Chapter 103: Heart of a Lion

The Demon Summoner stood within a barrier of flame; the mere pillar of fire that heralded his arrival had already reduced a multitude of residents to ash. It was true that those gathered here possessed status and standing, but status has never been a substitute for strength.

Fire, fire... the Demon Summoner mumbled, his gaunt frame standing motionless, though a sphere of blood-red flame manifested in his hand and was cast into the crowd.

Help me!

Run, run for your lives!

City guards, city guards, kill him at once!

The crowd erupted into panic. The aggressive, overbearing demeanor they had used to pressure the guards vanished, replaced by the same frantic, helpless, and terrified expressions seen on the faces of the outer-city folk when the demons first appeared.

Move aside! The young captain was among the first to react. Raising his shield, he charged toward the descending flame, kicking aside the jostling crowd to plant his shield before the crimson fire.

No! Edward’s roar rang out. The captain turned back in surprise, but it was already too late.

The blood-red flame struck the shield, yet it did not scorch the metal; instead, it began to rapidly corrode the thin, white-glowing film coating the surface. It was Edward’s knightly secret art: Iron Sun.

What?! The captain’s question had barely left his lips when the strange, blood-red fire shattered Edward’s Iron Sun in an instant, spreading along the shield he held.

No... Edward whispered in despair.

Aaaah! The flames surged, growing rapidly. Against this bizarre crimson fire, the shield proved more fragile than wood, little more than a piece of paper ready to ignite. A moment later, the shield disintegrated, and the blood-red fire engulfed the captain entirely.

The flames rose, and upon touching flesh, they seemed to find ample fuel, blooming with violent intensity until the captain was completely shrouded within. A pained scream echoed from the inferno, then, just as quickly, fell into silence.

When the fire died, nothing remained in its place...

Save for the Demon Summoner and his strange, Heh... keke-heh, burn, heh... laughter.

Ah! Edward’s cry of agony was stifled in his throat. In the blink of an eye, this young captain—a man he knew to be responsible and righteous—had been burned to nothingness before his very eyes. The shock left Edward trembling.

A buzzing impact echoed in his mind, clashing with distant, painful memories. The same despair, the same helplessness. For a moment, he could not move; a chaotic sensation flooded his brain, and his legs shook—not from fear, but from a primal, instinctive reaction.

Run, don't just stand there! The sudden force on his arm pulled Edward from the violent shock. The Demon Summoner had manifested another blood-red flame in his hand. The crowd ran aimlessly, like lambs waiting for the slaughter before the demon.

What are you doing? Why are you dazed? Let’s go. The cat-folk girl pulled hard on Edward’s hand, while the wounded soldier beside them gestured for them to leave him behind.

Looking at the girl’s anxious eyes and the soldier’s weak yet resolute face, Edward shook his head firmly. I cannot leave. This time, I will not run.

You go first. I must stop it. Something had returned to Edward; the fog in his mind and the shock of the moment no longer held him captive.

All right, then... Both the cat-folk girl and the soldier recognized the Night’s Edge insignia on Edward’s armor. Without further hesitation, the girl helped the soldier begin their retreat.

Whew... Edward took a long breath, looking at the spot where the captain had been incinerated. Even knowing that life and death are decided in an instant, even knowing that battle is always cruel, it was still too fast—so fast it felt unreal.

But this is reality. Never let yourself be shackled by it. Regrets are meant to be mended, not to be the source of more regrets. Edward raised his shield and longsword once more, aiming them at the flame-wielding Demon Summoner.

The Demon Summoner is a special type of demon from the abyss, possessing low-level intelligence and the ability to use various hellish spells.

Corrosive Blood-Flame is one of their abilities—a terrifying fire from the abyss that burns ravenously upon contact with matter, incinerating everything within a certain volume. It was this incredible destructive power that had easily pierced Edward’s Iron Sun and shield to kill the captain.

This demon was on par with a Butcher or a Beholder. But why? Communications indicated the Imperial Guard had already reached the defensive line between the outer city and the walls. No demon should have been able to slip through. How had this Summoner arrived?

A demon of this strength usually required a high-ranking formal knight to handle. As a knight who had only just crossed the threshold, Edward could only hope to delay and obstruct the Summoner; killing it was nearly impossible.

Burn, burn! The flames in the Summoner’s claws were thrown again, cast toward the fleeing crowd. Its cruel instincts drove its superior intellect to slaughter as many humans as possible.

The blood-red Corrosive Blood-Flame arched through the air toward the crowd. Once it touched human flesh—that perfect fuel—the rapidly spreading fire would reduce the victims and those around them to nothingness.

Boom! A flying cabinet blocked the path of the flame. Upon contact, the cabinet was instantly engulfed and vanished in mere moments.

But the cabinet, flying from below, carried the flames into the sky. After consuming the wood, the fire dissipated, having nothing else to touch.

Fire? The Demon Summoner tilted its head, looking toward where the cabinet had originated. Edward was dragging a second cabinet from a shattered shop; he had thrown the first one himself.

Die! Muscles tensed, and with a surge of rage, strength, and battle aura, Edward hurled the second cabinet with all his might. This time, however, the target was not the sky, but the Demon Summoner itself.

Guh? The Demon Summoner let out a strange cry. A crimson, sparking pentagram spell circle flashed on its claws, and a translucent wall of fire, looking like a sheet of crystal, rose from the ground.

Crash! The cabinet slammed into the fire wall. Despite being made of flame, the wall possessed the properties of a physical entity; the wooden cabinet shattered upon impact, bursting into a pile of splinters.

A human-like smile appeared on the Summoner’s grim face, mocking Edward’s futility. But while the splinters obscured the demon’s vision, Edward moved.

Holding his sword before his chest, he charged. As the splinters fell, Edward appeared directly in front of the Summoner’s wall of flame.

Aura flowed from his body into the blade. Technique: Piercing!

Edward thrust his sword with all his strength. As it touched the wall of fire, the aura within the blade acted as a cutting edge, violently clashing against the flames.

Screech. The sword’s destructive power against the wall was limited, but the collision between his piercing-specialized aura and the flame wall—fueled by Edward’s exceptional aura quality and reserves—succeeded in tearing a gap in the shield.

Using this fracture, the sword found its leverage. Driven by Edward’s muscles, a harsh, cracking sound rang out as the blade forced its way through, the tip plunging into the Summoner’s gaunt abdomen before it could react.

Die! An incoherent shriek erupted from the Summoner. A burst of flame exploded from its body, and Edward felt a massive impact, sending him flying backward.

Adjusting his posture in mid-air, he drove his sword into the brickwork, plowing a line through the ground before stabilizing himself.

He looked up. The spot where the Summoner had stood was empty. The demon, a gaping wound in its abdomen leaking green blood, had reappeared on the roof of a nearby house.

Flame Blink, Demon Summoning... Edward’s tone was grave. The Summoner’s spell-like abilities were truly troublesome. Though physically weak, once you failed to kill it in the first strike, finding another opportunity was nearly impossible.

Beside the spot where the Summoner had vanished, a creature resembling a bull-demon made of flaming ash was scraping the ground, preparing to charge. It was this beast that had knocked him back.

This was the Summoner’s unique ability: Ember Call—creating a lesser demonic servant. Unless the Summoner was killed, this creature would simply reform even if shattered.

But as long as I can hold it off, the evacuation should be nearly complete. Edward stared fixedly at the Summoner and the ash-bull, repeating his goal in his mind: not to kill, but to delay.

However, his expectations were shattered. Terrified screams rose from behind him, followed by the Summoner’s malicious laughter.

What is this!?

My leg, my leg is burned away, it hurts, ahhh!

Where did this fire wall come from? It was that demon! It’s over, it’s all over, we’re all going to die here!

The frantic cries from behind made Edward’s face turn deathly pale. What had happened?

He cast a quick glance behind him and his heart sank. In the direction of the evacuation, a wall of flame had risen, cutting off everyone’s retreat. Unlucky souls who couldn't stop in time were pushed by the crowd into the fire, instantly turning to charcoal.

Damn you... Rage burned in Edward’s heart. Looking at the Summoner’s mocking face, there was no doubt: this was its doing. Its cruel nature could not bear to see a group of insects it intended to slaughter escape.

But... The rage flickered, and a sense of defeat suddenly took hold. Anger was useless. He had already failed when he couldn't kill the Summoner at the start. With Edward’s strength, killing the Summoner was inherently difficult.

And now, with the sudden appearance of the fire wall, he couldn't even use the delay tactic to let the crowd escape. What now? A feeling of powerlessness spread, and the negative emotions refused to be washed away.

Fight! Everyone, we cannot let the gentleman from the Night’s Edge fight alone! Since we cannot escape, we might as well gather our courage and give it all we’ve got, meow!

The loud voice rang out, and Edward’s mind jolted. He looked back to see the cat-folk girl holding a wooden stick, waving it in a way that looked almost comical, yet her tone was filled with absolute resolve.

Don’t give up, meow! We are not cowards! She waved her hand—so thin, yet so brave...

Yes... yes!

But... we...

Count me in!

Most of the crowd still shrank back, but others responded. Most of the city guards, without hesitation, turned back, drew their swords, and aimed them toward the Demon Summoner.

Sigh... heh, I’m the one being ridiculous. Edward froze for a moment, nearly losing his vigilance against the Summoner and the ash-bull.

Isn't this exactly who I wanted to protect? They understand that one must never give up until the very last moment. And me? I was losing heart. How could I? It’s so ridiculous, so... cowardly...

Past memories flashed through his mind. He clenched his fists. Never again...

Edward looked toward the Summoner. The fire shield before the demon was now twice as thick as before. This was terrifying; his full-force attack had only breached half the thickness of the previous shield. Now, he might not even be able to scratch it.

If I use that? I could, but... can it really work? Heh, what reason is there to say it can't? Father once said: what matters is not the bloodline, but the "Lion’s Heart."

The hesitation and frustration within his heart had entirely ebbed away, leaving Edward with nothing but a cold, resolute iron will. He raised his exquisite longsword and drove it into a slot embedded in the lion-headed shield he had carried for so long; the moment the blade slid home, a violent surge of energy began to ripple outward.

The shield underwent a precise, mechanical metamorphosis, its armored plates detaching one by one to sheath the blade, lengthening and thickening the relatively slender sword until it served as little more than a core.

The remaining segments of the shield continued to shift and lock into place, reconfiguring until a massive, mechanical shield-axe—lacking a traditional keen edge yet possessing a profound, industrial beauty—rested in Edward’s grip.

The aura radiating from the weapon was not the magical resonance of an arcane artifact, but the raw, materialized pressure of pure, weaponized battle spirit.

Veins bulged violently across Edward’s arms, capillaries began to burst, and his bones groaned in protest; the excessive battle spirit coursing through his body had begun to rebel, and in truth, he had been rendered immobile the moment he grasped the axe, as the surging energy began to coat the heavy blade.

A terrifying sense of impending doom pressed tangibly upon the face of the demon summoner, who stared down the barrel of Edward’s aim; for the first time, a flicker of panic crossed its hideous features, and with a shrill, alien cry, the Ash Ox-Demon charged toward Edward.

"Cough, cough... as I thought, it’s still too much to handle. Did Father lie to me? No matter—if I can strike but once, then you shall accompany me into the abyss."

Edward locked his gaze on the summoner atop the roof, which attempted to flee, yet invisible chains of unknown origin bound it fast, forbidding any movement or flicker of hellfire.

"Come!" The Ash Ox-Demon was nearly upon him, and though Edward was paralyzed and his body stood on the brink of collapse from the sheer strain of the overflowing energy, he felt no fear, only a defiant roar.

As the beast lunged, the axe descended, its movement sluggish under the crushing weight of the power it held. Suddenly, a figure burst through the wall from the side, colliding with the demon in a brutal display of force that sent the beast careening away.

"Holy hell, I made it!" The distinct, coarse exclamation betrayed the newcomer’s identity.

A faint smile touched Edward’s lips before being replaced by grim resolve; the vibrating blade swung down, and a crescent of concentrated energy erupted from the edge, tearing, shattering, and annihilating everything that stood in its path.