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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 222: The Extermination Squad (2)
***
“Vanexia is a Dark Mage from the Annihilation sect.”
As they were moving towards the dungeon of the giant evil, Rayne explained to Damien what kind of giant evil Vanexia was.
“Do you know where the Annihilation sect is? It’s a sect that branched out from the Doom sect. While the Doom sect deals with dark magic related to flames and destruction, the Annihilation sect deals with dark magic related to ice and wind.”
The Annihilation sect was a sect that created ice to tear apart their enemies or summoned storms to blow them away.
Of course, Damien’s mind was filled with knowledge about the Annihilation sect’s dark magic.
“The reason Vanexia is called ‘Deadlock’ is because he specialized in ice magic within the Annihilation sect. The ice created by Vanexia is as sharp and hard as the aurablade, so it can even penetrate the Holy Shield.”
Rayne’s explanation continued, showing that she had thoroughly researched Vanexia.
It wasn’t surprising, considering the Extermination Squad was receiving support from the Empire.
“A Dark Mage who has mastered all kinds of ice-related magic.”
“Oh, you’re smart? Hard ice is good for both offense and defense, but the real problem is something else.”
Rayne clicked her tongue.
“Vanexia can create ice anywhere. On walls, on the ground, even in mid-air. And their speed is so fast that even knights can’t react in time.”
If that was true, then from the moment they entered Vanexia’s dungeon, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
Otherwise, they would be bisected by suddenly appearing ice.
“Ah, we’ve arrived.”
Rayne pulled on the reins.
The place she stopped at was a vast, barren plain with nothing in sight.
“Roger, don’t just stand there, hurry up!”
“Ugh, do I always have to do the annoying tasks…….”
Roger grumbled as he got off his horse.
Roger drew his sword and he held the hilt with both hands and focused his mana.
“Hump!”
Roger swung his sword to cut through the air, and the air rippled like a wave, revealing a large iron door.
“Surprised? He used a technique that distorted space.”
Rayne explained to Damien, but Damien had already figured out what technique Roger had used.
‘He read the flow of mana and cut it off.’
The specialty of a sword saint was reading the flow of mana.
They could read the flow of attacks, the flow of air, and even the flow of mana.
As the three of them were disciples of a sword saint, it wasn’t surprising that they had similar abilities.
After all, disciples were supposed to have similar techniques.
“That door leads to Vanexia’s dungeon. I’ll warn you in advance, but it’s going to be extremely dangerous. If you want to back out, now’s the time.”
Rayne said with an unusually serious face. Damien chuckled and said.
“What’s the worst that could happen? We’ll go in first.”
“Wow, you’re really fearless, just like our master said. You’ll regret it later?”
The four of them opened the iron door and went down.
***
As they opened the iron door and stepped inside, a large space appeared.
It wasn’t simply a cave that had been dug out. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of evenly cut stone.
“This is the dungeon? Why is it so well-made?”
Just as Rayne stepped forward, the iron door slammed shut. At the same time, a magic circle appeared on the ceiling.
The temperature seemed to drop rapidly, and ice spikes began to grow from the ceiling.
Hundreds of ice spikes were trying to pierce the entire floor. Even in this urgent situation, Rayne and Wilhelm remained unfazed.
Instead, Roger moved.
Roger’s body disappeared. In the next instant, afterimages of Roger surrounded the entire hall.
The flashing aurablade sliced through the ice spikes effortlessly. It also hacked away at the magic circles that were etched on the walls.
Roger returned to the spot where he stood after destroying the traps.
“How about that? Let us see our youngest member’s skills”
Rayne asked Damien with a proud expression. Roger looked at Damien with an arrogant expression, as if asking, ‘Can’t you do this?’
‘He’s been annoying me since earlier.’
Ignoring him would have been enough, but Damien’s personality made that impossible.
He had to trample on this guy who kept picking on him.
“Hey… I can feel a dangerous enemy ahead of us. They must be well prepared.”
Rayne said as she pointed to the corridor that led inside.
“Roger, you should be nervous too. You know how strong a dark mage becomes in their own dungeon, right?”
“I will handle it this time.”
Damien said as he drew out Dawn. Rayne tilted her head in surprise.
“Don’t make rash decisions. Just leave the dangerous stuff to Roger.”
“Isn’t the reason I came on this hunt to gain the trust of the Extermination Squad? I need to work hard and prove that I’m reliable.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were thinking like that. Then let’s see your skills this time.”
Rayne stepped aside and said. As if a competitive spirit had been ignited, Roger intervened.
“Lady, just leave it to me. I’ll take care of everything…”
Before Roger could finish speaking, Damien leaped forward.
“Hey, hey!”
Roger panicked and chased after Damien.
But no matter how fast Roger ran, he couldn’t catch up to Damien.
Instead, the distance grew even farther. Damien had instantly turned into a blur and sped through the corridor.
“He’s in!”
“Attack!”
As soon as they stepped inside, they saw dark mages. Each of them possessed immense magical power.
‘Three are Grand Dark Mages. The rest are High-Level dark mages.’
Even though they were Grand Dark Mages, they were not dark mages who had completed the Vision. They were far from being a match for a Master Class.
However, this was a dark mage’s dungeon.
And in their own domain, they had the advantage. This place was filled with dark magic that they had prepared in advance.
Magic circles appeared all over the floor. At the same time, Damien felt his body becoming increasingly heavy.
It was as if his entire body had turned to stone. As if that wasn’t enough, it felt like boulders were pressing down on his shoulders.
Then, a piercing cold seeped into his body, and his muscles stiffened.
“Alright! He’s caught in the trap!”
“Now’s our chance! Attack him!”
“Focus your magic on his lower body!”
The dark mages raised their staffs. Then, dark mana flowed from somewhere and gathered into their staffs.
Dark magic from the Annihilation sect was unleashed simultaneously.
Ice blades rained down from the front. Spikes shot up from the floor. A piercing cold emanated from behind.
‘All of them are 9th-grade dark magic.’
These were dark magic that were cumbersome for the dark mages here to use.
The reason they were able to activate them was probably because this was their dungeon.
They had used magic circles and catalysts that they had prepared in advance to unleash high-grade dark magic in one go.
‘As expected.’
This level of trap was not enough to hold Damien. He could break through it with sheer force alone.
The same was true of the magic that was pouring down. With Damien’s level of skill, he could block it all by strengthening his aura armor.
However, he needed to show the Extermination Squad behind him his strength and shut them up.
Damien raised the Dawn.
The Sword Saint could read the flow of mana. And Damien knew how to use all of the Sword Saint’s techniques and realm.
In other words, Damien could read the flow of mana just as well.
Damien swung the Dawn and slashed out the magic circle on the ground.
He didn’t need to hack at it like Roger did. He efficiently cut off only the most important circuit.
That alone was enough to render the magic circle inoperable.
Next, he sliced through all the incoming magic with his sword. The formulas that formed the dark magic were cut off and scattered into dark magic.
“What?”
“What the?”
Damien infused the Dawn with mana and swung his sword repeatedly at the dark mages.
The unleashed aurablade sliced off the necks of the dark mages. The dark mages died without even screaming.
“Hey! What about me…”
Roger, who had followed behind, saw the inside and shut his mouth.
“Oh, it’s already over?”
“…”
Rayne and Wilhelm also had surprised expressions.
“Since the cleanup is done, let’s go inside.”
Damien said to the three of them as he sheathed the Dawn.
***
“Wow, amazing.”
As they walked down the corridor, Rayne whispered to Wilhelm in a low voice.
“I knew he was great, but not this great.”
The dark mages who had just attacked Damien weren’t that impressive.
Without Vision, they couldn’t stand against a Master Class, after all.
What Rayne was paying attention to was time.
Although they hadn’t completed the Vision, this was a dark mage’s dungeon.
The traps set by the dark mages were at an amazing level, even a Master Class would struggle with them.
But Damien had taken down all the dark mages before Roger even arrived.
And when they examined the remaining traces on the scene, it was clear that Damien hadn’t wasted any unnecessary energy.
He had disabled the magic circle with one strike and taken down the dark mages with one strike.
Rayne had never seen a knight with such clean and precise skills.
“Our master will be impressed.”
Wilhelm nodded in agreement with Rayne’s words.
“Thanks to that, Roger is completely in control now.”
Roger was quietly following behind Damien, his expression clearly showing that he was overwhelmed by Damien’s abilities.
Just then, the corridor came to an end, revealing a massive underground chamber.
“What the…!”
An angry blue-haired man was grinding his teeth there and his anger was palpable.
“You Empire pigs have crossed the line! How dare you attack my research lab!”
Even though he was just standing there, an enormous amount of dark mana could be felt emanating from him. The air itself seemed to be tainted by his dark mana.
It was clear, without needing to be told, who this man was.
Vanexia, the Deadlock.
The archenemy from Pandemonium was right in front of them.
In that moment, the atmosphere around Rayne and Wilhelm changed.
The friendliness they had displayed until now instantly disappeared.
Only a fierce killing intent remained, like smoke swirling around them.
The Extermination Squad.
A group formed by the disciples of a sword saint.
The sword saint had taken in those who had lost their families to dark mages as his disciples.
The name “Extermination Squad” was a manifestation of their hatred.
“Wow, the trash is talking?”
“Shut up, bitch!”
“It seems you still don’t understand the situation, considering how carelessly you’re talking.”
Rayne glanced at Damien and Roger as she said this.
“Step back, both of you.”
Rayne and Wilhelm gripped their weapons and stepped forward, unleashing their aura simultaneously.
Two Master Class swordsmen who had transcended their limits.
Their powerful energy pushed back against the dark mana and filled the space.
Vanexia’s expression stiffened at the sight.
“……The Sword Saint, that fucker, sent monsters after me.”
“Don’t speak disrespectfully of my master, or I’ll rip your tongue out.”
“Your arrogance knows no bounds. I was already in a bad mood, and now it’s even better. Killing all four of you will clear my head.”
The giant evil used his magic. In that instant, the entire chamber was covered in ice.
And to make matters worse, snow began to fall. The wind was like a sharp blade, relentless in its attack.
It was like being caught outside on a cold winter day.
‘He’s indeed a great evil.’
Grand Dark Mage who had completed the Vision could become strong enough to rival a Master Class.
And if they went one step further, they would gain a special ability.
Domination of space.
They could perfectly control a certain range of space, making it their own.
“Ugh, I wish I had worn thicker clothing.”
Even seeing this, Rayne and Wilhelm didn’t lose their composure.
“It’s cold, so let’s quickly finish this and go back.”
Rayne and Wilhelm charged towards Vanexia.
***
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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