S-Rank Adventurer Betrayed by His Fiancée in the Hero’s Party Sets Off on a Journey to Heal His Broken Heart ~The Strongest Betrayed Adventurer Ends Up Forming a Harem Party~ - Chapter 24: Demonkin

Chapter 24: Demonkin

It was floating in the air.

—Crack, crunch, squelch.

The creature easily tore off the arm of the Steel Warrior, known for his power and toughness, chewing it with its hard, monstrous jaws.

“This is terrible—weak meat, not tough, stringy, full of tendons… blech!”

With a loud, buzzing noise that grated on the ears, it spat out the man’s right arm as though it tasted disgusting.

“Gah… aaaaaaahhhh!? My arm! My arm is gone!?”

The man screamed in agony, but there was no time to focus on his pain.

Because right in front of us stood a terrifying monster.

“A… a Demonkin…? Why is something like that here…?!”

The Demon Lord, humanity’s greatest enemy, had been defeated by the Hero. But before that, the Demon Lord created these creatures.

It gave its monstrous servants a part of its power, intelligence, and the ability to speak.

These servants, who could control and lead magical beasts, had power comparable to A-Rank or even higher.

These were the Demonkin. And one of them was right here, in front of us.

“This explains the stampede… it’s the worst-case scenario.”

“I wish it was just because the Demon Lord’s disappearance messed up the balance…”

Maria’s words made me nod internally.

We had thought that the strange, powerful enemies we’d faced recently were just random irregularities.

But the truth was this Demonkin had been gathering powerful monsters nearby.

“Gi, aa—”

“““!!!”””

The Demonkin turned its head, facing us.

Its horrifying insect-like face had three pairs of limbs, two sets of thin wings, massive jaws, and large, gleaming eyes. Its long, thin body was covered in a green, armored shell, making it clear that this creature was based on an insect-type magical beast.

“…Yes, stampede… I did.”

Contrary to our expectations, it spoke to us. The broken, awkward speech made it even creepier.

“…Can I ask why you did this?”

I knew it was pointless to ask, but if we could talk to it, I wanted to buy even a little time.

The sheer magical power pouring out of it was on a completely different level from anything we’d faced before. It was overwhelming.

They say a single Demonkin can wipe out an entire A-Rank party.

If we had to fight, I wished we could’ve done it when we were in better shape…!

“This area… only weak here… easy kill. The Demon Lord… was killed… now… I kill humans. The Hero… and all… everyone, everyone… I’ll kill all.”

“Yeah… that’s what I thought.”

In this region, far from the northern lands, there were few strong adventurers or knights.

If its goal was simply to kill humans, this place was an obvious target.

“But… you didn’t die as I thought. My minions… keep dying—because of you.”

“…Looks like it figured out our plan.”

“Well, it’s no surprise. Our plan works only if we’re still here.”

“So it came all this way just to kill us…”

Magical beasts usually don’t have enough intelligence to counter strategies. But with a Demonkin involved, the plan was doomed from the start.

“I-It’s the Demonkin…! I’m not dealing with this! I only came here because that idiot Gerand dragged me along!”

“W-What!? Hey, get back here…! Don’t just run off, you useless coward!”

“Says the guy who lost his arm! You can stay here and be the Demonkin’s snack!”

Behind us, some of the coward’s party members lost their nerve and tried to flee, unable to withstand the Demonkin’s pressure.

“Don’t! You can’t take your eyes off it—”

“Giih… you too.”

The Demonkin turned its attention to the fleeing adventurers.

It moved so fast that it was a blur, and before anyone realized what had happened—

“Sorry, ladies, but we’re not dealing with a Demonkin, we’re just—gyah!”

“Huh!? Why is this—gah, guh—”

Two of the B-Rank adventurers were impaled through the throat by its knife-like claws. The last one’s head was crushed between its jaws in a gruesome end.

It was horrible… but there was no time to feel sorry for them.

“Damn it! I’ll get away by myself—whoa!?”

“This is bad.”

“The monsters that passed by… they’re coming back!”

The scent of blood from the worthless man who’d lost his right arm had drawn back nearly half of the monsters that had already moved past us!

“What the hell are these things!? Damn it, get out of my way! I—I’m not gonna die here—!”

In seconds, Gerand was buried under a swarm of monsters and disappeared from sight.

But of course, swallowing just one person wasn’t enough for all these monsters. The leftovers turned their fangs toward us.

“Ugh… there’s no choice. You two handle the monsters! I’ll deal with the Demonkin!”

“Are you serious!? No matter how fast you are, Elmie, taking it on alone is—”

“I’m the only one who can keep up with it. Did either of you manage to follow its speed?”

“…Frustrating as it is, I could barely track it. Alright, if I get a chance, I’ll support you. I’m counting on you.”

“Big Sis, seriously! Just don’t die, okay? No injuries either! Win this with all your limbs intact! Or else, you’re getting punished later!”

With that, the two of them turned to face the swarm of monsters.

Honestly, they’re always acting like big sisters. They should save that for Abel.

Of course… that’s if we make it back alive from this.

“No… I will survive. No matter what.”

Because there’s a future I’ve been waiting for.

A single Demonkin can wipe out an A-Rank party? I don’t care. If it gets in my way, I’ll cut it down.

“Pathetic… Females taste better. Humans… shouldn’t multiply… soft flesh—delicious. Strong females… taste even better!”

“As if I’ll let you eat me! 《Sword of Glory》!”

With that, we—the Oathsworn Radiant Swords—leapt into the fight.

With my enhanced legs, I dashed forward, clashing repeatedly with the Demonkin.

Each time its hard claws struck my sword, sparks flew.

“Ugh… gah…!”

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ……”

It swung its claw down, and I blocked it with my sword.

“Ugh… it’s so heavy…!”

It felt like a giant sword crashing down on me. If I took that hit head-on, my arm would be wrecked!

“How does something with such thin arms have this much power?!”

And those claws… they’re too hard to cut. The real danger is if it grabs me.

I quickly stepped back, tilting my sword to deflect its claw and redirect the force.

“Giih, again…!”

The Demonkin muttered in frustration.

Even though I was managing to avoid its attacks, things were looking really bad.

If just one of its insect-like claws hit me directly, I’d be dead instantly—and it had four of them.

On top of that, it was flying, so it could kick me with its two legs.

And worst of all, its massive jaws could bite through flesh and bone in one go.

It had seven ways to attack, while I only had my single sword.

To make things worse, if it flew too high, there was little I could do since I couldn’t fly.

“《Immortal Slash》!”

I unleashed five golden slashes that flew through the air.

As a Sword Saint, I was confident in my speed. But the Demonkin dodged them with ease.

“Too slow. Even if you shoot slashes… something like that won’t hit me.”

“I really wanted those to land…”

The Demonkin darted through the air at high speed, zigzagging unpredictably.

Even slashes that could hit a wyvern missed because of its sharp, agile movements.

It looked like this Demonkin was based on a dragonfly-type magical beast.

It could suddenly brake in mid-air, make sharp turns, or slide through the air with acrobatic moves. A few times, it came dangerously close to me, but always managed to evade my attacks.

Still, things weren’t all bad.

“《Godspeed Blade》!”

I took quick, precise steps, moving with the same high-speed, complex footwork I had shown Abel.

I kept dodging to avoid being grabbed, striking at the Demonkin’s attacks to knock them away before they could fully form.

Somehow, I was managing to hold my ground against an opponent that could fly and had seven different ways to attack!

“That means it has more power and more attacks… but in terms of speed, I’m faster!”

I couldn’t let fear take over! If I kept playing defense, it might turn its attention to Frey or Maria.

I needed to make it wary of my attacks—push forward with everything I had!

“Haaaahhhhhhh!!!!”

I shouted to pump myself up, focusing completely on attacking.

Of course, going on the offensive meant I left myself open more often.

I barely dodged its claws, and when I didn’t, I ended up with cuts on my upper arm and body that were far worse than scratches.

Sometimes, I even had to clumsily roll on the ground to avoid its strikes.

At Sword Saint speed, hitting the ground felt like being slammed into it, but it was better than dying.

My body was a mess, covered in wounds, but I was still alive—and still looking for an opening.

The Demonkin was underestimating me.

That overconfidence… that was my chance.

“Gigiih, keep running! I’ll eat you soon enough!”

The Demonkin’s voice sounded almost gleeful as it chased its “prey.”

Yeah, I wasn’t strong enough yet.

Even if I was proud of being a top-level A-Rank adventurer, there were still opponents I couldn’t beat. S-Rank was still far out of reach.

But for the things I can’t give up on—for Abel—I’ll keep fighting.

“I’ll go beyond my limits!”

“Giyaaah!?”

In a split second, I deflected all four of the Demonkin’s claws and stepped forward.

While using 《Godspeed Blade》, I couldn’t use any other attack skills.

That’s why the key was switching skills in just the right moment!

The speed from 《Godspeed Blade》 lingered slightly, even after the skill deactivated.

Using that speed, my beloved sword, Agua Gada, shone with a golden light along its crimson blade.

The faster my speed, the brighter the glow—this was the strongest attack skill I had right now!

“《Sword of Caliber》!!!”

“Giiih… Gyaaaahhh!?”

My all-out slash cut off the Demonkin’s legs.

This time, the attack connected—it worked!

But… it wasn’t quite enough.

“Damn it…!”

I had aimed to slice it in half, but I missed.

I clicked my tongue in frustration and quickly stepped back to avoid any counterattack.

“Giiii… Pain… pain… how dare you…!”

The Demonkin floated in the air, shaking with rage after losing its legs.

Magical beasts show their emotions easily, and Demonkin are no different.

Even though I couldn’t see its expression, I knew exactly what it was thinking.

It wanted to kill the one who hurt it—me.

“I won’t eat you! I’ll tear off your arms and legs and kill you—Gyah!?”

Just as the Demonkin charged at me, ready to tear me apart in a rage, a sudden attack struck it.

It was an explosion of lightning magic.

Spheres of magic expanded around the Demonkin, trapping it with no way to escape.

“《Bolt Mine》—Flying enemies are a pain, so I scattered these in the air just in case!”

“Gi-Giiiih…!”

Maria’s voice rang out from a short distance away.

Even while fighting off monsters, she kept an eye on me and came to help.

I knew she’d back me up if I struggled against a flying enemy.

Lightning magic paralyzed the Demonkin, making its wings twitch and falter.

As it wobbled and lost altitude, a shadow was already waiting below.

In the Oathsworn Radiant Swords, I was the strongest overall as the leader.

But when it came to pure destructive power, the strongest wasn’t me.

“You not only ruined my chance for a lovey-dovey life with Abel, but you also dared to hurt my precious little sister…! I’ve had enough!”

Frey was silently fuming, her halberd charged with 《Boost》, 《Light Blade》, and several other enhancements.

She twisted her body to the limit, preparing to unleash a unique, devastating strike—a downward swing that defied the weapon’s usual sweeping motion.

“Take this!!!”

Frey’s halberd came crashing down with enough force to shatter the ground beneath her.

“Did I ever say I’d fight you alone? We’re a party. All of us are taking you down together!”

Frey’s 〈Downward Slash〉 severed two of the Demonkin’s right arms, cutting through the entire right side of its body.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

~Data~

D-Rank Magical Beast: “Ogre Fly”

A dragonfly-type magical beast with a head resembling an ogre’s face.

It’s about 50 centimeters long and can fly quickly with agile turns.

However, it has almost no attack power against armored humans, and its speed isn’t impossible to track.

Its danger level is low—about as much as a threat that might occasionally kidnap a child.

Fin

Frey’s technique isn’t a skill, but rather a type of swordsmanship or combat technique.

I think from now on, I’ll use 〈〉 to highlight techniques like this.

Hi, this is Sora Akatsuki!

Sorry for making you wait a whole week at such an intense part!

And I still don’t feel confident about this one!

Please let me know your thoughts if you can.

By the way, with this update, this story has reached over 95,000 characters.

Almost at 100,000 now! The character count is getting scary, but I wanted to keep it under 120,000…