Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Even a Treacherous Subject Has Uses
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‘...Even so, I’m honestly terrified. Tsk! This really doesn’t suit me at all…….’
If one were to find the words most distant from Beonald in this world, they would undoubtedly be “valor” and “fighting spirit.”
He knew they were necessary, but they simply didn’t suit Beonald’s constitution. He was someone who possessed the cowardice to willingly choose to flee if he couldn’t win a fight.
For someone like him, facing such an uncertain, powerful opponent was even more ill-fitting. But now, he had no choice.
He was in a position where he had become a slave of the gods, working with the guarantee of exemption from going to Hell. And if he didn’t break through here now, he wouldn’t be able to stop Dalken Dyna either.
“Alright, then… here I come!”
“Come anytime, Grand Alchemist.”
Though trembling with anxiety inside, Beonald put on a relaxed expression on the outside, drew his sword, and raised his Aura. Having no other option, he decided to go for a short, decisive battle.
Having already learned that it was foolish to use all his means without seeing any of the opponent’s cards, this time he intended to utilize both Sword Energy and ‘Bolt Shooter’ simultaneously.
With the sound of ignition, a violet Sword Energy flew toward Daryon once more. This time, to prevent a surprise teleportation attack like before, he didn’t let his guard down.
“How trivial. Hmm! Ha!”
‘…Huh?’
With a low groan, Daryon swung his staff to block the Sword Energy, and then performed the miraculous feat of catching the ‘Bolt Shooter’ bullet flying toward his face with two fingers.
Beonald couldn’t help but be shocked seeing that. The fact that it was blocked earlier by a protective barrier was one thing, since that was magic, but he hadn’t even imagined that someone could catch something of that speed and power barehanded.
‘Just what the hell is that guy? Is he really an Enchantment Mage? No, before that, is that even a mage? In that case!’
This time, to prevent him from dodging, Beonald threw a magic stone bomb he had made himself while retreating backward to equip his magic tools.
Originally made for destroying magic circles or research facilities, but having no means to spare now, he willingly sacrificed it. In the meantime, the retreating Beonald equipped all the magic tools he had been saving due to his mana depletion: gloves engraved with ‘Strength Enhancement,’ a belt with ‘Agility Increase,’ a ring with ‘Protection Magic’ cast on it, and so on…
“Monster-like bastard…….”
The explosion definitely occurred properly.
The evidence was the fairly dented ground before his eyes, the vibrations that had just occurred, and the rising dust—the power should have been sufficient.
But looking at Daryon emerging from the explosion’s wreckage, the guy seemed completely unharmed except for his robe being slightly singed and burned.
“You seem quite surprised.”
“I’ve… never seen a mage like you before.”
“Yes. Normally, mages are considered beings with weak bodies, safely casting magic from the rear, you see.”
“Frankly, I doubt you even majored in Enchantment Magic in the first place.”
“I’d like you to explore that for yourself. Hmm!”
Pang!
A sound tearing through the air occurred, and Daryon’s figure vanished once more.
Beonald thought he wouldn’t lose track of his presence this time and, while tense, concentrated all his senses to respond.
And the moment Daryon’s blurred silhouette appeared, he quickly caught the sight of him thrusting his elbow toward his solar plexus with a peculiar posture! Beonald blocked it with the flat of his sword.
“Ugh!”
The heavy sensation transmitted to his forearm and entire body. Beonald couldn’t understand where this martial prowess, emanating from that clean posture and trained physique, was the power of Enchantment Magic.
Moreover, the robe he was wearing or his staff didn’t even seem like special items, yet strangely, the guy was overwhelmingly powerful.
He wanted to think more about what was going on, but Daryon’s fierce assault didn’t stop and continued.
“Hah! Hmm!”
‘And these punches… what the hell are they?’
Even if blocking the blade was due to being clad in mana, this abnormal power was utterly incomprehensible.
But the moment that doubt arose, his guard loosened, and Beonald allowed Daryon’s attack to land.
“Hmm!”
“Kghk!”
Kooong!
As Daryon stomped his foot on the ground, causing it to crack, his elbow simultaneously pierced and struck the solar plexus. Beonald felt pain as if he would lose consciousness and rolled across the ground.
Even with magic tools equipped, his opponent overwhelmingly surpassed him in strength, speed, and power in every aspect.
“Kghk… Damn! What a monstrous bastard……!”
But he couldn’t stay down, so using his sword as a support, he stood up and looked at the approaching Daryon Dyna.
Fear gradually arose.
A mage proficient in martial arts. It was laughable to the point of being ridiculous. He needed to think of some other method, but Daryon gave him no opening.
“I have many things I’d like to say… but unfortunately, by our ancestor’s command, I have no choice but to kill you. My apologies.”
“Gaaaah!”
He was barely managing just to defend. Moreover, beyond the sensation of his bones vibrating, it felt like several places were already broken from the excruciating pain. Beonald rolled across the ground, trying to somehow endure by drinking potions, but honestly, he couldn’t see any chance of winning.
‘Damn… what the hell is that? And what are those weird punches…….’
“It seems you’ve learned swordsmanship, but you appear to be unfamiliar with fist techniques. Well, the Han Empire was founded after the collapse of the Unified Empire… by those who crossed over from the eastern seas. This is a fighting technique used by the martial artists of that Han Empire.”
“No, that’s not magic. It’s just ordinary… martial arts?”
“This martial art is merely a tool. Yes. Just like swinging a sword enchanted with magic, it only maximizes the effects of my enchanted objects.”
‘Then… wait a moment?’
At Daryon’s words, Beonald’s mind flashed.
Come to think of it, Daryon only used magic at the beginning to block his attacks, and after that, he only showed punches and physical techniques.
If so, then ultimately, this physical ability and strength right now were the power of that ‘magic’… Thinking that way, there was only one method.
“You bastard… could it be you engraved ‘formulas’ on your body? Kghuuk…….”
After being diligently beaten, rolling on the ground, and struggling to stand up, when Beonald voiced his deduction, Daryon’s eyes lit up as he looked at Beonald with an interested gaze.
“As expected of someone as brilliant as you, you caught on quickly. But that’s only close, not accurate.”
“Then what is it?”
“That… I can’t tell you. Find out with your own body. Hmm!”
Tereong!
With a low shout, Daryon charged at Beonald at a speed difficult to follow with the eyes.
A situation of being unilaterally beaten. He tried to respond with his sword, but perhaps because this Daryon fellow possessed fist techniques matching his magically enhanced physical abilities, he was barely managing just to defend. Moreover, the attacks were ones he’d never seen before, making it fatal that he couldn’t predict the next move after a single attack.
‘Good, I blocked… huh?’
“Iron Mountain Lean!”
“Kghk!”
Thwoong!
Just when he thought he’d blocked a punch, suddenly his body lowered and a striking attack using his shoulder and back came out. Beonald’s body floated up into the air, and Daryon had already chased up to the sky and was above Beonald’s head.
Then, with his elbow pointed downward, free-falling—the kinetic energy, along with Daryon Dyna’s weight and power, transferred directly into Beonald’s abdomen.
“Kuhhaaak!”
Beonald felt excruciating pain as he coughed up blood and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Though he was protecting his body with Aura, even that had its limits. No, rather, if it were a human body not protected by Aura, that strike would have split the body in two.
“Gghlk! Kghk! Damn! Damn! Dammiiit! Ughaak!”
“I thought something more impressive would come out… how disappointing.”
“That’s… because what I pursue is versatility, reliability. Alchemy, the Magic Tower, such things… haa… haa… gghlk! Are merely… techniques for cultivating a garden……!”
Compared to mages pursuing truth and the ultimate, Beonald’s perspective on this alchemy and various techniques placed more weight on pragmatism, versatility, and usefulness.
Thus, it was difficult for Beonald, who governed and nurtured the ordinary masses, to fight against Daryon, who pursued the ultimate singularity.
‘This is a situation where I should totally run away…….’
His brain was very calmly analyzing the current situation and issuing instructions, but Beonald’s will still refused to flee.
Setting aside the fact that escaping easily wasn’t an option, if he gave up here now, things would truly proceed according to ‘Dalken Dyna’s’ intentions.
Therefore, Beonald abandoned thoughts of collapsing and losing consciousness here, or wanting to run away, and stood up again.
‘Ah, this is tough. This really… reminds me of the old days.’
“Hmm, still standing? Do you wish to stop our ancestor’s task that much?”
“Of course it should be stopped, right? Kghk! Ah… really! This kind of pain is truly the first in decades. Damn! Aaaah……!”
“You’re quite the exaggerator. If you’re such a great person, you should be composed.”
“Goodness… even a great person from 500 years ago is still a person in the end… ugh! By the way, do you know what Dalken Dyna liked? That old man, he could talk a thousand words about magic, but in front of women, he couldn’t even say three words… and at that middle-aged stage, he couldn’t even get married, so he desperately pleaded with me to find him a wife……”
“…K, kpff… pfft!”
If it were about the now-deceased great ancestor, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but Daryon was someone who had watched Dalken Dyna grow up since becoming the successor.
Thus, hearing about the great ancestor’s shortcomings, he couldn’t help the sudden burst of laughter that erupted.
And Beonald aimed for that opening to swiftly charge in once more.
“It’s useless.”
“Damn!”
Chaeng! Kwaduk! Pung!
Even though he charged in, seizing the opening, Daryon Dyna’s defense was like an iron wall.
He dodged the sword Beonald swung, grabbed his remaining hand but swiftly shook it off, and then struck his side with a fist that seemed to step on a true edge, sending him flying like a piece of paper. Beonald rolled across the ground in an ugly manner.
“How about giving up now? If that’s the entirety of your means, you absolutely cannot defeat me, you know.”
“Huff… huff… Quite considerate, aren’t you?”
“Even if your combat skills are lacking, the achievements, talent, and wisdom established by Beonald von Neumel are too precious to waste. I’m also curious about the method by which you were revived. So surrender. I promise, in the name of the Mage King, that you will receive treatment that is not lacking.”
Though King Daryon proposed with an attitude of respect for the history and achievements he possessed, Beonald, even in his bloodied and battered state, raised the middle finger of his left hand as if to say it wasn’t worth considering, rejecting his proposal.
“Eat shit. I’d rather die than live in a world arbitrarily manipulated by your Dyna family.”
“…If that’s your wish, then I shall grant it.”
Chk……!
Having heard the refusal laced with insult, Daryon now took a stance, as if he had truly decided to kill Beonald, and a distinct killing intent stabbed toward Beonald.
The fact that he showed this now meant that, until this point, he hadn’t intended to kill and had been holding back.
The attacks from now on were a full-power deployment with the genuine intent to sever Beonald’s breath. Death’s fear approached Beonald, but he instead smiled.