Chapter 148

Chapter 148:  Filthy Power

Kkaaaang! Kkaaaang!

Hardin swung his sword with one hand.

It was a crude strike, devoid of any delicacy or precision.

“Hiiiek!”

But each time the last remaining knight of Tread tried to block it, his body trembled and was pushed back, and blood seeped from the hand gripping his sword.

From the expression on the knight’s face, steeped in fear, it was clear that his will had been broken.

And soon after—

Kkaaaaanng!

The knight’s sword shattered pathetically and scattered into the air.

That very sword, whose strength had been pushed to the limit through Weapon Enchant.

“Wh-what?”

Staring in disbelief at his halved blade, the knight began to stumble backward.

But when Hardin took one step after another toward him—

Thud!

He collapsed on the spot and began to rub his hands together, pleading.

“P-please spare me! I surrender! I-I surrender! Just please let me live!”

A monster. This man... he’s a monster.

It was like facing a massive wall—none of his attacks worked, and there was no way to endure the opponent’s blows.

His comrades who had defended the lord alongside him were either already dead or fatally wounded.

‘I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to diiiiie!’

He was a knight of Tread.

He had never once imagined today would end in defeat.

That despair and fear must have only intensified because of it.

Just as he had given up on his life—

“...Hoo.”

Hardin looked down at him and let out a deep sigh.

SMAAACK!

“Gah-hurgh!”

With a kick, he sent the man flying backward.

Thud!

The escort knight’s body sprawled flat on the ground as he lost consciousness.

“Honestly, these guys these days...”

Their very grit was rotten.

Hardin glanced in that direction briefly, then shook his head and looked at the ground.

Wuuuung!

Focusing his consciousness and sensing mana, he saw certain footprints left on the earth.

The strides were erratic and disordered.

The mana was unstable and coarse.

That alone was enough to deduce what state the fleeing man was in.

Step, step.

Hardin strode forward swiftly.

To bring an end to this sickening war.

“...Hm?”

Sniff sniff.

Just then, his nose twitched slightly, and his brow furrowed instinctively.

A sickly sweet scent so overpowering it completely masked the smell of blood—it made his head reel.

‘Black Lotus?’

A wave of unpleasant heat rushed to his head.

A dreadful, repulsive energy began to envelop his body.

Hardin hastened his steps.

...

Amid sparse patches of grass on an open stretch of land—

A man in a black uniform, seemingly Vernian, was kneeling and prostrate.

His shoulders trembled, and a faint, malicious laugh could be heard.

Most of all, a viscous, dark red aura oozed from his body.

‘What the hell... is this?’

Hardin narrowed his eyes and clenched his sword tightly, grinding his teeth.

Because he knew all too well what kind of energy Vernian was emanating.

At that moment, Vernian suddenly sprang to his feet and turned to glare at Hardin.

...

His pale skin had turned ashen gray, and from his eyes, a blackish-red energy surged out menacingly and openly.

Crack! Craaack!

To make matters worse, a pair of antler-like horns broke through the skin of his forehead and protruded outward.

Hardin glared at Vernian with a murderous expression and spat his words.

“You bastard... what the hell did you do?”

The sinister energy radiating from Vernian, and that grotesque appearance—

That was unmistakably...

‘Demonkind.’

Unlike ordinary monsters, it was a term referring to intelligent beings—like humans or demi-humans—who had been corrupted.

They looked just like those countless humans who had once knelt to the power of Shagrath and turned traitor.

— Commander Varlach. This power is incredible! Wouldn’t it be better for you to also accept Lord Shagrath’s power?

Some among them had even been comrades and subordinates in the past, so how could he ever forget such a form—even in his dreams?

‘So there are still Demonkind within the Empire. Or perhaps...’

Just as Hardin clenched his fist tighter, Vernian calmly stroked his chin and answered with a composed face.

“I simply revealed a card I had kept hidden.”

His voice, unpleasant and insidious, sounded like metal scraping against metal.

Hardin channeled mana into his sword and spoke.

“Tell me how you got that power. Then I’ll give you a painless death.”

“Oh yeah?”

Vernian tilted his head slightly to the side.

The demonic energy around him thickened, and the horn on his forehead began to emit a crimson glow.

“If you can, then go ahead and try.”

At that moment—

FWOOSH!

With a sound like the air had burst, Vernian’s body vanished.

Kkaaaaang!

Hardin swung his sword horizontally, and Vernian’s fist collided with the blade, sending off a burst of sparks.

It didn’t feel like a punch—it felt like a hunk of metal hammering down on the sword.

Screeech!

Hardin’s body was pushed back far from the impact.

Then, Vernian instantly dropped to all fours and charged like a wolf, rapidly closing the distance.

Taaah!

As he leapt, he stretched out his leg this time.

Hardin ducked low to avoid the strike—

CRACK!

“Aaaargh!”

And just like that, Vernian’s leg was sliced off, and his body came crashing down to the ground.

Instead of blood, a sticky black liquid oozed and clung to the earth.

Hardin pointed his sword at him again and spoke.

“Answer me. How did you obtain that power?”

Vernian stared silently at Hardin.

SSSSHHHHH!

As the black liquid slowly reached Vernian’s lower body, a new leg began to regenerate.

In an instant, the regeneration was complete.

“If you defeat me, I’ll tell you.”

Taaah!

The bastard charged at Hardin again, thrusting out his arm.

Crackle!

Hardin’s sword sliced the arm clean off once more.

“It’s useless.”

The black liquid quickly surged back and reformed Vernian’s arm.

He didn’t stop—relentlessly launching wave after wave of attacks.

Crack! Slash! Splatter!

Each time Hardin swung his sword with a blank expression, the bastard’s limbs were torn and reattached again and again.

How long did this brutal battle continue?

Crack!

When Hardin’s thrust cleaved through the bastard’s waist—

Splat!

The body instantly fused back together...

SMAAACK!

And a fist struck Hardin square in the abdomen.

Boom! BOOM! CRASH!

The force sent Hardin flying far backward until he landed flat on the ground, completely outstretched.

Then—

“Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be giving you an answer.”

Vernian—or rather, the gray-skinned creature that had once been Vernian—grinned.

A shark-like mouth filled with jagged, overlapping teeth was revealed, and demonic energy poured from its entire body.

Step, step.

He slowly walked up to the fallen Hardin and looked down at him.

...

Hardin, blood dripping from his mouth, stared up at Vernian with an emotionless gaze.

Then, without the slightest hint of agitation, he repeated the same question.

“Who did this to you—who made you like this?”

“…Still bluffing, huh.”

Vernian furrowed his brows and sat down next to Hardin.

Then, extending his gray arms, he gripped Hardin’s neck tightly and spoke.

“Beg me. Beg me to spare your life.”

Crrrack! Craaack!

Black veins crawled from his arms, spreading into Hardin’s body.

Perhaps from the pain, Hardin’s body trembled slightly and his brow furrowed.

Yet somehow, there wasn’t a shred of pleading or fear in his eyes as he looked up at Vernian.

Crack!

“I said… beg.”

His grip tightened further, and the black veins spread even faster.

Hardin’s skin began to turn gray.

It looked as though he might stop breathing at any moment.

But still, Hardin responded with an unreadable face.

“Why don’t you try answering the damn question.”

“You son of…”

Vernian’s face twisted with fury as his hands clamped down even harder.

“How long do you plan to keep up this bluff!?”

His voice grew more and more intense, but then—

Hardin curled his lips into a slight smirk and replied.

“Damn, you’re loud. Makes me want to kill you.”

“…What?”

And then it happened.

Flash!

Hardin’s eyes suddenly opened wide, and a brilliant blue light flared up.

Then—

“Aaaaargh!”

Vernian abruptly tore his hands away and stumbled back.

Sssssssssss!

Smoke billowed from his hands.

‘This is…’

It felt like he had been stabbed all over with blades, as if worms were burrowing through every inch of his flesh—the excruciating pain surged from head to toe.

Vernian glared at Hardin with a twisted expression.

“What did you just do?”

Hardin slowly rose to his feet, staring intently at Vernian as the man scratched at himself so violently he began to bleed.

“I kept telling you,” he said. “If you want to die peacefully, just answer me.”

“Answer me!” Vernian roared.

“Mana,” Hardin said. “Just ordinary mana—so densely concentrated it could purify your rotten body.”

By repeatedly compressing the mana throughout his body into a single point through mana control, and then infusing it with the unique flow of Wave Swordsmanship, he had created the ‘Waves of Purification.’

It was a technique most commonly used by members of the Grand Blue Knights when taking down Demonkind or monsters.

Hardin pointed at Vernian with his finger.

“You’re going to die soon. And it’ll be excruciating.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Like hell I’d die from something like—!”

Vernian gritted his teeth and lunged forward.

As he swung his fist, Hardin easily evaded it.

Slaaash!

“Aaargh!”

Hardin sliced off his arm again and spoke.

“Talk. Even now.”

“Shut up!”

Vernian thrashed wildly, but nothing landed.

Crack! Slash! Sizzle!

As if these movements were utterly predictable, as if he had seen them thousands, tens of thousands of times before... Hardin deflected them all with ease and continued to slice Vernian’s body apart.

Before long—

“Grrrrggghhh…”

Thud!

Vernian collapsed to the ground.

His body convulsed, and the regeneration that once came instantly now failed him.

“It hurts! It huuuuurts!”

His face twisted in agony.

Tears streamed from his eyes as black blood poured from his mouth.

The scent of Black Lotus, already nauseating, grew even thicker, engulfing the entire area.

Thud!

Hardin planted his foot on Vernian’s chest and brought his sword to the man’s throat.

“Speak.”

“Grrrrgh… Grrrrghhhh!”

Was the pain too overwhelming for him to speak? Or was this Count Vernian’s last shred of pride?

He simply gritted his teeth and glared at Hardin with eyes full of hatred.

Then—

Crunch!

Hardin’s sword pierced Vernian’s chest, and the man’s eyes filled with crimson.

Crack! Slash!

As if his fury hadn’t been quenched—

Hardin stabbed again. And again. And again.

Each thrust deepened the stench of Black Lotus—the scent of hatred and rage growing thicker and thicker.

How long did he go on butchering the man’s body?

...

Vernian’s body finally lost all life.

His vacant, unfocused eyes stared blankly at Hardin. They seemed to scream with resentment, or perhaps fury.

Thud!

Hardin flung his sword aside, sighed, and muttered to himself.

“This feeling… is filthy.”

It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

---

A space painted entirely in white.

Vernian stood alone.

‘Where is this…’

He glanced around, then looked down to inspect his body.

The clothes that had been caked in dirt and blood were now perfectly clean, and the pain in his body had vanished.

‘Am I dead? Or is this...’

Just then—

FLASH!

A brilliant, multicolored light burst from Vernian’s chest, and from that spot, a gem slowly phased out through his clothing and hovered in midair.

A beautiful object, so mesmerizing it took his breath away just by looking at it.

The moment he saw it floating in the air, Vernian instinctively knew.

That he had lived his entire life for this.

That he had told countless lies and cut down anything in his way just to obtain it.

“Aaaaah…”

As if cradling a hatchling, Vernian carefully cupped the gem in his hands.

Tears welled in his eyes, and his body trembled.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn’t contain himself.

As he clutched the gem to his chest—

Wuuuuuuuung!

The once-white space rapidly began to darken into shadow.

“Wh-what’s happening?”

Startled, Vernian took several steps back, retreating as the darkness approached.

Then, from behind, a black arm stretched out and grabbed his collar.

— Big brother! Why did you hate me so much? Huh?

A voice, almost like a desperate cry, echoed in his ear.

It was the voice of his younger brother—the one just a year younger—who had competed with him for the position of heir and died from Vernian’s poison.

“G-get off me!”

Vernian frantically shook off the hand and shielded his gem protectively.

But then, several more arms shot out, pulling him in.

— Vernian, why... why did you...

— Why did you do that to us?

The voices of his father and mother, who had eventually uncovered the truth about what he’d done, resounded side by side.

“Shut up! I only did what was necessary... for the family!”

Was it an excuse? Or a painfully honest confession?

The moment the words left his mouth, even more hands reached out, and the screams of vengeful spirits began to mix into the air.

— Die! Just die!

— Come here, to our side—now!

Glooorp! Glooorp!

The arms of the vengeful spirits pulled Vernian’s body deeper and deeper into the realm of darkness.

But he didn’t give up.

“Y-you bastaaaaards!”

Clenching his teeth, Vernian held on with everything he had, clutching the gem to his chest as he struggled to resist.

Filthy and disgraceful as it may be, he would protect the gem no matter what.

“I’ll never... never give it up!”

This gem had been the purpose and reason for the life of Vernian Paul Tread.

There was no way he could let it go here.

And then—

— Give it to me. —

A voice rang out from directly ahead.

As he lifted his head, Vernian’s entire body froze in place.

Standing there was a monstrous figure, roughly the same height as Vernian, with a body of dark crimson.

No eyes, no mouth, no nose—just pure darkness.

Yet for some reason, Vernian couldn’t look away.

The being pointed at Vernian’s hands and spoke again.

— I said... give it to me. —

“Grrrrgh…”

He tried to resist, but his body refused to move.

Trembling all over, Vernian passed the gem he had been gripping to that entity.

In that moment, the light in Vernian’s eyes disappeared.

SSSHHHHH!

From all sides, black arms erupted and began dragging him into the world of darkness.

...

Vernian’s body sank into the shadows.

His arms, his legs, his torso—one by one, they were consumed.

Only his face remained above the void, staring at the incomprehensible being before him.

‘...So that’s what this is.’

So all my struggling... was meaningless from the start?

At that moment, a subtle, conflicted expression appeared on Vernian’s face—not quite a smile, not quite tears.

SSSHHH!

A black hand shot out from behind and seized his face, pulling it into the darkness to finish the descent.

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