Frieren: Attribute Hero Chapter 42: The Bloody God of War, Rivale

Upon learning that demons were heading toward the abandoned mine, Frieren's expression turned serious.

She activated a wide scan of [Mana Detection] again, but still found nothing.

That alone gave rise to a very unsettling suspicion.

Demons were inherently arrogant. They never bothered to hide their strength—if anything, they flaunted it, like peacocks spreading their tails, eager for others to witness the magnitude of their magic.

So why would this demon deliberately conceal its mana?

And to such a flawless degree?

There had to be a deeper purpose behind it…

"Can you determine their numbers?" Frieren asked.

Shane shook his head.

When he had used [Nurical Mirroring] on the magic wolf earlier, he could only rely on its keen sense of sll to detect the distinct "stench" of demons. As for how many there were—sll alone couldn't tell.

"The fact they're here makes it hard not to suspect they're also searching for the dwarven Steel Civilization ruins."

"Mm, very likely," Frieren agreed.

They didn't waste any more ti and imdiately rushed toward the eastern mining site.

No matter who the enemy was, they couldn't allow the dwarven ruins to fall into the hands of demons.

Along the way, they kept spotting scattered bloodstains across the forest. They didn't even need [Tracking Magic] to follow the trail.

An unpleasant image kept surfacing in Shane's mind—a demon walking along, casually "feeding" as it went.

The thought made him nauseous.

Frieren noticed his pale expression.

It was his first ti facing the reality of demons devouring humans. It was only natural that he felt shaken. The fact that he hadn't thrown up already ant his ntal fortitude surpassed that of most adventurers. This wasn't sothing anyone could fix for him—it had to be overco through sheer will.

The direction the demons were heading matched exactly with the route they had deciphered from the coded text.

The deeper they pursued, the more uneasy they beca.

Before long, the scenery around them began to change. The lush greenery faded, replaced by black rocks, and the ground grew increasingly rugged.

They arrived at a hill covered entirely in dark stone.

It wasn't particularly tall, but its surface was exposed with weathered ore. Around it were remnants of abandoned wooden structures and discarded debris.

The entire hill was eerily silent—not even a hint of wind stirred.

Frieren activated [Mana Detection] once more.

Still nothing.

Shane felt a surge of anxiety. Had they already entered the ruins?

They circled the hill, climbing step by step, carefully examining every rock and crevice, searching for an entrance or any trace of the ruins.

But after a thorough search, they found nothing—no cave entrance, no stone door, not even a single abandoned mineshaft. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary open-air mining site.

Shane's frown deepened.

Sothing was wrong. Very wrong.

The coded text couldn't be mistaken. This had to be Blackrock Mountain.

But where were the ruins?

"Maybe they're hidden?"

"In ancient ruins from before the Unified Empire, that's quite common."

"Powerful mages would sotis conceal entire ruins. Those who co later must use a specific thod to reveal them."

As Frieren explained, Shane fell into thought.

A specific thod…

A ridiculous idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Don't tell … you need a dwarven warrior to split the mountain open?

Just then—

A howling gust of wind rushed toward him.

From the corner of his eye, Shane caught a fleeting flash of sharp silver.

But it was too fast.

His brain couldn't react at all.

The gleaming strike carried a chilling intent as it cleaved straight toward his head.

"Shane!"

Clang!

A jarring impact rang out.

Shane felt like his skull was about to split open. He staggered backward several steps, barely managing to steady himself as dizziness overwheld him.

Before him, a towering figure suddenly appeared.

The figure was massive and muscular, with a pair of sharp horns atop his head. His hair hung loose, and his face was twisted into an excited grin. In his hand, he held a dwarven battle axe—the very weapon that had just struck Shane.

"The last ti soone blocked my attack was decades ago. How nostalgic."

Suppressing the intense pain in his head, Shane stared at the arrogant, crazed figure before him.

A na slowly surfaced in his mind.

A na that sent a chill down his spine.

The Bloody God of War, Rivale.

A demon general—and the strongest warrior among demons.

He had once fought against Eisen of the Hero's party, their strength nearly equal.

In the original story, he had even massacred Stark's "Warrior Village," leaving the young Stark an orphan.

Why was soone like him here?

There was no ti to think…

[Iron Head (White/Common)]: Greatly increases physical defense of the head.

Thanks to this attribute he had stripped from a dwarven helt, he had managed to survive Rivale's ambush in such a desperate mont.

Whether it was his [Great Luck] at work or not, he had just narrowly escaped death.

Frieren rushed to Shane's side, her guard fully raised.

She hadn't even been able to react to Rivale's ambush. From sensing his presence to witnessing Shane being attacked—it all happened in an instant.

Her entire body tensed.

The oppressive pressure from a top-tier warrior made her acutely aware of the threat to her life.

She couldn't afford to wait passively.

"Shane, be careful. He's strong."

Hearing her words, Rivale burst into laughter, baring his teeth, clearly in high spirits.

"I am the Great Demon Rivale—a warrior. Of course I'm strong."

"By your human standards, I suppose I'd be called a 'General.' But I couldn't care less about such aningless titles."

"A warrior's na should be defined by victory."

"Kid, you're not bad. Tell your na. After you die, I'll rember it well."

Shane didn't respond.

Or rather, he wasn't even listening.

His mind was racing.

Frieren was a mage. As long as Rivale didn't get close, she should be able to escape.

His [Nurical Mirroring] was still on cooldown.

Damn it… he shouldn't have used it so carelessly earlier.

[Iron Head] was still active, but even if it could block the axe, he'd probably die from the pain anyway.

What other ans did he have to survive…?

What should he do?

Think. Think!

Fight?

Or run?