Chapter 5: Sometimes, a Demon is Better (2)

“R-Razen? What in the world is going on here…?”

No one seemed more shocked than Avelin.

I had suspected from the start that something about Razen wasn’t right, but Avelin clearly hadn’t.

“Kyaaaah! Burn in the flames of his glory!”

Razen, now revealing his true demonic form, spewed violet flames from his mouth.

Avelin and I quickly dodged, but the fire spread to the barracks.

“Damn it… Get outside, now!”

Before the fire consumed more, we scrambled outside.

The cloth barracks burned down in an instant, and Razen—shedding the last vestiges of his human appearance—stood on the ashes in his fully grotesque demonic form, flicking his tongue.

Avelin clutched her throbbing forehead.

“This is giving me a headache. We’ve worked with Razen for so long. Are you saying he was a demon all along? Or… did a demon possess him? What is even happening here…?”

“Don’t think about it too much. The Razen you knew is gone.”

I gripped the sword that had slashed through Razen’s arm.

“All that’s left is a demon standing in our way. That’s all you need to know.”

“…Right.”

Nodding, Avelin shifted the tip of her sword from me to Razen.

“And it’s our Order’s duty to eliminate demons.”

“Exactly.”

As Avelin and I steeled ourselves, the commotion quickly spread.

After all, it wasn’t every day that a demon appeared—not from a rift between realms, but right in the middle of our camp.

“A demon has appeared!”

“Where… where did something like that come from!?”

Of course, only Avelin and I knew the truth—that the demon had once been Razen.

“Pitiful creatures. Burn to ashes!”

Razen unleashed violet flames in every direction.

Yet, we hesitated to charge in.

The Order’s cardinal rule dictated never to judge a demon’s abilities by appearances alone.

Demons from other worlds often had unpredictable powers—ordinary-looking ones could explode upon death, or their blood might be acidic.

While Razen had only spewed flames thus far, who could say what other powers he might have?

But if we left him any longer, the flames would engulf the entire camp.

“We can’t wait any longer. Let’s go, Avelin!”

“Wait! We should observe him a bit more—”

“There’s no time for that! The fastest way to find out a demon’s powers is to face it head-on!”

Leaving the hesitant Avelin behind, I charged at Razen. He immediately unleashed a torrent of violet flames in my direction.

I dodged to the side, but Razen merely turned his head and sent another blast of flames my way.

“Damn it…”

The constant flames made it impossible to get close.

“I’ll help, Kayron!”

At that moment, Avelin sprang into action.

True to her nickname, The Silver Flash, she moved swiftly to the opposite side.

Realizing he was surrounded, Razen glanced back and forth between us.

“Good. No matter how quick he is, he won’t handle attacks from both sides.”

“Keeheehee…”

Razen let out a grotesque laugh and strained his face.

Then—

Schlurrrp.

As if to prove his demonic nature, eyes and a mouth sprouted on the back of his head.

Now, Razen was spewing flames at both me and Avelin simultaneously.

“Hey, come on! Eyes and a mouth on the back of your head? That’s cheating!”

“That’s… disgusting!”

While Avelin and I kept Razen occupied, reinforcements arrived, aiming their bows at the demon.

“Fire! Fire! Turn him into a pincushion!”

Arrows flew through the air in unison, slicing the wind.

But Razen easily spewed flames, melting all the arrows before they could reach him.

“Damn it. If only the Brigade were here…”

Their impenetrable black-iron shield wall might have withstood the flames, allowing us to advance.

Still, finding a solution in any situation was the commander’s duty.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

“His flames are hot enough to melt arrows, huh? In that case… let’s see if you can melt this, you bastard!”

With that, I hurled my sword at Razen with all my might.

Razen confidently unleashed his flames once again.

Though the ordinary sword began to melt under the heat, it didn’t disintegrate completely.

Thunk!

“Graaah…!”

Despite being partially melted, the sword managed to pierce Razen’s body, creating a fleeting opening.

“Avelin!”

“Yes!”

Seizing the moment, Avelin and I charged at Razen simultaneously.

It was a small window of opportunity, but we couldn’t let it slip.

Razen quickly regained his stance and opened his mouth to spew flames once more, but—

“Shut that mouth of yours, Razen!”

Using her trademark speed, Avelin reached him before I did and drove her sword into the mouth on the back of his head.

Her long, slender blade pierced through Razen’s head and emerged from the front.

“Guh-hahk… urgh…”

With the blade lodged firmly, I made my move to finish him off.

Thud!

Crunch…

I kicked Razen’s head, twisting it violently. The motion drove Avelin’s blade through his neck, severing his head completely.

Razen’s headless body collapsed, his form disintegrating into violet flames until nothing remained.

However, his detached head rolled on the ground, groaning weakly.

“Graaah… urgh…”

Avelin raised her sword to deliver the final blow.

“Wait.”

“Why, Kayron?”

“There’s something I need to ask. I’ll finish him myself.”

I leaned closer to Razen’s head, speaking in a voice low enough that Avelin couldn’t hear.

“Razen, are you one of the Apostles?”

“Guh… How do you know that name…?”

“Answer me.”

“Keehee… An Apostle isn’t something you can become at will. You must be chosen by them. I’m just a pawn…”

“Just a pawn, huh.”

Thud!

“Graaaah!”

I stomped on Razen’s head with all my strength, flattening it. His final cry echoed before his head twitched a few last times and, like his body, burned into nothingness.

“...Kayron. I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“For accusing you of harming innocent people. I always thought Razen could be worse than a demon, but I never imagined he actually was one…”

“For once, we agree.”

“Still…”

Avelin looked at me with a mix of guilt and suspicion.

“How did you know? That Razen was a demon?”

“I didn’t.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Think carefully. Are you sure there’s nothing you’ve been through that clued you in?”

“…”

Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my frustration and retrace everything I had experienced leading up to this moment.

Then, a fleeting memory crossed my mind.

[Congratulations, Kayron. You are now one of us…]

Right before I traveled back in time, a strange, violet energy had flowed from the Apostle’s hand and seeped into every corner of my body.

‘Could it be…?’

“Let’s go for now.”

Avelin’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Okay now isn’t the time to dwell on this. We need to report everything to the Commander.”

“You’re right. That takes priority.”

It was true—the Apostle had injected something into my body. But whatever it was wouldn’t come into play for a long time yet.

Despite the unease lingering in my heart, I pushed it aside and started walking toward the command center.

As we walked, Avelin didn’t say another word to me, though her eyes were filled with suspicion.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. We had just fought a demon side by side. Was that not enough to earn her trust?

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re suspicious of me.”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to be suspicious in this situation?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“And don’t get me wrong. It’s not just suspicion. I also feel… sympathy.”

“Sympathy? For me?”

“You’ve always been so cheerful, no matter what happened. But now your shoulders look so weighed down…”

Pat.

Avelin lightly patted my shoulder.

“Stay strong, Kayron. You promised to help me with my training, didn’t you?”

“…Thanks.”

Though her suspicion remained, her words of encouragement lightened my heart a little.

It was odd—Avelin, once a fierce rival in training, now offering me comfort.

I felt like I’d lost in some way, yet it wasn’t an entirely bad feeling.

“Ah, there you are. You two always work so hard. What brings you to the command center?”

“You heard about the commotion earlier, right? We’re here to report it to the Commander.”

“Ah, regarding that incident? Perfect timing. The Commander has already been briefed and is waiting for you. Please, go right in.”

The leader of our Order, the venerable Commander Balthazar.

In his youth, he was a mighty knight known across the lands. When the rifts first opened, he was among the first to step forward to fight the demons.

He had united people from all corners of the world under the banner of the Order—a truly exceptional leader.

Without Commander Balthazar, the Order wouldn’t exist, and the demons spilling from the rifts would have already overrun the world.

Meeting him always filled me with a sense of awe.

“Commander Balthazar, it’s Kayron. I’ve come with Avelin.”

“Come in.”

His voice, both kind and commanding, resonated with charisma.

My heart pounded as I opened the door.

“Welcome.”

“Huh…?”

“I’ve already heard the situation. The two of you swiftly neutralized a demon that appeared in the camp, correct?”

“…Yes.”

“Kayron? Why aren’t you speaking?”

I couldn’t respond.

Because…

Surrounding Commander Balthazar’s body was an intense, seething violet energy—far stronger than what I had seen from Razen.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

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