The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 425: The Power of Darkness

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

“Did we… make it in time?”

“The ominous presence has disappeared.”

Lin remained motionless, collapsed on the ground.

However, since it was unclear whether they had successfully prevented her transformation into a demon, they remained on guard.

“…What are you doing? I had many things I wanted to ask that human. And yet, you went ahead and finished her off.”

“Now, now, hold on. Rain seemed to have noticed something we didn’t. Rather than blaming him, shouldn’t we first hear him out?”

“…I suppose.”

Thanks to Shigure stepping in, the situation didn’t escalate further.

“Rain, can you explain what’s going on?”

“Yes, of course. What just happened was—”

“Rain!!!”

Kanade’s scream, almost like a wail.

Turning around, they saw Lin’s corpse moving awkwardly, like a broken marionette.

Her limbs flailed, as if she were drowning in the air.

Then, suddenly, she planted her feet firmly on the ground.

Slowly, she raised her upper body, standing using only the strength of her lower half.

It was as if her feet were nailed to the ground, yet her upper body hung limply backward—a sight so eerie it sent chills down their spines.

One might say she had been possessed by an evil spirit.

“……”

Lin stood there, her vacant eyes giving no indication of consciousness.

Dark waves ran from her chest up to her neck and cheeks—strange markings.

It wasn’t anything decorative, nothing that could be mistaken for fashion.

It was disturbing.

“…Heh.”

Soon after, Lin let out a small laugh.

Her lips curled into a sinister grin, as if she were enjoying herself immensely.

“Ahaha… Ufu, fufufu. Ahahaha… hahahaha!”

She continued to giggle and cackle.

Had she lost her mind?

“You… human! Stay still!”

One of the phoenix tribe warriors, enraged by Lin’s mocking demeanor, moved to attack.

Without hesitation, they unleashed flames to burn her.

“…What is that childish trick supposed to be?”

Lin, still grinning with madness, casually waved her hand.

In an instant, countless ice shards materialized, following the movement of her gesture.

The icy projectiles shot forward like arrows, extinguishing the flames.

Not only that—

They shredded the phoenix warrior’s body.

“Ah… Aaaahhh!?”

“Are you alright!? I’ll heal you right now!”

“What… what did she just do!?”

The phoenix tribe warriors recoiled, stepping back from Lin.

No one could comprehend what had just happened.

What did she do?

They could only glare at her in bewilderment and wariness.

Amidst the tension, Chiffon quietly stepped closer to Rain.

“Rain-kun. That… was it magic?”

“You noticed it too, Chiffon?”

“I’ve traveled a lot, so I have some knowledge. That was advanced magic—‘Blizzard Bullet,’ right?”

“Yeah. That’s my assessment too. But… it’s impossible.”

“You, human, what do you mean?”

Elfin, who had been listening, asked curiously.

Beside her, Shigure also tilted his head in confusion.

The strongest races generally didn’t use magic.

Magic was a technique humans had developed, with the help of certain races, to defend themselves against monsters and other threats.

Since the strongest races already possessed great power and unique abilities, they rarely relied on magic—except for the spirit folk.

That was why they didn’t immediately recognize the oddity.

“To use magic, several steps must be followed. That is absolute. If you make a mistake or skip a step, the magic won’t activate.”

“Put simply… you have to construct a magic formula, inject mana, and finally, utter the keyword—the incantation. That’s how magic is activated.”

Chiffon helpfully added, her explanation concise yet precise.

A look of understanding flickered in Elfin’s eyes.

“In other words… that human didn’t perform the final step? The incantation?”

“Yes. Normally, skipping that step would prevent magic from activating… but that wasn’t the case. It worked perfectly.”

As much as Rain didn’t want to think about it—

Lin had acquired the ability to cast magic without chanting.

“Ahaha… Ahahaha… Ahhh-hahahaha!!! This is amazing! What is this!? This is so fun! Incredible, incredible, incredible! Power! Magic! It’s overflowing endlessly… Ahhh, this is the best feeling ever!!!”

Lin let out a triumphant, euphoric laugh before wrapping her arms around herself.

Then, she looked down at her hands, an ecstatic expression on her face.

She was reveling in the surge of power coursing through her, completely intoxicated by it.

"Lin, are you... conscious?"

"Of course I am. What kind of question is that? But more importantly—do you know what happened to me? I understand that I've gained an incredible power, but aside from that, I have no clue."

Would it be wise to tell Lin the truth?

I hesitated, but Elfin and the others were looking at me expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

Yeah… this isn't exactly classified information. Besides, sooner or later, she'd figure it out on her own.

To avoid any unnecessary confusion, it’s best to share the information now.

"I think… you've become a demon."

"Huh? Me? A demon?"

"I once saw a person transform into a demon before. What happened to you looked almost identical to what I saw back then. So… yeah, I think that's what happened."

"Heh, I became a demon, huh?"

I expected her to be shocked, but surprisingly, Lin remained calm.

She was once part of a hero’s party, and now she had fallen to the demons.

With her pride, I thought she would see this as an unbearable disgrace…

"...How interesting."

Contrary to my expectations, Lin spoke with excitement and amusement.

"I don’t really like the idea of being a demon… but, well, whatever. If it means I get this much power, then I guess I can put up with it. Fufu… ufufufu."

"Lin, you…"

"Now then."

She let out a soft, delighted chuckle…

Then, she turned to face me.

Her gaze was cold—directed at me and Elfin, who stood behind me.

"When you gain an incredible power like this, it's only natural to want to test it out, right? Just a little? And… since you were planning to do something awful to me, you wouldn’t mind if I used you as my test subjects, would you?"

Her hostility stabbed through us like needles.

No—this went beyond mere hostility.

Even calling it murderous intent would be too mild.

This was an unfathomable, limitless malice.

"Is she serious? A mere human daring to challenge us, the strongest race… how foolish."

"Her power may have increased slightly, but she’s still just a human. I shall burn her soul to ashes with the flames of judgment."

"Ahaha!"

Lin laughed as she watched the phoenix warriors ready themselves.

Her cold gaze bore into them, as if she were mocking them.

"That's what's wrong with you. You underestimate me just because I was once human. You think you’re the strongest. How ridiculous! But don’t worry—I’ll make sure you understand. I’ll carve it into your bodies and souls just how powerful I’ve become! I’ll show you what true strength really is!!!"

TL Note- I just gave my exam was awake from 5 AM......zzz.

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