The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 92

Chapter 93
The Shadow Demon’s Utter Devotion
Eivass had been prepared long ago.
He was not actually disabled. At this distance, the Deformed Demon, acting on instinct, would prioritize attacking him.
It was virtually impossible for him to hit the Deformed Demon—with its reflexes, it could easily dodge even a gunshot. How could Eivass, who had never studied swordsmanship, possibly land a hit?
The Deformed Demon was immune to curses, so the “Gout Curse” enchanted on the “Noble Red” ring was useless against it; it was largely immune to commands, and too fast for a Law Master to tag; it was also immune to petrification, so Madam Maya’s Amber Fire was ineffective.
But even without revealing the Shadow Demon, Eivass had already figured out how to deal with it.
As he made his decision, a golden-red radiance ignited in his pupils, and he gently placed his left hand on the Holy Sword.
Isabel, hiding in the corner, saw this and her pupils contracted sharply.
—It really is Mr. Fox!
She subconsciously reached out her right hand, and the words were about to escape her lips—
But in the next moment, Isabel’s mind went blank.
Eivass, sitting in his wheelchair, was pierced through the chest by the Deformed Demon, which had reshaped itself, its right arm becoming extremely long and narrow!
His wheelchair rolled back rapidly, crashing into Lily and bouncing back. Lily, caught off guard, was directly sent flying by the wheelchair, but what truly paralyzed her was what she saw… the claws piercing out from Eivass’s back.
But Eivass did not die.
Because long before he was attacked, he had already used the flames on his Holy Sword as a medium to start using the “Fire Worship” technique!
Therefore, the moment he was attacked by the Deformed Demon, he had already recovered from some of the injuries.
Bishop Maya immediately recognized it—this was a technique mastered by combat-proficient priests, pre-emptive healing!
Before teammates or oneself gets injured, prepare the healing in advance—complete the healing the moment damage is received, thereby minimizing the impact of the blow. One would not faint from the shock or stop thinking due to intense pain. Visually, it would appear as if the attack was endured.
This technique required no special training, only the ability to predict the enemy’s actions.
And Eivass understood the Deformed Demon far too well—he had even used a Deformed Demon’s body during an Advancement Ritual. The Demon Scholar who contracted the Deformed Demon was not as proficient with it as Eivass.
When he realized that after slicing down the Deformed Demon’s substitute, he would inevitably endure one attack from the Deformed Demon’s main body, he decided to use his own body as a trap to lure it into attacking.
This subconscious act simultaneously adhered to the principles of the Transcendence and Devotion Paths. Eivass felt the Path Power pouring into his body incessantly, strengthening his perception, willpower, and life force.
After enduring the inevitable hit with pre-emptive healing and remaining conscious, just as he had hoped, Eivass knew he had already won—
He immediately pressed his left hand, which had been cut by the Holy Sword, onto the Deformed Demon’s arm. Just touching the blade had sliced his palm open, spilling blood. He, who was using the Fire Worship technique, would not have his wound cauterized by the flames, thus preventing it from healing.
Just like everyone else whose chest was pierced by the Deformed Demon, desperately holding their wound and the Deformed Demon’s arm, hoping it wouldn’t be pulled out. But it was ultimately a futile hope.
Only Eivass was different.
The moment his injured, bleeding left hand grasped the Deformed Demon’s arm, the demon’s aggressiveness sharply decreased.
It was the “Art of Pasturing” aura, stimulated by burning oneself with holy fire!
Although Eivass’s dual Path depths were currently unbalanced, preventing him from correctly guiding the Art of Pasturing. However, the aura of his sanctified flesh and blood was like honey to a Phantom Demon—the Deformed Demon, with its particularly weak intellect and instinct-driven actions, was unable to distinguish it.
Realizing that this human was not an enemy but a shepherd who bestowed power and flesh, its hatred for healthy individuals and its instinctual desire for advancement clashed briefly.
The Deformed Demon’s mind glitched for a moment, freezing in place.
However, the Art of Pasturing was not completed—and even if it were, it was impossible to directly control a powerful Deformed Demon. This only managed to stun it for a moment.
And while it hesitated, Eivass did not hesitate to swing his Holy Sword again, easily severing its second arm!
The Deformed Demon let out a shrill and furious roar—the pain finally brought it back to its senses, no longer hesitating about attacking Eivass. Each limb was a part of its power and essence, and could be considered its life. Even decapitating it would not stop it; only by destroying its six limbs could it be temporarily dispersed.
But the time Eivass had bought was enough.
“—Demon!!”
As the Deformed Demon writhed on the ground in pain, Gordon, who had just caught his breath, roared and charged, slamming into the demon with his shoulder, sending it diagonally away from Eivass!
Only a few seconds had passed since Bishop Maya issued her warning.
Edward had chosen to believe her. Because Eivass’s situation was not optimistic.
Edward, standing on the first floor, immediately drew his pistol from his waist and aimed it from afar at the middle-aged man on the second floor, who was bound like luggage with chains.
Seeing him draw his gun from such a distance, someone nearby panicked, “Chief Inspector Edward…”
“—Shut up,” Edward responded coldly.
He didn’t want to hear what the person beside him intended to say, nor did he even have the thought of looking back.
“The law grants me the right to execute.”
Edward murmured softly and then pulled the trigger.
A beam of silver radiance shot from the muzzle, instantly engulfing the middle-aged man’s head!
There was no splattering of blood, nor scattered bones and flesh. When the light dissipated, the man’s head looked intact, save for a thumb-sized black dot in the center of his forehead.
This was because his soul had been shattered. This ensured that the man had no means of emergency escape or reincarnation.
The instant the man was killed, large patches of flowing black runes suddenly appeared on the Deformed Demon’s unnaturally pale skin.
They flowed from its chest to its limbs, and the gathered black runes turned into nothingness. The Deformed Demon thus began to break down and disappear from its extremities. The arm that had been inserted into Eivass’s chest also suddenly disintegrated and vanished. Eivass, who had been continuously using the Fire Worship technique, immediately used a large amount of Mana to heal the wound.
The Deformed Demon stared at Eivass, letting out a roar of unclear meaning.
It suddenly erupted with immense strength—even though the Deformed Demon had been weakened by Eivass in two rounds, its suicidal, frenzied attack instantly plunged the aging Gordon into a state of crisis.
—For some reason, it seemed to be risking everything to get close to Eivass.
Gordon’s armor, which had once shone with brilliant silver light, was now tattered, dim, and covered in dents. But he still stood firmly in front of Eivass, steadfastly containing the Deformed Demon’s attacks.
The enraged Deformed Demon realized it could not break through here, so it attacked Gordon with all its might. Its limbs already dissolving into nothingness, it lashed Gordon wildly with its arm, which had transformed into a whip, and Gordon’s helmet had been knocked off long ago.
“Gordon, get out of the way!”
Seeing Gordon about to fall into critical condition, Eivass’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Gordon’s back was to Eivass, and he could see nothing. His vision was completely covered in blood, his brain buzzed from repeated blows, and the world was spinning. It was only thanks to the Path Power strengthening his body that his head did not explode.
But he still subconsciously chose to obey Eivass’s command.
Perhaps it was because he hadn’t called him “Chief” or “Mister,” which, to the somewhat blurred Gordon, brought back memories of being ordered around by a superior officer in the army…
He desperately parried the attack, raising his blood-soaked, damaged sword in front of him, maintaining his gaze on the Deformed Demon, and sidestepped backward.
In just an instant—from his side and rear, a scorching flame whistled past.
Although Gordon was wearing armor, the sweat on the back of his neck, exuded from the intense battle, was almost instantly half-dried. The hot wind blew against his right ear, making the ear canal feel like it was burning.
It was a golden sword energy, shaped like a crescent moon.
It shone with brilliant radiance, with the air around it distorting. Only the tail end had a faint red glow.
—This was the decisive blow, unleashing all the Mana infused into the Holy Sword at once.
Normally, it would be impossible to hit the Deformed Demon with this. But now, with most of its limbs already gone, it could no longer reshape its body and could not dodge… It was pierced completely through the middle, and what burst out was not even blood, but a large number of scattering sparks.
The Deformed Demon’s remaining few arms were finally completely burned away by the holy fire as it was about to be driven away.
And the remaining portion of the firelight, which had lost its crescent shape, struck the demonic wall covered in tentacles.
But even so, the “Exorcise” characteristic of a Holy Weapon had already inflicted immense damage on the demonic wall. The moment the holy fire touched the demonic wall, it spread out in all directions like fire burning a spider web. With a whoosh, the grotesque flesh tentacles covering the entire club instantly turned to ash from that point, creating a visually shocking spectacle.
Under the gaze of everyone, illuminated by the setting sun outside the window, the red-hilted sword in Eivass’s hand, its flames extinguished, gradually faded and dissipated, transforming into a giant, deep red key.
His chest pierced completely by the demon, his clerical robes stained with blood, Eivass’s injuries had largely recovered through the Fire Worship technique.
The new Holy Sword emblem on Eivass’s chest was stained red by his own blood. A large red patch also marred the front of his clerical robe, with a visible circular hole revealing the new, clean skin beneath, recently restored through the Fire Worship technique.
But no one laughed at Eivass. Everyone looked at the eighteen-year-old youth in the wheelchair with respect.
Even Eivass’s voice at this moment sounded so majestic:
“The demon has been expelled! Everyone, there’s no need to panic. Please remain in your positions and do not push!
“Let the priests tend to the injured first—they can still be saved!”
The crowd, which had been in chaos moments before, instinctively chose to obey Eivass’s command.
Lily, still staggering slightly, swayed over and said softly, “I’m sorry, Eivass… I couldn’t help you at all…”
In the face of this sudden impact, for the first time, she felt her own weakness.
Before this, she had not paid much attention to Extraordinary Power. In her eyes, it was merely “power for fighting,” and she disliked conflict. But now, Lily for the first time strongly yearned for strength—at least next time Eivass encountered an attack, she wouldn’t be so powerless.
“It’s alright, Lily.”
Eivass looked at the glasses on Lily’s face and said softly, “There will always be opportunities… Do you need treatment?”
“Let’s give it to those who need it more. I was just knocked over, but many people were directly pierced by the demon…”
Lily shook her head, letting out a soft hiss while holding her abdomen.
At this moment, Eivass finally received the belated notification:
[Expelled Deformed Demon, gained 210 Free Experience]
—A colossal amount of experience, more than ten times that of Veronica!
He roughly estimated that this free experience would be enough to raise a profession directly from level 10 to 19!
Having successfully secured the kill, Eivass’s lips curved slightly into a satisfied smile.
It was worth being impaled by it, Eivass thought.
Oh, speaking of Phantom Demons…
At this moment, Eivass suddenly remembered that he still had an audience beneath him.
Why was there no reaction? Was it stunned?
“How is it, Shadow Demon?”
So Eivass spoke first, asking in his mind, “Are you satisfied?”
[…Utterly devoted, my respected Master.]
The Shadow Demon remained silent for a long time before responding with a calm, feminine voice.
Its reply was brief, but its attitude had clearly changed.
Its husky voice, with a sandy texture, became even softer, indicating its increasing deference to Eivass. It was like a cat’s meow, becoming much more modulated than usual when trying to please its owner.
Eivass smiled in satisfaction, raised his head to look at the setting sun outside the window, and breathed a sigh of relief.
At this precise moment, Eivass, Lily, and Gordon stopped exactly where they were when they received their awards.
Gordon’s knight armor was tattered, his helmet had flown off somewhere, and his Sword of Honor had a noticeable chip; Eivass also bore the mark of being pierced through the chest, and the blood-stained Holy Sword emblem on his chest shone under the setting sun. Lily was also not in good condition, but she still stood loyally behind Eivass, resting her hand on his somewhat deformed wheelchair.
The reporter who had first discovered the demon and frantically photographed it saw this scene and, to his surprise, discovered he still had some unexposed film left.
—So the reporter pressed his shutter again, capturing this scene as well, fixing it in time.
A large update of nearly 8,000 characters!