Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Duel (2)
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The moment the sword swung down toward her neck, Athena's body vanished.
Transformed into lightning, Athena retreated far back before finally reverting to her original form.
Only then did she feel a stinging pain at her neck.
When she touched it with her fingers, a faint trace of blood stained them.
"......"
Athena looked at Demian with a shocked expression.
She thought she had completely dodged it, but she had been just a fraction slower.
"W-Wow!"
"Did you see that? Lady Athena is wielding lightning!"
At that moment, cheers erupted from the mercenaries. The exchange they had just witnessed was more than enough to excite them.
"Just when did she master wielding lightning so naturally?"
"Amazing. It's like seeing the Mercenary King in his youth."
The 'Thunderclap Heaven-Traversing Art' that Athena had mastered was a mana cultivation method that converted magical power into lightning energy.
Lightning energy stimulated the muscles and nerves, allowing for even faster movement. Furthermore, by entrusting one's body to the flow of lightning energy, one could move like a bolt of thunder.
Even among the children of the famously genius Mercenary King, few had learned the Thunderclap Heaven-Traversing Art. It was that demanding of a mana cultivation method.
"......But what the hell is that guy? Where did such a monster come from?"
"Not only did he react to the speed of the lightning energy, but how did he release a thunderbolt?"
However, the skilled mercenaries—especially those of master-class—were in awe of Demian Haksen.
The Thunderclap Heaven-Traversing Art was a mana cultivation method that crushed enemies with overwhelming speed and destructive power.
And Demian Haksen had rendered it all utterly pointless in an instant.
"As expected, you dodged that much."
Demian Haksen said toward Athena.
Having become the subject of evaluation herself, Athena unwittingly burst into laughter.
"You're fun."
Most enemies she had fought until now couldn't even react to her attacks.
Yet he had not only reacted but counterattacked as well.
"As expected, my eyes didn't deceive me. That's a point for you."
A smile spread across Athena's lips. It was seductive yet somehow joyful.
Demian Haksen slung his sword over his shoulder and gave her a crooked glance.
"You've been deducting and adding points since earlier. What exactly are you scoring?"
"Can't tell you now. I'll let you know once it's all over."
The wound on her neck had already fully healed.
All the children of the Mercenary King possessed such rapid regenerative abilities. However, it wasn't enough to instantly heal major injuries like fractures or severed limbs.
"Now that I know you're no pushover......"
Athena drew up even more lightning energy. White currents wrapped around her body and shot up toward the sky.
"I won't hold back anymore."
Athena kicked off the ground and lunged at Demian Haksen, thrusting her spear.
The spear thrust by Athena, transformed into lightning, was too fast to follow with the naked eye—let alone by sound.
But Demian blocked it with his blade as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Athena wasn't surprised. She expected as much from Demian Haksen.
Athena swung her spear repeatedly at Demian Haksen. He met her attacks head-on without dodging.
The spear and sword clashed multiple times in midair. Sparks flew with each collision.
"Impressive? But you can't block forever."
Athena drew up even more lightning energy.
Her thrusting speed gradually increased. It looked as if she were scattering multiple spears at once.
"Huh? Wha......?"
"How is he......?"
Shock slowly dawned on the mercenaries' faces.
Because Demian Haksen was deflecting every single one of those countless attacks.
With the blade, the hilt, the pommel, and so on.
He blocked the spear using various parts of his longsword. Thanks to that, Athena hadn't landed a single effective strike.
Athena was just as flustered.
She had poured on attacks thinking she could overwhelm Demian Haksen, but they were all being blocked.
It felt as if her mind was being read.
"You're really something."
Her fluster was short-lived. Athena began enjoying it like a child.
Athena had been born with overwhelming talent. Because of that, she had never found a proper rival until now.
Her peers were far weaker, and even those much stronger than her, she had overtaken in an instant.
Thus, in Athena's eyes, others appeared no more than beasts. The only exception was her father.
But today, she had met a new 'person'. Demian Haksen.
"I can't even remember the last time I had this much fun. So...... mind if I get a little rougher?"
Athena's movements changed.
She transformed into lightning and began swirling around Demian.
With each movement of Athena, afterimages made of lightning energy formed around Demian Haksen.
The moment their number reached ten, the afterimages charged at Demian Haksen.
They had no physical force, but since they were made of lightning energy, even a graze would electrocute.
"What a troublesome technique."
Muttering that, Demian Haksen swung his sword at the afterimages.
'Looks like that's the end of it.'
Athena felt a great sense of regret.
Those clones were designed to explode with internal lightning energy the moment they were slashed by a sword.
In other words, the method Demian Haksen had chosen to counter was wrong.
That was when Athena made her judgment.
The afterimage Demian Haksen slashed did not explode and simply dispersed into the air.
"......Huh?"
She wasn't seeing things. The afterimage he slashed did not explode.
Because he had precisely cut through its center, the lightning energy failed to detonate and merely scattered.
"......Wow."
A smile spread across Athena's lips.
This was the first person who could fight her to this extent. Joy welled up in her chest.
She wanted to keep enjoying it like this if possible. It was the first opponent she could go all-out against.
But this battle concerned her father's honor. It was time to end it and claim victory.
Athena prepared her final ultimate technique.
She gripped her spear with both hands and infused it with lightning energy. The spear, having absorbed lightning energy to its limit, glowed red-hot.
"This is the last."
Athena thrust her spear. The compressed lightning energy in the weapon was released in an instant.
Ultimate technique - Dividing Thunder Annihilation Strike.
The released lightning energy split into six branches and engulfed Demian. Each one carried tremendous power.
The moment she was certain of victory, Athena saw it.
Demian Haksen's entire body glowed red-hot. At the same time, his figure vanished.
When she first blinked, the six bolts of lightning had reduced to four.
When she blinked next, the four bolts had become two.
On the third blink, no lightning remained.
Instead, Demian Haksen was right in front of her.
Even with her senses heightened by lightning energy, she hadn't noticed his approach.
Before Athena could counterattack, Demian Haksen brought his sword down.
* * *
'Excellent.'
That was the emotion Demian felt while receiving Athena's attacks.
Of course, compared to her past self, there were many shortcomings. But considering her young age, it was a terrifying level of skill.
'Her eyes are the same as in her previous life.'
Athena's pupils sparkled as if they held the stars.
Looking into those eyes brought back memories of the past, creeping up unbidden.
And that tormented him.
Demian felt guilt toward everyone he had led to misfortune.
He wanted to atone to all those who had died by his hand.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't Demian's fault.
During his Death Knight days, Demian had lost control of his body and was merely a slave obeying Dorgo's commands.
But even knowing that, Demian's heart found no peace.
'Athena Hopper, you lost everything because of me.'
She, who would rise to become the second Mercenary King, lost her father because of Demian.
She sought revenge, but it ended in failure because of him.
And that wasn't all. Captured by Rubia—the very culprit who destroyed her mercenary group—she suffered all manner of horrific abuses before losing her life.
He could easily imagine how heartbroken she must have been in her final moments.
Demian had been in a similar plight, after all.
One of the reasons Demian had come to the Fafnir Mercenary Group was to atone to her.
"This is the last."
Athena thrust her spear.
Five thunderclaps engulfed Demian. He let out a brief admiration at the ultimate technique's tremendous power.
'You've shown something splendid, so let me teach you a trick.'
Demian activated the Berserk Flame Elixir. His entire body heated up, and his physical abilities surged dramatically.
He took one step forward. Accelerating explosively, he slashed one thunderbolt with his sword.
The lightning energy that should have turned the ground into a wasteland dispersed powerlessly.
Demian advanced, slashing the thunderclaps one after another. When all the thunderclaps had vanished, Demian stood before Athena.
He brought his sword down toward her.
But he stopped just before severing her neck. Dawn halted at Athena's nape.
In that instant, a heavy silence blanketed the world.
Demian sheathed his sword and said to Athena.
"My victory. Do you acknowledge it?"
Athena nodded dazedly.
The moment Demian Haksen's victory was decided, the mercenaries erupted in cheers all at once.
No matter that he was an outsider, the move Demian showed at the end was enough to thrill the mercenaries.
Demian sheathed Dawn. And he savored the mercenaries' cheers.
"Every time I see them, I realize what an impressive mercenary group this is."
Just from their cheers, he could tell how rigorously they were trained.
Suddenly, Demian noticed Athena's face flushed bright red.
Was she hurt somewhere? She shouldn't have any injuries.
While Demian looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"F-Full marks......"
Athena muttered in a small voice.
"Y-You pass......"
"What are you talking about?"
"H-How can you make me say it myself!"
Athena let out a shrill scream and turned to run away.
"Athena at this age seems to have some mental issues."
Demian muttered with an exasperated expression.
* * *
"H-Haha......"
Amid the cheers, the Mercenary King was too shocked to speak.
"Athena...... my greatest masterpiece...... lost......?"
The Mercenary King knew well the origin of his bloodline.
Dragon.
The pinnacle of all life forms under the heavens.
That being, now vanished without a trace, was his father.
Thus, the Mercenary King took great pride in his bloodline.
It was for that reason he had gathered his most exceptional descendants and named them the 'Holy Blood'.
Yet those Holy Blood—his own children—had crumbled before that one man.
"This...... can't be...... it shouldn't be possible......"
The emotions the Mercenary King felt now were profoundly complex.
Astonishing, shocking. Followed by rising fury.
"Demian Haksen......! You bastard......"
But the final emotion left was utterly incongruous.
"......You're tempting."
Greed.
A desire to possess that bottomless talent surged wildly.
He had never once imagined desiring a man—not a woman—in this way.
His possessiveness grew in an instant, snowballing beyond even the Mercenary King's control.
Dragons were beings with an obsession bordering on possessiveness by nature. The Mercenary King, inheriting that blood, was no exception.
"How can I bring that guy into the mercenary group......"
Considering Demian Haksen's personality, it wouldn't be easy to acquire him.
"Is there some good way?"
The Mercenary King stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"That's right. There was that."
A sly smile crept across the Mercenary King's lips.
Perhaps due to his youthful appearance, he looked like a mischievous boy plotting a prank.
* * *
At that time, one more person was showing interest in Demian Haksen.
Rubia.
The favorite concubine, said to have the Mercenary King's favor, cast a peculiar gaze toward Demian Haksen.
'A genius surpassing the dragon's bloodline? How could such a thing exist?'
She had approached the Mercenary King early on, aiming for the dragon's bloodline.
In the present, with dragons vanished, he was the only one possessing dragon blood.
Thus, the value of the Mercenary King's bloodline was immense. She had used it as bait to draw in several black mages from Pandemonium.
'At first, I thought he was just a madman......'
But if he possessed such skill, the story changed.
'He said the Lord is seeking an outstanding soul to create a Death Knight?'
The Lord was traversing the continent to craft a Death Knight capable of leading all wars to victory.
If she offered a soul that satisfied him, she would undoubtedly receive immense favor.
She might even learn black magic surpassing her master.
'Handling a man...... that's easy for me.'
Lust sparkled in Rubia's eyes.