Shad asked about Sir Prisha because he lacked the means to kill the demon completely and was unable to set up a sealing ritual in such a rush; therefore, he could only wait for the doctor to arrive as quickly as possible.
In the concert hall just one wall away, the performance continued. Moonlight illuminated the wall, where the silver sword [Night Watchman], pinned to the surface, glittered brilliantly.
The demon continued to wail and groan; the sword's influence over it was extraordinary.
"I told him what a Chosen truly is. I ignited his desires. Even though he did not consent to let me possess him, I still gained power because of it."
"So he already knows. What do you know about his past?"
Shad continued to question. Although the demon was still screaming, a strange smile appeared on its face.
"To obtain some precious books, he killed. To uncover the mysteries of the past, he murdered his closest friend."
Shad frowned slightly. He would have to decide for himself whether the demon's intelligence could be trusted. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt the chains in his hand slacken violently.
Amidst a scream that nearly tore his eardrums, he watched in surprise as the demon pinned to the wall actually forcibly discarded the part of its physical body pierced by [Night Watchman], escaping the sword's influence.
The "Chains of Great Sin" were forcibly broken for the first time. The howling demon gave a vicious final warning
"If the Chains of Great Sin were to hold one more sin, I fear I truly would not be able to leave. What a pity, Demon Hunters of the Sixth Epoch. You damned wretches remain hauntingly persistent even across such a vast stretch of time. But fate is not on your side. If you have the courage, come and chase me."
The blurred black shadow melted directly into the wall, appearing to pass through it toward the stage of the performing concert hall.
The [Chains of Great Sin] wrapped around the hilt of [Night Watchman], pulling it from the wall. Outside, just one wall away, the music being played suddenly shifted keys. The originally stirring melody became oppressive and low; the sound of the violins, now resembling the sawing of wood, turned the grand movement narrating a heroic epic into something that sounded like a tale of demons.
Simultaneously with the sudden change in tune, Shad heard the sound of commotion. Both the Church of the True God and the three academies had stationed personnel in the concert hall tonight; this eerie music naturally drew their attention.
However, the demon, which had failed to gain an advantage against Shad, remained an insurmountable opponent for ordinary Ring Sorcerers who lacked restrictive weapons like [Night Watchman]. The sinister, terrifying music did not stop, but the sounds of resistance and turmoil grew quieter and quieter.
Shad knew this accident was caused by his and the doctor's actions. He could not wait to regroup with the doctor; he had to resolve this trouble immediately.
Just as he gripped his sword and prepared to step forward, he heard the sound of applause.
Looking suspiciously toward the window, he saw a young man sitting on the windowsill with a smile. The man wore a large green hat adorned with a feather, held a lyre in his arms, and was dressed in a dashing white shirt, a green jacket, cuffed bell-bottoms, and brown leather boots. Moonlight shone upon this man, who looked like a bard; Shad had not noticed at all when the other had appeared.
【Outlander, you have touched the Whispers.】
"Another relic?"
"Very good, a very fine drama."
The young man clapped with a smile and signaled for Shad not to be nervous.
"Allow me to introduce myself. In the containment records of the [Church of Creation and Destruction], I am known as the Secret-Keeper grade relic, [The Bard, Ryan]."
He plucked a string of his lyre, as if plucking the heartstrings of his audience.
"I always appear at concerts, banquets, and celebrations, providing trials and rewards to those artists who perform magnificent movements."
As he spoke, he plucked the string again, this time with a slightly higher pitch.
"Hmm."
Shad hesitated. He guessed that the person before him was likely the target of the Church and the academies tonight.
"I am honored that you have taken the initiative to appear before me, but... I am not an artist. Perhaps you should go to the stage; the Church of the True God has likely prepared a quite grand welcome ceremony for you tonight."
"No, no, a performance does not necessarily have to be on a stage."
The bard said with a smile
"The 'Hero vs. Demon' performance you and that Mr. Demon just put on amidst the music was outstanding. Who would have thought that in the current prosperity of human civilization in the Sixth Epoch, a youth wielding a Demon Hunter relic from the Third Epoch could defeat a genuine evil spirit demon in a deserted corner?"
He plucked the string once more, smiling at Shad with his back to the moonlight.
"Actually, besides you, I had my eye on a poet with an ancient holy bloodline. Unfortunately, he was not as impressive as you, and he left after seeing the demon, so I appeared before you instead."
Shad hesitated.
"The person you mentioned... has the bloodline power of a Cherub?"
The bard nodded with a smile. This completely confirmed Shad's suspicion. The Chosen of [Knowledge and Wisdom] possessing the bloodline power of a Cherub—it felt almost like a predestined arrangement.
"Hero of the Sixth Epoch, I cannot give you a trial just yet, because your movement has not ended. Go defeat that demon and conclude your heroic epic for tonight; then, I shall speak the trial."
"Defeating the demon was what I intended to do anyway."
Shad tightened his grip on the sword and, accompanied by the bard's singing and playing, walked toward the low stairs leading to the stage.
Inside the main concert hall where the performance was taking place, it should have been brightly lit and magnificent. However, when Shad stepped onto the stage with his glowing silver sword, he found that all the lights had been extinguished, and an impenetrable black mist shrouded the audience.
Only a single beam of light remained on the stage, illuminating Victor Bunny. Behind him, the orchestra manipulated by the demon was playing the demon's chapter with increasing frenzy.
Occasional flashes of light in the audience indicated that battles were underway. Although the Church had not prepared special relics to deal with demons tonight, they were still professional in their methods.
Even though it had escaped to this location, the demon's situation was still poor. Being exposed to the Church was more miserable than being hunted by the doctor.
Compared to the act of discarding part of its body to escape earlier, Victor Bunny had now returned to the state he was in when first met at the Three Cats Inn. Black sludge continuously converged at his feet, representing the desires being incessantly absorbed.
"An elegant occasion, cheap desires. Human thoughts are myriad, but nobles always want more than ordinary people."
At this moment, it showed none of its previous distress, its body expanding continuously within the shadows. As the terrifying music reached its climax, the top of its head had already reached the ceiling of the concert hall.
"Sun Spear!"
Just then, a clear, beautiful voice rang out from the mist-shrouded audience. Amidst a dark-golden radiance, Iluna—with a scale floating above her head—arrived on stage through the mist, accompanied by Miss Green, a Tenth-Ring Sorcerer of the Sun Church, and Mr. Pietro, a Ninth-Ring Sorcerer of the Peace Church who looked quite young.
A bursting spear of thunder exploded a large hole in the chest of the giant, terrifying black figure, but the hole was quickly repaired.
Iluna looked at the sword-wielding Shad and gave him a discreet nod; she naturally recognized [Night Watchman].
"You're finished."
Shad looked up at the demon preparing its final strike, knowing in his heart that this matter was over.
Iluna was able to identify who had appeared on stage by [Night Watchman], and after a moment of thought, the two high-ring sorcerers of the Church also recognized the famous "God-Caller."
Of course, given that the "God-Caller's" reputation had always been decent and the current enemy was a demon, the Church's sorcerers said nothing.
They simply could not understand why a demon had appeared in the city when tonight's target was supposed to be a Secret-Keeper in the guise of a bard.
"Sun Spear!"
"Thunder Spear!"
One gold and one silver lightning spear pierced the demon's body simultaneously, but the demon was still able to heal rapidly, appearing entirely unaffected by the injuries.
With a wild roar, the demon's terrifying claws swiped at the group, but they easily dodged. Its goal, of course, was not to simply "claw to death" these humans. The moment its claws touched the ground, its entire right arm exploded into black mist. The mist spread rapidly, completely obscuring the stage, and Miss Green and the others who had come to support instantly vanished from sight.
Only the musicians playing the eerie music continued to operate their instruments frantically; the low, cold sound of the orchestral music made one's skin crawl in the darkness.
"Hitton Seal!"
The black mist separated the group. The silent Shad once again thrust the longsword into the ground. In the next second, the illusory shadow of Victor Bunny appeared outside the shield flowing with golden light, frantically embracing the shield and perishing along with it.
Countless illusions flashed one by one in the darkness. Even in a heavily injured state, the demon's own power was still beyond the imagination of mortals. Those fragmented whispers and murmurs continued relentlessly, attempting to corrupt Shad's soul.
"Shad!"
Luvia's transparent figure stood in the distance, making a gesture as if trying to embrace him.
"Shad!"
Professor Manning, holding a book, seemed to be inviting Shad to walk over and discuss a problem with him.
"Shad!"
Detective Spyro had a soft expression on his face, wearing the pajamas he wore before his death, waving to Shad.
The phantoms of the friends he knew appeared one by one around him, tempting Shad to abandon his current resistance.
【Hallucinations.】
"I know."
Seeing that the phantoms of those friends had no effect, the illusions receded into the darkness. Subsequently, shadows of wealth, power, and a large group of beautiful girls appeared in different directions in the dark like traps. Although the demon of proliferating desire could not directly tempt Shad, its power to stir desire and amplify emotion still made Shad feel an instinctive discomfort.
He noticed his own cravings expanding, but fortunately, he had not yet developed any overly intense emotions.
(End of Chapter)