Infinite Mage [Remake]

The poison-horned demon, already hit for the third time, let out its signature screech and moved sideways. Lena followed suit, leaping into action.

The demon's single eye had a wide field of vision, capable of seeing 330 degrees around it, but Lena clung to the only 30-degree blind spot and struck its carapace again.

As the agitated demon turned and charged, Lena raised the kite-shaped shield strapped to her wrist.

Though the shield was as small as a toy, when the horn collided with it, an illusion of a shield several times larger burst forth, pushing the demon back.

The demon, flipped onto its back, flailed its multiple legs like a beetle. It managed to get up, but the shock still lingered, causing it to stagger to the right.

Kanya aimed her Arc.

The weapon resembled a bow but was made of metal and lacked a bowstring. Instead, it had a handle to pull. As she drew it back, red light sparked at both ends, targeting the demon.

It was a weapon capable of triangulating its target.

As long as the aim was set, the projectile wouldn't miss. Kanya aligned the red dot with the demon's face.

Sensing danger, the demon, despite its disorientation, moved left and right. Kanya twisted her torso to match its movements.

As Lena disappeared into the blind spot again, the terrified demon lunged at Kanya.

Kanya aimed the Arc at the demon's eye and released the handle. The wire rapidly retracted, and a small bead shot out from the center of the Arc.

The bead pierced the demon's eye and exploded inside. The demon's body shuddered before collapsing to the ground.

Its insides were likely melted, but it still let out a chilling scream.

Lena, holding her sword in a reverse grip, stabbed into the gaps of the demon's carapace. With a pop, the demon's body erupted like salt in hot oil. It moved no more.

Kanya, having finished the battle, lowered her Arc and wiped her sweat.

"Phew, that was tough. This one was a bit stubborn, huh?"

"Yeah. Are you okay, sis?"

"As you can see, I'm fine. But it's strange. Why did the poison-horned demon appear here? It's far from its habitat."

"Could we have gotten lost?"

"No way. The drone is pointing in the right direction. Maybe the forest's laws have changed. Let's get out of here quickly."

"But we should still collect the elixir. It might be inside."

Lena climbed onto the demon's body. She plunged her hand into the carapace, and the melted innards felt warm and sticky.

Though the sensation was disgusting, Lena stuck out her tongue and rummaged around until she found something.

Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Huh? It's here! Sis, it's here!"

A red glowing bead emerged from the demon's body.

"Yay! It's a Red Elixir. Thanks, poison-horned demon."

Kanya smiled warmly at her sister, who was hopping around in excitement.

Most creatures in Purgatory grew elixirs within their bodies. While the divine citizens under God's protection had no need for them, elixirs were invaluable in Purgatory.

"We got lucky. Now, let's hurry."

As Kanya reverted to her strict demeanor and urged her sister on, a strange sensation sent a chill down her spine. She turned around.

Eyes glowing with killing intent were embedded in the forest.

Moments later, the creatures revealed themselves, tapping the rocky ground with their pointed legs.

Poison-horned demons. Seven of them.

"Lena! Over here!"

Kanya pulled her sister close and took a fighting stance. Yet, a question lingered in her mind.

For poison-horned demons to appear so far from their habitat, and in such numbers, was unheard of.

'Tch. I let my guard down. I should've kept checking the drone.'

Though Purgatory was called a godforsaken land, God's will still lingered here. Of course, the laws acted like instincts for the mindless beasts. This meant some event had occurred nearby, altering their instincts.

"Of all times…!"

The forest's laws rarely changed. And it was almost unheard of for divine citizens to leave Heaven and enter Purgatory.

The fact that these two low-probability events had coincided made her even more uneasy.

"Sis, what do we do? There are too many demons…"

One poison-horned demon could be handled by a single Mekara. But two would require at least five Mekara.

According to the laws, the Mekara's strength lay in their collective combat based on technological prowess.

Though physically the weakest among the divine races, their group tactics made even the Kergo and Nor races wary.

This was why Kanya was trembling with fear. Even with the Arc, defeating seven poison-horned demons was impossible.

What on earth was happening in the forest?

After spending a year checking routes to avoid monsters, everything had gone to waste.

Kiiing! Kick! Kick!

As the demons shook their horns threateningly, the sisters stood back-to-back, protecting each other.

One demon, testing the waters, lunged at Lena.

Lena raised the Mekara's shield, Exd, and the powerful repulsion sent the demon flying.

Kanya, switching positions with Lena, aimed her Arc. Precision aiming was impossible in this situation, so the projectile struck the demon's carapace and exploded.

As the demon rolled on the ground from the impact, the remaining demons charged.

"Sis! Get behind me!"

Lena switched positions again and raised Exd. Each time a demon's horn struck the shield, a thunderous sound echoed.

She even swung Signa, a shockwave weapon, but poison-horned demons were hard to hit unless attacked from their blind spot.

The time they could hold out with Exd was dwindling. As the repulsion exceeded its limit, the shield's function ceased, turning it into a mere toy.

With seven demons closing in from all sides, Kanya and Lena hugged each other and closed their eyes.

The fear of death was overshadowed by the dread of the pain leading up to it.

Poison-horned demons would stab their snouts into a human's stomach and suck out their innards. Kanya considered grabbing Lena's Signa and slitting her throat to spare her the agony.

Just as the seven demons were about to pierce the sisters' bodies with their horns, a flash of light descended from the sky.

The sisters saw the back of a boy. He had blond hair and wore strange attire unlike anything seen in this world.

Shirone, landing simultaneously, cast Photon Burst.

A curtain of light swept back and forth within a 3 to 5-meter radius, repelling all the demons.

The ground caved in a circular shape, and the two women collapsed. Yet, their gazes remained fixed on Shirone. They had never heard of people living in the Forest of the Fallen.

"Are you okay?"

Shirone turned his head and smiled.

Meeting people in a world where you could run forever and never return home was an incomparable joy. No matter who these women were, the grotesque monsters were the enemy, and people were allies.

Kanya grew wary at the boy's appearance. In contrast, Lena, a teenage girl, blushed.

'He's handsome. Is he from the Nor race?'

While the two women were lost in their thoughts, Shirone's group was fiercely battling the demons.

Rian and Tess each took on one.

After a brief exchange, Rian felt somewhat relieved. Though not an easy opponent, he had faced monsters of similar strength in his original world.

Grabbing the demon's horn, Rian used brute force to flip it over. The demon's six legs flailed helplessly as it landed on its back.

Rian stabbed his sword into the demon's abdomen, pinning it to the ground.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tess's battle was also nearing its end.

Though her saber lacked the weight to break through the demon's carapace, it was optimized for targeting weak points.

Stabbing into the gaps of the carapace, Tess reduced the demon's mobility and delivered the final blow by driving her saber into its single eye. She twisted the saber, forcing the demon to submit at her feet.

As the battle showed signs of dragging on, Amy cast Fire Wall around them.

Since the beasts were mindless, the best outcome would be for them to flee. But defying expectations, one demon charged through the wall of fire.

Harvest, having enlarged his body, grabbed the demon's torso and snapped its spine.

Arin felt relieved that her Clairvoyance worked. She cast Mind Control on four demons, causing two of them to tremble.

The two controlled demons turned on their allies, stabbing and attacking them.

With the monsters fighting each other, the group no longer needed to intervene.

Rian and Tess, having finished off their demons, sheathed their weapons and returned to Shirone.

As Amy dispelled the Fire Wall, the demons' bloody battle came into view. They used their horns, legs, and snouts to stab, knock down, and trample each other.

Arin's skill in controlling the demons was crucial. Though unfamiliar with the creatures at first, she quickly grasped their traits and used their long horns to pick them off one by one.

The group watched the tragic scene of kin killing kin with chills running down their spines.

For Kanya and Lena, it was particularly shocking. Beings that followed the laws were defying them and killing their own kind. Today was a day of many events in the Forest of the Fallen.

Arin, having won the battle, let out a deep breath.

Mind Control itself consumed mental energy continuously, and directing the controlled creatures in battle caused emotional fatigue as their fighting spirit flowed into her.

The demons under Arin's control turned to look at Shirone. Kanya and Lena hastily stepped back, but the demons simply assumed a submissive posture.

Arin pondered what to do with the remaining demons.

The incredible success rate of Mind Control through Clairvoyance was Arin's strength, but it was also a weakness. High emotional synchronization meant she felt the controlled beings' emotions more vividly.

For a psychic mage who dealt with all minds in the world, it was a fateful pain.

Arin hesitated. Even if they were monsters, taking the lives of beings that had fought for her was a cruel task.

Tess, who prided herself on being soft-hearted, spoke for Arin.

"Can't we just keep them? Having two would be a huge help."

"No. We can't waste mental energy on monsters like these. Now that we know Clairvoyance works, Arin should focus on that. She also needs to maintain the psychic channel."

"Hmm, what about releasing them?"

"They'll just attack again. Worst case, they'll bring back more."

"I see. Then we have no choice but to kill them. Can't we make them fight each other to death?"

Arin bit her lip at Tess's suggestion, which came from someone who prided herself on being soft-hearted.

This was different from controlling demons to kill other demons. With her high synchronization rate and the emotions of allies who had fought alongside her, the conflict was even greater.

Rian gripped the hilt of his greatsword and said, "Then I'll kill them. Just hold them still."

Canis shook his head.

"No, this is something Arin must do. To reach higher levels as a psychic mage, she can't remain weak forever."

Even with her Clairvoyance, there were limits. To reach her goals, situations like this couldn't be a problem.

Canis wanted Arin to stay by his side for a long time.

"Arin, remember what you promised when you were taken to the Magic Association. Our master is no longer in this world. We must grow stronger. This is not a place where we can afford to show mercy."

Arin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Canis was right. Would she rely on Clairvoyance, or would she master it? It was a difficult task, but one she had to overcome.

Arin made the two demons walk to the forest's edge. Then, she made them stab each other's eyes with their horns.

The two demons fell, their faces pressed together.

Though still alive, they could no longer move, leaving no other way to deliver a fatal blow.

Arin forced a smile.

Harvest, watching her, recalled the time they had faced each other through a glass tube.

Though still considered fragile for a mage, she had become a completely different person compared to when she feared everything in the world.

"It's Arin's strength and weakness. She easily resonates with others' minds, but that's why she can't become ruthless. Arcane always regretted this."

"But she's changing now. Arin will do well."

Shirone, who had shared Arin's sorrow, felt reassured hearing Harvest and Canis's conversation. Though she had chosen a difficult path, she had comrades who would stay by her side for life.

"Anyway…"

As Shirone turned to speak, his friends also turned their attention to Kanya and Lena.

The two women flinched. In the eyes of the six, a wave of emotion, out of place in the situation, was surging.

"They're human."

"Yeah, they're human. They even have swords and shields."

"Ah, swords and shields. I thought I'd go crazy wanting to see those. Thinking about talking to a giant that uproots trees and swings them around made me dizzy."

As the incomprehensible words continued, Kanya stepped in front of her sister and shouted.

"What are you saying? Who are you people?"

Arin connected to the Spirit Zone and attempted telepathy. As Kanya's mind was transmitted, Arin materialized it through Clairvoyance and relayed it to Shirone's group.

Shirone spoke as amiably as possible.

"Uh, so we're from another place…"

Kanya's sharp gaze stopped Shirone in his tracks.

As the previously incomprehensible words suddenly became clear, Kanya's tension rose. Above all, their lip movements and language didn't match.

"What did you do? Is this magic too? Are you from the Nor race?"

"The Nor race? What's that?"

Instead of answering, Kanya extended her right arm. A drone flew down from the sky. The mechanical device, resembling a beetle, landed on her wrist and separated like steps, attaching itself as a gauntlet.

"Language decoding."

Light flickered on the back of the gauntlet.

"You, say something again."

"What should I say?"

That was enough. Kanya bent her arm to check the gauntlet.

No data. Decoding impossible.

After confirming the drone's information, she drew her Arc. As she pulled the handle, a red dot appeared between Shirone's eyebrows.

"W-what are you doing? All of a sudden."

Having watched from the forest, Shirone knew how powerful the Arc was.

Being targeted like this without knowing why was bewildering. This was definitely not the reaction people should have when meeting others in a monster-infested land.

"Lena! They're not divine citizens! We have to fight!"

"B-but sis… they did save our lives."

"Now I get it. Why the poison-horned demons are here. They're the ones who disrupted the forest's laws."

Hearing this, Lena had no choice but to act. Though reluctance was evident on her face, she raised her Signa and Exd, ready to fight.

"It's better to be honest if you don't want your head blown off by the Arc. What exactly did you do in this forest? Who are you people?"

Even if they explained, there was no way to make her understand. Frustrated, Shirone could only shout.

"We're human too!"

"How can I believe that? You're not speaking the divine language! And you're not heretics either!"

"We can communicate, right? Isn't that enough?"

Kanya frowned. Strangely, Shirone's words had a persuasive quality.

"So let's talk this out. If we can communicate, we can find a peaceful solution instead of pointing strange weapons at each other."

"Peace? Talking about peace in the Forest of the Fallen. You're really suspicious."

"The Forest of the Fallen?"

"That must be the name of this forest."

Arin's explanation was followed by silence.

The standoff continued for a while.

If Shirone wanted, subduing her wouldn't be a problem, but he absolutely didn't want to fight.

They were human. They could communicate. If she would just let go of her hostility, they could learn more about this world.

At that moment, Lena looked up at the sky.

The drone patrolling the area projected an image onto her retina of over twenty poison-horned demons gathering 500 meters away.

"Sis, we're in trouble. It's the demons."

Kanya finally snapped out of it. With the forest's laws disrupted, staying here any longer was tantamount to suicide.