Ch. 19 - Confronting the greedy Sitri

I can count up to ten, almost twenty Exorcists charging towards me, carrying the same light sabers as the Chief Exorcist, albeit theirs were much dimmer compared to him, perhaps these Exorcists have smaller and weaker holy energy compared to their Chief.

"Come on, I'll take you all on!" With my blood pumping inside my veins, I couldn't resist a grin on my face. Why is this happening?

I'm not usually like this, how can I be excited at the mere thought of fighting to death just for the sake of getting stronger?

I should be cautious and make plans to maximize my chances of survival but instead, I'm being reckless.

How? Why?

So many questions ran on my mind which were unfortunately left as mere questions, unable to be answered as one of the Exorcists arrived in front of me, swinging his dimmed lightsaber at me. Actually, it would be an insult to the actual lightsaber to call this one. It's too dim and you wouldn't notice that it has a light on the blade.

Gloomysaber. Yes, I'll call these Gloomysaber instead of Lightsaber.

I conjured two Tao mandalas on both of my hands as I successfully blocked the Gloomysaber with ease.

Dropping down on the ground, I swept my legs over his, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

I followed with a swift slash towards his neck, intending to kill him. Tao Mandalas may be known as shields to defend from physical attacks but its edges can be used to slice things up.

Wait what?

Upon realizing that I was attempting to kill someone without any remorse, I quickly pulled my hands back, saving the exorcist from death.

I could see the Exorcist's eyes widen in surprise upon seeing that I spared him. He was already ready to face death and had seen his happy memories flash before his eyes, only to get interrupted because his supposed death was discontinued.

Unfortunately, this was a mistake on my part as the other Exorcists had arrived and surrounded me, swinging their blades at me together.

I cursed under my breath as I smoothly fought on my own against the Exorcists, dancing around despite being surrounded.

Their blades were blocked by my Tao Mandalas, me kicking wrists causing their blades to fall from their hands and finally finding myself out of the damned situation.

Of course, despite my survival, it doesn't mean I got out without injuries as I looked at my arm that was bleeding profusely.

Although my skin is supposed to be impenetrable by even the sharpest blades, the Gloomysabers were coated with Holy Energy, my main weakness.

Now I'm starting to hate being a devil. I should find a way to turn myself back to humans while retaining the benefits of being a devil.

Speaking of turning back into a human, maybe I should talk with Ajuka, see if I could get his research on the Evil Pieces and perhaps, I might find the solution to my problem.

Before I could dwell on my thoughts any longer, I saw that the Chief Exorcist had now recovered and he seemed to be angry at something.

Obviously that 'Something' is me.

"You vile devil! Perish under my holy blade and repent for existing!" The Chief Exorcist, I could see through my eyes that he was muttering something after saying those words.

It was as if he was chanting something.

Wait chanting?

Aren't chants usually related to casting magic spells and such?

Just as I was about to figure out the Chief Exorcist's intentions, it was already too late as the Chief Exorcist's entire body glowed in bright light, causing me to feel a searing pain all over my front, my eyes felt like melting just by looking at him.

I immediately backed away as soon as fast as I could and finally recovered slightly.

Opening my eyes, I could finally see the entire situation.

The devils that were near the Chief Exorcist started screaming and screeching in pain as they tried to get away from the man as quickly as they could.

Unfortunately, some weren't fast enough or were simply too close. I watched as they turned into specks of dust, dying in a single blink of an eye.

Not only that, I also saw how the nearby Exorcists who were gravely injured, healing at a rate that can be seen by the naked eye.

So that's how it is, he's using his entire Holy Energy in this final attack. Using my magical senses on the guy, I noticed how his previous Holy Energy capacity on par with the High-class Devils was now empty.

Of course, I grinned at the process. Why shouldn't I? This just means that the Chief Exorcist is exhausted and won't be able to fight anymore, even his lightsaber doesn't have the same hue as before, it now looks like a normal blade.

Of course, it would be difficult to approach the man as his fellow Exorcists are now making an attempt to escape, using his Holy Flare as I like to call it, as an attempt to distract the devils long enough to make an escape.

Would I allow this? Of course not!

So as soon as the Holy Flare dimmed in light thanks to his depleted Holy Energy, I finally made my move.

I stomped my feet on the ground hard enough to propel myself towards the huddled Exorcists. Almost reaching the speed of sound.

At the moment of my arrival, the entire Exorcists were alarmed by my presence, brandishing their Gloomysabers to intercept me.

I felt like a God of War as I didn't care whether I was outnumbered or not, for me, the only thing that mattered was to grow strong throughout the fight.

Punch to the left and right, causing many bodies to fly out of the battlefield, followed by constant groanings and shrieks of pain that can make even a devil shudder in fear.

I never kill unnecessarily.

Despite going all out, I wasn't killing anyone. Not because I can't but I just don't want to.

I don't see any point in killing them. If they hold a grudge against me, then so be it, at least that way, their grudge would be a testament to their fragile human pride, proof that I'm a better man than them.

Boom!

Bam!

Slash!

I continued my relentless pursuit of the Chief Exorcist, despite the injuries accumulating on my body, a cut, bruise, burn, and even a broken bone, I didn't stop decimating through their ranks.

My Demonic Energy was rapidly depleting with the use of my Tao Mandalas and other certain spells.

Thankfully, I could recover my Demonic Energy mid-battle, so what should've been me getting exhausted and running out of juice, it was them who were experiencing it.

With weariness and fatigue overwhelming each of them, knocking them all out became as easy as a walk in the park.

Before I knew it, I was now breathing heavily too, although my Demonic Energy was recovering slowly but surely, however, my physical body couldn't keep up.

I could feel my arms and legs straining under the pressure of exhaustion, combined with my weight and the pull of gravity.

I know that at any moment now, I might pass out.

But still, looking around me, I smiled in satisfaction. Almost 50 Exorcists were lying on the ground, motionless and unconscious.

This looks like a piece of art. If Van Gogh were here, I would make him paint the entire battlefield.

"You…" The Chief Exorcist pointed his finger at me, his gaze switching from the fallen Exorcists and me.

"Why didn't you kill them? You're a devil." He muttered to me in shock, as if he couldn't believe there existed a devil that doesn't kill.

"Well, the funny thing is, I might be a devil. But only physically. The concept of the devil is something that reflects the human's fear of evil beings. It is merely a concept of an amalgam of evil and fearful beings, shaping the devils as you know today." While speaking, I slowly walked towards him, with each step matching the heartbeat of the Chief Exorcist.

"So tell me, am I a devil or evil?" I asked again, but this time, I was now standing in front of him, with him towering over me as he stood over 6 feet tall while I being a teenager, stood over exactly 5 feet tall.

Okay, don't bully me, I'm still growing alright!

"…Even if you aren't evil, do you think others will agree with your perspective? Do you think your words will change the people's meaning of the Devil?" The Chief Sorcerer's face grew grim. From the looks of it, my words seemed to affect him.

So he's not completely dumb. I can work with this.

"It doesn't matter if It's impossible to change. What matters is that the devils behind me aren't as merciful as me. If they see these unconscious humans, no doubt they would be served like delicacies on a silver platter." I said, pointing at the fallen Exorcists.

My words seemed to be a wake-up call to the Chief Exorcist as panic settled on his face.

Thankfully, we're quite far away from the devils, not to mention, we're in the middle of a forest.

'This'll do.' I muttered to myself as the Chief Exorcist was trying to carry as many Exorcists on his shoulders as he could, intending to save them. I can already see where this guy got his large amount of Holy Energy from.

"Raarrh!" He yelled in frustration, his arms' veins bulging as he kept trying to carry at least 5 people on his body.

That's when I finally stepped in.

"I think I might be able to help you," I said, wearing my Sling Ring and conjuring a portal right in front of him.

This portal leads to an abandoned church I found near the village where I used to live at.

The Chief Exorcist looked at me in shock. Confused why a devil like me, is helping him.

"This leads to one of the churches I found. It's an abandoned but better than here, right?"

The Chief Exorcist bore a cautious yet hopeful look on his face.

"If I want you and them dead, why would I bother sparing them in the first place?" I rolled my eyes upon noticing his wariness toward my help and the portal.

Hearing my words, his wariness went down, but still, it was there.

"….If you're truly helping me. You have my gratitude. Thank you." He stood and nodded his head at me, his gratitude being honest.

The next few minutes were spent with helping him transfer all the bodies inside the portal, effectively clearing the battlefield from littered bodies.

Before leaving, the Chief Exorcist gave me one final look and said.

"May I know the name of my savior?" He asked.

"…The Tarnished One." Hesitating to tell him my real name, I decided to give him the name I'd be calling myself as soon as I established my own force in this world.

"The Tarnished One….I see." The Chief Exorcist nodded his head and then replied.

"Well then, it would be rude for me to not say my name. My name is Diorno Strada." He nodded his head and said before finally leaving through the portal.

I closed the portal just as soon as a devil landed behind me.

"Where are they!" It was Dimitre who yelled at me out of anger upon seeing no one.

"They? They escaped sir, I can't do anything about it." I simply shrugged my shoulders and said.

"You! You're just a recruit! You dare talk back to me?!"

"Don't you know how you just wasted my chance to get glory! I could've been promoted to a General but you ruined it!" His saliva was spitting out as he tried to reprimand me.

Now he's getting annoying. If I don't stop myself, I might slap this man's soul out of his body.

Slap!

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[Next Chapter: Ch. 20 - A High- class devil!]

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