Bloody War God · Rivalei

When Frieren learned that a demon was heading for the abandoned mine, her expression grew serious.

She used Mana Detection again, but still found nothing.

A very unsettling suspicion crept into her mind.

Demons had always been arrogant, never hesitating to show off their strength. They would never suppress their mana. On the contrary, like peacocks spreading their tails, they wished everyone could see just how powerful their mana was.

Then why was the demon she couldn't detect hiding its mana?

And doing so with such skill.

There had to be more to this than met the eye...

"Can you tell how many of them there are?" Frieren asked.

Shane shook his head.

When he had just used Mirror Image on the Demon Wolf, all he could do was catch a whiff of the "stench of demons" with his keen sense of smell. He couldn't tell how many there were. "It's hard not to wonder if they're looking for the Dwarf Steel Ruins too, since they're here."

"Mm, that's very possible," Frieren agreed.

Neither of them wasted any time. They immediately headed for the eastern mine.

Whoever the other party was, they couldn't let the ruins fall into demon hands.

As they hurried along, they kept spotting scattered bloodstains among the trees. They could follow the trail without even needing Tracking Magic.

Shane couldn't stop imagining a demon walking along and "eating."

The thought made him feel sick.

Frieren noticed that Shane had gone pale.

This was Shane's first time witnessing a demon eating a person firsthand. It must have been hard on him. Yet he hadn't thrown up. That kind of mental fortitude already put him ahead of most adventurers. There was nothing she could do to help him through something like this; he would have to overcome it with sheer willpower.

The demon's direction matched exactly the one they had deciphered from the coded message.

The farther they followed, the more uneasy they became.

Before they knew it, the scenery around them had gradually changed. The lush green plants grew sparser and sparser, replaced by black rocks, while the ground became increasingly uneven.

They had reached a hill covered in black stones.

The hill wasn't very tall. Large amounts of weathered ore were exposed on its surface, and abandoned wooden structures and discarded rubbish lay nearby.

The entire hill was utterly silent. Not even a breeze stirred, making the place feel especially eerie.

Frieren used Mana Detection again, but still found nothing.

Shane began to grow anxious. Had they already entered the ruins?

The two of them walked slowly up the hill, carefully examining every rock and crevice, hoping to find the entrance to the ruins or any sign of them.

Unfortunately, they searched everywhere and found no entrance, no stone door, not even an abandoned mine shaft. It looked just like an ordinary open-pit mine.

Shane's frown deepened. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.

The coded message couldn't be mistaken. This was the "Blackstone Mountain" the dwarves had mentioned.

But where were the ruins?

"Maybe they've been hidden?"

"That was fairly common with ancient ruins from before the Unified Empire."

"Powerful mages sometimes hid entire ruins. Anyone who came later had to use some special method to make them appear."

As Shane listened to Frieren's analysis, he silently pondered the idea of a special method... Suddenly, an absurd thought popped into his head.

Could they have to get a dwarf warrior to split the mountain open?

Just then,

a howling gust of wind rushed toward them.

Out of the corner of Shane's eye, he caught a flash of sharp silver light.

But it was too fast.

His brain couldn't react in time.

The gleaming silver blade, cold and deadly, chopped straight toward his head.

"Shane!"

Clang!

A jarring, teeth-rattling impact rang out.

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

A towering figure suddenly appeared before him.

He was tall and powerfully built, with a pair of sharp, long horns on his head. His hair hung loose, and he grinned broadly, his face alight with excitement. In his hand was a dwarf battle axe—the weapon that had just struck Shane's head.

"The last time someone blocked my attack was decades ago. What a nostalgic feeling."

Fighting through the pain in his head, Shane looked at the arrogant, crazed figure before him. The name slowly surfaced in his mind.

The name sent a chill down his spine.

Bloody War God, Rivalei.

A demon general—and the strongest warrior among the demons.

He had once fought Eisen, the warrior in the Hero's Party, and their combat abilities had been evenly matched.

As far as Shane remembered, in the original story, Rivalei had also massacred Stark's Warrior Village, leaving Stark an orphan as a child.

Why was this guy here?

Shane had no time to think about it...

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

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

He didn't know whether his Strong Luck was at work. Either way, he had escaped with his life.

Frieren rushed to Shane's side, braced for battle.

She hadn't even been able to react to Rivalei's sneak attack. From the moment she sensed his presence to the moment she saw Shane get hit, only an instant had passed.

Her entire body tensed.

The pressure of a top-tier warrior made her keenly aware that her life was in danger.

She couldn't just sit there and wait to die!

"Shane, be careful. He's strong."

Hearing Frieren's warning, Rivalei burst into laughter, baring all his teeth. He seemed to be in an excellent mood.

"I'm Rivalei, a Great Demon and a warrior. I'm indeed strong."

"By your human ranking system, I'd probably be called a 'general,' but I couldn't care less about that boring title."

"A warrior should be known by his victories."

"You're impressive, kid. Tell me your name. Once you're dead, I'll make sure to remember it."

Shane didn't hurry to answer. In fact, he hadn't been listening to Rivalei's rambling at all. His mind was racing.

Frieren was a mage. As long as Rivalei didn't get close to her, she should be able to escape.

His Numerical Mirror was already on cooldown. He couldn't use it again for a while.

Damn it. He regretted using it so carelessly just now.

The passive effect of Iron Head should still be active. But even if it could withstand an axe, he might not get killed by the blow—he'd still die from the pain.

What else did he have that could save his life...

What should he do?

Think! What should he do?

Fight?

Or run?