novelzi Chapter 114: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (1)
Chapter 114: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (1)
Chapter 114: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (1)
Golden Chul felt a strong sense of discomfort at the sight of the demon swordsman before him.
‘Is there... someone with this kind of presence?’
Just by being there, he exuded a powerful presence.
Even though he couldn’t be seen or heard, everyone instinctively realized his presence.
He had faced countless S-class monsters.
The Red Gate he had cleared so far, or the Yakt Spinner, Cheongju nightmare but even they were merely inorganic ‘enemies’, not worthy of such a dangerous intuition.
‘Lionheart.’
For the first time in his life, he felt that the demon swordsman in front of him was untouchable──
-Pow!
At that moment, the Japanese Hunters leaped forward in unison and at the same time, the Demon Swordsman was crushed by something. It was a torn Demon Tower Sealing Scroll.
“It’s a 100 million yen item that crushes through space! When he can’t move, surround him!”
At Takeda’s command, a thick shield centered on the tanks blocks the escape route and aims their weapons. In a matter of moments, they had the Demon Swordsman surrounded.
The swords and spears of over a hundred Class A Hunters pointed at Demon Swordsman Chun Ji-so...no, Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter.
“I can’t believe that any demon swordsman could face this many Hunters.”
“Don’t worry, no mage swordsman in history has been able to defeat so many hunters.”
He was the sixth-generation demon swordsman. In other words, the previous five Demon Swordsmen had been defeated.
“Now, wait....”
At that moment, Yong-wan felt a very serious case of déjà vu. It was the same for Ha Yuri, and when he was about to say something──a creepy feeling came over them.
“Dodge──!!”
Thirty super-fast stabs rained down in an instant and “thirty” hunters were pierced.
Most of them were beyond the reach of the sword, but a scattering of crackling energy pierced through the Hunters as if space were no barrier.
The only ones who survived were the few who retreated backwards with all their might, acting on instinct.
“Slash...!”
Takeda calmly drew his sword at this moment but Akasha’s sword was faster than him.
-Kwah!
In a moment that can only be described as a flash, the blade that blocked the magic sword broke into pieces while Takeda’s armor shattered and bounced back.
“What?!”
It was a Legendary class armor, but the demon sword crushed Takeda’s sword along with it, trying to cut through his torso.
“Damn it...!”
The Japanese S-class Hunter instantly threw himself down and stabbed Akasha but the attack was blocked by a sword.
“Boom...!”
Takeda managed to avoid being sliced in half, but he didn’t expect him to defend so perfectly. He tried to close the distance for now, but the slashing sword didn’t miss him.
-Bam...!
He blocked but the blow bent his sword and Akasha added more power.
-... Zip!
The sword splintered and the figure was cut in half from the crown of his head.
“Hmph...!”
Golden Chul swung his huge two-handed hammer and a devastating blow, capable of demolishing a building in a single blow, struck him in the buttocks but,
‘He blocked it with his hands?!’
Akasha caught Golden Iron’s hammer with his palm and even with his strength, he couldn’t break free of his grip on the hammer.
“Hold it!”
Looking for an opening, Yong-wan fired three enchanted arrows at Akasha but the demon swordsman swung his sword, however at that moment, something happened.
Skill
The three arrows split into 30 arrows. This is not a fake or an alter ego. It’s an inescapable shot, multiplied tenfold.
-Pabat!
The greatsword as tall as a man moved swiftly, a movement that even Yong Wan, an S-class Hunter and Archer with a good eye, couldn’t keep up with.
The next moment, a stab of lightning speed that cut down thirty Hunters is in front of him.
-Boom!
The stab was blocked by a sword that reflected a shaped light. Kang Jin-sung grabbed Yong-wan and blocked the blow, but he couldn’t stop the destructive power of the sword’s thrust and was knocked back.
“Thank you, old man.”
“......strong.”
Kang Jin-sung’s right arm, which had blocked the demon sword, trembled.
“Strange...I fought a demon sword in Ulsan...but it wasn’t this strong.”
During Chun Ji-so awakening as a demon swordsman, Kang Jin-sung had fought alongside Lee Yong-wan in the Ulsan tragedy.
“He’s much faster than he was then... and he’s grown stronger.”
“Grown?” for new novels
Were demon swordsmen also growing beings? But even so, this was.......
“Is Takeda-kun okay?”
The Japanese hunters answered Kang Jin-sung’s question.
“His injuries are...severe. The healers are working on him, but he’s... strangely unable to recover!”
“......Yong-wan-kun, what does the system window say?”
Kang Jin-sung, who was too busy watching out for the Demon Swordsman to pay attention to the system window, asked instead.
“Slaughter...Declaration.”
[Slaughter Declaration]
[Effect:
-Applies to all creatures.
-Physical Resistance decreases by 90%.
-All biological defenses are reduced by 90%.
-Vitality is rapidly reduced.
-Wounds do not heal.]
It was a terrible debuff that couldn’t be offset even with the best Commander-type Hunter in the world.
‘That’s not all.’
There were also Slaughter Archduke Akasha’s aura, Despairing Presence, and countless other debuff auras.
One is legendary, but there are many. Even S-class Hunters, who normally carry buffs, can lose more than 50% of their power.
‘The Slaughter Archduke...He’s on par with Rakshar!’
How could humanity possibly win against such monsters?
“It doesn’t matter, we’ll just have to kill them.”
It was then that Chun Jin-soo stepped forward, with his greatsword slung over his shoulder.
“Seeing as how you’re so strong, you must be doing well.”
Akasha’s movements were somewhat sluggish but it wasn’t just Chun So-yeon who attacked him.
“For Lionheart!”
“”For Lionheart...!””
The Hunters of Hanbit Palace attacked in unison. The sword of S-class Hunter Park Yong-shin and the weapons of the Hunters struck Akasha but at that moment, Akasha parried all of them with her demon sword.
“Oh no!”
She counterattacked in a split second, decapitating two Hunters.
“Damn...!”
Park Yong-shin narrowly avoided the sword that was also swung at him. Realizing that their ambush had failed, the Hunters of Hanbit Palace immediately formed a formation.
“We’re down two, my lord.”
“To counterattack at such short notice...What a monster.”
Still, the rescue of their targets, Chun Jin-soo and Kang Jin-sung, had been successful.
Park Yong-shin looked around.
“Why are you all so slack-jawed, why aren’t you resisting that evil creature?”
“It’s...easy to say.......”
Golden Chul said with difficulty. His resistance had already been drastically reduced by debuffs, and now he was hit by Akasha’s sword.
Even if it was just a shockwave, it was a shockwave from such a huge sword. The entire island was cratered as if it had been hit by a nuclear bomb.
“Ugh.......”
Huang Yeon-ha dragged her shattered body to her feet and leaned against her brother’s side, her weak voice crying out in frustration.
“You guys...why can you move so well.......You’re taking... debuffs.”
The fact that she came so quickly suggests that she was near the moment of impact with Akasha’s sword. A mere swipe would have killed most Hunters instantly, so how could they be so unharmed?
“Hmm... I don’t know? Perhaps it’s because of our faith in the gods?”
[Cultists] partially resist malignant curses]
They are rare talents to be able to believe in something so completely, and to be willing to lay down your life for it.
Others may call them crazy, but to them, it’s a testament to their faithfulness. And.......
“Chun So-yeon──”
Akasha...who controlled the shell of Chun Ji-so, So-yeon’s father, glared at her with an emotionless gaze.
“Divine──power.”
Ventasis, the god of darkness and vengeance, and Arianna, the goddess of light and justice.
Chun So-yeon holds a magic sword and a holy sword blessed by those two gods.
“There is no such thing as losing. I only take the body I should have taken four years ago.”
“.......”
Chun So-yeon glared at Akasha wordlessly. At this moment, her power was being amplified to a ridiculous degree.
[The avenger has encountered her foe. She mortgages her soul to amplify her power]
-Soul consumption rate: 12%.
The power of vengeance consumes Chun So-yeon’s soul, amplifying her power to realize her vengeance. It’s like mortgaging her future.
“I can do it. With this power...!
Chun So-yeon marveled at the omnipotence of the Holy Law that she could feel throughout her body but then, a sword slashed down.
-Boom!
“What?!”
If it weren’t for her amplified strength, she wouldn’t even be able to react but the cost of blocking such a huge force with his bare body was devastating.
-Crack!
Tendons all over her body burst as a ghastly sound coursed through her body, and it was only with the darkness of Ventasis supporting her and the light of Arianna resisting the force of evil that she was able to stand.
“The power of the gods is–mighty. Countless of my people have been annihilated by their power.”
Akasha looked down at Chun So-yeon and twisted her lips at the catastrophe, the annihilation of tens of millions of demons that only demons could know.
“A power that could shatter our immortality. But──”
The demon sword weighing down on Chun So-yeon became even heavier. The Demon Archduke’s gaze pierces through her, mocking.
“You are not one of those knights.”
You are nothing.
“Miss So-Yeon!”
Park Yong-shin and the Hunters rushed to her aid.
The Hanbit Palace was willing to risk martyrdom for a mere girl empowered by the gods.
[Blood Wave]
At that moment, a dense blood wave spread out from the center of the demon sword in the form of a ring.
-Kaaaah!
Hunters everywhere were swept away by the wave. With just a single wave passing through them, they were sprawled on the ground, feeling the pain of having their entire bodies shattered.
“I am the power of destruction.”
Akasha was about to spill insults as she displayed her overwhelming power.
“Hhhhhhhh...!”
But the first person to do it was someone completely unexpected.
“.......”
Akasha’s gaze snapped to the direction of the unconscious Hunters.
“What’s -so- funny, mortal.”
Yong-wan chuckled and fixed his broken glasses.
“No, it’s just... it’s kind of ridiculous.”
Everyone looks at him like he’s crazy. Smiling in this situation seemed like giving up on everything.
But Yong-wan wasn’t being silly because he had given up everything.
-Kaaaaaaaah!
Light pours in as a dazzling golden light spreads from the sky, threatening to envelop the island.
“What is immortality.......?”
The overwhelming light hit him in the back.
“In front of him... aren’t we all mortals anyway?”
A surge of simmering anger creeps up on him.
“Well, honestly, I’m irreligious... but this makes me want to believe in gods. Even demigods...are gods, right?”
Akasha’s gaze slowly moves toward the source of the light.
A golden hair color and blue eyes.
A living demigod and the greatest Holy Knight.
Terror of the Evil Ones and their greatest slayer.
“──Lionheart.”
The Lionhearted King.
The doom of all evil.