Episode 1085 Strong Hand (5)
I feel like my life is in danger.It feels strange.Because I have never faced a situation where my life might be at risk before.
Ah—it is ecstatic.
Do all prey live feeling this kind of emotion?For the first time in his life, the Beast King was jealous of his prey.
The former king did not march out without a plan. He must have secured an unblockable escape route. Therefore, it would be right to be satisfied with minimizing the legion’s casualties… but that is entirely the Alliance’s business.
King Antijas’s eyes were bloodshot.
I just can’t stand it.
Beastmen also possess techniques. However, they differ from human martial artists who manifest their skills through energy. A beastman’s technique is an expression of instinct, projecting their wildness into action.
Human skills and techniques each have their own unique characteristics, so it is almost impossible to transmit them in their original form without special physical ties such as blood relations.
On the other hand, the skills of the Beastmen can be inherited, just as a mother teaches her young how to hunt. And Antias independently developed the skills that successive Beast Kings had endlessly passed down.
Frenzy
Reason became hazy like fog, andnature cast a deep shadow.
Crunch, crunch.
Antias’s body bulged as he manifested one of his secret techniques for the first time in the battle of slaughter. His already overwhelming physique grew about 30% larger.While it was essentially the same as what the Black Beast had unleashed against the Corruptors of the Southern Eastern Continent, the transformation was incomparable.
Muscle strength increased dramatically.
Unable to withstand Antias’s frenzied power, the earth shook. Body temperature boiled. As a result, the surrounding air heated up intensely.
“You want me to test whether he dies or not?”
Antias spread his arms wide.
Okay.
The moment it pushed off the ground, the earth, unable to withstand the explosive recoil, screamed and shattered.The empty dirt floor scattered like powder, and the cracks spreading out like spiderwebs swallowed the surrounding area, creating a massive pit in an instant.
Just as a deafening roar struck the eardrums belatedly—waves were crashing on the spot where Antias had been staying. It was a tidal wave from the earth, composed of rough soil and rocks.
Before the dragon sword could even touch the head, Antias’s kick came rushing in.
Boom!
The earth’s crust surged sharply along the trajectory of the flying Akhand. It flew to a distance out of sight from the outpost and crashed directly into a rock face.The pressure spreading in all directions gripped the desolate environment and engulfed the Akhand.
Antias rushed over him.
A crater formed as if a meteor had fallen, revealing the buried Arkand. Antias bared his ferocious teeth and pressed down on the Dragon Sword.
“An ancient dwarf masterpiece crafted from a massive amount of ground keel. It was quite a nuisance, though.”
With a tenacious grip, Akand’s sword flew out of the crater.Immediately afterwards, Antias brought his arm down.
Bang bang
It was not just Akand that was targeted. Violence was unleashed upon the entire space of Akand. A monster that could be said to symbolize life force itself launched a frenzied offensive against the monster that brings death to the continent.
It was like the essence of life resisting the death that would one day come.
Antias brought his hands together above his head.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
As the large fist landed, the ground surrounding the two erupted upward. Before they knew it, they found themselves in an artificially formed pit.It was a pit deep enough to make the sky look small.
Antias grinned.
You blocked it.
Akand’s gauntlet gripped Antias’s forearm tightly. It was a stark contrast to how he had previously taken every attack with mocking laughter or lightly dodged it.
Akand said.
You can be proud.
The simultaneous clash of beastmen and humans.
The crater collapsed.
The dark, cloudy sky shook at the howling of Antias as he stepped outside. As his instincts deepened, his physical abilities grew stronger.Half-bent fingers shot out, looking as if to crush and burst him with all their might.
Crack───Crunch!
Akhand was pushed back, scraping the ground, and twisted a few steps backward. Immediately, he rushed forward and landed a punch to Antias’s abdomen.The muscles and organs stretched briefly through the skin, causing Antias’s back to bulge out for a moment.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
They exchanged blows back and forth, as if by prearrangement. Sounds that made it impossible to imagine physical impact echoed far and wide.
The powerful who overcame the limitations of their race and surpassed them once again devastated a part of Delharun, leaving their mark on the newly created map.
Antias grabbed the wrist, which was thinner than his own, and shattered the ground. In that state, Akhand slammed the giant down using only the strength of his waist.
Kugugugugugu… … !
Two people fall down a cliff formed as the ground sinks.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Antias grabbed the armor, and Akhand grabbed the hide, thrusting their other hands in succession. The terrifying violence did not cease at all.It was truly a brutal hand-to-hand combat. Eventually, just as they reached the ‘Gracerim Forest’ below the cliff, from which the animals had already fled, the beast’s eyes flashed.
Assassination
A straight claw struck the very center of Akhand’s armor in an instant.The force concentrated at a single point was followed by a piercing sound.
Crack… … .
A crack appeared in the ancient king’s armor. Not only that, but a fine hemorrhage occurred from the crack. It did not even come close to a fatal wound, but the important thing was that it had penetrated the resistance.
Can kill.
Flowing blood eventually stops.
It was the moment Antias became convinced as he recalled the beastkin proverb. An ominous energy swirled and pressed against Antias’s surroundings.
Xerion Empire Fist Techniques.
Akand can perform various techniques and also manifest special moves, and can execute transcendent skills in a way different from ordinary martial arts transcendents.
The number of skills is 15.The number of special techniques is also 15.
All of Akhand’s techniques are all skills that have been sublimated and reached the ultimate.
Season: First Form – Xerxes
“……?!”
A surge of fist energy swept over Antias’s instinctively crossed arms. *Crunch!* His vision distorted as he repeatedly crashed into and bounced back against the forest. Hebarely managed to brake, but the foreign sensation striking his Adam’s apple forced him to brace himself against the floor.
Pwaaaah… … !
Destructive power that overwhelms skill. Is it a special technique?
There was some blood mixed in my breath, but it was no problem. Regeneration is one of Antias’s weapons. In fact, a sense of euphoria washed over me now that I could enjoy it a little more.
Of course, danger is danger.
widely.
Akand retrieved the Dragon Sword. A massive blade standing vertically toward the sky. Antias threw himself to the side before the signs could even appear.
Thump.
The heart of the Apostle of Death was born.
Season: First Form – Glaros.
Antias has a hobby of reading books. He devoured all kinds of history books regardless of race. However, there was absolutely no record of such a massive sword energy.
─────────!
The matte sword strike, soaring with immense width, split nature in two. The Graserim Forest was severed. The entire straight mountain range was split in half.The layer of clouds split along the path of the sword, and the ground was gouged deep like an abyss.
It’s a season like a transcendent period.
A sword mark appeared on Antias’s shoulder belatedly, and blood splattered.
Didn’t I avoid it?
Is this what they mean by giving you goosebumps?
If he had reacted even a little later, he would have been severed from head to crotch.
“Were the ancient transcendents really that strong? Strong enough to seal you away?”“I have overcome death and completed my role as an Apostle. It is unlike the days when I was bound by the finiteness of my race. Finally, I have finished growing.”
Akand placed [Magras] on his shoulder.
“I pay my respects to your power. You are strong, though your experience is limited.”“That is the first time I’ve heard such an evaluation. It’s refreshing.”
Antias let out a low, genuine laugh at the remark about his lack of experience. It wasn’t wrong. After all, this was the first time in his life he had witnessed such a slaughter.
Then, Antias asked with a serious expression.
“Why didn’t you kill Gareth? He is tenacious thanks to some means, but you could have killed him before he could even unleash that power.”“The power attached to Gareth Cyrilliad is tenacious enough to transcend the scope of your perception. He does not die easily just by having his body torn to pieces.”
Akand’s armor rattled.
“It seems you already have a hunch about its true identity.”“Well, I wonder.”
Antias shrugged his shoulders.
“So, what is the answer?”“One who desecrates war is not worth killing.”“Worth…….”
Antias’s eyes stretched out at Akand’s answer filled with conviction. Then, he widened his eyes slightly and pulled up the corners of his mouth as if finding it amusing.
“Is that so? Your goal isn’t just victory.”“We are only at the beginning of the war. It is far too early to talk about victory.”
Akhand gripped the dragon sword with both hands. His face was obscured by the terrifying helmet, but Antias thought he was smiling.
“Enjoy it, Antias.”“Hehehe.”
Antias lowered his upper body and assumed a new stance as the King of Water.
He’s a total warmonger.
* * *
The heavens and earth shake irregularly.
From a distant distance… … .
However, that sense of crisis felt as close as a blade touching the throat.
W-what on earth is going on?
I knew that the Old King and the King of Water had clashed to the north of the garrison, but the aftermath was beyond imagination. Could this be the prelude to the worst earthquake that devastated nearly half of the small kingdom’s territory hundreds of years ago?Surely, a scene beyond the comprehension of a mere mortal must be unfolding on the northern battlefield.
and.
It was the same here, too, that an indescribable battle was taking place.
Aaaaaaaah… … !Screech screeching… … !!
Reindel and Sarkanon continued their confrontation without moving a single step. The boundary created by the magic of the Transcendents and the Undead mutated into a grotesque realm, exceeding a level where the living could not exist.
“My head, my headaaa…….”“Ugh, ahh.”“Ugh……!! Is barely keeping my consciousness all I can do, even with a top-tier miracle……!”
The Archbishop of the Spirit, who maintained the miracle to prevent the punitive expedition from losing consciousness, bled. Bleeding continued from his nose, eyes, and ears.
It seems like the world is screaming.
If the world were alive like a living organism, it is dying right now. A long life is being cut short by two entities infinitely small compared to the vastness of the realm.It was not only the extermination legion that was suffering. The undead on the other side also writhed one by one before turning to ashes and scattering silently.
The Archbishop of Yeonghwan swallowed the saliva mixed with blood.
‘This is… … the level of the Darkwarton Tower Master.’
Reindel’s back, with the symbol of the Darkwarton Magic Tower engraved on the Tower Master’s robe. It was not large due to his slender build, but it possessed an indescribable grandeur.
Although the Archbishop of Yeonghwan believed in the one true God… he ended up having a blasphemous thought.
If a god of death exists, it seems there is no one more fitting than Reindel Nexreon.
It was then.
thud.
Reindel placed his staff on the ground. He glanced briefly over Sarkannon’s shoulder, then struck the floor with his staff again and took a step forward.Having forcibly shattered his perfect balance, the opponent’s morale invaded his body.
thud.
Sarkannon hesitated at the heavy recoil, but he also advanced in response.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump thump thump thump.
The strides of Reindel and Sarkanon gradually grew larger. The density of death between them increased to an extreme degree. Eventually, the distance narrowed to within a stone’s throw.
To deceive my cognition. You are quite skilled.
It is a destiny decided the moment He personally arrived.
Transcendents tend to dislike fixed things.
Reindel gestured.
Kwag
The inherent magical power surged and transformed into a beam of light before long, engulfing Sarkannon. The dark beam reached the end of a straight line and led to a widespread explosion.Living beings touched by the influence of the magic lost their color and found peaceful rest.
“The Gate of Delharun has opened. They say the vanished undead have gone beyond it.”“……!!!”
The Archbishop of Yeonghwan glared and snapped his head toward the gate blocked by the undead. Darkness was visible through the rift that should have been sealed.
How could no one have noticed?Could it be that no one even thought of it?
It was absolutely not a simple carelessness.
While engaging in a magical battle, Reindel, having received Gareth’s intent, spoke.
“Everyone, open the way.”
A dark purple mist tinged with screams surged toward the extermination army. Sarkanon’s magic. Reindel manifested a barrier of magic to completely block it, then immediately soared into the sky and unleashed 8th-tier magical power.
A chilling roar struck the encampment.
“Luas, O Poet.”
The Archbishop of the Spirit Ring, who had briefly bowed his head at the magical clash between Reindel and Sarkanon, thrust forward his staff and personally charged toward the gate.
The boundary line, which was dying due to the conflict between Reindel and Sarkanon, naturally became the property of the living again as they headed elsewhere.
“To the Innocent Light!”“……! To the Innocent Light!”
The Paladins, the first to regain their senses, formed their battle lines and advanced. Whoosh! Blinding divine power countered the thick morale of the undead legion.
Miracel shouted as she cut through the soldiers.
“Secure the Four Gates!”“The Four Gates…… Ah! I understand!”
As the Elder of the Zentir Magic Tower and the powerful members of the tower took command, mages of rank 3 or higher gathered and aimed at the rear of the undead.
“Commence bombing!!”
Kwaaaaaaaang!Kwagwagwagwang!
The firepower that Hyundai boasted of annihilated the low-quality undead in an instant. Thud! Any one that managed to hold out was clearly snipen by national-level forces.Realizing what they had to do, the entire punitive force let out a roar and cleared a path.
[Those vermin… … .]
“Aaaargh!”
Undead with a danger level of Mithril grade or higher, and intelligent undead, suddenly sprang from the ground and inflicted damage on the legion, but that was all.
Miracel raced at the very front.
Amidst the chaotic battle, I approached the Gate of Death while swinging my sword and repeatedly dodging. As I did so, all the surrounding undead fell, and the highest-ranking undead manifested.
“Sacrificing lower-tier undead to evolve into higher-tier undead. That is the function of this sect.”
Each sect has its own unique influence.
My neck felt cold.
Miracel arched her back as much as possible to slide past the blade and continued to advance. Although she was strong, she had no chance when surrounded like this. Indeed. Miracel had volunteered to be the bait.
Just thirty steps to the gate.
Miracel was blocked by a strange undead holding a huge shield and flung backward. She rolled using the elasticity of her body. A large scythe was embedded where her head had been.
Kagagagagagagagang!
He had been holding off the onslaught of the undead surrounding him on all sides with his back sword, but he reached his limit. There was absolutely no time to use his skills or special techniques.
Kaang!
Backsword flew away.
The undead, looking smarter than they appeared, were ready to savor the terror of the living. A bizarre laugh assaulted Miracel’s eardrums.
“now.”
Miracel muttered softly, covered her head, and lay flat on her stomach.Her back was left defenseless.
[… … ?]
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Gareth, having flown in from afar, crushed the beautifully gathered top-tier undead with his entire body. The Transcendent Being himself was a siege weapon.The undead let their guard down.With a single strike, everything blocking the gate was immediately annihilated.
“Have a safe journey, Your Majesty.”
Having completed her mission, Miracel grabbed the backsword that had fallen to the ground and struck the undead army from behind.
“…….”
Gareth looked at her, then entered the gate without hesitation.
* * *
The scenery inside the Delharun Gate was exactly as Reindel had described it at the emergency summit.
A terrain intricately intermingled with deserts, forests, and wastelands. Giant,glass-shard-like pillars rising irregularly from the earth.A scale comparable to a small county.
The inverted cone crystal situated at its center───the source body of the Four Gates.
There… he is.
Rakdion, the Second Commander of the Xerion Empire, stood before the Source of the Four Gates. Several undead dressed as wizards surrounded the Source in front of him.
[The Four Gates have a limited territory, making it difficult to directly encroach upon enemy territory. It is the limit of their world. Then, how about shattering the Four Gates’ world and scattering the fragments across the continent?]
Gareth frowned.
“……You’re saying you’ll destroy the Four Gates yourself?”
[If this space collapses, all the undead within this gate will scatter across the continent. Precisely, over the cities you seek to protect. The job was long finished.]
Lachdion looked down at Gareth.
[It’s already too late, slave.]
The Four Gates besieged by the World Alliance are difficult to utilize like other Four Gates. Therefore, they are sacrificed. The Empire closes the Four Gates and dispatches all of their undead.In doing so, they cause massive casualties and wage a continent-wide melee.
This was Akand’s plan.
“I guess having the gate blocked was a nuisance to you…… Anyway, a slave?”
Gareth gradually accelerated,veins bulging on his forehead.
“Fuck it, yeah.”
The devil’s life force pulsated.
[I’ll show you what a slave really is.]
Great Demonization
Darkness enveloped Gareth’s entire body. His appearance had become that of a colossal demon itself.Sharp teeth.Clear, inverted eyes.A muscular, fat-free humanoid demon trampled the world of the Four Gates. His presence was drastically different from before.
Countless undead roar against the demon born of resistance.
There was a huge undead on that front line.
The 7th Commander of the Xerion Empire.
Whoosh!
A massive iron mace, as large as the gates of a big city, flies in forcefully, emitting a terrible stench. Gareth, having narrowly dodged it, stepped on his true kick.
Baaaaaaah!
The 7th Commander was struck by a punch and sent flying to the left like a cannonball. Gareth, who had pulverized the small undead with sheer force, leaped with all his might.
Lachdion moved.
The strange atmosphere shook violently.
Gareth and Lachdion, having exchanged blows in the air, stood on the desert sand.
[I’ll tear you apart.]
[Truly a slave, your memory is poor. Let me tell you again.]
Lachdion pointed to the sky.
[It’s already too late.]
Crackle crackle.
A crack appeared in the source body of the Four Gates.
At the same time, as the light soaring from the inverted cone crystal reached the sky, a rift formed. A giant ellipse, and beyond it, the landscape of the continent was reflected.
[Do you think things will go the way you expect? The world isn’t easy, is it?]
[The Holy Lance of the Saint predicted.]
[You idiot.]
Gareth scoffed.
You’ll only learn your lesson after getting beaten up by a tough guy.
Kugugugugugugugugugu… … !
As soon as the space changed, a vast and unpleasant light fell, just as expected.
Seongchang is coming.
