Chapter 205: They Really Don't Listen (2)
Chapter 205: They Really Don't Listen (2)
With Kantaros dead, only one Dark Elf remained.
“Ugh… Uuugh…”
He looked around, his eyes wide with terror.
Enemies, enemies, and more enemies.
There was nothing but enemies surrounding him.
He had sold his very soul just to survive; was he really destined to die so soon?
“No… I don’t want to. I don’t want to die!”
He chose to flee to save his life. However…
“I can’t have that.”
Boom!
the moment he took a step, the masked man unleashed a blast of demonic energy that detonated the Dark Elf’s head.
The creature died where it stood, unable to even react.
‘He’s strong.’
Watching this, April grew tense.
A Dark Elf’s strength was equivalent to at least a 5 or 6-star human knight. In particular, their demonic energy provided a defense that was nearly impossible to pierce without an Aura Blade, making them far more troublesome than an average 6-star knight.
Yet such a creature had been snuffed out without a hint of resistance.
This man was on an entirely different level from anyone they had faced so far. In her entire life, April had felt this kind of overwhelming pressure from only one other person.
‘No, that’s impossible. There’s no way he’s as strong as the Young Master.’
April shook the thought from her head and gripped her swords tightly.
Regardless of his strength, if he was an enemy, she would cut him down.
To recover her spent aura, she began a subtle Aura Blessing while standing perfectly still.
Standing Meditation.
In the martial world, this was a practical version of energy circulation used by combat experts to secretly recover their strength in the heat of battle.
April had never been formally taught this, yet she was performing it instinctively. If Patrick had seen this, he would have grumbled about how the Heavenly Martial Body was nothing short of a cheat code.
“Hmm.”
The masked man remained composed, even as he became the target of hostility from every human and Elf present. He was like a predator leisurely strolling through a herd of herbivores.
He scanned his surroundings and spoke.
“I am in a quite a good mood right now.”
So what?
That was likely what Patrick would have said had he been there.
But Patrick was absent.
The crowd remained silent, and the masked man continued.
“I’ve accomplished a mission I’ve been preparing for a very long time. Now, all I have to do is return quietly. However…”
Even with his face hidden behind a mask, it was obvious.
He was smiling.
“Even so, it would be a shame to just leave like this, wouldn’t it?”
“What… are you trying to say?”
Kilios, who had been collapsed on the ground, forced himself upright as he spoke.
The masked man replied, “It’s nothing much. It’s just…”
“…”
“I haven’t seen blood in a long while.”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!” Kilios roared, sensing the killing intent in the man’s voice.
The man continued, “I intend to enjoy myself to the fullest today. Now then…”
The ground beneath the masked man’s feet rippled as thick demonic energy billowed outward.
“Let the festival of blood begin.”
Hideous beasts began to emerge from beneath his feet.
“Grrrr…”
“Rwaaaa!”
“Skreeee!”
A wolf with flames flickering in its maw.
A one-eyed giant with four arms.
A massive eagle wreathed in black lightning.
The moment they saw them, the Elves cried out in horror.
“Demonic beasts!”
“Everyone, get back!”
The Elves recognized them instantly. These were creatures of the Demon World—the accursed hell-beasts that the Demon Clan had used as vanguards when they trampled the Middle World long ago. Their power and ferocity far exceeded any monster found on the surface.
The masked man, who had summoned the beasts, spoke with twisted delight.
“Eat your fill. They are all your prey.”
The demonic beasts lunged forward, pouncing on the Elves.
“Urgh… Counterattack!”
“Block them!”
The Elven Knights and young warriors capable of using aura stepped forward to face the beasts. However…
“Aaaah!”
“Felicia!”
“Gaios!”
Exhausted from their previous battle with the Dark Elves, the demonic beasts were too much for them to handle. Their attacks failed to pierce the thick demonic energy surrounding the creatures. The beasts tore through the Elven ranks, unilaterally massacring them with fangs and claws.
“You bastards!”
“Die!”
Seeing the Elves in peril, Matthew and his companions joined the fray. However…
K-boom!
“Aaaagh!”
Matthew was sent flying, caught in the flames spewed by the giant wolf. Isabella managed to barely block an attack, but she was left struggling just to stay on her feet, unable to even dream of a counterattack.
‘They’re strong.’
She knew it from a single exchange. These demonic beasts were powerful—as strong as the Dark Elves they had just fought, perhaps even stronger.
“You damn bird?!”
“Skreeeeeee!”
Even Riman Sierra was struggling, unable to suppress the giant eagle in the sky on his own.
Isabella realized that with her and Matthew’s current strength, they could never defeat these beasts of hell.
‘At this rate, we’ll be wiped out.’
The situation was desperate. It might be different if the Elves could use their spirits, but that wasn't something she could force upon them. If so, their only chance of victory was…
Hah!
With a sharp intake of breath, a streak of light flashed past her ear.
Transformed into a golden flash, April ignored the demonic beasts entirely and charged straight for the one who had summoned them.
‘Ah…’
‘Maybe…’
‘She can do it.’
In that moment, everyone present held onto a single hope. With Patrick absent, April possessed the greatest power on the field. If her strike could take the masked man’s head, they still had a chance.
K-booooom!
The golden flash struck the masked man dead center. For a split second, everyone was on the verge of cheering. However…
“Ah…”
“No way…”
Despite the hit, the summoned beasts continued to rampage in their blood-frenzied state. And everyone knew what that meant.
“How disappointing. You failed.”
The masked man spoke mockingly.
He had blocked April’s Flash Dragon Strike with an arm shrouded in demonic energy. Her Aura Blade, which had easily sliced through the demonic energy of the other Dark Elves, could not pierce this man’s defense. However…
“No,” April said, her voice cold as ice. “It’s just beginning.”
Simultaneously, her twin swords moved at a speed invisible to the eye, lashing out at her enemy.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Fourth Form.
Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance.
Her blades, imbued with Aura Blades, became a ferocious storm that hemmed the enemy in. It was a high-speed barrage of slashes flying from unpredictable trajectories.
“Ngh…”
For the first time, the masked man lost his composure against the terrifying storm of strikes.
Grit.
“How dare you!”
He unleashed an even more powerful burst of demonic energy, sweeping his hands in a circular motion to parry her attacks. Shields made of demonic energy formed along the path of his arms, intercepting April’s blades.
He lunged back with a fist wreathed in demonic energy.
Even while executing her sword style, April clearly saw the attack and evaded it, never letting her blades stop for a single moment.
“You… you wench…!”
“…”
The enemy was flustered; April was resolute.
The collision of the two unleashed terrifying destructive power, devastating the surroundings.
Boom! Crash! Thud!
It was as if every natural disaster imaginable was concentrated in the small space where April and the masked man stood. In a zone of destruction that would have ground anyone else to dust, the two moved perfectly, exchanging blows of horrific power.
In less than ten seconds, April unleashed over a hundred strikes. Every single one was a blow reinforced by an Aura Blade. Though her breath was hitching in her throat, she showed no sign of struggle, pushing her enemy to the limit.
And her efforts bore fruit.
“Urgh…”
Her sword pierced his defense several times. It was impossible for him to block every strike coming from so many different trajectories. He was forced to protect his vitals while inevitably allowing hits to land elsewhere.
He was being pushed back.
And the moment April’s sword grazed his face…
“You bitch…!”
Perhaps his pride had been wounded. Seeing his own blood, the masked man exploded in rage.
“Die!”
He triggered a massive explosion of demonic energy to force April back, then condensed his energy above his head to form a dozen dark spears.
But the moment he prepared to fire them…
“An opening!”
April’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
She had been waiting for this. Even that demonic energy must have a limit. Now that he had projected his energy outward for an attack, his personal defense would be at its weakest.
Now was the time to settle this.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Synthesis Style.
Grand Cross.
April lunged forward, her Aura Blades tracing the shape of a cross.
It was a synthesis of Patrick’s specialties: the Flash Dragon Strike and the Great Dragon Cross Sword.
This was a technique she had developed herself.
The swordsmanship of the Twin Dragon Sect was based on the Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles, combined with the footwork of the Nine Dragons Cloud-Walking Step to derive countless variations. Patrick often created and used modified forms himself.
However, even Patrick didn't attempt the madness of operating two distinct sword styles simultaneously.
The speed of the Flash Dragon Strike and the destructive power of the Great Dragon Cross Sword. It was a technique designed to capture the advantages of both.
When she had first demonstrated it, Patrick had said:
[Wow. I’m amazed you didn't suffer Qi Deviation using that.]
He had scolded her, calling it insane and telling her never to use it again.
But she had continued to refine the technique in secret. She felt she needed to be prepared to do what Patrick could not, for the moments when he might not be there. Even if it meant risking her life.
“You… you wench… Gwaaaaah!”
The masked man was caught off guard.
It was too fast to dodge.
It was too strong to block.
He failed to cope with this nonsensical attack that captured both speed and power. As a result, he was swept away by the golden Aura Blade hurtling toward him.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The terrifying destructive power sent the masked man flying, carving a path through the forest behind him and leaving a hollow void in the landscape.
It was truly staggering power. In terms of pure destructive force, it might have even surpassed the Great Dragon Cross Sword as performed by Patrick.
April, having unleashed the technique, struggled to catch her breath.
“Haa… haa…”
She had overexerted herself. After burning through her aura and stamina against the Dark Elves, she had poured everything into this strike against an unknown, powerful foe. Her Aura Hall was empty, and her physical strength was nearly gone. And then…
“Cough…”
April spat out a mouthful of blood, her face turning pale as she bit her lip.
This was likely what the Young Master had called Qi Deviation. The pathways through which her aura flowed were twisted and warped, causing her body to throb with a pain as agonizing as torture.
Yet, even in such pain, she did not show any weakness. She remained standing on her own two feet.
She had to. Because…
Boom!
In the distance, the enemy rose, throwing aside the logs and boulders that had buried him.
He wasn't dead yet.
“You damn brat! How dare you… How dare you!”
Seeing the enemy far more intact than she had expected, April gave a bitter smile.
‘He’s a monster.’
She had suspected as much when the summoned beasts didn't vanish, but he was indeed still alive. He seemed to have taken significant damage, but he clearly had plenty of strength left.
And as he stood up and revealed his true form, the Elves ground their teeth in hatred.
“As I thought…”
“A Demon!”