Chapter 140 : Chapter 140

Chapter 140 - The Swords of Sorcerers

The Butler rushed up to the Youngest Son standing on the top floor of the Dark Moon Grand Castle.

“Youngest Son-nim! The Head Maid is gone! She went out earlier and still hasn’t come back! The enemies are right at our doorstep!”

“…Don’t worry about the Head Maid anymore. Right now, we have to do what we can. The preparations for the curse.”

“I’ve prepared the offerings you sent, Youngest Son-nim, but… are you going to be okay, Youngest Son-nim?”

There was something to coordinate regarding that part.

“Until I get used to it, I can’t endure the side effects of the offerings while fighting Older Brother directly.”

So, I had to buy time at the beginning. I had to break the opponent’s ironclad formation.

The black knight legion, forming a sharp line like a sword and charging like a spear from the north.

They were getting closer in the blink of an eye.

Their unwavering formation was the opponent's strongest shield.

I would shatter that first.

“The moment you hear an explosion from the basement, start the curse ritual.”

“I understand!”

The Butler scurried down to the basement.

The explosion that would be his signal would ring out soon.

The Red-blooded Griffin had just departed with the prepared gift.

I counted in my head. I counted only to three.

It was the time it would take for the incandescent, orange-glowing skeleton sphere to hit the ground.

“Older Brother. It’s a humble gift, but it’s the first from your youngest brother.”

Kuw-aaaaaaahng—!!!

An explosion so intense it made my skin tingle even from here erupted in the middle of the knight legion.

It had the exact same power as the Exploding Bone that had detonated the Blue Volcano.

Unfortunately, its destructive power was much weaker due to the absence of a volcano, but it was by no means weak on its own.

The black mist that billowed up raised a cloud of dust, obscuring the area.

It wasn't over yet.

“Fire.”

[Activating the unique skill of the Ring of the Ashen Sea.]

──「Fire!」──

: The Ghost Ship Ashen Queen opens all 100 of its naval cannons and unleashes its firepower.

The Red-blooded Griffin was not the only thing in the sky.

A gray ghost ship appeared from behind the clouds, opening its gunports and pouring out cannonballs like a morning mist.

It was a full broadside meant to freeze and ultimately shatter the legion of the dead.

Kugugugugugugugugung—

It didn't take long for the chilling, ghostly yin energy to replace the dust cloud.

The bombardment spewing from a hundred cannons on both sides was enough to devastate all life in the area.

“Krrghk…”

At the same time, the Butler’s curse began.

[…Are you okay?]

Enad asked about my condition without realizing it, as my complexion began to deteriorate rapidly.

My forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and my already pale skin became no different from a corpse’s.

“…It’s nothing. I’m just vividly feeling the pain of being ground up alive as an offering.”

[That’s definitely something. If it’s too hard, just hand over your body now.]

“I’ll endure it just so I don’t have to do that.”

[Damn you. No matter how I look at it, your body is safer in my hands.]

That was a matter of perspective, so I’d let it slide for now.

Gritting my teeth, I watched the result of the initial suppression.

The area that was slowly becoming visible to the naked eye was a mess from the bomb and the bombardment.

The ground, which had been burning from the first explosion, was instantly frozen and frosted over by the subsequent attack.

“…It seems the effect wasn’t that great.”

I somehow managed to open my trembling eyes, sweat dripping down.

The Undead Knight Legion had taken out the large shields they carried on their backs.

White bone fragments were studded all over the shields, which looked as if they had been doused in ink.

Except for the Death Knights who were directly exposed to the explosion, the legion was still intact.

[About half are just singed. Half of the other half are salvageable, and the remaining half are completely destroyed. The effect is less than you thought.]

“Are you teasing me?”

[Something like that.]

Enad chuckled softly and continued.

[Their advance has slowed down as you thought. The only thing to hope for is that curse called the ‘Black Sun’.]

“No. Hope is something you create.”

My left arm was engulfed in Bloodflame, and the Magic Sword Enad was in my hand.

[You’re going to fight? Don’t be ridiculous.]

“If I convert my magic power into regenerative power, I can get used to it along with my curse resistance. And…”

It wasn't an unfounded judgment from the start.

To Enad’s eyes, it might seem no different from suicide, but I had met the First Son before.

We had met very often, in fact.

‘I know the First Son’s techniques. I’ve even seen them in person through the Gatekeeper’s demonstration, so it won’t be difficult to time my dodges.’

Of course, timing an opening to strike or a counterattack was another story.

Still, I was confident I wouldn't die.

Thus, I would go outside Eclipse.

I rode the Griffin that had dropped the bomb for the first time in a while.

Enad was flabbergasted.

[Have you finally gone mad? You’re going to face the knight legion out there?]

“If I fight Older Brother in a defensive siege, we will definitely be breached, and on top of that, everything along the entry path will be destroyed.”

Besides, Hexa was also near the north gate.

I absolutely could not bear to see the tower, which would become the most important institution in this business, collapse.

“And our forces are more specialized in direct combat than in siege defense. Right, Gatekeeper?”

“Let’s go. I am ready.”

A blunt reply came from below.

Raising the corners of my mouth, I flew to the north gate. I asked the Gatekeeper flying next to me.

“How do you feel, going to see your former student?”

“The First Son-nim is not my student. He would think so as well.”

A stiff reply came back, just like the first time.

However, the reply did not end there.

“If the First Son-nim were my student, then the Fifth Son-nim would also be my student. In that case, I am confident.”

“Confident in what?”

“Because I know that my current student is more outstanding than my former one. I am confident that we might just survive today as well.”

I turned my head to look at him.

The Gatekeeper was looking straight ahead with the single-edged greatsword on his back.

His face was not visible due to the helmet. It was a pity.

Forgetting even the sharp pain flowing through my body for a moment, the Youngest Son’s smile deepened.

“I will repay that confidence.”

“Please, I beg you.”

[I beg you too.]

With the pleas of many on my shoulders.

Kwoooong—

A Griffin and a knight in demonic armor landed in front of the knight legion, which was advancing as if nothing had happened.

The First Son raised his hand.

The Undead Knight Legion pulled on their reins, and their Skeleton Horses snorted.

Though it only made the sound of bones clattering, all who had heard that sound from the front had died.

The Gatekeeper muttered from within his helmet.

[The humans seem to be the First Son-nim and the Chief Secretary next to him.]

I nodded.

In a way, it was a natural composition. The only human the First Son trusted was his Chief Secretary.

The Youngest Son respectfully bowed his head to the eldest of the family.

“Older Brother. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Dante Black Millesdusk.”

“The youngest?”

Hiler, who had led the knight legion but was not wearing armor, smirked.

“You’re too well-built to be the youngest. I’d believe it if Jamie or Melisende were called the youngest.”

Armed with only a gray longsword, he gestured with his chin.

“Has Jamie grown a bit?”

“It would be faster for you to go and check for yourself later. I wouldn’t know, as I don’t know Second-oldest brother’s height before he grew.”

“Right. I suppose so. You spent most of your life hiding in the Pantheon. But.”

Thud—

The First Son dismounted his horse.

“To come out to meet my knight legion with only one guard, you seem to have a lot of guts. Why did you do it?”

Shinggg—

The gray longsword was revealed to the world.

The blade was a straight, double-edged sword that did not curve. The overall appearance of the sword was reminiscent of a cross.

Its ghostly, turbid gray color made the sapphire embedded in the center of the cross-guard stand out.

“I waited until the interest of Second-oldest brother and my sisters fell away from me.”

“Correct. If you had come out right away, your siblings, whose nerves were on edge because of me, would have gnashed their teeth and tried to kill you as a competitor.”

Step. Step.

His steps continued along with his words.

“A beautiful sword.”

“Yours as well, Older Brother.”

Among the new generation of kinsmen, Hiler was the only one who used a sword, but with the Youngest Son, they became a pair.

That was why it was all the more enjoyable.

The First Son smiled for the first time in a long time and thrust his sword.

The Youngest Son also firmly stomped the ground and responded.

Kwoooooong—!!

The roar of what sounded like steel frames colliding, not blades, echoed throughout the area.

The sword was sharp, but the magic power it contained was not insignificant either.

Drip—

A stream of blood flowed from the Youngest Son’s mouth. An internal injury.

“You can’t ignore the amount of magic power accumulated over the years, can you?”

“You won’t be able to ignore this either.”

The blood that was about to fall to the ground suddenly changed direction and aimed for the First Son.

The blood, which had turned into a bundle of thin, long needles at close range, made the First Son retreat first.

“Heheh. Indeed…”

He had been focused on the youngest’s magic sword and almost lost his eyes to a few drops of blood.

“The noble bloodline of the Vampire Queen is not to be trifled with. I’ll have to be careful from now on.”

The First Son raised his hand.

It wasn't a prelude to a technique but a signal to his knight legion.

The undead knight legion passed the two kinsmen with drawn swords and ran towards Eclipse.

But I hadn't failed to consider melee combat either.

Eclipse’s fifty-man Royal Guard stood in their way, blocking the Undead Knight Legion.

Normally, more personnel would have been selected, but the Yin energy had to be concentrated for the completion of the curse.

“Are those the demons from the demonic realm? I’m seeing a lot of new things today. It feels like I’ve lived in vain all this time.”

“I will show you much more in the future.”

The two kinsmen crossed swords once again on the battlefield mixed with demons and knights of death.

They aimed their swords, imbued with the paths they had walked.

What was contained in the gray longsword was the Path of the Conqueror.

To crush with overwhelming power and swallow the enemy, who was left as dust for easy digestion.

If one was not enough, he would layer countless swords of the dead on top of his blade and end it.

What confronted that indomitable spirit was Fluidity.

Unlike the gray longsword, the dark magic sword had no power to speak of from the beginning. There was only the compulsion to move forward.

Thus, it became water.

It became water that could embrace and flow over even a large stone in front of it, eventually moving forward.

No matter what challenge the opponent brought, it changed itself accordingly and returned it as an even more difficult problem.

Becoming flowing water and swallowing the enemy.

At first, the enemy might excitedly stab at what they see in front of them, but eventually, they would realize.

That they were now submerged in water. That they had come in too deep to escape.

The flowing water confronted the Path of the Conqueror that had broken through everything.

“This older brother is overjoyed. To think that among all my kinsmen, the youngest would be the one to meet my standards.”

“It is an honor, but I do not like this method of praise.”

White bones were now entwined around the gray blade.

Clatter—

Skeletons holding Bone Swords intertwined like vines, turning the gray longsword into a greatsword.

Yet he still held and swung it like a longsword, so the distance naturally widened.

Fwoosh—

Kwoaaaaah—

A Blood Wave surged, and Bloodflame flickered over the dark magic sword as well.

In the time it took for the wind to rustle through his dark violet hair once, dozens of exchanges took place.

If they had shown how they had lived until now, now they would show the answer they had reached at the end of their lives.

──!!

The two swords vertically split the air.

The Bloodflame and the Blood Wave looked very different, one hot and one cold, but they did not hesitate to mix.

A red flame spread as if oil had been poured on the wave reeking of blood.

The Bloodflame, rushing like a torrent, soon faced a field of thorns made of Bone Swords.

The field of thorns grew densely wherever the sword strike reached, trying to impale everything on it.

It even tried to pierce the Bloodflame, but the First Son soon smiled.

“I thought you were cold, but you have quite a temper.”

The Bloodflame brushed past the field of thorns and went straight for the enemy.

The white bone field of thorns rushed forward as if there were no obstacles.

The wave of Bloodflame was the same.

Kuwaaaaaaaaaaaaa—

The two sword strikes reached each other without obstruction.

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