Chapter 373: Dawn
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 373: Dawn
Objectively speaking, Lancelot was strong.
Even without poison, he was a powerhouse on par with Old Monster Mangong. If it weren't for my new title, I would have definitely struggled.
“You’re Kang Hyun-woo, aren’t you?”
And the man in the crow mask who appeared before me was no different.
He was at least Lancelot’s equal.
No, perhaps even stronger.
Ting—
[The Devil Slayer has detected demonic energy.]
[The Demon Hunter’s blessing has been bestowed.]
Power surged through my body.
The blessing, which had been slowly fading after Lancelot’s fall, began to blaze once more.
“...Who are you?”
The demonic energy in my dantian reacted wildly to his foul aura.
Judging by my title’s reaction, he was clearly a demon worshipper.
But I had never heard of a villain who wore a crow mask like that.
“I am Talion. The fourth apostle of Belmoras.”
“Are you sure you should be telling me that so easily?”
“It wasn’t a difficult question.”
Crow Mask shrugged, his attitude relaxed.
Talion. It was a name I’d never heard before.
That meant he wasn’t a villain active in Asia, at least.
Even in a university liberal arts class, they teach you to memorize the faces of S-rank villains.
‘Didn’t Tristan say he was the twelfth apostle?’
The fourth apostle of Belmoras.
The moment I heard that, an ominous hypothesis surfaced in my mind.
What if that numbering was a measure of their strength?
Tristan was a few steps below Lancelot, but he was by no means an easy opponent.
He was at least on the cusp of S-rank.
And he would become much stronger if he unleashed the demon’s authority.
‘If a guy eight ranks above Tristan gets the same kind of support fire I just saw...’
Grip—
I swallowed a heavy sigh.
Even with the aid of the blessing, facing two S-rank opponents at the same time was no easy task.
But I couldn’t back down here.
The reason Crow Mask was blocking my path was all too obvious.
Ting—
[Would you like to designate ‘Talion’ as the target of your mark?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
BEEEEEP!!!
[Failed to designate the mark.]
[Time remaining until a new mark can be designated: 11 hours, 49 minutes, 37 seconds.]
“...Tsk.”
I frowned.
Just then, a shadow fell over me.
I reflexively kicked off the ground and shot backward.
CRASH!
A moment later, a massive fist slammed down, gouging a crater in the ground.
Before me stood a giant golem, easily five meters tall.
It looked like an A-rank golem, but it wasn't a magical beast.
“...An Elementalist?”
“Did I not mention it?”
Snap—
As Crow Mask snapped his fingers, spirits began to appear around him one by one.
A moss-covered golem, a giant stag, a gorilla made of wood. Their forms were all different, but every single one of them radiated a powerful aura.
From what Iris had told me, they were undoubtedly high-level earth spirits.
‘7th Circle... no, 6th Circle?’
I let out a sigh of relief internally.
If my opponent had been a 7th Circle Elementalist, I would have had only two options.
Risk my life here and now, or temporarily escape to another world.
Elemental magic, much like conceptual magic, demanded a strict level of innate talent.
And it was just as powerful.
In one-on-one combat, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the strongest.
A high-level spirit was practically a monster on par with a sub-boss among A-rank magical beasts.
Moreover, according to Iris, spirits drew their power from nature itself.
This was going to be an incredibly tricky opponent.
The only saving grace was that he wasn't a proper Elementalist.
I had been sensing a familiar energy from the spirits.
Demonic energy.
“Did you... sell your contracted spirits to a demon?”
“Hmm... ‘Sell’ has such a negative connotation. Would you mind thinking of it as a sort of power-up?”
“You crazy bastard.”
If Iris had seen this, she would have been genuinely furious.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
At that moment, the wooden gorilla charged at me.
It was slow, so dodging wasn't difficult.
THUD!
But the instant the gorilla’s fist struck the ground, the earth began to shake with abnormal force.
A spirit’s ability.
The sudden earthquake threw off my landing, and the stag spirit seized the opening, rushing toward me.
It looked like it was moving at least 250 kilometers per hour.
Simultaneously, the golem charged from my side, entering my field of view.
Quickly assessing the situation, I decided not to dodge. Instead, I gathered my lightning energy and faced the stag spirit.
Crackle!
Savage red lightning flared to life.
The Crimson Cloud Thunder Energy coiling around my right arm roared as I thrust it toward the stag.
Lightning Shattering Fist.
KRRRRRUUUMBLE!
The stag, taking the full force of the fist aura made of red lightning, exploded from its massive antlers down through its upper body.
Thud—
I immediately stomped my foot and turned my gaze to the golem.
Golems are inherently resistant to physical attacks.
A high-level spirit, moreover, would be incomparably tougher than an ordinary golem.
—KUUUOOOOH!
The golem let out a bizarre cry and threw a punch.
Its momentum was fierce, but not enough to reach me.
CRASH!
The golem’s fist only managed to destroy the unfortunate garden, leaving me completely unharmed.
I seized the opportunity, kicking off the ground and leaping up to the golem’s solar plexus.
Crackle—
Red lightning sparked again.
Sensing the instinctual danger, the golem hastily tried to assume a defensive stance, but its sluggish speed was no match for me.
The Crimson Cloud Aura glittered like a star in the night sky.
My palm, wreathed in intense sparks, drove forward with enough force to crush the golem’s core.
Crimson Cloud Crushing Palm.
KUUURRRRUMBLE!
Not a single bolt of lightning escaped outward.
Every last spark exploded from within the golem, and the shockwave caused it to crumble on the spot.
The musty smell of burning moss stung my nostrils.
Calming my energy, I slowly began to walk toward Crow Mask.
Thump, thump, THUD!
The gorilla spirit, intending to block me from reaching its master, trampled over the fallen golem and charged.
It was certainly faster than the golem, but I didn't even glance its way.
There was no need.
Woooong—
At that moment, a crimson magic circle materialized beneath the golem’s feet.
A flash of red light was followed by a vast wave of magic power spreading across the area, and then, enormous flames erupted.
WHOOOOOSH!
[Hellfire]
The Hellfire, at least twice as powerful as the one at the banquet hall, dyed the night sky red.
The overwhelming, storm-like heat instantly crisped the remaining ornamental trees until they were brittle husks.
Click.
The flames died down as soon as I cut off the supply of magic power.
But there was no trace of the gorilla spirit to be found.
—!!!
Just then, an arrow flew out of nowhere, aimed precisely at the spot between my eyes.
Once again, I hadn't sensed it at all.
I quickly snatched the arrow out of the air.
Creeak—
Even with my physical abilities greatly enhanced by the blessing and my hand coated in aura, my arm ached from the impact.
I snapped the arrow and tossed it to the ground.
My killing intent toward Tristan flared up once more.
Clap, clap, clap.
“When Sir Lancelot’s life signs vanished, I vaguely assumed you had joined forces with Sir Gawain to defeat him... It seems I have greatly underestimated you, Mr. Hyun-woo.”
Crow Mask’s voice held a clear note of goodwill.
Despite that, I didn't let my guard down.
“Mr. Hyun-woo, would you consider joining us? We will give you anything you desire. Honor might be difficult, but we can provide you with as much money and as many women as you want.”
“You’re talking a lot. Having second thoughts?”
I smirked, mocking him.
Ting—
[The Demon Hunter’s blessing resists the authority of disease.]
[The Demon Hunter’s blessing resists the authority of disease.]
[The Demon Hunter’s blessing resists the authority of disease.]
[The Demon Hunter’s blessing resists the authority of disease.]
˙
˙
˙
The notifications that had been popping up for a while now were telling me his true intentions.
“Are you thinking something like, ‘Why isn’t my authority working on him?’”
“...”
Silence fell.
Our eyes met through his mask.
Behind his faintly trembling gaze, a storm of emotions was swirling.
“...Kill him.”
At Crow Mask’s command, new spirits appeared from all directions.
Revealing their killing intent, they began to charge at me.
If Iris saw this sight, she would have already fainted with a hand to her forehead.
[Thought Transcendence]
In the flow of time, compressed to its absolute limit, everything slowed down.
The spirits’ attacks, and even the rain of arrows pouring from the sky.
Taking a moment to catch my breath, I expanded the range of my magic detection.
In the distance, I felt a familiar presence.
It was Delia.
Fortunately, it seemed she hadn't been kidnapped or harmed yet.
But I could feel a rough, savage aura near her.
It made me realize this was no time to be conserving my strength.
[Extreme Blood]
Thump—
My heartbeat intensified, and power began to overflow throughout my body.
But I could only maintain this state for ten minutes at most.
Nevertheless, I gripped the hilt of my sword and walked forward.
For now, that was more than enough.
Time began to flow normally again.
Attacks rained down from all sides, as if to give me no chance to dodge.
I quietly activated the authority of my evil eye.
‘...I see it.’
The future, 0.5 seconds from now, was reflected in my left eye.
I used Formless Step, following the future I saw to evade the attacks.
KABOOOM!
I leaped into the air, breaking through the thick cloud of dust.
At that moment, arrows once again flew at my vital points.
Between the eyes, the Adam’s apple, the heart, the dantian, the groin.
I could feel the malice, the intent to give me not even a moment’s rest.
‘That child-molesting bastard dares to aim for my dick?’
A few days ago, I had purchased ‘Castro’s Grimoire’ from the shop. It contained only a single spell.
A 6th Circle magic that went beyond simply wielding lightning, allowing the caster to become lightning itself, pushing their affinity for the element to its absolute limit.
Fzzt!
Sparks flew from my entire body.
Everything in my vision felt alien.
It felt as if the slightest lapse in concentration would cause me to dissipate into a single bolt of lightning.
But I wasn't worried.
Because I am a mage.
[Electria]
I dodged all the attacks pouring in from every direction and ran toward Crow Mask.
In truth, Electria wasn't a spell for running fast.
It was more of a support magic, where a mage would remain stationary to focus and amplify the power of their lightning spells.
But if I were to use Electria and Formless Electric Body at the same time—
“Aaargh!”
—it was possible to ignore the spirits surrounding Crow Mask like guardian knights and simply sever his arm.
Dark red blood scattered in the air.