adventurers in the sewers

This was the first time Louis had ever heard the term "demonization."

But just from the name and the state of the demonic bear, he could roughly guess what it meant.

If I understand correctly, "demonization" refers to being corrupted by the power of the demon realm.

Whether it's the demonic bear's eerie appearance or the pair of demonic horns protruding from the blond boy's head, they are all concrete evidence.

Because of his special skill "Sacrificial Dance," which allows him to communicate with the demon realm, Louis has a stronger perception of the demon realm's power than ordinary people and can better sense the intense evil aura emanating from the demon bear.

This aura seemed to be the natural enemy of humans and even all intelligent beings, filling people with discomfort and a sense of oppression.

As for the reason for the appearance of this extraordinary demonic bear, it is obviously the same as the old goblin who learned the sacrificial dance, that it was influenced by the upcoming opening of the demon realm.

Now, the sewer team has been targeted by this monster.

"If we run now, it's probably too late."

Dai Na swallowed hard and murmured.

Judging from the size of the enemy, it can take three or four steps for them in one step. No matter how high their agility is, they will eventually be caught up and killed one by one.

To survive, the only option is to face the challenge head-on. Even if we don't kill the monster in one go, we should at least significantly weaken its mobility.

"Captain, please give the order."

The blue-haired girl turned to look at Louis and said in a deep voice.

Louis took a deep breath, his mind racing, and quickly devised a series of countermeasures before choosing the best one.

"Nora, retreat immediately and find an angle to provide ranged support."

"Dena is harassing from the flank... As for me, I'll go head-to-head and buy you, Nora, some time."

Louis gave the order in a very fast voice.

"……good."

The hooded girl looked up and gave Louis a deep look. She then pushed off with her feet and retreated several meters in an instant, continuing to widen the distance between herself and her enemies and companions.

While the sewer squad was making their move, the demonic bear also made its move.

His four claws dug deep into the ground, the muscles beneath his fur bulging, and with a cracking sound as the earth and stones beneath his feet were crushed by his claws, he came crashing down on Louis and Dana.

Louis straightened his body and activated "Physical Enhancement" without hesitation, increasing his strength by 2 points to reach the maximum of 10.

He drew his longsword and, relying on his perfect swordsmanship, which normally takes more than a decade of rigorous training, quickly locked onto several weaknesses in the demonized bear and prepared to attack.

At that moment, a scene that greatly surprised Louis occurred.

Then the blond boy's head perched on the neck of the demonic bear, which was Remy Carter's head, actually spoke.

"Louis! Louis!! You are Louis!!!"

"It's all because of you! It's all because you killed the captain and the others that I've become like this! I want you dead! I want you dead!!"

The boy's voice was hoarse and eerie, carrying an intense, irrepressible resentment.

With his roar, the demonic bear increased its speed even further, and its movements subtly incorporated a human-like quality.

This head wasn't just a decoration; it can talk?

Could it be that even in this state, Remi still retains his consciousness from when he was alive?

Or was he simply infected by the power of the demon realm, and a completely new, distorted consciousness was born based on his original memories?

Various thoughts raced through Louis's mind, and the demonic bear's attack came crashing down, raising its right forepaw to slam heavily at Louis.

Although his thoughts were slightly disturbed by Remy's voice, Louis's hands moved quickly, and his longsword clashed violently with the demonic bear's claws.

Louis never intended to confront his enemy head-on with this sword strike, but instead tried to use skill to neutralize their force. However, when the two sides actually made contact, Louis felt a heavy force coming from the sword, so strong that he could barely hold it.

Forget about using skill to neutralize force or borrowing someone's strength to strike back; you simply can't catch it!

Conservatively estimated, this demonic bear's strength is above 12 or 13 points.

boom--

Louis was sent flying backward by the claw, his back slamming hard against a tree ten meters away, the dense branches rustling wildly.

"Cough cough cough..."

After sliding down the tree, Louis coughed a few times, but thankfully he didn't cough up blood.

"Strength and skill alone are not enough; other skills are also necessary!"

Louis thought through gritted teeth.

Now is not the time to hide our weaknesses; if we continue to play dumb to fool others, we'll really get eaten.

"Louis!"

From not far away came Dai Na's anxious calls; judging from the girl's movements, she seemed to be rushing this way.

Louis raised his hand to indicate that he was fine and hoped that Dina would do her job well.

Daina stopped in her tracks, the panic in her eyes quickly fading, and nodded.

Seeing the girl grip her sword tightly with both hands, holding it upright in front of her chest, as if gathering strength, Louis nodded slightly.

He turned to look at the demonic bear that he was so deeply attracted to, and the bear roared and pounced on him once again.

"Louis! Louis, what's wrong with me? I'm in so much pain! I want to go home!"

Louis remained unmoved by Remy's wailing, which sounded like that of a completely different person.

Child, at this point, all I can do is take your body home, so you'd better shut up!

High-speed thinking! Activate!

Louis's thinking and spellcasting speed suddenly increased to 1.5 times the normal speed.

Conceal your presence! Activate!

Louis's movement speed has been moderately increased.

Compared to the skill's effects such as concealing one's presence and doubling movement speed in the dark, this mere moderate increase in movement speed is practically useless. However, in the current situation, it's worth it as long as it can enhance one's abilities even slightly.

The previous physical enhancement consumed 2 points of Louis's magic power, and these two skills consumed another 8 points of magic power. At this moment, Louis's magic power reserves were reduced to a mere 2 points.

If you don't become a true professional, you either won't use your magic, or you'll find yourself stretched thin when you do.

After unleashing two skills in succession, the demonic bear charged at Louis once again.

This time, it stood upright and lunged at Louis with its claws, one after the other, as if to tear him to pieces.

Louis's eyes narrowed, and his 1.5 times faster thinking speed allowed him to process the enemy's powerful strike.

The temporary boost to movement speed allowed him to keep up with his reaction time.

He quickly stepped forward, narrowly avoiding the demonic bear's first claw.

Before the second claw could strike, Louis chanted rapidly, channeling his last two points of magic into the longsword without reservation.

Magic Light Blade! Activate!

The sword glowed with a pale blue light, and the slightly chipped blade seemed as sharp as a scalpel at that moment.

Louis swung his longsword with all his might, slamming it heavily into one of the demonic bear's legs.

The magic sword blade smoothly sliced ​​through the demonized bear's fur, cleaving the internal muscles and fascia in two, and striking the tough bear bones.

But even the hardest bones of the demonic bear only faltered slightly in the face of Louis's immense strength and magical light blades. After a brief pause, everything became completely clear.

With a single slash, the demonic bear's leg and foot were completely separated.

The latter lost its balance, and its second claw also slammed off course, causing its massive body to topple over as if Mount Tai were pressing down on it.

click-

Seemingly unable to withstand the violent collision with the demonized bear's leg bone, the ordinary-made longsword broke apart with a bang.