Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Encounter
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1.
Karron ran across the top of the spire.
Seeing this, the necromancer casually brandished his staff.
Creaak.
Two undead figures rose from the floor.
Azure light glowed from their eyes, surrounded by an ominous dark mana.
Karron instantly recognized them as Death Knights.
Pitiful beings who couldn't find rest even in death.
Knights who had once fought for honor were now the necromancer's playthings, charging at Karron.
The insignia of the Kingdom of Keas was engraved on their armor.
-Pitiful things.
Guillotines dark blue blade gleamed coldly.
The only thing he could offer these knights who had forgotten death was a peaceful rest.
Karron drew upon his mana, his eyes fixed on the tips of the knights swords.
Death Knights followed the swordsmanship of their former lives.
A middle guard stance, their center of gravity shifted slightly forward.
It was unmistakably the opening stance of the Shattering Sword style, primarily practiced by the knights of the Kingdom of Keas.
But these swords were far more lethal than anything they had wielded in life.
Fsss.
Black dust scattered from the tips of their blades.
The moment their dark mana made contact, it would drain the life from his entire body.
Thwack!
The two Death Knights charged at Karron simultaneously.
The dark mana they emanated was potent enough to corrode the very floor.
Moreover, the Death Knights weren't the only things Karron had to worry about.
Crunch!
Black flowers sprouted from magic circles placed throughout the area, and soon, purple fruits ripened on their vines.
BOOM!
The fruits exploded, obscuring his vision.
The poison was so potent it made his skin tingle, forcing Karron to hold his breath.
Behind him, Orion calmly commanded the wind spirits.
Whoosh!
The spirits winds cleared the purple smoke away.
Just as his vision was restored.
-Here they come.
As if they had been waiting, the Death Knights thrust their swords toward Karrons chest.
Their blades glowed with an inky light.
The dark mana was so condensed that he had the illusion of the sword tips themselves splitting apart.
Taking it head-on was impossible.
Even for the Sea Wolf Sword Style, which emphasized power, his body wouldn't withstand a direct clash with such force.
Ill deflect it.
If he couldn't take it head-on, he would deflect it.
Overpowering an opponent with fluidity was something he had repeated countless times in his past life.
It was a technique he could replicate even with his current body.
Karron leaned slightly to his right and swung his sword.
CLANG!
Guillotine lightly parried the sword rushing in from the right. The Death Knights' blades, which had been aimed at a single point, became entangled with each other.
This momentarily threw the Death Knight on the right off balance.
Without hesitation, Karron swung at the Death Knight's neck.
KAAANG!
There was no sound of flesh being cut. Instead, the clang of metal on metal echoed.
A sensation of something catching on the blade.
The dark mana covering the Death Knight's body was acting like a shield, blocking Guillotine.
But the resistance did not last long.
Slice!
Guillotine, having chewed through the dark mana, finally severed the Death Knight's neck.
Since it was already a dead body, no blood spurted out.
Instead, maggot-like worms crawled out from the severed surface.
Just as Karron dismissed it and turned to move, something grabbed his foot.
At the same time, the other Death Knight swung its massive black sword at him.
An unavoidable attack.
But Karron bit his lip hard and met the black sword with Guillotine.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted as Guillotine and the black sword clashed.
The shockwave from the impact swept through Karron's entire body.
It violently shook his internal organs.
The Death Knight was also caught in the shockwave, but it had little effect on its already dead body.
Cough.
A mouthful of blood spilled from Karrons lips.
But the crisis wasn't over.
Swoosh!
An inky light began to spread from the Death Knight whose neck Karron had just severed.
Maggots, the same maggots that had filled the Death Knight's body, began to latch onto Karron.
At that moment, Karron saw the necromancer smiling.
He lightly waved his staff and spoke.
How pitiful. In your honor, I shall take special care in using your corpse.
-Master! The Death Knights remains!
He knew even without Guillotine telling him.
Karron quickly released his mana in all directions, forming the sea. However.
Too late.
The necromancer's spell was already complete.
BOOOOOOM!
The corpse of the decapitated Death Knight exploded.
The excessive dark mana concentrated in the body was instantly converted into explosive force, swallowing everything in its path.
The Death Knight's body shattered into pieces, and the fragments rained down upon Karron.
Thwip.
Thwack.
The fragments pierced through his sea and relentlessly dug into his armor.
The powerful armor, once used by an ancestor of the Leston Ducal Family, managed to block them somehow.
But Kavana couldn't block every single piece.
A few fragments succeeded in piercing Karron's flesh.
Ah.
His vision swam.
His focus blurred, and his consciousness felt like it was about to snap.
Drip.
A drop of red blood, seeping through a gap in his armor, fell to the floor.
The armor, which had been deliberately dyed black, was now stained a dark crimson with Karrons blood.
Karron Leston!
Orion's voice echoed from behind.
But even his voice sounded faint.
Undead poison, a fatal toxin, coursed through his veins, and an excruciating pain began to wash over his entire body.
-You have to drive out the dark mana first.
Guillotine shouted urgently but stopped mid-sentence as it saw what was happening inside Karron's body.
The dark mana that had so aggressively invaded his body had, at some point, come to a standstill.
To play tricks with such pathetic dark mana. The Evil Emperor, that bastards dark mana was much more potent
A smile began to spread across Karrons lips.
-You're controlling the dark mana?
Im an expert.
Dark mana?
To be swayed by such low-grade dark mana would be an insult.
The dark mana bestowed upon him by the Evil Emperor had been incomparably powerful.
Therefore, it was impossible for his body to be taken over by something this pathetic.
Tastes good.
Karron channeled the dark mana into Guillotine. As if it had been waiting, Guillotine began to purify it.
-Master, are you a demon?
As Guillotine muttered in disbelief, Karron spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva and replied.
It was a life no different from a demon's.
-So there was a reason you teased me for being a demonic sword. It was just common tribal hatred, wasn't it?
He casually ignored Guillotines joke and assessed his condition.
The first thing to do was deal with the undead poison.
But as soon as he dealt with the dark mana, the poisons in his body began to dissipate.
The power of a bloodline is really something.
Any ordinary knight would have succumbed to the poison and died.
But this body was different.
The bloodline of the Leston Ducal Family.
This blood, which existed to annihilate those who followed the path of evil, was rapidly expelling the poison derived from it.
Hoo.
Before long, his vision returned to normal.
Karron glanced to the side.
Even the Death Knight that had been relatively intact was now torn to shreds by the earlier explosion.
It might have even caused a chain reaction of explosions.
Shall we start again?
Karron's gaze returned to the necromancer.
So you know how to command dark mana.
The necromancer said with a smile.
That aura, and that sword. Now I know who you are. The youngest of the Leston Ducal Family, Karron Leston. Yes. Sticking your nose where theres nothing to gain is a specialty of your family.
Fwoosh!
Black flames erupted from the man's body.
The unholy fire was aimed at Karron.
I have heard much about you. But I didn't know you could use dark mana as well. Did you make a pact with a demon?
Even if I told you the truth, you wouldnt believe me.
Your body will surely become the greatest masterpiece. I will use your soul especially for this ritual.
Clatter!
A wall of bone shot up in front of the necromancer.
And once again, undead rose from the floor.
Dullahans and countless other undead packed the area.
A battlefield is a sweet paradise for us. We just pick our materials and create whatever we desire.
Dark magic began to surge once more.
Bone spears, hellfire, necromancy, and more.
Spells poured out ceaselessly from the magic circles that had been set up in advance.
Each spell possessed the power to threaten his life.
But Karron broke through, Guillotine leading the way.
Fsss.
Guillotine relentlessly tore through the dark magic.
Fire, spears, even invisible curses.
All were dispelled before Guillotine.
-It's been a while since I've had a feast like this.
It may have been a magic circle the necromancer had meticulously prepared, but Karron feasted on its magic to his hearts content.
Blood was still trickling down his body, but he felt a surge of power.
The wicked dark mana was becoming fuel, constantly refilling his core.
Fssshhh!
Orion quietly supported Karron as well.
The spirits he unleashed began to destroy the magic circles one by one, and they threw a significant number of the swarming undead off the spire.
CRASH!
A wave extending from Guillotine once again carved a path forward.
Fragments left behind by the shattered dark magic relentlessly battered Karron's body.
The bleeding, which had seemed to stop for a moment, began to flow from his lips again.
Heh.
Karron smiled, willingly accepting the pain.
The taste of blood in his mouth.
The pain throughout his body.
This was a true battlefield.
Thump, thump.
His wildly excited heart pounded in his chest.
CRUNCH!
The undead, reduced to pulp by Karron's sword, were sent flying in all directions, and at last, Karron reached the wall the necromancer had erected.
Thud.
He kicked off the ground and leaped.
And soon, his eyes met the necromancers.
Futile.
The necromancer gestured lightly, and black hands shot out from the wall.
But Karron ignored them and thrust his sword toward the necromancer's neck.
Scraaaape!
The bone wall moved as if alive, protecting the necromancer.
Guillotine, filled with mana, pushed forward ferociously, but.
Hah, what a shame.
Guillotine ultimately stopped just short of the necromancer's face.
With his feet planted on the wall, Karron spoke.
Wont you let yourself get eaten quietly?
What amusing words. You are the one who is caught, not I.
Several spikes that had grown from the bone wall pierced Karron's thigh. But Karron just smiled a viscous smile.
Aren't you paying a little too much attention to me?
What?
Youre not the only one with friends.
It was then.
Feel the wrath of fire.
The black chains that had been restraining Ifrit's beak shattered, and a waterfall of fire immediately poured down.
The eternal flames that incinerate all.
The Spirit King's wrath swept across the top of the spire.