The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 90

Woong.

Raul stepped into a new location, causing a faint ripple in the air as he passed through the barrier stone. However, no one would see him. He was invisible, thanks to the 5th circle magic [Invisibility].

Philip and Pierce, likewise rendered invisible, hurriedly moved behind a cover they had scouted earlier.

Kwang! Rumble.

What Raul saw was no illusion. A monumental confrontation was unfolding across a vast square, in front of a pyramid-shaped structure.

Caldenas versus Phoemus.

The battle between the guardian and the demon noble was a stark display of intense and destructive power, seemingly capable of shattering the very space itself.

“My goodness.”

“Monsters, indeed.”

The usually reticent knights couldn’t tear their eyes away from the battle scene, emitting short sighs of overwhelm.

After surveying the battlefield for a moment, Philip sighed and said, “Master, you’re not thinking of stepping into that fray, are you? No matter how special the divine power you possess, you must refrain this time.”

“Don’t worry, Philip. I have no intention of pushing myself too hard.”

Rushing in there, after witnessing the grim end of a high-level knight, would be akin to suicide, not just foolishness.

“Is the monster on the opposite side leaking black magic the demon. I’ve only heard about in tales? If so, who could that incredible swordsman confronting the demon be? Beyond the kingdom’s three masters, I never imagined such a powerful individual existed.”

The known masters in the Ruben Kingdom were three: The heads of the Duke Templeton’s Household, Marquis McNeil Household, and Randal Count’s family.

Yet, the one standing against the demon was entirely different from those three.

“I’m not sure who he is, but it’s clear he’s on our side. We must help him.”

Raul had already thought of a method by the time he was observing from outside the barrier.

Having conveyed his planned strategy to the two knights, Raul took a deep breath and loaded a large arrow onto his bow.

His target was the two summoning magic circles in the middle of the stairs, pouring out monsters.

He was confident that stopping the monsters alone would give the guardian Caldenas the upper hand.

‘Just one shot.’

Given the current situation, it was safe to say Raul had only one opportunity to shoot his bow.

What Phoemus, the demon noble, or the monsters would do afterward was unpredictable.

‘I must put everything into this one shot.’

Raul activated the Regnator. Golden armor enveloped his right arm, lending Raul strength. But that wasn’t the end. Sensing the black magic filling the space, the Regnator was unsealed.

‘20 seconds remaining.’

Although the awakening time had doubled with a rise in rank, it was by no means a comfortable buffer. Raul immediately activated his Radiant Aura, while preparing his [Charging Shot].

The powerful mana coursing through his body was enhanced through the Regnator, being sucked into the arrow.

Filled with divine mana, the arrow was dyed in a golden light, and as the mana became more concentrated, its brilliance grew more intense. Naturally, the demon viscount, Phoemus, and Caldenas noticed the presence of Raul and his arrow.

“You wretch!”

Phoemus frowned at the holy aura felt even from afar and redirected his attack towards Raul. From his hand, a clump of black smoke in the shape of a demon spewed forth with a menacing force towards Raul, while the monsters summoned from the magic circle also charged at Raul’s party.

But Caldenas was not one to stand by and watch.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

As if he had teleported, Caldenas threw himself between Phoemus and Raul, swinging his sword with incredible speed to block Phoemus’s attack and fend off the approaching monsters.

Swoosh, slash!

The crescent-shaped blade energy flying from his sword cut through dozens of monsters, halving them, while the black smoke launched by Phoemus was sliced through by Caldenas’s blade, dispersing into the air. Still, not all monsters were stopped. The ones that survived had already reached near Raul.

“Not happening!”

“Back to hell!”

Bang.

Philip, wielding his kite shield and morningstar, blocked the approaching monsters, while Pierce’s rapid-fire arrows targeted their vitals.

And Raul’s arrow, layered upon itself with divine power, shone gold, threatening even Phoemus.

“Rabel, I need support.”

“Leave it to me!”

At Raul’s softly whispered request, Rabel imbued the arrow with buff magic that amplified its penetration and destructive power, and with preparations complete, Raul, with golden eyes shining, fired the arrow towards the target.

Thump, whoosh!

Passing through the channel of psychokinesis and further amplified, Raul’s arrow, trailing a golden light, flew swiftly and plunged into its target precisely.

The arrow hit slightly below the summoning magic circle, on the middle of the staircase.

The black magical barrier and protective spells that guarded the magic circle tried to block the arrow, but the arrow, spinning at insane speeds, easily shattered the barrier.

Finally, it pierced through the core of the magic circle ingeniously hidden within, exploding with a tremendous roar.

Kaboom!

ebris flew in all directions, and one of the magic circles that had been continuously spewing out monsters was completely silenced.

“Ugh.”

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Raul felt an intense sensation of weakness as his strength drained, but he quickly turned and ran towards the exit.

“Retreat!”

As Philip and Pierce combated the onslaught of monsters, they kept the enemies at bay while slowly stepping back. Only after Raul made his escape from the barrier did they shove the monsters aside and fled the encasement themselves.

Squeak. Whoosh.

A few demon-type monsters followed them out of the barrier stone, but were promptly dealt with by Philip and Pierce, who were ready for them.

Glug, glug.

After gulping down a health potion and a mana potion, Raul, having barely recovered, looked towards the barrier stone with a regretful gaze.

‘If only I were a bit stronger…’

He wouldn’t have had to retreat like this. He would have targeted the actual Phoemus instead of just the summoning magic circle.

Regrettable as it was, this had been the best course of action for now. Raul hoped that the single arrow he had shot would prove to be of some help, defending in front of the barrier stone.

* * *

‘Damn it…’

Phoemus swallowed his shock.

When three humans had entered the barrier, he hadn’t thought much of it. After all, unless they were Master-class knights, they posed no threat.

However, he felt a hint of threat when one of them prepared an arrow infused with holy power, and had to focus all his nerves to dodge the arrow when it was fired.

‘Targeting not me, but the magic circle…’

It was completely unexpected. The core of the magic circle was hidden so cunningly that even the monstrous Caldenas couldn’t find it.

Phoemus couldn’t fathom how that human found the core of the magic circle. But, that wasn’t the problem.

Because of that, the monster reinforcements meant to hinder Caldenas’ movements had halved, posing a serious threat. Sure enough, it hadn’t been 10 minutes before he found himself cornered.

Monsters summoned from the magic circle were being sliced through by the sword qi blasts dealt from afar by Caldenas, and soon enough, the creature had closed the distance right up to him.

‘Damn. This is as far as I go.’

In his imperfect physical condition, he had no chance against his foe. If this were the demon world, the outcome might have been different.

“Kekeke. Still, it is my victory, Guardian. Soon, everything you sought to protect will fall under the great Demon Lord’s hand….”

Squeak. Boom!

Phoemus’ head fell, and his body dispersed like smoke.

[The age of humans will come to an end…]

Phoemus’ last words echoed in the air as black smoke was sucked into the gate, causing the dark gate to lose its light.

Guardian Caldenas bit his lip hard. He had beheaded Phoemus, but as long as it wasn’t his true body, Phoemus would come back to life. On the contrary…

It wasn’t over yet. Caldenas kicked off the air, heading towards the altar at the top of the pyramid.

Vroom.

‘Am I too late?’

The dark energy that had been flowing from the black barrier surrounding the altar was already sufficiently infused into the dark gate.

Shrouded in lost light, the dark gate, surrounded by dozens of red magic circles created out of thin air, began to spin before tearing through space and disappearing somewhere.

Now that the dark gate, which connected to the demon world, was unsealed, it could appear anywhere provided certain conditions were met.

‘Whether that’ll be a year or a hundred years from now, no one can tell…’

The seal that had been protected for over a thousand years was finally broken.

‘It feels so futile.’

He had not imagined that the seal could be kept forever, but he had not expected it to break today.

And as the seal broke, so too did the binding magic contract that had restrained him and extended his life vanish.

It won’t be long now, perhaps not even an hour, before he falls into eternal slumber, already feeling the uncomfortable sensation of his mana dispersing little by little.

‘Even in leaving, I should finish cleaning up.’

He could sense the presence of those worthless beings bustling inside the black barrier. Had there been a slight delay, they would have easily escaped, but with the help of a young knight, the gate was closed sooner than expected.

Whuum.

A brilliant sword aura burst forth from his blade, striking the barrier. Kraaang! Of course, the barrier did not break with a single hit.

However, Caldenas kept swinging his sword with an impassive face. Through the fading barrier, he could see the panicked trash summoning a spatial magic circle, sweating coldly. Caldenas’s sword moved even faster.

* * *

‘Is it over?’

The tremors shaking the temple ceased suddenly. The blue haze that fluttered in the middle of the barrier stone calmed down, restoring tranquility.

“I’ll go in first.”

Pierce, having reduced his presence with a stealth skill, carefully entered the barrier stone. After a moment, Pierce reappeared, signaling that the battle was over.

Raul nodded and entered the barrier with two knights. Instead of the dark magic and mana that filled it earlier, a void now hung in the barrier’s interior.

Without the monsters’ corpses, the place would have felt like a dream, with no signs of the fierce battle that had happened, if not for the scattered devastation and collapsed ruins.

The only one left inside the empty barrier was the guardian Caldenas, sitting powerless in front of the altar at the top of the pyramid with his sword stabbed into the ground.

As Raul and the knights slowly ascended the stairs towards him, Caldenas opened his mouth with an expressionless face.

“Welcome, young knight of the Ashton family.” (To be continued)