Vol 4 Chapter 93: “The Battlefield” (Vol 4: The Otherworldly Battlefield Arc)

“How about this?”

Sukui stood in a spot far from the city, in an area teeming with magical beasts.
The task of exterminating dangerous creatures in the vicinity had been assigned by the clerics. Today, Sukui had come to hunt Diamond Monkeys, a task he had already completed in no time.

“Yes, now the focus is on compression.”

So, what was Sukui doing now?
He was practicing the manipulation of death magic.

The other day, Sukui had lost his knife and, in the heat of the moment, unleashed death magic.
During the fight against Felte, he had done so entirely unconsciously. However, the strange sensation he felt when using his plant magic afterward made him realize the nature of his own abilities.

The angel had already pointed out his magic and even hinted that he should use it, but this magic wasn’t something easily mastered.

“Priest Mistl seemed to have trained extensively. Master, you’re learning remarkably fast.”

A miasma began to ooze from Sukui’s entire body.
The death magic caused anything it touched to wither and decay as if years had passed in an instant.

While it wasn’t an instant death spell, simply using it could lead to someone’s demise.

“No, it’s not moving quite the way I want yet. More practice is needed.”

That said, Sukui didn’t need death magic just to kill his enemies—his knife was more than sufficient for that.
By increasing the density of the miasma, death magic could cause instant death, but for now, Sukui had yet to fully harness its potential.

Feeling he needed more practice, Sukui realized that this magic was not something he could use within the city.
Although small amounts of miasma could be controlled even at home, practicing in combat-ready volumes required a more secluded location.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t really used much magic until now. This is a good opportunity. I’d like to become more proficient.”

Sukui’s experience with magic had so far been limited to automatic immortality spells and the accidental use of death magic.
He had never intentionally released or controlled his magic. To improve, he sought advice from Horo, a master of magic.

“The basics of magic are releasing it in one direction, controlling it freely, and compressing it.”

Even during his first attempt, Sukui managed to release his magic in a straight line. After only a few tries, he could manipulate it almost as intended.

Incidentally, his previous method of releasing magic from his entire body was actually considered an advanced technique.
The standard practice was to release magic from one’s hands. Even if one could manage a full-body release, it would typically deplete their magical energy rapidly.

Horo, however, had a vast reserve of magical power that allowed him to release magic from his entire body without running out. Sukui, on the other hand, had a much smaller reserve.
It was clear he needed to find a more efficient way to use his magic.

“My ultimate goal is to control compressed miasma, but until I get used to it, I end up wasting too much magic energy.”

Since he could control the magic, he reasoned that it should be possible to compress it slowly.
The rest was just a matter of practice.

“Hm?”

As Sukui extended his hand to release magic, he suddenly pulled it back.

“What’s wrong?”

Horo tilted his head in confusion and approached Sukui.
Sukui frowned slightly, his gaze falling to the ground.

“The city… it seems noisy.”

They were deep in the forest, far from the city.
If Sukui could sense the commotion from here, it meant the entire city, not just a small part, was in turmoil.

“This seems concerning. Let’s hurry back.”

The two quickly returned to the city by carriage, which had been waiting nearby.
The number of gate guards had noticeably decreased, hinting at the severity of the situation.

“What happened?”

“Sukui-san!”

A gate guard who had initially seemed cautious of Sukui now rushed to him as though relieved.

“There’s been a monster attack! The gates haven’t been breached due to the limited forces, but several flying monsters have made it into the city!”

“The attack was supposed to happen tomorrow, wasn’t it?”

Though Sukui said this, he understood that such schedules were not set in stone.
He had already heard from the clerics that the attacks were arriving earlier each time.

While they had planned to gather earlier than usual tomorrow, no one had anticipated the timeline shifting by an entire day.

“Master!”

A brief pause.

It was certain that Sukui would join the battle.

However, Horo’s abilities were still a secret kept from the city.

This secrecy was also a measure to protect Horo.

“I can attack flying monsters from the air! Please let me handle it!”

No one has the right to stifle the determination of those striving to grow.

Sukui closed his eyes slowly.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

With that, he immediately started running toward the guild.

Borrowing a horse along the way, crossing the main street of the city didn’t take much time.

Three.

Sukui gauged the number of monsters that had invaded the city from the situation.

Two of them weren’t significant threats, but one large monster was wreaking havoc.

That said, if it was Horo handling it, she should have no trouble taking it down.

Leaving that matter to Horo, Sukui opened the city-side gate of the church.

Inside was chaos. While the combatants were obviously already out fighting, there were also plenty of people in a panic.

Due to the city’s structure, the gate where monsters were expected to come was also the gate leading to the church.

Since there were no monsters inside yet, it seemed the gate hadn’t been breached, but there was no doubt the situation was dire.

Taking the shortest route, Sukui cut through the walls with his knife to get outside.

Opening the gate wasn’t an option. Just like before, he climbed up onto the wall.

“Close to 100, huh?”

The city’s forces consisted of only about a dozen fighters, pitted against a horde of monsters.

Even though the knights weren’t weak, their numbers meant little against such odds.

The clerics were already out, but they were visibly fatigued.

Sukui had suspected this much, but it confirmed his belief: clerics, as holy magic users, didn’t possess the extraordinary physical prowess of warriors or hunters.

While thieves like Sukui could use magic to instantly strike at a target’s heart, warriors and hunters could sweep away enemies with wide-range attacks.

Even within holy magic, there were significant differences. Some clerics specialized in combat, but others did not. The disparity lay in their original skills and the way they honed them.

The gods, who had supposedly granted magic to enable the defeat of the Demon Lord, seemed rather careless in their planning, Sukui concluded. Then, he leapt down.

“Sukui-san!”

As Sukui descended from above, slashing through the large flying monsters, the clerics looked at him with relieved expressions. Sukui felt a slight urge to scold them but knew there was no time for that.

“I’ve assessed the situation. I’ll take the front line. Focus on securing the area around the gate.”

With that, Sukui dashed into the swarm of monsters.

Ignoring the clerics’ shouts to stop, Sukui pushed forward, not caring that parts of his body were torn and battered as he arrived in the midst of the horde, away from the gate.

Immediately, he wielded his knife using a tether, but even Sukui’s speed wasn’t enough to handle the sheer number of enemies.

“Time to use it.”

At a point where he was out of sight of the gate, surrounded by the horde, a faint miasma began to drift around Sukui.

For Sukui, this magic was a trump card. While he could hardly win against these odds without it, he wanted to avoid using it where others could see.

Monsters that hadn’t been dealt a fatal blow by the knife closed in on him, but as they entered the miasma, their movements slowed.

Like poison, the miasma gradually sapped their momentum and life force.

While fixing the miasma to a specific range, Sukui slowly increased its density and expanded its area of effect.

The battlefield truly was the best place for growth.

Sukui smiled faintly as he stopped a large rhino-like monster charging at him with just his hand.

“The Flow”

The monster, which had been stopped barehanded mid-charge, was sent flying backward before it could even register what had happened.

“I used to think combining this with techniques that exploit momentum wasn’t a good idea.”

Sukui weakened the monster’s charge to a manageable level, then hurled it through the air.

The airborne monster crushed smaller ones beneath it and succumbed to the slash wounds it had already sustained.

“Not bad.”

Dodging the grasp of a massive four-armed ape, Sukui grabbed one of its outstretched hands and returned the favor with a handshake.

“Dislocated.”

Though the monster was three times Sukui’s size, it couldn’t muster the strength to crush Sukui’s hand. Its joints were systematically dislocated from its legs upward.

The wide range of applications for this technique made it a useful addition to his arsenal.

A monster wielding a needle lunged at Sukui from the side, but he caught the needle between his hands and, using its own momentum, drove it straight into the ape monster.

“Bound.”

Even amidst the melee, Sukui continued wielding his knife with its tether. He wrapped the tether around the neck of the needle-wielding monster.

The knife’s speed was unparalleled, and the tether naturally followed. In an instant, it coiled around the monster’s neck multiple times.

A slight tug from Sukui, and with a snap, the monster’s neck was severed.

“I always was good with ropes and staves.”

Sukui recalled fond memories of practicing such techniques, though they had been challenging to use effectively in real combat.

It was clear his combat skills were sharper than ever.

Even though he couldn’t die thanks to his immortality, Sukui still felt that death was what drove him.

The same applied to his magic. His death magic had reached a density so intense that weaker monsters couldn’t even approach him.

“Ah, letting them escape would be troublesome.”

And so, Sukui continued fighting relentlessly for a while longer.

“Thank you for your help.”

The number of monsters had visibly dwindled. As Sukui returned to the gate area, a cleric approached him with gratitude.

Knights and other regular volunteers had also arrived, and it seemed the immediate crisis had been averted.

“If you hadn’t been here, the gate would’ve been breached.”

Sukui noticed there was no falsehood in the cleric’s words.

“It was a misstep.”

Sukui’s words were firm, directed at the exhausted cleric, as if to admonish him.

The worn-out cleric, however, seemed to take them as genuine advice.

With a bitter expression, the cleric spoke.

“I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong. But looking ahead, I think this was the right decision.”

Sukui hadn’t explicitly stated what the cleric’s mistake was, but the cleric already knew.

It was his leniency that had led to this situation.

“This too, is for salvation.”

“Indeed.”

The cleric’s conviction was clear.

However, this time, it wasn’t as absolute as it had been before.

The strategy, which had allowed damage to the city, could hardly be called optimal.

Still, as long as the cleric’s conviction held firm, Sukui decided to trust in his intentions.

Though this bitter reality was hard to swallow, Sukui couldn’t deny its reasoning.

“The cycles of monster invasions are growing shorter, and their numbers are increasing. We can’t leave things as they are.”

“Yes, I agree.”

The Demon Lord.

The cleric muttered quietly.

It wasn’t entirely wrong. If this situation persisted, the fall of Poliviti was inevitable.

It wasn’t unreasonable to suggest that, if defeat was unavoidable, they should strike preemptively.

“Don’t act rashly.”

Even as Sukui said this, he began to feel a glimmer of understanding.

Waiting for a hero while the situation grew more dire was hardly a pleasant prospect.