Chapter 245
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245
Sshhh—.
Like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place, the domain of my Mental Barrier expanded, rapidly enveloping both Iscariot and me.
He scanned the shimmering boundary, his eyes narrowing.
“A Mental Barrier. What an annoying little trick.”
Inside my domain, he could no longer deploy his own. It was a fundamental law: two barriers of differing natures could not coexist in the same space. In short, he could no longer accelerate or manipulate time at will as he had before.
Intent on shattering my domain, Iscariot thrust a hand toward me.
Piiing—!
A familiar, devastating wave of mana erupted from his palm. It was a single blow capable of instantly killing even a Master-level being—the same attack that had torn off my arm moments ago. A direct hit meant immediate death.
Of course, I was ready.
Shwoop—.
I tore open a spatial vortex in the air, swallowing the beam whole. Just as Iscariot could freely manipulate time within his own barrier, I could command space with far greater ease inside my Mental Barrier. Even an attack of such immense power could be neutralized with a thought.
“Hmph.”
Iscariot scoffed and spread his arms wide.
Fwoosh—!
Sharp spears of demonic energy shot out from his fluttering cape, fanning out in all directions. He wasn't aiming for me; he was aiming to destroy the Mental Barrier itself.
A barrier is fragile from the inside. Its internal durability is far lower than its external shell.
I couldn't let those spears touch the surface. I summoned mana chains to intercept them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Spears and chains collided in mid-air, detonating upon impact. The battle mirrored our previous exchange, but the difference in my current capabilities was night and day.
“...!”
The chains I summoned didn't just block; they shattered Iscariot’s spears and surged toward him like striking cobras.
Ch-ch-ch-ch!
“How dare you!”
As the chains closed in, Iscariot’s form blurred.
Poof—.
In an instant, he transformed into Yungraom, the Venerable of the giant tribe. A colossus with blue, corded muscles standing over a dozen meters tall appeared, clenching its massive fists.
Crackle!
Black lightning coalesced in his palms, swirling into a violent vortex before condensing into a sphere. The sheer pressure emanating from the orb began to warp the mana chains pouring toward him.
K-k-k-k-crack!
The moment they entered his range, the mana chains lost their cohesion and dissolved into raw particles. Those that hadn't yet disintegrated lost their momentum and slammed into the ground as if dragged down by an invisible hand.
Then, Iscariot aimed the sphere at me.
Creeak—.
“Khh...!”
A crushing weight slammed into my entire body. The soles of my feet sank into the ground, and every bone and muscle screamed under the sudden strain.
...Gravity manipulation!
It was the Authority of Yungraom. Despite the name, it wasn't a grand power that controlled the gravity of the universe, but it was the perfect counter to my own abilities. In many ways, space manipulation was merely a subset of gravity manipulation.
Pinning me down with one hand, Iscariot snapped the fingers of his other hand.
Piiing—!
The instant-kill beam shot toward me again. Absorbing it with a vortex was impossible this time; the intense gravitational field prevented me from properly folding space.
Tch.
I had known Iscariot could wield the abilities of others. That was why I had specifically practiced countering Yungraom’s gravity. But the fact that I still couldn't cast my spells meant Iscariot’s version of the Authority was superior to the original.
To wield a borrowed ability better than the source...
His talent was truly monstrous.
In that case...
Alchemy!
Gurgle—.
I transmuted the altar beneath my feet into soft mud and sank instantly.
Piiing—!
The beam grazed my hair, missing by a fraction of an inch. Having narrowly escaped, I used alchemy again to retaliate.
Sh-sh-sh-shuk!
Jagged stone spikes erupted from the ground. Iscariot dodged, momentarily releasing the gravitational pressure to reposition.
“Hah... Hah...”
Freed from the weight, I gasped for air and pushed myself up. The moment I emerged from the mud—
Fwoosh—.
Iscariot was already there. He had transformed again, this time into Amur, the Venerable of the spirit race, characterized by his lean, red muscles.
Whoosh—!
A massive fist whistled toward my head. Perhaps annoyed by our earlier exchange, he was forcing a close-quarters brawl. I scrambled out of the earth and met him head-on.
A relentless storm of physical blows rained down.
Thwack! Crack!
Shockwaves exploded with every clash.
“Ugh!”
His fists carried enough force to turn my internal organs to jelly if even one landed cleanly. I had sparred with Amur hundreds of times, but this was the most dangerous fight of my life. I couldn't fathom how he wielded more power than the original owners of these Authorities.
Papapak!
“Kuh!”
As the brawl intensified, I began to lose ground. Eventually, a heavy blow slipped through my guard and buried itself in my abdomen.
Thwump!
“Gah!”
The impact sent me tumbling backward across the altar.
“Huu... huu...”
I struggled to my feet, gasping as I used blood magic to seal the ruptured wound in my gut. I was only alive because we were inside the Mental Barrier; outside, that hit would have been an instant death.
As I healed, Iscariot approached, shifting forms once more.
Fwoosh—.
This time, he took the form of Carmilla. As if to mock my use of blood magic, he summoned a massive tidal wave of gore and unleashed it.
Swoooosh!
I was swept away by the crimson torrent, thrown far into the distance. From there, Iscariot was relentless. He cycled through transformations, firing a barrage of attacks. He even took the ancient form of Professor Isley, the man he had murdered.
Death rays filled the air, and a near-infinite rain of Authorities poured down.
“Grrgh...!”
The onslaught was so fierce that even after a year of hellish training, I could barely keep my head above water. I was being systematically dismantled. Worse, he didn't give me a chance to absorb mana or heal as I had against Girena. He used sealing magic to block my recovery and manipulated blood with a finesse that surpassed even Carmilla’s.
Even so, I managed to launch a few threatening spatial counters, but...
“Hah.”
Poof—.
Using his time manipulation, he would instantly reappear outside the attack's range. It was as if he were simply editing out the moments where he was in danger, erasing them from reality.
The battle raged on until—
KRAAANG!
Under the continuous, overwhelming pressure, my Mental Barrier finally gave way.
Shatter—.
The domain broke apart like shards of glass, and the altar and the Colosseum rushed back into view.
“Hoo... Hoo...”
Under the gaze of countless demons, I stood covered in blood, panting heavily.
“It finally broke,” Iscariot said, reverting to his original form. He looked down at me as I slumped on the ground. “You’ve grown strong, but that is your limit. You can never overcome the circumstances of your birth. The demon world is a place where only the strong survive. Blame your own weakness.”
“Strength... Why are you so desperate for the right of succession?” I wheezed.
If his goal was truly the "Great Cause," it shouldn't matter who held the title. Cooperation would be the logical path. But his goal wasn't the cause; it was the legacy of power left by the Demon God.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“There is no reason. It is simply the duty of a ruler who reigns over all existence. We Archdemons are the origin and root of all demons. It is the natural order that I am the strongest, and that I receive the succession. Today is merely the realization of that order.”
He looked up at the black sun, partially eclipsed by the moon.
“Only when I obtain His infinite power will our race finally be complete.” Iscariot smiled faintly and made his declaration. “I will tear out and consume your upper, middle, and lower dantians in order. Your Authority will be fully absorbed into mine. I will kill you just as I killed that deer.”
Step—.
Iscariot approached, his nails lengthening into razor-sharp claws. I stared at him blankly and let out a long, tired sigh.
...I can't win.
I had realized it during the fight. He was too strong. Overwhelmingly so. He could transform into anything, use every Authority, and do it better than the originals. He was a perfect, all-purpose killing machine. Fighting him conventionally was impossible.
However...
If a guy like that has one weakness...
Cough!
He suddenly coughed up a spray of blood and staggered.
“...!?”
It’s that his body is too fragile to contain that near-infinite power.
“Keuk...”
Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his pale lips. I watched the dark red stains and slowly forced myself to my feet.
He is strong, certainly.
He can manipulate time, edit reality, and wield every power imaginable. But his physical vessel isn't sturdy enough to hold it all.
The Archdemons are, after all, an extinct race.
The ‘Archdemons’—the strongest race in Myrillin Saga and the progenitors of all demons. They were the leaders of the twelve races that fled to the demon world to escape a covenant with the gods. To preserve their immense power, they maintained a pure bloodline.
But that purity was their downfall. Their bodies, while holding primal power, were far too fragile compared to the other races that had evolved and adapted to the harsh ecosystem of the demon world. No matter what race he transformed into, the strain inevitably accumulated in his true body.
In the end, the thing eating away at his life... was his own strength.
I recalled my memories of playing Myrillin Saga.
Iscariot is the final boss of the game.
With his random patterns and vicious mechanics, I first thought he was an unbeatable god. He would spam every skill I’d ever encountered while dodging every attack perfectly. But as I continued that hopeless battle, Iscariot had suddenly collapsed.
It was an anticlimactic ending. Even after clearing the game a hundred times through different routes, the result was always the same. There was no special strategy required. All you had to do was dodge his insane patterns and stall. Eventually, he would collapse under his own weight.
Though the boss fight took over an hour, the player never actually needed to land a hit. All I had to do was survive.
Thwack!
Not missing the opening as he coughed up blood, I used alchemy to rupture his Mana Heart.
“Keoheok!”
After tearing through his chest, I proceeded to destroy the mana hole in his lower dantian.
Thud—.
With gaping holes in his torso, he collapsed. Iscariot staggered, blood gushing from his wounds. It was the exact same state Professor Isley had been in when he was struck down.
I stood over him, crushed his middle and lower dantians, and said quietly, “This is revenge for Professor Isley.”
He let out a shallow, rattling breath. “Revenge... you say...”
“That’s right. A life for a life.” I looked up at the darkened sky. “But his death was fundamentally different from yours.”
Isley had fought and died to protect his home, the Sea of Trees. He died in the arms of a student who cared for him. But Iscariot was nothing more than a villain who craved power for the sake of a hollow ambition. No one would truly mourn him.
Squelch—.
With an expressionless face, I finished him off by crushing his upper dantian—his head.