The name Demon Mountain was known even in Wade’s memories, which Ye Chui had accessed. It was said to be a terrifying human demon, a figure from centuries ago who served as a subordinate to an imperial general. Known for his brutal and bloodthirsty nature, Demon Mountain led a vicious army under the general’s command, notorious for burning, killing, and plundering without restraint, striking fear into all who heard his name.
Not only was Demon Mountain exceedingly cruel, but he also possessed immense power. To further enhance his strength, he infused his body with the blood of ferocious magical beasts, a process that typically led to death by bodily explosion. Yet, Demon Mountain survived, though it transformed him into a half-human, half-beast monster, endowed with boundless strength and a mind consumed by savagery.
It was said that he once single-handedly slaughtered an entire city in one night. When people arrived the next day, they found the corpses of the city’s inhabitants piled into a gruesome mountain of bodies, with Demon Mountain calmly sitting atop it, eating his meal as if he were a devil. Thus, the name Demon Mountain was born.
Ultimately, it took the combined efforts of several cardinals from the Church and a group of powerful great swordsmen to bring him down.
He was truly a human demon, and after his death, his notorious deeds caused him to become a heroic spirit.
However, this heroic spirit was unique, its berserk nature so intense that no summoner had ever fully controlled him or formed a spirit contract with him. Several powerful summoners who summoned him were instead devoured and killed by his backlash. Yet, as a special kind of existence, heroic spirits could be summoned without a contract. Over countless years, people developed a unique summoning method: the summoning talisman.
In simple terms, it was a one-time summoning contract that could briefly call a heroic spirit into the mortal world and control it for a short period.
However, this summoning method had significant limitations. The talisman, crafted with immense effort, could only be used once, and with a volatile spirit like Demon Mountain, there was a chance it could go out of control. Since swordsmen, mages, and believers could all use the talisman, its value was exceptionally high.
A talisman capable of summoning Demon Mountain was worth tens of thousands of gold coins, even as a single-use item. Only someone like the Fourth Prince, a royal prince, could afford such a lavish trump card, reserved for life-or-death situations.
As he crushed the jade talisman, a wild aura began to emanate around the Fourth Prince. Blood-red mist surged from his body, signaling that the heroic spirit was using his magical energy to manifest a physical form. Ghostly wails and howls filled the air, and the heavens themselves seemed to shift.
This instantly drew everyone’s attention to the Fourth Prince. Cass, sensing danger, leapt forward, gripping his sword with both hands and striking downward to interrupt the summoning. But his body was hurled backward, crashing to the ground. When he looked up, a massive blade appeared above the Fourth Prince. Starting from the blade, a colossal figure rapidly began to take shape.
It was a giant, standing four to five metres tall. In this world, tall people were not unheard of, as remnants of the giant race’s bloodline existed, but even they rarely exceeded two and a half metres. A human like Demon Mountain, reaching such a height, was utterly terrifying.
His muscular body was blood-red, covered in menacing patterns. He had long white hair and a sharp horn protruding from his head. His face was rough, as if carved from stone, with blood-red eyes and a mouth full of fangs, resembling a fearsome magical beast more than a human.
In his hand, he wielded a massive blade, which to him was perhaps a standard-sized weapon but to ordinary people was an enormous greatsword.
“Roar!” The berserk heroic spirit let out a thunderous bellow.
At that moment, a loud crash rang out as a figure was sent flying and landed before Demon Mountain.
It was Mandel, the Blackwater Mage. His poison magic had proven ineffective against Guni. Distracted by Demon Mountain’s summoning, he was struck by Guni’s stone sword and sent crashing into the ground before the giant. Countless bones in his body were likely broken, but his resilient constitution allowed him to struggle to his feet. Lifting his head, he found himself face-to-face with Demon Mountain’s towering, rugged visage.
“Ha, Fourth Prince, this trump card of yours is incredible…” Mandel instinctively assumed Demon Mountain was an ally, his words tinged with a sense of confidence.
But in the next moment, Demon Mountain raised his giant blade and brought it down.
Boom!
The blade cleaved Mandel in two, carving a massive crater in the ground.
The scene shocked everyone. What the hell? This thing even kills its own allies?
Witnessing Demon Mountain’s savage power, the Fourth Prince’s face twisted with fear. It was his first time summoning this terrifying entity, but his expression turned ferocious as he let out a few dry laughs. “Everyone here will die! I’ve fully unleashed his mental restraints. Now, he possesses his most primal killing instincts. No living being in this place can escape his slaughter!”
With a hint of vengeful satisfaction, the Fourth Prince activated [Earth Escape], merging into the ground and swiftly fleeing from Demon Mountain toward the outskirts of the Holy Light Forest.
Guni, holding her stone sword in one hand and a half-eaten beast leg in the other, froze briefly as she saw Demon Mountain kill Mandel. She could sense the immense power of this terrifying monster. Yet, as the chosen warrior of the Holy Light Forest, her courage was unwavering. After a moment’s hesitation, she tossed aside the beast leg, let out a cry of “Oh no!” and leapt forward, gripping her sword with both hands to strike at the fearsome Demon Mountain.
“No, don’t fight him head-on!” Ye Chui shouted urgently, his fingers forming an orchid gesture in his panic, a lingering influence from Captain Jack.
Boom!
Demon Mountain casually swung his giant blade, clashing with Guni’s greatsword. In an instant, Guni’s body was sent flying backward, and her massive stone sword shattered into two pieces. When she landed, barely steady on her feet, she stared at the broken half of her sword in stunned disbelief.
Though her sword was carved from stone, it was harder than steel and impervious to ordinary blades. In battles, she had used it like a club to smash fierce beasts with devastating force. Yet now, it had been cleaved in two by Demon Mountain’s blade in an instant.
“Everyone, be careful!” Ye Chui activated [Wind Walk], swiftly moving to Guni’s side. He quickly pulled out a dragon bloodstone and tossed it to Debbie. Understanding his intent, Debbie threw the stone into the air. “Gilga, catch!”
Gilga leapt into the air, catching the dragon bloodstone like a dog snatching food (sorry, couldn’t think of a better comparison). The next moment, golden light shimmered around her. To face this fearsome demon, only the strongest technique would do.
Golden Sword Technique: [Golden Rain]
A torrent of golden sword energy rained down like a storm, bombarding Demon Mountain’s body.
Yet, this technique, usually devastating, proved utterly ineffective. Demon Mountain stood unmoving, letting the razor-sharp golden sword energy strike him. Like rain washing over him, the sword energy couldn’t inflict the slightest harm.
His body withstood the golden sword energy unscathed.
Ye Chui’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly opened the camera on his iPad grimoire to assess Demon Mountain’s strength through [Scan]. The result: 1002 points.
Over a thousand points.
The demon beast minions from earlier had only scored around 300 points. Though Ye Chui couldn’t scan the demon beast Lier, it was likely around this level. Against such a formidable opponent, the only card Ye Chui had left was Teacher Saitama. But having just summoned the One-Punch Heroic Spirit, he couldn’t summon again so soon. As for Dragon Treasure, it would likely be ineffective.
This was indeed a terrifying adversary.
“Roar!” Demon Mountain tilted his head back, roaring at Gilga, who was unleashing her sword technique in the air. The sound carried a ferocious, murderous aura.
Gilga let out a soft cry and fell from the sky, landing precisely among the weakened residents of the Holy Light Forest. The villagers, previously listless, sprang to their feet, catching Gilga in a panic. With Mandel dead, the poison magic affecting them had dissipated.
Demon Mountain’s aggro was still fixed on Gilga. His blood-red eyes locked onto the villagers as he strode toward them, swinging his giant blade. Clearly, he had no qualms about slaughtering them all.
Ye Chui launched an attack on Demon Mountain, unleashing [Full Firepower] and [Starfire Bombardment]. In terms of destructive power, these were comparable to Gilga’s golden sword energy. Yet, Demon Mountain didn’t even glance in his direction.
Guni, desperate to intervene, was held back by Debbie, Reisha, and Winsa with all their strength. She knew she was no match for Demon Mountain, especially now without a weapon. Glancing around, her eyes fell on the sacred stone sword at the village’s centre.
The stone casing of this revered sword was already cracked from the battle’s shockwaves, revealing glimpses of the golden blade within. Guni’s eyes lit up. Breaking free from Debbie and the others, she rushed toward the stone sword, intent on pulling it out.
At that moment, a figure stepped in front of Demon Mountain.
It was Godo, in his heroic spirit form.
“They are my descendants, and I won’t let you harm them!” Godo gripped his sword with both hands, staring coldly at Demon Mountain.
In that moment, he exuded the formidable aura of an ancestor. He had lingered in this world to protect his descendants, the guardian of the Holy Light Forest, its hero.
But, unfortunately, this was futile.
“Roar!” Demon Mountain bellowed, swinging his giant blade down, turning the ground where Godo stood into a massive crater.
“What the hell!” Ye Chui exclaimed. Godo hadn’t even slowed Demon Mountain’s advance.
The villagers of the Holy Light Forest were retreating in panic, but Godo’s desperate stand had left an impression. The elder, who had earlier berated the fat man, paused in shock. “He… could he truly be our ancestor?”
Following the elder’s words, the other villagers turned to look at the crater.
Demon Mountain stepped around the crater, continuing toward the villagers.
But suddenly, he stopped and turned to look at the pit.
In the crater, Godo’s body was slowly rising. As a heroic spirit, he had formed a body using Debbie’s magical energy, a form similar yet distinct from a physical body. Demon Mountain’s attack had nearly destroyed him, leaving his form tattered. But now, his body was rapidly regenerating, and a powerful aura began to emanate from him.
“Roar!” Demon Mountain swung his giant blade again, aiming for Godo.
This time, however, Godo didn’t become a crater. With a dull clang, his sword blocked Demon Mountain’s blade. The ground beneath his feet sank a few centimetres, cracking under the pressure, but he stood unharmed.
Ye Chui’s eyes brightened, and he turned to Debbie.
Debbie understood. “The villagers of the Holy Light Forest have acknowledged Fatty’s identity. He’s now officially the guardian spirit of the Holy Light Forest. His power has returned!”
Half-step Sword Saint.
Buzz!
Godo deflected Demon Mountain’s blade and aimed his sword at the fearsome giant.
“I am Godo, ancestor of the Holy Light Forest. I won’t let you harm anyone here!”
