Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Power of Items
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Curse of Exhaustion]
It was a curse that drained the opponent's energy, leaving them utterly exhausted.
Although it was a basic 1-Star curse-type black magic, she cast it with the magi of a 3-Star.
Naturally, its power was incomparable.
But Chris didn't even flinch.
An astonishing thing happened next.
*Clang!*
A black barrier unfurled and deflected the black magic.
It was the 3-Star defensive black magic, Shield of Darkness.
He hadn't cast it himself.
Darkness was flowing out from Chris's necklace.
"An artifact?"
"Yes. I secretly stole it from the family vault. It blocks all black magic of 3-Star or lower."
Count Cazar looked flustered.
It was an artifact he had definitely hidden in the safe, yet he had no idea when it had been taken.
*'I happen to have a knack for thievery. The safe's security was far too lax.'*
Chris grinned.
"Well, this much is acceptable, isn't it? We did agree to fight as if it were a real battle. In a real fight, being well-equipped is a skill in itself."
Melin let out a dry laugh.
It was sophistry, but not entirely wrong.
If this were a real battle, you couldn't very well question your enemy for using such an artifact.
But Melin didn't know.
This wasn't all that Chris had prepared.
*'Time to show you the true power of being well-equipped!'*
To be precise, the power of money.
Chris had acquired several artifacts with the money he'd extorted from the corrupt merchant lord.
He took a dull-colored orb from his pocket and threw it.
*Shatter!*
The orb broke in mid-air, and black smoke spread out.
It was poison magic, the specialty of the Extreme Poison House!
Melin stepped back, avoiding the poison's range.
Chris's cash-fueled assault didn't stop there.
Predicting Melin's movement, he took out another orb and threw it in that direction.
This time, it was 'Flame of Darkness,' black magic from the Destruction House.
It was similar to the white magic 'Fireball,' but with a difference. It exploded near the target, plunging their vision into darkness.
As expected of black magic, it had a sinister effect.
For a moment, Melin's vision was completely blacked out.
Not stopping there, Chris threw his final orb.
It was an ominous, red-colored orb.
The 2-Star curse-type black magic, 'Collapse of a Rusted Sword.'
"!!"
'Collapse of a Rusted Sword' was a black magic spell that weakened and destroyed an opponent's weapon.
The problem was that her vision was obscured, causing a slight delay in her reaction.
This spell was an area-of-effect black magic, impossible to evade once within its range.
*Sizzle.*
The sword Melin was holding began to corrode instantly.
*'Cheap tricks!'*
But Melin remained unfazed.
She drew upon her magi to resist the black magic.
It was just a 2-Star curse; she could shake it off anytime.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Chris emerged from the smoke of the 'Flame of Darkness' and swung the holy sword!
*Clang!*
She blocked it without difficulty, but there was a problem.
The magi she was using to counter 'Collapse of a Rusted Sword' was dispersed by the holy sword.
As her magi scattered, the curse corroded her sword.
*'Damn it!'*
Melin's face hardened.
The sword she held was made of superior material, so it didn't break, but a drop in its durability was unavoidable.
And with a weakened sword, she couldn't block the holy sword.
*Crash!!*
Chris's sword struck Melin's once more.
Melin's sword shattered against the holy sword.
*'Yes!'*
Melin wore a troubled expression.
Her specialty was the sword.
She had trained in hand-to-hand combat, but it was far inferior to her swordsmanship.
Her other specialty, curse magic, was ineffective due to the defensive artifact Chris was wearing.
Her combat power had plummeted in an instant.
*'With both her hands tied, would this count as the power of a 3-Star? Far short of a 4-Star.'*
In that case, he could win.
*'This is my victory.'*
Chris's eyes flashed with a fierce competitive spirit.
His sword pressed Melin back.
It was a strange sight.
Melin was a powerful Majin.
Even with her power sealed, her physical abilities and the magi she could wield were far greater than Chris's.
Yet, she was the one being pushed back.
Her faster and stronger attacks were repeatedly blocked by Chris's sword.
On the other hand, Chris's slower and weaker sword repeatedly struck at Melin's openings.
"!!"
Melin jerked her shoulder back in surprise.
A moment's hesitation and her shoulder would have been cut.
In truth, for someone of her level, taking a sword blow to the body would have been harmless. She could defend with magi.
But that sword was a holy sword.
It would pierce her magi and inflict a fatal wound.
*'Am I... being pushed back?'*
Melin's eyes wavered.
No, it was more than that.
Perhaps... it was hard to imagine, but she might actually lose.
At that thought, Melin's heart began to pound.
*'Damn, this is amazing.'*
Melin was a pure battle maniac who felt pleasure from fighting strong opponents.
Her heart thrilled at Chris's insane talent.
*'I will break you.'*
Melin's eyes went wild.
In her heated excitement, she forgot her opponent was the Young Master.
She wanted to break that genius and bring him to his knees.
That was the only thought that dominated her mind, and her attacks grew fiercer than before.
Unlike before, when she had held back to avoid inflicting fatal wounds, she now attacked with all her might.
"!!"
"Wa-Watch out!!"
The spectators watching from the side cried out in alarm.
Merian frowned deeply.
*'Melin's lost it. I have to stop her.'*
Melin was a Majin from the Main House.
Therefore, Merian knew Melin's personality well.
When excited, she was a crazy... no, a battle maniac who lost all sense of reason.
If left alone, an accident could happen.
"I will stop her."
"...Please do."
Count Cazar felt the same and nodded, but Merian paused.
Chris was smiling faintly.
Even as he was being pushed back helplessly by the fierce attacks.
It was the smile of a victor.
*'What is it? Is he trying to exploit an opening from her excitement?'*
But that was the wrong assessment.
Melin was not such a sloppy Majin. Despite her excitement, she maintained a cool-headed rationality.
Chris knew that fact well.
However.
Chris looked into Melin's eyes.
A ferociously gleaming gaze.
The eyes of a predator that would instantly tear into its prey the moment it showed the slightest opening.
In that case, the way to break Melin was clear.
He just had to make her rush in recklessly.
*'A clumsy trap won't work. I have to show her a real opening.'*
Chris immediately put his plan into action.
He missed a step.
For a moment, his posture faltered.
He hurriedly tried to regain his stance, but it was too late.
Melin did not miss that brief opening.
It was an opening no Demonic Combat practitioner could ever miss.
Melin threw a punch shrouded in magi.
She thought, *it's finally over.*
Because from such an unstable position, no one could respond properly.
And everyone in the arena thought the same.
But Chris's combat sense was far superior to their judgment.
Something happened that far surpassed everyone's expectations.
Even with his posture twisted from the misstep, Chris responded to her attack.
He reached out towards her fist with his empty hand.
*'What is he trying to do?'*
Melin wondered.
Her fist was enveloped in magi. Blocking it with a bare hand, not a holy sword, would only result in a severe injury.
Not just Melin, but everyone watching had the same question.
And the moment her fist and Chris's palm made contact.
Chris's hand slid forward. His open palm exquisitely brushed past Melin's magi, and he touched her wrist with his hand.
With that simple motion, the trajectory of her fist wavered.
It grazed past Chris's body by a hair's breadth.
*'A parry!'*
Not only Melin, but everyone's eyes widened.
He had performed an unbelievable feat while his posture was unstable from a misstep!
That was the end.
The tables had turned.
Chris had completely recovered his stance, while Melin's was now in disarray.
Chris didn't miss the opening.
The match was decided.
*Thud.*
The holy sword touched Melin's neck.
"......"
The arena fell silent.
No one could speak.
Everyone stared with eyes wide enough to tear, at the sight of Chris's sword aimed at Melin's neck.
They wondered if they were seeing things, but they weren't.
It was reality.
A 4-Star Majin, one at the Upper level at that, had been brought to her knees by a 1-Star brat!
Even though he had been armed with various artifacts and used all sorts of tricks, it was an unbelievable event.
Chris shrugged.
His calm voice spread through the arena.
"Looks like I win, doesn't it?"
"!!"
Then, he spoke to the dazed Melin.
"Was the duel to your satisfaction?"
"!!"
Melin pressed her lips together.
Satisfied?
How could he even ask?
She looked at her own forearm.
It was covered in goosebumps from the thrill.
The sensation she had just felt, and the excitement from Chris's insane talent throughout the fight, had not subsided.
"Judging by your expression, it seems it was a satisfying duel. Please think carefully about the offer I made to you, Vice-Commander, and give me an answer soon. Although I won, I will respect your decision."
It was a request for her to decide whether to pledge her loyalty to him.
He had won the duel, but he wasn't using it as an excuse to force her.
Loyalty couldn't be obtained through coercion. He wanted Melin to become his ally of her own free will.
*'Though it seems she's already on my side, even without any forcing.'*
Chris looked into Melin's wavering eyes.
Indeed, Melin spoke as follows.
"No, I'll tell you now."
Melin looked at Chris for a moment.
"If I... stand beneath you, Young Master, will you grant me duels like this in the future?"
There was a reason Melin made this decision.
A question had arisen in her mind.
*'How much stronger... will he become?'*
He gave her such a thrill at only the 1-Star level.
If Chris became stronger, and stronger still, what incredible pleasure would he give her?
As she thought that, she reached a conclusion.
The other young lords could never give her this kind of pleasure.
"Anytime."
Chris's lips curled into a smile.
"But there is one thing you must keep in mind."
"What is that?"
"The fact that I will soon surpass you, Vice-Commander."
"!!"
"And as time goes on, the gap will only widen. You won't be a match for me. But if you can promise not to fall into despair, I'll face you anytime."
Melin almost burst out laughing.
Chris was just a 1-Star brat.
Yet he was saying such absurd things to her, a 4-Star Majin.
But the problem was, it didn't feel like he was wrong.
Chris was already showing such astonishing prowess.
In an instant, he would surpass her and soar to a distant place beyond her sight.
*'That, in its own way, would be enjoyable.'*
Melin chuckled.
With a sense of relief, she answered.
"Come find me after you officially become a Young Lord. I can only stand beneath you after you've earned that title, Young Master."
It was an acceptance!
Afterwards, Chris looked at Merian, who was now staring at him with astonished eyes, a stark contrast to her initial expression.
"And what about you, Aunt?"
"!!"
Chris grinned.
"Did I pass your test as well, Aunt?"