Chapter 167 - Qualities of a Transcendent (1)

"But aren't we in danger?"

"What…?"

Holy Knights had approached Mayday and the Priest before they knew it.

"How dare pawns of the Heavens block my way!"

Boom!

The explosion of demonic energy clashed with the Holy Knights’ swords, and they were pushed back a bit but didn't receive much damage.

It was apparent from the Holy Knights’ eyes that they weren't going to let the old vampire pass.

Louise and Ain also looked like vampires, so they probably thought the Priest was also a dangerous devil like them.

"You!"

The Priest's emotions were burning intensely.

He was a vampire that had lived hundreds of years for the sake of Darkness… He had to protect her no matter what!

Ain, who had used her ultimate attack, was at her limit.

The Priest saw Louise under the barrage of lightning attacks.

‘That's…!’ Could Darkness resist that attack?

'Ah… She's going to die.'

Mayday clicked her tongue.

"NOO-!"

The Priest desperately screamed after seeing lightning attacks pouring toward Louise.

The Holy Knights filled the entire place with light.

They couldn't see anything for a few seconds, but to the Priest, those few seconds felt like an eternity.

* * *

Light obscured their visions.

The moment the lightning shot toward them…

Hyun felt that time was flowing slowly.

He'd taken his concentration to a limit, so he could think of many things in that short time.

'There's no way to dodge it!'

The praying Priest had already done his best to help them, so the moment they were hit with the lightning, Louise would die.

'Should I use a return scroll?'

But if they let that opportunity go, Louise would become a Transcendent who could only use Empathy without having an Ego.

A Transcendent with a weak Ego would end up being devoured by Empathy.

He was sure Louise wouldn't be able to resist for long.

There also might not be a next time… but still, it would be better than dying right then. Hyun was about to use the return scroll when…

「Don't use it!」Ain's shout interfered with Hyun's thoughts.

But it was a magic they couldn't dodge, block, or even resist. If Louise were hit with it, she'd definitely die.

He had some doubts, but Hyun decided not to use the scroll.

He decided to trust Ain rather than himself because her voice was full of confidence.

BOOM!

A loud sound shook their surroundings.

Mayday, who was looking from a distance, frowned.

Hyun really couldn't see anything.

'We didn't die…?'

He still wasn't able to see anything.

His ears still rang from the sound reverberating in his ears.

He wasn't logged out, which meant that he and Louise were still alive.

Did Ain receive the hit instead of them? But Ain shouldn't have been close enough to do that.

Hyun kept having some doubts. Soon, he recovered his sight.

Srrr.

Particles of light were floating from the sky.

It didn't take him long to realize that it was Asrian’s death effect.

Where the majority of the silver particles gathered, there were still some devils that had survived but were hurt.

Whir- The ghosts that were covered with a darker light let out a sad cry.

'Ghosts…? Did they save us?'

Hyun could understand the language of devils at the moment, so he realized that the ghosts were trying to defend the being they served.

"Ah… I… Just…!"

While Louise was mumbling words that didn't form a sentence, the rest of the ghosts were cut apart by the Holy Knights.

Leaving their sacrifice behind, Hyun quickly looked around to examine the devils’ movements.

'I see…'

The atmosphere of the battle had changed.

It wasn't just dozens of devils being unilaterally killed.

Skeletons that crumbled while trying to block the enemies…

Wolves jumped toward the Holy Magicians to stop them from casting…

Ghosts roamed the air to block the view from the sky…

Everyone from the Heavens, the Abyss, and every soul in the canyon looked at Louise.

'The devils are trying to defend Darkness.'

KAAA!

A black figure suddenly passed in front of Hyun.

A werewolf grabbed a Holy Knight and jumped into the fog wall.

The screams and cries of the human and the werewolf were heard.

Thanks to Louise's 'Empathy' he shared through «Assimilation», he realized that the werewolf had died.

'When did it start? Was it after Louise awakened Empathy?'

Hyun was so distracted by the Heavens’ movements that he realized he hadn't noticed how the Abyss was moving.

He hadn't realized that the devils discovered Louise was 'Darkness' and that they were sacrificing themselves for her sake.

The devils weren't crying because they were about to die—they were agonizing because they weren't able to defend Darkness.

Haa… Hyun subconsciously smiled. He wanted to tell Louise what he'd understood.

「Hey, are you looking?」

"…"

Louise didn't reply, but Hyun knew how she was feeling from «Assimilation».

Soon, Louise would also realize by herself what Hyun had discovered.

「They're all looking at you!」

Hyun thought that Louise needed a harsh comment at the moment.

Maybe it was harsh to say something like that to a little girl…

But she was a demon. Since she was the Great Demon of Darkness, she couldn't go against her destiny.

The only possible destiny for a demon devoured by Empathy was death. Seeing how sensitive Louise was, it was obvious what her destiny would be.

「You said you want to become strong, right?」

So he had to change her view.

「Then start by getting the qualifications for a demon.」

Hyun preferred to put pressure on her rather than see Louise break as she was overwhelmed by Empathy.

They say that humans obtain superhuman strength when they see those that rely on them.

Although Louise wasn't a human… Although she was a Transcendent… she still lacked a bit, so she wasn’t that different from a human.

「A demon obtains strength through Empathy and exercises its strength through it. Can you call yourself a demon if you cannot resist it?」

Whir.

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared under Louise. Hyun felt her mind getting lighter.

[The level of all skills using Demonic Energy has gone up by 1!]

[This effect lasts for 10 minutes!]

'Buff…?'

As Hyun looked to the sides, he saw a lich waving its wand.

There were two spears stuck in the body that had only bones left.

"Young Darkness… I'll offer you… Everything… I have left…!"

After saying that, the lich turned to light particles and sank into the ground.

Although he had mumbled in a low voice, Hyun was able to hear it clearly. Maybe it was because it was transmitted through Empathy.

[Your defense has gone up by 200%]

[Ignore all the damage that's under 5000!]

[Recover 500 Demonic Energy automatically every second!]

Next, Hyun felt thrilled.

He didn't know to whom each magic belonged, but they were all surrounding Louise's body.

There were many Magicians among the devils, and they were allies of Darkness at the moment.

And finally…

"Finally! I was able to meet you!"

"Y-you are…!"

An old vampire approached Louise.

Even in the middle of the confusing battlefield, Louise remembered the face of the vampire they'd met in the town.

The Priest was crying. They weren't tears of desperation but excitement. He believed he'd lived for such a long time for that moment.

'Please, fulfill your will.'

After saying his last words through Empathy, the Priest turned to red energy and was absorbed by Louise's body.

The power of all the prayers he'd done through hundreds of years burned all for that moment.

[Hakabern, the vampire, has offered his last ceremony to you!]

[Darkness has recovered a tiny part of her power!]

[This effect lasts for 5 minutes!]

The effect of the buff was explained in just one line, but Hyun was lost for words after reading the status window.

'Darkness's power?'

Louise's status window had changed so much that it was impossible to compare it to a player’s.

Her stats had been multiplied by three or four times, and her HP and mana had gone up by dozens of times.

Hyun soon realized that the biggest change was in another place.

Darkness was a Transcendent. Recovering her strength meant she had gotten closer to being a Transcendent!

Louise's Empathy was balanced with her Ego.

Although it was only for a moment, she could tell the difference between her emotions and the emotions of others.

[You've recovered part of your Ego!]

"Ha… Ha… Ha…!"

Louise began breathing heavily.

As soon as she obtained Ego, all the emotions that had been blocked exploded all at once.

「No, she's getting better!」

「Getting better…? That…?」

To say it correctly, it had been resolved. Thanks to her Ego, Louise could prioritize her emotions rather than the ones felt because of Empathy.

From the moment she could tell the difference between her emotions and those of others, she'd stepped on the starting line of becoming a full-fledged Transcendent.

'It isn't enough!'

Hyun decided to speak to her harshly once more.

Although Louise's specs had increased, she couldn't face the Knights yet.

Although she had the ability of a Transcendent, that meant nothing by itself.

Since she'd obtained Ego and Empathy, Louise would be able to order and command the devils.

「Louise, give an order,」 Hyun ordered with tears on both his cheeks.

「Since they don't need to protect you anymore… Order them to attack the Magicians.」

Dealing with the lightning-type magic was hard.

If they could block the Holy Magicians, he and Ain would be able to deal with the rest. Hyun finished making the calculations quickly from the information he had.

"Order…? Me…?"

「Yes.」

Hyun realized why Louise was hesitating.

She felt guilty about sending the devils to die.

Hyun, who was a human, and a user on top of that, wouldn't be able to fully understand Louise's feelings toward devils.

…But he knew Louise was different from other demons.

「You do it.」

And that was something Louise had to overcome if she wanted to live as Darkness.

「This is how a demon fights.」

Hyun waited until Louise acted. It didn't take long.

Suddenly, one Holy Knight closed the gap between them. Had he felt menaced after the devils made a formation?

'He's coming!'

Hyun, who wasn't planning to leave control to Louise, moved her body.

Fwoosh-!

The moment a black wind covered Louise's body, Hyun realized that the skill had changed.

[Pitch-Black Storm Lv.4 (+2)]

- You can move and attack with the wind that covers your body.

- Deal [Magical Power] x 1.5 damage.

- If you mix Demonic Energy, the attack increases by 144 times.

'The skill changed…!'

Hyun took a deep breath after taking a glimpse at the status window.

The amount of Demonic Energy he had was going down incredibly fast.

Paf-!

At that moment, a flash was drawn in front of Louise.

It was the attack of an elite Holy Knight that was using a sword covered with Sacred Power.

Previously, Hyun would have dodged first, but rather than that…

He extended his hand and grabbed the air.

Light and darkness intertwined, and only darkness was left in the end.

The Holy Knight grabbed his shoulder with a horrified expression. He hadn’t expected Louise to suddenly show such strength.

His hand holding the sword had completely disappeared.

"Ugh…! What the…!"

Fwoosh!

Light particles began gathering, and his arm was restored instantly.

Even if they received fatal damage, they would recover instantly—that was the scary thing about Holy Knights.

"Cough!"

The strong wind blew again.

Before his right arm could be restored, his left arm and shoulders were also blown away.

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