Tyrant Subjugation Battle (4)

Magic beasts called nightmares, Masters, and Challengers—every last one of them possessed an ultimate technique.

A truly cool ultimate technique.

Or a second phase.

Carpeng had blood qi that strengthened her own body.

Thinking of it almost brought tears to my eyes, but Luci… a slash that cut the world itself.

Kalt transformed until he became shadow itself.

Yuria too, Rubia too…

And the Tyrant standing right in front of me was no different.

Every being who had reached a high realm possessed one.

I had no idea by what principle magic beasts gained theirs.

For humans, I had heard it was when their unique ability advanced a single stage.

From there Masters and Challengers diverged again… but I was neither, so pass.

Anyway, I had admired them.

Honestly… they were cool.

The kinds of things that always showed up in the manga and novels I used to read.

It was fine to admire them a little, right?

So I worked hard.

I wanted an ultimate technique like that too.

But even after five years of grinding and grinding, it never appeared.

Because I had no mana.

If only I could have drunk Elixirs the way the current “me” could, I would have managed it in no time.

Back then I… was very different from who I am now.

Hmm! Anyway!

After that, another three years.

A total of eight years of grinding, thrashing, and crossing the line of death—and I finally got an ultimate technique!

I was so happy, so excited, so overjoyed that I hunted without sleeping for two whole days…

Once I had that ultimate technique, my life twisted a lot… went completely off the rails, but it still helped me enormously.

With it I killed every nightmare.

Wiped out nine Masters without exception.

And then, right before I killed the ancient dragon—

that dragon gave my ultimate technique a name.

Honestly.

Really, honestly… it was cool.

I liked it so much.

Because a villain had named it, I liked it even more.

But… not a single person in this world knew that name.

It wasn’t some “everyone who saw it is dead, so none remain…” kind of thing.

Of course they were all dead… but that wasn’t the reason.

I was embarrassed… so I never said it.

Honestly I thought it was cool… but other people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might find it a little… childish.

There was no need to shout the name when I used it, either.

Uh… actually, when no one was around, I tried shouting it a few times.

Shouted it, and quietly muttered it too.

Set the mood… and said it in a heavy, solemn voice.

Ahem… anyway.

The name of that ultimate technique was—

Blue eyes scattered on the wind.

They melted into the air.

Hid their form and drifted through the surroundings.

Tyrant’s second phase had begun.

The blue eyes that had melted and mixed into the air were Tyrant’s demonic energy itself.

Even in the first phase, Tyrant’s magic had given no warning, but once the second phase started, that quality grew far worse.

Generation.

Not activation—generation.

No, even the word “generation” struggled to capture it, yet there was nothing else that could explain it.

In empty space, things simply came into being.

Every magic the creature desired existed as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I poured out mana with everything I had and lifted my right foot.

And then—

in the spot where my foot had been planted, fine ice spikes simply appeared.

They just appeared.

As naturally as if they had always been there.

No sound.

No movement of demonic energy that I could sense.

Truly nothing at all.

That second phase was exactly why we could never have sent it to Urusphier.

Everyone except Rubia might have died.

It would have happened for sure.

So… how do you counter a broken ability like that?

For someone as ridiculously strong as me, there was always a way.

I felt nothing—but I could check, one by one, the things drawn through Qi Sensing.

Of course I had to verify every single grain of the creature’s demonic energy dissolved in the air, yet for the current me that was no problem at all.

I had drunk two bottles of Elixir.

And I had my ultimate technique.

The preparation time was a little long, sure.

But if I could just hold out until then—

I would win.

Maintaining the release of mana, I gripped my greatsword.

And just like before, I closed my eyes and focused my Qi Sensing.

Tiny snowflakes floating in the air.

They looked pretty at a glance, but every small petal that had sprouted was made of blades.

I drew those snowflakes—the kind that would shred your lungs the moment you inhaled.

And then they moved.

Petals folded and unfolded.

As they opened they stimulated other snowflakes.

The snowflakes that woke to the stimulus stimulated still more snowflakes.

And so—

the unfolded snowflakes became a colossal blade that tore through empty air.

Right in front of me, as if it had always existed there—

a blade was generated.

I swung the greatsword and struck it away.

The shattered fragments became new blades.

They mixed into the wind.

I stamped my foot and swung the greatsword again.

The rough wind pressure that bloomed beat the blade-wind back.

Right after that—

Tyrant’s massive body shot toward me, muscles condensed to their absolute limit exploding into motion.

I did not dodge. I watched its movement all the way to the end.

And when it had closed to the extreme—

I raised my sword in time with the flow and twisted.

Not only letting the force that struck me slide away, but returning it.

Noah-style Flowing Water.

Clang—!

A bright, ringing sound, and Tyrant’s body staggered.

I did not miss the opening; I immediately drove the greatsword upward.

An ice wall that suddenly generated blocked the path of the blade, but I tore through it with raw power.

Thud—! Tyrant’s head snapped back.

The speed had dropped a little, but the hit landed cleanly.

The instant I tried to press forward for a follow-up—

I leapt back and abandoned the spot.

A hole punched open where I had just been standing.

From the opened hole, thousands of ice spikes shot out.

I ducked my head and swept the greatsword up.

The ice mass that had existed above my head burst apart.

I swung the greatsword once more and cleared the debris.

Kwa-gwa-gwang—! The fragments driven into the ground exploded and created a snow fog.

Inside that fog, hundreds of magics already existed.

I could not draw a path that would let me dodge them all.

Using the information drawn by Qi Sensing, I had to see with my eyes, feel, and evade.

Clearly, with every seal released, there was no delay at all.

It was irritating.

I dodged the flying icicles.

In the place I had just left, a blade was generated.

I smashed it with my elbow and advanced.

A boulder dropped onto the spot where I had stood.

The earth shook.

Through the tremors, fine blades rushed in.

I held my breath and scattered the greatsword in a wide arc.

Without stopping my feet I advanced slowly.

I forcibly halted the leg I had been extending and thrust the greatsword in.

I did not know what it was, but I crushed it before it could even generate.

Three of Tyrant’s arms swung.

I dodged, parried, waited—

and once more, Flowing Water.

Clang—!

I could not continue with a follow-up.

Feeling the regret, I turned my back.

I swung the greatsword, and icicles burst along the path of the swing.

Using the recoil I spun my body in a full circle—

Kwaddeuk— more magics were cut away.

The generation speed of the magics grew faster and faster.

I could no longer even distinguish what kind of magic they were.

The moment a snowflake moved I was already swinging the greatsword.

At the same instant I swung, magic was generated.

Wounds on my body increased.

The blood I shed grew heavier.

Fragments embedded in the greatsword writhed and goaded me.

Without stopping I cut through the magics.

And the instant the fog cleared, Tyrant’s arms welcomed me.

Two I could maybe handle with Flowing Water, but four was impossible.

I clicked my tongue and swung the greatsword.

Ka-ga-ga-gang—!

A repulsive force that felt like it would tear my bones apart transmitted through the blade.

The first arm was knocked away.

The second arm bent.

The third arm stopped the greatsword—

and Zzeong—! the fourth arm smashed into my body.

The sound rang inside my flesh.

My body was driven straight into the ground.

Every bone in my body shattered. The broken pieces stabbed into my organs.

Blood that burst from the organs was not enough for my mouth; it tore through my hide and poured out.

I immediately circulated the Elixir and restored the wounds.

The amount of Elixir remaining—exactly one more use.

I rolled backward and knocked aside the continuing attacks.

I swung the greatsword and cut through the generated magics.

Scattering the greatsword in every direction, I opened the distance.

And then—

I drove the greatsword into the ground.

Crimson-black mana began to overlay the space above.

Still not enough.

I spread my arms and poured out every last drop of remaining mana.

I wrung it dry without leaving a single drop.

Mana that had nearly turned black covered the earth.

It dyed the sky.

It slowly veiled the sun.

Tyrant’s magic stopped.

Its movements stopped.

It simply stared at me.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A crimson earth.

A crimson sky.

A black sun.

Taking in the entire scene with my eyes—

I quietly muttered to the “me” who would never hear it anyway.

This is an ability that must never be awakened.

A cursed power.

I hope “you” take a different path.

The greatsword driven into the ground vanished.

And then—

in my outstretched right hand, a different greatsword came into being.

I gripped the greatsword and swung.

It was far.

But I cut.

Space was cut.

The world shifted out of alignment.

From that point as the origin, Tyrant’s body was sliced into pieces.

The ability of the Challenger who had cut the world.

I swung again.

The shadow that had been writhing beneath my feet shot forward.

It pierced through Tyrant’s body.

The ability of the Master who had used shadows.

I stopped my breath and took a step.

In an instant I arrived in front of Tyrant.

The ability of the Master who had made assassination his trade.

I raised the greatsword and brought it down.

Gravity that seemed to warp space itself was added.

Kkeudeudeuk— Tyrant’s shoulder was crushed.

It had lost both arms, yet it had not lost its fighting spirit—

the ability of the bald man who had finally reached Master.

Claws swung.

A maw opened toward me and closed in.

I twisted the greatsword. Flames burst forth.

They burned Tyrant’s claws and melted its teeth.

The ability of the imperial princess who had turned her back on her nation for the woman she loved.

Tens of thousands of magics were generated.

An unavoidable death closed in.

I raised my left arm and swept it aside.

Every magic vanished.

Scattered, burst apart.

Dispel.

The ability of the ancient dragon.

I swung.

I cut.

Sometimes I thrust.

I smashed down.

And each time—

the authority of a Challenger.

Of a Master.

Of many heroes.

was realized.

I carved the nightmare’s body into pieces.

And finally—

I slowly raised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sword.

And brought it down.

Along the path of the blade—

Divine Power manifested.

The Black Sun set.