Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Joshua's End
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“Stop! Don’t do it!!”
As Joshua thrashed and resisted, Millerph and Aria appeared.
“Milord!”
“My Lord!”
Arthur kept his eyes fixed on Joshua and shouted.
“Treat the Devil Squad first!”
“Understood!”
Millerph and Aria rushed to the fallen Devil Squad members and checked their conditions.
“Oh no!”
“This is bad.”
Both of their faces twisted in horror at the squad’s dire state.
Millerph and Aria exchanged glances, communicating silently, then nodded.
Aria began the prayer first.
“Lady Karen, grant your grace upon these men.”
A white light enveloped the Devil Squad.
While she treated them, Millerph pulled potions from their pouches and sprinkled them over the members.
Then he cast his highest recovery spell, Recover.
As the two focused on treating the Devil Squad, Arthur interrogated Joshua.
“Why did Artisan send you here?”
Joshua laughed like a madwoman who had given up on everything.
“Kuahaha, do I look like I’m going to answer you?”
Slap!
Arthur struck her cheek without mercy and asked again.
“Since when has Artisan been the Demon King’s familiar?”
“What are you talking about?”
Suddenly, Joshua turned feral and screamed viciously.
“How dare you call him a familiar! Lord Artisan is the true ruler!”
“What?”
Arthur’s face went blank for a moment.
“To dare compare the great one who will rule the five continents to some Demon King…….”
“So the power you have comes from Artisan, not the Demon King?”
“Of course. Lord Artisan shares his power only with his loyal servants.”
“Hmm…….”
Arthur’s mind grew complicated.
Until now, he had assumed Artisan and Altros were closely connected.
He thought Altros would incite civil war in the Oscar Empire to weaken it, allowing the Nanshar Empire to invade and absorb it.
Thus, Altros was directly tied to the Demon King, and Artisan was his puppet.
But according to Joshua, he had been barking up the wrong tree.
Still, the root of Altros’s and Joshua’s power was darkness.
Darkness was the Demon King’s power.
Moreover, Nigras had said Joshua’s power came from the Demon King.
Considering all this, Artisan had likely been brainwashed by the Demon King.
The Demon King might have put Artisan front and center to hide his own presence.
Then what about Altros?
There was one thing he absolutely needed to confirm with her.
“Has Artisan ever met Altros?”
“If he had, would Altros still be alive? He’d have died by Lord Artisan’s hand already.”
“……?”
Arthur tilted his head.
As far as he knew, Altros was at least an 8th Class powerhouse.
‘Could it be?’
“Was Artisan strong enough to take on Altros?”
“Listen well. Lord Artisan is so great he could easily crush a mere 7th Class mage.”
“Altros was 7th Class?”
“You idiot, with intelligence that low. He advanced to 7th Class long ago. I don’t know how a worm like you contracted a wind spirit, but unless the Spirit King shows up, no one can defeat him. Putting it all together means Lord Artisan is stronger than the Spirit King, right?”
“Hmm…….”
He truly hadn’t known Altros had reached 8th Class.
As Arthur tried to hide his ignorance without showing it, Joshua narrowed her eyes and asked.
“That light on your dagger—is it spirit power, by any chance?”
“See for yourself.”
Arthur pressed the dagger to her throat.
Her flesh began to sizzle.
“Don’t! I said don’t!”
Joshua shook her head wildly and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“You bastard! Lord Artisan will surely avenge.”
“Begone.”
Arthur mercilessly severed her throat.
Joshua turned to ash and scattered with the wind.
Arthur didn’t let up his momentum and looked out the window.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of weapons clashing and Helot’s shouts rang out.
“They took Awakening Agents! Move in pairs of two!”
It seemed they were fighting the men from the Nanshar Empire.
Even excluding those dealt with here, there were at least twenty left.
The Assault Squad was in danger.
Whistle—
He whistled, and Khan, waiting in the corridor, rushed over.
Arthur mounted Khan and said to Dark.
“Hold this place.”
***
“Don’t panic—respond calmly!”
Helot shouted until his throat was raw.
The Assault Squad calmly watched the enemies as per his orders.
The ones who had taken the Awakening Agent didn’t change into grotesque forms.
A black aura wrapped around their bodies, and a sinister, ominous pressure bore down on them.
The Assault Squad felt chills down their spines.
When they tried to fight, their bodies wouldn’t move as intended.
Instinctively fearing the enemies, no doubt.
Helot was the same.
His limbs stiffened as if consumed by fear.
“Damn it!”
As the squad’s morale faltered, he unwittingly stepped back.
Meanwhile, the enemies’ momentum soared.
“I’ll kill you all.”
As they pressed forward with savage killing intent.
Bang!
One enemy’s head exploded like a watermelon.
Gunfire echoed belatedly, and Arthur appeared riding Khan.
The Assault Squad broke into smiles upon seeing him.
“It’s the Count!”
Shaken by the enemies’ aura moments ago, they now surged with fighting spirit.
Helot seized the momentum and bellowed.
“Prepare to charge!”
Clack!
The squad raised their swords to shoulder height, aiming at the enemies in unison.
Helot watched the enemies while awaiting Arthur’s orders.
As the enemies’ attention focused on him, Arthur raised his arm above his head and signaled the Assault Squad.
A signal to immediately withdraw from their current position.
“What?”
They looked baffled at Helot.
Realizing Arthur’s intent, Helot bolted for cover and yelled.
“What are you waiting for? Get to cover now!”
The squad scattered to find hiding spots.
The enemies, fixated only on Arthur, growled, and one charged first.
“I’ll kill you first.”
Arthur pulled the triggers on the Sig Sauers in both hands.
Bang! Bang!
No misses.
One-shot kills!
He shattered the enemy’s skull.
But the enemies felt no fear, only thicker killing intent as they rushed in.
Sinister, evil energy flowed from their swords.
Instantly, pure white light burst from Arthur’s dagger.
The sinister energy vanished like mist in the blinding light.
The enemies’ movements halted, temporarily blinded.
Arthur didn’t miss the opening. He spurred his mount and leaped up, unleashing gunfire.
Bang bang! Bang!
Their heads burst like watermelons.
Having eliminated half in one go, Arthur holstered the Sig Sauers and drew his dagger from his back.
He charged at them like a shot.
Weaving through them, he swung the dagger mercilessly.
Targeting vitals, slashing, stabbing, and finally decapitating to deny any chance of recovery.
Though their Awakening Agent-toughened skin was armor-hard, they fell powerlessly to the dagger’s blood-red aura and light spirit power.
Yet their fighting spirit didn’t waver; they swarmed from all sides, swinging swords.
“Die!”
“Get lost!”
Arthur stomped the ground with his left foot.
Boom—
A powerful shockwave spread like a Mana Wave.
The blast sent them flying backward.
Arthur kicked off the ground and leaped upward, summoning and firing the K1 Rifle.
Bratatatata—
Turning them into hives.
“Arghhh!”
“Gaaah!”
By the time Arthur landed, all enemies lay broken, screaming in agony.
The screams faded, then silence fell.
In the heavy quiet, only the thick stench of blood lingered.
Arthur scanned the area thoroughly for any misses.
The sinister, ominous aura from the enemies was gone.
But no room for carelessness.
“Parsia.”
—Yes?
“Check the surroundings for any stragglers.”
—Right away.
As Arthur issued the order, the Assault Squad members emerged from their hiding spots one by one.
Helot approached first.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Arthur nodded and surveyed the squad.
Relieved no one had serious wounds, Parsia’s voice whispered in his ear.
—They all seem taken care of.
“Good.”
Arthur looked at Helot and continued.
“If any survive, don’t kill them—capture them with the vassals’ help. Then raise the count’s banner on the castle tower and sound the victory call.”
“Yes, sir!”
Helot vanished with the Assault Squad.
Left alone, Arthur stared at the Nanshar Empire corpses, pondering, then drew up mana.
—Lord Arthur Julius.
Parsia appeared.
Arthur stopped drawing mana and looked at her.
Parsia bowed politely and continued.
—The material realm spirits wish to meet you, my Lord.
“What for?”
—They said they’ll explain in person. Just set a time, my Lord—they’re available anytime.
“Then tell them to wait until I call.”
Arthur replied coldly and resumed drawing mana.
A golden aura gathered in his palm like a baseball, then took shape.
A grenade.
He’d thought if he could summon a Claymore, a less powerful grenade might work too.
Testing it, it summoned successfully.
Now, how many? Up to three.
Next, the power output.
Not comparable to a Claymore, but still promising.
He tossed a grenade at the corpses.
Detonation in 5 to 6 seconds per fuze.
‘……3, 2, 1.’
Boom!
Shredded bodies scattered, the ground trembling slightly.
Twice as powerful as the ones he’d used before.
With Tyrant’s Temperament providing ample mana, he could make as many as needed.
“Impressive stuff.”
***
Artisan’s office.
One of the five candles illuminating the dim room went out.
“Joshua……?”
Artisan’s face twisted as he watched.
She had been assigned to the Anscent Kingdom mission.
Laura and her subordinates had escorted her too.
Who could have defeated forces equal to the count’s family?
Suddenly, he recalled the Ashan extermination squad.
‘No way, not again?’
Artisan frowned, then shook his head.
No matter how strong, opposing Joshua was impossible.
Something was missing.
While focused on the Alpha Family, a new force might have emerged in the Oscar Empire—or a new threat……
From Keda Alpha to the Anscent Kingdom plan, worries piled up.
“Who the hell!”
Artisan clenched his fist.
Jet-black aura flared like flames from it.
Staring piercingly at the extinguished candle, he spoke heavily.
“Ghost.”
A man in light armor like Black Clothing appeared and prostrated.
“Give your orders.”
His voice was ice-cold.
“Joshua is gone. Find out what happened.”
“Just confirm?”
“Hm.”
Artisan pondered briefly, eyes flashing murderously.
“Take the Dark Squad.”
“Yes.”
Ghost vanished.
Artisan eyed the remaining four candles.
The leftmost flame blazed as if ascending to the heavens.
The guy’s power was growing as planned.
“Go on, rampage as you like.”
As Artisan smirked viciously, agony tore at his heart.
Like being hacked by a sword.
Once a month!
The inevitable pain.
Growing worse over time.
“Damn it!”
Artisan grimaced and drew up mana.
Jet-black aura blazed from him, revealing a purple mark on his hand.
A grotesque monster’s insignia.
The monster eye gleamed eerily, spewing venomous killing intent.
Artisan narrowed his brow and said.
“Not yet. Hold on a bit longer. When the time comes, I’ll let you devour to your heart’s content.”
The mark vanished, and the heart pain stopped.
“Whew—.”
Artisan slumped in his chair, exhaling deeply.
Staring at the ceiling, he muttered.
“A curse…… or fate?”
After a moment.
He gave a wry smile and shook his head.
“Pointless worries again. As if I have a choice.”