Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 39 – Descent of Evil (3)

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 39 – Descent of Evil (3)

Evil pervaded the world.

Dark, filthy things descended upon the mortal realm.

A nauseating stench permeated the air.

People were horrified.

This was no longer the Middle World.

It had become a world tainted by evil.

Aquaz shouted fiercely,

“Everyone! Run away!”

Even before she spoke, people were already fleeing.

But when they reached the outskirts of the village, they collided with a barrier.

“Noooo! No!”

“Open it! Open it!”

They pounded on the violet barrier, but it stood firm like a wall of iron.

The demon cackled.

[This village is my domain. No one can escape. You are all my prey.]

And finally, the demon revealed its true form.

Grotesque violet ram’s horns.

White eyes contrasting with pitch-black pupils.

A scantily clad body with sun-tanned, bronze skin.

Priest Heize screamed.

“…A demon! Impossible! How can there be a demon!”

“Is that really a demon?”

“Yes! And a named demon at that! Ahhhh! Lord Kalosia! Please save me! Protect me from this vile evil!”

Heize, in a panic, prayed fervently.

Ketal placed his hand on her head.

“Calm down, Heize. I’m here with you.”

“Ah, ah….”

His large hand enveloped her head.

The panic in Heize’s eyes slowly subsided.

She stood up shakily.

“Th-thank you.”

“I have a question. What does it mean for a demon to have a name?”

“It, it means exactly that.”

Heize swallowed and stammered as she explained.

In this world, there were many beings called demons.

Not all demons were strong.

Some were so weak that even a passing woodcutter could kill them by chance.

They were called demons for convenience, but in reality, they were mere fragments of evil and malice.

But a being that could be clearly called a demon.

One born from the cradle of darkness without a mother, with a will to name itself.

That was a true demon.

Even the weakest named demon could shake an entire kingdom.

Ketal tilted his head.

“Is this world’s kingdom weaker than I thought? I’ve already encountered two beings capable of shaking it.”

“What, what do you mean?”

“Just talking to myself. So, that demon has a name, correct?”

“Yes….”

Heize swallowed and looked at the demon with fearful eyes.

“If it has horns like that, it must be Ashetiar. It appeared several hundred years ago. Ah, why is such a being in this remote land….”

But what had already happened was irreversible.

Ashetiar had descended into this world.

They couldn’t escape, blocked by the barrier.

“Hmm.”

Ketal looked at the violet barrier with interest.

“Is this unbreakable?”

“Yes. This place is already the demon’s domain. Unless someone helps from the outside, there’s nothing we can do. The only way to escape from inside is… to defeat the demon.”

“Is that so?”

“Lord Kalosia. Please forgive me for having to rely on a believer of another god….”

The Inquisitor of the Sun God, Aquaz, faced off against Ashetiar with cold eyes.

In the end, she had to defeat the demon for them to survive.

While staring at the violet barrier, Ketal knocked on it lightly.

Craack.

A web-like crack spread across the barrier.

The people, who had their eyes closed in fear, didn’t see it.

“Oops.”

Ketal quickly withdrew his hand.

Let’s enjoy the moment.

He looked at the confrontation between the demon and the Inquisitor with anticipation.

A battle between divinity and demons.

An age-old story was unfolding before his eyes.

“This is going to be fun.”

Ketal laughed joyfully.

* * *

Aquaz stared coldly at the demon.

The demon shrugged off her gaze with a laugh.

“Demon. You’ve been playing tricks.”

“How was it? Didn’t it make you feel like solving a mystery?”

“…It was a vile act.”

Aquaz narrowed her eyes.

Why did the missing village leave behind traces as if people had just been there?

The reason was simple.

The demon had staged it that way.

The sole purpose was to mock people.

“How could evil like you descend into this world?”

Summoning a named demon requires a significant sacrifice.

The population of this village alone wouldn’t be enough.

Moreover, turning it into a territory?

How could such an act be accomplished in this remote land without anyone noticing?

It was impossible.

“You think I’ll tell you?”

Ashetiar smirked.

Aquaz’s face contorted with disgust at her mocking laughter.

“Foul evil, daring to taint the earth…”

“Foul? Impure?”

Ashetiar bared her teeth, her face twisted in a sneer.

“Ha! Those are standards set by your gods. Merely your arbitrary judgments imposed on us!”

She burst into laughter, filled with malice, causing people to cover their ears in agony.

“Hahahahaha! Yes! We lost to you! We handed over this world to you and were banished to the wretched hell!”

A long time ago.

There was a conflict between gods, humans, and evil.

The victors were the gods and humans.

Evil was banished from the world.

“But not anymore! Cracks are appearing in the world! This world is no longer just yours!”

“…….”

Aquaz groaned.

The demon’s words held much significance.

But there was no time to ponder.

Ashetiar bowed gracefully.

“I am Ashetiar, Demon of Gravitas.”

She looked at Aquaz with greedy eyes.

“The Inquisitor of the great and noble Sun God. I wonder what your flesh will taste like?”

Ashetiar grinned, revealing sharp shark-like teeth.

“Disgusting creature.”

Aquaz’s face was filled with deep contempt.

“Return to where you belong. This world belongs to us and the gods.”

Aquaz raised her hand to the sky and murmured briefly.

“Descend upon me.”

BOOOM!

A pillar of light descended.

It began to envelop Aquaz in light.

The demon watched with a sardonic smile.

And Ketal was excited.

“Oh ho! They don’t attack during transformation! Does that rule apply in fantasy too?”

“That… that’s nonsense. It can’t be true!”

Heize shouted in disbelief.

What Aquaz was doing was borrowing divine power from the gods.

Since high concentrations of divine power were being compressed, attacking carelessly could backfire.

That’s why the demon was just watching.

It wasn’t some unwritten rule about not attacking during transformations.

Ketal nodded as if he understood.

“So, it’s a rational concept?”

“What are you talking about?”

Heize’s face showed only confusion.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

When the descending pillar faded, Aquaz’s attire had completely changed.

She now wore golden armor and wielded a huge shield.

Holding a mace, she quietly took her stance.

Ashetiar laughed and extended her hand into the air.

The darkness covering the ground rose and condensed into the shape of a hammer.

“Let’s do this, dog of the gods.”

Before she finished speaking, Aquaz charged.

Dirt flew up.

In an instant, she was right in front of the demon.

Aquaz swung her mace.

The demon laughed and swung her hammer.

CRAAAASH!

Gold and darkness collided.

Distorted waves spread out.

“Eeeeek!”

“Ughhhh!”

The impact alone caused people to suffer.

The intense clash of divine and evil energy was unbearable for ordinary people.

Only Ketal watched the battle with interest.

BOOM!

Aquaz drove her large square shield into the ground and charged.

Like a boar, she pushed forward, prompting Ashetiar to taunt.

“Combat should have grace. Do hunting dogs not know this?”

Fitting her words, Ashetiar twirled her hammer gracefully.

The elegant movements of the hammer obscured her figure.

Aquaz’s charge scratched futilely at the ground.

“Here.”

And Ashetiar reappeared directly above Aquaz’s head.

“Gasp!”

Aquaz raised her shield roughly.

But instead of swinging her hammer, Ashetiar gently touched the shield.

“Be crushed.”

CRRRACK!

Darkness pressed down on the shield.

The immense pressure crushed Aquaz’s body.

“Ugh!”

For the first time, Aquaz groaned in pain.

It felt like a giant boulder was pressing directly on her.

The darkness manipulated by Ashetiar had physical weight.

Ashetiar smiled and poured more darkness.

As Aquaz’s knees slowly buckled, her mouth opened.

“…Material 2:12. The light of glory shall not be violated by anyone.”

SHIIIIIING!

As soon as the low words ended, light exploded from her body.

The darkness that had been pressing down on her vanished in the face of the light.

Ashetiar hurriedly retreated, shaking off the divinity clinging to her hands and licking her lips.

“To be able to recite the scripture at your age. That’s impressive.”

“Book of Karma, Chapter 5, Verse 59: ‘Its glory scorched all that was unholy it touched.’”

SHIIING!

Light enveloped Aquaz’s mace.

Gripping it tightly, she charged once more.

Ashetiar, now serious, swung her hammer.

CRAAAASH!

The collision of light and darkness grew even more intense.

People were almost completely collapsed on the ground now.

The clash of these opposing forces caused the earth to quake and the air to tremble, sending shockwaves in all directions.

In such close proximity to the battle between light and darkness, ordinary beings couldn’t possibly endure it.

Some coughed up blood and fainted.

Only Ketal watched with keen interest.

“Oooh! Magnificent!”

“He, heeeek!”

Heize screamed from behind Ketal.

She couldn’t comprehend Ketal at all.

The clash of such divine and evil forces shook both body and mind, making it hard to stay conscious.

Yet he watched casually, as if he were sightseeing!

The battle continued.

The demon was gradually being pushed back.

Hope flickered in Heize’ eyes as she observed this.

“As expected!”

Aquaz was a genius even among the Sun God’s Inquisitors.

If it were her, she could surely defeat the demon.

But the difference wasn’t overwhelming.

With external intervention, the balance could easily tip to either side.

And there was someone here capable of intervening.

“Ke, Ketal. Couldn’t you help Aquaz?”

Ketal was strong.

At least first-class.

Although Heize couldn’t fully grasp his strength, the fact that he was unscathed by the battle’s effects suggested he could make a significant difference.

Ketal nodded.

“I could.”

“Then, could you perhaps…?”

“But why should I?”

“What?”

Heize unintentionally looked at Ketal’s face.

He was watching Aquaz and Ashetiar’s battle with genuine enjoyment.

“Right now, before my eyes, a scene I’ve longed to see is unfolding.”

A believer of the gods.

A demon.

The two most fundamentally opposed entities in a fantasy world were denying each other’s existence and clashing with all their might.

It was a sight he had dreamed of.

“Why should I intervene and ruin this battle?”

“What?”

“Of course, I also want to fight the demon. But more than that, I want to watch this battle.”

“…….”

“Reciting scripture to gain its effect, huh? Does that mean I could do it too? No, probably not. It’s likely a grace given to the faithful. So, if I worshiped the Sun God, could I do it?”

Ketal murmured to himself with a delighted expression.

Heize could only stare at him in disbelief.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]