Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

"Human... What are you doing?"

While Ian and Ignysyl finally dealt with the impending danger— or rather, as it vanished on its own— Carl, on the other hand, was occupied with the demon that inexplicably escaped the closing portal due to Ian's heavy smack.

Unfortunately, after all the initial struggles and the powerful blow to its head, the demon was already too weak.

Before it could even collect itself, another human appeared out of nowhere, intent on killing it.

Although the demon reacted in time, Carl was prepared for an ambush. So, it was no match and was quickly subdued without even a proper fight.

He was truly an unlucky fellow.

"Hah... finally... Almost lost my ingredient because of that stupid old man. Fortunately, all turned out for the best."

Carl breathed heavily with a smile and didn't care about the demon's terrifying expression, as it was already too feeble to resist.

Instead, he suddenly retrieved a barbed, spiraled needle made of blackened silver from his mana ring, along with a Hexed Chalice that looked exquisite.

"What... what is that?"

And the moment the demon saw the spiraled needle, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over it, making it shiver from head to toe.

As if its blood recognized the item before it and was frantically warning him to avoid it.

But since its body was already broken by Carl's powerful attack, it lacked the strength to walk properly. How could it resist?

All it could do was stammer and tremble, trying to move away.

If its gruesome appearance and fearsome presence once carried the pride of a demon, that fear-stricken expression stripped away any remnants of dignity.

It was truly pathetic.

"This...? This is something that can help me extract your blood essence. Don't you think it looks nice?"

Perhaps Carl found the demon's fear amusing, he lightly joked while suddenly jabbing the needle into the broad chest of the demon.

He had no time to spare as extracting the demon's essence had to be done while the demon was still alive.

"Ahhhh... No, Human... Noo... Agh..."

The piercing pain was sudden and overwhelming causing the demon to break into a cold sweat, its muscles convulsing, claws twitching uncontrollably as charred veins bulged and pulsed under immense strain.

One might wonder how such a thin needle could cause such extreme pain that even such an Abyssal being was terrified.

"B-Blood Essence? Human, are you using... forbidden art?"

Then, as if recalling something, its wide crimson eyes, filled with blood, suddenly locked onto Carl in disbelief.

The surprise he felt was so intense that he managed to ask even when enduring such torture.

However, unfortunately, Carl refused to respond at all.

Instead, he carefully channeled a faint trace of mana into his palm and applied it to the barbed needle, causing it to sizzle as if it were scorching hot.

"Aghh... don't don't... Ahhhh..."

The pain, momentarily forgotten due to the shock of someone using forbidden art, surged back again, making the demon cry out in agony.

It was already weakened by suffering, pressure, and battle, and now the sheer torment of having its blood essence forcibly extracted was unbearable.

So, after just a brief, gruesome cry, the demon began to visibly wither, collapsing onto the ground in continuous spasms.

But Carl remained indifferent throughout the process. After all, the one before him was a demon, not a human.

What mercy would he have?

Instead, he carefully used the barbed needle to draw the thick, pitch-black blood from the demon's body, then guided it into the Hexed Chalice with mana completely ignoring the demon that was howling in pain.

Since the entire process was delicate, he was intensely focused, unaware that the portal in the air had already closed and the eerie presence of the Abyss had begun to subside.

"Szzllll..."

The dense, dark blood extracted from the dying demon sizzled violently as it entered the Chalice as if trying to escape. However, something seemed to have restricted it, preventing any form of resistance.

And the demon, whose essence was extracted, was finally on the verge of death, as evident from his visibly wilting figure—just like the skeletal disappearances Ian had seen before.

Yet even in its final moments, it didn't forget to curse Carl.

"Humans, you should have never taken my essence..."

The demon glared at Carl with pure hatred one last time and snarled,

"My lord already knows of your use of forbidden art. You will suffer for it, human. You cannot escape his wrath! Not after daring to take my essence. You don't know what it means to steal the essence of a demon. You foolish..."
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It seemed it had poured all its remaining power into saying those words, its venomous voice cut off abruptly without finishing.

So, while staring at Carl with eyes filled with extreme loathing, its body finally crumbled into ashes.

And as if in response, the lingering darkness surrounding the ship, faintly flickered— as if acknowledging the demon's last words.

"Damn, this guy talks too much."

However, Carl paid no mind to such ominous signs.

Instead, his attention was entirely on the Hexed Chalice in his grasp, shimmering with the dark blood he had just extracted.

"With this blood essence, I can finally make that potion. Haha... no matter what happened, my plan worked in the end."

Carl was in high spirits, speaking aloud with joy. He didn't seem to mind killing the demon in such a way at all.

'Kid, don't take that demon's warning lightly. Just as it said, this art is forbidden for a reason. And being near the Abyss, it's highly likely that the lord it spoke of has already noticed you.'

However, Ruther, unwilling to let Carl get carried away, reminded him of a responsible teacher.

"Tch... I know, I know. Can't you let me enjoy this moment for once?"

Carl replied, irritated that his good mood had been interrupted.

Of course, he understood the demon wasn't bluffing in its final moments. Having a Sixth Ring Wizard's soul with him, he possessed knowledge that others at his level did not.

He knew something about the Abyss too.

But although he complained, he still heeded Ruther's advice, refraining from lingering any longer.

His joyful mood was already interrupted by this old man. So, he decided to store the blood essence and leave this place.

"Yeah, you should indeed enjoy it while you can. After all, time is running out."

However, just as he was about to store the Chalice inside his mana ring, an unexpected voice behind him made him suddenly freeze.

"Who?"

"Watch out!"

Before Carl could fully register his surprise, he suddenly felt a sharp object strike toward his neck, aiming to sever his head.

The attack was so fast and silent that even as the blade neared his throat, piercing his strong mana shield, he sensed nothing.

There wasn't even a trace of killing intent— as if the blade wasn't meant to behead him in the first place.

Fortunately for him, Ruther seemed to notice the attack earlier and immediately condensed a white beam, intercepting the fiery blade just in time.

Still, the counterattack couldn't completely stop the weapon and only managed to deflect it slightly, sparing Carl's neck at the cost of his shoulder.

"Aghh... Fuck..."

The blade was ruthless, meant to decapitate him completely— how could his shoulder possibly withstand it?

Without any suspense, Carl's entire arm— the one carrying the Hexed Chalice— was severed in an instant.

The sudden intense pain made Carl cry out involuntarily, much like the demon before him.

Well, it seemed retribution had come sooner than expected.

Although all of these might sound lengthy, everything from the sudden voice to the attack, Ruther's intervention, and Carl losing his arm happened in mere seconds with no time to react.

By the time the blade sliced through his limb, Carl was still struggling to comprehend what had just occurred.

"Well, let's not waste this, shall we?"

And just as Carl's severed hand was about to hit the ground, someone swiftly grabbed it— effortlessly taking the Hexed Chalice and removing the mana ring in the process.

It was done with such ease as if he had done it countless times before.

"Ian? Wh-Why is it you? H-How did you?"

Carl, of course, recognized Ian in front of him, who suddenly appeared and attacked, intending to kill him directly.

But he couldn't understand how Ian managed to do so.

Not to mention he was already a bona fide First-ring wizard, this place was still within the array engraved by him.

Even if he had been reckless and unaware of his surroundings, the array should have at least given him a warning.

Yet Ian seemed unaffected as if it wasn't there at all.

This sudden change and the sheer inconsistency of the situation made Carl even forget the pain of losing his arm.

Moreover, he was even more surprised at how Ian could effortlessly bypass his inherent mana shield and the protective amulet he was using. In fact, some of his protective treasures hadn't even reacted at all.

It wasn't without reason that he had lost his arm so easily.

'If not for Ruther...'

Carl thought while caressing his neck in dread—this was the first time he had come so close to death.

For the first time in his life, he felt fear—fear of Ian.

"Tch... tch... It really didn't react. I was stupid before."

However, Ian didn't care about the slightly fearful look on Carl's face, nor did he bother to answer his question.

Instead, he played around with his blade as if annoyed about something.

"Why do you want to kill me?"

But Carl was not someone easily swayed by emotion. He quickly gathered himself, took out a staff from his soul ring with his remaining arm, and prepared to fight while asking something he wanted to know.