Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: The Emperor Revealed
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A deafening explosion and shockwave reverberated through the air.
Between him and his foes, the atmosphere rippled like waves.
An invisible wall had been erected.
‘Wind Barrier!’
Kollepton instantly recognized it as the work of spirits.
That explained why Demian hadn’t dodged his attack.
Kollepton twisted his face in rage and bellowed.
“You again, interfering with me!”
“This place will be your tomb.”
Demian spat the words coldly.
When the intruder had burst into the office, he had activated the hidden mechanism.
He hadn’t known the Tomoya Kingdom had such devices installed.
But thanks to the spirits, Arthur had learned of it. Before heading to the battlefield, Arthur had passed on the plan to Demian and mentioned this.
Just in case Kollepton or his companions arrived before the spirits, the idea was to activate the mechanism briefly and buy time.
By the time it triggered, the spirits arrived, allowing them to trap him here and prevent escape.
Kollepton smirked wickedly as he drew up his mana.
“No, it will be your tomb.”
An overwhelming aura erupted from him.
“……!”
Demian’s face hardened.
“I’ll show you my true power.”
The surging wave of aura lashed out in all directions, slamming into the wind barrier.
KABOOM!
BOOM!
The barrier shuddered, cracks forming across it.
-It’s getting tough.
As Parsia spoke to someone, Earth and Salamander materialized before Kollepton.
He sneered mockingly.
“Pathetic little runts.”
Black wings sprouted from Artisan’s body.
His armor tore away like cloth, fur sprouting as his form swelled enormously.
He reverted to his true monstrous shape.
Hovering in the air, the colossal monster exuded savage fury.
“Die... all... of... you.”
Kollepton flapped his wings, appearing before the wind barrier as if teleporting.
He twisted his body, smashing the barrier with the spikes on his tail.
KABOOM!
The barrier shredded apart.
Beyond it, Parsia appeared, her face contorted in shock.
For spirits, damage to their techniques rebounded indirectly.
‘It’s not the power of the guardian I knew before.’
Parsia’s expression grew grave as she warned Earth and Salamander.
The two, closing in slowly, had already anticipated it without her words.
No mere guardian could shatter a top-tier spirit’s defense.
Perhaps the awakener’s power had boosted the guardian’s abilities as well?
Artisan Sharmen.
The mightiest war god of the South Shar Empire!
Having stolen every ounce of a Grand Master’s power, it was entirely plausible.
That was why they approached with even greater caution than against the guardian a century ago.
Locking eyes, they charged Kollepton in perfect sync.
Earth summoned golems to grapple and restrain him swiftly.
Salamander then manifested as the incarnation of fire, unleashing a blazing strike.
-Take this!
Intense flames engulfed Kollepton.
It wasn’t enough for annihilation, but it should have hampered his movements.
-Now just finish him off for good…!
Salamander’s eyes widened.
The roaring inferno vanished as if swallowed by darkness.
Then, from Kollepton—shrouded in pitch-black aura—came an immense presence.
‘To think it’s this strong….’
It was overwhelmingly powerful.
To face him, they’d have to risk total dissolution.
-This final battle demands our all.
As Salamander addressed his comrades, Earth nodded in agreement and manifested as a golem, standing beside him.
As the two steeled themselves for their last stand...
-Don’t forget Arthur’s orders.
Earth and Salamander’s eyes flashed.
Arthur had only told them to block him until he arrived—not to fight to annihilation.
They couldn’t defy their contractor’s command.
Reluctantly, they opted for a tactical retreat.
-This is exactly what I hate.
-Me too.
-He’ll arrive soon. Until then, protect the troops from his attacks and keep him contained here.
Once recovered, Parsia erected the wind barrier again, shielding Demian and the knights.
-Then I’ll switch to defense too.
Earth erected stone pillars around Kollepton, encircling him to prevent escape.
Salamander planned to strike from above, keeping him grounded.
It looked like a perfect containment.
Seeing them shift abruptly from offense to defense, Kollepton grinned.
“You think... you can... trap... me... here?”
-The one to face you is someone else.
“That guy... is... coming... huh.”
Arthur Julius.
The one who had nearly annihilated him before.
Could he win in a rematch?
Now, having absorbed all of Artisan’s power, things were different.
Artisan’s absolute might fused with his own.
Compared to a century ago, he was at least twice as strong—perhaps more.
No matter how powerful that human was, he was still frail.
His past defeat wasn’t due to the Demon King’s weakness, but his own.
But now, it would be different.
Even transcending human limits couldn’t surpass the omnipotent Demon King’s power.
He’d crush him, restore his shattered pride, and etch his worth into Lord Ruan’s mind.
“Even if... that guy... comes... he won’t... reach... you.”
Kollepton swung his fist.
WHOOSH-.
A hook-shaped black aura fist shot out.
CRASH!
It pulverized Earth’s stone pillar effortlessly, streaking onward.
The lingering afterimage stretched like a spear.
Kollepton had fused Artisan’s techniques with his specialty: the aura spear.
Spinning razor-sharp like a drill, it pierced the wind barrier.
FLASH!
Light vanished in an instant.
“Darkness... swallows... the light.”
As Kollepton spoke coldly, Parsia groaned.
-Kuhk.
The barrier shattered like broken glass.
Parsia’s presence faded simultaneously.
-……!
She seemed to have taken near-annihilating damage.
Earth and Salamander’s faces hardened. The moment light returned, they unleashed their strongest assaults.
Flaming meteors rained from the sky; countless pillars surged from the ground.
Their tips sharpened to sword-like points.
“Begone!”
Kollepton flapped once.
An immense aura unfurled, annihilating the rising pillars and falling fireballs.
-What... kind of...
Salamander’s face twisted as Kollepton appeared before him, seizing his throat.
-Kghk.
“Annoying... pest.”
Kollepton descended, slamming Salamander’s head into the ground.
BOOM-!
The fire incarnation dissipated into smoke as flames vanished.
Then, a massive golem arm erupted from beneath Kollepton, grabbing him.
Golems summoned from all sides swarmed in.
BAM! BAM! BOOM!
Surrounding him completely, Earth manifested as a golem before Kollepton.
-Return whence you came.
He punched toward Kollepton’s heart.
WHOOSH-.
The air tore as the blow flew.
Just as it shattered the Defense Armor around his chest...
FLASH!
Light vanished again.
This time, Kollepton hadn’t moved.
Yet the light was gone.
-This is!
The guardian’s ultimate technique, ‘Summon of Darkness,’ had activated.
In a split second, it maximized dark power, boosting offense and defense to their peaks.
It could block a Spirit King’s attack and pierce a Spirit King’s shield.
“Begone... yourself.”
Kollepton broke free and countered with a fist.
The aura fist streaked like lightning, embedding in Earth’s chest.
BOOM!
Earth rocketed backward, crashing into the wall.
His stone body crumbled to sand, scattering across the floor.
Earth vanished too.
“How... could...”
Demian was horrified.
Top-tier spirits felled by a single guardian.
Far from holding him until Arthur arrived, they collapsed too easily.
Demian couldn’t fathom how to fight such monstrous power.
‘He’s too strong. On another level entirely.’
Even trembling in fear, he instinctively gripped his sword tight.
The Valkyries and knights did the same.
“Kuh... kuh... kuh... kuh.”
Kollepton uttered a guttural chuckle.
“You bugs... dare... challenge... me?”
He spread his wings wide and swept them.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH-.
Dozens of unidentified objects hurtled forth.
“Barrier!”
At Demian’s shout, the Valkyries stepped up, erecting a shield.
KABOOM-KABOOM-BOOM!
They exploded on impact, hurling the Valkyries back.
THUD! THUMP!
“Urk...”
“Blegh-.”
“Cough, kuh... urk...”
They vomited blood, rendered combat-ineffective.
No one remained to block Kollepton’s attacks.
Demian chose to die fighting rather than cower.
“Everyone, battle formation!”
All channeled mana to its maximum.
Deep blue aura coated their blades.
To bolster morale, Demian decided to unleash everything from the start.
He raised his sword overhead and murmured.
Peridri Style First Form.
Flash!
The aura blade shot forth like lightning.
“Such... a paltry... attack.”
As Kollepton swung to intercept...
Bright light descended on the aura blade.
“……!”
Sensing danger instinctively, he wrapped himself in wings.
BOOM-!
The explosion hurled him back.
His wings shredded raggedly.
“You bastard...”
Through the tattered gaps, Kollepton’s bloodshot eyes glared.
Before Demian, luminous particles gathered, forming Nigras.
He raised his hand.
-O seed of evil, be gone.
A beam of light shot from his fingertips.
As Kollepton surged with aura, thickening his Defense Armor...
Pitch darkness rushed in.
“……!”
Kollepton’s eyes widened, lips curling.
“It’s... here... at last...!”
His gaze shook violently.
Vast darkness blanketed, devouring the incoming light.
Then, it rose from the ground.
Not Krasena.
The Nightmare, master of darkness, appeared.
-It’s been a century.
-So it was you after all.
Nigras nodded knowingly.
Flying with Arthur, he’d sensed the material-world spirits’ presences vanish.
Detecting the encroaching darkness, he’d raced here at full speed.
-Nothing changes this time either.
A halo formed behind Nigras, slowly repelling the darkness.
As the office split between shadow and light!
Thud... thud-.
Quiet footsteps echoed.
All heads turned toward the sound.
In the doorway, frame torn away, stood a man shrouded in dark aura.
Demian’s eyes widened at the sight.
“Y-You...”
Ruan extended his hand toward Demian.
SPLAT-.
“Gahk!”
Demian spewed blood, dropping to his knees.
He stared at the black aura embedded in his chest.
“How... could this...”
Ruan smiled coldly.
“Not you, but the Emperor.”