Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

***

A storm was born from the collision of the powerful demon lord and Ruon, who were like meteors. It violently pushed everything nearby outwards.

Kyle slammed his hammer on the ground to anchor his floating body, then reached his other hand behind him. He barely caught the wrist of Igor, who was about to be blown away. He clenched his teeth and pulled his arm.

“Ugh!”

The two people barely endured the wave of force that swept like a tidal wave. They screamed without having time to check on each other’s safety.

“Ruon!”

“Lord Ruon!”

From the huge crater that covered half of the rooftop, dark smoke was rising. The two ran towards it without hesitation. They coughed from the harsh smoke, but they tried to look inside somehow.

Kyle felt a thick vein on his neck.

“Damn it!”

He pounded the ground with his fist. His iron gauntlet was twisted, but he showed no sign of stopping. Igor quickly grabbed his arm and stopped his self-harmful action.

“Kyle! Stop it! You have to calm down!”

Kyle closed his eyes tightly.

“How can I calm down? Tarwen! Strabo! And Ruon too! That damn bird bastard killed my friends…”

Igor bent his knees and met Kyle’s eyes. He spoke in a firm voice.

“That’s why you have to pull yourself together. We’re the only ones left now!”

Kyle let his arm drop weakly. Igor added to him.

“Kyle, don’t forget that you’re the champion of Tivella. This is not about having faith.”

Igor’s eyes widened. His pupils were bloodshot.

“You were happy to be called by the same nickname as Ruon, and you said you wouldn’t tarnish that name. Have you forgotten?”

Kyle’s body stiffened. Igor’s words hit the core. He was right. He decided to live by the goddess’s sword, not because he had a fervent faith, but because of Ruon.

It might sound childish to others, but it was true.

It was a miracle for a man who was once an ordinary woodcutter to be able to live by the name that adorned the warrior he admired.

Yeah, that’s right.

Kyle smiled faintly and got up. His eyes, which had been dull, flickered with fire again.

“Right. I may not have faith, but I have responsibility.”

“…I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…”

It was then. A huge roar echoed from the bottom of the tower.

Krooo!

Their faces hardened at the evil power that filled it. The roar of the demon lord, who had disappeared with Ruon, meant that the worst situation they could imagine had happened.

“He’s coming.”

As soon as Kyle said that, a being with six wings pierced through the dark smoke and revealed itself. Its face, which had grown horns and eyes that they hadn’t seen before, was eerie.

-Did you enjoy the short hope, Tivella’s dogs? You’re the only ones left now.

Fleur didn’t miss the priest’s eyes that trembled slightly. He let out a sinister laugh.

-Ruon, are you worried about the warrior’s safety? Don’t worry. Surprisingly, he’s still alive. Except for his whole body being crushed and his eyes blinking, he’s fine.

Then Kyle stepped hard on his right foot and lifted his hammer up like scooping water. Lightning followed his trajectory and struck the demon lord’s body.

Kwang!

Surprisingly, Fleur’s wing that blocked the lightning burned red, and black feathers fell. The demon lord showed interest in the destructive power that exceeded his expectations.

-Oh, you didn’t just rely on the power of the weapon, but mixed it with holy power? It’s amazing that it’s not something you can do with will alone.

Kyle swung his hammer again without caring about the demon lord’s praise. Igor also added his power by reciting a prayer. The dark sky lit up for a moment.

-How pitiful.

The light disappeared.

“What?”

Kyle looked up at the sky that was swallowed by the darkness. The demon lord, who floated like a god who ruled the sky, had a sinister darkness crawling out of his forehead. Or rather, from his new eyes.

Igor bit his lips until they bled and said.

“…Did he get the power?”

Fleur chuckled at his words.

-You saw it right. The priest of mercy.

The darkness that came out of his forehead got darker. Looking again, the edge of his vertically torn eyes had sharp teeth sticking out.

-Finally, I succeeded in breaking the old rules and gaining the power to define myself. The spoiled ones who are in the arms of the goddess will never have this power, even if they die and come back!

The demon lord screamed with ecstasy. The darkness poured out of his forehead. It was not a natural darkness caused by the absence of light, but a malicious mass that existed on its own.

“Merciful-”

Just as the humiliated priest was about to recite his prayer without backing down, a beast appeared from the stairs leading to the roof and snatched Kyle and Igor out of the dark radius that was flying towards them.

─!

Kyle’s eyes widened at the fact that the space where they had been standing just moments ago had vanished without a trace, then he quickly turned his head. He saw the beast panting heavily and said.

“···Strabo.”

The beast nodded slowly, dripping red blood from between its clenched teeth. Igor, who noticed that its side had been damaged by the demon’s kick, started to heal it with his prayer.

-If you barely saved your life, you should run away. I don’t understand why you come to invite death. Do you value your life so little?

The voice of the great demon pierced their heads every time, and a wave of powerlessness swept over them. Kyle clenched his fist and swung his blessed hammer. But the lightning imbued with holy power also vanished in vain. He furrowed his brow.

“What the hell is that eye. Shit.”

Fleur blinked his eye on his forehead that absorbed the light and answered.

-This is not a mere part of my body. It is the glorious power that will bring down your god. Soon, you insignificant beings will call me the great demon of gluttony. Hahahaha!

Fleur’s laughter shook the night sky, and red lightning began to pour down from the clouds like a downpour. The sky flickering red every second seemed to herald the end of the world.

-Great demon slayers! Die! Die with that grandiose name in your chest···

The body of the great demon, who was raising his voice in madness, flinched. His gaze passed by the group that was protecting themselves from the lightning, and headed towards the huge hole that was pierced through.

-Impossible···

The large pieces of stone that were floating inside the tower were shattered one by one from below. The reason was simple. Someone was jumping up using them as stepping stones.

-Impossible!

At that moment, the closest boulder to the roof was crushed, and a red disc flew from below the hole and grazed the great demon’s head.

In the blink of an eye, the situation changed, and he turned his head too late. Ink-like blood gushed out of his neck.

Then he realized that one of his wings had been cut off completely. Someone grabbed his neck from the air and threw his body to the ground.

Bang!

As he got up from the scattered dust, he glared at Ruon, who had landed on the ground, with his three eyes glowing ominously.

“How did you recover? Are you a Duermer? No, no. I know that his warrior has an amazing recovery ability, but he can’t restore a collapsed body to that extent. What did you do···”

Fleur closed his mouth.

He, who had overcome the limit of mortals and became a great demon, knew. How Ruon was able to recover. And he felt it. The power of his nemesis that he felt beyond his flashing eyes!

It was a miracle that only those who tried to break the limit in the opposite way of him could obtain.

Unlike the great demon Fleur, who broke the rules and caused chaos, he knew well those who carved their names in the world and paved their own way.

And he knew better than anyone what was at the end of that harsh path.

-You bastard! Are you trying to ascend to heaven!

Ruon didn’t answer. He just kicked the ground and hit the demon’s head with full force. He approached Fleur, who was staggering back, and kicked his abdomen with his front leg.

Immediately after, he pressed down on the demon’s rear end, which was bent forward, and lifted his knee to hit the direction where his head was falling. Crunch- the beak of the penguin broke.

But Ruon said as if this was just the beginning, he pulled his hand that grabbed the rear end and forced him to stand up, then punched his abdomen and side repeatedly.

Then he plucked his wings, and Fleur barely escaped from the horrible grip by flapping his remaining four wings.

The great demon Fleur, whose body was torn apart as if he had been shredded by a shredder, growled low.

-You crazy bastard! Is punching your goal for carving your name in the world? The god of punching, Ruon, is that your goal?

What the hell are you talking about?

Ruon frowned as he watched Fleur, who was still babbling even after being beaten up.

The fact that his broken body had miraculously recovered as the name [Ruon] rose in his mind was true, but he didn’t feel anything else. No, there was one thing.

He stretched out his right arm, and the red disc landed precisely in his hand with a sharp sound. A sharp blade spewed red light over the handle he gripped.

“Ruon!”

Then Kyle and the others came staggering. They all looked pale, but they seemed genuinely happy that Ruon, whom they thought was dead, had come back to life.

But there was no time to share the joy of reunion. The lumps of darkness that poured out of Fleur’s forehead poured out at once towards the group.

Ruon didn’t back down. He believed in his name that sparkled in his mind and swung his ego sword.

Bang!

With a single trace, he cut off all the attacks, and a huge explosion sounded on both sides of him.

Igor, who was right behind him, shouted.

“Lord Ruon! Fleur’s power is absorption.”

-Gluttony!

Ruon laughed fiercely. He seemed to know why he was so flustered by the simple punching. Ridiculously, the great demon Fleur’s weakness was physical attack. The very fist fight that he hated the most. That was the key to victory.

Of course, that was only possible for Ruon, who had transcendent physical abilities.

-There is no better prologue than the death of a man who has just begun to walk the path of falling from heaven.

Fleur restored his broken body with the darkness that flowed from his third eye, and glared at Ruon, who was approaching with a burning will.

He finished preparing to fly up to the clouds again by flapping his wings.

-Let’s start again···

His words were cut off. Ruon, who had run up to him, grabbed his ankle and slammed him to the ground.

“You talk too much.”