Chapter 98 : Chapter 98

Chapter 98

[What a trivial mutation.]

[Mana? Do you defy the Gods with such a paltry trick?]

For thousands of years after being sealed by the Gods.

Adamas had watched as humans who had obtained the Mana Heart built civilizations and became the rulers of the continent.

Those blessed by mana, and the ordinary who were not born with the talent for it.

A man with a physique well-suited for wielding a sword, a girl whose understanding of Shik surpassed that of Ke, and even a low-ranking mercenary with no aptitude for either sword or magic.

He had had numerous partners, but among them, not a single one.

'No one had ever used their power for personal gain.'

Having gained power, they did not turn away from good, and having risen to the rank of superhuman, they were not tainted by evil.

Their dignity remained noble.

'And Edan was the pinnacle of that.'

Meanwhile, among those who had wielded Adamas, there was not one who did not loathe the Empire’s tyranny.

While Eurasia had a history of only five hundred years, the Empire had reigned as the hegemon of the continent for nearly a thousand.

Whether large or small, the Empire had always been involved in their deaths, and Edan Eurasia was no different.

And yet.

An undead, possessing not a radiant aura but Evil Energy, a mere fraction of the Grotesquery’s power.

[Traitor Adamas.]

“…”

[Kill the enemy of Eurasia.]

“…”

It was speaking his and Eurasia’s names.

It taunted him, who had declared himself the guardian of Eurasia, by calling him an enemy.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Killian quietly imbued his sword with mana.

“I don’t know how you know my name.”

[…]

“But it’s troublesome for you to slander it like that.”

Fwoooosh.

The moment blue mana erupted from Aether.

Deudeuk. Deuk.

[…]

The Death Knight, having fully regained control of its body, fixed its red eyes on Killian.

He deliberately did not avoid its gaze.

‘Even setting aside the Evil Energy… the power I feel is at the level of a 7-star Master.’

“It would have been a headache if a fellow like you had been unleashed on the battlefield.”

It was fortunate, if anything, that Revric Roach and Konrad Norton had not yet utilized it.

Kwaarrrr.

The mana slumbering within the sword and scabbard exhaled a blue breath.

The mana that seeped in as the two artifacts resonated supported Killian’s incomplete body.

“I don’t know why the Empire wants you.”

Killian aimed Aether, cloaked in 7-star mana.

“But dealing with the immortal is my specialty.”

Hwoong.

The sword cut through the air, scattering the surrounding Evil Energy.

The moment blue mana squeezed into the gap.

“Carpe.”

Fwaaaak.

Blue mana filled the corners of the cavern that the Death Knight had dominated.

[…]

Saaaaah.

Belatedly, the Death Knight’s Evil Energy tried to obstruct the mana’s spatial control.

“Not bad.”

Grin.

Killian smiled and looked around the divided space.

It was insufficient to use Carpe Illusion, but it was a sufficient range to signal the start of the battle.

“Hazard.”

[Krrng~]

“Return to your true form.”

[Krrng!]

Fwaaak.

As the mana of the space composing Carpe settled into Hazard’s body, black and green scales sprouted on its skin, and its mammalian pupils transformed into those of a reptile.

What appeared as the Polymorph was dispelled was an obese lizard with an impressive pair of wings.

[Yoooooong~]

A roar incomparable to when it was in its wolf form.

The power carried in that roar was comparable to a 5-star knight.

‘This fellow, already using Fear…?’

Dragon Fear, the aura emitted by the soul of a species born great.

‘If Hazard can use that power to its full extent… it could be a great help in future wars.’

[…]

The Death Knight’s red eyes, visible beneath its helmet, wavered slightly.

But that, too, was only for a moment.

Saaaaah.

The low-lying Evil Energy surged towards Hazard.

[Enemy of Eurasia.]

[Yo, yoong…?]

Hazard, flustered by the sudden attack, flapped its wings.

The high-speed… that was only permitted to the dragonkin with their massive wings.

‘Movement, my foot!’

As if finding it difficult to support its own weight, it quickly landed on the ground.

Killian spread a Sword Membrane around Hazard.

Sareureuk.

“…!!”

For a moment, he was taken aback to see the Evil Energy passing through the Sword Membrane.

Kwajik.

The Evil Energy, in the shape of a coffin, swallowed the obese lizard.

[Yooooong…!!]

The sound of it struggling to escape the coffin leaked out.

‘That idiot.’

It was the moment Killian was about to slash the coffin that had trapped Hazard.

Kuuung. Kung.

The heavily armored Death Knight showed unexpectedly fast movements.

The Evil Energy gathered on its greatsword aimed for Hazard.

‘I’ll shake it off first.’

Eurasia Style, Meteor Flash.

Twenty sword strikes imbued with Haki cut through the air.

He had used this technique thinking that even if the creature was nimble for its size, it would not be able to block all the swords.

But then.

Kwaarrrrr.

The Evil Energy seeping from the Death Knight’s sword surged forward like a tide.

Seureureuk. Seuk. Seureureureuk.

The twenty sword strikes were swallowed by the wave of Evil Energy.

“…”

Killian’s eyebrows twitched at the familiar sword technique.

A defensive method using only mana, without Carpe.

Eurasia Shik.

‘Wave…?’

It was a technique Edan had created in response to Meteor Flash.

‘How does this thing know Wave…’

Though it looked simple on the surface, it was more tricky than using Carpe; in terms of difficulty, it was comparable to an Arch Mage simultaneously casting three 7-star spells.

The creature had manifested such a thing not with mana, but with Evil Energy.

Perfectly enough to block his Meteor Flash.

Kaaang!

Killian, having closed the distance, and the Death Knight’s greatsword clashed.

Kagagak.

‘A battle of attrition is meaningless unless I find and destroy the Life Vessel.’

If he could, he would like to take control of the entire area and search, but it was not easy due to his incomplete physical condition and the Evil Energy.

‘Using that Hazard fellow is the easiest way…’

It was while he was thinking that.

Kung.

The Death Knight, having pushed back Aether, spun its body halfway and swung its sword.

A sword familiar to the knights of Eurasia.

‘Thorn…!!’

Kwang!

A shockwave surged through Aether, which had barely managed to block it.

Cheujeujeu.

Aether manifested its sword properties to hold back the Evil Energy.

The undead’s red eyes inside the helmet glinted.

Hoo-uk.

The creature pushed its sword to create some distance.

The moment its large frame lowered, the greatsword, condensed with Evil Energy, was thrust forward.

Kwaaang!

“Keuk…”

Killian, who had been thrown back, stumbled and righted his stance.

As he blocked the sword that had come right up to his face, his face grew hot from the surging heat.

‘How does this thing know Explosive Flash…’

It was a sword technique that not many among the current Eurasia knights could use, due to the necessity of a 7-star body.

Even Serena and Yulian, who had been taught Explosive Flash directly by Killian, would not be able to execute it this perfectly.

‘Something is strange.’

Not a radiant aura, but Evil Energy.

Even if the incomplete power of the Grotesquery was due to using a human body, it was suspicious that it could skillfully wield sword techniques that only a commander-level knight of the old Eurasia could have used.

Jureuk.

Blood trickling from his forehead stained one side of his vision red.

‘There’s no time to use a recovery potion.’

The moment he turned his head, the creature’s sword would come for him.

Yooooo. Yoyoyoyoyong.

In the distance, Hazard’s cries could still be heard.

‘It can’t break through on its own, can it.’

The strength of the scales covering Hazard’s body was not inferior to Aether.

It also had a considerable amount of mana stored in its Dragon Heart, so its life was not in immediate danger.

[Adamas.]

“Do you know who I am?”

[Enemy of Eurasia.]

“…”

The Death Knight’s gloomy voice continued.

[Kill.]

“That’s unpleasant to hear.”

Kwaang. Kwang.

The sound of explosions rang out as sword and sword clashed.

If he could, he would like to go all out, but the wounds he had sustained while fighting Konrad had not fully healed.

Carpe Illusion had to be deployed in as complete a state as possible.

Kaaang. Kkang.

Kwaang. Kwaaang.

Sword against sword, mana against Evil Energy, the clashes produced a ceaseless roar.

During the nearly twenty exchanges, several Eurasia Ke and Shik were repeated.

‘Now…!!’

Killian, who had been using a defensive sword all along, swung his sword wide.

It was neither an advanced nor a secret sword technique, but a simple swing filled with mana.

Kwang!

[…]

For the first time, the Death Knight stumbled back a couple of steps.

Hwoong.

Belatedly, a sword strike aimed for Killian.

Pajijeuk.

But it disappeared before it could reach him.

Grin.

The corners of Killian’s mouth twisted.

“Now it’s getting interesting.”

[…]

The sword and the scabbard.

A pair of artifacts crafted by different masters.

As they released their inherent mana, the blue mana that was bound to the Evil Energy of the entire cavern responded.

“Carpe Illusion.”

Fwaaaak.

The 7-star mana formed a new domain.

Confirming the three spheres floating above his head, Killian’s lips twitched.

“Total Solar Eclipse.”

Three spheres, each with a different property.

The Evil Energy began to be sucked into one of them.

As if to repay the insult to Adamas.

Seuk.

The sharp blade was aimed at the Death Knight.

“Piece of the Grotesquery, my foot.”

[…]

“I’ll absorb all of that half-assed Evil Energy.”

Ssssss.

The three spheres moved and arranged themselves in a line.

“Total Lunar Eclipse.”

Kwaaaaa!

Originally, it was a technique that maximized the absorption of the opponent’s mana, but it was no different for Evil Energy.

Whether it was mana or Evil Energy, absorption was the essence of Aether.

[…]

Each time the Evil Energy was absorbed, the Death Knight’s momentum wavered greatly.

Kwak.

The Death Knight plunged its sword into the ground to maintain its balance, but it could not control the Evil Energy being sucked away.

After about a minute of this.

Hwiiiii.

All the Evil Energy that had been enveloping the Death Knight’s body was sucked in.

Then, its rotting flesh, its worn-out armor, and a single greatsword with all its teeth missing were revealed.

And seeing that, Killian’s face hardened.

Though it was worn by the passage of time and broken in some battle, he could still make out the emblem engraved on the armor.

Two dragons.

It was the glorious mark engraved on the armor of the knights belonging to Eurasia, symbolizing the two guardian dragons that had helped the first king in founding the nation long ago.

Moreover, on the chest was an inscription in the language of the dwarf clan that had allied with Eurasia in the past.

Killian’s gaze moved to the greatsword the Death Knight was holding, which was so chipped it could barely be called a sword.

“…”

The emblem of two dragons in flight was engraved on the blade.

It was clearly an artifact that had been bestowed only upon the commander-level knights of the order 200 years ago.

“You…”

His voice trembled.

Then and now, there were not many knights who used a greatsword, and among them, those who used a dwarven-made greatsword engraved with the mark of Eurasia could be counted on one hand.

Belatedly, a man came to mind.

A knight of commoner birth who had respected Edan more than anyone, who had trained in the greatsword and reached the level of a Sword Master.

One of the ten knight commanders who had climbed the mountain range with Edan to hunt the Grotesquery.

Killian spoke his name.

“Agnil.”

[…]

For the first time, the grotesque mouth of the Death Knight, visible beneath its helmet, twitched.

For a moment, Killian thought it was a response to his call.

He was mistaken.

[Carpe.]

The Death Knight’s voice was dry.

Its glistening red eyes were as vacant as an undead’s should not be.

[Illusion.]

Within the domain made of blue mana.

Another domain unfolded.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.