Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: The Former Head, Rumela
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Swoosh!
The crimson energy that sent Volteric flying now shot toward me at an incredible speed.
It was exceptionally fast, but its movement was straightforward, without any variation.
Blocking such a simple attack was hardly a challenge.
I swung the Black Dragon Sword and easily deflected the red energy.
Clang!
‘Huh?’
But the sensation in my grip was unusual.
I was sure I remembered striking something similar before.
In that instant, an image flashed through my mind.
Inside Padiak's Tower, the purple energy that had emerged after I defeated the Six-Winged Knight.
‘Don’t tell me this is… a Latio!’
The way it was frantically rushing toward my chest was remarkably similar.
That very movement, as if it were seeking a safe haven.
Pretending to block the red energy, I subtly let it slip past.
Sure enough, it immediately burrowed into my Black Dragon Divine Armor.
Whoosh—!
“Urgh!”
Letting out a low groan, I was pushed back toward the altar.
I couldn’t understand why I was hit with such a strong impact when it was just being absorbed by the black sphere.
“Hey, Student Council President! Are you okay?”
Sophia, who had been staring blankly at where Volteric had fallen, cried out in surprise.
Diego also started to approach me with a worried look.
But there was no time for that.
The Everfilt mages, having disabled the barrier at the entrance, launched an all-out offensive.
“Get them! Don’t let them escape!”
Countless spells unfolded along with Elysia’s furious voice.
BOOM! CRASH!
Volteric had vanished over the cliff’s edge.
Without my primary means of defense, it was only a matter of time before I was roasted by the focused assault.
Just then, my eyes met Sophia’s across the ravaged altar.
“Forget Volteric. Surviving is the priority.”
“…I agree.”
“Let’s split up. You two go that way. If we divide their forces, our chances of survival will increase.”
I said, pointing to a side path behind the cliff.
If my guess was correct, that path should lead outside.
“Got it.”
She nodded grimly and immediately turned away.
Acknowledging the truth in my words, she acted on them without hesitation.
Her quick judgment and decisiveness were impressive.
Of course, I had no intention of running away.
Thump-thump-thump!
As the sound of Sophia and Diego’s footsteps faded, Everfilt’s forces poured into the cavern.
Even after I had slaughtered more than a dozen guards, their numbers seemed to have increased.
‘Looks like they had reserve troops outside.’
The enemy now numbered close to seventy, but I remained completely unfazed.
If you were to ask if I was confident I could defeat so many mages in such a confined space…
Honestly, I would have to shake my head.
It would be a difficult feat even for me, an unprecedented assassin of the ages.
With dozens of spells flying at me at once, how could I possibly block them all?
Without open space, my chances of victory were slim.
“The two of them and Volteric are gone. Deal with this one first, then chase the others!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As Elysia’s resounding voice echoed, the mages resumed their casting.
Perhaps because Volteric was gone, they unleashed every kind of elemental magic this time.
They were freely casting their most powerful and confident spells.
Thud-thud-thud—! Whoosh!
‘If that’s how you want to play, I’m more than happy to oblige.’
I watched the barrage of colorful magic and curled my lips into a smirk.
No matter how strong the Black Dragon Divine Armor’s defense was, I would surely die if I were caught in that maelstrom of spells.
But that was never going to happen.
“Because I can just get rid of them.”
I muttered and stretched out my left hand.
Then, something incredible happened.
Swoosh—! Thud!
A whitish object shot up and landed on my arm.
It was Volteric of Lightning, which I had thought was lost to the abyss below the cliff.
“Now, get lost.”
Pshhhh! Pshk—!
I walked forward, nullifying every spell in my path.
How was this possible, you ask?
The moment I first grabbed Volteric, I had felt a very familiar sensation.
It was just like when I obtained Calipe from the tomb of the first emperor, Troike.
That distinct feeling of being connected to the weapon by some strong, unseen bond.
‘If I hadn’t obtained Calipe, I wouldn’t have been able to use this function.’
I probably would have just left the sacred dungeon without even thinking to summon it.
But knowing Calipe’s retrieval ability, there was no reason for me to make such a foolish mistake.
That’s why I hadn’t been particularly worried when Volteric fell over the cliff.
After easily breaking through the magical onslaught, I immediately swung the Black Dragon Sword wide.
Swoosh—!
My signature technique, which released hundreds of sword souls to dominate the space.
I had unleashed Heaven-Severing Myriad Souls.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Gah!”
“Argh!”
As the grayish-white phantoms erupted, screams broke out from all over.
On the surface, Heaven-Severing Myriad Souls appeared as nothing more than spheres the size of a human head.
Their smooth, bubble-like appearance could even seem cute at times.
But when they exploded upon receiving a certain amount of impact, they would suddenly turn vicious, like a two-faced girlfriend.
The fragments of aura hidden within the spheres would pour out.
At a tremendous speed, much like Heaven-Severing Explosive Wheel.
‘And then you just become a piece of meat riddled with holes.’
The Everfilt mages were all wearing robes that boasted considerable defensive power.
However, the magic woven into their clothes was no match for the explosive force and shrapnel storm of Heaven-Severing Myriad Souls.
They hastily tried to stack defensive barriers, but the outcome was largely the same.
Most of them had already been struck by the sword souls.
“This can’t be! Why are the spells…!”
As the human wall was swept away by Heaven-Severing Myriad Souls, Elysia was finally revealed.
She stared in horror, her gaze shifting between the corpses and me.
To be precise, her eyes were fixed on Volteric of Lightning.
“That, that man is holding Volteric!”
“So it wasn’t those two who made off with it.”
“It seems we were tricked.”
At her subordinate’s report, Elysia quickly scanned her surroundings, likely to assess how many troops she had left.
But I had no intention of giving her time to devise a countermeasure.
‘First, let’s clear away the riffraff.’
Fwoosh! Swoosh—!
I activated Soul Shadow Evasion, turning my body into a blur as I charged into the enemy ranks at incredible speed.
Then, I thrust Volteric on my left arm forward.
Pshk!
The layered defensive barriers began to melt away like spring snow.
I had actively used the spell-nullifying effect by ramming the shield directly into them.
“You crazy bastard!”
An expletive burst from the enemy ranks, as they had clearly never imagined I would use such a tactic.
But soon, silence fell upon the sacred dungeon’s cavern.
I had sent the heads of those who cursed me flying.
With the mages dead, their castings were canceled.
Thanks to that, the number of offensive spells that were about to rain down on me was greatly reduced.
‘Much easier. Now, shall we wrap this up?’
I glared at Elysia, who was retreating toward the cavern entrance.
I didn’t care if a few others escaped, but I had to take that woman down.
Only then would my efforts in coming here be worthwhile.
Ssshh-
My body vanished as if it were smoke.
Soul Shadow Evasion could even deceive magic, but it wasn’t perfect invisibility.
‘A mage might be able to detect me.’
But by the time they did, death would already be upon them.
Just like now.
“Move.”
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
I cut down the group blocking my path with Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon.
They collapsed to the floor without even a scream.
As long as Volteric of Lightning was showing its true power, this level of force was not enough to pressure me.
‘That’s why she ran. She has something more important to protect than Volteric or the Latio.’
From the middle of the battle, Elysia had already been looking for an escape route.
Well, how many people in this world didn’t value their own lives?
I was finally able to approach the cavern entrance.
While her subordinates had bought her time, Elysia had vanished from sight.
But I hadn’t lost her for good.
With the Rantzverger’s tracking skills, I could follow her even through the complex, winding paths of the sacred dungeon.
I ran quickly to the end of the corridor, searching for Elysia’s tracks.
But it was in that very moment.
KABOOM—!
“Ugh!”
As soon as I turned the corner, a light flashed from the wall, followed by an explosion.
I managed to block it with Volteric, but it was a chilling moment.
‘To set up a magic trap in such a short time… her skills are truly remarkable.’
Perhaps because it was made in a hurry, the spell’s power wasn’t very high.
But it had been hidden so cleverly that I hadn’t noticed it.
Although I was unharmed, the trap had served Elysia well.
Even a moment’s hesitation would buy her a significant amount of time.
Moreover, it would plant the fear that there might be other magic traps somewhere.
“Hmph! But no matter what you do now, I won’t stop.”
I started preemptively thrusting Volteric into any place that might hide a magic trap.
BOOM! Pshk—!
My pursuit speed began to increase dramatically.
Occasionally, mechanical traps were triggered, but they couldn’t hold me back.
Eventually, I closed the distance enough to hear her ragged breathing.
Rumble! Clank!
Elysia had activated a pitfall trap tens of meters deep and was catching her breath.
She looked as if she would collapse at any moment if she didn’t rest.
In contrast, I remained composed, even with the impassable trap before me.
After a moment to recover her breath, she shouted, her face deathly pale.
“Why are you so persistent! You’ve already gotten everything you wanted!”
From Volteric of Lightning to gold and jewels.
Sophia and I had effectively taken all the rewards from the sacred dungeon.
Elysia was pointing out that very fact.
“Damn it! I even lost the Latio, and now some lunatic is clinging to me…”
The moment I heard her mutter, my gaze fell on the torn front of her robe.
It seemed the damage was from when she was hit by the energy burst.
‘So this woman was carrying the red Latio. It flew to me when its seal broke.’
The energy fusion device, Furien, which I had placed in my Black Dragon Divine Armor.
Despite the considerable distance, it had drawn the red energy to it instantly.
It seemed that the more Latios one possessed, the stronger the suction became.
It was an unexpected windfall, but I had no time to dwell on it.
Something else was more urgent right now.
I stared at Elysia and slowly opened my mouth.
“Do you want to know?”
“What?”
“The reason I’m chasing you.”
“Yes! What is the reason for all this? We could just take what we want and go our separate ways.”
She expressed her opinion with a somewhat aggrieved look in her eyes.
Frankly, everything she said was true.
If we were complete strangers, that is.
I gave Elysia a chilling smile and gestured with my chin.
“Because you are Everfilt’s former Head, Rumela.”
In an instant, her face froze, turning as white as if she had donned a mask.