Ch.201Chapter 201: The Kingdom of Duron (7)

# Chapter 201: The Kingdom of Duron (7)

“…Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Valt’s low command echoed throughout the underground fifth-floor storage area where a chilling cold air swirled.

The sound pulled the space taut, like the calm before a storm about to clash.

Before his voice had even finished, a Dark Society executive wearing a robe embroidered with stars and darkness raised a grotesque crimson orb high into the air.

The space around the orb rippled ominously as condensed magical energy swirled in a vortex.

“To these foolish intruders… I shall bestow the merciful blessing of death.”

KWAAAAAAA—!!!

A wave of dense crimson magical power, incomparably more concentrated than before, erupted from the orb and surged toward Valt’s group like a living tsunami, tearing through space.

This was no ordinary magical attack. The wave, which expanded while devouring even the surrounding cold air, emitted a malevolent energy that directly pressured the mind, as if denying the very existence of everything it touched.

The special alloy of the walls and floor began to twist with an unpleasant sound.

“Kugh!”

“T-this damned energy…!”

“Infinity Shield!”

Ramrpo screamed and flattened himself against the floor, while Lati and Liris hastily deployed overlapping mental defense magic and physical barriers.

The other companions instinctively raised their aura or energy to prepare for the oncoming pressure.

But mocking all their defenses, the crimson wave approached with the momentum to devour everything!

At that moment!

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Professor Riman sliced through space like a flash of light.

His eyes no longer held playfulness, but rather gleamed with the sharp edge and anger of an Aura Master.

CHANG—!

With a sound like lightning striking, the sword drawn from his waist emitted a blue aura so brilliant it was almost painful to look at.

He swung his sword directly into the crimson wave.

It wasn’t a simple slash. It was swordsmanship bordering on the divine—precisely piercing the most unstable nucleus of the swirling wave, its minute fracture point, and reversing his own aura into it.

PZZZZZZT—!

KWAGWAGWAGWANG—!

Riman’s aura and the executive’s magical energy collided violently, canceling each other out with a tremendous explosion.

The storm-like aftermath burst in all directions, but Valt’s group barely withstood the impact.

The title “Sword of Counterattack” was no empty name. His swordsmanship was extremely specialized in using the opponent’s power against them.

“Are you the one in charge here? Your magic is as gloomy and filthy as your appearance.”

Riman spoke coldly toward the masked executive, not withdrawing the blue aura rising from his sword tip.

An overwhelming pressure like that of a newly awakened ancient dragon flowed from his entire body.

“But it would be unseemly for an old man to take care of everything in front of these youngsters. Kids! Leave that masked one to me, and clean up the rest as quickly as possible! We don’t have time!”

“Yes!”

As soon as Riman finished speaking, Valt sprang forward, kicking off the ground. His instructions poured out like a waterfall.

“Solphin, Yuria! Take the small fry on the left and right! Sweep them away as quickly as possible! Airin, Lati! Provide rear support and area control magic! Liris, protect Ramrpo absolutely and follow me! We need to open the storage door!”

“KRAAAAAAAA! LET’S GO!!”

“KYAHAHAHAHA! Finally time to run wild!”

Solphin’s heavy battle cry and Yuria’s maniacal laughter mixed together as the two charged like unleashed beasts toward the black-robed Dark Society agents rushing in from both sides.

After being broken by Valt, Solphin had found a weapon that suited her.

A claymore.

It was a brutish weapon that well represented her destruction-oriented nature.

Moreover, Solphin’s massive claymore was less like a sword and more like a siege hammer.

Each time she swung her sword, the air tore with a thunderous sound, and three or four agents simultaneously made bone-breaking noises as they were slammed into walls.

Yuria was even faster.

With beast-like agility, she dodged the agents’ sword strikes and spells like an acrobat, instantly diving in to precisely target throats and hearts with her flashing claws! Blood spurted like fountains, but her eyes burned even more eerily red with ecstasy.

Airin didn’t miss any openings in the chaos stirred up by Solphin and Yuria.

As a disciple of the Sword Saint, her swordsmanship had become even more solid after learning physical training methods from Victor.

Dozens of sharp wind blades fired from the tip of her sword sliced through the agents’ defensive magic, while Lati summoned sharp ice spears in succession, accurately blocking enemy movements or inflicting fatal wounds.

Lati simultaneously spread a wide “Frost Field” on the surrounding floor to bind the enemies’ feet and support her allies’ movements.

“Liris, additional defense barrier for Ramrpo!”

Immediately, Liris’s blood-colored magic enveloped Ramrpo.

“Th-thank you!”

Liris didn’t even glance at Ramrpo.

Her red eyes were fixed solely on Valt.

Valt faced three agents rushing toward him simultaneously.

“Hup!!”

KWAKWAKWANG!

A compressed ball of wind exploded from his fist, shattering the shield of the foremost agent and striking his abdomen, sending him flying far away along with the agent behind him.

While simultaneously dodging a magic arrow flying from the side, he struck the very floor where the remaining agent was standing with his fist!

KURURURURUNG! KWAJIJIK!

The hard special alloy floor tore like paper under his superhuman strength, creating a massive sinkhole, and the agent fell to the lower floor with a scream!

“Kruruk… That’s… a monster!”

Other agents surrounded their swords with crimson aura and launched a coordinated attack.

Their movements were quite sharp, but Valt calmly read their attack trajectories. He spotted a massive cryogenic cooling device component, about the size of a human torso, torn off in the battle and shouted:

“Pull!”

A powerful physical magic activated, and the heavy metal mass rose into the air according to his will.

Valt swung it like a massive mace toward the charging agents!

PUEEEOK! KWAJIK!

With a terrible ripping sound, the agents were hit by the metal mass before they could even deploy magical barriers, either bouncing away or being crushed beyond recognition.

Though he avoided direct killing, his combat style was more destructive and ruthless than any swordsmanship or magic.

Meanwhile, the battle between Professor Riman and the Dark Society executive was a high-level game of skill amid the intensity.

The executive continuously fired unpredictably trajectored magic bullets and mind-eating curses from the grotesque orb, sometimes disappearing into shadows to launch surprise attacks with daggers.

But Professor Riman deflected all his attacks with minimal movement, as if he could see the future, or precisely parried them with his sword tip. His footwork was light, but when his sword moved, aura powerful enough to split mountains exploded.

After crossing the Master’s threshold, Riman’s skills had truly skyrocketed.

In a battle he couldn’t lose, Riman displayed unrivaled power.

“You… a mere academy professor!!”

The masked executive’s voice was mixed with impatience and anger. He was flustered that none of his attacks were working.

“Kuk kuk, what’s wrong with being a professor? Do you know how hard it is to be strong enough not to lose to students? Look at my disciples. They’re all monsters. This is what it takes to be a professor!!”

Riman laughed mockingly as he deflected the executive’s magic bullet with his sword, sending it back to another Dark Society agent rushing in from the side.

“KRAK!”

The unexpected agent collapsed after being hit by the magic bullet. This was the true “Sword of Counterattack.”

“Bad matchup, it’s a bad matchup. You can’t win against me.”

While Riman pressured the executive, Valt finally reached the massive alloy door of the storage room with Ramrpo.

The door had complex magical engineering locks and powerful magical seals.

“Prince Valt! W-we need to open this! My magical authentication and special release code…”

Ramrpo pulled out a portable release device with trembling hands. But his hands were shaking too much to operate the device properly.

“Damn it! Move!”

Valt pushed Ramrpo back and stepped forward himself. He judged there was no time to take out Franz’s mirror.

“Liris! Maximum defense!”

“Yes!”

As Liris raised a shadow barrier in front of Ramrpo, Valt threw a punch with all his might toward the massive alloy door.

Of course, the door was an inanimate object, so direct impact was possible.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG—!!!

With a tremendous sound that shook the entire fifth underground floor, the magical barrier on the door’s surface shattered into pieces where Valt’s fist made contact, and the thick alloy door itself began to dent and twist inward.

After a few additional strikes, the door finally flew inward with a thunderous sound.

Beyond the door, in the center of a massive circular space, a blue crystalline structure the size of a house—the “Cryogenic Mana Stabilization Core”—glowed unstably inside a transparent cryogenic maintenance device, emitting powerful cold air.

“Found it!”

They had found the first component.