Chapter 694
Chapter 694
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 694
Chapter Title: Authority and Conviction
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694.
The clash between Leo and Gias.
A single exchange of blows brought ruin to their surroundings.
The life forms in the vicinity of the impact were torn to gore.
The resulting spray of blood evaporated without a trace.
The very terrain of the area began to shift.
*Crack-!*
Space distorted as Leo was sent flying.
*Craaaaaash—!*
Tracing an arc like a meteor, Leo collided with the ground.
The shockwave swept through the surrounding area.
A thick cloud of dust rose.
Demons and demonic beasts swarmed in from all directions.
*Fwoooooosh!*
A vortex of flames erupted, sweeping away the nearby demons and beasts.
Those that weren't instantly reduced to ash let out screams.
But even with their bodies ablaze, the demons and beasts unleashed their killing intent and charged toward the heart of the inferno.
*Slice-!*
A gray line cut through the air.
*Spurt-!*
The sharp sword strike dismembered the demons, their bodies scattering.
*Thud- Thud-*
Leo, walking out from the flames, casually rotated the arm that had swung the sword.
He then looked toward Gias, standing far in the distance.
‘An Authority.’
The unique ability possessed by the highest-ranking demons: Authority.
However, the Authorities of the Legion Commanders were special.
While the Authorities of the demons under their command were granted by the commanders themselves, the commanders' Authorities were bestowed by Erebos.
The reason the Legion Commanders of the current era were weaker than those of the past.
It was the presence or absence of this Authority.
A Legion Commander possessed terrifying power on their own, but without their Authority, they were ultimately incomplete.
After Erebos was sealed, Gias, too, had lost his Authority.
‘Well, they were such monsters that even without their Authorities, they were incomparable to the Legion Commanders born in the Age of Heroes.’
But now.
Gias had regained his Authority.
He had been influenced by the Erebos that existed within the World of the Legion.
‘His Authority is Berserker.’
The moment it activates, his power skyrockets, transforming him into a demon of destruction and ruin.
It was simple, but for that reason, it was one of the most powerful Authorities among the Legion Commanders.
On top of that, a commander’s Authority also extended to their legion.
As a result, the power of the Giant King’s Legion was now even greater.
Simple and powerful, but Gias’s Authority had a clear drawback.
He would lose his reason and become a monster swept away by the pure instinct for destruction.
Gias was cautious to an extreme.
In a massive war, that caution could sometimes be a hindrance.
Like just a moment ago.
‘If he had come at me from the start without being wary of Dweno, it would have been dangerous.’
But Gias had been overly cautious of Dweno, making the mistake of letting his legion’s momentum be broken in the first battle.
He had also given Ivaldi time to establish a thorough defensive posture.
But that caution wasn't always a weakness.
Sometimes, his prudence and patience became Gias's most powerful weapons.
‘Especially in a one-on-one fight.’
The overwhelming power emanating from his colossal body was certainly terrifying.
But it also meant he was a larger target.
For that reason, in single combat, Gias would carefully strategize against his opponent.
He wouldn’t rush in recklessly just because he had the upper hand.
In a way, the method to defeat Gias when he activated Berserker was simple.
Either overwhelm him with power or, if you lacked the strength, set a trap.
But the Gias of now was maintaining his reason despite having activated Berserker.
Moreover, his Authority was far stronger than Leo remembered.
*Fwoosh-*
Flames of calamity flickered to life on Gias's body.
He hadn't just enhanced his strength with his Authority.
The current Gias was under the protection of Erebos.
‘To gain Erebos’s protection, you must offer yourself as a sacrifice.’
Leo’s eyes narrowed at the sight.
‘I see… he used his other self as the sacrifice.’
The current Gias had devoured his past self.
And from his own bones and hide, he had crafted armor and weapons.
The sword Gias held.
It was a sword forged from his own spine.
‘The one who activated the Authority isn’t Gias himself, but his equipment.’
He had passed his power on to his future self in its entirety.
And he had allowed his consciousness to inhabit his own spinal column.
The grotesqueness of it all sparked a biological revulsion.
‘A complete monster.’
Leo lowered his stance.
‘In terms of subjugation difficulty… he might be on par with Jörmungandr.’
Jörmungandr, the Devouring King, whom Leo and Lisinas had barely managed to defeat by combining their strength.
A Legion Commander without a legion.
The strongest demon, who alone was worthy of being called a legion.
Gias’s current power was at that level.
*Thump-! Thump-!*
Gias walked toward Leo, his eyes narrowing.
“Impressive. To think you’ve regained so much power after living for just a little over a decade.”
“I only started properly wielding mana three years ago.”
Leo let out a casual smirk.
“Is that so?”
*Craaaaaaaash—!*
Gias’s sword swung down at Leo.
The flames of calamity clinging to the blade vanished.
A sword scar was carved into the earth.
Having deflected Gias’s sword and changed its trajectory, Leo felt a shattering pain in his arm.
Gias, looking down at him, turned his gaze toward the fortress wall.
His eyes landed on the spot where Ar was standing.
“That girl, said to be Ar-on’s successor, her growth is also extraordinary.”
Even considering the Hero Record, Ar’s growth rate was astonishingly fast.
‘The same must be true for that elf girl, Luna’s successor.’
Someone was clearly at the center of it all.
“But the miracles you perform will end today.”
Gias’s face twisted into a vicious grin.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you die here. Surviving Hero.”
“Ah.”
Leo nodded as if in understanding, a smirk playing on his lips.
“I don’t think tearing you limb from limb counts as a miracle. It’s just the natural course of events, isn’t it?”
*Boom-!*
Gias kicked Leo.
*Whoooooosh! Craaash-!*
Leo was sent flying and slammed into the fortress wall.
“B-Black Rabbit!”
Ar urgently called out to Leo.
Coughing up blood, Leo pulled his arm, which had been embedded in the wall, free.
Ar-on’s aura was imbued in his sword.
Leo looked straight ahead.
Just before he was kicked.
He had slashed at Gias’s ankle.
With all the power he could muster.
‘I couldn’t cut it.’
His current sword strikes couldn't sever Gias’s body, which was now enhanced by his Authority and the power of Erebos.
“Black Rabbit!”
Ar descended to Leo’s side and, with a face on the verge of tears, helped him back up to the top of the wall.
“I’ll fight too!”
“It’s still too soon for you.”
“But!”
“I need time to defeat him.”
“T-Time?”
“Yes. Time to complete my magic.”
Leo pulled away from Ar and wiped the corner of his mouth.
His insides felt like a wreck.
‘But I can still hold on.’
There was only one way to break through this situation.
Luna’s magic.
And he could imitate it.
The problem was the vanguard.
He needed the strongest shield to hold the front line while he completed the incantation.
“Dweno will come.”
“B-But! He hasn’t come for so long! It would be better if I…!”
“That’s why I said it’s too soon.”
Leo gave Ar a light knock on the head.
*Thud- Thud-*
Leo stepped forward.
‘Anyone can waver.’
He wasn't a perfect person.
Likewise, Dweno wasn't perfect either.
It wasn't just him and Dweno.
Ar-on, Luna.
Even Lisinas.
No one was perfect.
It was only natural to waver and lose one’s way.
But…
‘We were always looking toward the same goal.’
This belief would not be shaken.
Leo looked up at the sky.
The predawn night sky.
It was almost time for the dawn to break.
At that moment.
A message appeared before Leo’s eyes.
“See?”
As Ar’s eyes widened, Leo broke into a grin.
“I told you he’d come.”
***
*Craaash-!*
Dweno reached out a hand toward the sharp sword strikes that scattered like flower petals.
*Grab-!*
“Keuk?!”
Aina struggled as her throat was seized.
A sword brimming with sharp energy came into view.
‘A sword I made.’
It was a weapon that could perhaps pierce Dweno’s defense.
But unfortunately, a sword he made would not harm him.
That was the kind of weapon he forged.
In that instant—
*Shick-*
“...?”
Aina’s sword, Demon Slayer, sliced across Dweno’s cheek.
For a moment, a flicker of doubt crossed Dweno’s mind.
*Squeeze-!*
“Guhk?”
Dweno applied a bit of pressure, and Aina, unable to breathe, went limp.
“Aina!”
Luke frantically closed the distance to Aina.
“Here, take her.”
“Ugh?”
Dweno tossed Aina to Luke as if handing her over.
Luke hastily caught Aina, his legs tangling as he tumbled to the ground.
He held her tightly in his arms to keep her from getting hurt.
Dweno flicked the forehead of Luke, who had rolled to a stop in front of him.
*Thwack!*
“Keok?”
Luke’s eyes rolled back as he fainted.
*Fwhirrrrr-!*
At that moment.
A blinding white flash and golden lightning filled Dweno’s vision.
It was Duran and Iliana.
“Fast.”
Dweno muttered softly.
“But that’s all.”
*Snatch- Snatch-*
“Keok?!”
“Kuh?”
Dweno reached out and casually grabbed the scruffs of Duran and Iliana’s necks.
He had predicted their paths and plucked them from the air.
At that moment.
“Get your hands off my students! You bastard!”
“My friend. If you’re going to be vulgar, be vulgar. If you’re going to be formal, be formal.”
Artian, who had sharply exploited an opening from behind, threw a punch.
Dweno smiled faintly and threw his head back with all his might.
*Thud-!*
Artian’s forehead collided with the back of Dweno’s head.
*Thump-*
Artian dropped to her knees and lost consciousness.
Then, Dweno tightened his grip on both hands, constricting Duran and Iliana’s necks.
Eventually, the two of them also passed out.
At that moment.
*Fwooooooooosh-!*
“Now!”
At Chelsea’s shout, Haviden swung his sword down.
On Haviden’s sword, which wielded the aura of wind, Chelsea had focused her maximum magic power to create a blade of wind.
Seeing this, Dweno took a deep breath.
And…
“Haaaaaaaaap!”
He let out a kiai infused with aura.
It was different from Ar-on’s Howling.
The atmospheric pressure changed in an instant.
The blade of wind dissipated in midair.
The sudden change in pressure and the force contained in Dweno’s shout dealt a massive blow to the ears of Chelsea and Haviden, who were sensitive to changes in the wind.
As a result, their eyes rolled back, and they fainted.
“...What… is this…”
Karl, who had been directing the battle from behind Eliza on a Wind Wyvern, gaped.
“Your command is sharp, Karl.”
Dweno smiled faintly.
“But it seems you’ve never seen this method of fighting before.”
Dweno was right.
It was an outlandish fighting style.
‘This is like… he’s beating them down with a shield.’
He was subduing them based on his overwhelming defensive power.
A shiver ran through Karl’s entire body, and he unconsciously hugged Eliza tightly.
Eliza, who would normally have reacted sharply, just swallowed hard.
Her heart pounded violently from instinctual fear.
In the midst of it all…
“Haaaaaaap!”
Driana charged straight at Dweno from the front.
“Hey! No! Driana! Stop!”
Karl shouted in alarm.