Into the Enemy’s Heart 5

While the Manifest Sword had momentarily drained his meridians, Doyun’s Dragon Heart in his dantian quickly blazed like a star. His eyes turned golden once more.

The Dark Lord officers recoiled in shock at the sublime display Doyun had unleashed.

“Th-, This is insane…! Just what the hell was that?!”

A radiance so dreadful, it seemed capable of erasing their very existences – obliterating all demonic essence from this world.

They still visibly shuddered as if chills lingered, unable to forget that earlier scene.

“Hellfire Matchseller! An anomaly has occurred! Hasten the preparations!”

The officers urged the Matchseller on. Even the Hellfire Matchseller preparing something within the ritual array felt unsettled by that spectacle.

He moved his lips more rapidly, hastening the ritual’s completion.

“Hmm.”

Doyun surveyed his surroundings.

The area had been thoroughly cleansed after slaying the hundreds of demons. Those beyond his reach dared not recklessly approach, gripped by fear.

‘Separating too far from the unit would become dangerous, but…’

The overall situation remained unfavorable. He needed to take calculated risks and wreak greater havoc.

Having decided, Doyun extended his arm towards empty space.

Jjeeng-

A spatial rift opened, and an emerald javelin materialized, gripped in his hand.

Doyun held the Hurricane Javelin Anemos in his left, the masterpiece Jupiter in his right.

His Dragon Heart blazed as mana flowed into both weapons, emitting mirage-like golden sword ki.

“Ki-, Kill him!”

“Uwaaah!”

Soon, the demonic soldiers charged him.

‘Dragon Breath.’

Fwoooosh-

The dense Dragon’s Breath he exhaled with his Level 7 Mana quickly spread, engulfing the battlefield.

It was potent enough to petrify the lesser charging demons, an opportunity Doyun did not waste.

Sword in his right, javelin in his left, he plunged into their midst.

“Wha-, What…?”

Shlick-

Before the frontmost demon could react, Doyun’s blade flashed, cleanly severing its neck.

The sword danced as golden afterimages from the sword ki trailed through the air. His mana had grown sufficient to maintain sword ki manifestations constantly.

A demonic wolf lunged, only for the extending javelin to pierce its throat. It perished without even a death rattle.

One hand slashed, the other stabbed. Both hands moved busily, extinguishing demonic lives.

Though untrained in spearmanship, Doyun’s [Acquired Genius] trait compensated as his enhanced offensive output skewered foes relentlessly.

Not extremely efficient, but his calculations had determined maintaining Anemos was crucial for now.

Fwing-

Incoming arrows posed no threat to Doyun dominating the battlefield through [Seventh Sense].

He casually tilted his head, allowing the rapidly incoming projectiles to harmlessly pass by. Thunk! Sounds of arrows piercing fallen corpses echoed behind him.

The archer barrage persisted, yet Doyun’s sword and spear did not falter, endlessly culling the enemy.

Evasive motions seamlessly integrated with offensive ones in a dance-like flow of lethality.

As too many demons converged, Doyun wielded the javelin in his left hand inversely.

The wide-range wind-based Hurricane Javelin Anemos – he forcefully plunged it into the ground.

Kwaaaah-

A rough, dome-shaped tornado swept outwards, shredding the surrounding demons.

A self-damaging technique, yet unlike against the Tsunami Tamer, Doyun remained unscathed – his Vitality Level 6 and Cloak of Oblivion artifact protected him from the razor winds.

Chak.

Doyun raised Jupiter vertically before his face. The sky-blue pristine blade partially reflected his visage.

Focusing his mind and channeling mana, he spun a full circle while horizontally sweeping his sword.

Răzvolnic Style Swordsmanship – Blooming

Not slashing, but thrusting. From the horizontal sword arc, straight piercing thrusts bloomed outwards like opening flowers.

While the arc’s range was shallow, demons beyond it were skewered through throat and solar plexus by the branching thrusts.

Thunk! Thunk, thunk, thunk!

18 demons perished simultaneously.

[Skill ‘Swordsmanship’ has leveled up. Current Level: 4]

‘The output is quite decent now.’

A technique that had matched his peak Manifest Sword’s might in his prime, but his current Level 7 Mana allowed only 18 thrusts. Still, it was passable.

Doyun plunged back into the demonic horde, and the slaughter promptly resumed.

His heightened senses detected another archer volley incoming.

Fwooosh-

‘Magic.’

Rather than wasting efforts avoiding it, a barrage of offensive spells bombarded him this time.

Yet Doyun did not evade.

Kwaaang!

“Uwaaaargh!”

“Guaaah!”

The screams belonged not to Doyun, but the demons.

Explosions erupted as infernos raged – the haphazard magics indiscriminately engulfed friend and foe alike.

A momentary lull. The demons stared towards the blazing fires.

“…”

“…Is he, dead?”

However, Doyun soon leapt out from the flames.

Fwooosh!

“Wha-, Whoa!”

Shlick-

Without hesitation, Doyun swung his scorching blade, decapitating a demon gawking dumbly at the fires. A sizzling sound accompanied the searing cut surface.

“Wha-, What the…!”

“You monster…!”

Remarkably, he was merely singed – the potent anti-demon heritage flowing through his Divine Beast bloodline surpassed even dragons.

That confirmed Doyun’s belief.

‘Unless they deploy outright war-grade magics, most conventional spells can no longer harm me.’

Even minor injuries would be covered by his overwhelming Level 8 Endurance’s regenerative might.

A superb physique transcending the human constraints of his birth – utterly incomparable to his previous life’s frailties.

‘I grow ever stronger in this life.’

With a wry smile, he charged again. The Point Conversion Tonic’s duration still had ample time remaining. Fresh bloodshed erupted across the Dark Lord’s formation.

Observing this, the officers clicked their tongues.

“I’ll go. Finish preparing the spell.”

A 6-meter, heavily-armored, evidently formidable brute-type officer moved to block their path. The Dark Lord officer – the ‘Valiant Bludgeon’.

The large-scale magic the Hellfire Matchseller was preparing. If unleashed upon Doyun, even if the Valiant Bludgeon disengaged immediately after clashing with him, it would be impossible to escape the area of effect in time. He intended to sacrifice himself.

“Okay. Go on.”

Yet none eagerly agreed nor objected.

“For our Dark Lord.”

“For our Dark Lord.”

In this war for their supreme Dark Lord, their meager lives held little worth.

The Valiant Bludgeon and his six ogrish subordinates valiantly charged forward.

Amidst mindlessly slaying and skewering demons, Doyun sensed an officer-level threat approaching.

As the massive ogre’s silhouette became visible beyond the demonic horde, they leapt high into the air together.

Only then did the demons notice their presence, gazing skywards.

Thoom! Thoom, thoom, thoom!

Kwajik!

Seven colossal impacts instantly crushed the demons underfoot to pulp.

Landing, the seven ogres encircled Doyun – six 5-meter ogres larger than even Rocinante, and one noticeably bigger leader. Their imposing alien presence was palpable.

Without preamble or warning, they assaulted with solemn ferocity. First came the subordinates’ coordinated strike.

Massive spears, maces, hammers – they lethally converged upon Doyun.

Yet in an instant, Doyun vanished from that spot.

“!!”

“No way!”

The weighty polearms collided precisely where Doyun had stood.

Kwaaang-!

Crunch!

Klang!

Including the Valiant Bludgeon, all seven scanned the empty space, but could not locate Doyun no matter how hard they looked.

“Over here.”

The whisper came from above their lowered heads.

As if affected by the Prankster’s mischief, his ghostly movement defied physics.

Descending, he spun midair at head level, sweeping his blade horizontally.

Răzvolnic Style Swordsmanship – Blooming

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk-!

First Sequence.

14 branching thrusts, each ogre pierced through two different vital points for instantaneous death.

Only the Valiant Bludgeon officer barely deflected two thrusts with his twin axes at the last possible moment.

“Kuhk!”

Though the thrusts seemed like mere toothpicks against his massive frame, he felt overwhelming power behind those sword beams.

‘I must stall for time!’

However, his subordinates had been annihilated in one strike. I have to fight him alone…!

“…!”

His opponent vanished once more.

Yet as a high-ranking officer himself, he swiftly spun, sweeping his axes behind him in a wide arc.

“Not bad.”

Airborne Doyun bent his legs, directing a kick towards the horizontal axe sweep.

Thwang-

The axe rivaling Doyun’s own size was futilely embedded into the ground.

Second Sequence.

“Is that also thanks to your system?”

The Valiant Bludgeon squinted through torn palms before he could fully open his eyes.

Shlick-

His shut piggy gaze detached, sent flying.

Third Sequence.

The Valiant Bludgeon – a high-ranking Dark Lord officer specialized in close quarters and system-enhanced might.

Yet against Doyun at his peak who surpassed comparison, for a legendary warrior reincarnated through the Heroic Soul to face him was simply delusional.

From their exchange’s start to his decapitation, the Valiant Bludgeon only lasted 3 sequences against Doyun.