Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 203: Passage of Hell (4)

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 203: Passage of Hell (4)

Boom!

Power exploded.

Monsters were crushed.

The entire plain, once teeming with monsters, was suddenly cleared.

"You bastard!"

Three demons simultaneously rushed at Ketal.

They unleashed their powers:

- Abaddon's power, which brings all things to ruin.

- Steno's power, which twists and distorts the world.

- Bael's power, which devalues and degrades everything.

The powers of the three top-tier superhuman demons converged on Ketal.

Yet, his body remained unchanged.

The demonic powers shattered against Ketal's body.

Ketal charged forward, arriving instantly in front of Abaddon.

Abaddon swiftly swung his spear, imbued with his power.

A single stab from it would bring complete annihilation to any flesh, rendering it irrecoverable.

Crack!

Ketal grabbed the spear with his bare hands and broke it.

He then swung his axe, splitting Abaddon in half.

Crash!

The other demons attacked Ketal's back.

He casually turned, deflecting their powers with his axe.

Clang!

Ketal stomped his foot and instantly reached the other demons, splitting their bodies before they could react.

"You crazy!"

Steno, having restored her body, looked incredulous.

‘We can't do anything even with the three of us together?’

They were being overwhelmed like children.

Steno couldn't accept it.

Sbe felt no significant difference compared to when they faced the High Elf Queen.

‘This guy is supposed to be a hero?’

Rubitra had claimed to face him alone to some extent, but that was natural.

After confronting Rubitra, Ketal had identified demons as his enemies.

If they were his enemies, he would face them as such.

Ketal charged at the restored Steno.

Steno erected a barrier of demonic energy, a defense of absolute strength made by intertwining countless layers of demonic power.

Ketal muttered softly.

"Blutka."

Divinity enveloped Ketal's axe.

The divinely charged axe shattered Steno's defense and butchered his body. Ketal laughed in satisfaction.

"Is this the power of divinity? I like it."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Steno, having restored her body again, gritted her teeth.

Her defense couldn't have been pierced by such a thin layer of divinity.

It was Ketal's strength that had shattered her defense; the divinity was just an aid.

‘What is that axe?’

The black axe Ketal wielded was also strange.

Despite blocking their attacks and breaking through defenses, the axe blade remained unscathed.

At this rate, killing Ketal seemed impossible.

The High Elf Queen would soon clear all the corruption and arrive.

If that happened, it would be the end.

Even without the High Elf Queen, it was unclear if they could manage.

She couldn't see any way to pierce that body.

"No...!"

Rubitra had left a red mark on Ketal's body.

Although it would disappear over time, it proved that his body wasn't invincible.

They were demons of the same rank as Rubitra.

If the three of them combined their full power, they could break through.

Steno signaled to the other demons.

They nodded slightly.

"Huff!"

The demons exerted all their power.

The ground around Ketal began to collapse and crumble.

Ketal's body started to sink into the earth.

Ketal's eyes gleamed.

The wind flowed through Karin's fingers into Steno's body.

Steno, who had been looking up in confusion, suddenly widened his eyes.

"Ah, ah. Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!"

A terrible scream erupted.

Steno's eyes trembled wildly.

He struggled to escape, but Karin's restraint held firm.

The other demons, seeing this, widened their eyes in disbelief.

A demon, screaming in pain inflicted by a being of the surface world, was unimaginable.

Ketal asked with interest,

"What are you doing?"

"I am called a hero."

She could interfere with essence and laws.

"Even if they are beings of Hell, I can disrupt their essence. While complete annihilation is impossible... I can ruin their very nature."

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Steno's body shook violently.

Unable to endure the pain, his eyes rolled back, and his body slowly began to disintegrate.

Karin cheerfully dusted her hands.

"He won't die. But he will suffer unimaginable pain for centuries. Now, it's your turn."

She smiled brightly.

For the first time, fear appeared on the demons' faces.

* * *

After the situation was resolved, the elves began restoring the damaged forest.

Karin stood atop the World Tree, and Ketal spoke to her.

"How extensive is the damage?"

"Considering their full force, it's minimal."

Though some elves were injured, none had died.

Half of the vast Schwarzwald forest had burned, but given the power of Hellfire, the damage was relatively insignificant.

"And they failed in their primary objective."

The demons' main goal was to corrupt the World Tree.

But the World Tree remained intact.

Though slightly tainted, immediate action had prevented major problems.

It was still an issue, but much better than the worst-case scenario.

The demons were driven back to Hell without achieving their goal, making the defense a success.

However, there was still some damage.

"They took a branch of the World Tree."

Karin bit her lip as she looked at the severed branch.

"They must have needed it for something. I can't imagine what demons would do with a branch of the World Tree."

"...There are many uses for it."

The World Tree was one of the purest entities in the world.

Whether corrupted or kept pure, it had numerous applications.

For instance, using the severed branch to summon demons could bring forth several named demons.

Such a thing in the hands of Hell was very bad news for the surface world.

Karin's mouth tasted bitter.

As the queen, she had to protect the World Tree, but she had allowed it to be wounded.

Without Ketal, the corruption would have spread beyond her control.

The mere thought gave her chills.

"Thank you very much, Ketal."

"It's nothing."

Ketal smiled brightly.

"I have my own reasons. But do you really have time for a leisurely conversation?"

"Well, no."

As the leader of the sanctuary, she had to deal with not only the corruption of the World Tree but also the forest's damage.

Ketal spoke.

"Go on. I'll wait patiently."

"Thank you very much."

Karin bowed her head deeply.

The elves began restoring the forest.

Despite the damage, the Wind Spirit King's power helped the recovery process.

A few days later, Ketal and Karin met again.

"It seems it's almost over."

"Yes. There's still some work to do, but nature will take care of the rest."

"You seem relaxed. May I ask you something now?"

"Yes. What would you like to know?"

Ketal asked her.

Karin hesitated at the question.

"The demons told me that I cannot take sides with you. They said I am the enemy of the world. Do you know anything about that?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]