Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 7: The First Bloody Battle

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As the cavalry and beasts charged toward each other, chaos erupted among the villagers. Some scrambled to find weapons in a desperate attempt to help, while others fled in a panic.

Aura, however, paid them no mind. Whether they won or lost, they wouldn't be able to stay here any longer. She simply watched the puppets lunging forward and frowned.

"Hey, Ash, why am I fighting humans to protect them? Normally, I'd just run away, right?"

"Don't bother me, Aura. I'm thinking about that too."

Ash had only wanted to live a peaceful life, yet here he was, caught up in a human war. The absurdity of the situation left him helpless, forcing him to hold his forehead and sigh. Life was full of unwanted surprises.

Even though Aura had a point, he couldn't just walk away. After all, they had lived here for several years.

As they spoke, the village filled with the sounds of battle—wails, screams, and war cries echoed in the air, mingling with the ever-present smell of blood. It was like a scene from a battlefield.

Ash raised one hand silently, and in that instant, the air seemed to freeze. The blood that had been spraying through the air abruptly changed direction and fell in straight lines.

The knights, who had been dominating the fight against the beasts with their sturdy, enchanted armor, suddenly found their horses collapsing beneath them in clouds of dust, unable to support the weight.

Though the change in gravity's range was subtle, it had a surprising effect on the horses carrying heavily armored riders during their charge.

The unarmored villagers seized the moment. With heavy steps, they rushed forward, wielding simple weapons, thrusting them into the gaps in the knights' armor. The smaller beasts, also affected, attacked the knights' helmets.

In an instant, the air was filled with human screams.

Compared to his men, however, Maynard, the captain of the elite cavalry who had infiltrated enemy territory, reacted swiftly. As his horse collapsed, he rolled and stabilized himself in a half-kneeling stance.

"Ah! Ah!" Trembling, a villager charged at him with a hoe raised high.

Maynard merely raised his hand and severed the hoe with a swift strike, then swung his sword backhandedly, effortlessly cutting the villager in half.

"He's really strong... but we still need to deal with him." Despite witnessing the death of an acquaintance, Ash remained unmoved. He simply grabbed the best sword available in the village and quickly advanced.

Maynard noticed and took up a fighting stance, ready for close combat.

He had donned armor even while on horseback to protect himself from potential arrows. The mage, now pinned by the pressure of Ash's magic, struggled to remove his helmet and undo his gauntlets.

At that moment, Ash suddenly stopped, twisting his waist slightly to gather strength. He then canceled the magic and threw the sword.

Propelled by a repulsive force, the sword flew faster than expected. Maynard instinctively raised his hand to block it but froze in place.

The sword whirred as it spun past Maynard with a sharp "whoosh," burying itself directly into the forehead of the military mage who had just removed his helmet.

Blood spattered, and the mage looked up in blank confusion, not even comprehending how he had died, before collapsing with his head tilted back.

Maynard turned around, dumbfounded, as his mask was instantly stained with his companion's blood. His face twisted in fury, veins bulging.

"—You bastard!!"

Ash, still calm, responded, "You're fighting me in armor—heavy armor that's extra thick. Which means... I have the advantage this time." He pressed his hand forward, concentrating his magic to intensify the gravity around Maynard.

"Hmm—?!"

Maynard's feet sank into the ground, and his body bent under the increasing pressure. He struggled to stay upright, forced to plant his sword into the earth to support himself and prevent a complete collapse.

Ash, satisfied, nodded and reached for a thin, sharp armor-piercing cone from his waist.

In this world, many soldiers wear heavy armor, so this tool is unexpectedly useful. I haven't had a chance to use it before, but today, it's exactly what I need.

"Don't worry. I'll end your life quickly." He gestured toward Maynard's exposed neck, preparing to strike.

Ash was well-practiced in the routine: using magic to suppress his opponent and then finishing them off with a decisive blow. But just as he was about to thrust the cone into Maynard's neck, his hand suddenly felt empty.

The armor-piercing cone had been snatched away in an instant, and before Ash could even register what had happened, the cone was already driven into his own neck.

The speed was beyond his comprehension, leaving him no time to react. Aura, watching from a distance, gasped in disbelief.

Impossible! This man's not normal...! Wearing heavy armor, and under intense gravity—how can he move so fast? It was at that moment Ash, inexperienced in direct combat with skilled opponents, realized he'd been completely outmaneuvered.

As a magician, Ash should have kept his distance. But unlike other demons, his battle experience was lacking. He often relied on tricks or weapons to win, much like how he'd managed to kill the military wizard earlier.

Now, though, his throat was pierced, and he couldn't utter a sound. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, the noise of his struggling breath like the hiss of broken machinery.

Ash's eyes widened as he stared at Maynard, who casually retrieved his sword from the dirt. Through the helmet's slit, Maynard grinned maliciously and raised his sword high.

"You thought you could trap me with such simple magic? You're too young and inexperienced to face me!"

The scene was unmistakably one of Ash's defeat, and even though he tried to rise, his body refused to obey. As a demon, he was still a child—he hadn't grown fully, nor had he developed enough to face such overwhelming danger. This was his first true brush with death, and it filled him with despair.

But just as Maynard's sword began its downward arc to finish Ash off, a massive demon bull charged out of nowhere, crashing into Maynard with a thunderous "bang."

Caught completely off guard, Maynard was sent flying through the air, slamming into a nearby house with a forceful crash.

"Gugaaaaaah!!... A low-level beast dares... attack me!!"

Maynard should have been able to counter the bull's charge, but the combined effects of his heavy armor and the gravity magic had left him vulnerable. Enraged, he struggled to his feet, ready to confront the charging beast once more. His hands outstretched, he prepared to seize the enormous creature, now barreling toward him again.

At that exact moment, the magic binding Maynard suddenly vanished. He wasn't prepared for the sudden change in gravity, and the demon bull slammed into him again, this time knocking him straight into a stone wall. The impact created a massive hole, and Maynard's body disappeared into the debris, his fate unknown.

Meanwhile, the battlefield—now free of Ash's gravity magic—became even more chaotic. The injured cavalrymen, sensing an opportunity, fought desperately against the beasts and villagers who had risen up in rebellion.

The air was filled with the sound of clashing weapons, feral growls, and desperate shouts. However, the violence didn't last long. Slowly, the battlefield began to quiet, and the village returned to a tense, eerie calm.