The Ford Company had a backdoor known only to insiders.
Theo's teammates and some paladins headed towards the backdoor of the Ford Company, a location Theo had told them about.
As they reached the backdoor:
Fwooosh──
A powerful beam of light shot up into the sky from afar, emanating from the location of the event.
“......!”
The eyes of Croc, the paladins and Alphs, widened.
Being part of the Order of Light, they were well-acquainted with the nature of this light.
‘The eleventh Commandment of Renimid has been cast.’
A divine spell like a miracle that could revive the dying instantly.
It was a two-digit Commandment that only a few high priests and the First Saintess, after years of devotion, could use.
Naturally, they realized that Isabella was the caster.
‘......This is serious.’
With a stern face, Croc nodded at Taylor.
Quick-witted Taylor immediately grasped the significance of this gesture.
“Let's hurry, everyone.”
Leading the way, Taylor urged the others to quicken their pace towards the Ford Company.
Theo rushed towards Maitri, who was undergoing demonification.
The effect of [Descendant of a Hero] was remarkable. His physical abilities were enhanced almost to the level of using [Overrun].
Moreover, unlike when using [Overrun], he didn't feel any heart-bursting pain.
Theo quickly closed the distance to about 30 steps away from Maitri.
Near Maitri, he saw Claire, who was sitting down, barely managing to prop up her upper body.
Theo opened his [Subspace Bag] and took out a small bottle containing an imitation panacea, which he had divided into ten bottles after receiving it from Taylor.
He threw one of the bottles to Claire.
“Knight, catch.”
Claire caught the bottle Theo threw.
With shaky eyes, she briefly looked at the revitalized Theo before drinking the imitation panacea.
Her injuries began to heal rapidly.
‘Impossible. Did I drink a panacea?’
Apart from the severe injury in her abdomen, the minor injuries on her limbs had healed.
Strength surged through her exhausted body again, and her mental fatigue seemed to have been alleviated as if her battle weariness had recovered.
But her beloved [Claymore] was destroyed, and her divine energy was depleted.
‘If I interfere now, I’ll only be in the way. I need to recover my divine energy quickly. At least to be able to cast a buff.’
Claire lifted her head to look in the opposite direction.
Fsshsshssh──!
Theo and Maitri were already entangled in battle.
Huge spikes erupted from the ground, shattering it.
“So, you’ve finally given up on being human, you scum.”
Theo’s sword was aimed at Maitri’s heart.
“It’s all your fault. I was holding out for a better deal... In the end, I had to offer even my soul...!”
The spikes surged wildly in resonance with Maitri's rage, targeting the spot where Theo had just been standing.
The spikes served both offensive and defensive purposes.
Theo circled around Maitri, searching for an opening.
'It's hard to find an entry point.'
A single mistake would mean getting impaled by the thorns.
Theo asked Nay.
─Nay, is it time to use 'that'? Can I use it now?
'That' was a new technique he had learned from Nay.
Nay had said, if one truly wishes to cut, there is nothing in this world that cannot be cut—a technique closer to a secret art than a skill.
Naturally, he had never used it in actual combat before.
Nay had also instructed that he must seek her permission before using it.
─...
There was no response from Nay.
She had been silent for a while, precisely since Maitri made a pact with the demon, a departure from her usually chatty demeanor.
'...Damn. The more time drags on, the worse it gets.'
Maitri's demonization was not yet complete.
The horns on his head and the wings protruding from his back were still modest in size.
As time passed, the demonization would progress.
If it were to complete, he would become an overwhelmingly powerful adversary, beyond Theo's capacity to confront.
Theo knew this instinctively.
'Should I explode my qi along with [Overrun]?'
Having used it a few times, he now had a good grasp of how to utilize it effectively.
But it was a last resort.
Apart from Claire, who was barely breathing, everyone else had been incapacitated.
He was the only one left.
Maitri sneered at him as he circled around.
“...Ha, hahaha. You returned so boldly, Theo Lyn Waldeurk, yet you can do nothing. Even as a [Descendant of a Hero], you are still merely human.”
“A guy who was human until 10 minutes ago. To anyone listening, you’d sound like a demon with 10 years of experience.”
Theo said this and performed a backward roll. Thorns sprouted where he had been just a moment ago.
About 5 minutes later.
Most of the event venue's ground, capable of accommodating thousands of believers, was destroyed.
Giant boulders and thousands of broken chairs were scattered everywhere.
Theo found it difficult to move smoothly.
Unlike Theo, Maitri was flying in the sky, flapping his large black wings. Maitri could perform long-range attacks with his thorns.
Since his horns were not fully grown yet, Maitri had not achieved complete demonization.
However, the situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable for Theo.
The fact that he had managed to hold on this far was thanks to the traits of [Descendant of a Hero].
'It can't be helped. I need to settle this.'
Just as Theo decided to detonate his qi along with [Overrun].
─...That doesn't seem like a good idea, my child.
Nay finally spoke up.
While keeping his gaze fixed on Maitri in the air, Theo responded to Nay.
─Given the urgency of the situation, I won’t ask what happened. So, what should we do—f*ck.
Fssshhh──!
Fssshhhhh──!
Before Theo could finish his sentence, thorns erupted from the ground.
Unlike before, their accuracy had dramatically improved.
Being airborne had significantly broadened Maitri's field of vision.
The thorns kept surging incessantly.
Theo had no time to think about anything else. Dodging the thorns was challenging enough.
─Let's cut to the chase given the urgency.
─...
─Kid, give me control of your body right now. Seeing the thorns, it's clear he's made a pact with Andros. Andros is a high-ranking demon. Once the demonization is complete, your body won’t stand a chance of winning.
It didn’t take long for Theo to decide. It wasn’t just because the situation was dire.
‘Without Nay, I would have been dead at Oswald's hands long ago.’
Moreover, it was with Nay's presence that he had overcome numerous dangers.
Nay could betray him and take over his body forever.
But Theo chose to trust Nay.
Though she talked a bit too much, the concern and teachings she had given till now were sincere.
─I’ll hand it over, Nay.
─...Alright.
At that moment, Theo's consciousness faded.
Nay, now in control of Theo's body, looked up at Maitri.
Using Theo's voice, Nay muttered.
“...Have a good sleep. Your teacher here will handle this.”
An ecstatic Maitri unleashed a barrage of thorns.
“Ha, hahaha! This is really fun. Why did I live as an inferior human! I don’t get tired at all, no matter how many thorns I use!”
Suddenly, Theo stopped dodging and stood still.
“Kh, khahaha! Have you finally accepted death, Theo Lyn Waldeurk! Yes. You fought well for someone like you! I have made a pact with a great demon, after all!”
Just as Maitri was about to summon thorns where Theo stood.
Swoosh.
Theo swung his sword at him.
Maitri scoffed.
“What’s this, Theo Lyn Waldeurk. Have you finally lost it? Swinging from there, you think you can reach me── Gg, gaaaah!”
When the searing pain hit, Maitri was already plummeting to the ground.
Theo had sent a sword qi that severed one of Maitri’s wings.
But Maitri had no idea what had happened.
“What, what is this! My wings could withstand 7th circle magic──!”
Panicked, Maitri summoned thorns haphazardly towards Theo. The thorns merely destroyed the ground aimlessly.
“Where── Where is he!”
Maitri had completely lost track of Theo's movements.
‘I, I need to recover──!’
For the first time since his demonization, he felt fear.
Maitri summoned thorns to protect his body thoroughly and began to regenerate his severed wing.
However, even stalling for time proved futile.
Swoosh!
Theo's sword, now more than five times larger and sturdier than he had been in his human days, sliced through the thorns in a single swipe.
Beyond the forcibly cleared view, Theo's face was visible.
His eyes, unlike usual, were a pale blue, surrounded by a cool, moonlight-like gleam.
‘Something’s terribly wrong here. I must hold on──!’
As a last resort, Maitri summoned the energy from his heart.
The heart is the source of a demon's formidable power.
Using his heart can temporarily unleash explosive strength.
However, unlike mana, it does not naturally recover, and using it all results in death.
‘At least a mid-level demon. In the worst case, I might fall to the level of a low-tier demon, but...... it can't be helped. Survival comes first.’
Thorns of an intensity unlike anything before covered Maitri, their hardness impenetrable even by 8th circle magic.
Theo silently raised his sword, its blade shimmering with a blue aura.
“......Huh. Remember this, engraved it upon your body, child. If one truly wishes to cut, there is nothing in this world that cannot be cut.”
Theo leaped high, sword raised.
“Moon Flash.”
He then slashed down at Maitri.
Click.
Theo sheathed his sword.
Immediately after, Maitri's body, along with the thorns, split into two halves.
