Guys, I want to thank you guys so much for all the powerstones you've given me, but now it's time to up the level and start giving me money.
Just joking!
Either way, I'm really grateful for all the reviews (finally getting a rating) and the powerstones. Thank you so much and I HOPE you continue to enjoy it.
For all the stones, I give you guys an extra long chapter.
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"The people with me?" Bernard replied, his tone calm but his eyes shifting slightly.
I smirked and stepped a little closer, keeping my voice light. "Who are these people?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Just some old pals I met back when I was a priest in Strahl. Some of them settled here to get away from the constant noise of the royal capital, you know how it is."
"Right," I said, still smiling. "Old pals."
That didn't explain the mana radiating from them. The large amounts of mana radiating from them couldn't just be a coincidence of 'old pals'. Bernard had said he was an adventurer but all of these people were said to have come from the Holy City Strahl.
"Oh? I see," I said casually, pulling up a chair. "So, you don't mind if I join you?"
Before he could answer, I sat down. His left eye twitched slightly, but his voice stayed level. "Sure, go on ahead."
One of the men at the table laughed. "Aye, Bernard! So this is the guy who's supposed to be protecting you?" He pointed at me, smirking.
"You would be correct!" I said proudly. "I am the one and only!"
The man snorted, crossing his arms.
I leaned closer, grinning. "And you must be the guy who's supposed to be friends with a priest. You got a mouth bigger than your age ."
The entire table burst into laughter. Even Bernard chuckled, shaking his head.
"He got you there," one of them said between laughs.
"Guess I did," I said, leaning back in my chair. "So, what were you guys talking about before I joined this lovely gathering?"
One of the men scoffed. "Rookie adventurers. Kids who think they're the next Hero Himmel after killing one boar."
"They get one lucky hit on a weak monster and suddenly act like they're invincible," another added.
Bernard nodded, his tone becoming a little more serious. "It's true. Ever since Hero Himmel died, the mortality rate of adventurers has skyrocketed. No one wants to admit it, but the age of heroes is over."
"What's the point anyway?" I said. "Didn't the Demon King die? Why are they still trying to play heroes?"
One of the men shrugged. "Demons still exist. That's reason enough for some."
I rested my chin on my hand. "I've heard rumors that demons are trying to coexist with humans. Some are even settling down in neutral territories. What do you think about that, Bernard?"
Bernard's smile faded just a little. "If I had to guess, I'd say they're grooming the weak and vulnerable. Waiting for the right time to strike again."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. "A mage once told me, 'Demons are no different from monsters. The only difference is that they know how to speak.'"
For a brief moment, our eyes met. His expression was calm and polite, but the weight behind his words wasn't lost on me.
I chuckled lightly, but inside I could feel it.
He knows I'm watching him.
"Alright then, gentlemen. Have a good chat. I'm off," I called, skipping back toward the inn.
It had been a while since I had a good fight. Everything pointed to Bernard being a demon. His reactions when they mentioned Hero or Himmel were too sharp. His brows tightened at the word demon. His mana output was irregular and off in a way only someone hiding would show.
Lucky for me, he paid in advance. If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have missed it. The evidence stacked up. I was about ninety-nine percent sure he was a demon.
When he talked about the merchant, his smile did not look like one of fond memories. It was practiced.
"This guy has been planning something for a long time," I muttered to myself.
I cracked my neck and walked into the room where Julian slept. "Wake up. It's demon time," I said, nudging him.
He groaned and mumbled, "What did you say?"
"We're going to teach a lesson," I said. "Time to show you how to take down a clever demon."
He blinked, slowly sitting up. "Now?"
"Now," I answered. "We'll move fast. We already have the advantage."
Julian looked around, rubbing his eyes. "It's not even morning…" he groaned.
"Up on your feet. We've got a demon to purge," I repeated, clapping my hands together.
He sighed, slid on his shoes, and stretched. "Where?"
I explained everything that had happened with Bernard, the strange mana fluctuations, his odd reactions, the inconsistencies in his story. Julian didn't look convinced. I didn't blame him; the signs were subtle. Unless you had my eyes, you wouldn't have noticed.
"But he's a priest," Julian said. "Shouldn't he know how to handle things like that?"
I frowned and crossed my arms. "Exactly. That's what makes it suspicious. Maybe it's trauma, sure, but his reactions to certain words like 'Himmel' or 'Hero' weren't normal. And he said he was traveling to every single town around the Holy City. That's way too suspicious for someone just visiting family."
Julian hesitated, still skeptical. I pointed to his bandaged arms. "And here's another thing. He's an ex-priest. If he really was who he said he was, why didn't he heal your wounds when he saw them?"
Julian's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "I get what you're trying to say, but this isn't solid proof, Gojo. We're still just guessing."
"That's where you come in," I said, grinning. "We'll force him to show his hand. I need your help to trigger a reaction, to put him under battle pressure."
Julian nodded reluctantly. "So, what's the plan?"
"I'm more convinced that a demon's controlling him rather than him actually being one," I said. "But either way, we'll find out soon. Just follow my lead."
We walked out of the inn and made our way back to where Bernard was. He was still chatting with the same group of people as before.
"Hey, Bernard," I called out, waving. "Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to know where we're headed next."
Bernard looked up with his usual easy smile. "So eager to move on already? If I had to say, we'll probably–"
Before he could finish, Julian fired a fireball straight at him. The people around screamed in shock, but Bernard reacted instantly, raising a barrier of pure mana in front of himself.
My grin widened. "There it is," I said, pulling off my blindfold. "Now I see it clearly. That's why his magic felt unstable. There are two separate sources of mana inside him, some parts are even starting to merge."
Gasps came from the group behind him, but I raised a hand. "Quiet. This isn't the same Bernard you know. A demon has fused with him, partially or fully, I'm not sure yet."
Bernard's smile vanished, his expression twisting into something darker. I tilted my head and smirked.
"Or maybe," I said, "he was never Bernard to begin with. Either way, this just got interesting."
"I knew you had caught on, but so quickly?" Bernard said, brushing the dust and grime from his robes. His tone was calm, but his eyes gleamed with something far less human.
He smiled at me, a wide, cruel grin. "You know, I was planning on defeating you later. But I guess you're eager for an early grave!"
He lunged toward me, his movements almost too fast to track. But as his hand reached me, it slowed to a crawl, stopped by Infinity.
"I'm still surprised you took such a harsh decision," Bernard said, forcing his arm forward, straining against the invisible barrier. "What if you were wrong?"
"I'm never wrong," I said flatly. I grabbed his wrist, twisted his body, and slammed a punch into his gut before kicking him hard. The impact sent him flying into a clearing beyond the trees.
"Julian, stay here," I ordered, but when I glanced back, he looked furious.
"You know what come along," I muttered, grabbing his shoulder and teleporting us both near Bernard.
The clearing was serene, bathed in the faint glow of moonlight, but I could already feel the mana distortion tearing it apart.
"I'd really hate to ruin such a beautiful place," I said mockingly. "But hey, thanks for bringing me here."
Bernard spat blood, glaring at me. "I really want my money back," he hissed, clutching his jaw where my punch had landed.
"Sorry," I said with a smirk. "No refunds."
"BERNARD!!!" Julian shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. I turned just in time to see him chant, mana swirling violently around him.
A massive fireball formed in his palms, the heat from it was enough to make me sweat. He hurled it at Bernard with everything he had. Bernard managed to dodge at the last second, the explosion scorching the ground behind him.
"Not bad," Bernard said, smirking. "Maybe in another hundred years, you'll actually hit me."
"Not yet," I said quietly, raising my hand. With a flick of my ring finger, I manipulated the mana around the fireball remnants, redirecting them mid-air. The inferno twisted and slammed into Bernard's back before he could react.
He screamed, his robes catching fire. When the flames died down, the symbol on his chest revealed an upside-down cross, glowing faintly red, most likely what was controlling him.
"Julian, calm down," I said sharply. "Let me handle this like I've been doing."
Bernard stumbled, coughing heavily. "Not bad… but you still haven't explained how you figured me out," he rasped.
"I absorbed the human's memories," he continued, rage flaring in his eyes. "I felt their emotions. I lived their life. Everything was perfect down to the smallest detail! You shouldn't have been able to tell!"
I stepped closer, my expression cold. "Everything about you was too perfect," I said. "That's what gave you away. Real people make mistakes."
Bernard snarled, his form beginning to distort, veins of dark energy crawling across his skin. "Fine. Don't answer, then!" he growled.
He raised his hands and began to chant rapidly. The sky above darkened, and the air grew heavy, thick with pressure.
"Black Lightning!" he roared, sending a surge of crackling energy toward me.
I raised my hand and dispersed it effortlessly, the lightning fading into harmless sparks.
"This could get messy," I sighed.
I drew in a deep breath, feeling the flow of cursed energy building inside me. Then I chanted.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
(A/N: Slight tweak, users without cursed energy can see the curtain if they are inside it)
A surge of cursed energy erupted from beneath the ground, forming a massive black wall that stretched high into the sky, enclosing the clearing in an otherworldly dome. The air grew thick, humming with power.
"Gojo, what's that?" Julian asked, pointing up at the shimmering barrier of shadows surrounding us. His eyes were wide with awe and a hint of fear.
"Oh, you can see it?" I turned slightly, surprised.
"Yes," he replied, his voice quiet but steady.
I smirked. "Think of it like a curtain, a barrier that keeps people from seeing what's about to happen. Wouldn't want anyone judging me while I exorcise this demon."
"Done talking?" the demon snarled, its voice a blend of Bernard's tone and something monstrous underneath. Its body contorted, muscles bulging unnaturally as it launched itself toward me.
I sighed and rolled my shoulders. "Guess I'll have to show off a little. My student's watching, after all."
Before the demon could reach me, I stepped forward in a blur, grabbing its head mid-charge. With a twist of my wrist, I slammed it straight into the pavement. The ground cracked beneath the force.
"Let's take this up a notch," I muttered. I kicked the demon upward, then followed with a brutal punch to its gut that sent it spiraling through the air. As it gasped for breath, I appeared above it and drove my heel into its chest, sending it crashing back into the ground, shattering the earth beneath.
Julian watched with his mouth wide open, frozen in disbelief.
"I know what you're thinking, Julian," I said casually, landing beside the crater. The demon groaned, barely conscious. I delivered another clean punch to its jaw, launching it sideways.
"But what are the chances?" I said with a grin. "Let's have a little fun."
I raised my hand, channeling cursed energy until a faint blue glow enveloped it. "[Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue]"
A gravitational pull formed instantly, dragging the demon toward me at terrifying speed. As it flew helplessly through the air, I met it halfway with a devastating punch that cracked its ribs.
"But I'll give you the honor of finishing it off," I said, stepping aside.
"You're taking this like it's a game!" the demon roared, struggling to stand. Its body flickered between human and demonic form.
"Black Lightning!" it screamed, unleashing another surge of cursed energy.
"That same old trick? Really?" I said with a sigh. I flicked my wrist, dispersing the attack effortlessly. The lightning vanished into harmless sparks around me.
The demon stared at me in disbelief, trembling.
I looked down at it with a calm smile. "If you're going to call yourself a demon, at least try to make it interesting."
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