Chapter 84: The Sacrifice

Chapter 84

The Sacrifice

“Grrrr!!”

The demonic beast’s roar echoed, as if trying to intimidate its enemies from daring to fight it. Although this wolf was in a frenzied state, it wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the vast difference in level between itself and its opponents.

Its four feet moved slowly, refusing to charge in immediately, as if it was searching for the right prey.

The man chosen to kill the demonic beast stepped forward fearlessly, weapon in hand. It would be better if he could end this fight quickly without involving anyone else. If others got injured, they might be poisoned and need additional medical treatment. Since he was the one chosen to slay the beast, he should be the only one to face the danger.

The sense of sacrifice in the Setter family wasn’t just for show; it ran in their blood. The large man stood firm, holding a sword and shield, reminiscent of Aman’s combat style. Even though his shield work wasn’t as skilled as Aman’s since it wasn’t his primary weapon, fighting a demonic beast required full defense to avoid being poisoned. It wasn’t surprising that anyone knowing they’d face a demonic beast would take up a shield.

Clang, clang!!

"Your opponent is here. Come! This fight will be one-on-one only," the large man roared bravely, successfully drawing the demonic beast’s attention.

The Setter family launched a signal flare into the sky to inform the other 3 families that they had encountered and were fighting a demonic beast. Meanwhile, the other families had also located their respective demonic beasts but feared betrayal and being left to face the danger alone. Thus, they remained hidden, refraining from attacking for the moment.

However, the Setter family had already demonstrated their courage. There was no need to wait for others to act first. The Setter family sent the signal as soon as they found the demonic beast and immediately engaged in combat. This signal was identical to the ones used by the other families, who then quickly issued orders.

"We should deal with them quickly!"

"There are 3 demonic beasts ahead! Who knows how many there really are!"

"Who will sacrifice themselves? The Fernal family needs 3 representatives to kill the demonic beasts. Of course, I will reward those individuals generously, and their families will be taken care of afterward," the Fernal family head announced his proposal immediately.

With 3 demonic beasts before them, it meant 3 family members needed to sacrifice themselves! If it were just 1 person, it wouldn’t be so difficult, but with 3, it was a different story.

Many looked at each other, and while the first brave volunteer stepped forward, the other 2 hesitated.

"My lord, why not let him handle all 3 beasts, just like the Setter family head decided last time? He chose to kill 2 demonic beasts by himself."

"That’s right. If one person does the kill, we won’t suffer as many losses," several members of the Fernal family voiced their opinions. The initially self-sacrificing man began to feel uneasy.

He turned to speak to the family head with displeasure.

“If I kill just 1 demonic beast, there’s a chance I might survive. If I can overcome the demonic toxin in my subconscious, I’ll have a chance to stay with my family forever. Sacrificing myself to kill 1 demonic beast is already enough. By asking me to kill all 3, aren’t you just sending me to my death?”

"Huh? Do you really think you can survive fighting the demonic toxin in your mind? You know how difficult that is. Even those at higher levels can’t do it. Instead of clinging to false hope, isn’t it better for you to deal with all three alone?"

“Exactly. No one has ever survived the demonic toxin. Do you think you have a chance to fight it and win? For those poisoned by demonic toxins, it’s better to sacrifice themselves. At least that won’t cause problems in the future.”

Hearing his family members speak this way, the large man’s face immediately showed displeasure. He shook his head at their selfish opinions and withdrew.

“If that’s how you feel, then I won’t be the one to sacrifice myself to kill the demonic beast. I just want to survive and return to my family, like you.”

“Ah! How can you do that? My lord, you must let him handle it. He volunteered and now changes his mind. Such indecisiveness is unworthy of the Fernal family.”

“My lord, I can only kill one demonic beast. I still want a chance to survive!!” The arguments within the Fernal family were just a small part of the overall dispute.

Very few were willing to volunteer for certain death. The Cherine family, encountering 4 demonic beasts, and the Hart family, with 1 demonic beast, faced the same issue.

The Hart family had fewer people, so their options were limited. After a brief argument, they reached a conclusion. But the Cherine family, who came here to bring their young lady back safely, had never prepared themselves for such a fight and to sacrifice their lives.

“The main family members should take responsibility for this. We’re here because of Lady Warfil. If not for her, we wouldn’t be facing this danger.”

“Exactly. As an elder, I believe the main family members must take responsibility. They should sacrifice more than the others.”

"The members of the main family not only brought disgrace and harm to the Cherine family, but their actions have also led us to face this unforeseen danger. Therefore, it would be fairer if you shared some of the responsibility."

Naturally, the members of the branch family did not want to suffer any losses, just as the members of the main family didn’t.

"Our main family is already under a lot of pressure. 2 demonic beasts in front of us already had our volunteers to deal with. Won’t the branch family do anything? Do you still consider yourselves part of the Cherine family?"

"The loss of highly skilled members of the main family compared to those of the branch family, who aren’t even half as skilled, who do you think should bear the brunt of the losses? You keep saying that the main family is at fault while the branch family has done nothing wrong. Have you ever thought that we are all part of the Cherine family!? What kind of loss should happen more?"

"The Cherine branch family often asks us to solve problems, don’t they? So why are you saying today that only we have ever made mistakes!? Besides...if you are not here to help the Cherine family, then why did you send people here? Or did you come just to disgrace the main Cherine family?"

The arguments among the various families grew more intense as the Setter family began to engage in battle as well.

A level 1 demonic beast was nothing to him. Even so...the demonic toxin on the wolf’s claws did harm the sacrificial man to some extent.

One of his arms and his back were slashed, leaving long bloody marks. Although he could still fight, his speed had greatly decreased! Perhaps carrying the shield added to his own risk. The shield was too heavy, limiting his defense, and when faced with such a fast creature, it became a significant disadvantage.

"That guy can’t hold on," Aman muttered thoughtfully. No matter how he looked at it, it was a disadvantageous fight. Perhaps, before he could use Owen’s weapon, that person might really die.

"Let me help," Ellie thought the same as Aman, but she had the ability to assist.

The Spirit Rake appeared again. It emerged from the girl’s spirit because she had made a contract with it. Ellie didn’t wait for others’ permission; she immediately chose the first option. The target was the position where the demonic beast stood.

The rake absorbed a small amount of Ellie’s magic power. The area Ellie chose to use was not very large, so the amount of magic power used was minimal.

It started to move slowly once it had enough energy. The Spirit Rake expanded and appeared in front. Steven was greatly surprised when he saw that Ellie intended to help. He was afraid that Ellie might get hurt.

"Ellie, withdraw! If you accidentally kill the demonic beast, you won’t be able to compensate for it!" Steven shouted sternly.

"I won’t attack the demonic beast, don’t worry." As soon as she finished speaking, the powerful rake got to work.

The Setter family didn’t understand what command Ellie had given, but they hoped she still had her wits. Even though the rake was a high-level weapon, it hadn’t been modified by their Lord Owen. This meant that if the beast died under that rake, its toxin would immediately target Ellie, resulting in an immeasurable loss for the Setter family!

Swoosh, swish, swish!

Everyone watched the scene with bated breath. However, the large rake worked for only 2 seconds. The confused demonic beast fell into a hole measuring 2 by 1 by 1 meter.

"Awoo!!" The demonic beast cried out in shock. While it was fighting, a black weapon suddenly appeared. Instead of attacking as it had expected, the rake swiftly dug into the ground twice, creating a large hole beneath it.

The power of the rake was truly special. It didn’t take long to work. Moreover, it didn’t care what was on the surface. When its target was the ground, it simply decomposed the soil.

The demonic beast, caught off guard, immediately fell into the suddenly appearing hole.

"Finish it off quickly!!" Seeing everyone stunned by the rake’s ability, Ellie urgently shouted. If this excavation failed to kill the demonic beast, it wouldn’t fall for the same trick again.

The demonic beast didn’t flee immediately because it didn’t understand what was happening to it. But if it figured it out, next time it would definitely jump out of the rake’s digging range, and Ellie didn’t want that to happen!

The demonic beast wasn’t so stupid as to wait for death. Its body was quite large, and even though it couldn’t use its legs to push itself up, it still struggled with its head to escape from the trap.

Ellie prepared to use the rake’s power again if it showed any signs of escaping. She thought making the hole another meter deeper would be a good idea. She could dig it 2 meters deep to trap it permanently, but she feared that would take too long and wouldn’t serve as an effective trap, so she opted for the shorter depth.

Fortunately, the Setter family member wasn’t foolish. Hearing Ellie’s warning, he immediately turned back to his enemy. The sword in his hand, imbued with Owen’s enchanted magic power, was raised high, aiming for the roaring beast’s head.

"Grrrr!!"

Slash!! Thud!!

Pwoosh!!!!

The black aura of the demonic toxin spread into the air before being absorbed by the sword in the large man’s hand. Everyone saw the toxin being drawn into the sword and couldn’t hide their expressions of relief and joy.However, Wint didn’t know this, so he misunderstood, thinking the demonic toxin had entered the large man’s body through the hand holding the sword.