Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Life Castle
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Daemon's method of switching bodies was quite intriguing.
There was a prerequisite: making eye contact. But as you can see, the skeleton soldiers were nothing but bones.
No eyes meant no eye contact was possible. Yet he could still transfer, which meant that whatever part was perceived as eyes was enough.
So I blew off its head.
Psionic energy could easily pulverize human bones into dust.
But even after destroying its head, the bastard switched bodies.
'Eye contact itself must not be the condition.'
Indeed, I understood.
The act of making eye contact was a ruse.
Yet he did it to deceive the opponent, perhaps.
I thought differently.
Maybe that very act was a trick to heighten his "dominance."
The reason he couldn't transfer to non-undead creatures must lie here too.
'Eye contact makes the opponent perceive you. More intensely than ever.'
Another condition came to mind.
What if the trigger was simply making the opponent aware of him?
If seizing the body stemmed from that moment of intense recognition?
Then making his undead perceive him would be easier than with ordinary living beings.
As long as they were within his domain of control, he could switch bodies at will.
I had already experienced it once.
With Zero's help, and since I was on guard, I wouldn't give it a stronger "perception" than before.
Starting wary from the outset naturally weakened its dominance.
'That's it. The condition is the opponent perceiving him.'
The strength and intensity of that perception completed the body-switch condition.
Nothing was easier for perception than eye contact.
"You underestimate me far too much, Holy King."
Suddenly, Daemon grew triumphant.
The bone fragments of the surrounding skeletons shattered and reassembled, forming the shape of a massive giant.
A bone golem.
Only 8th-circle mages could create golems.
They had to be in a "spirit" state, which allowed easier mana manipulation, to keep the golem's form stable.
And this was chantless.
Edis needed even a brief incantation to make one, yet Daemon conjured it without a word.
"A.I.s must have chantless magic as standard."
"A.I.?"
He didn't understand.
Of course not—he'd never considered himself a fake.
"To cast chantless magic in death that you couldn't in life... how ironic."
"Are you scared mad? Spouting nonsense."
Thud!
It'stomped toward me.
An overwhelming difference in size.
The bastard was trying to threaten me.
A move to make me perceive it more strongly.
If I perceived Daemon intensely, it could even steal a Sword Master's body.
Beyond eye contact, Daemon dominated through another form of perception.
Terror.
He amplified his dominance with the authority and fear of the lord of death.
The world's strongest wouldn't fear Daemon, but if it were possible, he could wield that person's body freely.
The problem was that the word "fear" had long vanished from my vocabulary.
'He truly believes he's Daemon.'
Suspicion turned to certainty.
Even Baal in Kaiel's guise knew he was an Epic.
Zero did too, and so did the dragons.
But not Daemon.
He genuinely saw himself as the real deal, not a fake.
His all-too-human behaviors couldn't be explained otherwise.
With no reaction from me, Daemon changed tactics.
"Die."
Whoosh-!
A massive fist hurtled straight at me.
Krunch!
But it didn't connect.
Dragon Armor. The [Nano Machine]'s web-like strands absorbed the bone golem's strike entirely.
The fist halted right before my brow.
No matter how much force it applied, it wouldn't budge further.
"What is this? A mana barrier?"
Daemon grimaced inwardly.
It resembled a mana barrier, but wasn't.
He'd have recognized a real mana barrier.
Besides, an entirely different tensile force was repelling him.
Drip.
That was the moment.
Cracks began spreading through the bones comprising the bone golem.
Crackle-crack!
The bones collapsed like rain.
"What in the...!"
Daemon couldn't get his bearings.
Everything happening now was unprecedented, even for him after centuries.
The instant the fist neared, Zero activated the "kill code" implanted in it via the Nano Machines.
Soon, only one last skeleton soldier's skull rolled across the floor.
"I won't die!"
"Persistent bastard."
Even Gluttony wouldn't devour this one.
Maybe it tasted bad, or there were separate criteria—who knew.
Still, I had to acknowledge its cockroach-like survival instinct.
I approached and raised my foot.
Crunch-!
I swiftly crushed the skull.
For an "eternal immortal," it was an anticlimactic end.
[Daemon's movement detected, Master.]
What?
No undead remained nearby. No medium to transfer to—where did it go?
Was perception not a condition after all?
But with the kill code activated, death should have been certain.
"This is my Life Castle. Everything within is subject to my dominion."
Tap, tap.
Someone ascended the underground stairs.
A familiar face.
Raunel.
Daemon, now possessing Raunel's body in an instant, laughed heartily.
I'd underestimated the bastard.
The entire place was his Life Castle—his perceptual domain. The eye contact, the feigned limited vision, all an act.
Daemon shuddered with delight.
"Ahhh! So powerful. A strength like the sea itself. A first for me—this ecstasy!"
He seemed thrilled with the far stronger body he'd obtained.
[A.I. 'Daemon's' unique code has been altered.]
['Kill code' operation forcibly terminated.]
This was new.
Upon possessing Raunel, the kill code stopped working.
The kill code was tailored to Daemon's code. But the moment he took Raunel's body, his unique code changed.
Was it because Raunel shared my "blood"?
That Zero couldn't respond properly?
Or something else mixed in the blood itself?
'The blood of the first emperor.'
If so, it was due to the first emperor, the absolute one.
The sanctuary's dragon said I inherited dragon blood. If the first emperor achieved feats as a dragon, unlike others, true "reproduction" was possible.
Roarrrrr!
Flames erupted across Daemon's body in Raunel's form.
Screeech!
A phoenix.
The massive firebird revealed itself.
"I sense it. You and this body share the same bloodline."
Daemon unleashed its potential.
Far beyond what Raunel showed at the demonstration.
The true form of the phoenix—an incarnation of fire that incinerates all.
Even more imposing than the 1st Lord's dragon ascent.
Daemon laughed.
"Surprising that the Holy King is the empire's crown prince, but can you kill me now?"
The dominance that once tormented the body was gone.
And the memories of the possessed body were delectable.
"Your dominance holds no sway over this body either. What can a utterly powerless wretch like you do?"
This was unforeseen.
Neither dominance nor the body-crushing kill code worked.
Daemon gripped a sword of fire.
The phoenix enveloped the blade, and he vanished from sight.
Roar!
[Emergency process 'Dragon Armor' activated.]
[Energy draining.]
[Master, retreat advised.]
"Kuhuhu, how long can you hold out?"
"Talkative."
Up close, the fiery sword tore at the Dragon Armor. Though countering with immense tension, the phoenix wielded a power that burned away all mundane energies.
No matter the overcharge, it couldn't withstand endless assaults.
Irritation surged.
I wanted to rip that bastard's mouth off right then.
'I need a sword.'
For that, I needed a sword.
Zero had sufficed until now.
But if Zero failed,
I needed a sword to counter that blade of fire.
Suddenly, the incantation etched on my arm began to glow.
"'...I who pierce the light and taint the darkness.'"
Letters emerged as I recited.
Daemon sneered.
"Resorting to magic incantation now? Useless. This firebird burns all magic!"
"'The king that devours steel and the blade that slays gods.'"
I chanted with utmost seriousness.
Finally,
"Caliburn."
I uttered the last activation word.
The sword embedded in the rock.
"...N-No way."
Disbelief filled Daemon's eyes.
He realized it wasn't magic activation.
"Spirit summoning...!"
Suspicion became certainty.
He thought he'd grasped everything, but it wasn't over.
A clash of dominators. Having read all moves, victory seemed assured.
Yet it felt like he'd been outmaneuvered.
Incomprehensible.
How could a mere human perform spirit summoning, impossible even for him?
The mystery lost a millennium ago—how?
The spirit weapon said to exist a thousand years past.
Ancient power lost to modern humanity!
Particles of light gathered in my hand, and finally, Caliburn appeared.
*
'Why that sword...'
Raunel dreamed.
A nightmare.
Of himself dying, his mother dying, the empire burning.
Reliving utter loss and despair in a mad loop.
Memories of the emperor personally appointing Reinhardt as crown prince replayed endlessly.
Had the endless nightmares broken his mind?
The moment Caliburn appeared, Raunel awakened for the first time.
The spirit. The mystery in the palace.
Only the true ruler could draw it; all princes challenged and failed.
Raunel too.
After opening the palace, countless were granted challenges, but none succeeded.
Yet that sword in the rock was now before him.
'Reinhardt.'
And Reinhardt held it.
A dream. A nightmare. It had to be.
Reinhardt wielding Caliburn made no sense.
Talentless.
His talent with the sword was equally lackluster.
Reinhardt's body wasn't healthy enough for swordsmanship.
Yet now, he overwhelmed Daemon possessing Raunel's own body.
This wasn't reality.
If it was, it was too cruel.
'I'm jealous of you.'
Reinhardt had everything.
Without effort, without achievements.
All pointed to Raunel as crown prince, yet Reinhardt was appointed simply for being born slightly earlier.
Still, Raunel never blamed others.
He saw it as his own shortcomings and worked harder.
But he learned some things were unreachable no matter the effort.
'With minimal effort, you gain so much more.'
The crown prince no one expected anything of.
His slightest accomplishment was inflated a hundredfold, drawing attention.
Raunel faced greater condemnation for the smallest mistake.
Reinhardt was indolent, yet Raunel was forced to embody purity and integrity.
When scandals dragged the imperial family through the mud due to Reinhardt, Raunel cared for the people and diverted public eyes outward.
He thought it fine.
He didn't hate it. Leading and embracing people was his role.
Yet even the spirit chose Reinhardt.
It felt like the world declared true kingship belonged to him, not Raunel.
"Kuhk?!"
Suddenly, Daemon writhed.
"W-What is this! My dominance...!"
His panic dwarfed anything before.
But Daemon's struggle ended in a flash.
Raunel reclaimed control.
Drip, drip.
Bloody tears fell from Raunel's eyes.
Screeeeech!
The phoenix wailed.
A rampage.
More violent than any before.
"I hate you, Reinhardt."
It wouldn't stop.
Raunel pressed Reinhardt even harder.
*
Ragged breaths.
I turned my gaze to Raunel collapsed on the floor, not even wiping the streaming sweat.
That instant, Zero spoke.
[Remove A.I. 'Daemon'?]
[Remove A.I. 'Raunel'?]