Ch.162Persistent Ill Fate (3)

KWAAANG!!

BOOM!!

The explosion shook the entire area.

Startled birds hastily took flight into the sky.

The forest, unable to move from its place, was exposed to the intense shockwave and lost its vitality.

The collision of holy power and demonic energy commonly seen in the South was absent here. This was a pure contest of strength. The shockwaves erupting from the clash of swords alone produced such devastating power.

“Kugh!”

Each time the black sword struck down, Justiani was forced to retreat step by step.

Before the knight who had summoned courage to save the Southerners stood the towering figure of a Hero, massive as a mountain. The light he had so desperately sought was nowhere to be found. The Hero was no different from a demon. The blade swung relentlessly for slaughter, taking the lives of everything around it.

“AAAAGH!”

“Lord Justiani!”

The remaining Crusader knights couldn’t properly fight. They fell like autumn leaves, struck by the sword winds deflected from the battle between transcendent warriors. Those nearby were split in half and perished, while even those who survived by keeping their distance lost limbs.

In reality, Justiani stood alone. Unlike his previous appearance when he had risen with an indomitable spirit, he now looked utterly miserable.

“Where are you looking?”

Death came while his attention was momentarily diverted to the fallen holy knights. When Justiani looked forward again, he saw the Hero with a chilling smile.

“You should focus on the fight.”

CLANG!!

The Hero’s sword struck Justiani’s gauntlet. All protective prayers maintained by holy power were shattered. Unable to withstand the pain that reached his heart, the holy knight was thrown backward. Lucretia didn’t let up and immediately followed through.

THUD!!

A casually thrown punch landed squarely on the holy knight’s chest. The pure white armor crumpled with a metallic sound.

“Kuhak!”

Justiani rolled across the ground. He was powerless, unable to draw any holy energy within the domain the Hero had established.

Though she herself borrowed no power from the gods, the difference in their caliber was palpable. His own state was pathetic for someone who claimed to have inherited the blood of angels.

Mental anguish, greater than physical pain, overwhelmed him.

“Hmm. I heard you were quite strong in this region. But you’re rather disappointing.”

The Hero said while dusting off her hands. Her sword was already stuck in the ground. She seemed to have lost interest in the one-sided battle.

“You won’t do. You’re not suitable as a challenger.”

“……”

“For all your fancy talk, there’s little substance.”

The Hero drew her sword again. This time, the blade went back into its scabbard.

“I’ll take your life another time.”

She looked up at the sky. The eyes that had grown cold while looking at the holy knight now met the dark clouds.

“It seems some more interesting ones are coming this time.”

The heat of battle began to ignite once more. Black dots visible in the dark sky.

They stimulated the Hero’s heart again.

“They’re here!”

#

“That’s the place.”

The traces of battle were visible even from a distance. Verdia, who had volunteered to lead the vanguard, glared at the black mist.

The long-running conflict across the South would end with this battle. Standing before the great battlefield where winners and losers would be decided, her heart pounded.

Though she should have maintained a calm mind as a commander, she was not yet a demon mature enough to control her overflowing spirit. So she made no pretense of maintaining dignity.

Verdia recalled Durin, who had set out long ago to suppress the southern rebellion.

The mountain-like black armor.

That silhouette ignited the fire in her heart that had reached its critical point.

She decided to express all her emotions without restraint.

“Wyvern squadron!”

A fierce battle cry echoed. The black mist rising from all around encouraged the soldiers facing death.

“Our enemy is the Hero—no! The former Demon King Lucretia!”

She spoke the name that had been unmentioned until now. The root cause of the demon realm’s ruin. The worst tyrant who had decorated the Age of Decline.

She boldly faced the calamity that had driven the legion into civil war.

“A traitor! The final stain of this era that we must eliminate. The moment has come to end the Age of Decline that we’ve endured with countless bloodshed.”

Verdia drew her sword. The silver blade gleamed under the sky.

“Are you ready to be recorded in the scriptures! Warriors!”

“Kill the traitor!!”

“Good! Then grip your reins tightly. Our role is to hold that one until His Excellency arrives!”

WHOOSH!

CRACK!

No sooner had Verdia’s cry ended than a sword energy grazed her head. Half of her helmet shattered. Blood flowed from her left cheek where only debris remained. Had it been any closer, she would have lost her life.

“The enemy is urging us on.”

No one was intimidated. They summoned their battle aura. Having confirmed the fiercely resisting enemy before their eyes, there could be no better kindling for their fighting spirit.

“For the demon realm.”

Verdia, who had become calm at the final moment, pointed her sword forward. Her wyvern began its descent.

Simultaneously, the legion roared like flames.

“FOR THE DEMON REALM!!”

“WE SHALL LEAVE OUR NAMES IN LEGEND!”

Dozens of wyverns shot forth like arrows. The arrows that pierced through the black mist targeted Lucretia.

KWAAANG!!

CRACK!

Sword energy shot toward the sky increased. Massive explosions occurred each time they pulled the reins to change direction. The red battle aura of Durin protecting them and Lucretia’s power collided, leaving intense shockwaves.

“DU—RIN!”

In the battlefield where it was difficult to open one’s eyes, Verdia called out her master’s name at the top of her lungs. She summoned all her remaining strength to overcome fear and approach the Hero.

“So it’s you!”

In the mist where visibility was poor, a figure suddenly emerged from among the swirling sword energies. A slash precisely targeting Verdia, the commander, came crashing down.

CLAAANG!!

Verdia did not retreat. She swung her drawn sword and struck Lucretia with all her might. The collision of forces incomparable to before overturned the earth. The wyvern, unable to maintain balance, staggered.

THUD!!

CRACK!!

Even during this time, dozens of exchanges took place. Verdia and Lucretia became entangled. The sparks flying added heat to the fierce battle.

“Not bad!”

After slightly deflecting Verdia’s attack, Lucretia dove into her guard. Condensed demonic energy was contained in the traitor’s hand.

KWAAANG!!

When the small but incredibly dense demonic energy hit Verdia’s chest, another massive explosion erupted. The staggering wyvern couldn’t withstand the shock and shattered. Verdia, thrown off, rolled heavily across the ground.

“Hnngh!”

But she did not fall. She stabbed her sword into the ground and proudly stood on her two feet.

“Oho. Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived?”

Lucretia looked down at Verdia from atop the bloodied wyvern. The traitor’s face was filled with intense pleasure.

“I can enjoy you as an appetizer until Durin arrives.”

“You won’t have that time.”

Verdia mocked Lucretia. Meanwhile, the elite wyvern battalion that had descended with her simultaneously targeted Lucretia.

“You pests!”

Lucretia swung her sword roughly in irritation. The spears shot from the wyverns broke like twigs.

But the riders survived and fled. They had immediately flown skyward, staying outside the range of Lucretia’s sword strikes.

As the traitor, furious to the core, made a large movement to release sword energy—

“You shouldn’t get distracted.”

Verdia, who had rushed in unnoticed, aimed for the Hero’s head.

“Kuk!”

The traitor hastily drew upon the power of death to block the attack. Verdia did not relinquish the initiative she had so preciously gained.

BOOM! CRACK! KWAAANG!

A series of continuous attacks that flowed like water held Lucretia in place. She pressed on relentlessly until the wyvern battalion could move away.

“Get out of my way!”

Lucretia exploded with death energy and sent Verdia flying far away. With the interference gone, she looked to the sky again.

“Hunt them down!”

“Hahaha! Try to catch us if you can!”

The wyvern riders taunted the traitor as they threw their spears. Having kept a thorough distance, they made it difficult for Lucretia to launch an attack easily. All she could do was deflect the incoming spears.

“LUCRETIA!! I CAN STILL FIGHT YOU! TRAITOR!!”

Verdia, who kept charging no matter how many times she was pushed back, was also a problem. True to her Blue Horn southern heritage, she was tenacious. Her combat ability was not low either, making it more difficult than expected to shake her off.

“I have no choice but to use this.”

Lucretia muttered quietly as she gripped her sword firmly.

KWAAAAA!

The power of death began to surge. She had released all the power she had sealed away just for the sake of fighting. Death, contained in the goddess’s head, spread throughout the world.

“Retreat!”

“Everyone fall back!”

The wyvern battalion hastily increased their distance. Their movements were swift, knowing they would forfeit their lives the moment they touched the hostile death energy.

“……”

Only Verdia, who had lost her wyvern, remained in place. Sparks flew when death touched her body. Durin’s red battle aura continued to protect her.

“Now you’re alone.”

Lucretia said, as if feeling refreshed.

“Go ahead and say you can still fight now.”

The traitor pointed her sword. She aimed precisely at Verdia’s head. The moment she released sword energy, she would cut her down.

“Lucretia.”

Verdia boldly glared at the former Demon King. Durin’s red battle aura helped her not to be overwhelmed by the dominant power.

“The legion does not fear the enemy.”

“……”

Seeing her unaffected by fear, Lucretia quietly raised her sword.

“Then you must die. I don’t like seeing useless opponents running wild.”

Swish.

The blade drew a line. The trace left by the black sword energy became sharp.

PAANG!

Space split and a shockwave spread. The force that cut the earth in two also severed the forest.

Verdia, who stood in its path, should have been cut in half as well.

“……”

That should have happened.

“You’ve grown much weaker.”

A different voice was heard. It wasn’t Verdia. Lucretia’s lips twisted.

“Your entrances are always dramatic.”

“I merely followed death. Lucretia.”

Steel military boots stepped on the shattered earth.

Burning red eyes dominated the area.

“Heh, hehehe.”

Lucretia couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Pleasure that stirred her entire body consumed Lucretia’s mind.

“Durin. I’ve been waiting for you. Only for you.”

“You’re like a beast.”

The Regent of the Demon Realm responded calmly while observing her.

“A monster who has shed even the shadow of kingship.”

At the same time, red battle aura covered the entire area. Lucretia’s power, which had been overwhelming her opponent consistently, was pushed back at once.

“You will meet your death here.”

Durin’s sword pointed at his former master.