Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Might of the Path of Darkness
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“You do it yourself. That whole darkness thing or whatever.”
With those words, Dershion furrowed his brow.
But only for a moment.
Soon enough, his face returned to its calm state, and he spoke softly.
“Right. That makes sense too. You’ve never truly felt the darkness, after all. Heh heh heh.”
Thud!
He slammed the ground while letting out that unpleasant laugh.
“Fine. I’ll show you myself. The immense power of one who walks the path of darkness!”
Whooooosh—!
In an instant, the surrounding demonic energy thickened.
And at the same time.
Crunch! Crunch! Cruuunch!
Dershion’s body began to twist grotesquely.
His skeleton expanded as if his bones were being realigned, two long horns sprouted from his forehead, and between his ribs on either side, something hideous and indescribable grew.
It looked almost like he had six arms.
Of course, I’d seen something similar before, but it felt a bit different from the transformation of that redhead, who was a kin of Valefor.
That guy had fully shifted from human to something entirely other, whereas Dershion seemed to maintain his original form while adding demonic features.
This was a first for me, but it wasn’t hard to guess the cause.
‘Baal’s power.’
It had to be related to the new ability Baal had gained.
I reached that conclusion and heightened my vigilance.
Unknown power meant unknown variables.
“…Yuhaness. You’ll soon be captivated by this power too. Uhahaha!”
Pleased with his new form, Dershion looked down at his palms and spoke.
His body even twitched as if he couldn’t contain the power.
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
The man who had pursued his desires to the end was now ruined like this.
Dershion Piguma, lord of the Aldeon Magic Tower, school of light magic.
“He wasn’t much to begin with…”
But now he was even more pathetic.
I didn’t want to see him degrade further.
“Let’s end this here.”
Whoooosh!
I resolved to put an end to his wretched life and drew up my mana.
Of course, despite my bold words, taking on Dershion alone was impossible.
As I gathered my mana, I glanced to the side.
‘Good.’
There was Elbert Tirani, meeting my eyes with a resolute nod.
His gaze seemed to say, ‘Ready whenever you are.’
Just having the knight commander by my side was reassuring.
Shing!
Crackle!
The moment I summoned a sword of light in my right hand, I cloaked my body in lightning transformation magic.
One thought filled my mind.
‘As safely as possible.’
Maintain a somewhat aggressive stance while prioritizing safety above all.
Dragging this out as long as we could hold was the top priority.
With that judgment.
Bang!
I shot forward.
My body reached right in front of Dershion in an instant.
Not as fast as when wrapped in light magic, but astonishing speed for a mage.
Dershion seemed surprised too.
“…Bursting in?”
He muttered in confusion.
A mage should always toy with foes from above.
That’s exactly what I was aiming for with this approach.
My sudden closeness wasn’t in Dershion’s calculations as a mage.
Swoooosh!
I swung the sword of light with a menacing whoosh.
This sword of light was another variable for him.
It was the first time I’d drawn it in front of him.
Back when I lived in the Aldeon Tower, I was close to a pure mage tree.
But my opponent was an 8th-circle mage enhanced by demonic power.
He wouldn’t go down easily.
Clang!
Dershion twisted the sword’s trajectory with a hand cloaked in demonic energy and let out a hearty laugh.
“Uhahaha! Most intriguing! Is this the path you’ve chosen, Yuhaness!”
This situation seemed purely amusing to Dershion.
“You won’t have time for that.”
The moment I said it.
Swoooosh!
Elbert, who had circled behind Dershion unnoticed, thrust his sword.
Even to me, boosted by [Former Owner of Sword Saint] in swordsmanship, it was a flawless stab.
“Eek!”
Tap—.
Dershion reacted with surprise and lightly kicked off the ground.
Mana and demonic energy responded at his feet, lifting his body lightly into the air.
Impressive reaction speed for an old man.
Was it the demonic power rejuvenating his body?
Slash!
Elbert’s sharp thrust pierced nothing but empty air, and Dershion’s counter followed immediately.
Rumble!
The hideous arms sprouting between his ribs morphed into spikes and extended.
I quickly widened the distance as the spike-arms barely missed stabbing the ground at my feet.
Thud, thump!
Just simple thrusts, but the power behind them was immense.
When he retracted them, deep craters scarred the earth.
Getting pierced by those would punch holes straight through.
Dershion’s assault didn’t end there.
As the arms extended, demonic energy erupted from his staff, forming a laser and firing.
His signature move I’d seen countless times in Aldeon.
Beam of light.
Well, hard to call that blackened thing a beam of light anymore.
Zing!
The pitch-black beam Dershion fired hurtled toward me and Elbert with piercing intent.
Elbert, prepared in advance, swung his sword diagonally to deflect it, while I—
Bang!
Fired a beam of light at the perfect timing to intercept Dershion’s.
The essence-infused beam of light clashed with the demonic one, scattering in midair.
Silence followed.
Dershion spoke first.
“…My disciple, you’ve grown so much.”
His gaze lingered on my right hand, laced with faint admiration.
“So that’s light infused with essence.”
Having craved it so desperately, the mythic light he faced for the first time must have fascinated him.
“Yes. Thanks to you, I’m using it quite well. Not sure how to thank you.”
“…Impressive.”
Despite my sarcastic tone, Dershion just said that and clamped his mouth shut.
His darkening expression.
It was clear he wasn’t in the mood for banter.
What emotion was he feeling?
Awe? Regret? Attachment? Or fear?
Whatever it was, I dismissed the thought quickly.
No matter the emotion, he couldn’t do anything more.
Those who accepted demonic power had to bear the consequences.
Wanted or not.
“Commander.”
“…Got it.”
Elbert understood my signal and charged at the dazed Dershion.
Even caught off guard, Dershion sensed the killing intent and reacted.
Clang!
Sword clashed against arm.
Elbert unleashed his aura, Dershion his mana and demonic energy.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As I’d hoped, Elbert relentlessly pressed Dershion without respite.
Without the demonic power, he might have overwhelmed the 8th-circle mage.
Proves he didn’t rise to commander on strategy and luck alone.
That admiration was brief; I closed my eyes and focused on gathering mana.
Crackle! Crisscrack!
The few remaining mana artifacts depleted into gray ash.
My mana amplified in an instant.
- Maximum mana increases by 50%.
- Casting time reduced by 30% for 1 minute.
- Next spell ignores 10% of resistance.
…(continued)…
The artifacts’ powers fueled my current spell.
I planned to pour everything into this one.
The spell was simple.
Ultra-large casting magic: Sword Aura of Light.
Like the ultra-large flash bomb, I’d practiced it madly with Perzon’s help, infused with light essence, but prioritizing destruction over incapacitation.
Boosted by [Former Owner of Sword Saint]’s effects too.
Thus.
Vrrrrm! Vrrrrm!
The sword of light in my hand vibrated violently, on the verge of bursting.
Feeling the limit, I shouted at full force and swung.
“Get back!”
Whoosh—!
Then.
Swoooooosh!
The condensed mana in the sword released in a crescent shape.
Aura Blade, as used by aura masters.
My version of it.
My zombie swordsman used it often, so completion was high.
Flash!
Elbert, waiting for my word, instantly retreated.
“…!!”
Dershion, focused solely on Elbert, whipped around and slammed the ground.
Mana and demonic energy erupted where Elbert had stood.
Boom!
Different in form, but same essence.
[Veil of Light], often used by Aldeon elders.
Soon, the sword aura collided with the veil in a massive roar and shockwave.
Rumble……
Even from afar, the impact pushed me back slightly.
I braced myself desperately, eyes fixed on the scene.
Gulp.
Dry swallow.
Having poured everything in, expectations were inevitable.
But disappointingly.
Fizzle.
My sword aura failed to pierce the veil and dissipated in the air.
“…Tch.”
Disappointing, but not really.
It was greed to expect more.
Just reconfirmed Dershion’s position.
Still, it flustered him enough.
“…”
His expression hardened, utterly different from before.
No need to ask; that attack had been threatening.
Dershion, pausing, slowly spoke.
“…One last question. Will you truly not join me?”
Some question.
“No need, is there? Honestly, underwhelming if that’s all.”
“…I see.”
Showing regret in his eyes, Dershion reset his stance.
At the same time, two hazy figures formed at his sides.
Tssst!
They soon took familiar shapes, making both me and Elbert flinch.
Three figures now radiating Dershion’s aura.
“…Can mages even do that?”
Elbert, now at my side, asked. I nodded once.
“If the main attribute is light, yes.”
What Dershion deployed was advanced light attribute magic.
Simply put, using light to create perfect clones of himself.
Of course, called clones, but mere illusions for distraction—no real effect.
However.
“…Not like that, though.”
Dershion’s version was on another level.
Step, step, step…
The two clones approached us slowly.
They moved as if truly alive.
Our numerical advantage flipped in an instant.