Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Clown's True Face
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Rouvalri couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
'Hurt? Me? Am I injured?'
How long had it been?
Since he last sustained an injury.
He didn't remember the details precisely, but the last time he'd been hurt was nearly several decades ago.
Back then, one of the wings protecting the Empire.
Sword Emperor Nirana.
That had been the last time, when her sword had nearly split his body in two and killed him.
After that, he hadn't even suffered the slightest scratch.
And yet....
Rouvalri lowered his head and looked at his chest, where blood was gushing out like a fountain.
His ribs had been severed, and even the organs inside were split open.
Unfamiliar pain overwhelmed his entire body.
'Dying? Am I dying?'
Compared to the time he'd faced Nirana, this was no less severe.
Rouvalri's face twisted grotesquely.
The complete opposite of his usual clown makeup and perpetual smile.
The corners of his eyes drooped, and his mouth stretched into a long tear.
Not a smile, but rage.
Killing intent surged toward Seowoojin, who had dared to wound his body.
'How dare you? How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!'
Crack- craaack-!
His severed ribs began to move.
As if they were living creatures wriggling on their own.
They squirmed out from under his skin, starting to cover his entire body.
With a splatter, the organs inside his body poured out onto the ground through the gashes.
Yet Rouvalri remained unfazed.
No, he even thrust out his chest as if relieved, baring his teeth.
In that moment, the bones the color of black blood rapidly transformed into armor, enveloping Rouvalri.
"Truly...."
His endlessly sunken red eyes turned toward Seowoojin.
"You've unwittingly forced me to reveal my true self."
He twisted his head this way and that, checking his body's condition.
Once he confirmed there were no issues, he addressed Seowoojin.
"Shall we go again, Hero?"
'...Insane.'
Rouvalri had changed.
Not just his appearance and speech, but more importantly, his demonic energy had grown far denser.
It was suffocating.
'Not even comparable to Gerald.'
At this level, that dark elf would hear remarks like, "He's the weakest among us."
Reina was like that, the Lion was like that, and now the Rouvalri before his eyes was the same.
Monsters far stronger than Gerald, against whom he had no confidence of victory.
Seowoojin gritted his teeth.
'Four minutes left.'
Could he defeat that monster within that time?
His head shook instinctively.
Just moments ago, when he'd sliced open its chest, he'd thought it might be possible.
But seeing the transformed Rouvalri, four minutes felt absurdly insufficient.
He'd need at least thirty minutes or more to settle things.
'In that case....'
Seowoojin glanced at the others.
The battle had halted amid the sudden turn of events.
Even the demonic beasts couldn't move, caught up in the clash between Seowoojin and Rouvalri.
'At the very least, I have to save Ailin.'
If he collapsed after four minutes, everyone here would die.
Whether to the demonic beasts or to Rouvalri.
There would be no escaping death.
'I can't let that happen.'
Seowoojin decided to use his remaining time to save them.
"Swiftness."
He poured all his mana into activating 'Swiftness.'
Whoosh-!
Seowoojin's figure vanished at a speed that left no afterimage.
KABOOM-!
Part of the demonic beasts' encirclement crumbled.
"Get out of here!"
At Seowoojin's shout, Ronaine didn't hesitate.
She realized they were only getting in the way.
"Everyone, retreat!"
The White Silver Knights charged first toward the breached encirclement, followed by Crusiel.
Ailin paused briefly, looking at Seowoojin, then gritted her teeth and moved.
She wanted to stay and help, but she knew better than anyone that she lacked the skill.
"Where do you think you're going?"
It was then, as Rouvalri smoothly stepped forward.
"You, stay put."
When had he appeared?
Seowoojin, who had anticipated the move, swung 'Karaniel' toward Rouvalri's neck.
Craaaack-!
The black bones came alive, blocking it.
Unlike before, the bones didn't cleave; they withstood the sword strike.
But that was it.
They couldn't fully dissipate the physical force infused in 'Karaniel.'
Craaack-!
Rouvalri's body was flung backward, smashing through the forest trees.
'Not yet.'
He had opened a path.
So he had to hold Rouvalri back until they escaped.
'...Four minutes should be enough.'
No, about three minutes now.
Rouvalri had grown stronger, but with 'Celestial Wings,' he could endure that much.
"I'm curious how that's possible. Those wings?"
Rouvalri rose from his spot as if utterly unharmed.
Seowoojin let out a hollow chuckle at the sight of Rouvalri brushing off the wood fragments and asking.
"You're tough. Ridiculously tough."
Even as an enemy, he couldn't help but admire it.
"That's my strength. But you're not going to answer?"
He seemed genuinely curious.
But Seowoojin had no intention of telling him.
"If you're curious, figure it out yourself!"
Clang-!
'Karaniel' clashed with Rouvalri's bones.
A fierce contest of strength began, neither yielding an inch.
"To think Heroes have already reached this level of power. Much faster than we anticipated. Or is it just you who's exceptional?"
Even amid the relentless onslaught, Rouvalri appeared composed.
"Figure that out yourself too!"
He couldn't afford to give them time to worry about the escaping group.
Seowoojin gritted his teeth and pressed the lightning-fast assault.
BOOM- KABOOM-!
The forest turned into a wasteland.
Nearby demonic beasts caught in their clash were pulverized without even leaving bloodstains.
'One minute.'
Time flew by.
It felt like he'd just swung his sword, but now barely any remained.
"You seem anxious. I can't imagine why."
Rouvalri narrowed his eyes and asked.
Seowoojin clamped his mouth shut.
But the transformed Rouvalri was sharper than expected.
"...Looks like you have a time limit."
Heh.
Rouvalri grinned.
He'd seen Seowoojin's stiffened expression.
'Damn it.'
Seowoojin cursed inwardly.
In the end, the bastard had figured out his weakness.
Now, thirty seconds left.
He checked behind.
He could see the group breaking free of the encirclement.
There were some sacrifices, but fortunately, most including Ailin were safe.
"You look satisfied."
Rouvalri asked without erasing his smile.
"I wonder how long you'll last? I don't know how much time you have left, but when it ends, you'll die."
And then he'd chase them down and kill them all, the unspoken addition seemed to imply.
Seowoojin smiled.
"Hey, do I look like an idiot to you?"
Ten seconds.
"You think I didn't plan for what comes after?"
Five seconds, four....
"What?"
Rouvalri's drooping eyes widened slightly, and before 'Celestial Wings' ended, Seowoojin activated one more skill.
'Abyss Chains.'
Three seconds, two, one.
The wings vanished, bringing an immense sense of exhaustion.
"Grraaah!"
Pain like his body was being torn apart surged through him.
But he couldn't pass out.
With trembling eyes, Seowoojin checked Rouvalri's feet.
A black hole.
An unfathomable abyss opened, and iron chains surged upward.
Fortunately, the skill had activated just before 'Celestial Wings' expired.
Seeing the far larger hole and several times more chains than before, Seowoojin grinned.
"Let's see how you like getting screwed."
The black chains began wrapping around the clown.
"...What is this?"
Rouvalri's eyes widened.
"Demonic energy?"
It felt slightly different from theirs, but what emanated from that abyss was unmistakably demonic energy.
"How?"
Questions arose, but there was no way to resolve them.
Seowoojin had lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Damn it!"
He didn't know what was happening, but first, he had to block that thing.
The power emanating from it was no joke.
If he let his guard down, he might get dragged into that hole without proper resistance, an anxiety gnawed at him.
Fwoosh-!
Pulling up his demonic energy to full power shattered the forest.
Trees barely holding form crumbled into dust.
A colossal force befitting an Apostle.
He focused it on the 'Abyss Chains' hole.
Rouvalri thought that would suffice to repel the mysterious chains and close the hole.
But he was wrong.
Far from stopping the skill, he couldn't even block the approaching chains.
"......What?"
Only then did Rouvalri's face turn serious.
That unidentified demonic energy skill was not something to take lightly.
Realizing it too late, he began to struggle with all his might.
Craaack-!
As he resisted the chains binding his body, cracks sounded in his bone armor.
The bones that had withstood Seowoojin's 'Karaniel' unscathed were failing against mere chains.
"This is bad!"
A desperate voice burst out.
"Mad Mesh!"
A unique technique of Rouvalri's, one he'd never used before, emerged.
Demonic energy turned to blades, spinning wildly to sever the chains.
Clangclangclang-!
The technique that had once beheaded Sword Emperor Nirana, guardian of an era.
The sole technique Rouvalri could wield, his ultimate one.
He was confident nothing could withstand those demonic blades.
And that confidence held.
Cracks began forming on the chains that hadn't budged before.
Crack- craaack-!
And finally.
The chains from hell snapped.
Simultaneously, the bottomless abyss closed.
"Hah, haah-"
Having exerted himself fully, sweat poured from Rouvalri's body in drops.
"T-This....!"
For a final struggle, it had been too potent.
He might have actually died if not careful.
Rouvalri roughly wiped the sweat from his furious face.
Then, he slowly approached the fallen Seowoojin ahead.
Deep down, he wanted to uncover the identity of that unfamiliar demonic energy from before, then tear him to shreds.
But regrettably, there was no time now.
He sensed Brutal, who had gone elsewhere, being pushed back by the Sword Ghost.
Brutal was truly vital to the Apostles.
He absolutely could not die here.
Grit.
Grinding his teeth, Rouvalri glared at Seowoojin and said.
"Consider yourself lucky to die this easily."
His foot rose above Seowoojin's head.
And as he applied pressure.
Crunch.
With the sound of a skull shattering, blood flowed from Seowoojin's head.
Immense pressure capable of crumbling mountains concentrated there, pulverizing his head outright.
"Even a Hero can't survive with his head blown open."
Rouvalri scraped the blood off his foot against the ground and turned away.
But he couldn't have imagined.
What was happening behind him.
Or the consequences it would bring.
[Conditions have been met.]
[Demon King Transformation skill has been activated.]