Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: 120. Bisection
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The situation room was filled with silence.
It was so quiet that even a slightly louder breath from someone would ring clearly in the ears.
The silence that dragged on for a while was broken by a line of text flowing from Utad's hologram.
-...Speak, Hatan.
“What.”
-Am I dreaming right now?
“Who knows.”
Hatan let out a hollow laugh as he responded to Utad.
“For starters, it's probably not some creepy situation where you and I are dreaming the exact same dream at the same time.”
-...
No.
It might actually be more believable that way.
That's what Utad thought as he glared at the screen in front of him.
Just moments ago, the ancient gods who had been watching Dawood, hoping he'd at least snag one, were now all sprawled out like corpses.
It had taken less than three minutes.
“...”
-...
There were too many things to question.
Using the ruler of the demon realm like a grenade to peel off its shell was an unheard-of method in itself.
And even if they'd neutralized that curse through such means, what the hell was that woman who sliced through ancient gods in one strike?
But among all those doubts, the biggest one was.
-...Was magic always such an easy-to-handle power?
Udad voiced it, and Hatan silently agreed.
Truth be told, wielding magic is simple. It's a power whose output is determined by how intensely you desire something.
Frankly, just from the explanation, it sounds like anyone could activate it after a few days of starvation, driven by hunger.
But if it were really that straightforward, there wouldn't be so few people in the alliance who could wield such power.
It's not something that manifests from mere 'desire'—it's a force based on a noble 'mental strength' that only an enlightened monk could produce.
Whatever it is, that guy must desperately want something.
Something sublime and idealistic.
“...Is it really worth evaluating her that highly?”
-What?
“She seems like just a troublemaker who gets swept up in incidents whenever there's a chance.”
-...
“I didn't look closely, but isn't she exactly that type?”
-...At least agree that her skills are impressive.
Hatan smirked, realizing Utad tacitly agreed she seemed like a troublemaker.
“...At this rate, I have no idea what that guy's gonna demand later.”
Hatan muttered it like a groan.
It had been briefly mentioned during the chieftains' meeting before, but merit and reward were the alliance's core values.
You couldn't just give nothing to someone who'd done this much.
-...We'll think about that later.
Udad continued with a sigh.
-They don't seem to be in any state to demand anything from us right now anyway.
And in fact, just as he said.
On the screen, Dawood was staring at the human in front of him with far more tension than when he'd dealt with the three ancient gods.
[Have you given up now, Mr. Dawood? You're just standing there.]
Now, it was clear he could no longer delay facing that 'white thing.'
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[System Message]
[Depletion of the ability 'Magic Power' confirmed.]
[Overload applying strain to the body!]
[Further output may cause all organs to rupture, leading to death!]
[System Message]
[Successfully continued combat despite severe injuries!]
['Trait: Iron Man' proficiency increases.]
['Trait: Iron Man' proficiency advances to 'Universal'!]
[New effect added!]
Along with those messages, something surged up in his mouth.
Wiping it away, he saw it was blood.
Even if magic power meshed well with him, using Sky Breaker three times in a row had been too much after all.
‘...Can't do this twice.’
In truth, his stomach was churning and his vision was shaking even now.
He'd faced death countless times before, but this was the first time the strain had come with a blatant warning that his organs would rupture and kill him.
Great power comes with great responsibility, it seems.
[Mastery Info]
[Trait: Iron Man] [Grade: Universal]
[Current Proficiency: 0%]
[Warriors of the alliance repeatedly train by pushing themselves to extremes to hone their coping abilities. It's extremely dangerous, but the effects are certain.]
[■ Increases resistance to various injuries and pain. Reduces pain intensity and allows easier movement even with severe wounds.]
[■ Recovery rate greatly improves beyond normal state.]
[■ In case of fatal injuries, blocks pain sensation to increase survival probability.]
[■ Effects scale with Endurance stat.]
Of course, he hadn't done it for nothing.
And on top of that.
[System Message]
[Extinction of three 'Ancient God' entities confirmed.]
Those guys died pretty quick.
They were chapter-final bosses in their own right, but sending them off without proper respect left him feeling a bit sorry.
Compared to the Purifier or Valkasus, what were these?
“...”
Of course, given who the opponent was, he didn't need to feel disappointed.
[Why aren't you running away anymore, Mr. Dawood?]
Watching Yuria approach step by step, head tilted sideways as she said that, his mouth went dry.
Sure, he'd fantasized before about a pretty girl chasing only him, ignoring everything else.
Right now, he wanted to grab his past self by the collar and yell.
Try it yourself.
Is having your life threatened as casually as breathing really that great?
[Why aren't you saying anything?]
“...”
He sighed inwardly.
His mind was rapidly calculating options.
Truth be told, no matter how he sliced it, continuously running from this girl was practically impossible.
Hide-and-seek against a demon was already a plummeting survival rate, but she was the vessel of the white demon—the one who'd chase him 'to the ends of hell' if she felt like it.
He had to settle it eventually.
Even if the method hurt like hell for him.
Still.
You can do it, Dawood Campbell.
You're a specialist at getting hurt. You've been smashed to pieces countless times. You're special.
“...”
Saying it out loud gave him a bit of self-loathing.
Anyway, the fact was there was only one method.
He glanced down at his feet.
This was the spot where he'd had Lucien and Valkasus prepare the 'formation' in advance. A collaborative masterpiece by the saintess and the world's top alchemist, made as a counter to Yuria.
This would definitely work on her.
Not fully calming a rampaging demon, but suppressing her demonic energy for a moment? More than enough.
[I told you earlier.]
As he thought that, Yuria's 'text' closed in right up to him.
[If I catch you, you die?]
“...!”
At some point, Yuria was right in front of him, swinging her sword, and his eyes went wide.
Even Desperate Situation at EX rank couldn't react to that speed.
Even with a swordsman's focus, he probably couldn't have kept up.
“...”
But.
This blatantly implied something.
Proof that she'd been 'holding back' on him until now.
Honestly, yeah.
He'd pulled off insane feats against the blue demon, which was mid-tier weak among demons, and managed to evade the white demon—who was no slouch—so successfully? Nothing else explained it.
She wasn't fully in a murderous rage yet.
Which meant.
She could afford to take 'one hit.'
‘...The plan!’
While she still clung to reason, using the gap where she went easy on him.
Even if he took a hard hit, drag Yuria into Lucien and Valkasus's formation.
Blocking or deflecting her attacks was a joke anyway, so take the hit to create an opening.
You got this, Dawood Campbell. Just don't die in one strike!
He stared at Yuria's sword tip rushing toward him, thinking that.
Deep breath.
“...!”
Then.
He 'charged' into Yuria's strike piercing his body.
Her eyes widened at his unexpected movement, and in that gap, he grabbed her and dragged her onto the formation.
Seeing the sword stab into him, he squeezed his eyes shut.
‘...Please, don't let it be a one-shot kill!’
She had the highest single-target attack power right now, but he had confidence in his own survivability.
Worth a shot!
Pushing her body onto the formation, a blinding white flash erupted around them. Bright enough to cover his entire vision.
[...!]
The pure white light from the formation clearly had an effect.
The white aura around Yuria's body visibly weakened where it touched.
Proof that the saintess's holy power was temporarily weakening her demonic energy.
Which meant.
“...Huh.”
Yuria's dazed voice reached him.
Her blindingly white hair had turned black at some point. Light returned to her eyes.
She'd regained her reason, if only for a moment.
‘...That's it.’
As expected of the saintess. The one who'd held Yuria's curse at bay every day.
“You back to your senses?”
He sighed toward her, speaking.
“Good thing.”
Hearing his voice, she slowly turned to him.
Then, her sluggish gaze scanned him.
That gaze slowly dropped below his face.
Probably.
The spot where her sword had struck him, position-wise.
“...”
Then, her eyes widened.
“...Ah.”
Immediately.
A groan like a death rattle leaked from her mouth.
“...Ah, ah, aaah, aaah, aa---”
She clutched her face like she was tearing it off with both hands.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
As if.
She'd witnessed something 'horrifically' unbearable.
“...”
Hey. Why are you like that.
Your reaction is kinda scary?
And around then.
He finally noticed something off.
Why.
Did it 'not hurt' at all?
He'd been hit, so at least somewhere should hurt, right?
[System Message]
[Fatal injury detected.]
['Trait: Iron Man' blocks pain sensation.]
“...”
Staring at the message with cold sweat.
He looked down.
There was his body, nearly 'bisected' from Yuria's attack.
“...”
Ah, right.
Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes.
His survivability had always been good, but it wasn't guaranteed to always succeed.
“W-Wait a sec. D-D-Dawood...? W-Why, uh, why...? Th-This, this is... what I did...?”
Along with Yuria's voice, sounding completely unhinged.
[System Message]
[HP below 1%!]
[Near death!]
Blood poured from his mouth in a ferocious spray.
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