episode_0021

The relentless, intense battle between Cariel and Veltan continues.

At this moment, the two poured all their focus into reading each other’s movements without exchanging a single word or conversation.

Anticipating the opponent’s attacks, they swiftly defended themselves and retaliated.

Though it may seem like a simple situation when put into words, the outcome of them reading each other’s attacks was far from simple.

Blood splattered as wounds appeared.

While it would make sense if both sides were in such a state, it was only Veltan who was getting injured, with clear differences in how they read each other’s attacks.

Veltan, with his advantage in territory and overwhelming regeneration ability as a demon, promptly healed his wounds and continued the fight by any means necessary.

The battle between Veltan and Cariel revolved around who could anticipate the opponent’s attacks better.

Even though they read each other’s attacks, the slight moment of allowing an attack to pass through due to less anticipation led to consequences.

Originally evenly matched at 50-50 in predicting each other’s attacks, once one gained a slight edge at 51-49, the one at 49% had no choice but to endure the onslaught without retaliation.

This pattern repeated every time they clashed, resulting in the current dynamic where only one of them inflicted harm.

Initially deemed impossible, Cariel reached the pinnacle of a Sword Expert.

Despite being able to defeat monsters of the Demon Army, absorbing knowledge about the weapons obtained through the advantages of the territory and the avatars allowed Cariel to somewhat predict Veltan’s movements and react accordingly.

However, even reaching the pinnacle of a Sword Expert did not guarantee a perfect read on the opponent’s movements. Thus, if the battle continued as is, Veltan would eventually exhaust his strength.

Realizing this fact, Veltan felt a sense of urgency, yet he saw no other viable options at his disposal.

Having absorbed all the power of the avatars and leveraging the advantage of the territory to become significantly stronger, he found himself overwhelmed despite giving it his all.

There seemed to be no way out.

“No, there is one.”

A move that expended everything.

However, there would be no hope afterward.

As powerful as it was, it came at the cost of vitality.

Death was inevitably approaching.

“But I can’t just sit back.”

Losing was inevitable if things continued as they were.

Or perhaps, defeat was predetermined from the start.

Veltan never thought he could defeat Cariel.

It was merely his instinctual surge of competitiveness against a formidable opponent that drove him, knowing he would likely lose.

Yet, contrary to such instincts, reason was still seeking a way out.

No matter how much his instincts were fueled by the blood of demons, ultimately, his main goal was to gain an advantage over the Demon Army.

Even if he were to die, he decided to leave an indelible mark on the hero.

With that judgment in mind, he distanced himself from Cariel and unleashed everything he had.

Whoosh!

Darkness began to envelop him like a cloak as he continued to absorb magic, and above this space filled with darkness, a giant pupil opened.

[“I… understand…”]

A low, mysterious voice resonated.

The owner of that unidentifiable voice was the eye floating in the air.

Veltan shouted towards the eye.

“My everything.”

[“Understood…”]

The eye suspended in the air closed once again.

From that point on, an explosive magic poured out from Veltan.

“Cough…”

Blood spilled from Veltan’s lips.

The power he had obtained by supporting himself with his own wealth truly surpassed imagination.

A shiver ran through his whole body, and for a fleeting moment, he felt as if he had become a god of this world.

However, since he had far exceeded the amount he could withstand, practically only one attack was allowed. But it didn’t matter.

He was confident that with this one attack, he could inflict a fatal blow to the hero, Cariel.

This attack rivaled that of a demon king.

It might be somewhat shocking to realize that the single attack he had sacrificed everything for was similar to the demon king’s attack, but Veltan welcomed this fact.

He was convinced that if he were to die and the demon king were to descend later, this world would become the world of demons.

“The key to humanity lies with the Viscount of Trinium.”

And facing the hero by pouring out everything he had.

Though an enemy who could never stand on the same side, he willingly stood alongside him for the sake of his sincerity.

After passing on the necessary information, he adjusted his posture.

Cariel also sensed Veltan’s determination and adjusted his stance.

However, unlike before, he felt nothing at all.

He couldn’t sense the flow of magic, waves, energy, vitality, or determination.

Yet, more than ever, Veltan felt threatened.

Although he had been so distant from Cariel until now, it felt like seeing a huge mountain in the distance. This time, it felt like looking at an unfathomable sea.

When one encounters something unknown in nature, fear naturally arises.

Especially if it is something entirely different from what one knows.

And that was the current situation for Veltan.

Unable to feel anything unlike before, he was trembling with fear instead.

“Are you afraid?”

Cariel’s voice echoed hoarsely.

A dry yet emotionless voice.

Veltan bit his lip and smiled.

“Fearful. Terrified as if insane.”

Even with overwhelming omnipotence surging through him right now, he was afraid.

Despite not even releasing a trace of magic residue and simply assuming a stance, the hero’s body trembled.

As if mocking the previous encounters, he seemed on the verge of collapsing under the unprecedented intimidation emanating from the hero.

A primal roar.

The instinct of a demon to ignite determination even in the face of death was shouting to flee immediately.

Not just any demon, but the instinct of a being who would become an officer in the demon army was crying out.

Veltan chuckled at the unprecedented experience he was facing.

As absurd as it was, his task remained unchanged.

Adjusting his posture, Veltan smirked.

Since death was now an unavoidable situation, he decided to find humor in it.

“I consider myself lucky to die by your hand.”

“You madman.”

Despite Cariel’s fierce words, Veltan laughed.

He swung the sword he held.

Advancing, engulfing everything around him, he moved forward, swallowing up all the darkness that enveloped him.

As if staring into a black hole, he looked at the approaching darkness that swallowed everything.

His swordsmanship was nothing extraordinary, not enveloping anything like the infinite darkness unleashed by Veltan, merely a plain sword strike.

Compared to the infinite darkness unleashed by Veltan, it was just a handful, but the ensuing shockwave surpassed all previous attacks.

The attack unleashed by Veltan, a high-ranking officer in the demon army, who had poured out everything, split into a massive darkness itself.

It began with a simple, clear attack he wielded.

As if to say such an attack was nothing at all.

With a swift strike that ended Velthan, even he felt a sense of awe.

Except for the Demon Lord, no one had ever experienced such emotions towards him.

Not even from demons, let alone humans, did he think he would evoke such feelings.

“Is this it… dying now…”

The final blow dissipated into empty air.

It was time to pay the price for his actions.

There was no fear in death.

After all, he was always prepared to die at any moment.

He just felt regret.

The fact that his all-out attack could be nullified by a mere swing of a sword by a hero was disappointing.

“Was my true power never unleashed?”

He knew the hero hadn’t used all their strength, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.

Despite thinking he had performed admirably, realizing it was all just a show left Velthan utterly despondent.

Unlike other demons who lived for battle, he also enjoyed the thrill that came from fighting against the strong.

That’s why the current situation was even more regrettable.

“You were the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced.”

With Kariel’s words, that sentiment vanished instantly.

Although they were enemies, trapped in a relationship and position he would never comprehend.

At least for this moment, Kariel’s acknowledgment of their fight as adversaries rather than just enemies was enough to alleviate his regrets.

“I never thought I’d say something like this to a hero… Thank you.”

With those words, Velthan closed his eyes.

The darkness he had created completely concealed its trace.