abcnovels
Chapter 193
Chapter 193
Chapter 193
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 193: Death Knight (5)
***
Damien released the sword he was gripping in his hand.
The longsword, made of Orichalcum, instantly disintegrated and disappeared.
Damien raised his head and looked up at the empty sky.
A crack was etched into the nothingness. It was the mark left by the devastating blow Damien had swung.
Cough!
Suddenly, blood burst from his mouth.
Despite only swinging the sword once, his stamina and dark magic were completely drained. To make matters worse, he had also suffered severe internal injuries.
“It seems this body is still too weak for it.”
What Damien had just displayed was no ordinary devastating blow.
It was a partial recreation of the realm he had achieved during his days as a Death Knight.
‘Divine realm’
A realm created by combining all the realms Damien had absorbed.
With the Divine realm, he could unleash any technique and cut through anything.
It was also thanks to the power of the Divine realm that Damien was able to cut through space and dimension.
Cough! Cough!
Damien coughed up more blood.
The Divine realm was an absolute realm, but there was a major problem. It was tailored to the physique of a Death Knight.
Dorugo had poured all the resources he had collected over thousands of years and his own knowledge into Damien to turn him into a Death Knight.
As a result, Damien’s physical abilities at that time were comparable to those of a dragon.
With such a powerful physique as a foundation, the realm created would not be without its toll on the human body.
“I need to reach the Master class as soon as possible.”
That was why Damien was trying to discard what he had learned as a Death Knight and build anew.
He wanted to reach the Master’s realm with a human body, not with dark magic but with normal means.
That was currently Damien’s biggest goal.
“This is going to be tough.”
As Damien was muttering to himself and taking a break, the cracked gap began to repair itself. It was slowly being filled in from both ends.
“Hmm?”
Just then, crimson smoke began to leak out from the gap. Damien knew immediately what it was as soon as he saw it.
“It’s the power of the demon, isn’t it?”
When a demon dies, the power it holds is released outward. This was called the demonic power.
Demonic power was a different kind of power from dark mana. It could be said to be the very essence of a demon’s existence.
Demonic power was no different from an elixir for demons and dark mages. Anyone could become much stronger by absorbing it.
However, from Damien’s point of view, it was nothing more than inconvenient trash to deal with.
‘If I absorb this, it’ll bring me closer to becoming a demon.’
Power had the side effect of corrupting any living being into a demon.
While this would be a welcome side effect for a dark mage, it was not for Damien.
“I should just destroy it.”
Just as Damien was about to use dark magic to disperse the demonic power, his hand suddenly glowed and absorbed all of it. Damien was startled and looked at his hand.
Two symbols were glowing on his hand.
Damien stared at the symbols and exclaimed in surprise.
“An authority has been unlocked?”
In his previous life, Damien had been granted seven authorities by Dorugo.
These authorities had remained in Damien’s body even after his regression for some reason.
Up until now, he had only been able to use the Authority of Gluttony. However, now the second power had been unlocked: the Authority of Wrath.
[TL/N- Changing name from Authority of Greed to Authority of Gluttony.]
The Authority of Gluttony allowed him to decompose and absorb things like mana, dark mana, and miracles.
However, the Authority of Wrath could amplify anything.
It could amplify physical abilities like strength and agility, as well as the power of swordsmanship and mana, and even pain.
The most useful way to use it, however, was to amplify dark mana and magic.
In his previous life, Damien had used the Authority of Wrath to amplify a handful of dark magic to cast a series of super dark magic spells above the 10th tier.
“Unlocking authority with the power of a demon… is that what Dorugo did in my previous life?”
He couldn’t be sure. When Damien had received the powers from Dorugo, all of the powers had been unlocked from the start.
“Well, this isn’t a bad thing.”
Damien’s mind was filled with countless dark magic spells.
He knew everything from the 1st-tier introductory dark magic spells to the 13th-tier spells that no one else but Dorugo had ever reached.
However, he could not use all of these dark magic spells. This was because he could not meet the conditions for each of them.
He didn’t have enough dark mana, he needed a large number of souls, or he had to make a sacrifice.
In order to meet the conditions, he would have to commit disgusting acts like other dark mages. That was why Damien had sealed all of the high-tier dark magic spells.
However, with the Authority of Wrath, he could at least partially overcome these limitations, even if not completely.
A feeling of joy, or emptiness, or something else, blossomed in Damien.
“I should probably get back. They’ll be worried.”
Damien stood all by himself and started to walk back to the city.
“Uh…… uh…….”
He turned toward the source of the muffled moan and saw Perpetuo.
Divine power specialized in protecting its wielder and healing wounds.
That was why Perpetuo had survived the demon’s attack.
“Ughhhhh…”
However, the wounds were too severe. Blood was streaming down his forehead. He felt like he would die if he left it like this.
“He’s an annoying bastard, but… I can’t just leave him to die.”
Thinking about Perpetuo’s achievements in his previous life, it was much more advantageous to keep him alive.
That way, he could eliminate more dark mages.
Damien drew out Dawn. As soon as Damien’s hand touched it, Dawn let out a sword cry as if it was feeling good.
Ziiiiing.
“Can you stop with that creepy noise?”
Ziiiiing!
Dawn protested as if it was displeased. Damien clicked his tongue inwardly. It had unparalleled performance, but this was one thing that was a pain in the ass.
“Heal this guy.”
Ziiiiing!
“I know you don’t like being touched by other people, but what can I do? I can’t just leave him to die.”
Damien forcefully shoved the hilt of Dawn into Perpetuo’s hand.
Ziiiiiiinggggggg…
Dawn trembled violently as if it was really displeased. But even so, it exerted its divine power to heal Perpetuo.
A tremendous amount of divine power seeped into Perpetuo.
Perpetuo’s wounds were healed in an instant. His complexion also returned to normal. It was an incredible healing power.
That was when a problem arose.
It was because Dawn’s healing power was so great that Perpetuo regained consciousness.
“Wh-what, I’m alive…? How did this even… Whack!”
Damien immediately punched Perpetuo in the jaw.
Perpetuo’s head twisted strangely, and he passed out again.
Ziiiiing?
“I can’t let him see you.”
Perpetuo knew Damien as the alias Victor the Woodcutter. He couldn’t show Dawn to him under any circumstances.
“This should be enough.”
Damien sheathed Dawn and headed towards the city.
***
The people in the city were filled with utter terror.
While they were admiring the Starlight Fairies Festival, flames suddenly erupted outside.
At first, everyone was bewildered. But when a series of massive explosions went off outside, everyone finally realized the situation.
“T-this is an attack!”
“H-hey, the guards! Where are the guards?!”
In contrast to the panicked townspeople, the knights in the city seemed relatively calm.
“They’re attacking the castle? Who the hell are these guys?”
“They should know where they are. Let’s show them what we’re made of.”
The knights in the city were all individuals who had made their mark in foreign lands. Some of them were even high-class.
That’s why they had nothing to fear. In fact, they were burning with fighting spirit.
That was until another explosion occurred outside before they could charge out.
The explosion caused an earthquake, shaking the buildings to their foundations. The sound of the explosion deafened their ears.
These massive explosions didn’t happen just once but repeatedly one after another. The knights felt chills running down their spines.
“H-how can they cast such large-scale magic spells in succession…?”
“What kind of monsters are out there?”
But there was still more to be shocked about.
Next, a giant made up of fire appeared. As the giant gathered fire in its hands, the whole world turned bright.
But the next moment, a black wolf appeared and devoured the giant and the fireball all at once. The world, which had been as bright as day, turned dark again.
Thanks to these phenomena, the knights realized something bone-chilling:
“……Monsters.”
The battle that was unfolding outside was not something they could afford to get involved in.
“W-where did such monsters come from……”
“We’re going to die…… We’re all going to die……”
“D-damn it…… W-we shouldn’t have come here.”
Not only the knights, but also the travelers and the residents of the city were all trembling in fear of death.
“This can’t be happening……”
Damien’s family was no exception.
All of them were staring blankly at the direction where the battle was taking place.
“Honey……”
Countess unconsciously grabbed her husband’s hand. Count also squeezed his wife’s hand tightly.
“Don’t panic, everyone. The more this happens, the calmer we need to be.”
Count Haksen said, looking around at his family. Louise and Ballad, Abel and Olivier nodded with determined faces.
Suddenly, Count Haksen said.
“……Where is Damien?”
At his words, the family looked around, and soon their faces turned pale.
Nothing.
Damien was nowhere to be seen.
“My dear, where has he gone?”
“Brother, where are you!”
The family called Damien’s name. They even went inside the building to look for him. But he was nowhere to be found.
The family gathered back on the roof. Everyone’s faces were grim.
“Someone seen Damien?”
Count Haksen asked the hotel staff. They all shook their heads.
“Me, me…….”
Just then, someone raised his hand. It was Victor.
“Victor! Have you seen Damien?”
“Yes…… Oh, he took the mask from me earlier and disappeared.”
“Where did he go? We need to get him back now!”
“Well, I don’t know that.”
At that, the Count frowned.
“What do you mean by that!”
“I, I really don’t know, I only saw him go out…….”
At Victor’s words, the Count felt his legs give out and he fell to the floor.
“My dear!”
“Father!”
His family rushed to his aid. Still, Count Haksen struggled to his feet.
“Da-Damien…… I must find Damien, where has he gone at this perilous moment…….”
Suddenly, an ominous premonition flashed through Count Haksen’s mind.
He looked in the direction of the explosion and muttered to himself.
“It can’t be…… but…… he’s never been quiet before……?”
Then it was.
In the distance, flames leapt up. The flames soon formed the shape of a demon.
No matter how big it was, its head seemed to reach for the stars. It looked like it could easily trample a castle.
The family was terrified by this overwhelming sight.
“Is world going…… destory?”
Count Haksen muttered to himself.
A black flash of light flashed. At the same time, the fire demon split in half and disappeared.
Even as the demon vanished, the crack remained. It was like a scar on the world.
The family was stunned by the spectacle. They stood speechless, staring at the crack.
Over time, the crack slowly healed. The world returned to normal as if it had never happened.
But the family still couldn’t get over the shock.
“This is no time for this! We need to find Damien!”
Just then, Countess shouted. At her words, the family all came to their senses.
“I’ll go to the central square!”
“I’ll check the north side of town!”
“Where are you all going in the middle of the night?”
Startled by the familiar voice, everyone turned their heads. Damien was standing at the door leading to the rooftop.
“Damien!”
“Big brother!”
The family rushed towards Damien without a word of who would go first.
“Damien! You rascal!”
Count Haksen embraced Damien. The other family members also hugged him tightly. Damien wrinkled his nose and said,
“I can’t breathe.”
Despite Damien’s grumbling, the family didn’t let go. They just held him there in silence.
“Where the hell have you been!”
His father shouted, still hugging Damien. Damien held up a paper bag he was holding and said,
“I heard there’s a specialty food you have to eat on festival day, so I went out to buy it.”
A silence fell upon Damien’s words.
“…You went out to buy a specialty food?”
“Yes, but then suddenly there was a commotion and I got caught up in the crowd of people running away.”
Damien rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand as if he was in trouble.
“It took me a while to get out.”
The family looked at each other at Damien’s words.
“Did you… go outside the city?”
Count Haksen asked with a suspicious look on his face. Damien replied incredulously,
“Father, haven’t you seen what’s happening outside? Even I don’t have the ability to get involved in a place like that.”
“R-right? Right? Really?”
At his father’s question, Damien said bluntly,
“Of course.”
***
Perpetuo woke up to find that the other knights had already arrived.
“…Am I alive?”
Perpetuo murmured with a dazed expression.
The demon’s attack had been incredibly fast and powerful. Perpetuo had felt death approaching.
But here he was, alive. Even his wounds had been neatly healed. It was completely incomprehensible.
“Sir Perpetuo, what exactly happened? Who on earth did this to you?”
Perpetuo forced his dazed head to move and tried to recall his memories.
After listening to Perpetuo’s explanation, the paladin asked with an expression of disbelief,
“A demon… overpowered you in one blow?”
“That’s right.”
“According to the testimonies of the townspeople, the demon transformed into a giant but was split in half and disappeared. Who on earth could defeat such a powerful demon?”
The Church also knew about demons.
No, they didn’t just know about them. They had compiled a list and recorded them in detail.
As such, they had a thorough understanding of the demons’ strength.
Demons were very powerful entities but lesser demons such as barons and viscounts were no match for Masterclass.
But to defeat Masterclass in a single blow, Perpetou was recognized by both Church and the Empire.
It had to be at least a Count-level demon.
A Count-level demon was an enormous monster. They might not be as powerful as marquises and dukes, but they could take on a masterclass or two.
“That’s…… I don’t know.”
Perpetuo said with a sheepish face. He’d been too stunned to see anything.
“But there is one person I recognize.”
“Who is that?”
“Victor.”
The paladin looked surprised at Perpetuo’s words.
“Victor can’t possibly be…….”
“A dark mage who disappeared from the Mandarin Kingdom after dealing with some of the dirtiest and most horrible dark mages.”
“But how could a dark mage have killed a demon…….”
“You must be mistaken in your reporting. The Victor I faced was a dark knight.”
The paladin’s eyes widened at Perpetuo’s words.
“An unidentified dark mage who was also master class death knight who might have defeated a Count-class demon… This is no ordinary matter.”
“Indeed, we must definitely identify him.”
The paladin nodded in agreement with Perpetuo’s words.
“I will contact the Church immediately and dispatch an investigation team.”
“We already conducted a investigation before, but we couldn’t find a single trace.”
“Yes, that’s true. But this time it’s different. He’s left so much evidence behind, there’s no way we can miss him.”
The knight said, his eyes gleaming.
“This time, we will uncover the true identity of Victor, the Woodcutter.”
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]