just moments ago had been defeated, without even putting up a real fight.

“We won......”

A faint whisper drifted through the crowd, spoken by someone who could barely believe their own words.

“We won.”

“We’ve won!”

“WE ARE VICTORIOUS!!!”

......

The entire city erupted into thunderous cheers. Everyone poured into the streets, shouting and cheering at the top of their lungs. People were lifted into the air, their clothes thrown aside in celebration, and the sound of joy echoed across every corner of Bongisto.

“Wait! Put me down! Let go of me right now!”

Faintly, the sound of Russell’s indignant squawking could be heard amidst the cheers......

Outside the breached city wall.

Irus descended to the ground, walking slowly toward a figure lying on the grass. She knelt down gently, then lifted Hulim into her arms, her movements careful and tender.

“You really do push yourself too hard, don’t you?”

“Il... Irus......”

Hulim looked up at the familiar smile on Irus’s face. She made no attempt to resist, her eyes fluttering shut as the last of her strength finally gave out. The consciousness she had fought so hard to maintain slipped away, and she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

“Yes, rest now. You’ve earned it.”

Irus whispered, her fingers brushing gently across Hulim’s forehead.

After confirming that Hulim had fallen into a deep sleep, she stood up carefully, holding her securely in her arms, and turned to leave, her figure gradually disappearing into the distance......