Chapter 35 - Demonic magic?

Mission:

-Capture the writer and deliver him to the invaders.

-Protect the writer Lupin.>

.....

Looking at the writer, who seemed scared and just like a normal person, I decided to follow the second path, even though it would likely be harder.

Besides, harder missions usually come with better rewards. As for checking the system, for some reason, I wasn't allowed to read it.

As soon as I chose the second option, I was able to see the mission description.

....

Mission: Protect the writer Lupin

Type: Protection

Objective: Protect the writer and ensure his safety.

Reward: Skill Book: Magic Decipherer

Description:

The place you thought was a prison is actually a hideout. The writer Lupin is being attacked by followers of a lesser god of magic, who heard about his work. If you succeed in protecting him and getting him out of this place, he will offer you the fruit of his years of work.

....

"Young man. Can you help me? I just need you to distract the enemies while I set up the teleportation circle so I can escape."

"For now, take this; it will be your reward. However, it can only be opened if I manage to escape safely."

He handed me the book he was working on yesterday.

Just by holding it, I could feel a strong amount of mana and wisdom emanating from it. However, I also noticed various letters, runes, and seals preventing the book from being opened or used.

Curious, I decided to read its description.

....

Skill Book: Magic Decipherer

Rank: Sealed

Type: Sealed

Description: Sealed. Once its creator deems himself safe, he will unlock the magic circle and allow you to claim your reward. (Due to the way it was created, it can be unlocked remotely by its creator.)

....

I realized I couldn't extract any information from it yet.

"Alright. Get ready. I'll hold them off."

I said as I started moving. My wands carefully manipulated magical energy, while Ivory began to expand, and along with it, the mist continued to spread.

A mischievous, slightly wicked smile crossed my face, like a small being of chaos.

.....

Third Person POV

Outside the hideout

The area looked ordinary, but a unique entrance could be seen. In front of it, a translucent white barrier had recently been activated, preventing anyone from entering.

Outside, there were six men and women wearing brown robes and hoods, carrying staffs or other magical equipment. Alongside them were four guards, lightly armored, holding small shields and swords.

The guards didn't seem particularly strong, but they were clearly there to provide extra physical protection to the mages.

The mages observed the barrier but focused their eyes on the individual at the center.

If our MC had been there, he would have recognized the group's leader as the "son" who had given him the mission.

However, this time, both the expression and the aura of the body were clearly different.

The young man murmured,

"This body definitely isn't ideal. But for now, it will do. Tsk, it's annoying that his soul still tries to resist. I might be weaker than my original self, but does he really think a mere human can handle my forbidden soul magic? A pity I haven't regained much of my strength yet... but this book should help improve my magic."

No one heard his exact words. His subordinates simply awaited orders.

"Go. Break the barrier," he commanded, and the six mages took action.

They raised their staffs, gathering magical energy into their weapons.

There were different types of elemental energy: Darkness, Wind, Ice, and Earth. However, it wasn't normal elemental energy; a faint dark-red energy was mixed into their attacks.

They struck, and the barrier trembled as if it was about to break. The last to act was the leader.

When he raised his staff, a large spear of condensed energy formed, dominated by darkness and the red energy.

It was clearly not regular magic.

He launched the spear, shattering the barrier immediately.

At his signal, his subordinates entered the area.

Deeper inside, magical traps triggered, sending bursts of mana and elemental attacks. Alongside these, arrows and hidden weapons were launched.

The mages raised mana shields or elemental barriers, and the guards used their shields to block attacks.

Still, the leader seemed the most relaxed. Although calm, something about him radiated a faint, dangerous tension.

He continued scanning the area but failed to notice the seemingly ordinary snow slowly rising.

Along with it, a semi-ethereal snake was moving silently, its glowing eyes filled with menace, its body growing larger.

As they walked through a certain zone, the leader and a dark magic user stopped suddenly.

"Stop now—" the leader barked.

But it was too late.

Dark threads and shadows erupted from the ground, binding two mages and two guards.

Annoyed, the leader moved the item in his hand—not a staff, but a blackish-red wand.

With a sweep, he unleashed dark red energy that shattered the traps easily.

However, his arrogance made him blind to the danger behind him.

Suddenly, a large white snake appeared from the mist, its fangs enlarged, biting into two mages, while its massive tail struck a guard hard against a wall.

And it didn't end there.

In the sky above, more than fifty magical arrows materialized alongside orbs of water, which were then launched.

Some guards and mages managed to defend themselves, but many were still injured.

The leader grew furious, slamming his wand onto the ground, releasing a dense wave of dark-red energy.

"Who dares?!"

He now realized this wasn't a simple automatic trap—someone was controlling the battlefield.

His devastating attack dispersed much of the mist and shielded his team temporarily.

He didn't stop there; his wand released another powerful blast that pushed the white snake aside.

He smiled arrogantly and prepared to finish it off, conjuring a large magic spear in seconds and throwing it.

Yet the snake vanished into the mist.

"A spirit? No... it seemed physical... a hybrid, maybe?" he muttered, a flicker of greed in his voice. After all, spirits—especially elementals—are valuable magical resources.

But, he didn't have the time to look.

Living books burst from the walls, casting diverse spells, while elemental golems emerged, attacking the group.

At first, the leader didn't intervene, letting his subordinates handle it while he hunted for the spirit and the hidden attacker.

But the mana-laden mist had returned, hampering his efforts, and golems tried to reach him.

With a mere spin of his wand, he released dense energy, shattering or flinging the golems aside.

Hidden behind a magically disguised false wall,

a man was resting, cloaked and holding a wand and a staff.

Around his neck coiled the white snake.

He infused more mana into his companion, thickening the mist even further.

Without being noticed, a water whip combined with a snake's tail lashed out, silently pulling some enemies into the fog.

When the dust settled, three mages and two guards had vanished. The others were injured.

Realizing the increased danger, the leader lost patience.

An extremely dense and dangerous energy erupted from him, and his soul exerted a strange force.

His skin darkened and took on a reddish hue, his eyes turning inhuman and blood-red.

"No more games," he said.

He didn't seem concerned about his fallen subordinates—just furious at being fooled.

His pressure and energy became terrifying.

The wand in his hand evolved into an ancient, dangerous staff, emanating a deadly aura.

Countless magic circles and spells formed in the sky.

He smiled wickedly.

His mana obliterated walls, golems, and even affected his own followers.

When the dust cleared, magical energy still lingered in the air. The man walked forward calmly but with an immense underlying rage.

.....

MC POV

Around me lay defeated guards and mages, taken down with Ivory's help.

But I was shocked by the scene the leader had created.

I also noticed that he had the face of the "son" I was supposed to protect, but now with distinct inhuman features.

The mana and energy around him were completely different.

"Levi, do you know what kind of energy this is?"

The small ball of light beside me glowed and answered,

"Yes, Master. It's demonic energy. Demons are beings usually formed from dark magic energy and demonic power."

I frowned.

"You mean he's a demon?"

"Something like that, Master. He seems to be undergoing a transformation. However, based on how skillfully he manipulates his energy, I would say that a demon is possessing his body, trying to influence the mortal world.

Demons typically reside in the Hell Dimension, separated long ago from the normal world, making it hard for them to interfere here.

Contracts are one way they influence the world—strong demons often bind themselves to witches.

Another, riskier method is possession, where a demon destroys its own body to use a mortal's soul to revive.

This resets their strength (in general terms) and, if discovered, can lead to temples hunting them down—especially temples of powerful gods. Though such things happen more often in the central continent."

I nodded grimly.

The situation was getting even more complicated.

Luckily, I knew I had already bought enough time for the writer to escape.

Still... I decided to push a little further.

I had earned a lot of EXP by eliminating the enemies and even collected some good gear to sell.

With that thought, I moved again, using the secret tunnels that had been revealed to me—although many were damaged and weakened by the demon's previous rampage.