Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 Monster Wave (5)
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The mana and spatial vibrations scattered in all directions continuously provided information about the King Basilisk.
Reading it, Martin clicked his tongue.
‘At that level, it’s on par with a true dragon.’
Its overall bulk was smaller than a true dragon’s, but its body length seemed comparable.
The same went for the murderous intent and pressure emanating from its entire body.
The source of its power was obvious.
A pitch-black orb embedded in its forehead was constantly supplying it with mana.
But the time to observe it ended there.
The King Basilisk, having swallowed the knight whole, opened its mouth wide.
At the same time, a massive amount of mana gathered in its mouth, whipping up a storm.
“Dodge!”
Matheus and Oliver shouted urgently.
In truth, there was no need for a warning.
Everyone had already sensed the crisis and scattered in all directions.
Kwaaaa!
Moments later, a breath composed of dark blue liquid poured out like lightning and struck the dungeon floor.
A thunderous explosion rang out briefly, then the area hit by the breath vibrated and melted away.
But the King Basilisk was not satisfied with the scenery it had created.
It immediately swung its head.
The breath’s direction shifted with the movement, ultimately engulfing two members of the Azure Dragon Knight Order.
The two struck vanished without leaving a trace.
“How dare a mere monster!”
Bastian Friedrich, captain of the Azure Dragon Knight Order, roared as he swung his sword down.
An azure aura blade coated the blade, flickering like flames to reflect his rage.
Sslash!
The strike from a 7th Circle powerhouse pierced through the thick scales and dug into flesh.
“Hiss!”
Enraged by the pain, the King Basilisk whipped its long tail down.
Bastian quickly kicked off the ground to evade the attack, and a small crater formed where the tail landed.
Watching the scene, Martin raised his voice.
“Those who can’t deploy aura blades, stay out of the fight with the King Basilisk! Focus only on holding back the basilisks!”
Even without his unique ability, it was a blow from a 7th Circle powerhouse.
Yet that was all it took to merely wound the opponent—sending in those who could only wield aura was nothing short of suicide.
Flash!
Martin, having issued the order, kicked off the air.
But someone overtook him—it was Matheus.
‘He’s thoroughly pissed.’
The violently churning mana revealed Matheus’s state of mind.
It was understandable.
An 8th Circle powerhouse renowned even on the Krasian Continent had been bested by a monster.
His pride was bound to be wounded.
Thus, Martin heightened his senses even further.
To capture Matheus’s battle as much as possible.
“Hiss!”
The King Basilisk detected Matheus’s approach and turned its head.
It immediately spat out a lump of venomous liquid.
Each one was the size of a shell.
But Matheus extended his left hand overhead without the slightest hesitation.
Flash!
A red barrier unfolded.
His unique ability, Space Barrier, which formed a spatial ward to block all attacks, had manifested.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
The moment the venom touched the barrier, something astonishing happened.
All the attacks were reflected back at the King Basilisk.
Once a Space Barrier reached a certain level, it could not only block but also repel attacks—a testament alone to how formidable Matheus was.
‘Even so, repelling that much power in one go... as expected of an 8th Circle.’
Matheus’s strength was undoubtedly impressive.
However, the King Basilisk’s response was terrifying as well.
Flash!
Its two eyes flashed, unleashing a red beam.
The venom struck by it instantly turned to stone, fell to the ground, and shattered.
“Don’t meet its eyes—it can petrify targets without eye contact! Never get hit by that beam!”
Matheus used Space Barrier once more to deflect the incoming beam aimed at him.
It struck the King Basilisk squarely.
The problem was that it seemed to have resistance to all its own attacks, suffering no damage.
It immediately swung its long tail down.
It made no effort to hide its intent to crush Matheus’s unique ability with sheer mass.
Matheus saw it coming but took no other action.
Kwaang!
Elder Oriana’s sword, made of rock, blocked the tail.
While she held the King Basilisk’s attention, the four knight order captains, including Lucas, moved in.
They unleashed strikes combining unique abilities and aura blades, all landing on the King Basilisk.
Kwaang!
Thick scales burst open, and flesh and muscle were torn apart.
Green blood poured from the deep wounds.
‘Now’s the chance!’
Martin’s eyes gleamed.
Whiiiing!
Fierce winds began to blow, centered on him.
Feeling the powerful flow, Martin swiftly swung his treasured sword, Kaizen, precisely along the path of the Arellia swordsmanship.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
A vortex infused with an aura blade followed, boasting a size rivaling the King Basilisk.
“Hiss!”
Sensing the crisis, the King Basilisk desperately spat its venom breath.
It even fired its petrification beam.
Martin’s vortex clashed head-on with the two attacks.
An immense shockwave spread out, sweeping through the surroundings.
“Urk!”
He tried to endure it, but he couldn’t suppress the groan.
It was the King Basilisk that had overwhelmed even an 8th Circle powerhouse.
With its full power focused on him, it was overwhelming.
He was barely holding on by diverting it with the power of wind.
In the midst of it, one person entered his senses.
A wry smile naturally formed on Martin’s lips.
‘Truly a sneaky bastard.’
Oliver had climbed onto the King Basilisk’s body.
While others couldn’t even keep their balance, he was the exception.
With Phantomization deployed, his movements were free.
In fact, he climbed up effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
Straight toward the core embedded in its forehead.
But the King Basilisk was no pushover.
Kwaang! Kwa-kwa-kwang!
It began thrashing wildly, trying to shake Oliver off.
Naturally, those nearby got caught in it too.
“Tch!”
In the end, Oliver retreated.
Maintaining Phantomization prevented damage, but he sensed the crisis of death the moment it ended.
Martin also withdrew his attack.
Simple brute force didn’t seem enough to bring it down.
The fierce battle continued afterward.
But no one in the group inflicted a fatal wound on the King Basilisk.
To it, they were just accumulating minor scratches.
The silver lining was that the King Basilisk couldn’t push the group into mortal danger either, but the tide favored it.
It drew infinite mana from its core, while the allies’ strength had limits.
The situation elsewhere was just as dire.
The basilisks’ numbers seemed endless.
With 7th Circle and above focused solely on the King Basilisk, gaps formed in the forces.
Knights like Sien and Adel were inevitably pushed back.
“Haa... haa... What the hell is that thing? Even absorbing a core, is it okay for something born on the 35th floor to be this strong?”
“Huk... huk... That’s why the dungeon’s called dangerous. It’s been a thousand years since humanity first challenged it, and it’s still an unknown realm.”
“You say that, but your expression’s pretty relaxed, Young Lord?”
“Is it?”
“Your eyes aren’t that dark. Even Matheus is struggling.”
“You’re perceptive, Elder Oriana.”
“This much is nothing. Anyway, if you’ve got an ace up your sleeve, play it soon. Unless you want more casualties.”
“No need to worry. They’re here now.”
Prodded by Elder Oriana, Martin replied with a smile.
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, her question was soon resolved.
She sensed a large group rushing in.
“There’s tons of monsters over there too! Kill ‘em all and grab the magic stones!”
“We gotta make bank while the fee’s waived!”
“Earning gold’s great, but don’t close your eyes! One mistake and you’re done!”
Their frank talk of greed set them apart from regular knights.
“A-Adventurers? Why are they here? We’re supposed to focus on the defensive line... Wait.”
Elder Oriana’s expression turned peculiar.
All who had arrived were skilled, but one among them exuded an especially powerful presence.
Not just her—even the 7th Circle powerhouses and above turned toward them.
And they couldn’t hide their shock at the words that followed.
“The loyal retainer of the Young Lord, Christian Habertz, has arrived!”
“F-Fire Dragon Sword?!”
“A retainer of the Young Lord?”
“N-No way! He said he’d never serve as a retainer unless he became a lord!”
Shrieks echoed through the area.
Christian Habertz was currently the top adventurer in the Altria Empire.
Everyone knew his skills and background.
For such a powerhouse to become Martin’s retainer was monumental news.
“You didn’t hand over the old Rustal fief to the Fire Dragon Sword, did you, Young Lord?”
Elder Oriana’s tone was icy cold.
Her eyes were closed, but her face was utterly expressionless.
Even sensing it, Martin remained composed.
“Only one person can receive the old Rustal fief: the one who destroys the core. Unless the Fire Dragon Sword shatters the core, he can’t become its lord until then.”
“Then why’s he showing up now? What’s this about being your retainer?”
“We had a bet. I won.”
“A bet...”
“We’ll talk details later. Not the time now.”
No sooner had he spoken than Martin teleported, appearing right beside Christian.
“You’re late. I told you to stay within an hour’s distance.”
“We busted our asses breaking through monsters, and the first thing is a scolding? You didn’t even mark it clearly.”
“I did mark it, didn’t I? And you found it.”
“Egh. Do the Adalbert family teach their heirs how to nag subordinates?”
“Taming talent’s basic.”
Martin chuckled.
Before descending, he had separately ordered Christian.
Gather skilled adventurers and follow at about an hour’s distance.
It was his hidden card, ready for the perfect moment.
“Enough bragging. Watch how great the Young Lord’s new retainer is.”
Christian was confident.
He prided himself on handling mobs and giants better than anyone.
“Just clear the path. I’ll destroy the core.”
“Can’t do that! I’ll smash the core!”
Christian bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Blue flames enveloping him swelled, forming the shape of a massive dragon.
“Roooaaar!”
The fire dragon roared.
It flapped its wings and charged, with Christian atop its head.
Martin watched the sight fondly.
“Now the final card’s revealed.”
Grip.
He tightly clutched the hilt of his treasured sword, Kaizen.
It was time to end it all.
And claim everything he desired.