I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 661

The demon’s scream echoed across the battlefield. Its limbs flailed unnaturally as it thrashed its head, desperately trying to spit Ian out.

Crackle—

However, Ian was not thrown free. Crushing the teeth clenched in his grip, he forced himself upward, tearing open the demon’s maw, hide and muscle together.

The demon’s scream climbed higher, growing ever more desperate.

Crunch!

Its lower jaw was torn clean away. In that instant, Miguel did not miss the sight of Ian driving his leg forward in a powerful stomp.

Ian released the teeth he had been gripping and leaped downward. It was not merely to land atop the demon before it could lift its head.

Thud!

He fell together with the shredded lower jaw, clutching the dangling teeth as he descended. To Miguel’s eyes, the spurting mass of flesh and fluid looked as though it were being dragged straight toward Ian.

Is he really wielding divine authority?

Miguel couldn't take his eyes off Ian landing on the demon's nape. Ian lowered his stance, gripping the teeth jutting from the severed jaw with both hands. The crimson divinity spreading over his cloak burned ever more fiercely.

"------!"

Pouring out purple-tinged blood, the demon bowed its head as if being dragged by Ian. If it raised its head, the jaw would tear away completely. Even that monster seemed to understand that Ian wasn’t the one being pulled.

Boom— Rumble—

Even now, the demon could only writhe helplessly. It couldn’t shift its stance, nor could it swing its arms to strike Ian.

Is it because it has only one head left, so it can’t control its body properly?

Perhaps each head had controlled a different part. Monsters with multiple heads were often like that, after all. Of course, it was neither something that could be confirmed nor something that mattered.

Crunch—

What mattered was that Ian kept stepping forward, continuing to tear apart the lower jaw in his grip. Muscle fibers writhed at the torn cross-section as if trying to reattach themselves, but they could not make Ian stop.

Rip—

Tearing through the skin connected to the neck, Ian finally ripped the jaw off completely. The demon’s head that had been dragged along slammed into the ground, leaving behind a trail of purple-tinged fluid.

"------!"

A scream like a phlegm-choked breath blended into the din of the battlefield. Amid the light and heat born from the exploding holy flames, purple veins flickered across the demon’s body. Miguel had no way of knowing that it meant the creature was losing control over its chaos.

"That’s insane."

He could only stare as Ian flung the torn jaw aside and turned. Stepping over the demon’s convulsing body, Ian reached out and grasped the hilt of the greatsword jutting at an angle from its nape.

The greatsword that had split the reindeer-like head straight down the middle was still embedded there.

In the next instant, a soundless explosion burst from the blade. The demon’s head and nape were blown apart, chunks of flesh scattering in all directions. Amid the dispersing mist of blood, the crimson divine radiance clinging to Ian flared like fire.

Swoosh—

The crimson glow and halo of light flowed down along the blade lodged in the severed neck. Ian turned, gripping the hilt with both hands, and strode toward the demon’s final remaining head, which was still retching out ragged, pain-filled breaths.

The greatsword dragging behind him scraped along the ground—then surged upward in the next moment.

A massive crimson arc mixed with light swept through the demon’s neck and soared.

Ian halted with the greatsword raised diagonally, and the severed head was sent tumbling away. The demon’s body, which had been flailing only moments before, shuddered violently once.

Immediately after, fluids and purple smoke erupted explosively from the severed sections. The purple light flickering across the demon's body rapidly faded.

Thud... 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

At last, the massive limbs that had been thrashing fell limp. The demon had breathed its last.

So completely one-sided...

Watching Ian lower the greatsword, Miguel let out a quiet breath of awe. The Ian he remembered was certainly superhuman, but not to the point of tearing demons apart so casually.

Now, he looked like the very incarnation of Karha.

"Oooooo—"

"Great Warrior! The Great Warrior tore the demon apart!"

Thunderous cheers erupted among the barbarian warriors. Miguel blinked, snapping back to his senses.

Snort!

Nila stamped its foreleg impatiently, as though it had reached its limit. Startled, Miguel leaned forward over the shaft and reached out.

"Alright. Alright, just wait a little longer!"

His voice came out almost pleading. Now that fresh flesh had fully formed, his fingers worked the knot far more deftly than before.

Without pausing his hands, Miguel glanced back. A thunderous blast lit up the surroundings.

Rumble...

The rear battlefield, now a sea of fire, finally came into view. All the snow had melted away, exposing dark, churned soil.

"Kill them all—"

"Karha!"

Corpses wreathed in sacred flames burned like torches across the field, while warriors imbued with crimson divinity roamed among them, cutting down the remaining monsters. He could also see the back of a priest striking with a flail, a torch held high in one hand.

And beyond that, a paladin on a white horse was rushing toward them, swinging a sword of fire repeatedly. She must have circled wide to the rear to support the warriors.

Even as his eyes widened, Miguel finished untying the rope fastened to the shaft.

Neigh!

As if it had been waiting for that moment, Nila raised its front hooves and shook off the yoke. The carriage tilted backward, and Miguel lost his balance, flailing for an instant.

"Ugh, whoa!"

He sprang up reflexively and, without meaning to, ended up atop Nila’s back. Hugging her mane-covered neck in a panic, Miguel soon quickly cleared his throat and straightened himself, looking awkward.

"W-Well, it worked out better this way. Let's go, you impatient rascal."

Puffing out spark-mixed breath, Nila strode forward. It turned its head slightly to the side. Miguel also looked back at the demon's corpse.

Unexpectedly, Ian was still standing atop it, his greatsword lowered. It was not to display his victory or accept the warriors’ cheers. He was looking elsewhere, not in their direction.

Crunch— Crack—

Turning in the same direction, Miguel spotted a black horse charging through the field, shaking monsters from its flanks as it ran. Far from losing its life, it looked as though it had been fighting on its own while Ian battled the demon. The creature, an ominous violet light glowing between its barding, slid to a halt beside the demon’s corpse.

Neigh!

Nila came to an abrupt stop just as Ian planted the greatsword like a pole and vaulted cleanly into the black horse’s saddle.

"Ugh—"

Hugging Nila’s neck reflexively, Miguel didn’t take his eyes off Ian as he shook the reins, greatsword still in hand. Violet-tinged fog poured from the black horse once more as it circled the corpse, then bolted away.

"Don’t tell me...," Miguel murmured, watching the red trail rapidly recede. The thought crossed his mind that Ian was heading toward the source of this demonic realm.

"Leave not a single one alive—"

"For the Great Warrior—"

The barbarian warriors made no move to follow him. Whether they shared the same realization or not was unclear. They roared at the top of their lungs and hurled themselves back into the fight.

After all, they had just seen the Great Warrior tear a demon apart. The remaining monsters were likely, in their eyes, their responsibility.

"It won’t be long. Let’s go help too, Nila. ...Nila?"

Miguel, who was patting its neck, frowned slightly. It hadn’t moved an inch.

"Nila?" Tilting his head, he looked at its face.

Its gaze, shimmering with a faint orange glow, was fixed on the darkness where Ian had vanished, as if nailed there. Miguel couldn’t read a horse’s expression—but still.

"Is it that shocking that Brother rode off on another horse? Huh?"

Guessing at its thoughts, Miguel tugged one corner of his mouth upward. Normally, it would’ve swung its head and smacked his forearm. However, Nila didn't even snort. It just stared blankly into the darkness.

Miguel’s smile slowly faded. "Well. I mean, it has been years since you were apart. I guess that can happen..."

An odd sense of guilt creeping in, he smacked his lips and hopped down to the ground. He was too used to Nila acting as it pleased.

"Stay near the carriage and calm down. Don’t lose focus and get yourself hurt."

He patted its flank as if to reassure it, then turned away, pulling an axe from his lower back.

Fwoosh...

As Miguel murmured a prayer under his breath, the blade glowed reddish, sparks flickering along its edge.

"Don't let them escape!"

"Kill them all!"

The noise of the battlefield drew closer. The surroundings were already littered with torn and burned monster corpses.

Screech—

The remaining monsters scattered in all directions, having lost their focal point. The warriors spread out, cutting down the remnants. Of course, not every monster lying on the ground was dead yet.

Crunch!

Like this one, crawling forward with only its upper body remaining.

Miguel brought the axe down, and the creature’s skull burst apart in a spray of sparks. What little remained of its body collapsed in on itself.

Miguel shook the axe once and moved on, no longer looking at it. His eyes swept across the battlefield instead.

He was searching for a white horse.

Fortunately, it did not take long.

Fwoosh—

Sacred flames flared nearby, and through the blazing light, the unmistakable white horse Selim came into view, along with the riders mounted atop it.

"Do not pursue! The Great Warrior will return!"

A shout mixed with heat rang out. It was a familiar voice, one Miguel had missed more than he had realized. Unconsciously biting down on his lower lip, Miguel strode toward Selim, no longer sparing a glance for anything else around him.

Clip-clop— clip-clop—

Fortunately, Selim had slowed to a walk as well. Mev was lowering her sword, scanning the warriors—likely checking their condition. Beside her, the saintess did the same, sacred fire flickering faintly along her hooded cloak.

Before long, the masked face beneath the hood turned toward him.

The eyes behind the mask widened sharply. Meeting Lucia’s shimmering gaze, Miguel lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin.

"Miguel!"

The instant she called his name, Lucia leaped from the saddle, nearly tumbling as she landed. Dust billowed thickly around her as she rolled across the ground and sprang back to her feet, breaking into a run at once.

Tap, tap, tap—

She was in a hurry. The sacred flames that had flickered around her hood and cloak were already gone.

Unaware that he, too, had begun unconsciously quickening his steps, Miguel called out, "Slow down, you rascal. You’ll trip again."

Just like Nila always did, Lucia didn’t listen. Instead of slowing, she hurried even more recklessly, throwing herself at him and wrapping him in a tight embrace.