Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: Reunion (2)
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“Huu!”
He contemplated his inner self while facing the Valkyrie charging at him with overwhelming power packed into a single strike.
He stimulated his muscles by drawing out a power that was still unfamiliar. He pushed them to the brink.
“Lightning Control.”
Ziiing!
Instead of expelling the power of lightning he had obtained from catching the millennium electric eel, he channeled it into his body.
Electrical stimulation.
He manipulated the current with utmost precision. Using it, he stimulated his muscles, awakening every single cell and drawing out their strength to the absolute limit.
[Your body unleashes power at its limit.]
[An unbelievable feat! You have drawn out all your abilities.]
[You have acquired the title ‘One Who Touches the Boundary.’]
[First][One Who Touches the Boundary][Unique]
A title granted to those who wield power reaching the limits of the flesh.
Allows free use of the body in overdrive state.
[Held Effects]
-Free use of the body in limit state
-All stats +50% in limit state
-Increased duration of limit state
-Reduced penalty for body overload
“Backstab.”
He had acquired a new title at the same time, but there was no time to dwell on such things.
Rokan instantly used the skill to move behind the enemy’s back and fully unleashed his empowered abilities, as if he had activated Berserk.
Whish!
The Valkyrie showed signs of surprise at the sudden movement.
But her judgment was ice-cold. The moment she realized the opponent was behind her, she twisted the spear shaft and thrust toward Rokan’s side.
It was such a bold attack that, had it veered just slightly, it might have looked like she was committing seppuku. Rokan couldn’t respond to it.
Stab.
His abdomen was pierced by the spear of light.
“Flash Slaughter, Lion’s Rampage!”
Boom boom boom boom boom!
But that was it.
Not his heart or head, so he could laugh off this level of pain.
Instead of pulling out the spear connecting them, he pressed his body even closer and began slashing at her back.
Flash.
And when that power struck her, her body dissolved into light and vanished.
Escape? No. She had been utterly defeated.
“Whew, that was close to death.”
Thanks to it, his health was rock bottom, but what mattered was the victory. And at that moment, a sacred energy flooded the space.
A warm glow that disinfected his entire body.
If he were a demon, it would have melted him away, but the only effect on Rokan was the writhing of the Demon God’s Fang belt glowing at his waist.
On the contrary, perhaps due to the divine power’s influence, his body began recovering rapidly.
“Oh, finally coming out?”
Rumble rumble rumble.
Soon after, as the divine power faded, an altar rose from the floor.
But something strange happened along with it.
“Huh?”
Replacing the vanished divine power and filling the space was none other than demonic energy. And not just any—pure, dense, potent demonic energy.
What in the world was going on now?
Rokan soon found out the reason.
“Wasn’t it the Heavenly God’s side?”
Until now, what had blocked him was the Heavenly God’s power. But upon the seal breaking, what appeared was the Demon God’s arrangement.
It seemed the so-called Heavenly God had sneakily stolen and sealed the Demon God’s arrangement.
“This is…….”
As he approached the altar, the Demon God’s second arrangement came into view.
And its form was quite peculiar.
“A potion?”
What lay on the altar was none other than a potion.
Though the swirling darkness that seemed to suck one in was unsettling, it was far from an ordinary item.
“Clone Summon.”
If it was the Demon God’s arrangement, caution was needed.
Rokan calmly summoned his clone. Just like last time, he instructed the clone to retrieve it.
[Demon God’s Blood][God]
Blood containing the Demon God’s power.
Drinking this grants a portion of the Demon God’s power.
“Demon God’s Blood, huh…….”
He didn’t need to see the rank to know it was extraordinary.
But one thing bothered him.
Drinking the Demon God’s blood and gaining his power was fine, but would Rokan remain human afterward?
Would he automatically join the demon faction, perhaps?
He couldn’t help but hesitate.
“For now…… hold onto it.”
For that reason, Rokan didn’t drink it right away.
The Demon God wasn’t one to play harmless pranks, after all.
Even if there was a penalty, it wouldn’t be strange, so he decided to store it instead of drinking for now.
Vmmm.
Then, a gate opened.
A warp gate leading outside.
He stepped into it, and his vision shifted as he emerged outside.
Rumble rumble rumble.
“Damn it.”
At the same time, the mine began shaking violently.
Probably because the seal had collapsed.
Cursing at the tunnel that seemed ready to cave in any moment, Rokan dashed toward the exit.
“Uwaaaah! It’s collapsing!”
“Run fast!”
“We’ll all die if we get buried!”
Rumble crash boom boom boom.
Using every movement skill at his disposal to get out, the mine collapsed right on cue just as he emerged.
Not just the abandoned shaft he’d entered, but the entire sealed mine crumbled.
Devastated beyond repair, it seemed.
“Damn it! Which bastard touched the vein? That’s why we shouldn’t let in guys without miner’s talent……. Huh?”
Fortunately, most of the miners had evacuated and were cursing outside.
Rokan felt a pang of guilt but tried to slip away while gauging the situation.
And then, his eyes met a familiar face.
“Drokshy?”
“Rokan?”
It was Drokshy. The very reason he’d come here in the first place appeared before him.
“You bastard, perfect timing!”
“……?”
But his reaction was odd.
Rokan had thought it fortunate if he didn’t run away upon seeing him, but instead, he was fuming and assuming a stance ready to charge.
‘What did this guy eat wrong?’
[Red Axe Drokshy][Lv 397]
His level had certainly risen a lot. But not enough to rival Rokan.
Last time, despite his high level, he’d been thoroughly trounced by Rokan, hadn’t he?
Not even a Grand Master, yet this attitude shift left Rokan dumbfounded, unable to respond properly.
“Do you know how much I suffered because of you? Dragged off by the celestials for investigation, penalized……!”
Apparently, since he’d been with Rokan when he killed the celestial, he’d gone through hell.
Feeling a bit sorry about that, Rokan didn’t snap back but grinned instead.
“Oh? Smiling? Yeah, perfect. Time for payback from back then!”
“Payback?”
“Yeah! Let’s go another round! The celestials would rush over if I called, but I’ll smash you first! Then hand you over to them like a dog!”
But what came out of Drokshy’s mouth was somewhat unexpected. A duel, just like when they first met.
The terms were the same, of course.
The loser serves as the winner’s slave for a set period.
Except this time, it was three months instead of one.
He didn’t know where this confidence came from, but his intent to exploit it fully was obvious.
“Fine. I accept.”
Then Rokan had no reason to refuse. Didn’t he need to entrust him with crafting right away?
If he’d just asked normally, emotions or the celestials might have led to refusal, so he saw this as an opportunity.
“Follow me!”
The duel was set, and they moved to a quiet clearing.
“Shall we start?”
[Red Axe Drokshy has challenged you to a duel. Do you accept?]
“Accept.”
So eager, Drokshy proposed the duel the instant Rokan’s Gale Avatar cooldown ended.
[Duel Condition: Loser becomes winner’s slave for 3 months.]
‘Let’s see what he’s relying on.’
[Duel begins. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Start!]
With the conditions set, the countdown began.
Unlike the visibly tense opponent, Rokan was relaxed.
At the start, Drokshy widened the distance from Rokan and began scattering metal chunks on the ground.
“Weapon Explosion!”
But his main attack method was the same.
Weapon Explosion.
He’d holed up in this mine, crafting like mad, and now he threw his equipment into it without restraint to threaten Rokan.
“Blink.”
Flash!
But Rokan was already out of the blast radius. He instantly moved to Drokshy’s flank and swung his battle axe.
“Hup!”
Clang!
Beings at High Master level or above rarely changed their skill setups. They were combinations painstakingly found, with master skills.
So he hadn’t expected Rokan to learn a new movement skill, hurriedly pulling out a weapon to block, then rolling on the ground to create distance again.
“Dirty trickster!”
Whatever was dirty about it, Rokan had no intention of listening to his complaints.
Quick and decisive.
Instead, to beat him just short of death, he activated Battle Steps.
He closed in rapidly and struck once more.
“Shield of Truth!”
Clang!
But this time, it was perfectly blocked. Drokshy had swiftly pulled out a tower shield larger than himself.
Adding a skill’s power to it, the repulsion sent Rokan flying back farther.
It might have been different with Gale Avatar, but Rokan found the situation amusing.
‘Let’s see how much he’s got.’
Then, Backstab. In an instant, Rokan circled behind Drokshy.
He unleashed another strike.
“Shield of Reflection!”
Boom!
This time, the impact rang louder. Moreover, Rokan, the attacker, took significant damage himself.
Shield of Reflection—it reflected actual damage.
“That all you came up with?”
Tricky. Not only blocking and defending his attacks but reflecting damage too.
Anyone could see it was a matchup where Rokan’s superior damage output was disadvantaged.
But that was only without Gale Avatar.
“Gale Avatar.”
Rokan had held back on skills to experience Drokshy’s solution, but now there was no need.
Against such passive defense, a barrage would end it.
His attack power was at a level where blocking didn’t negate damage. He immediately activated Gale Avatar, with its undead power, and pressured Drokshy.
Boom crash crash crash.
Rokan’s battle axe hammered the shield.
He considered Armor Break to shatter the shield outright, but against Drokshy, whose stock of items was unknown, it held little meaning.
Instead, to deal more damage, he kept pounding the shield, taking reflected hits.
Each time, Drokshy staggered back but endured somehow, refusing to yield.
“Heh heh heh, got you! Psychokinesis!”
“……!”
And at one point, Drokshy bared his white teeth.
Simultaneously, his new skill activated.
Psychokinesis. The so-called telekinesis applied to the metal chunks scattered on the ground.
They gathered toward Rokan, binding him before he could dodge. Applying the power of metal.
[You have equipped Sealing Orbs.]
[Stats are restricted.]
[Skill power is restricted.]
Sealing Orbs. It seemed this was what Drokshy had crafted while stuck in this mine.
“How’s that? Strength draining, right? Once Gale Avatar ends, I’ll toy with you as I please!”
“This is…….”
But the timing was ironic. Others might panic, but Rokan had experienced this before.
Moreover, judging by the felt power, it was far inferior to the Heavenly God’s sealing orbs.
So Drokshy planned to stall until Gale Avatar’s aftereffects hit rather than finish him now, but unfortunately, he didn’t know something.
Rokan had just gained a new power.
“Lightning Control.”
Rokan channeled current through his body and smiled whitely.