Episode 160: Daydream
“No, Park Jeong-yong! First, create some distance! That sword is way too incompatible with you!”
Kaang, Ka-Ka-Kaang!
Amid the crimson flames that cloaked the sword swings cutting across the garden, Older Brother Sooho’s cries reverberated incessantly in my ears. Yeah, he’s been saying this all along. I can’t even remember how many times.
“What do you mean by ‘incompatible’? You ought to explain it properly if you want me to take it seriously!”
While dodging Zenon’s storm-like attacks, I grumbled under my breath, filled with complaints.
And then Older Brother Sooho started dropping some rather shocking revelations.
“That sword has the power to drive ominous demons into a frenzy! That red-haired elf has been overtaken by the ominous energies embedded in the sword!”
“…What?!”
—If it even grazes you, the ominous demon inside you will explode. You’ll transform into something even worse than that monster!
At that, my sword movements momentarily stopped. Stunned, I began to imprint Zenon’s grotesque appearance into my mind.
Is this… what happens when the ominous energy within someone goes berserk?
‘Wasn’t it just about going crazy and that’s it?’
Seizing the moment as I momentarily lost focus, Zenon swung his sword.
“Swiiiiiiiish!”
Sear! Zenon’s sword narrowly nicked the edge of my black wing and passed by.
Hooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrk! The flames that slightly caught onto my black wing’s fabric didn’t seem to have any intention of going out, instead roaring violently.
“Hotter than an X motherfucker!”
I hastily brushed it off while muttering curses.
Doing this and what else, you expect me to achieve a no-hit clear on this kind of monster? Seriously, this X-damned Alternative World. What grudge do you have against me that you’re so anxious I don’t catch and devour this guy?
I raised my voice, feeling both aggrieved and underhanded.
“Why didn’t you tell me this important information earlier, Brother! And why couldn’t you recognize something so crucial in the first place?!”
—Why the X! It looks nothing like what I know; how the hell was I supposed to know!
“Looks different?!”
—Exactly! Originally, it doesn’t cause demons to go berserk indiscriminately! Its function had been a little incomplete! Even the appearance can change, but something about this one feels off!
“Incomplete…?”
The first thing that came to mind with that was the top product of the Godless Forge – the Dragon Extermination Sword.
Two swords that resemble each other.
Hector Cassas, who had already purchased the Demon Extermination Sword through the black market.
The Demon Extermination Sword that was deemed incomplete in function.
And the disciples of Cassas who were after the Dragon Extermination Sword.
‘This much correlation can’t possibly be a coincidence!’
It was clear. The ones they were after at the Godless Forge was the Dragon Extermination Sword.
And from what Brother Sooho just said, I had a rough idea why. More than likely, they’re trying to fix and complete the function of the incomplete Demon Extermination Sword.
Why? By doing that, what exactly is Hector Cassas aiming for?
“Brother! Then, if it becomes complete, what is the function of the complete sword?!”
—Using the ominous energy as fuel, the purpose is to ignite the flames of annihilation!
“What? What the X are you talking about?!”
As I continually expressed bewilderment, another flame-wrapped slash was hurled at me. It came from Zenon, who had narrowed the distance and surged in.
Despite the distance I thought I had kept, monsters are monsters. The speed of their charge was impossible to keep up with.
“Ugh!”
I managed to evade the sword blow by nearly bending my waist at a right angle.
A part of my hair touched the flames. It instantly burned up in a flash. Shocked, I swiftly cut off the burning section with Espada.
‘Damn it. I need to hold onto Black Wings until the very end…’
It’s a rule of thumb: the one who dominates the air rules the battlefield.
The free and easy flight function is my ultimate trump card and hidden ace.
‘The cooldown is a full thirty minutes.’
Unless it’s a war, a battle rarely exceeds thirty minutes. Hector draped the Sanctuary of Silencing Magic around the Godless forge and launched a surprise assault on Cavalier’s mansion. He must have planned to finish the quick attack in an instant.
Who knows when I’ll need it? I need to save the Black Wings until the very end.
‘First things first, let’s increase the distance!’
I gritted my teeth and desperately backpedaled.
Kaang, Ka-Ka-Ang! We exchanged several blows. Every time our swords clashed at speeds invisible to the naked eye, explosions ensued, launching fiery sparks from the Demon Extermination Sword like fireworks.
“This is madness X!”
Fending off the strikes and dodging the fiery sparks was mentally exhausting.
To make matters worse, the scattered flames were turning various parts of the garden into seas of fire, increasingly restricting my movements.
This can’t continue. I need to find some sort of turning point!
‘Right now!’
Ki-eeng!
In the middle of the swords clash between the Demon Extermination Sword and my twin blades, I impulsively changed my trajectory and charged straight at him.
The heat waves that could melt skin rushed towards my face, but I clenched my teeth and bore it.
“Ughaa!”
I gracefully deflected the sword strikes and drove forward towards Zenon’s chest.
It was a fleeting moment. The situation abruptly flipped. A look of surprise flashed across his twisted face.
Surprised? Well, when I experienced something similar against Adrang, I was just as startled as you.
Peroork! Exerting all my strength, I pushed off the ground and performed a fierce double kick to his chest.
“Haa!”
A short metallic sound rang out, followed by a loud explosion. Zenon’s figure flew like a bullet and rolled to Hector’s side. Only after Zenon crashed into the garden fence did he finally come to a stop.
Once I confirmed this, I resumed questioning Brother Sooho.
“Brother, let’s continue the conversation! You said this flame uses ominous energy as fuel?”
—That’s true for what I know. But this one… it’s thoroughly broken. It’s like the accelerator is stuck and there’s no brake. Once used, it makes the wielder rage uncontrollably until they die!
I wanted to probe further at this strange revelation,
But Zenon interrupted our conversation by appearing suddenly.
“Zsssseeeewww.”
His chilling breathing was faintly heard.
Hooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrk! A fiery red flame streak flashed in front of my eyes. The overwhelming light forced me to shut my eyes tightly, momentarily forgetting to evade.
‘What the madness! How did he…’
Phwoaaack! The fiery snake of scarlet passed within mere centimeters of my eyes.
The rainfall drenching the air evaporated into steam that completely clouded my vision.
A terrifying heat wave, like all moisture being sucked away, poured into my eyes a second later.
“Grroooaaannn!”
I let out a suppressed groan. I squeezed my eyes shut as my vision was completely blocked in white.
I hurriedly shielded my eyes and wildly swung my sword. Immediately afterward, I activated Black Wings and soared into the air.
‘That was dangerous!!’
Glad I saved the Black Wings just in time.
Zenon doesn’t have any skill to attack from the air. And given his current state of mindlessness, he cannot use teleportation techniques, something Hector vouched for from another life.
“Where do you think you’re running, coward?”
Pipipip! An unpleasant voice from Hector accompanied by a burning sensation piercing my shoulder joint came immediately after.
With a groan, I instinctively opened my eyes wide. My shoulder had been pierced, and through my blurry vision, I could see numerous dark energy spheres floating around Hector.
“You son of a bitch!”
While cursing, my body began to tilt, and I started plummeting towards the ground.
Crap. My wings were shredded by the dark energy spheres, causing me to lose buoyancy.
“Damn…”
Kadang-dang! Trying to reduce the impact using a landing technique, it was crude and still caused considerable damage. The shock resonating through my internal organs momentarily left me breathless.
“Gruh!”
With a groan, I adjusted my pose.
But Zenon had already completed his attack preparations and was ready to pounce on me immediately.
“Sssseuuu…”
Too late.
A vision of myself burning up in half flashed in my mind when:
“Roaaarrr!”
Kooom! With the roar, Zenon’s frame tumbled to the side.
Adrang had driven his knee into Zenon’s face, charging in like a tank from the side.
“Sssseuuu…”
Zenon’s breathing turned more rapid.
He wobbled to his feet and fixed Adrang with eyes filled with hatred like a chameleon.
Ki-eeng! The curved blade let out a particularly ominous red light. The horizontally stretched sword quivered, emitting a spine-chilling metallic sound.
Chills ran down my spine. I knew what this signified.
“Adrang! You can’t dodge this attack at all! Run away!!”
A fatal charging move that couldn’t be perceived by even the Hero Sense. Its preparatory motion.
Adrang seemed to have experienced it before and gave a nod.
But there was something amiss. A dangerous smile played on the edge of Adrang’s lips.
“I understand that. So leave the rest to me.”
…What are you talking about, Adrang?
Adrang murmured something low and then began charging recklessly towards Zenon instead.
“Haaaaaaaa!”
Adrang roared, shaking the world as he charged forward.
Just as I was startled by the sudden turn of events and could only utter a shocked gasp, Zenon completed his long preparation movement and pushed off the ground.
“Zssseeeuw!”
Ki-eeng!
A brain-piercing metallic sound. In an instant, the figures of Adrang and Zenon intersected.
‘What?’
No, not quite. With my now-clear vision, I took another look at them.
They hadn’t crossed paths. Zenon and Adrang had collided head-on, stopping mid-motion.
Phwoooaaaaaak!
The trajectory of the sword delayed in releasing hellfire. The two tangled figures illuminated by the flames.
Their elongated shadows flickered like beasts on the rain-soaked ground.
“Sssseuu…?”
Zenon emitted a breathing mixed with doubt and continuously tightened his grip on the Demon Extermination Sword. But his hand was firmly entwined by Adrang’s remaining arm.
Clu-clu-clu. Along with a thick smoke, a blood-laced smile escaped Adrang’s mouth.
“It’s… right here. Jung Yong… cough!”
Zenon’s Demon Extermination Sword had pierced through the center of Adrang’s abdomen. He had thrown his entire body to block Zenon’s movement.
Crackling. The terrifying sound of roasting flesh could be heard. Adrang’s body was being scorched from the inside out.
“Jung Yong! Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
“Ah, right!”
Adrang’s shout of agony. I immediately hurled both swords in my hands towards Zenon.
Swoooosh! I used Remote Sword Technique. The swords flew towards Zenon in precise straight lines.
“Damn…!!”
Hector hurriedly launched his dark energy spheres, raining them like hail, but I wouldn’t just let my twin swords be shot down like that.
Clenching my teeth, I countered with Fatal Spikes and Seven Sword Pierces. Black thorny tentacles, dark energy spheres, and deep blue magical swords intertwined mid-air, sparking and roaring.
“Ughh!”
I poured my full attention into the Remote Sword Technique and the projectiles’ control. The magical swords and thorns successfully restrained the dark energy spheres.
Finally, Hector frowned anxiously at me.
“Originally, I planned to release Zenon and retreat, but… the plan has changed. You, indeed, are a monster that even I cannot control!”
Hector roared, waving his staff.
Phwooaak! Black tears burst from the corners of his eyes, and simultaneously, the dark energy spheres flying towards me began covering the sky.
“The Guiding Raven. I shall return after personally witnessing your death!”
Double, triple, no, tenfold?
The sky of the garden was crammed with black meteors. It was easily ten times more than before.
I could only stare blankly at those as they pierced through the heavy rain.
‘What madness!’
Fatal Spikes has a cooldown. I can’t use it right now.
Seven Sword Pierces requires a spellcasting time, so intercepting all of these in one go is impossible.
‘This is it…!’
The only way is to break through by taking them head-on!
Clenching my teeth, I crouched my body to prepare for the incoming shock…
“Roooaaaaaarrrr!!”
A thunderous roar echoed, shaking the air and scattering the pouring rain in all directions.
It was a loud sound, akin to the roar of an enraged beast.
