Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: He Who Seeks Fate (5)
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"Hmm. What is this? Can they send their gaze out this far?"
He had advanced nearly five kilometers at a fairly rapid pace, yet he still hadn't reached the opponent's location. It surpassed Kairen's common sense in terms of observation range.
Azel spoke.
"They're using relay-type magic eyes."
"Relay-type?"
"It's a method only advanced high-ranking mages can employ. It demands exceptional mana force and technique on both fronts."
A mage could only send a magic eye out a few hundred meters at most. That was why they secured visibility by looking down from the sky, but even that had its limits.
Relay-type magic eyes were a spell that overcame those limitations. By implanting magical markers nearby to sustain magic eyes over long distances, the image captured by the farthest magic eye was received by a closer one and relayed to the next, allowing observation over vast distances.
*It's the first time I've seen it since awakening.*
It was a spell commonly used during the Dragon Emperor War, but this was the first time since his awakening. Azel felt a strange sensation wash over him.
"At this rate, we won't escape their eyes... so let's change tactics."
"How?"
"Well..."
Moments later, Azel and Kairen began racing forward at terrifying speeds.
At the same time, Azel's figures appeared in various spots throughout the forest. As the clones he manifested revealed their presence, his main body slipped into the tree shadows unseen by the magic eyes and vanished with stealth techniques the instant he entered.
He then accelerated even further, surging ahead of the clones. Though the clones moved at sufficient speeds themselves, Azel's pace—advancing in utter silence—permitted no comparison. He aimed to exploit the moment the enemy grew complacent, assuming the distance remained, and seize them in one stroke.
But that plan crumbled completely due to the events that unfolded next.
*The gazes have vanished?*
The magic eyes scattered everywhere disappeared. It was as if they had abandoned observation altogether.
Kwaaaang...!
From the distance, an explosion roared, and flames erupted, illuminating the darkening surroundings.
8
Niberis walked through the ruins of the fallen castle. As the sun set and darkness enveloped the area, an even deeper shadow rippled around her body, wrapping it like long, ink-black hair waving in the wind.
"While reading the records about you... I had one question I wanted to ask."
Power filled her entire body. As a mage, Niberis's origin was darkness. Her strength grew even greater as the sun set and night arrived.
"But before I could ask that, another question arose that I want to pose."
"Will you... spare me if I answer...?"
The strained voice that replied belonged to Yuren.
Niberis asked.
"Do you expect that?"
"No. But isn't that the usual line in situations like this?"
"I have no intention of lowering my own stature by lying just to deal with the likes of you."
"Wow... truly... the pride befitting a direct descendant of the Dragon Demon King..."
"I'll ask. Why did you flee to this sinful land?"
"Calling it that... is quite grating too. Why is this land... a sinful one...?"
Yuren chuckled. Niberis furrowed her brow.
"You're not asking out of ignorance, are you? What intent do you have in coming to the land of the great sinner, Azel Karzark?"
They were in the Karzark Marquessate. This ruined castle was none other than the heart of it, the Karzark Marquisate itself.
Niberis continued.
"Did you think you'd evade pursuit by entering the dragons' domain? You don't strike me as that foolish..."
The Karzark Marquessate had been designated a Demonic Realm not simply because of the abundance of magical beasts. Seven of the thirteen dragons that destroyed it still resided there. That was why the Vizess Kingdom had no choice but to abandon such vast, fertile territory.
Yuren said.
"Knowledge... comes at a price... Wouldn't a mage... know that much common sense...?"
"Our question-and-answer session has broken down. Very well. If you're so eager for a swift end..."
The darkness enveloping Niberis's body began to rise like eerie flames. At the same time, intense mana force waves emanated from Yuren's body, which had barely managed to stand.
Suddenly, he spoke.
"...This won't be the end I reach. No, let me rephrase. This isn't it."
"What?"
Niberis was startled. Yuren's corpse-like state was changing rapidly. Strength entered his voice, and vitality surged through his body.
*Regeneration? No, he wouldn't have held it back until now if he had such an ability. Then how... Hm?'
Soon, she noticed Yuren's condition. And she grew even more shocked.
"Summoning a demon into your own body... Are you sane?"
Black smoke gathered behind Yuren, forming a certain shape. It resembled a human silhouette grotesquely distorted. At the same time, an evil aura spread that choked the breath just from contact.
Even Niberis, who toyed with life and souls through black magic, trembled at the depth of malice in this aura. It harbored such immense hatred for all things that it seemed to desire the destruction of the entire world.
That was a demon.
An existence even black mages hesitated to approach, yet one they had to meet to attain the secrets of black magic. Unless under specific conditions, they couldn't even transmit their voices to the world—formless beings. Little was known about them, but it was clear they were filled with wickedness and hatred, possessing knowledge of unknown origins.
"Pathetic."
His brown hair whipped about, and beneath it, Yuren's pale blue eyes turned red.
"For a Dragonkin to show repulsion at a demon—it's nonsense. Dragonkin are born from the fusion of dragons and demons, so demons are your fathers and mothers as well."
Indeed. Dragons craving wisdom and demons craving form fused to birth Dragonkin. After the first Dragonkin, Atein, was born, countless first-generation Dragonkin followed, and perhaps even now, such births occurred somewhere in the world.
Niberis glared at Yuren.
"True enough. But the great Dragon Demon King once said: Demons may be our fathers, but not all fathers deserve respect and love."
"But you wanted to exploit them. Even now, you toss test subjects to demons to gain more knowledge and birth monsters, yet you spout such words?"
Contacting a demon was akin to crawling into the swamp of ruin. Ordinary humans couldn't withstand the terrifying malice and hatred upon contact and went mad. Even prepared mages, seeking knowledge and wisdom from demons, often found their minds corrupted unbeknownst, repeating unbelievable follies until their downfall.
Demons loved powerful souls. They took supreme pleasure in corrupting and destroying those who endured the malice and hatred they naturally emitted upon being summoned, finally devouring their souls as sustenance.
Yet it was true that invaluable knowledge could be gained in the process. Thus, Dragon Demon Worshippers "raised" humans and Dragon Demon Hybrids as expendable fodder for dealings with demons.
Yuren said.
"This is the monster you created... though I wasn't exactly raised as a test subject. Whatever. The thought of killing a direct descendant of the Dragon Demon King is thrilling enough."
Yuren had summoned a demon and was drawing power from it. An act that could drive him mad instantly, yet astonishingly, he succeeded in converting the demon's power into his own mana force and controlling it.
Niberis's expression turned icy.
"You overstep your bounds."
Kwa-gwang!
An explosion rang out, forcing Yuren and Niberis each to retreat a step.
The ruined castle shook, dust falling from the ceiling. They glided across the floor, engaging in dazzling magical exchanges.
Pat! Pa-pat! Pa-pa-pa-pat!
They unleashed attacks fueled by immense mana force, each capable of slaying the opponent a thousand or ten thousand times. Yet between them, only the air trembled or faint sparks flew.
But this was the phenomenon of advanced magical combat. They severed each other's spells before they could manifest.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
Finally, an explosion punched a hole in the wall. Yuren and Niberis burst out of the castle ruins.
Niberis coolly assessed Yuren's power.
*In terms of mana force alone, he surpasses me.*
Incredibly, Yuren's mana force exceeded that of her, a direct descendant of the Dragon Demon King. Even accounting for Dragon Demon energy's superior magical efficiency over mana force.
*And technically, we're evenly matched. For a young human to be this capable...*
Precisely, Yuren held the edge in finely controlling small forces, while Niberis excelled in manipulating larger forces over wide areas.
By this alone, it seemed Niberis should be at a disadvantage, but in reality, they were evenly matched. Yuren's condition was unstable.
"Urk...!"
Yuren groaned. Indeed, his technique held superiority in small ranges. Building on that steadily could dominate the overall battle.
But at times, his mana force control faltered. Because of the demon.
Summoning a demon for power in the first place was absurd. Merely accomplishing it without going mad deserved praise, but it inevitably gnawed at him continuously.
Niberis smiled coldly.
"Arrogant to rely on a power you can't fully control... You're disqualified as a mage."
"Can't deny that, and it's regrettable. But still, direct descendant of the Dragon Demon King—you die here."
Ooooooo!
At the same time, the demon's form looming behind Yuren doubled in size. The vastly amplified evil mana force swallowed Niberis's darkness and surged forward.
"Throwing a desperate gamble even if it hastens your doom?"
Yuren increased the burden devouring himself to draw greater power. Its might was immense, but in response, Niberis could focus on defense, endure, and watch him self-destruct.
"Seems I must show the likes of you what it means to be on a different level. Foolish rebel."
Niberis's eyes gleamed. The darkness swirling around her spiraled upward.
At the same time, she intoned in a dignified voice.
"Come forth! By the hand of the rightful master! Dragon Demon Armament, Tome of Dark Souls."
Ku-ku-ku-ku-kung!
A black bolt of lightning struck before her, shredding and scattering the encroaching evil mana force.