Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Duel (3)
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Liam Bluegreen's hurled aurablade sliced through Joshua's neck.
Joshua's head hit the ground. His headless body collapsed beside it.
Liam sank straight to the floor.
His stamina and mana had bottomed out during the fierce battle. His mouth tasted of blood.
"……Lucky. I was really lucky."
If Joshua hadn't twisted his ankle at the end, the victor would have been different.
Liam glanced at the other knights.
Most of the knights from the Dufplin Kingdom were either dead or subdued. It was all thanks to Michael and Veronica.
"Both of you are impressive."
He already knew Michael was a genius. But he hadn't expected Veronica to be one too.
Demian Haksen hadn't recommended them lightly. Geniuses like that were hard to find anywhere.
"My past self looks pathetic by comparison."
Liam wore a bitter expression.
" Sir Liam! Well fought!"
Michael came running toward him. His armor was splattered with blood, but fortunately none of it was his own.
"You fought well too, Sir Michael."
"It was nothing. More importantly, we need to hurry and help Brother……"
Michael's steps gradually slowed. His pupils began trembling wildly.
"……Sir Liam, what in the world is that?"
Liam instinctively turned around.
Joshua was rising to his feet. Even though there was clearly nothing above his neck.
The crossguard of the longsword Joshua held cracked open. Teeth and a tongue appeared.
-What's this? The host is dead?
A stranger's voice echoed from within.
At this sudden bizarre phenomenon, Liam and the other knights all froze in place.
-This is weird. Javier's right there, but the host is dead? What the hell happened?
The thing that had been Joshua's body bent at the waist. It picked up the head and pressed it to the neck.
Crunch.
Muscles and skin began to reconnect. The seam was a mess, like a botched weld.
Joshua's hair began turning stark white. Soon, a third eye bulged on his forehead.
-To think I'd have to move myself just to hunt down trash like that. It's kinda pissing me off.
Something spread out from Joshua—no, from the unknown entity at its center.
In that moment, Liam saw an illusion of being swallowed by darkness.
No sky, no earth. An emptiness without a scrap of light.
Immense mental pressure bore down. Bitter cold and terror seeped in. He felt like he'd go mad if it lasted just a bit longer.
Liam resisted desperately. The illusion vanished, and the real world returned.
"Hah, huff!"
Liam gasped for breath. His heart pounded like it would burst.
-What?
The "something" ahead showed no interest in Liam. It rolled its third eye and muttered.
-He's dead? How did this happen? Did that guy next to him do it? A mere high-class? No way.
For some reason, the entity was in a major panic.
It was good news for Liam. While it was distracted, he checked the other knights.
Sure enough, every one of them had foamed at the mouth and passed out.
But not everyone. Michael and Veronica were somehow holding on.
"Urgh……"
"Ugh……"
They still hadn't escaped the illusion. Liam gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Michael! Veronica!"
His mana-infused shout snapped them out of it.
Liam gathered all his remaining mana and converted it to aura.
"I'll hold this place! You two, run!"
Liam unleashed his aura at the entity. A massive slash hurtled toward it.
Pushing himself like this from the start was dangerous. But Liam had no choice.
He couldn't turn his back on something that dangerous……
-Why are you getting so worked up?
The aurablade split in half. The longsword shattered. At the same time, blood erupted from Liam's torso.
Slashed? When? How?
With questions swirling, Liam's body crumpled to the ground.
"Sir Liam!"
Michael rushed over in alarm. But before he could take a few steps, blood sprayed from his own body.
It wasn't just Michael. Wounds appeared on Veronica too. The two collapsed, spilling blood.
Seeing that, Liam realized what technique had struck him.
He'd heard of it before. Among master-class fighters, the strongest could wound people with killing intent alone.
Which meant the identity of that thing was……
"Mas……ter……"
All hope vanished from Liam's face.
-I won't kill you if you stay put. You're valuable bait, after all.
Bait?
The moment Liam questioned the word, something fell from the sky.
-Oh?
Admiration burst from the entity's mouth.
-Demian Haksen! The man who humiliated Sla! Who'd have thought I'd run into a celebrity like you here!
* * *
Demian silently stared at the Weaponmaster.
Pandemonium's great fiend, ruler of demonic swords. And the man who had desecrated his father's soul.
The Weaponmaster had desecrated his father's soul because of Demian.
The Weaponmaster could dominate any magic sword.
But there was one exception.
Erebos alone refused to submit to the Weaponmaster. It even inflicted fatal wounds whenever he touched it.
In the end, the Weaponmaster's pride took a massive hit, forcing him to abandon Erebos.
When Erebos later chose Demian, the Weaponmaster flew into a rage.
-All magic swords are mine! You think I'd hand it over to a mindless wretch like you!
He'd even defied Dorgo's orders to attack Demian.
But Demian back then was beyond anything the Weaponmaster could handle.
The Weaponmaster was driven to the brink of death by Demian's self-defense function.
If Dorgo hadn't stopped him, he'd have died right there.
-Th…… this damned bastard…… how dare you…… how dare you to me…… to my body……!
Not long after, the Weaponmaster came seeking Demian again.
With a rotting dog undead in tow.
-See? This is your daddy.
The Weaponmaster had forced his father's soul into a dog's corpse.
His father suffered unimaginable torment there, body rotting, maggots eating his flesh.
Grind.
Thinking of it ground Demian's teeth. He suppressed the surging killing intent.
Getting angry was pointless. This wasn't the real thing.
It was merely manipulating Joshua's body through the magic sword as a medium.
-I should've gotten a good look at that bitch's face myself! Missing that was the regret of my life.
Unlike the furious Demian, the Weaponmaster spoke in an excited tone.
-It's a waste to leave a guy like you alone! Come under me! I'll give you all the power in the world!
The Weaponmaster extended his hand. Demian eyed it coolly before speaking.
"That won't work."
-What? Why not? Is it because you're not a dark knight? Don't worry about it. Pandemonium has plenty of regular knights and mages who joined to destroy the Empire.
"How could a man hang with dog bastards? I can't stoop that low."
The Weaponmaster's face twisted slightly at Demian's rejection.
-Ah, right. You're a church dog. Offer withdrawn.
The Weaponmaster readily took back his proposal.
-But I'll rip out your head and spine instead. Black mages are dying to get their hands on you. You'll fetch a high price.
Black mana flowed from the magic sword. Absorbing it swelled the Weaponmaster's presence enormously.
"Brother……"
Michael, collapsed on the ground, raised his head with effort.
"You have to…… run……"
Michael was right. The situation was dire.
He'd used up all his black mana fighting Javier. Demian now had no black magic or way to summon his past realm.
He had no means to face the Weaponmaster.
"You guys really are like cockroaches, every damn time."
Yet Demian didn't seem panicked.
"When you're hunting for them on purpose, they're nowhere to be seen. But they exist. Hiding in sewers or trash heaps, laying eggs."
He just looked tired as he continued.
"So I've always prepared for the worst. Never know when, where, or how I'll run into you."
Demian reached into empty air and muttered.
"Erebos."
A long pole appeared. Erebos was bound to its end with wire.
-…….
The moment Erebos appeared, the Weaponmaster's body stiffened.
-……What is that?
Demian removed Erebos from the pole's tip.
He hadn't gathered many fragments, so the blade was extremely short.
-I've never seen a magic sword like that…… what…… what the hell is it?
The Weaponmaster, expert in weapons, couldn't look away.
He instantly recognized Erebos's value.
-Give…… give it here…… that thing…… hand it over now……
"Shut up."
Demian opened his subspace. He pulled out two items.
The temperature fluctuated wildly. It spiked like entering a lava zone, then plunged like winter.
-Mita Holy Water and Fire Essence Stone Embryo?
The Weaponmaster's eyes went wide at the sight.
Even obsessed with Erebos, he couldn't ignore them.
Those two spirit medicines were that precious.
-You have no business holding treasures like that. Planning to offer them to me and beg for your life?
Demian's knowledge and experience surpassed master-class. Yet he hadn't reached it.
His physical abilities and mana hadn't caught up.
Less than a year since his return. Too short a time to grow that much without deficiencies.
"I'd planned a safe path to master-class."
The Mita Holy Water and Fire Essence Stone Embryo solved his mana issue.
All that remained was tempering his body, then consuming the two spirit medicines.
Then Demian could ascend to the master-class he'd longed for.
"Things have come to this, so no choice."
He'd have to force the realm up, risks and all.
Demian popped the two spirit medicines into his mouth. Their conflicting energies slid down his throat.
-You mad bastard, what are you doing!
The Weaponmaster said with a panicked look.
-Swallowing spirit medicines with opposing energies at once? If you're suicidal, just slit your throat……!
The spirit medicines reached his stomach.
They melted in an instant, turning to pure energy.
The two energies soon clashed and exploded.
Vast power shook his entire body. It felt like he was being torn apart.
No, it wasn't a feeling.
Demian's body was actually breaking down. Cracks spiderwebbed his bones. Muscles swelled to the bursting point.
Endless agony assaulted him. Fear of death blanketed his body.
Demian suppressed it all. At the same time, he activated three mana cultivation methods.
Tyrant's Power Accumulation Technique, Meridian Golden Needle, Bee Sting Enlightenment Pill.
He absorbed all energy with Tyrant's Power Accumulation Technique and reinforced his meridians with Meridian Golden Needle.
Using Bee Sting Enlightenment Pill, he grew his muscles. The near-bursting muscles instead absorbed mana and grew rapidly.
His body, on the verge of exploding, stabilized in moments.
But he couldn't relax yet. Left alone, the expanding mana would burst his body.
To reach master-class, he had to push Bee Sting Enlightenment Pill to its limits.
It required a life-or-death struggle. Bee Sting Enlightenment Pill strengthened in combat.
Demian eyed the Weaponmaster. The Weaponmaster stared back with a rigid face.
-You lunatic, what are you…….
"Three Rings."
Demian activated a fourth mana cultivation method.
Harmonizing Infinite Technique.
Three rings activated simultaneously. Resonance shook the world.
Demian kicked off the ground. Swiftly risen physical prowess from Bee Sting Enlightenment Pill merged with output-boosted mana from Harmonizing Infinite Technique.
Demian's body stretched long. He pierced the air's wall. Explosions rang out in succession.
Demian appeared before the Weaponmaster. Shock flickered across the Weaponmaster's face.
-……Did I miss his movement?
Demian instantly swung Erebos. It tore air, slashing down at the Weaponmaster's body.
-A mere high-class dares……
The Weaponmaster condensed black mana into his magic sword. Black-and-purple aurablade enveloped it.
-To charge straight at this body!
No weapon was more than paper before an aurablade.
Demian's close-range choice was thus the worst.
-I'll cleave you in half at the waist!
The Weaponmaster swung his magic sword at Demian.
The aurablade traced a black-purple arc, clashing with Erebos.
The next instant, Erebos repelled the aurablade.
-What?
The magic sword bounced upward. At the same time, Demian twisted his waist for a second slash.
Erebos carved through the Weaponmaster's torso.