The Ogre Demon’s Mighty Strength

The ogre demon’s sword extended toward me as I lay on the ground. I rolled sideways to avoid it and swung the Lightning Spike Hammer at the ogre demon’s leg. The Lightning Spike Hammer swept the ogre demon’s leg, and after confirming that the ogre demon had lost its balance, I sprang back to my feet.

“Gyau!”

The ogre demon whose leg had been swept fell onto its back. After standing up, I seized the chance and swung the Lightning Spike Hammer down onto the ogre demon’s head. The moment the ogre demon blocked it with the muscles of its arm, Lightning Claw Strike activated, and a large electric current flowed from the Lightning Spike Hammer into the ogre demon’s body.

The ogre demon went into violent convulsions, and once they subsided, it began rampaging. Moreover, it was enraged, and it attacked me by wildly swinging its sword. It seemed to have snapped from anger.

While deflecting its attacks with the Lightning Spike Hammer in my right hand and the black steel dagger in my left, I spat out the blood that had gathered in my mouth.

“You are an ogre demon, so do not snap over something like this.”

Perhaps it heard that, because the ogre demon’s eyes slanted upward even more. Immediately afterward, a large amount of demonic qi burst out from the ogre demon’s body, and its muscles swelled. The palace maid ogre demon had been skilled in Lightness Skill, but this one seemed to be a power type.

The ogre demon charged and tried to stab its claws into my face. When I shook my head to avoid it, its claws stabbed into the wall. They pierced it as easily as chopsticks stabbing into tofu, making me shudder at how sharp they were.

When I was close enough to be glared at by the ogre demon’s upturned eyes, it was frightening enough to send a chill down my spine. I tried to slam the Lightning Spike Hammer’s Lightning Claw Strike into that face.

Then the ogre demon body-slammed me. Because of that, the Lightning Spike Hammer that had been aimed at its face stabbed into the ogre demon’s back instead, and a large electric current was poured into it. It would have been good if that had stopped the ogre demon’s movements, but it simply kept charging.

Since I was light, I was easily blown away. Then, while flying through the air, I filled my entire body with Floating Yang Qi, twisted my body, and landed on my feet. At that moment, I grabbed the ground with the Floating Yang Qi released from my feet and redirected the impact of landing toward the ground.

“I am glad I practiced Lightness Skill.”

However, that did not mean I had taken no damage. The body slam had made my chest hurt. But there was no time to dwell on that, and the ogre demon roared and started running toward me. I also endured the pain and ran toward the ogre demon while making full use of Lightness Skill.

Just before entering its range, I leapt lightly. Flying through the air, I landed on the ogre demon’s face. Even the ogre demon seemed surprised by this.

Because I was using Lightness Skill, normally I would grab the landing point as if wrapping it with the qi released from my feet, but this time, I grabbed it roughly and firmly, then leapt with all my strength.

Then, a kick like the first stage of Lightness Skill, which dug up the ground, exploded on the ogre demon’s face. The ogre demon’s face was clawed up and turned ragged. I named this technique Exploding Kick. However, it could not be called a secret technique, because it did not have enough power to finish off a yōma.

However, the damage this Exploding Kick dealt to an enemy was not insignificant. This time as well, it seemed to have injured both of the ogre demon’s eyes and robbed it of its sight. The ogre demon screamed and swung its sword around with brute force.

Seeing that, I thought an opening should appear and searched for one. However, I could not find an opening easily. It looked as if it was rampaging wildly, but perhaps it was avoiding creating openings on an instinctive level.

While the ogre demon rampaged, the wounds on its face began to heal. This was bad. I started to feel a little impatient, thinking I had to land at least one blow before it healed completely. When I suppressed my presence and tried to circle behind it, the ogre demon’s sword was swung as if to block me. Could this thing actually see?

At times like this, if I could use the secret technique of Dragon Qi Sword Art, Dragon Wing, I would be able to attack from a safe distance. No, even without Dragon Wing, I could do something if I had a throwing technique.

Thinking that, I picked up rubble that had fallen on the floor and threw it at the ogre demon. Perhaps sensing something, the ogre demon swung its sword at the flying rubble. It was a splendid miss that almost seemed to make a whooshing sound, and the rubble struck the ogre demon’s forehead.

“Gwooo!”

The ogre demon roared. It should not have hurt that much, but because it could not see, it seemed to be reacting sensitively. Seeing that reaction, I had a flash of inspiration that this might be usable.

I quickly picked up more rubble and threw it at the ogre demon, then started running as if chasing after it. The ogre demon missed again, and the rubble hit its chest. The ogre demon roared again.

At that instant, I saw an opening. I stepped in, slammed the Lightning Spike Hammer above its heart, and activated Lightning Claw Strike. Something like lightning flowed into the ogre demon’s heart, and it convulsed violently. As the ogre demon collapsed with a thud, I struck it with the Lightning Spike Hammer’s Lightning Claw Strike again and again.

At that moment, I heard a voice.

“Kou, are you alive!?”

It was Elder Mon’s voice. Reflexively, I moved away from the ogre demon and jumped backward. Elder Mon, Kanru, Daaren, and Johnrin ran in.

Elder Mon rushed over beside me.

“Are you all right?”

“I am injured, but I am all right.”

After saying that, I sat down on the floor. Since Kanru, Daaren, and Johnrin had come, the tension had left me. The three of them approached the fallen ogre demon with their weapons in hand.

“This thing is still alive.”

Daaren finished it off with his treasured sword. Daaren again? Did he possess some special luck for finishing off ogre demons?

When the ogre demon died, the demonic qi left its body, and it began returning to its original human form. Then, when Elder Mon saw the face that had returned to being human, she let out a cry of surprise.

“No!”

“Elder Mon, who is this?”

When I asked, her expression grew troubled.

“This person is Chancellor Zhao’s son. He came to Gyorei Cave to pay his respects before.”

Why had the chancellor’s son ended up becoming an ogre demon? Nothing about this made sense.