Chapter 163: Nightmare
Chapter 163: Nightmare
Grind, grrrind.
As I pushed with the hand I’d placed on the center of the iron door, it began to open with a harsh, grating sound. The moment I stepped through the wide-open entrance, the darkness trapped within surged out like a tidal wave. It coiled around my body, and I could feel the emotions Ko Yeonju had experienced surging through me.
“…”
I heard faint voices calling to me from behind. Raising a hand to signal that I was fine, I calmly closed my eyes.
I had felt a terrifyingly evil aura the moment my hand touched the door. But as a darkness twice as potent seeped into me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. Just as User Ko Yeonju had said, it was as if all the malicious emotions in the world had been gathered in this room.
Soothing Eternal Flame, which wanted to run wild in response to the evil energy, I took a moment to savor the emotions welling up inside me. My heart, which had grown dull, felt as if it were being sharpened on a whetstone. It felt as if I had returned to my old self from the first run.
Soon, the feelings began to subside, and I looked at the darkness before me with a hint of regret. If only I could bottle it up and take it with me. I’d been feeling like I was losing my edge lately, and I thought that embracing this darkness from time to time would be a great help.
“O-Oppa. Are you okay?”
Just then, Lee Yoojung’s worried voice struck my ear. I started to turn and answer her, but a fierce sound cleaved through the darkness ahead before I could. So it started the moment I arrived… It was the same in both my first and second runs. I clicked my tongue inwardly and quickly raised my sword into a middle guard.
Clang!
A heavy, dull impact traveled up the flat of my blade. It felt like I had collided head-on with a boulder. The force of the blow lifted my body slightly into the air, sending me stumbling back several steps. I immediately corrected my posture and planted my feet firmly on the ground. Then, I spoke quietly to the others, who were staring blankly.
“This is no time to just stand there watching. The battle has already begun.”
“That thing is impatient,” Ko Yeonju muttered, biting her lip as she immediately entered the room. As the rest of the party scrambled in after her, I focused magic into my eyes and stared ahead.
“Grrr… Grrrr…”
It sounded partly like phlegm rattling in a throat, and partly like the roar of a wild beast. But a strange power was embedded in that sound, and it sent shivers down my spine. I rubbed my arms a few times and took three or four more steps forward before the creature’s form finally came into blurry view.
Even at a glance, it was over two meters tall. As what I presumed to be its head lifted, two red lights glowed in the abyssal darkness. In a space where only darkness existed, those lights, burning with killing intent, were fixed precisely in our direction.
Doom Knight Horrence. Also known as Nightmare. A child of darkness that existed solely to bring ruin.
In a way, Horrence could be considered a higher-level being than the Demonkin Count Belphegor. Belphegor’s formal rank was much higher, but their present circumstances were completely different. Belphegor had been unable to draw out even half his true power because of the barrier, whereas Horrence could now exert its full strength and more. Since I had also decided not to use Eternal Flame this time, I could not afford to let my guard down.
『Activating Special Ability: Unity of Sword and Self (Rank: EX).』
『Activating Latent Ability: Close-Quarters Combat (Rank: A Plus).』
『Activating Latent Ability: Mind’s Eye (Stillness) (Rank: A Plus).』
As I dismissed the messages floating in the air, I felt all the darkness in the room turn its spears toward me. A tingling killing intent awakened every sense in my body. The others seemed to have felt its killing intent as well, as they flinched with frightened expressions.
Once we take this guy down, it’ll be time to leave Mule. I can no longer look after the kids or make allowances for them. So, to make things perfectly clear, I spoke in a low voice.
“We will now begin the raid on the boss monster. And for this time only, I will grant everyone in the party free roles. There will be no specific orders. Just do as you have always done.”
As I finished speaking, the darkness swirling around Horrence began to take a more concrete form. The wavering shadows coalesced, forming the shape of armor and equipment befitting a knight. A long sword jutted out, now clearly visible, and I knew instinctively that Horrence had finished its preparations for battle.
The kids all looked up at me with anxious faces. Until now, they had only done as I commanded, so passive behavior had become ingrained in them. To move forward from this moment on, they needed to develop the habit of thinking and judging for themselves. And so, I spoke once more, my voice firm.
“Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, Lee Yoojung.”
“…”
“As you know, I plan to leave Mule after this battle. I will create a clan, accept other Users, and take a more serious step into the Hall Plain. When that happens, I may not be able to wait for you as I have until now.”
“…”
They listened to my words in silence. Horrence was showing signs of movement, so I had to continue quickly.
“Therefore, I want you to show me what you’ve got in this battle. Don’t be afraid of death. It’s fine if you can’t wound it, and it’s fine if you get hurt. Just go on a rampage as much as you possibly can.”
“…!”
“After we leave this cave, whether you will continue to be called ‘the kids’ or be known as ‘User’ Ahn Hyun, ‘User’ Ahn Sol, and ‘User’ Lee Yoojung will be decided by this battle.”
I could finally see a spark of fire ignite in their eyes, but there was no more time for talk. Horrence let out a cry that shook the room and charged at me. I cleared my mind and focused all my attention on the creature rushing toward me. Then, infusing my sword with magic, I, too, shot forward.
The darkness shimmering around the knight rose up, pressing in on me. I swung my sword in a wide horizontal arc to scatter the energy, but the dispersed darkness immediately rose again as separate tendrils and shot toward me once more.
Just as the tendrils were about to wrap around my body, I ducked to avoid them, then kicked off with my right foot to close the distance. From that position, I slashed my sword upward in a scooping motion, and the dark sword the creature held immediately reacted.
Kaaang!
Sparks flew from my sword, while a thick smoke billowed from the creature’s darkness. Where they clashed in the middle, the weapons, each seeking the other’s life, came to a halt. But the stalled movement soon began to creep forward again.
Screeeeeeech.
My magic-infused sword began to slowly cut into its blade. To be precise, my Authority was cutting through Horrence’s darkness. The moment I had cut about halfway through, the creature seemed to sense something was wrong. It unleashed a wave of darkness and cautiously retreated.
It was then.
“Come! Imprison! O Steel Restrainer who rules the 49th Legion!”
“—Stream of Water!”
“—Chain Lightning!”
“Protect!”
“—Reverse! Amplification!”
As if they had been waiting for the creature to fall back, the voices of the priests and mages chanting their spells rang out simultaneously.
The first magic to arrive was Vivian’s summoning spell. Heavy, ink-black chains grazed past me and tightly bound Horrence’s limbs. At the same time, a massive stream of water drenched its body. It was a perfect combo, executed with almost no perceptible delay.
The magic and spells continued to pour in. Just as the zigzagging yellow streaks of Chain Lightning struck Horrence’s body, a translucent barrier unfolded around it at the perfect moment. The magical combo was crowned by reversing the properties of Protect with Reverse and amplifying the power of Chain Lightning.
Crackle! Sizzle! Crash!
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
The power of the combined magic was immense. It was so powerful that the Protect spell Ahn Sol had cast shattered after only a few moments. A few yellow streaks of lightning escaped, but the Chain Lightning, centered on the thoroughly soaked Horrence, relentlessly battered it.
As the lights began to fade, I saw two figures dash forward from either side with powerful shouts.
One slammed his right foot into the ground and thrust a spear that tore through the air. The other leaped high and crossed her daggers, aiming for its side. The weapons they brandished pierced the creature’s torso without resistance. It seemed they hadn't aimed for a hard spot, but rather for the areas dented by the magical attacks. I pushed aside my proud thoughts for later; I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity either.
Facing the completely incapacitated foe, I gripped the hilt of my sword with both hands like a baseball bat. Then, I swung with all my might at the large ball conveniently placed before me. Of course, there was a bit of petty revenge mixed in for it having knocked me back a few steps earlier.
WHAM!
I poured magic into my sword and slammed it into the creature’s torso. A thrilling sensation traveled up the blade and into my hands. I watched as Horrence, struck by my sword, flew through the air in a wide arc.
I carefully observed the creature as it tumbled to the ground with a loud crash. The center of its torso and its side were completely blown open, and the darkness around its body was scattered here and there. It had clearly taken damage. But the most important thing was that the chains Vivian had summoned were still wrapped around its body.
Vivian seemed determined to finish it now that she had the chance. She lifted the chains, forcibly raising the creature’s body, and the moment it was upright, she slammed it back down to the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Once, twice, three times…
The chains were only released after the creature’s body, which had been relentlessly slammed, was beaten into an even finer pulp.
With that, our first clash could be considered a complete seizure of the initiative. Pleased with the better-than-expected start, I raised my sword again. I felt a newfound confidence in our party’s current strength.
In that first exchange, Vivian and I had made the greatest contributions.
I had focused the creature’s attention on me while simultaneously restricting its movements. Seizing that opening, Vivian had bound it with her chains at the perfect moment. If she had hesitated for even a few seconds, Horrence would have realized the situation and shaken them off, but it had been caught off guard by the continuous barrage of magic that came as if we had planned it. This is why they say a single User with a Secret or Rare Class is better than a hundred ordinary Users.
As I raised my sword to prepare for battle again, the kids stared at me with strange expressions.
“H-Hyung. Isn’t it over?”
“Hm? It’s not over.”
“But it’s like that…”
Ahn Hyun’s gaze shifted, and his face hardened at the sight before him. There was Horrence, beaten to a pulp. But darkness was surging up again, gathering from all over to reform its body. I had expected this much, so I wasn't particularly surprised.
Its regeneration wasn't infinite. In the first run, they said it only stopped regenerating after being defeated a dozen times, so we had to be prepared to do the same. The one encouraging fact, however, was that its regenerative power weakened slightly each time it was defeated.
That’s why I placed great significance on having defeated Horrence relatively easily in this first clash. We had broken through its strongest state of regeneration in one go.
In any case, unlike the wraith at the entrance, it didn't have a separate resurrection spell, so its end was certain. Seeing the kids bite their lips and raise their weapons again, I spoke in a calm voice.
“The real fight starts now.”