Chapter 406
Chapter 406
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 406
>Chapter Title: The Approaching Night
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- There was a time when it was called that.
At the opponent's words, Oukan blinked. But it was only for a moment. Oukan roughly drew his sword and shook off his foe.
“Nonsense!”
Geyar Kaliman.
The man who had suddenly appeared over two hundred years ago and brought the warriors of the grasslands to their knees.
In less than a year, he had become a legend of the steppes, and to some warriors, a god. Yet no absolute being could defy death itself.
But.
“…….”
Oukan calmly took in the sight of Shain landing on the ground. Even if he wasn't Geyar Kaliman, he was clearly a powerhouse on par with the legends.
Oukan cooled his head. It was right then that Shain kicked off the ground.
Boom!
Oukan gritted his teeth at the lightning-fast sword strike that came rushing in. His grip on the greatsword trembled fiercely. It was so quick that even the Twelve Martial Gods couldn't react.
‘Speed…….’
He was one step ahead.
‘Strength?’
Oukan shoved back the clashing blades with force and spun his body. A gale whipped up immediately. Oukan's sword sliced through space—
Boom!
One clash.
The blade, infused with rotational force, was blocked by the pure white sword. But Oukan's combo didn't end there.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Oukan whirled like a vortex, scattering sword strikes. It was like a whirlwind in name only—his slashes had no fixed direction.
From left to right, right to left, sometimes from below, others chopping down from above. Oukan moved like he was dancing, yielding to the recoil, and with each motion, Shain took a step back.
‘Strength is mine!’
Oukan pressed the advantage, hounding Shain even more fiercely. His movements naturally grew larger, but there were no openings. No, there were slight gaps, but his monstrous swordplay prevented the opponent from exploiting them.
It was then that Shain burst into laughter.
“Excellent! That's it!”
A feral smile spread across his lips. His fangs gleamed as red mana writhed along Shain's sword. The vampires' exclusive power: blood demonic force.
Neither mana nor ether, this blood demonic force dyed the pure white blade like sticky blood. Wariness filled Oukan's eyes at the eerie aura, and a sharp premonition grazed his nose tip right after.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from a cut across his nose bridge.
Whoosh—!
The sound of the sword cutting air echoed belatedly.
“Not bad.”
Oukan narrowed his eyes and reset his stance. One breath…… no, even a split second later, and his head would have flown. Realizing that sent chills racing down his spine. At the same time, Oukan summoned one of the Twelve Martial Gods and infused it into his greatsword.
In truth, Tra alone couldn't match ether's power. It needed the spirits' strength to surpass ether. But that unidentified energy was stronger than ether.
“Your thoughts run long!”
Shain charged at Oukan, spraying strands of blood demonic force. It wasn't the ultra-fast strike from before, yet there was no whoosh of air. The blood demonic force's cutting power ignored air resistance.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Oukan gritted his teeth upon seeing chips fly from his greatsword at the first clash. Forged by the ten finest artisans of the great steppe with the rarest materials, this famed blade screamed as if it might shatter with each impact. One Martial God wasn't enough.
‘……Two, no. Three.’
Only after three Martial Gods dwelled within did the greatsword endure the clashes. Nine remained, but with his options dwindling, he needed to find a way.
But how?
‘Speed is lacking.’
Strength……
‘Means nothing.’
He had the edge in strength, but his weapon couldn't hold. No matter how much he reinforced the Tra or infused Martial God power, there were limits.
But the biggest issue was technique.
“Hup……!”
Oukan jerked his head back from the sword tip thrusting at his face. A chill wind brushed his nose.
Strikes like this…… pierced his guard with deadly precision. He focused his mind to close the gap, but it wasn't something mere concentration could bridge.
Still, he'd held out this long thanks to instincts surpassing a beast's.
‘……No choice.’
Oukan parried the incoming blade with all his might and steadied himself. Clang! With the sound, the opponent leaped back.
Just one breath.
A distance that could close in that alone, but that's exactly the time he needed.
“Your eyes have sharpened nicely.”
“…….”
Oukan didn't reply. He slammed his greatsword into the ground. A shamanic aura spread around him.
Shain, poised to charge, halted and his eyes gleamed.
“This is…….”
He remembered it.
A power he'd encountered long ago in the great steppe. Or was it even power? More like a technique.
Not of warriors, but shamans.
“Interesting!”
Shain kicked off immediately and leaped.
He wanted to wait and let him unleash everything, but that would make it a spar, not battle. And no need to show respect to a non-warrior!
Shain's sword fell toward Oukan's crown. Oukan widened his eyes and stepped back. Yet even as he did, the bizarre 'ritual' continued.
The change began with one of the Twelve Martial Gods.
Sss—
The Martial God's form faded.
“…….”
The faded form soon dwelled in Oukan.
That was when Oukan's movements changed.
As Oukan lowered his stance to dodge Shain's strike, his gaze trailed its path. His eyes flickered with ghostly energy.
‘I see it.’
The opponent's strikes, once dodged by sense alone, were now visible. And not just that. His breathing, foot position, shoulder twitch—everything became clear.
Shain's attacks grew fiercer in response, but the change didn't end there.
One, two……
“Huh!”
When six Martial Gods dwelled in him, Oukan felt as if he'd comprehended all of martial arts. And it wasn't far off.
……Kaliman.
The pinnacle of warriors.
With six Martial Gods' lifelong martial prowess dwelling within.
……Thus, the seventh Martial God entered.
“Haha!”
Oukan burst into laughter at the indescribable thrill. A savage smile spread across his face.
This was…… yes.
Omnipotence.
Power overflowing, as if he could do anything.
……Then, eight.
The ghostly energy rippling in Oukan's eyes deepened. The Tra pouring from his greatsword grew starkly vivid, blinding to behold.
From then on, it no longer yielded to Shain's blood demonic force.
Creeeang—! Clang! Creeeang!
As Oukan wildly swung his greatsword in diagonals, thunderous booms erupted. It was no longer a clash of swords.
Watching his foe pushed back helplessly, Oukan's eyes flashed.
‘More…….’
Then, nine.
When he'd accepted all Martial Gods except the three in his sword, Oukan was certain of victory. But……
‘Not enough.’
In the end, Oukan accepted the final three in his sword.
And then—
Boom!
With a earth-shaking roar, Shain was flung back. He stabbed his sword into the ground to slow himself and narrowed his eyes.
“Hah……!”
Through the dust, Oukan emerged. His eyes were no longer human.
Ghostly energy surged in both pupils.
Yet it wasn't ominous, but divine. At the same time, the murderous intent spreading around was hideous.
How could one being hold such extreme auras?
But there was something even more astonishing.
Thud.
The moment Oukan kicked off, dozens of spells roiled around him. Weakness, pain, confusion…… a vicious feast of curses tormenting mind and body.
Shain regripped his sword and took in Oukan. His lips curled unwittingly.
“You really…… aren't a warrior.”
Not mockery.
Awe.
How could a human host all twelve spirits? Even the greatest grand shamans managed but one.
This meant Oukan's shamanic talent touched the heavens. Rare even in history.
Spirit Descent.
He'd received gods, but Oukan wasn't merely a vessel. Rather……
A god itself.
Shain thought.
‘Then…….’
What was he, to stand against it?
Crackle, crackle—!
Oukan's blade rushed at his crown. In that instant, though not in transcendence, Shain perceived everything clearly.
Amid it……
Creeeeeeeeeeeng—!
With the anticipated clash, a shockwave spread. Ulp. Shain swallowed rising blood and smiled.
“Yes, let's do it like this.”
Shadows rippled around Shain. They rose like heat haze and spread outward.
He'd sought to kneel him with pure martial arts alone, but what was there to choose now? The foe was no longer a pure warrior.
As he unleashed his vampire lord power, fangs protruded sharply, and hair cascading to his shoulders instantly grew to his waist. At the same time……
Crack, craaack—!
“What……?!”
Oukan recoiled in shock at the unprecedented sight. Unbelievable.
Shadows surged around, plunging everything into night-like darkness. And at its center: pale skin, crimson eyes.
Different from before.
1.6 meters…… small for a knight or warrior, his stature had suddenly grown to about 1.7 meters. But the true marvel wasn't the physical change.
Crunch, cruuunch……!
Night's fragments extended, devouring surroundings greedily.
……The woman was the center of the world.
No, the mistress of all nights.
Even Oukan, dominator of countless warriors, was overwhelmed by Geyar Driman.
Amid the silence descending with the arriving night, a woman's voice echoed.
“Still…… not quite two meters.”
But that's fine.
Height doesn't matter. The heart does. Small in stature but grand in spirit—what could not be subdued?
“Come.”
Shain beckoned, red hair fluttering. Oukan growled like a beast, eyes twitching.
But only for a moment.
Fierce fire blazed in his gaze.
They stepped forward. Face-to-face, they exchanged looks. Murderous intent rippled in their locked stares.
In a distance where breaths mingled rawly, silence hung. Hearts pounded, bodies heated.
Thus, in what seemed eternal silence—
Boom!
The two swordsmen swung at each other from point-blank range. Like rabid beasts tearing at prey's throats.
Flesh tore, blood sprayed.