Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Duel (2)
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Those who saw Slumberblack for the first time invariably mistook it for a destruction-type black magic spell.
But Slumberblack was a curse-type black magic spell, unlike its appearance. What looked like water droplets was actually ultra-dense curses.
Slumberblack's curse seeped into the body upon contact, but contact wasn't even necessary. The moment it collided, it dispersed into the air and was absorbed through the bronchial tubes.
Once a certain amount of the curse accumulated, it absorbed a massive amount of life force and mana before transforming into thorns and bursting forth.
Slumberblack had this complex structure for one reason: to kill knights of high realms.
High-class knights mastered protective auras that shielded their bodies with mana.
These auras were incredibly tough, impenetrable by ordinary black magic.
But Slumberblack was absorbed into the body and destroyed it from within. It was a black magic that bypassed protective auras.
It disguised itself as destruction magic to lower knights' guards and infiltrate the curse as quickly as possible.
Yet even Slumberblack didn't work on master-class knights.
Even if the curse built up inside them, it was suppressed by the master-class knight's presence and couldn't function properly.
So Demian decided to amplify Slumberblack's curse using the Authority of Wrath.
However, the Authority of Wrath could only amplify things that touched his hand.
Thus, Demian watched for an opening to get close to Havier, to amplify the curse with the Authority of Wrath.
“Guh… Guhuk!”
Havier let out his first moan filled with agony.
The life force and mana filling his body evaporated in an instant. Soon after, thorns burst out from deep within his body.
His organs, muscles, and bones were all pierced by thorns. Thorns sprouted across his entire body. His whole form was riddled through.
“Kuaaaak!”
It was an injury that could have killed him instantly, but his master-class vitality rejected death.
But that was only a matter of time. Havier's insides were completely shredded, and dozens of holes pierced his body.
No master-class knight could survive such fatal wounds.
“You… you bastard…! You bastaaard!”
Bloodshot veins burst in Havier's eyes.
Had he ever suffered such humiliation after reaching master-class?
Rage boiled up. He wanted to kill Demian Haksen right then and there. But his body wouldn't obey.
“You should’ve known better than to let your guard down.”
Demian opened his subspace and drew Dawn. Azure aura coated Dawn's blade.
“Y-You bastard… What do you think you’re doing!”
With Slumberblack activated, Havier had no chance of survival.
But his opponent was a master-class knight. Demian had to finish him off properly.
“Sp-Spare me.”
Havier pleaded desperately.
“I-I’ll give you anything if you spare me! My swordsmanship! Secret techniques! Wealth! Status! Anything!”
Demian didn’t even respond. Instead, he stepped beside Havier and raised Dawn.
“…Kuh, kuheheh.”
A grotesque laugh escaped Havier’s lips.
“Go ahead, kill me. It won’t be boring at least. Your comrades will keep you company on the way.”
Demian’s hand hesitated at those words.
“By now, my subordinates have probably slaughtered all your comrades. Drop into hell with them.”
Havier’s lips twisted. Twisted ecstasy filled his eyes.
“Die?”
Demian said with a puzzled expression.
“The knights of Doplin Kingdom are all mid-class except for Joshua. Mid-class knights can’t handle my guys.”
Demian trusted Michael and Veronica. At the same level, no knight could beat those two.
“Kuheheh, not all mid-class are equal. My subordinates are elites I personally trained and raised.”
Pride rose on Havier’s face. Demian tilted his head, looking at him.
“Still won’t make a difference, though?”
Demian stared at Havier with an expression of utter incomprehension.
Hadn’t this master-class knight recognized how insanely talented those two were?
“I know who you’re counting on. That young kid and the girl, right? They weren’t ordinary.”
A sneer curled on Havier’s lips.
“But even geniuses have limits. They can’t take on dozens of seasoned mid-class knights at once.”
Apple Kingdom had fewer than ten knights. Doplin Kingdom had over thirty.
“They’ll all die! Your precious two lackeys and even the servants!”
Havier shouted confidently.
Only then did Demian realize what Havier was banking on.
Numerical superiority.
“Jeez.”
Demian let out a scoff. Thinking mere numbers could beat those two?
“Now I see—you’re the eldest son with his eyes wide open.”
It wasn’t really Havier’s fault. He’d judged based on his own standards.
If he were still mid-class, he couldn’t handle over thirty mid-class knights either. So he was convinced those two couldn’t either.
But Michael and Veronica were geniuses who ranked in the top ten across both his past and current lives among all the knights Demian had seen.
Their talent far surpassed Havier’s.
Judging them by such paltry standards.
Demian clicked his tongue with a pathetic look.
* * *
‘This’ll be easy.’
Egg Morningbutter, Havier Silva’s right-hand man, thought that before the battle began.
Doplin Kingdom had brought over twenty knights. The other side had fewer than ten.
‘While Sir Joshua holds down Liam Bluegreen, we clean up here.’
But once the battle started, everything changed.
Doplin Kingdom’s knights had their throats slit in an instant. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen corpses littered the ground.
And all by a single knight.
“Kyahaha! Swordfight! I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
A red-haired woman chased the knights. Blood sprayed and limbs flew every time she swung her twin swords.
“Kuaaaak! Aaaak!”
“R-Run! The witch… the witch is coming!”
Doplin Kingdom’s knights fell into total panic from the woman’s brutal swordsmanship.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re running? Get back here! I’ll let you live if you just let me cut off one arm each!”
Already outmatched in skill, their morale hit rock bottom. The knights were helpless against her.
“W-What the hell is that woman….”
“You got time to gawk?”
A greatsword dropped from above. Egg barely parried it with his longsword.
He saw a blond youth wielding the greatsword. Egg scowled and said,
“Brat! Get out of my way!”
Egg charged at the youth. The greatsword and longsword clashed repeatedly in the air.
“You’ve got some moves for a kid!”
Despite his words, Egg was anxious. He needed to deal with this greenhorn fast and save his fellow knights.
“This is getting on my nerves.”
At that moment, the young knight’s expression changed.
“You’re the old guy calling me a brat?”
The greatsword’s movements shifted.
Faster, rougher. Yet astonishingly precise.
Egg was cornered in an instant. He couldn’t help but backpedal.
“Y-You little….”
“Told you not to call me that.”
The greatsword flashed. The arm holding the longsword flew off.
“Ku, kuuuuk!”
Egg clutched his shoulder and retreated.
“Another monster like Demian Haksen…?”
“Another?”
Michael Ryanbloom said incredulously.
“Don’t compare my brother to the likes of me.”
Michael swung his greatsword without hesitation.
Egg’s head flew far away.
* * *
“Even if what you say is true… there’s Joshua there.”
Havier spoke in a still-confident tone.
“Liam Bluegreen can’t do a thing to Joshua.”
“True enough.”
Havier scowled. Demian agreed far too easily, which felt off.
“Your son’s got mediocre skill but an absurd amount of mana. Must’ve stuffed himself with every elixir in existence?”
Secret Sword arts consumed massive amounts of mana.
In battles between Secret Sword knights, mana reserves heavily influenced the outcome.
“So I figured I’d lend a hand.”
Demian used black mana to draw a magic circle in the air.
“What… what are you trying to do now?”
“Cast a curse.”
“Ridiculous… You think you can curse a high-class knight from this distance?”
“Can’t do anything dangerous.”
Even Demian couldn’t cast a curse on a high-class knight without preparation.
But that only applied to high-tier curses.
He didn’t need anything fancy. A weak curse would suffice.
Just enough to induce a minor mistake. In high-class duels, even that could be fatal.
“Done.”
Light poured from the black magic circle.
* * *
Aura spears rained down from the sky.
Liam Bluegreen swung his sword twice at the heavens.
A massive slash carved a cross into the sky. The spears vanished entirely.
“Hoo, hoo.”
He’d just consumed a huge amount of mana for that technique. Liam Bluegreen breathed heavily.
“Not bad. You’re holding up well.”
Joshua Silva landed on the ground and said. His nonchalant attitude drew a hollow laugh.
A kid whose blood hadn’t even dried on his head, acting all polite.
Compared to him, even Demian Haksen seemed courteous…
Liam shook his head. No matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t right.
“Sir Liam, why not call it here? Fighting more is pointless.”
Both were Secret Sword users.
In clashes between Secret Sword knights, mana capacity was decisive.
For some reason, Joshua had twice as much mana as Liam—probably from gorging on elixirs.
“Shut your crap.”
Liam was the expedition’s overall commander.
He had a duty to protect the other knights. He couldn’t shirk that just because his life was precious.
“If you’re that eager to die, no helping it.”
Joshua Silva raised his sword. Mana swirled around the blade.
It was an unbelievable torrent, even seeing it with his own eyes.
The weeds on the ground were crushed flat by the mana.
Joshua stepped forward. And swung down.
At that instant, Joshua’s ankle twisted.
“Huh…?”
“Hm…?”
He’d stepped into a slight depression, spraining his ankle.
He couldn’t swing properly. The gathered mana scattered everywhere.
Liam didn’t miss the opening.
“W-Wait a second!”
Joshua cried out urgently, but it was too late.
Liam’s Secret Sword cleaved Joshua’s neck.
* * *
“Talked too much.”
Demian gathered the lingering black mana in the air.
That vast black mana was now reduced to a handful, depleted from fighting Havier.
Demian used the remnants to dig a deep hole in the ground.
Havier scowled at the sight.
“What’s that for?”
“Got my reasons for hiding my power.”
“What are you….”
“I’ve never beaten you. You vanished while chasing me, so I never saw your corpse.”
Havier’s eyes widened. Now he understood Demian’s intent.
So he was going to bury him here…
Dawn severed Havier’s neck.
The head dropped into the pit. The body followed.
Demian filled the pit completely with the last of his black mana.
“Now just gotta cover my tracks.”
With that, Demian turned away.
At that moment, an explosion rocked the area where his group was.
The ground shook with a massive roar. A black spire shot into the sky.
No, not a spire. A mass of black mana that looked like one.
Few beings could wield such immense black mana.
Demian’s face hardened.
* * *
Demian rushed back to the scene.
It was horrific. Apple Kingdom’s knights lay collapsed, all critically wounded. Veronica and Michael were among them.
Blood poured continuously from their bodies, suggesting fatal injuries. But Demian couldn’t go treat them.
Because of the entity standing before him.
The face was identical to Joshua Silva’s. But something was off.
A third eye protruded from his forehead. His hair was stark white, like an old man’s.
Strangest of all was his right arm, fused with a demonic sword.
-Oh?
Joshua Silva—or whatever it was—spoke upon spotting Demian.
It wasn’t Joshua’s voice. It was that of someone far older.
-The host was in danger, so I came… and look, an unexpected guest.
His golden eyes curved like an upturned crescent moon.
-Damian Haksen! The man who humiliated Slahan! Who’d have thought I’d run into a celebrity like you here!
Demian agreed.
He never imagined he’d encounter that man here, in this form.
Pandemonium’s great fiend.
Ruler of the demonic sword.
Master of all weapons.
The man who stole his father’s soul in his previous life.
The Weapon Master had descended, borrowing Joshua Silva’s body.