Chapter 140 : Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Grip.

I tightened my grip on the sword and leaned my upper body forward.

Clang!

I struck away the mana sword created by my opponent.

The clashing white and blood-red mana scattered.

'The Curse of Blood Mist.

Does it even alter the color of one's mana?'

Watching his own white mana being stained by the blood-red color emanating from the Fifth Prince, Demian gritted his teeth.

The speed was so fast that if he hadn't enhanced his vision with mana, it would have appeared blood-red from the beginning.

'Originally, the Fifth Prince was at a level where he had stabilized the 5-star.'

But now.

Clang!

The level at which he was crossing swords with him was not lacking even for a 6-star master.

If not for his swordsmanship being inferior to the aura he was emitting, he would have been pushed back significantly.

What was unsettling was the Fifth Prince's ever-amplifying momentum.

Crack.

“……!!”

Demian’s locked sword was pushed back hard.

It was because the Fifth Prince’s momentum had momentarily surpassed the 6-star level.

Now, the opponent's level was fluctuating between the 6-star and 7-star realms, so Demian, a 6-star knight, couldn't easily gain the upper hand.

“The Curse of Blood Mist, you said. A truly terrifying curse.”

He didn't know why Killian knew about that curse.

He just accepted it as a matter of course, as he always had.

A short distance away, he could see Killian, who was facing two superhumans as promised.

The unfurled blue Carpe was holding back the two superhumans, preventing them from approaching the prince.

It was also controlling their momentum so that it wouldn't affect them.

‘Even for Killian, it’s not easy to face two superhumans without a sword.’

In other words, he and Paian had to handle it.

Glance.

He saw Paian, who was also dealing with Julian not far away.

“Heh… hehehehe…!!”

Blood-red mana undulated from Julian's body as he let out a crazed laugh.

“Paian… you big oaf… I will cut you down and become the king!!”

“What’s this foolish bastard saying? Being under a curse is making you spill all your true feelings!!”

Sword and shield collided.

Julian, seized by madness, had also now reached the 5-star level.

He was a difficult opponent for Paian to subdue.

Clang!

Demian deflected the prince's sword.

“A mere prince… of a weak nation…!!”

“……”

Demian focused on his opponent.

‘Inflict a serious wound on the Fifth Prince, lure Julian, and make him cut the prince down.’

He held the key to resolving the current situation.

Saaaaaaah.

Demian’s vision momentarily turned red.

The more he crossed swords with the Fifth Prince, the redder his mana became.

It was due to the Curse of Blood Mist flowing into him.

'Twenty more times.'

That would be the limit to how many times he could cross swords.

Blink.

The moment he thought his consciousness had blurred for a split second.

Slice.

The Fifth Prince’s sword grazed his leg.

The amount of bleeding was enough to be called a serious injury.

He paid it no mind and took a step forward.

Fwoosh.

He reinforced his white mana and drove out the encroaching madness.

His use of Haki was limited.

Especially in a state like this where his mind was being restricted…

‘Two times.’

That would be about how many times he could use it as he wished.

‘I need to create a proper opportunity.’

Contrary to his expectations.

Slice.

“……!!”

The prince's sword cut Demian’s left arm.

Before he could even control the bleeding, the prince's sword pressed on.

“You! I’ll kill you! And become the emperor!”

“Ugh…”

His concentration wavered due to the blood loss.

Blink.

His consciousness, little by little, began to waver.

“Demian, you were born with the qualities to be king.”

Words his mother had told him in his childhood.

Blink.

Blood-red mana flowed in through the wound.

“First Young Master, your sword is truly reminiscent of the master in his younger days.”

Words Escardo had once told him.

Blink.

The control he had over his body’s senses began to blur.

“Just you watch. I’ll surpass you someday, brother.”

Words Paian, who used to follow him around in their childhood, had uttered like a warning.

“……”

“Demian Eurasia.”

His father, who had now become king.

“You were born with the same fate as me.”

Words he had said in passing.

“Do you wish to become king? Do you, too, merely wish to become king?”

Something of his inner thoughts that he had never spoken.

Ssshhh.

The mana emanating from Demian turned red.

“I also.”

His lips moved.

“I also want to be… king…”

His eyes, which had been pure white with his white mana, turned red.

So red that his vision, his hearing, his sense of smell and touch.

‘I can’t feel properly…’

Tsk.

The sensation of something sharp grazing him.

The pain came belatedly.

“Ah…”

Demian belatedly realized that his upper body had been deeply cut.

But the prince’s sword showed no sign of stopping.

Subsequently, both his legs were cut.

One of his arms was cut.

His side and abdomen were also cut.

‘What on earth is a king?’

From his body, which had become a wreck in an instant.

Saaaaaaah.

Mana, tainted blood-red, rose up.

[You want to be king too, don’t you?]

A voice of something echoed in his head.

[Move for me. With my curse, you can be reborn.]

He instinctively nodded at the voice of unknown origin.

He would do so.

He was about to answer, faithful to the boiling desire.

“You are already achieving it at an unbelievable speed.”

“……!!”

Another voice cut into his thoughts.

“If you get any greedier, your body won't be able to keep up with the speed of your enlightenment.”

The illusion that his dizzy head was clearing.

His blurring senses gradually sharpened.

“Just keep doing as you are now.”

And.

“…an!”

I.

“…ry… so…rry…”

What.

“…Sorry…!!”

What.

“…Sorry… ah…!!”

Someone was shouting.

“Demian Eurasia!!!”

“……!!”

With his eyes wide open, he saw the prince bringing his sword down.

Instinct.

Rumble.

Haki emanated from Demian’s body.

The moment the charging prince’s body froze.

Whoosh.

The sword swung by Demian cut off the prince’s arm.

Thud.

Once more.

Rumble.

The Haki emitted by Demian sealed the prince’s mouth.

A pure white sword that had shed its blood-red taint by channeling Haki.

The sword of white mana.

Crack!

It sent the remaining arm flying.

“……!!”

The prince, having lost both arms, let out some kind of scream.

Then, blood-red mana immediately replaced the severed arms.

“I… will…!!”

The prince shouted.

“Become the emperor… the true emperor of the Empire…”

Reflux was welling up.

Demian caught his breath and opened his mouth.

“And I will bring that emperor down.”

Clang!!

Two arms that could not be called human caught Demian’s sword.

“Paian!!”

As he shouted, Paian, who was dealing with Julian, dodged.

“I will be the king!!”

Julian, seized by madness, was seen rushing towards Demian like an arrow.

And.

Rumble.

Demian channeled Haki into his mana and paralyzed the prince’s body.

“The King of Eurasia is me!!!”

The sword swung by Julian swept past the spot where Demian had been just a moment before.

Crack.

Simultaneously with the sound of flesh and muscle being cut.

Thud.

Someone’s neck was separated from their body.

“Hahahahaha!!!”

Julian, his body surging with blood-red mana, burst into a mad laugh.

“I have slain the Fifth Prince!! I, Julian Eurasia!! Have taken the head of Bronz Heinrich!!!”

“That crazy bastard…”

Paian approached Demian, who was on his knees, catching his breath.

Demian asked in a weak voice.

“Killian…?”

Paian turned his head and saw a vortex of blue and violet mana raging not far away.

Just being within the area of effect made him feel the pressure of being crushed by a great mountain.

‘This is a battle between superhumans… I can’t even catch up now.’

Gulp.

He swallowed dryly and turned his gaze back to Demian, who was losing consciousness.

“That guy is fine, so worry about your own body.”

“Heh… hehehehe…!!”

“No, it would be better to worry about that guy instead.”

Paian grimaced at the sight of Julian, who was now holding up the prince’s head and shouting.

“I, Julian Eurasia, have taken the head of Bronz Heinrich!!”

With Julian's voice echoing through the banquet hall.

“I!! Will become the King of Eurasia!!!”

“I want to… rest a little…”

Demian lost consciousness.

“This is crazy.”

Paian sighed and formed a Sword Membrane.

It was about ten minutes later that Killian cut down the two superhumans.

It was a month after that when Julian emerged from his madness.

***

The third prince of Eurasia had taken the head of Bronz Heinrich.

A fact witnessed and carried by the dignitaries of allied nations.

The continent was turned upside down by the unprecedented event.

It was because Eurasia, which had until now fought against forces with the Empire behind them, had essentially declared an all-out war with the Empire itself.

The feudal states immediately condemned Eurasia’s injustice.

On the other hand, Eurasia’s guests who were at the scene also stated that the Empire's Fifth Prince had been rude first and used a strange curse.

Unlike Eurasia's princes who suffered moderate to severe injuries, the Empire lost its prince and the entire delegation that accompanied him.

Rumors followed that the enraged White Duke had used magic like a bombardment, and that Simon Eurasia and Escardo Schtenberg, who were restraining him, had been injured.

Along with that.

The ambition of Julian Eurasia, the central figure of the incident, whose maternal family was the Sepia Merchant Guild, one of the most prominent merchant guilds in the eastern continent, spread far and wide.

***

“Are you planning to live in seclusion like this?”

Killian asked, visiting Julian’s bedroom.

The confident demeanor from the banquet was nowhere to be seen; the sight of him huddled under the covers was far from that of a knight.

“Shut up…!!”

“I heard the curse has completely disappeared.”

It was a fact confirmed by Cardinal Bergo himself.

As a priest who served Pantera and now a cardinal who moved as a close aide to the Pope, he seemed to have been granted a Divine Object.

‘He said that unlike me, he couldn’t feel the energy of a Grotesquery from Julian.’

A month after the banquet.

It took some time, but he had completely escaped the ‘Curse of Blood Mist’.

“How long are you going to abandon your knight order? Stop this foolishness and return to your position as commander.”

“Shut… up… get out… get out of my room, please…”

“Oh, by the way, I heard that five feudal states have put a bounty on your head, brother.”

“……!!”

“It’s a report from the Annihilation Squad, so it must be true.”

Fwoosh!!

Julian threw off the blanket and raised his battered body.

“Why them now!!”

“Since they’ve decided to become the Empire’s dogs, they must have had to show a corresponding response.”

“Th-these sons of bitches! Who do they think I am!!”

“The publicly declared assassin of a prince by Eurasia’s allies.”

“Killian!!”

“Congratulations. You’ve made a name for yourself on the continent, just as you wished.”

“You bastard!!”

Julian raised his voice at the seemingly teasing remark.

“Get a grip, Julian.”

“You’ve broken through the wall, so you can be so carefree!!”

He had become a target of the Empire and the feudal states before he could even realize his ambitions.

He couldn't sleep peacefully, and if he went to war, he would be the first to become prey.

“I’m just a 4-star knight!!”

Julian shouted as if it was unfair.

“I thought you’d grown a little, but you’re back to square one.”

Killian clicked his tongue and grabbed him by the collar.

“Y-you bastard… are you going to threaten me again…”

“Stop the nonsense and participate in the subjugation of the eastern frontier.”

“What…?”

“Eurasia hasn't been able to properly subjugate the mountain ranges during the war.”

Although they had conscripted knights from the frontier families for emergencies, they hadn't conducted a subjugation.

Therefore, the monsters that had multiplied in the meantime were now pushing down from the mountains to the private houses.

It was now the time for a subjugation.

“The number of the Blue Knight Order now exceeds three hundred.”

It was not comparable to the five knight orders and three magic orders as he had shouted at the prince, but it was by no means a small scale.

Moreover, even after being separated into the Yellow Knight Order before, their numbers were quickly replenished.

This was due to the support of the Sepia Merchant Guild and Julian’s military achievements.

Above all.

“Rumor has it that you even have the Annihilation Squad under your command.”

“Th-that’s not a rumor I spread…”

“Well, it’s fine. I’ve already discussed it with the Queen.”

“With mother…?”

“The Queen must have also judged that the mountain ranges of the eastern frontier are the safest.”

“……”

Julian squeezed his eyes shut.

He himself knew that there was no other choice now.

Killian let go of his collar.

A defeated Julian sat on the edge of the bed.

“What… what are you going to do? With me…”

“The position of the Annihilation Squad Leader is not that leisurely.”

“……”

“Well, before that, I need to go get my sword.”

“Sword…?”

“Yes. My sword.”

Aether and its scabbard, which had been damaged in the successive battles in the Holy Nation and entrusted to Pyrope.

Contrary to his expectations, the repairs were not easy, and he had received a message to come and pick it up himself.

Killian’s face contorted.

“I think I’ll have to go to the Arden Mine.”