Chapter 739: The Edge of Losing Control
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 739: The Edge of Losing Control
"Is he trapped?"
"He should be."
The black-robed demon stood up, hissing through gritted teeth. His movements were visibly unsteady; the wound Elizabeth had opened through his chest was still bleeding profusely. If not for the naturally robust constitution of the Demon Race, that single strike would have already claimed his life.
"Are you certain there’s nothing wrong with this illusion?" one of the Skinners asked cautiously. The scene of Muen’s counter-kill moments ago still left him with lingering trepidation. He felt they couldn't afford even the slightest oversight.
"It’s fine if you look down on me, but you shouldn't look down on this."
The black-robed demon let out a cold sneer, revealing a small, bronze-colored bell in his hand.
The bell looked utterly ordinary, yet when he gave it a slight shake, invisible ripples seemed to shimmer through the air. Every Skinner present felt a momentary trance-like haze cloud their consciousness.
"This is the Ancient Artifact: Dream Bell of Early Dreams. Though it is damaged, the illusion it weaves is far beyond the reach of the pathetic 'illusion magic' practiced by modern human mages. Touch, smell, hearing, sight—whether it’s the five senses or one's intuition, whether it’s memory or reality—the dream it constructs is absolutely flawless."
"It’s that powerful?"
"Of course. Otherwise, Lord Zagu wouldn't have specifically sent me to assist you... In fact, strictly speaking, this isn't a simple illusion."
"Not a simple illusion?"
"Exactly. How could a grand Ancient Artifact possess a function as mundane as merely weaving dreams?"
The black-robed demon’s gaze fell upon Muen’s back.
Even while being hunted, even while being besieged and thrust into such a perilous situation, he still hadn't abandoned this woman. Even in the heat of the previous battle, he had gone out of his way to protect her... She must be incredibly important to him.
Heh, so he’s a man of deep sentiment. Though the demon couldn't comprehend such emotions, it was said that humans produced such fools in abundance. No wonder the Dream Bell of Early Dreams had granted him such a beautiful dream.
"Early dreams, early dreams, a beautiful dream that comes too soon. This is no mere virtual dreamscape; in reality, it is more like a premonition of the futu—"
The black-robed demon hummed like a nursery rhyme, his voice dripping with the most bone-deep contempt for humans and their emotional fragility. But before he could finish his tune...
Puchi.
The familiar, abrupt sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.
Though the sound was soft, it instantly drowned out his humming.
"Wh... what?"
The black-robed demon lowered his head dizzily. His eyes widened in disbelief at the pure white blade protruding from his chest.
The blade was as beautiful as white jade, untainted by a single drop of blood, yet in his eyes, it was a hideous, terrifying sight.
"Im-impossible... How could you..."
This was a perfect dream that combined reality and the future. How could he possibly...
"I’m the one who should be saying 'impossible' here."
Muen opened his eyes. His azure pupils were as still as a deep, silent lake.
"How could I ever have a ghost of a dream about marrying Ariel? Even a dream where she chops me into fine mincemeat would be more realistic. If you're going to make an illusion, at least make it logically consistent, okay?"
Seeing that Ariel blushing and asking for a kiss was enough to give a man a heart attack from sheer terror.
"No... this wasn't a pure illusion, this was..."
"You talk too much."
Squelch.
The black flames flickered again.
Surrounded by a pack of wolves, Muen wasn't foolish enough to wait for his opponent to finish his last words. He immediately channeled the black flames to consume him.
Elizabeth obediently flew back into Muen’s hand. This was another advantage of a weapon possessing a living spirit; the enemy thought you were disarming yourself, but in reality, you were not only keeping your weapon but also using their lowered guard to land two sneak attacks.
"But sneak attacks won't work on me anymore."
With a flick of his blade, he parried a spear flying toward him.
Muen turned back expressionlessly, looking at the few remaining Skinners.
"Now, it’s your turn..."
*
One minute later, the battle was over.
Everything had been more violent than expected, and it had ended even faster.
After all, this was Muen’s style. As the man destined to bear the Temporal Authority in the future, he prioritized finishing things quickly—everywhere except in bed.
Of course, the most important reason was that his physical condition could no longer afford any delays.
"This thing..."
After scanning his surroundings, Muen bent down and picked up the small bronze bell from the ground.
An Ancient Artifact.
With a single glance, Muen recognized its origin. The traces of the vast passage of time lingering upon it were something no magic could ever forge.
However, alongside the marks of time, there were... fine, dense cracks.
Cr-crack...
Sure enough, as Muen tried to give it a shake before even injecting mana, the little bell shattered with a crisp snap. It quickly turned into fine grains of sand, slipping through Muen’s fingers.
It crumbled so naturally, as if it should have broken long ago and had only been held together by some temporary force.
"A single-use item? Why is Gutons Fortress full of nothing but these broken scraps?"
Muen sighed helplessly.
After working so hard to kill the mobs, there wasn't even a loot drop. If this were his past life, a developer this trashy would have been hit by a truck crowdfunded by the fans.
But it was within his expectations.
The enemy was clearly using these "hounds" to stall him. They had likely anticipated this outcome, so they wouldn't have let them carry any items that might actually aid the enemy.
"So meticulous. Are they really just demons?"
Muen curled his lips. Even though the immediate danger had been cleared, it was hard to find a reason to smile.
He tilted his head to look at Ariel, whose small head was resting on his shoulder. He noticed her lips were tightly pursed, her expression one of slight disgust and loathing.
This girl... looks like she’s having a pretty bad dream too...
"Seeing that you're having a nightmare too, I suddenly feel a lot more balanced."
Muen chuckled, stood up again, and flicked his fingers.
Several wisps of black flame leaped from his fingertips, quickly consuming the remaining demon corpses on the ground.
Though not even sparing the corpses felt a bit disgusting, he couldn't afford to be careless now...
Vroom—
At that moment, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly echoed in Muen’s mind.
It was like a sharp knife stabbing directly into his consciousness, followed by the strike of a heavy sledgehammer, causing a violent vibration.
Vibration.
Vibration.
Vibration.
With every pulse, the stabbing pain in Muen’s head intensified. It was so agonizing that even he, a man accustomed to pain, felt his expression twist into a grimace.
But this sound, this vibration, did not come from the outside world. It came from Muen’s own spiritual space.
His vision began to blur, and everything before him doubled. His already exhausted body felt as if its last bone had been removed, making it difficult even to stand.
Blood began to flow uncontrollably again from the corners of his eyes, his ears, and his nose.
Sizzle.
However.
Those few wisps of black flame began to burn even more vigorously. They flickered and leaped, the pitch-black fire draped in a pure, holy white mantle, quickly devouring the demon corpses.
But it didn't stop there. The black flames continued to burn, spreading like a flood bursting through a dam, like a fawn frolicking in the woods, like a child finally given permission to go out and play.
It burned wantonly, incinerating everything it touched to use as fuel for its growth—to the point where even the sand, the dirt, and even the very air in the vicinity began to...
"Get back!"
Muen gritted his teeth, suddenly whispering to the black flames.
The flames flickered. Although the speed of their spread slowed, they still...
"Get back!!"
The low command turned into a roar. Muen dug his fingers deep into the ground, his eyes shot through with blood.
Yet he forcibly maintained his sanity, uttering each word with agonizing effort:
"I said—get back!!"
The black flames wavered, seemingly reluctant, but they were ultimately brought under Muen’s forced control, dragged back until they dissipated.
"Cough, cough..."
The price of forcibly reclaiming the black flames from the edge of losing control was... Muen’s spiritual power had finally reached the point of total exhaustion.
Even though the black flames had fed back a significant amount of energy just now, Muen looked haggard and even more wretched than before.
This time, he really was squeezed dry. Not a single drop left.
"Heh, it seems that possessing power that is too vast isn't always a good thing."
Muen wiped the blood from his face with a bitter smile as he used the wall to pull himself up with difficulty.
The Alchemy Core was like this, and the black flames were the same.
These powerful forces that allowed him to defy fate had also nearly dragged him into a bottomless abyss more than once.
The old loli was right. Power is just power; power is innocent. But the weakness of being unable to master that power—that is the original sin itself.
"Too small..." even Ariel, behind him, was mumbling in her sleep.
"Yeah, I’m still too weak." After fighting so hard until now, he still had no choice but to flee in disgrace.
"Too small... the Panini cake... it’s so small, how can it be enough to eat..."
"..."
Muen paused.
Ah, this girl... so she’s troubled by that in her dreams?
Muen found it hilarious.
As expected of Ariel. Even though she was injured badly enough to be wrapped up like a zongzi, her heart was still occupied by when she could eat her favorite Panini cake.
Was this the characteristic thick-headedness of a Dragon Proud Sky protagonist... or perhaps, confidence?
Or did she truly believe that "Miss Muse," whom she had only met a few times, could actually protect her?
"It’s pretty good, isn't it?"
Muen took a deep breath and shifted Ariel higher, ensuring she was securely strapped to his back.
Exactly. It was just as Ariel said.
No matter how small the cake is, you have to eat it bite by bite.
While it was hard to become a "big shot" overnight, hadn't he come all this way exactly like this?
From a yellow-haired villain who was so weak he might not have survived two punches from Ariel—constantly worried about being cut down by the righteous protagonist’s sword—to now... not only could he trade a few blows with the Child of Destiny, but he was even fleeing for his life on the same path as her. This progress was nothing short of immense.
So...
It was just a matter of exhausted spiritual power, severe injuries, and powerful enemies still tailing him from the shadows. It was just a minor thing like being at a dead end. Nothing to worry about.
Muen turned his head, feeling the ever-approaching premonition of death. Mimicking Ariel, he let his lips curl into a defiant, reckless arc.
"It’s not over yet."
*
"It’s already over."
Zagu looked at the traces left behind on the battlefield, a cold, "everything-is-under-control" sneer appearing on his face.
"After letting the hounds bite at him for so long, has his blood finally run dry?"