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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 201: Hidden Motives (2)
***
The next day, the group set off for the empire again.
“What do you think a sword is? I say life itself. Without the will to stand tall, even the sharpest blade becomes a dull weight.”
“…Yes, I guess so.”
Despite what happened yesterday, Javier was chatting nonchalantly to Liam. Liam’s face was full of fatigue.
‘What a two-faced bastard.’
Damien was speechless inside.
No matter how shameless a person is, they can’t have that attitude after planning to hit someone in the back of the head.
At least Joshua was keeping his mouth shut, which was a relief.
‘I’m glad I killed his spirit yesterday.’
If Joshua had kept talking to him like that, he would have found it hard to contain his anger.
They traveled like that for a while.
In the distance, a mountain range shrouded in fog gradually came into view.
Even at a glance, it was clear that the mountains were incredibly dangerous.
“It’s the Gormark Mountains.”
Javier said, pointing at the mountains.
“It’s a shortcut from the Kingdom of Dophlin to the empire. It’s a bit dangerous, but if you follow us closely, you’ll be fine.”
Javier led the way. The others followed behind Javier.
The group followed the ridge and moved deep into the mountains. As befitting a dangerous place, there was no sign of life.
Occasionally, dangerous predators like snakes or bears were spotted, but it was no problem.
On this side, there were knights who could kill predators like that with their bare hands.
‘This is the perfect place to kill people.’
Damien thought, looking around the mountains.
Then, suddenly, Damien’s senses detected a killing intent.
It wasn’t the killing intent of a predator. It was much heavier, more secretive.
Damien looked at the knights of the Kingdom of Dophlin. As Damien had expected, it was the killing intent emanating from them.
“Michael, Veronica.”
“Yes, brother.”
“What’s going on?”
The two turned their heads at Damien’s words. Damien spoke with an emotionless face.
“Be prepared.”
It was a sudden remark, but the two did not ask why.
Their eyes flashed and they began to watch their surroundings.
“Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of the Gormark Mountains?”
Javier Silva suddenly stopped walking. Then he turned to the knights of the Apple Kingdom and asked.
“There’s a legend that this mountain range was created by a giant snake that lived in ancient times and caused chaos underground. I don’t know if it’s true, but…”
“I thought it was a beautiful place. I didn’t know there was such a legend.”
Liam replied in a voice devoid of emotion. Javier then burst into laughter.
“I’m glad you like the view. It’s the last scenery you’ll ever see, so make sure to enjoy it.”
“What the…”
Suddenly, the knights of the Kingdom of Dophlin drew their swords all at once.
“Sir Javier! What is the meaning of this!”
Liam shouted in a voice filled with confusion. Javier shrugged.
“I don’t seem to have any obligation to tell you that.”
“Sir Javier!”
Javier ignored Liam’s shouts. Instead, he turned to Damien and said.
“I think we should catch the most important guy first.”
Javier dismounted from his horse. The moment his feet touched the ground, Javier’s body disappeared.
Then, he appeared right in front of Damien’s nose. Javier reached out to grab Damien by the throat.
That’s when it happened.
Just before he was caught, Damien jerked his head back. Javier’s hand ended up grasping only empty air.
“…Huh?”
A look of bewilderment appeared on Javier’s face.
No matter how careless he was, how could a High Class like him… dodge my hand?
“Look at this guy!”
Javier tried to grab Damien again. But before he could, Damien jumped off his horse.
And without looking back, he started running away.
Javier could only stare in bewilderment as Damien disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Leaving his comrades behind and running away?
Javier burst into a long laugh. It had been a long time since he’d met such an interesting guy.
“Joshua, I’m going to chase after Damien. You take care of Liam Bluegreen. Don’t leave a single one alive. Kill them all.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After giving orders to Joshua, Javier chased after Damien.
“Stop!”
Liam Bluegreen tried to block Javier’s path, but it was no use.
There was no way a High Class like him could keep up with the movements of a Master Class.
Javier brushed past Liam Bluegreen. In the distance, he could see Damien running desperately.
“Go ahead and run as far as you can! I’ll catch up to you in no time!”
Javier laughed heartily and chased after Damien.
But something was strange. No matter how much he ran, the distance between them didn’t close.
Every time Damien kicked off the ground, he moved dozens of meters away. As a result, whenever Javier got close, Damien would move away again.
It was as if he was running with his ‘momentum’ ‘amplified’.
“This bastard?”
From the perspective of a Master Class, a High Class was little more than a bug.
His pride was wounded as he failed to catch up to the bug he had been so dismissive of.
In the end, Javier decided to show a little bit of his true power.
He put all his strength into his legs. As a result, Javier’s speed instantly increased. In the blink of an eye, he reached the back of Damien.
“I got you!”
Javier reached out to grab Damien by the nape of the neck.
At that moment, Damien spun around. At the same time, he drew his sword and swung it at Javier.
“Futile!”
Once you reach Master Class, you can protect your body with mana.
A High Class’s aura was not enough to hurt a Master Class.
The tip of the long sword that Damien swung pierced Javier’s torso.
“…?”
At that moment, a heavy shock hit Javier. It was as if he had been hit by a rock, not a sword.
Of course, this kind of shock was nothing to Javier.
But the sudden shock sent him flying backward. The problem was that this was a ridge.
“Oh no.”
Javier’s body fell down the mountain.
Javier flipped his body in the air and pointed his feet down.
His body hit the ground. The ground shattered with a loud noise. But Javier was unharmed.
“…What an interesting guy you are.”
Javier looked up with an intrigued expression on his face.
A High Class, to make him eat his words like this several times.
This couldn’t be explained simply by saying that he was talented.
It was clear that Damien had some huge secret.
“I’ll make you spill your secrets right now.”
It didn’t matter that he fell down the mountain.
Once he, a Master Class, unleashed his full power, he could easily catch a High Class like that…
“There’s no need for that.”
With a voice out of nowhere, Damien fell from above.
At the sight of Damien, Javier tilted his head.
“Why didn’t you run away?”
Damien was able to make fun of Javier because he was letting his guard down.
Otherwise, there was no way a High Class could stand up to a Master Class.
He must have known that, but Damien didn’t run away. Instead, he came down to meet Javier.
“There’s no better place than this to kill you.”
“Kill me?”
Javier laughed as if he had lost his mind.
A bug that would burst all over if he pressed it with his finger was trying to kill him, so he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Really… You’re a young man with a lot of spirit.”
Javier looked at Damien, laughing softly.
“You’ve made me happy, so I guess I should repay you. I’ll give you 3 minutes. Attack me with all your might during that time.”
No human would feel pain if an ant bites them.
[PR/N- Lie.]
Even if he gave Damien 30 minutes instead of 3, Damien couldn’t do anything to him.
“You’re really unlucky.”
Damien said that to Javier as if he didn’t like him.
“But since you’re offering, I guess I’ll take you up on it.”
Damien started to touch his wrist. Slowly, he unbuckled the bracelet that was wrapped around his wrist.
Immediately after, dark mana burst out.
***
“Dark mana?”
Javier Silva exclaimed in astonishment.
Dark mana spread throughout the surrounding area.
“What the… This is ridiculous…”
To the world, Damien was known as a genius and honorary paladin.
So it was no wonder that even the experienced Javier was taken aback by Damien’s possession of dark mana.
“…Interesting. Really interesting.”
However, Javier’s bewilderment was short-lived.
“I was going to capture you alive and then have Joshua kill you, but… I’ve changed my mind. I’ll torture you until you tell me every secret you have.”
Javier’s aura changed.
The lightheartedness was completely gone. An eerie aura like that of a predator with its fangs bared spread out in all directions.
Damien’s secret had piqued Javier’s interest.
But Damien didn’t seem to care much about Javier’s situation.
Damien looked down at his wrist. Two patterns were faintly glowing on his wrist.
The test was over.
The Authority of Wrath could amplify anything. However, it could only amplify it for a split second.
So he needed his own sense of timing and intuition.
Damien used the Authority of Wrath to outrun Javier.
By amplifying his reaction speed, he was able to dodge the movements of a Master Class.
By amplifying his strength, he was able to get away from the Master Class.
By amplifying his blows, he was able to knock the Master Class down the mountain.
It was all perfect. He had gained the confidence that he could use the Authority of Wrath in combat without any problems.
“Three minutes. You said you would give me a handicap?”
Damien used his dark mana to form a dark spell.
Soon, a complex spell was completed. It was so elaborate that it was hard to believe it had been created in such a short time.
However, he couldn’t activate it yet. This was because the amount of dark mana was far from enough.
Other dark mages would have killed countless people and used their souls to solve this problem.
But Damien had a way to replenish his dark mana without resorting to such disgusting acts.
Damien gathered dark mana on his palm and used the Authority of Wrath.
The dark mana, which had been the size of a small ember, began to burn brightly as if oil had been poured on it.
He poured the amplified dark mana into the dark magic. The spell was filled to the brim and was activated.
Black droplets began to gather in front of Damien’s eyes. Soon, they turned into a huge mass.
“What the hell are you…?”
Javier’s expression hardened instantly.
He felt an ominous power from the dark mana. It was so powerful that even a Master Class like Javier couldn’t ignore it.
Damien aimed the huge droplet at Javier.
Eternal Darkness.
One of the ancient dark magics that Dorugo had kept as a personal secret.
The huge mass of water began to compress. It shrank from the size of a house to the size of a fist.
Then, the compressed mass of water was released with a bang. The droplets were sprayed out like buckshot.
The droplets pierced through everything in front of Damien.
Trees, rocks, and even the cliff in front of him were no exception.
Countless holes were punched into the distant cliff. And then the cliff crumbled down.
***
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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