The Freak Show Foreman

The demon lurked near the Church, emitting a growling sound.

He glared inside the building with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

Until he discovered the humans gathered here, he was in a good mood.

"Again, again… a monster! A monster has appeared!"

"Ah, damn it! This cursed village!"

The sensation of catching terrified humans and tearing them apart excited it.

The screams of terror from the frightened humans exhilarated it.

"This, this guy!"

"Where did a demon like this come from!"

Some humans swung weapons at him, but he easily swatted their arms aside, effortlessly cutting through their bodies.

Human defenses, such as armor, were powerless before his claws.

"Re-retreat!"

"Stay away from him!"

Even when the humans started fleeing from it, it was unconcerned.

With their slow footsteps, they couldn't go far, and it was confident it could catch up.

It watched as the humans entered the building, deliberately leading them into a dead end.

Their foolish actions fuelled its excitement, and it eagerly attacked.

It was a miscalculation on its part.

The moment it crossed the entrance of the building, a pain like needles stabbing every cell of its body overwhelmed it.

Sizzle.

Its skin emitted smoke as it burned.

"Grrr! Grrr!"

It quickly stepped back.

It was his innate reflex as a skilled hunter.

It checked its tingling skin and glared at the church with hostile eyes.

A sacred light enveloped the protected space.

The building the humans entered was a place where their kind could not approach recklessly.

Perhaps it hadn't noticed it just now.

It wasn't only due to it excitement but also because the intense resentment emanating from the hundreds of soul whites surrounding the church made it difficult for it.

The area around the sacred ground was as saturated with negative energy as its homeland.

"Kiiiiit!"

It laughed satisfactorily and observed the humans peering out from inside the church.

Their expressions of relief irritated it.

There was plenty of prey there, yet it couldn't enter.

It banged the ground with his arms, grumbling.

In doing so, it noticed the people it had terrorized earlier.

Some were still conscious.

The demon picked up one of the broken bodies from the ground.

With one hand holding the body and the other grabbing the head, it pulled.

"Ugh… Spare… Spare me… Aaargh!"

Squish. Thud.

His head, along with the spine, was pulled out of the body.

Blood and flesh scattered in the air.

People inside the church who were monitoring the situation gasped at the sight.

Some even fainted.

The demon, with a satisfied laugh, lay on the ground, trembling with excitement, then picked up the next victim.

"Kkk… Please… H-help… Uwaaaah!"

The horrifying sounds continued one after another.

Those inside the church covered their ears upon hearing the gruesome sounds.

Valentina, kneeling in front of the cross, recited prayers.

She had healed nearly 150 people today alone.

So, when the demon appeared, the divine power was already drained.

Priests of the Holy Church could replenish their divine power through worship.

As long as their physical and mental strength allowed, their power could be considered limitless.

Each time she heard the screams of people being tortured outside, Valentina shivered.

She wanted to rush out and confront the demon right away.

She believed she could defeat him with her current power if it was just one.

But it was impossible.

Her divine power was not enough to face all it.

She focused on replenishing her divine power, trying to steady her shaken heart.

"Sa-save… Quaaack!"

Just now, the fifth victim had been dismembered.

Ivanenko trembled with powerlessness.

As an experienced knight, he could gauge the difference in strength between the demon and himself with just a few glances.

At least five knights like him would need to join forces to barely stand a chance against the demon.

Leading the few soldiers here to confront him would result in being slaughtered in less than a minute.

It was frustrating, but for now, he had to endure.

"Kikikik!"

The demon, as a sign of gratitude to the audience watching its performance, tossed chunks of dismembered corpses.

The audience responded with joyful cheers as a reward for the performer.

At that moment, Valentina stood up abruptly.

"Oh, Sister!"

"Holy lady!"

She walked towards the church entrance, receiving the expectant gazes of the people.

A knight with a drawn sword awaited her in front.

However, she shook her head upon seeing him.

"Sir Knight, please go to Mr. Wonderstein."

"Isn't it better to face the threat together? Eliminating the concern thoroughly is the safest path."

"No. I can handle it alone. And it's not just one of it."

At her words, Ivanenko's expression showed surprise.

"Not one, you say?"

"Yes. I can sense it. There are three of it."

Three of those creatures?

His breath became rough.

"The people here will be protected by me. Sir Knight, please bring him here."

"…Understood."

She went outside the cathedral.

"Hehehe."

The demon, who was choosing the next victim by peering over the fallen individuals, noticed.

Its gaze was fixed on Valentina, but she stared back without flinching.

Having undergone training at Troms Monastery, she had sufficient knowledge about demons.

With a rabbit head, deer horns, goat legs, and long arms wielding sharp claws, she could identify the demon.

Zakanuba.

One of the demons dwelling in the Abyss.

It was known for appearing at sites of mass slaughter.

Given the nickname "cleaner," its primary prey was rotten corpses.

However, despite its dietary habits, it didn't mean the demon lacked combat capabilities; Zakanuba was powerful.

Valentina recalled the name when the horned rabbit suddenly thrust its face forward.

While it had a stinging magical sensation, fortunately, it was just a regular Zakanuba, not a demon lord.

She was exposed to magic due to her depleted sacred protection. Explore more adventures at empire

"Krrr."

Zakanuba stretched its waist.

It was relatively large among Zakanuba, standing at a height of 4 meters.

Fighting such a large demon, even for a fully armored knight, was a challenging task.

No matter how skilled a warrior was in demon-slaying training, there were limits to the strength one could exert with a human body.

Demon hunters, through research, discovered a way to overcome these limits in their fight against demons.

Valentina had used that method just before leaving the church.

She felt an overflowing power throughout her body.

A miniature holy needle made from sacred essence.

The holy needle wasn't limited to therapeutic use; by inserting it into specific blood vessels, a demon hunter could greatly enhance their physical strength.

"Kiex!"

Zakanuba swung its arm towards her.

An armor-less female human like her was, in its eyes, nothing more than crushed meat with a single blow.

Thud.

Struck by its arm, Valentina was sent flying several meters backward.

As her body collided with the debris, a cloud of dust rose.

She had taken a direct hit to her skin, and her exposed arm was bleeding, but she clearly opened her eyes and glared at the demon.

"Kiiiruk?"

Zakanuba turned towards its next prey.

The human knight was charging towards the village behind it.

Just as it was about to chase after him, someone grabbed its arm.

"Kyrk?"

The owner of the hand was the human he had just thrown away.

Amidst the rising dust cloud, she stood with her back straight, some parts of her monastery robe torn, blood flowing from her injured arm, but she was glaring at him, fully conscious.

Sticking the spear of light into the side opposite the arm she attached to his arm.

"Kieeak!"

Facing Zakanuba, she clenched her fist and spoke.

"Taking a life without reason. It's time for punishment."

The fist swung.

The spear of light pierced Zakanuba's abdomen.

***

Using telekinesis, Maya lifted Wonderstein's body and threw it into the town hall.

Then, she manipulated the latch inside and securely locked the door.

Throughout all this, her eyes were fixed on one place.

The street across from the town hall.

There, a crow like creature with a rabbit's head stood crookedly, staring at her.

Zakanuba.

She had read about it in a book.

It was one of the demons residing in the Abyss.

"Kikikiki."

Licking the blood on its nails, it mocked her.

It had just launched a surprise attack on Wonderstein.

If Maya hadn't twisted her body to take the attack, his throat might have been severed.

The cardigan she was wearing tore and flew away.

One arm was stained red with blood flowing from the shoulder.

She barely calmed her trembling body in pain.

"Kkirrkkirr."

Zakanuba sneered.

To endanger herself to save someone else's life was foolish.

She also reproached herself.

Why did she choose to stay there?

If she had chosen to escape, she could have definitely saved her life.

Avoiding the gaze of demons using illusion was no big deal.

Although he would die, it was better than both of them dying.

But to choose a high probability of both dying.

The top student of the Magic Academy couldn't even calculate properly.

'You've become stupid. Since receiving teachings from that person.'

A truly bad mentor.

Instead of making the disciple smart, he made her foolish.

She barely held onto her bleeding arm and leaned against the entrance of the town hall.

Her white hair and skin shone brightly in the moonlight even in the dark night.

But there was nothing shining brighter than her determination right now.

She hadn't professionally trained in martial arts.

Moreover, her body and magic were not in normal condition right now.

Her cold analytical skills were saying it all.

She would die.

Certainly.

Maya smiled.

For some reason, laughter escaped her.

Zakanuba, a powerful demon like it, would find it difficult to operate in this world once the sun rose.

He would return to the Abyss after dawn.

All she had to do was endure until then.

Even if she died, if she could save the director, it would be enough.

Then, one person would still be alive, and her calculations would not be wrong.

Maya raised her entire magical power.

There was a big difference between considering death inconsequential and being prepared for death.

She didn't know that having someone to protect on her back could make her feel so powerful.

She focused her magic on one point.

She couldn't stop Zakanuba with a weak dispersion of power.

A powerful blow was needed.

Woong.

A spherical telekinetic force field, formed only with her fist, appeared in front of her.

The sphere contained 20% of her current magical power.

If she shot this at high speed, it would have more power than a cannon.

The demon rushed towards her, pounding the ground.

Maya aimed the telekinetic sphere at its forehead.