The Freak Show Foreman

The orb soared through the surrounding air with fierce momentum, distorting the atmosphere.

Strength, skill, timing.

Everything went according to her calculations.

"Kyuruk?"

Zakanuba intensely twisted his body, confirming the size and trajectory of the approaching orb.

The telekinetic orb failed to even graze it, hitting the building behind instead.

Kugung.

The building's outer wall collapsed with a force comparable to a real cannonball.

However, no matter how powerful an attack was, it was meaningless if it couldn't hit the target.

Zakanuba sneered, baring its teeth.

"Kikikiki."

Maya couldn't hide her frustration.

20% of her magical power had been futilely expended.

She knew it was expecting her to miss.

So, she cautiously waited for the moment he would leap.

In mid-air, avoiding an attack was inevitable.

However, the demon displayed acrobatics, changing direction in the empty space.

"He knocked off the air?!"

Lifting off in the air with powerful leg strength was something only possible in stories.

It was a physically impossible phenomenon.

Amidst the confusion, Maya's brain quickly combined observations and theories.

And she reached one conclusion.

The demon was a creature from the Abyss.

Their bodies inherently possessed properties that repelled the material plane.

Hence, they couldn't linger in the material plane for too long.

Once a environment similar to the Abyss was formed, they could briefly appear, but over time, the repulsion would naturally banish them back to the Abyss.

What if that repulsion could be reversed?

If a force could forcibly bring up repulsion to the atmosphere, making it 'rebound'?

If only a part of the body could be lifted by repulsion to interact with the air?

Her deduction was correct.

Exorcists trained in dealing with demons like it were already aware of this fact.

Maya sneered.

In a life-threatening situation, such excuses were of no help.

She had to find a way out with the information she had.

She couldn't restrain Zakanuba with a typical telekinetic attack.

It could evade it easily.

So…

"Kiaaah!"

The demon rushed towards her.

It was an attempt to eliminate her before she could pull off another trick.

Its claws penetrated Maya.

Its claws were sharp enough to tear through Armor like paper.

She couldn't defend herself.

The claws disintegrated her body like mist.

"Kikruk?"

However, Zakanuba, who had her in his grasp, displayed a bewildered expression.

There were no bursting blood and organs.

The sight it anticipated was absent.

There was no sensation in its arms.

Her body, caught by its claws, dispersed like mist in the wind.

It was Maya's illusion.

She created an illusion as soon as the battle began, hiding herself with transparent paint.

Zakanuba scanned the surroundings.

Her figure was nowhere to be seen.

He tried to trace her scent.

The intense scent it had been chasing a moment ago was now strongly present right next to him.

However, all it found there was her torn cardigan.

Tracking her by the scent of blood was also difficult.

It resonated throughout the entire village.

Zakanuba roughly swung its arms towards the surroundings.

But there was nothing caught.

Maya was watching him from a slightly distant place.

She fought against the fuzziness creeping into her mind.

Losing focus here would mean the end.

The wounds, barely held together by telekinesis, would burst open.

Simply breathing or escaping in this situation was easy.

Just silently turning around would suffice.

However, it wasn't an option.

Otherwise, it would kill the director inside.

Maya considered using transparent paint to escape together.

But the director was now covered in strange flesh and fluids while she wasn't looking.

Fleeing in that condition would still be within Zakanuba's olfactory range.

Maya summoned her magic again.

"Kikruruk."

After searching for a while, Zakanuba gave up finding Maya.

It thought she had escaped.

It was regrettable, but it decided to have some fun with the human inside the inn.

Just as it was about to grab the door to tear it open.

Shiit, pat.

Something passed by, cutting across its shoulder.

"Kiaa!"

Zakanuba watched a creature hopping around it with its eyes.

On a dark blue background, its back had a pattern of alternating red and white stripes.

It was a cat.

However, it didn't seem like an ordinary cat at all.

The creature slashed its own body.

Thinking that the magician must have done something again, Zakanuba rushed to catch the cat.

However, the creature skillfully avoided its attacks, stepped on its head, and jumped over its back.

The infuriated demon turned to chase it but stopped in its tracks.

In front of the inn's courtyard.

It was filled with hundreds of identical-looking cats.

"Meow!"

"Woong-woong-woong-woong."

"Nyaahhh!"

It was Maya's creation.

If the opponent could dodge the attacks, the solution was simple.

Hide them from sight.

Among the hundreds of cats present, only one contained Maya's power.

Maya simultaneously moved the illusionary cats.

A wave of fur balls overwhelmed the demon.

Zakanuba swung its claws at the approaching cats, but they all burst into a flickering white mist.

In that moment, a cat that had jumped out of the crowd scratched one of its eyeballs and passed by.

He screamed in pain.

"Kyeeek!"

Bleeding from one eye, it tried to locate the cat that attacked him.

But the creature had already hidden in the illusion.

"Woaoong!"

Hundreds of illusionary cats collectively made mocking sounds towards it.

Even though it couldn't hear the sound, it could read their expressions.

Being mocked by prey.

Its one remaining eye filled with rage.

***

The demon grabbed the edge of the roof, pulled its waist back like a slingshot, and leaped forward.

From the building's roof to where they were, it seemed to be a straight distance of several tens of meters.

However, it closed that distance with a single leap.

Thunk.

With a shockwave like a flying rock, grass and dust rose.

Villagers, who were aiming their weapons at the demon, screamed.

"What, what is this monster, what kind of trick is this!"

The two heads that had just uttered those words rolled off their bodies and wriggled on the ground.

Before the five who had successfully screamed and witnessed the scene could react, their stomachs and chests were split open, spilling their organs.

In the dust, a large shadow rose.

In the blink of an eye, the demon had murdered ten people.

When it returned to its original position, the members who were under pressure a moment ago had just regained their composure and grasped their weapons.

"Iti!"

Jobel, who was closest to the demon, shocked, swung his pitchfork recklessly.

The attack hit, but it didn't draw a drop of blood due to the tough skin of the demon.

To the demon, it was as weak as a mosquito bite.

It casually kicked away Jobel's pitchfork aimed at its throat and lightly swung its arm towards the opponent.

Jobel, unable to withstand the demon's attack, closed his eyes.

Thunk.

However, the expected attack did not come.

Quietly opening his eyes, he saw a figure blocking the demon in front of him.

"Woah, Womon?"

A boy with a large, alligator-like red skin, as tough as an alligator's, stood in front of the demon.

He held the demon's arms with all his might.

"Sir, run, run away!"

"Oh, okay."

Jobel quickly stepped back.

Womon, using all his strength, was struggling to prevent the demon from moving.

"Kiiick!"

The demon, looking at the opponent blocking its way, sneered.

For it, the attack capable of tearing apart a bear was as weak as a mosquito bite.

It kicked his legs, applying force to the ground, attempting a backflip.

Womon was dragged along with the same force.

"Kyaat!"

Womon was pulled by the force he unleashed.

His body spun in the air, crashing onto the ground.

"Ugh!"

Thud.

In the moment he couldn't regain his composure, Zakanuba tried to thrust his fingertips into Womon's neck.

But something flew in at lightning speed, piercing through its wrist.

Splat.

"Keeit!"

"Quick, run away!"

A girl in a red dragon-scale coat pulled out another knife from her bosom, shouting.

The one who threw the dagger was Ella.

Taking advantage of the opening she created, Womon quickly rolled to the side behind the carriage.

Thud.

Struck on the carriage, the demon staggered backward.

It glanced around to find the girl who threw the dagger.

But she had already fled far away.

Zakanuba seethed with rage.

To be preyed upon by insignificant targets.

One at a time.

It decided to kill them all.

Dealing with that bulk would be the last.

It had to start by killing the ranged attackers.

Zakanuba flew towards Ella.

With just two steps, it was right behind her.

It swung his fingertips.

Ella briefly glanced back and, with minimal movement, evaded its attack.

It immediately followed up with another attack, but she dodged it as well.

The successive attacks were no different.

Even if she took one hit, she showed no signs of fear in front of his demonic claws.

It was a different kind of calmness compared to Maya's composure.

Ella seemed to enjoy this situation, smiling like someone who relished such moments.

"Try to catch me, you fool!"

She evaded an attack even when the demon predicted a few moves ahead.

It tried to attack her recklessly, and she dodged it effortlessly.

Amazing judgment and boldness combined in her technique.

Even the demon, who looked down on humans, couldn't help but be amazed.

"Can you catch me with this?"

She turned around, laughing, as Zakanuba tried to wrap its tongue-like arm around her.

But she failed to notice the last move it had hidden.

Schluck.

Zakanuba mouth opened, and something popped out.

It was a tongue as long as its arm.

It coiled around her ankle.

"Ugh!"

The tongue was sticky, and slimy mucus dripped from it.

Even though she was agile, she couldn't easily pull her leg away.

In that dire situation, she displayed remarkable reflexes.

Swiftly throwing her dagger, she decided to cut off its tongue.

Unfortunately, Zakanuba had swung its tongue a split second earlier.

Ella's body soared through the air, crashing into the carriage.

Thud.

"Ugh!"

Intense shock struck her body.

She tried to quickly get up to avoid the following attacks, but the pain in her chest made her gasp and sit back down.

Damn it.

It felt like several ribs were broken.

"Ella!"

"Ringmaster!"

Members rushed towards her.

But Zakanuba's actions were faster.

Ella, struggling with pain every time she breathed, looked up.

The massive figure stood right in front, gazing down at her.

Maybe because she had dodged all its attacks.

Instead of using its signature weapon, Zakanuba decided to crush the carriage Ella was relying on.

"Damn it."

Ella, even while looking at the approaching carriage, couldn't avoid it.

Thud.

A heavy impact shook the ground.