Chapter 74 – Conclusion (2)

Conclusion

“Have you come?”

A rumbling voice echoed throughout the entire hall. The ruler of the Kingdom of Adria, and now the corrupted Demon King. Edward rose from his throne. The light from the chandelier hanging on the ceiling illuminated his appearance starkly.

A long sable coat hung loosely, and a belt adorned with jewels flashed beautifully. Even at a single glance, one could feel it was a masterpiece crafted painstakingly by an artisan. However, they were ornaments ill-suited for a skeleton over three meters tall. Perhaps they would look better as burial goods. He defied death. ‘Is it a giant skeleton this time?’ Just as Veloc clicked his tongue,

“I am truly impressed. To think that a mere four people could break through my fortress and reach the throne.”

The monster, who had now discarded even his human guise, took a step forward. A dark black sword was stabbed at his feet. It was a greatsword so massive that it could compare to Veloc’s own.

“You talk too much. Aren’t you going to attack?”

Veloc replied indifferently as he raised his sword. The massive piece of metal was pointed at the crowned skeleton and the woman standing next to him. The metal scrap that barely covered her private parts looked quite vulgar. However, the spider legs attached to her back and the two horns rising high on her head made it clear that she was no ordinary whore. The woman replied.

“Please understand, young knight. Edward has been lonely for quite a long time. He couldn’t find a proper conversation partner other than me.”

“Did you entice him with your lower body? You filthy demon!”

Adel replied harshly, drawing up her holy power. Astaroth didn’t even frown at the flames burning around her body. She merely smiled deeply and covered her mouth with one hand.

“Calling it enticing is a bit much. Shall we call it a deal? I had something I wanted from him, and he also had something he wanted from me…”

“Indeed. I am not her subordinate, nor is she my subject. If I had to explain, we are blood-bound allies.”

Although the truth of those words was unknown, judging by the ongoing conversation, it meant that the king had signed a contract with the archdemon while maintaining a normal state of mind. ‘This guy is crazier than I thought.’ As Veloc shook his head, the Demon King, throwing back his sable cloak, grabbed the sword he had planted. Soon, he drew it out roughly and pointed it at Veloc. He spoke in a low and clear voice.

“Young knight, what is your name? I shall remember you.”

A burning flame erupted from the hollow sockets of the skeleton. His eyes focused solely on the knight holding the sword. Helena’s paladin, the mage, and the elf didn’t even enter his sight.

“Veloc. Veloc Heine.”

“Yes, Veloc of the Heine family. I will mourn you as I chew on your flesh and blood. I shall also have your broken tale of adventure painted and hung in a frame.”

Veloc did not reply immediately. He was focusing on the sound coming from behind him. Soon, the muttering stopped. It meant Cara’s spell was prepared.

“Are your last words finished?”

Veloc replied indifferently and lowered his stance. Inside his dark armor, his muscles, writhing like a wild beast’s, pulled taut. The velvet-covered floor shrieked with a rumble and began to leave deep footprints.

He charged, becoming a black line just like before. From behind the knight, the lightning cast by Cara and Isabel’s arrow rushed in all at once. However, the arrow and magic were easily blocked by a black veil that popped out from somewhere. ‘This bitch?’ In the end, only Veloc’s sword clashed with the Demon King.

“It is a rare source of amusement. I would appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt him. I shall play with you instead.”

Astaroth, who had cast a spell with one hand extended, turned her gaze. At the end of it were the paladin, mage, and elf remaining in the back. Cara spoke, breaking into a cold sweat.

“To think the three of us would end up facing the archdemon…”

“We just need to hold out for a bit. Veloc will defeat that skeleton and come help us.”

Whether Isabel had used up all her arrows with the previous strike, she slung the bowgun on her back and drew the sword at her waist. In front of the two, Helena’s paladin stood firmly. Astaroth’s eyes gleamed with interest as she looked at Adel. Soon, she tilted her head and licked her lips with her tongue.

“What grand holy power. Are you that proxy of Helena? But… still inexperienced. You wouldn’t even make half of one.”

Extending one arm, she incessantly chanted an unknown spell. Facing her, Adel also shouted loudly, raising her shield forward.

“O Goddess who shines wholly upon me. Give me strength!”

The moment the Goddess’s crest shield rose in front of them, Astaroth’s red eyes opened wide and her spell exploded. The two forces clashed, causing sparks to crackle. The view before their eyes flashed wildly, and a roaring sound struck their ears. It was loud enough to reach even Veloc, who was clashing swords in the center of the hall. The monster clashing blades with him, the Demon King, spoke.

“Your companions are neither as fast nor as strong as you. Now, I wonder how long they will last?”

Between the monster mocking him while rattling his bony jaw, two massive pieces of metal were visible. The two greatswords made a screeching sound and threw off sparks. Veloc did not reply. It was hard enough facing this guy right now while keeping an eye on the archdemon standing on the stairs.

He took a sharp breath and pushed his sword upward. Meeting a downward strike with an upward block was nonsensical in terms of common sense. However, the strength he had accumulated so far, the monster-like muscular power writhing within his body, made it possible. Under the monstrous force striking his hands, the Demon King’s large sword faltered and retreated. Due to the recoil, both of them also took a few steps back. The Demon King shook his head. His flickering pupils were wide open.

“It feels like arm wrestling with some ogre. No, it’s more than that. Right now, my body should have discarded the shackles of humanity and become far stronger. What on earth are you…”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Veloc also shook his head.

Thinking logically, a body left with only bones and no muscles to generate force would be weaker. No, in the first place, if there are no muscles, how could it even move? Then how does that skeleton move? The thoughts of the underworld residing in its body? Or wicked magic? Damn it. Veloc clicked his tongue. What a bizarre world where everything works as long as you slap on a spell, secret art, or contract. The modern man’s contemplation ended there.

Veloc exhaled the breath he had held and inhaled once more. Soon, he strongly swung the sword he had retrieved. An outrageously long and large blade flew toward the monster’s neck. In response, the Demon King also swung his sword. The two blades clashed with a clang, and a sound like an exploding bomb rang out. At that moment, the Demon King slightly twisted his wrist. Veloc’s sword was deflected at a bizarre angle. The point of impact also missed. It was a parry.

“Are you flustered? This must be your first time clashing with a warrior of similar strength. That arrogance will strangle your neck!”

Seizing the gap, the Demon King struck straight down with his sword. He intended to crush him along with his shoulder. Veloc changed his grip on the handle of the sword he was holding. Soon, he raised the handle upward, blocking the monster’s sword. Immediately after the steel handle deflected the sparks, he regained the balance of his tilting sword. Next, after deflecting the Demon King’s sword, he used that force to spin his body.

Watching the sword fly toward him, drawing a blurry trajectory, the Demon King thought. Having gained sufficient force and acceleration, that sword was far faster than any before it. Could he block it? No. If he blocked it unprepared, his posture would be broken. If that happened, he would be pushed back and cornered in an instant. After a brief contemplation, he decided to counterattack. Extending his sword straight out, he aimed for Veloc’s wrist. Veloc clicked his tongue and pulled back his sword. This time, the crossguard threw off sparks, and the monster and the human stepped back in hesitation once more. ‘Hmm. A bit troublesome.’

“This bastard…”

Leaving behind the opponent who clenched his fleshless teeth, Veloc charged once again. A massive iron pillar flew in, and in response, a mace-like force also flew. The rune-engraved sword emitted bright blue sparks. The black sword scattered dark smoke. Bending his body to avoid a thrust, he struck down in the gap. The opponent blocked it as well and swung diagonally once more. The clashing swords moved from the middle stance to the lower, and finally rose to the upper. A sound like an exploding bomb echoed loudly.

Due to the blurry thin lines created by the two, the carpet on the floor had already been torn to shreds long ago. Veloc’s eyes and shoulders also spun busily. A single brief mistake, and his head would be crushed. Because the blades they wielded possessed more than enough power to do so. ‘Right, you have enough skill to talk big.’

At that moment, the two swords locked together with a clack. It was a unity achieved by chance meeting chance. Veloc was not flustered. Holding his sword in one hand, he immediately swung his fist. As the gauntleted hammer struck, the skeleton right in front of him reeled with a cracking sound. The crown rolled on the floor with a clang, and the Demon King shrieked.

“Aaaargh! How cowardly!”

“This is not a duel. It’s a fight for survival.”

Veloc snorted and parried the monster’s sword which was swung in desperation. Soon, he threw punches or kicked with his boots in the gaps. Clutching his ringing head, the king, who was busy enough just deflecting the incoming sword, had no choice but to take the punches and kicks.

A loud snapping sound resonated. The splendidly decorated cloak rolled on the floor, and the jeweled belt also smashed to pieces with a crash. In an instant, with his ribs exposed, he rolled unsightly on the floor. ‘He looks even more hideous without those things.’ Just as Veloc was about to strike down with his sword, the Demon King’s eyes flared violently. In unison, the black sword fallen on the floor also began to vibrate and shake. He roared like thunder.

“Attila!”

What? A dark shadow flew before Veloc’s eyes. It was the black sword the king had been wielding. Veloc deflected the sword that attacked on its own as if it had wings. The black sword spun and was caught in the Demon King’s hand. Soon, it emitted thick smoke and began to wriggle, changing its appearance.

The sleek blade became bumpy and contoured. A bizarre skull pattern appeared on the crossguard. Finally, a blood-red pupil rose in the center of the blade. ‘Damn it, what is that again? A magic sword?’ Grasping the bizarre sword in his hand, the Demon King placed the crown that had been rolling on the floor back onto his head. As he breathed in the smoke wriggling from the sword, his cracked skull smoothly regenerated. Not stopping there, his appearance also began to change.

“When I watched you through the crystal ball, I thought you were a knight of great strength. But it is more than that. Yes, you are no fool who acts up relying solely on talent. You are a warrior who has crossed countless lines between life and death.”

His skull, which had a human shape, cracked open and transformed into that of a beast. His ribs and shoulder bones also protruded like awls. It looked like looking at goat horns. Accordingly, his size also became twice as large. Having completed the transformation, he exhaled a deep breath. Dark smoke poured out of his fleshless lungs. Now having changed into the remains of a monster, the king rattled his jaw.

“If a human form won’t do… then I just need to find another way. Just as I transcended death.”

The hand of the beast, left with only bones, tightly gripped the magic sword. The dark poison flowing down the blade ruthlessly melted the stone floor. ‘Damn. This guy is completely a monster now. Is that your true form?’ At that moment, screams were heard along with the sound of something breaking. The sound of bodies rolling on the floor was heard in succession. Over their screaming voices, unfamiliar and strange spells mixed in. Then, along with groans of pain, an unpleasant laughter overlaid them.

“I shall see how long you last in the endless nightmare. Well… it won’t be long before you lick the top of my foot, though.”

Veloc could not turn his head. Because either the monster in front of him or the demon on the stairs would seize that opening. As if knowing this, the skeletal monster laughed gloomily.

“Knight, it seems your companions have already fallen. Or should I say they held out well? Splendid, for humans. But… now that her touch has reached them, it is over. Serving a fallen elf, a paladin, and a mage all at once wouldn’t be so bad.”

Veloc’s expression vanished. His gaze directed toward the monster whose ribs were heaving like spears and the demon sitting cross-legged on the throne. ‘These bastards.’ The grip of his hands grew stronger. His heart also began to beat wildly.

The things he had accumulated so far—strength surpassing a giant, an unyielding willpower, five senses transcending humans, and even the inexplicable Sixth Sense—these powers existing inside him flowed through his blood vessels and awakened his body strongly. After excluding all these powers, a single new power sunken at the bottom caught his eye. Veloc’s will moved. It immediately began to pull the sunken new power up to the surface.

He took a breath. He felt it. A bizarre energy flowing through his blood vessels and nerves. ‘An imagery. It wasn’t pie in the sky after all.’

The rune on the blade flared crimson, enough to blind the eyes. Intense sparks also crackled. Holding the lightning in his hand, the knight muttered.

“So this is how you use it.”

A bright yellow thunderstorm was wrapping around the blade of the greatsword like a whirlpool.