Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Chapter 28: The Legend's Return (5)
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6
As soon as Azel broke free from Reygers and went on a rampage, the tide of battle shifted dramatically.
Before heading off to rescue Laura, Azel had already swept through the area where his comrades were fighting, inflicting massive damage on the enemy. Kairen, Leticia, and Yuren were holding their own against the Guardian Shadows, but when Azel launched his sudden assault, the Dragon Demon Worshippers collapsed like rotten straw bales.
But that didn't last long.
Roooooooar...!
In an instant, every eye on the battlefield turned to one spot.
Something beyond all common sense was unfolding before them.
Balsel, covered in dirt and blocking Reygers' path, cried out in shock.
"His mana force is turning into dragon demon power...!"
It was just as he said. Reygers' mana force was transforming into dragon demon power.
It was impossible. Dragon demon power was the strength of the living. Even Reygers, a First-Gen Dragonkin, had lost his dragon demon power upon becoming Undying.
Right before Balsel's astonished eyes, Reygers' armor began to change. The ominous black armor bleached white, just like the Seal of Soul Shackles. The helmet, which had been open to reveal a skull, closed with a mask that transformed into something like a dragon's head.
[Huuuuuuh...!]
Reygers exhaled a long breath from inside the helmet. He was already dead, so it was just a sound, but black energy flowed out in response, as if echoing it.
[If you'd taken me down before I reached this point, I might've praised you. But you fell short, didn't you? So, what now?]
Reygers' mana force had swelled enormously as preparation for this transformation. It had taken time to reach its peak and complete the change.
Balsel, the natural enemy of the Undying, had given him some trouble in the meantime, but that was the end of it. Balsel broke out in a cold sweat.
"...This is absurd."
Amazingly, Balsel's eye powers had no effect on the transformed Reygers. His shrunken power surged violently, bringing an overwhelming pressure. At this moment, Reygers' dragon demon power surpassed even that of his living days.
[Now it's time to clean up!]
Reygers leaped forward, unleashing his dragon demon power. A gust of wind followed his trajectory.
Boom!
Rho blocked his path, but it was futile. Reygers struck Rho's torso faster than he could react, then brought down the Seal of Soul Shackles.
[Kaaaah...!]
Rho screamed.
As an Undying, he rarely felt pain. But Reygers' weapon was the dragon demon armament Seal of Soul Shackles, which crushed souls as its name implied. The torso hit was mere physical damage, but the direct strike from the Seal of Soul Shackles brought a shock and agony as if his soul was being torn to shreds.
Boom boom boom boom!
Reygers was then struck by lightning from the Undying sorcerer Pai. He hadn't recovered his hammer from crushing Rho, so he took it head-on and was pushed back.
But only for a moment. Soon, blue flames erupted from Reygers' body. The blue flames, devoid of physical heat, repelled the magical lightning. He already had powerful protective mana force, but these blue flames neutralized magic.
Boom!
The next instant, an explosion rang out as half of Pai's body shattered and flew apart. As Reygers charged, Pai had focused on defensive spells and retreated. But Reygers overpowered it with the blue flames and pressed forward.
[Kraaah...!]
Pai, too, was engulfed in agony he'd never felt since becoming Undying. Yet with his unbroken arm, he pointed at Reygers.
Boom!
Lightning exploded from Reygers' head, sending him flying. Reygers crashed hard into the ground but quickly righted himself and laughed.
[Kuhahaha! You've got some real grit! Most Undying forget what pain even is and lose their minds at the slightest hurt!]
[You boar-headed bastard...!]
Pai ground his teeth. Pure physical damage would've let him regenerate quickly, no matter how badly shattered. But the Seal of Soul Shackles had damaged his spirit body, slowing his recovery.
Reygers laughed cheerfully.
[I hear that a lot. Time to head back to your graves, you whelps.]
[We're the seniors among Undying, you thunderhead.]
Rho barely stood, snapping back.
From behind them, Balsel spoke.
"Pai, Rho."
[What?]
The Undying sorcerer Rho replied without turning.
"I'm sorry. Please die."
[We're already dead bodies—what's that supposed to mean?]
[Same difference whether we go out one way or another. Do what you want.]
Pai grumbled as he rose.
Reygers watched them with interest. Balsel didn't ask why. They were doing exactly as he said.
If the enemy was about to pull out a trump card, he would wait, even if it put him at risk.
Balsel's eyes glowed. The light transferred to Pai and Rho.
[Uwaaaaaah!]
Pai and Rho screamed in torment. Their bodies rapidly regenerated as their mana force exploded outward.
Reygers' eyes gleamed.
[Hoh! A desperate last resort, eh?]
Just as he said. Their mana force more than doubled, but that was it. The backlash would erase them.
Even so, they couldn't last long against Reygers now.
7
-Are you throwing your comrades to their deaths and running away alone?
Balsel, sprinting at full speed, heard Azel's angry voice and gave a wry smile.
It was true. He had overclocked Pai and Rho, offering them as sacrifices to Reygers, and fled alone. By the time he escaped the battlefield, they were already on the brink of destruction.
Balsel answered.
"I'll follow soon enough. But I can't die now. Not when... I must eliminate even the slightest chance of my death by hiding."
-What nonsense is that?
"You'll see soon enough, Hero Azel Karzark."
With that, Balsel's presence vanished. Azel ground his teeth, watching him disappear like a ghost.
Before him, heavy footsteps echoed.
Thud!
The earth shook. Dust clouds parted, revealing Reygers' pure white colossal form approaching.
Beside him lay Pai and Rho, both finished. No signs of consciousness remained. Soon their mana force would dissipate, and even their bones would crumble to dust.
[Hmm. I was furious earlier, but now I should thank them.]
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
[Thanks to those guys as perfect warm-ups, I can face you again at full strength.]
"Don't you care that you're the only one left?"
Indeed. Balsel and the two Undying had only stalled Reygers briefly, but in that time, the battle's outcome was decided. Azel's rampage had cornered the Dragon Demon Worshippers completely.
Reygers looked around.
[Well, well. Same as ever.]
Even in the Dragon Emperor War, Reygers ignored the overall situation, berserking like a mad warrior. His fighting style was like a localized storm, so allies avoided fighting alongside him, and commanders planned tactics with that in mind.
In other words, he was used to allies being on the verge of defeat while he rampaged alone. He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
[Guess I gotta hold out till reinforcements arrive.]
"I'll end it before then."
[Music to my ears.]
With Reygers' cheerful laughter echoing from his helmet, the two legendary titans clashed once more.
8
The Undying do not tire. They are unbound by structural limits like joint movement. And all abilities rise simply with increased mana force.
Yet Reygers as Undying was weaker than in life due to a fatal flaw.
He had lost his dragon demon power.
Even with equal mana force, losing dragon demon power was a massive loss for a Dragon Spirit Art user like Reygers. No matter his mastery or adaptation to his Undying form, limits remained.
Now, having regained dragon demon power by some incomprehensible method, Reygers was stronger than ever. Azel realized it from their first clash.
Azel had been pushing beyond his limits from the start. No matter how superb his control, he couldn't eliminate the backlash entirely. As time passed, the strain on his body slowed him down.
Reygers felt no such burden. In fact, his transformation had made him far stronger than at the beginning.
"Urk!"
Azel groaned and retreated after endlessly multiplying clones to press Reygers. Reygers pursued with Flash Step, swinging the Seal of Soul Shackles at terrifying speed.
Thwack!
Azel, stance half-collapsed, couldn't block it. But in that instant, the dragon demon sword flashed in, striking the Seal from the side. And...
Boom! Kwa-boom!
Azel's clones hammered the off-balance Reygers repeatedly. Each strike mobilized all mana force in the clones, yet Reygers took no serious damage. He merely staggered back, armor intact.
It continued like this.
Purely in terms of exchanges, Azel dominated. He hadn't taken a single clean hit. Reygers, meanwhile, had been battered countless times.
Reygers' skill wasn't lacking. His tank-like style seemed crude, but the techniques and instincts underpinning it were top-class. Above all, without his robust living body, maintaining that style would've been impossible.
Yet it paled before Azel's skill. No matter the engagement, Azel twisted his defenses, exposed openings, and landed strikes—repeating endlessly.
But skill alone doesn't decide battles.
[What a shame. You're stronger than before, but still weaker overall?]
"Talk about living it up while getting pummeled."
Azel glared, bluffing.
Compared to the Dragon Emperor War—specifically before Reygers' death—Azel's skill and instincts had improved vastly. His Heaven-Cleaving Sword had evolved into a far superior dragon demon armament.
Yet back then, Azel was sturdier.
His physical prowess and mana vessel were greater. Now, even pushing his mana to similar peaks under strain, it fell short. Above all, his dragon demon power's lower density weakened technique potency.
Reygers regretted it. His most enjoyable foe since awakening in this era, yet not at full strength?
Suddenly, Azel stopped with a ridiculous expression. Reygers had halted his assault and spoken.