Bloody War God Rivalei

Upon learning that demons were heading toward that abandoned mine, Frieren's expression turned solemn.

She performed [Mana Detection] once more, yet still found nothing.

This couldn't help but stir a very unsettling suspicion within her.

Demons were inherently arrogant and never stingy about displaying their power; they would never restrain their own mana. On the contrary, much like a peacock fanning its tail, they desperately wanted everyone to see just how formidable their mana was.

So, for what reason would that demon, whose mana she could not detect, choose to conceal it?

And to conceal it so skillfully, at that.

The motive behind this was certainly not simple...

"Can you confirm the number of enemies?" Frieren asked.

Shane shook his head.

When he had just used [Mirror Image] on the Demon Wolf, he could only rely on his keen sense of smell to detect the "stench of a demon." As for how many individuals there were, he couldn't tell. "It's hard not to suspect that they are also looking for the Dwarf Steel Ruins, given that they've appeared here."

"Mm, that is highly likely," Frieren agreed.

The two did not delay any further and immediately rushed toward the eastern mine.

Regardless of who the opponents were, the dwarven ruins must never be allowed to fall into the hands of demons.

On their way, they continuously spotted sporadic bloodstains scattered across the woods; the two didn't even need [Tracking Magic] to find the correct path.

In Shane's mind, he couldn't stop picturing the scene of a demon "eating" as it walked.

It made him feel deeply nauseated.

Frieren noticed that Shane's face had turned somewhat pale.

This was Shane's first time facing the reality of demons devouring humans, so it was understandable that he felt unsettled. However, the fact that he hadn't vomited showed a psychological resilience that already surpassed most adventurers. There was no solution for such things; one could only overcome them through sheer willpower.

The direction the demons were advancing in was exactly the same as the one they had deciphered from the encoded text.

The further they pursued, the more alarmed they became.

Unknowingly, the surrounding scenery gradually began to change. The lush green vegetation grew sparse, replaced by black rocks, and the ground became rugged and uneven.

They arrived at a hill covered in black stones.

This hill was not particularly high, its surface exposed with large amounts of weathered ore, surrounded by remnants of wooden scaffolding and discarded refuse.

The entire hill was deathly silent, without even a whisper of wind, appearing exceptionally eerie.

Frieren activated [Mana Detection] again, but still, she found nothing.

Shane grew anxious. Could they have already entered the ruins?

The two walked along the hill step by step, carefully examining every rock and every crevice, hoping to find the entrance to the ruins or any related traces.

Regrettably, they searched everywhere but found no cave entrances, stone doors, or even abandoned mine shafts; it was as if this were just an ordinary open-pit mine.

Shane's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. Something was wrong—truly wrong.

The encoded text couldn't be mistaken; this was the "Blackstone Mountain" mentioned by the dwarves.

But where were the ruins?

"Perhaps they have been hidden?"

"That is quite common among ancient ruins from before the Unified Empire."

"Some powerful mages would conceal an entire ruin, requiring latecomers to use a specific activation method to make it manifest."

Listening to Frieren's analysis, Shane pondered silently. A specific method... An impractical thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Could it be that a dwarven Champion is required to split the mountain open themselves?

Just then.

A whistling wind rushed toward them.

The corner of Shane's eye caught a flash of sharp silver light.

But it was too fast.

His brain couldn't react in time at all.

The sharp silver light, carrying a bone-chilling cold, slashed straight toward his head.

"Shane!"

Clang.

A teeth-gritting sound of impact rang out.

Shane felt as if his head were splitting open. He stumbled back a few steps, barely managing to steady himself, as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Abruptly, a tall figure appeared before him.

The figure was large and burly, with a pair of sharp, long horns growing from his head. His hair was disheveled, and he was grinning with a wild, excited expression. In his hand, he gripped a dwarven battle-axe—the very weapon that had just struck Shane's head.

"The last time someone took a hit from me was decades ago. How nostalgic."

Shane struggled to suppress the excruciating pain in his head, staring at the arrogant and crazed figure before him, as the opponent's name slowly surfaced in his mind.

The name sent a shiver down his spine.

The Bloody War God, Rivalei.

A demon general, and the strongest warrior among the demon race.

He had once crossed blades with Ize, the warrior of the Hero's party, and his combat prowess was on par with Ize's.

If he recalled the original story correctly, this was the one who slaughtered the Warrior Village, leaving a young Stark an orphan.

Why would this guy appear here?

Shane had no time left to ponder...

[Iron Head (White Trait)]: Significantly increases the physical defense of the head.

Thanks to this trait he had stripped from a dwarf's helmet, he had managed to block Rivalei's sneak attack in this extreme situation.

He didn't know if his [Strong Luck] was at work, but regardless, he had managed to save his own life.

Frieren rushed to Shane's side, treating the situation as a grave threat.

She hadn't even been able to react to Rivalei's ambush; from the moment she sensed his presence to the moment she saw Shane being attacked, only a fleeting instant had passed.

Her entire body was taut.

The pressure radiating from such a top-tier warrior made her deeply feel the threat to her life.

She couldn't just sit and wait for death!

"Shane, be careful. The opponent is very strong."

Hearing Frieren's words, Rivalei burst into laughter, baring a mouthful of teeth, seemingly in a very good mood.

"I am the Great Demon Rivalei, a warrior, and indeed, I am very strong."

"According to your human rankings, I suppose I would be called a [General], but I couldn't care less about such boring titles."

"A warrior should define himself through victory."

"Kid, you're not bad. State your name; after you die, I will make sure to remember it."

Shane didn't rush to reply. Or rather, he wasn't listening to Rivalei's prattle at all; his brain was racing at top speed.

Frieren was a mage; as long as she wasn't engaged in close quarters by Rivalei, escaping shouldn't be a problem.

His [Numerical Mirror] was already on cooldown and wouldn't be available for a while.

Damn it, he regretted using it so rashly just now.

The passive effect of [Iron Head] should still be active, but even if he could withstand the axe and avoid being killed, the pain alone would be unbearable.

Aside from that, what other means of survival did he have...

What to do?

Think, hurry up and think!

Fight?

Or flee?