Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Slicing the Blood Moon
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Screeeeech!
The blood moon shot out its tongue. Seeing this attack for the second time made it feel somewhat familiar. I couldn't help but think this thing lacked any real creativity.
Of course, there were differences from before.
This time, it wasn't just one tongue—it was several.
They slithered toward me like plant tendrils with a mind of their own.
At my current level, I could track their speed and trajectory.
Clang!
I swung the Yin-Yang Sword and smacked the tongues aside. The violet flames clinging to the blade ignited fiercely the moment they made contact.
It was like using the tongues as fuses—the fire raced straight to the main body in an instant.
But just before the flames could reach the moon, the tongues snapped off.
Same response as that lizard from before.
'So far, so manageable.'
The real problem was the other kind of attack.
Craaaack...!
The sound of cracking glass echoed through the entire otherworld. On the fractured surface of the moon, its rage-twisted face became visible.
Here it comes.
I tensed every muscle in my body to its absolute limit.
Kaboom!
Then the bombardment began.
Unlike the tongue attacks, I had no intention of dodging this barrage.
I planted my feet firmly in place, gripping the Yin-Yang Sword in my left hand and the Seven Sins Sword in my right.
Twin blades were obviously beyond my skill level...
But this wasn't martial arts or sparring with an expert—just defending against falling debris.
All I had to do was swat away the indiscriminately plummeting fragments.
Clang clang clang clang!
I batted the falling shards with both swords.
Last time, Building 13 had acted as a shield. That structure had been reduced to powder by the bombardment...
Even so, facing the fragment storm barehanded had rattled me more than expected.
Hearing the explosions ringing out from all directions brought back memories from my mercenary days—ones I hadn't revisited in a while.
It was a battlefield I'd joined after gaining some experience, one where mages were involved.
In the Empire's wildest, most desolate southern lands, large-scale clashes worthy of the name "war" erupted constantly.
With resources so scarce, everyone was hypersensitive about their interests.
Add the southerners' innate belligerence, and most conflicts ended in straight-up fights.
The Imperial family knew about it but stayed out of it. No wonder mercenaries mockingly called the south the "forsaken lands."
'Mages...'
That was when my hatred for mages began to fester and grow—rooted in my mercenary experiences.
On battlefields swarming with mages, most mercenaries were expendable.
Single-use cannon fodder, really.
Meant to advance and drain even a sliver of the enemy's mana.
Of course, it didn't always mean death.
Battlefield mages—those war mage scum—mostly targeted other mages.
Their spells clashed in the sky overhead while we bipedal grunts crawled along below.
Whichever side breached the enemy lines first claimed victory...
But those midair spell collisions burst like fireworks, raining down countless fragments in a literal storm of fire and ice.
Kaboom...
Of course, I was far stronger now than that pathetic mercenary back then.
But this fragment barrage was several times fiercer than the war mages' debris I'd endured.
The storm finally passed.
My arms trembled from swatting fragments, and my legs shook from absorbing the impacts.
*Cough cough.* I hacked up the dust from my lungs and thought to myself.
'Just once down?'
I'd have to endure this crap at least four or five more times.
The silver lining, as the dean had said, was that it couldn't chain these fragment attacks endlessly.
The moon opened its maw and unleashed another wave of tongue tendrils. I was starting to get a read on this thing's patterns.
The tongues were merely annoying to me—not enough to let my guard down.
This time, I mostly dodged instead of slashing them. My upper body fatigue was worse than my legs. I needed to rest as much as possible before the next fragment storm in five minutes.
Any other attacks coming?
The moment I glared up at the moon in the sky with that thought, a strange unease hit me.
"..."
It felt like the moon had drifted farther away than before.
Had it increased the distance?
'No way it noticed the dean's grand spell?'
I dismissed the idea immediately.
Nothing's more vulnerable than a mage mid-incantation.
If the Demon King had sensed Alderson chanting, it would know his position too...
In that case, closing in for a direct strike would be far smarter than pulling back.
Alderson, focused on his spell, would die to fragment bombardment alone—let alone these tongues.
So then...
'Ah.'
I realized.
The moon hadn't moved farther away.
It had shrunk.
'I see.'
That fragment-dropping attack wasn't infinite.
It made sense, thinking about it.
It deliberately cracked its surface, then let chunks of its body rain down.
Even if it wasn't a living thing, consuming parts of its body like that had to have limits.
My body itched with anticipation.
Being a Demon King floating in the sky or whatever—it grated on me to just take the hits forever.
My honest urge was to land one good blow somehow...
'...But depth perception's tricky.'
Could I reach it? Or not?
No way to know without trying.
While I mulled it over, the moon unleashed another fragment barrage.
Kaboom... Moon shards slamming into the ground. The second attack aimed at me.
'I wrecked another building in the hallway... so three total.'
The dean said thirty minutes.
Meaning at least fifteen more, maybe twenty, to hold out.
'Three or four times.'
Would my body last? Bluntly, I doubted it. I knew my limits best.
By the barrage after next, I'd probably struggle just to stand.
"Huuu..."
I let out a crushed sigh.
As expected, not easy.
One human rooted to the earth versus a moon hanging in the sky.
The overwhelming gap felt like the chasm between me and the Demon King.
But even more than that...
This one-sided pounding was ruining my mood.
Whether it was a Demon King or not was secondary.
'Ranged attacks... ranged attacks...'
Dodging tongues, I racked my brain until steam practically poured from my ears.
Warriors generally favored close combat—I did too.
For a body cultivator to chase long-range options might be greedy.
Normally, yeah.
But I recalled my unconventional master.
How would Baek Rogwang bring down a moon in the sky?
'Master could do it with fist winds alone.'
He'd collapsed mountains with finger winds, after all.
Obviously...
Even ignoring the realm gap, it required inner energy vaster than an ocean.
'At my level, throwing's my only shot.'
So what to throw?
Yin-Yang Sword, Seven Sins Sword.
Couldn't toss either—they weren't disposable.
My gaze naturally swept the surroundings, landing on the moon fragments scattered across the ground.
"..."
Were these meteorites of a sort? They say naming's half the battle. Dodging a tongue, I snatched one up.
'Whoa...'
Tougher than expected?
This was meteor iron territory.
Its near-spherical shape—stretch it a bit, and you could call it a ball.
'This might just...'
I acted on the idea instantly. No way hurling it would reach the sky.
So what about smashing it up there?
My instincts recalled Third Senior Brother's favorite stance.
—Third Senior Brother's weapon doesn't look that lethal.
—Of course not. It's not a weapon.
—Huh? It's not?
—It's a bat. You swing it like this... Hitting incoming balls—that's what a swing's for.
—Aha. But what's this inscription on the surface mean?
—...I am happy.
Third Senior Brother trailed off there, adding in a wistful tone.
—...The glorious cheer of the strongest team.
I sheathed the Seven Sins Sword at my waist, tossed the meteor iron into the air, and gripped the Yin-Yang Sword's hilt two-handed.
Borrowing his words, the perfect swing stance.
The Seven Sins Sword might suit bludgeoning balls better, but...
To coat a projectile in violet flames, I needed the Yin-Yang Sword.
I wondered what Eldest Senior Brother would think of this—seeing his treasured blade treated like a bat.
Clang—!
I smashed the flat of the blade into the meteor iron. A normal sword would've shattered or dulled, but this was his masterpiece.
The Yin-Yang Sword was unscathed, and the iron streaked toward the moon in a violet arc.
Then—crack.
'Yes!'
A chill raced down my spine.
Direct hit!
My first attack to land on the Demon King since entering this otherworld.
It also let me gauge the rough distance to the skyborne Demon King.
Based on the iron chunk's speed.
'Not as far as I thought...'
At this range, I could attack during its dodges.
Rumble...
Soon the third barrage hit, and when it ended...
My body was at its physical limit, but separately, the enemy's assaults had weakened noticeably.
'I can hold a bit longer now.'
Running low on fragments?
Or had my hit just now paid off?
People believe what they want to believe, and right now, it didn't matter which—it was the latter for me.
As they say, the best defense is a good offense.
There was a brief window after each barrage, before the tongues.
I'd use it.
I dashed to a spot thick with moon fragments, planted my stance, and stomped.
Boom...!
The ground quaked, and scattered shards leaped into the air.
I steadied my breath, then punched the erratic fragments one after another.
The shards rocketed back to their master in a fury. A satisfying reunion from my view.
Kaboom!
Nothing beat the feel of bare fists.
No violet flames without the Yin-Yang Sword, but it didn't matter.
Not single strikes—combos.
Turning the Demon King's fragment storm against it felt exhilarating.
If I named this move, Meteor Barrage maybe?
Not every shard hit home, but plenty did.
Rumble... The blood moon tilted slightly. Clear cracks spiderwebbed its surface.
"Come on..."
What now, monster?
I drew the Yin-Yang Sword again and glared at the Demon King...
Its eyes flashed.
That grating mad laughter echoed through space again.
The tilted moon righted itself, glaring down at me.
Rumble...
The familiar earthquake rumble returned—but this felt different.
The blood moon loomed larger, drawing closer. Bigger than it looked, I numbly thought—
"Uh..."
The moon was falling.
"You maniac!"
A body slam now?
Underwhelming as a Demon King's last resort, but that mass crashing down was no joke.
Like a small meteor impact...
Wouldn't the fallout rival that famous grand spell—Meteor?
This whole area was done for.
Did I provoke the beast too much? Regret flickered—
Then a white flash streaked from somewhere, piercing the moon.
"!"
I saw it.
The figure atop Building 12's roof, far from here.
[......]
Face unclear, but I knew Fourth Senior Brother was smiling faintly.
A tough fight for him too, huh. His body was shattered, clothes in tatters.
Crumble...
Even his steel-like form scattered to dust.
'Ah...'
So you're leaving now.
Never even got to talk—such a shame.
Wanted to show off the new violet flames, gripe about this mess, ask for advice on what next...
Fourth Senior Brother would've had the perfect plan.
I'd turn that regret into fuel for our next meeting.
'Thank you.'
Short mental bow, then I glared at the Demon King.
If that was a fall, this was a crash. Fourth Brother's strike had slowed it.
Now was the time.
I poured every last drop of energy into the Yin-Yang Sword. The flickering flames surged massively.
Roooar—!
The blaze towered skyward, plenty to cleave the falling moon.
Deep breath.
Measured the distance.
Three, two, one.
As the Demon King closed in, I swung down.
Craaaack!
The blood moon split in half.