Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: 1장 - 5 (10)
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"The Holy Land... you mean?"
The moment the word "Holy Land" slipped from his mouth, the king who heard it could do nothing but ask in return.
The monarch of the Abelos Kingdom.
Even as the absolute ruler of the entire nation, with countless nobles and commoners beneath his feet...
He had no choice but to address this plainly robed Abelian with the utmost respect.
He was neither a noble nor royalty.
A Saint.
Those who preserved the purest bloodline of the Abelians.
Only they could reach the Saint Realm,
and even aspire to the true transcendence beyond it.
Right now, the power wielded by this single Abelian was enough to topple an entire kingdom if he so desired.
At this moment,
every minister and the king gathered in the audience chamber held their breath, staring at him—the being whose very existence was a state secret.
At the Saint whose face was half-covered in thick scales, whose eyes blazed with overwhelming light.
Ignoring those gazes, the Saint stroked the small communication orb in his hand and spoke once more.
"In your father's time, nothing like this ever happened."
His voice carried a note of rebuke toward the king.
The sole Saint here infused mana into the communication orb and thought to himself.
It had been over a hundred years.
Ever since he had been dispatched by the Holy Land to this mortal nation as a watcher.
Yet, for some reason from the past, he had always gone to extreme lengths to avoid entanglement with the Holy Land.
The king, who knew all this in detail, instinctively bowed his head.
"My apologies..."
The Saint ignored the king's apology, gazing out the window at the rising smoke as he sank into thought.
'The strongholds are being destroyed one after another, with mere moments between them.'
This was too systematic to be the work of siege weapons toppling walls or some individual wielding destructive artifacts.
It was far more likely the act of overwhelming power.
And.
Capturing the capital's stronghold this swiftly was something even he, a Saint, would find difficult.
Even if this was merely the mortal world, it could be someone surpassing his own strength.
The Saint concluded that he must avoid facing the enemy alone recklessly.
Thus, most Saints never grew arrogant.
Having lived for ages and witnessed countless powerhouses, they knew well the consequences of carelessness.
These thoughts came after he had already finished contacting the Holy Land via the orb.
The Saint turned toward the king.
His eyes gleamed coldly as he spoke.
"Once this matter is resolved, your house will face judgment."
The moment he heard "judgment,"
the king's face—always masked in feigned composure before him—began to crack.
"If it ends with minimal damage, the current regime may persist, but should the losses spiral out of control, remember that even your dynasty could change."
The king, who understood the implication all too well,
could no longer think of the intruder.
Terror over the judgment's outcome had overshadowed his fear of the present crisis.
The king now fixated solely on the precarious survival of his royal line.
Right then.
Krugugrugu—!
A deafening roar shook the palace violently, as if it would burst their eardrums.
Ornaments crashed down, and the floor split open.
Even the Saint lost his composure this time, furrowing his brow and shouting urgently at the king.
"Evade! The enemy is here!"
The king floundered in panic.
The Saint continued.
"We should flee first! We haven't grasped the enemy's forces yet!"
"What about my wife and children...!"
"You fool! We can rebuild the succession later! The royal line must not end here!"
There was no hesitation in the Saint's voice.
Ruthless, yet the most rational judgment—it even convinced the king.
The Saint cared nothing for mortals,
but the king was different.
If the king died, it would put him in a somewhat troublesome spot as well.
As if preparing to move, gray energy began swirling from the Saint's hands.
This energy swelled instantly, enveloping the ministers and the king.
But it was already too late.
Kwaaaang!!!!
A massive shockwave blasted away the audience chamber's walls entirely,
nearly halving the palace as cold outer air rushed in with dust and debris.
This shockwave, striking before they could even move, was ferocious.
Most soldiers and ministers exploded into chunks of flesh on the spot,
and even the king vomited blood from the aftermath.
Thus, the kingdom's most dignified audience chamber became ruins in an instant.
In this chaos,
only the Saint stood unharmed.
Wrapped in gray energy around his body, he stared beyond the collapsed wall.
Someone was approaching.
Footsteps leisurely, as if on a stroll.
Yet each step rumbled the ground, plunging the entire castle into terror.
The Saint swallowed hard.
That one. The culprit behind this disaster.
'That bastard.'
I gazed at the owner of the alien aura I'd sensed since attacking the inner palace.
This Abelian wore a plain robe, but the energy emanating from him was anything but ordinary.
Stats easily over 40—far beyond any other Abelians, incomparable.
Stronger than any monster I'd seen in Zone 5 so far.
His appearance was unusual too.
While other nobles and royals I'd seen resembled humans with faint scales,
this one's face was half-covered in thick scales, making him look far more distant from humanity.
With that impression,
I stood atop the ruins of the destroyed audience chamber and asked him.
"Are you the king?"
My voice was low, but it rang out clearly.
He looked up at me and replied.
"How dare you... I hold no such lowly hybrid status."
Disgust filled this Abelian's voice.
He glanced contemptuously at the gorgeously robed Abelian collapsed and bleeding on the floor.
"Such a position would be an insult to me."
Hybrid?
I paused to consider his reaction.
Mongrels, Abelians, and hybrids.
I didn't know their societal structure well, but it seemed they divided status by pureblood and hybrid.
This one implied he was pureblood, calling the king a hybrid and placing himself above.
'So that collapsed one is the king.'
I looked at the Abelian at the end of his gaze.
His attire was even more ornate, but stats around mid-30s.
Stronger than the royals I'd killed before, but far below the one before me.
I'd found the king, my goal thus far.
But he no longer held my interest.
The moment he denied being the king, the title lost relevance to me.
By the system's rule where the stronger the foe, the more EXP,
this robed one was the prime prey I had to hunt.
To ensure no one escaped, I immediately activated a skill.
'Domain.'
[Domain 4th Grade]
A massive space including the collapsed inner palace has been incorporated into your domain.
The vast area around the ruined palace instantly fell within my domain.
Seeming to sense the domain's erection, the robed one's expression hardened.
'A barrier in an instant...!'
He intuited he'd been caught in the enemy's barrier technique.
In the Abelos minor kingdom's classification, Domain could be seen as a type of barrier art, hence his misconception.
Then, I slowly approached him.
I had much to interrogate.
I'd already gotten info on the Hawesin River, but this nation’s structure and hidden elements could yield more.
I immediately focused the domain's power to crush his entire body.
Without any warning.
The sudden immense pressure squeezing from all sides left the Saint startled only briefly before he gritted his teeth and endured.
Gray energy exploded from his body.
Paaaaat!
The gray light pushed back the domain's pressure, forming a resistant space.
A fitting resistance for one over 40 stats,
but that was it.
The domain's power was far from fully exerted.
I instantly amplified the pressure on him twofold, threefold.
"Kuhuk...!"
As the pressure doubled, his knee buckled.
The resisting gray energy crumpled and dissipated.
On one knee, he glared up at me with murderous eyes.
Even his gaze showed he now knew he couldn't move an inch.
The moment I moved to close in right before him.
A presence was detected at the domain's sensory edge.
I whipped my head around, staring beyond the collapsed castle wall.
Two... no, three?
Beings approaching this place at extreme speed.
Just by their auras, they felt comparable to—or perhaps surpassing—the one kneeling before me.
At that moment, I pondered.
Interrogate this one first, or handle the newcomers?
The answer was simple.
I'd already secured someone to question.
One like him should suffice for info.
So the new arrivals? I could just beat them to death.
Quest completion and items.
This time, I could look forward to it.
Thinking proper hunting had finally begun,
I maintained the domain's crush on him and exited the palace, turning toward the enemies' approach.
I adjusted my demi-god power within, investing it all in defense.
Facing multiple foes at once, better to steel myself against variables.
I kicked off the ground and charged.
Kang!
The palace shook as my body shot forward.
The two approaching Abelians spotted me instantly and assumed combat stances.
But my charge was too fast.
I was already upon them,
needing neither demi-god power nor skills.
With pure overwhelming stats, I swung my fist.
The target: the foremost one.
Kwang—!!!!
My fist buried into his abdomen,
unleashing another shockwave that rocked the palace.
The flung Abelian smashed into the inner wall dozens of meters away.
Thinking I'd pulverized him, I awaited the system message, but none came.
Not dead yet from that.
Being over 40 stats made him tough.
A direct hit, yet only knocked out.
The other Abelian, witnessing it up close, paled in horror,
and seeing his comrade felled in one blow, lost all will to fight.
"This isn't a foe I can handle...! We must flee!!"
The Abelian tried grabbing his comrade and running,
but showing one's back only hastens death.
I'd never let a monster before me escape.
I shifted some demi-god power from defense to my arm,
and this time, thrust my fist toward the sky to take both at once.
That instant.
The distant third Abelian's entire body flared with intense gray light,
Kwang—!!!!
My fist, laden with devastating power to annihilate surroundings,
was blocked by something.
In that brief moment,
a massive translucent shield had formed before the two Abelians.
Though cracked on the surface, it held.
Thus, the knocked-out one and the fleeing one survived unscathed.
'...Blocked my fist.'
No one since the Giant King had blocked it...
Now, it was stopped.
By that Abelian's ability.
I halted my attack and looked toward the shield's creator.
Of course, that strike wasn't full power.
Still, I couldn't help raising my guard.
For an Abelian approaching, radiating an aura stronger and heavier than any foe before—far beyond those I'd faced.
I'd known one was coming from afar.
But as the distance closed, his aura transcended mere strength.
Not ordinary energy,
unlike Zone 4 bosses or the ones I'd just killed.
This sensation...
Dignity.
Like me, he possessed Dignity.
The Abelian, upon arrival, gave me a brief glance,
then glared at the others and bellowed in fury.
"What are you fools doing?! Hurry and summon the elders!!"