Chapter 26 Paladin (part 1)

The way Alice and Clara walked showed that they were so angry that they didn't try to hide that part of their personality.

But they're not the only ones.

"Why are you so angry?" Encrid interrupted my thoughts as always.

"There is only one thing I never want to see again, and it is the death of more human beings, and worse if it is themselves who kill themselves."

I don't want to show off my violent and cold side as in my previous life. It's a life I can't forget no matter how hard I try, but someday those memories will be erased one way or another.

The plan right now is to follow the carriage, but that wasn't a good idea.

What if they find the devil before we do? That's why we got as far ahead as we could and we were actually running. By the time we entered the greenest area, the plants, trees and soil were very fertile, but as far as I know...

"This place has a radius of at least a hundred kilometers around."

"It means the devil is absorbing the manna from the dry forest."

"He's definitely in the middle."

Alicia and Clara were arguing as we ran. This place was definitely round and, from what we could see, it was possible that the demon was in the center.

If so, then we will have to deal with the devil as quickly as possible, but there is a problem.

"Are you sure we won't die?"

"…"

That's the question everyone was asking. This is definitely a strong demon and not at all weak, it is also possible that it does not even compare to the Fongoru monster of grade 8, which even among the whole group cost us to deal with three of them, not to mention when I faced one of them directly.

It was possible to defeat the group of Fungoru monsters with the help of traps, but if it had not been for that reason, we might not be dead, but excessively wounded.

"The demon manna is getting closer and closer."

By the time we met the group of the Holy Church, we had an advantage of more than an hour. So that means we only have one hour to end the demon and then hide as far away as possible. A confrontation with the champion would be the ruin of the whole group, especially because of my dark magic.

This power of darkness that I have is particularly an enemy of the paladins. These gentlemen, titled "holy knights", do not use a normal manna, it is a manna they call sacred manna, a manna that exists only to fight evil.

"It would be a great inconvenience to meet the champion."

"You're right," Alice mentioned.

"In case we meet the champion, we must be ready to die if necessary."

The situation wasn't entirely on our side. Demonic manna was getting closer and closer until...

"He's in front of us..." Alice spoke at the moment we stopped.

Manna came from across a hill, one that was filled with plants abnormally larger than the common ones. What kind of demon was waiting for us across the hill?

"It'll take us a few minutes to get to the other side," Alice said when she started moving.

We started running around the hill completely. Minutes passed while such ominous energy was only a few meters away.

"This is dangerous," Encrid suddenly spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"This is not a demon of the demonic kingdom, this race of demons is even stronger, they are called Natural Demons."

Natural demons? It's a name I've never heard before, but from the demonic manna flowing far away, perhaps it's not normal to feel this amount of demonic manna in a demon of rank Lord.

There's only one word for this.

"Danger."

It was the word that could describe this situation.

"There's one way you can beat him, but you'il only have five seconds."

"…"

I remained silent at Encrid's words. One of my letters of triumph would be to free Encrid and get rid of the devil, but what do I get after that? I'm not a coward who asks for help in the face of death.

I didn't even ask for help when I was killed in my previous life. Even if it's a new life, I don't plan on depending on others that easily.

"So, what is it?"

"It's dangerous, but if you only use it for five seconds, you won't suffer at all."

"It's called 'Monarch of Darkness.' It's a way that you can only use freely when you're a ninth-circle magician, but you need it now."

"Then how do I get it? Is it a transformation or a form?"

"It's a transformation. Your whole body is covered by a mantle of dark manna and creates an armor of darkness. All your magic and strength will increase to approximately the level of an eighth circle magician, but remember, you can only use it once and for five seconds."

"What if I wear it any longer?"

"You shall die and your soul shall be possessed by the darkness, and shall not be born again."

"…"

It was just a coincidence about the soul. It was just a vague thought, but it is possible for me to die definitively if I could use that power for more than five seconds.

"I'il teach you the Dark King technique. I'il take you to the world where you met me."

The place to which Encrid refers would be that dark place where he first appeared.

***

— Change of scene.

"Uff... Uff"

My breath was on the edge. Time in this place is significantly slower than in reality. The problem is that only my consciousness enters this world, while my body is in a state of paralysis in reality while I am here.

I realized this place is called the Dark Ages. The name is the same as that of the previous era, but why is it called that? This world is like a dream where time is different and only my consciousness can enter here.

"You must move your manna out of the magic circuit, so that you can get the transformation," Encrid told me.

The way in which this transformation is obtained called the "Monarch of Darkness" is to concentrate all the manna on the surface of the skin, causing the manna to come out of the magical circuit. But this is difficult, it's not the same as pulling the manna out of the palm of your hand to create a spell. Getting the manna off the magic circuit is a different story.

"What happens once you learn the transformation?"

"You can activate it at any time, but remember that it is only possible once. You won't be able to use it until you're in the ninth circle.

It is a technique or spell that allows me to increase my power to an eighth circle. So how strong would it be if a ninth circle used it? Maybe it would compare to a tenth circle, though I'm not sure. There's a chance that's the case.

"Concentrate, there's not much time."

Encrid continued to guide me for a few hours.

The hours have passed. I explained every step and repeated it in my mind again and again until I found a solution.

"What if I take all the manna out of both hands and scatter it all over my body?"

That was the conclusion I came to. If I still couldn't get my manna directly from everywhere, then I could slowly pull it out of my hands and so disperse all the manna through my body and get the transformation "King of Darkness."

"Break up!"

That's when an explosion happened where I was. The dust enveloped the whole black sky. It was so big that nothing could be seen until a bright black and purple glow came out of the dust curtain.

"I-- He did it... This brat managed to get the transformation in less than a day."

After seeing a completely different appearance in the dust, the body was like an armour with scales. The fingertips were like claws. The color of the armor was bright black and purple strong. Violet rays came out of the purple stripes of the armor. Not only was there an armour, there was also a helmet similar to that of the knights, but this one had a different shape. Two large horns stood out and curled as a small purple light came out of the eyes.

"I-this... He is the King of Darkness."

I looked at my hands, I had an armour composed of scales and a helmet with two horns, but the power was so overwhelming that I couldn't even think properly. Then the armor began to disperse slowly and disappeared.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't be alarmed, it's just deactivated. This world is different, so let's just say it doesn't count the five seconds you have to take into account."

"I see."

"It's time to go back, but there's a big problem out there."

"What...?" That's when my conscience began to blur and I closed my eyes.

***

— Change of scene.

I opened my eyes, my body was sweating so much, it just wouldn't stop. My heart was beating so fast I felt it coming out of my chest.

Then I started to feel dizzy.

"Take it easy, they're side effects by moving your consciousness to another dimension."

"Dimension..."

I couldn't even talk, there'il be time to talk later.

The demon was at least 50 meters away, so there's still time, but...

"Screaming."

The wheels rang and everyone looked back.

"What the hell?" Alice spoke first. It was then that we all saw a carriage, and behind it were ten people with malnourished bodies and wounded everywhere. Then my anger became present.

"Damn... It's hard to calm down."

I pressed my fists and tried to calm down. Then it worked and I looked at the carriage that stopped right in front of us.

How the hell did they get here so fast? We'd had an hour's lead, so how are you here? But all that was lost when the door of the carriage opened and a few steps resonated on the floor of the carriage.

"Damn... That's the champion."

A natural enemy to my power was standing in front of me, with a golden armor and a sword as large and of the same color as the armor. He had blue eyes and blond hair that was a little lower than his waist. She was a woman in her early twenties, because of her face and great beauty, but that wasn't the most important thing.

"What the hell is that manna?" It was when the manna came out of her body, a golden color emanated from that woman's manna.

My whole body's hair stood up when that manna came out of his body. His lips opened when he said a few words.

"You... Who are they?"

His words resonated in the air. He was a very soft and cheerful voice, but after seeing his face, one as cold as ice, a stoic expression without remorse, he didn't even look like someone who had the will of a god as he should normally be. He seemed like a person who didn't give a damn.

His words simply gave a meaning of fear throughout my body, but something became familiar to me: exactly one word.

"Magic Knight."

A sword, manna that magicians use, but this one is different, does not even have an element in it. That meant only one thing: a magical gentleman. Although he's a champion, he's like a magical gentleman to me. It had nothing to do with it, but that's how I interpreted it.

"I won't say it one more time... Who are you?"

Her voice resonated again, so Alice was the first to speak.

"N-we... we come to put an end to the devil..."

His words barely came out. This paladin definitely gave me such a disturbing atmosphere that it made my hair stand out.

"Is that so?"

"Yes... That's right."

Suddenly I felt a glance running through my whole body. I looked at the paladin in front of me, about ten meters away. She was looking at me, every part of my body, and then her look came back into my eyes.

We both looked at each other. I tried to keep my guard up, keeping my expression cold and stoic, with deep eyes before his eyes.

I felt something would happen at any moment, so I held my hand in my arm. Obviously, the iron sword he had before was close to breaking, and the only sword he had was Encrid. I could easily summon him and he would appear right in my hand in his sword form.

He had a sword ready to draw. Then I looked once more into the paladin's eyes. His lips opened as his hand turned to his waist and his fingers touched the handle of the sword.

"You... your manna is strange..."

Those were the words she uttered, and then she drew her sword.

"I have to kill you." Those were the words she said when she quickly appeared in front of me a few inches away…