I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [458]

"A complete monster!"

Even though she had already fled a great distance, Rigar continued to observe Aesc's battle through the "eyes" she had left behind.

However, even without those "eyes," it wouldn't have made much difference. Despite running so far, she and Uckande could still feel the overwhelming sense of imminent death, as if their lives were no longer in their own hands.

"I can't just let this continue!"

Rigar knew she had to act—if she didn't, once Alonger was killed, she would undoubtedly share the same fate.

"Aesc has already awakened, but the others are still trapped in their dreams. This is the perfect time to capture Frieren and the others, then use their lives as leverage to—"

Before she could make up her mind, a terrifying killing intent locked onto her.

Centuries of honed battle instincts made her body react faster than her mind. She reached for her sword, raising it to block.

And in the very next instant, an overwhelming force struck her with such intensity that it felt like her ribs and internal organs were about to be crushed.

Bang!

Rigar had no time to comprehend what had just happened—blood spurted from her mouth as she was sent hurtling through the air, her sword instantly shattering into fragments.

"How is she so fast?!"

The "eyes" scattered around her took in the figure that had suddenly appeared, and Rigar's heart wavered with uncertainty.

But beyond the sheer speed of the attack, what truly unsettled her was—

"That bastard Alonger… did he fall so quickly?"

The battle between Alonger and Aesc had obliterated all the "eyes" Rigar had planted, so she had no idea what had transpired in the final moments.

However, through magical perception, she could tell that Alonger's magical presence had vanished—proof that he had been eliminated.

Though Alonger of the Blood Axe was younger than Rigar of the Crescent Moon, his magic was both offensive and defensive, and his relentless, desperate fighting style meant that in a duel between the two of them, Alonger had the higher chance of victory.

And yet, someone stronger than her had been slain so quickly—without even managing to buy time for their escape. The realization sent a chill down Rigar's spine.

Her thoughts lasted only a fraction of a breath before Aesc launched her next attack.

No unnecessary words. Only the icy killing intent of one determined to annihilate his foe.

Aesc knew all too well—speaking to demons was a waste of time.

It was akin to a human learning the language of pigs—it wouldn't change the fact that pigs were destined to end up on a dinner plate. To demons, humans were food, prey. Learning human language simply made it easier to deceive and hunt them.

Humans had done the same, imitating animal calls, using pheromones to lure insects.

There was no coexistence between humans and demons. No understanding.

The only course of action—kill, or be killed. Protect the ones you care about, or lose them forever.

Aesc didn't give Rigar a single moment to catch her breath.

A lightning-fast slash cut through the air, aimed straight at her throat.

Yet, just as the moonlit blade was about to sever her head—

Aesc abruptly stopped and leapt sideways.

At that exact moment, a sudden slash appeared out of nowhere, as if space itself had been severed.

Aesc slid a short distance backward, his gaze falling to his sleeve, which had been sliced open. His expression was ice-cold.

From the shadows, Uckande stepped forward, dual blades in hand. His face remained unreadable, but his eyes never wavered from Aesc for even a second.

"Can you still fight?"

His question was directed at Rigar.

"It won't affect my combat ability."

Bracing a hand against her knee, Rigar stood. Though Uckande had saved her, she felt no gratitude whatsoever.

"I thought you had already run off in fear."

"If you had managed to stall this guy long enough for me to escape safely, I absolutely would have run."

Uckande had only stayed because he understood the reality of the situation. He and Rigar were now tied by mutual survival—if one of them died, the other wouldn't stand a chance.

"If I had known it would come to this, I should have helped Alonger earlier."

Uckande's eyes lowered slightly.

"Three would've been better than two."

"What's the point of regretting it now? Keep your eyes open—I don't want to die because of your incompetence."

As she spoke, the shattered remnants of Rigar's sword began to grow—elongating, extending—until it reached nearly three meters in length.

Not only that, but from the elongated blade, countless smaller sword-like branches sprouted, resembling the limbs of a tree.

Rigar held the hilt like a slender branch.

This was her second magic ability.

Her first, the ability to transform non-living objects into "eyes," allowed her to see farther and eliminate blind spots.

Her second, the power to extend weapons, increased her attack range and made her strikes unpredictable.

"Hah—"

Rigar exhaled slowly.

The moment he saw this, Aesc made her move.

A pillar of magical light shot from the tip of her staff, streaking across the night sky like a meteor.

Faster than the speed of sound—before the air could even register the attack, the magical blast had already arrived.

At that moment, Rigar swung her grotesque blade downward.

Countless crescent-shaped slashes surged forward like a wind barrier, deflecting the incoming meteor-like attack.

Having neutralized Aesc's assault, Rigar pressed forward. She swung her massive blade again, unleashing a wave of tightly packed crescent slashes that tore through the ground and surged toward Aesc.

The whirlwind of sword energy rose high, roaring at the silver moon above like a furious dragon.

Jagged scars marred the earth.

Towering trees were reduced to dust.

Amidst the raging storm of slashes, Aesc's eyes remained impassive. With a flick of his cape—

A sight beyond comprehension unfolded.

The thin, flowing fabric met the swordstorm that could shred stone with ease—

And it repelled the attack.

The countless crescent slashes, gleaming with cold light, shattered upon impact, scattering like broken glass.

The storm raged, leveling the earth and crushing the forest—

Yet not a single scratch reached Aesc.

Though her eyes were hidden behind a blindfold, Rigar's shock was evident in her expression.

And that moment of distraction—Aesc seized it.

With a single step, she vanished.

In a flash, she appeared behind Rigar, sword poised to strike.

If she had been alone, she would have died in the next heartbeat.

Which was why—

Uckande struck.

Just like before, an invisible slash appeared out of nowhere.

It gave no warning. No time to react.

Even more elusive, more lethal than Sukuna's unseen cuts—

Sharper.

More deadly.

Several slashes tore through Aesc's figure, cutting her into pieces.

And yet, strangely—there was no blood.

"An illusion?!"

Uckande's eyes narrowed as he turned sharply in another direction.

"I see… so this is your magic?"

Aesc smiled faintly, her calm tone sending a chill through Uckande's heart.

"You've already figured it out?"

"Of course. It's not a particularly complex spell."

Meeting Uckande's grim stare, Aesc's eyes were unfathomably deep.

"You recreate slashes you left in the past, manifesting them in the present. That is your magic, isn't it?"

In simple terms, if Uckande had once swung his sword at a specific spot, he could later make that very slash reappear, cutting down anything standing in its path.

Since the attack had already been executed, it couldn't be blocked or evaded—no matter how tough the material, it would be sliced apart.

A slash that acted directly on space itself, even bordering on the concept of time.

That was why Uckande was known as "Void Severer."

His magic was exceptionally troublesome, especially for those encountering it for the first time. There was no warning before his attacks appeared, and they could sever anything.

"I always wondered how you managed to kill humanity's greatest warrior in a one-on-one battle."

Aesc spoke slowly.

"I've never met the strongest warrior of humanity from centuries ago, so I don't know how powerful he was. But I do know the strongest warrior of this era. And to be honest, the gap between you and him is rather wide. Even if that warrior of the past was weaker than Aiz, the difference shouldn't have been so extreme."

"Now it makes sense—you caught him off guard with your magic. That's how you killed him, wasn't it?"

For a long time, humanity had been at a severe disadvantage in their war against demons.

Before the great mage Flamme established a magic system for humans a thousand years ago, magic had been an exclusive domain of the demons. Every demon could wield magic, whereas human mages like Serie were rarer than even endangered species.

Even after humanity gained its own mages, their disadvantage persisted. For example, flight magic—something every demon knew—was only gradually mastered by humans after the Demon King was defeated by Himmel and his companions. Until then, the skies had belonged solely to the demons.

To turn the tide, humans made relentless efforts to understand demons—their combat abilities, their magic, and especially the powers of the strongest among them.

Macht of "Golden Land" wielded transmutation magic that turned everything to gold.

Guval, the "Corrupt Sage," specialized in deadly curses.

Grausam of "Miracle" mastered mind-altering magic.

Alonger of "Blood Axe" used blood-based sorcery.

Rigar of "Crescent Moon" possessed two distinct magical abilities.

Humanity had learned and documented all of these.

But Uckande, "Void Severer," was different.

Until now, no one had ever uncovered the nature of his magic.

"I suppose it's because you killed everyone who ever witnessed it? How cautious of you."

His magic had been exposed.

And not just that—his long-held strategy of erasing all witnesses had also been seen through.

Uckande's expression darkened, so much so that it seemed like it might drip with malice.

A bone-chilling killing intent filled the air. He was clearly far more serious than before.

"Only now have you decided to kill me?"

Aesc's smirk carried a trace of mockery.

She showed no concern for the thick, suffocating bloodlust in the air.

It was as if victory was already in her grasp.

"But unfortunately, the outcome has already been decided."

Uckande didn't understand what she meant.

But Rigar's face abruptly changed—like she had just realized something.

She turned sharply toward the village.

"No—! That magic just now—"

She never got to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, both Rigar and Uckande trembled.

Their faces turned deathly pale.

They fought against the overwhelming drowsiness crashing over them—

But it was useless.

Their bodies collapsed heavily to the ground, sinking into a deep slumber.

Aesc slowly stepped toward the two unconscious demon generals.

The moonlight gleamed coldly off her sword.

...

A few minutes earlier...

While Aesc was speaking with the two demon generals, elsewhere in Skoll Village, another demon revealed himself.

His name was Nasca.

His specialty—dream-related magic.

Even though his expertise in mental magic didn't compare to Grausam of "Miracle," he was still capable of resisting the Grand Dream Magic of the festival.

"Rigar and Uckande are being held up?"

Nasca furrowed his brows.

Like most demons, his first instinct was to abandon them and flee.

Self-preservation was the nature of demons.

But after some hesitation, he made a decision.

He would target the people of the village.

More precisely, his real goal was the Grand Dream Magic at the heart of the festival.

Demons revered strength.

In their world, the weak had no place.

That was why most demons pursued power above all else.

Nasca was no exception.

He sought to enhance his mastery of mental magic using the Grand Dream Magic.

Especially now that Grausam of "Miracle" was dead—if he succeeded, he could take Grausam's place in the hierarchy.

Attacking Frieren and Aesc had been partly due to chance—he and his allies happened to discover them upon arriving here.

But the other reason was far more personal.

Frieren and Aesc had killed more demons than anyone else.

Taking them down would skyrocket Nasca's status among his kin.

"It'll be fine. Aesc hasn't noticed me yet. As long as I escape before she does—"

Having made up his mind, Nasca moved to act.

And then—

Something unexpected happened.

"!!!"

Nasca froze in place.

A vast, overwhelming magic presence was hurtling toward him at incredible speed.

A high-density blast of magic tore through the air—

Brilliant like a meteor.

Swift like thunder.

But—

The blast did not strike Nasca directly.

Instead, it landed ten meters to his left.

"Why…?"

His voice was weak. Hoarse.

His face filled with shock and confusion.

Then—like mist evaporating in the sun—his body began to fade.

And within the massive crater left by the magical blast—

A wretched, broken figure emerged.

More than a third of his body had been completely erased.

The remaining two-thirds crumbled into dust, scattered by the wind.

That—was the real Nasca.

The one before had merely been an illusion.

But the true Nasca—was struck down in an instant, before he even had the chance to resist.

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T/N: im sorry if the translation is bad... I really don't know much about frieren! I'd really appreciate it if you tell me what the right names are