The End (1)
Chapter 166
Ray swung his swords in the blink of an eye.
As purified mana surged through the twin blades and formed a Sword Energy, it vanished into thin air.
Everyone who had been watching Ray did so with lingering distrust, their eyes chasing after the mysterious disappearance of the Sword Energy.
The next moment.
Dozens of Leaping Sword Energies separated from the main force, tearing through space and falling all around.
Knights serving Brantley, positioned near the prisoners, reflexively swung their swords at the sudden appearance of the Leaping Sword Energies.
Kwa-ga-ga-gak!!!
A thunderous sound erupted as knights struck by the Leaping Sword Energies tumbled to the ground, sustaining various injuries.
That was the signal.
Without any commanding officer giving the order to move, the fortress defenders charged forward with cries that resembled the howls of beasts.
Even the lowliest soldiers without cores in their hearts, and the commanding officers leading the entire defense force, were drawn forward by the flashing light of Ray’s raised sword.
The defensive forces of the fortress clashed with Brantley’s troops, which had wasted time in confusion.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!!!!!
Weapons intermingled in an instant, screams and blood scattering everywhere.
Brantley’s forces, arranged like they were guarding the Warp Gate, wavered significantly.
Objectively, Brantley’s forces clearly held the advantage.
They had four Graduates, a perfect combination of high-level units including senior mages and paladins.
However, the fortress defenders pressed forward with manic determination in their eyes.
They were intoxicated, envisioning themselves as part of Harshia’s legendary legion from ancient myths as they wielded their weapons.
Forgetting even the fear of death, these crazed warriors threw themselves forward, craving only the flesh of their enemies.
And toward the battlefield swept with a storm of blood, Ray leaned his body forward.
Kwaang!
“?!”
One of the Graduates aiding Brantley turned around mid-battle against the defenders.
Ray was approaching.
The Graduate suppressed the disorienting confusion clouding his mind and swung his sword at Ray.
Radiant Sword Energies collided, each attempting to cut the other down.
Kwa-gak!!!!
Though the shapes of the Sword Energies on both swords were similar, their power differed vastly.
“…!!”
The Graduate who barely managed to block Ray’s strike instinctively tried to retreat.
However, Ray swung both swords, cutting off the Graduate’s escape route while closing the distance further.
In that fleeting moment, the Graduate attempted to exploit a perceived opening in Ray’s defense, but it was futile.
Overdrive.
The legendary technique of Harshia was enacted, accelerating Ray’s swords drastically.
The Graduate couldn’t properly react to Ray’s swift slash.
Chaac!!
The Graduate’s arm, along with the armor, was cleanly severed. Immediately after,
A horizontal swing of Moros also decapitated the Graduate.
The knight’s body collapsed.
Ray plunged straight into the enemy ranks.
Every time the dual swords swung, blood blossomed profusely.
Ray advanced, utterly slaughtering the enemies one-sidedly.
No one could stop him.
To delay Ray even for a moment, a few Graduates or numerous Expert Level fighters would have to sacrifice themselves like expendable items.
But that was impossible.
Brantley’s forces were a collection of elite units drawn from different factions.
While individually skilled, they could not throw themselves into selfless sacrifices for one another.
As Ray disrupted the enemy formation, the fortress defenders went wild with madness.
Meanwhile, as chaos spread like wildfire, Luna summoned spirits.
The summoned spirits attacked where the enemies had stored the stolen supplies.
One mid-tier spirit, two mid-upper tier spirits, and one high-tier spirit conjured powerful winds.
With the unexpected arrival of the spirits, the confusion within Brantley’s forces intensified.
A few commanders tried to restore order, but before they could speak, they were struck by descending Leaping Sword Energies.
While the enemies were floundering, Johanna retrieved her sword.
Without infusing any mana, she swung her sword and cut through the restraints binding the knights.
This feat was possible due to the superior quality of the sword given by Zeppelin compared to the metal forming the restraints, combined with Johanna’s top-tier swordsmanship.
Those freed rushed into battle, weapons in hand, maintaining silence despite having no time to don armor.
Intense cries and screams continued to echo through the underground area.
“What is this…?”
As formations began collapsing in the blink of an eye, Brantley took faltering steps backward, his face drained of color.
At this rate, he would lose and have his head taken.
Brantley urged the mages.
“Kill that guy!! Kill him immediately!!”
Pointing at Ray, Brantley screamed uncontrollably.
Following Brantley’s orders, the mages attempted to unleash firepower without regard for friendly casualties, but it was reckless.
The fact that no one could properly restrain Ray meant that Leaping Sword Energies could pierce their heads at any moment.
Sensing the mages’ attempt, Ray immediately swung his sword.
Leaping Sword Energies tore through space, bombing the heads of the mages.
Kwa-ga-ga-gak!!!
Chunks of flesh flew in all directions.
Brantley, protected intensively by knights, escaped unharmed but stood trembling, extending his hand forward.
The Dragonheart in his heart resonated with the circle encircling it, emitting a bluish flame.
Waves of blue flames indiscriminately harmed friend and foe alike as they surged toward Ray.
Continuing to advance, Ray silently crossed his swords.
Kra-dugk-!
Multiple bursts of Sword Energy repeatedly resonated and repelled, severely distorting space around Ray.
The flames flowing through the distorted space transformed into a ring shape before surging upward toward the ceiling.
Hwar-rlek!!
As the flames rose, a path opened, and once again Ray and the fortress defenders advanced.
The army following Ray was no different from fanatics who had forgotten fear.
Under the radiant new imperial divine swords, zealots gathered, disregarding death as they charged forward.
Facing them, Brantley’s forces questioned themselves.
What exactly are we fighting against?
What exactly are we fighting against?
It was unknowable. Completely unknowable. The smell of blood grew stronger.
After their formations collapsed multiple times, Brantley’s forces were pushed back to a corner of the underground plaza.
Lilith grabbed the disoriented Brantley and retreated to the very rear of the troops.
Brantley’s forces tried to hold their semi-circular formation, but it quickly crumbled.
Before the soldiers could even hint at surrender, their bodies were sliced apart, prompting Brantley to regain his senses and grab Lilith.
“Can you activate the Warp Gate immediately?! No, make it activate!!!”
Shaking Lilith by the collar, Brantley shouted to the remaining troops.
“Clear a path to the Warp Gate!!! Just to the Warp Gate…!!”
If they could retake the Warp Gate, and if Lilith fulfilled her role…
If things went that way, they could escape this nightmarish situation that made them laugh helplessly.
The enemies wouldn’t chase them beyond the gate, and even if they did, they’d be annihilated by the waiting forces on the other side.
Brantley believed that.
He kept shouting, believing that.
But before he could finish speaking, Lilith’s grip pierced into Brantley’s chest.
Pru-dugk!!
“?!’
The sound of shattered ribs echoed loudly.
Looking in disbelief at Lilith’s hand protruding from his chest, Brantley spat out blood.
Phuuk!!
The Dragonheart soaked in blood was pulled out from Brantley’s heart by Lilith.
Lilith opened her palm.
The solitary Dragonheart glowing red vibrated faintly above her palm.
Cheop!
Brantley’s body collapsed lifelessly.
There was no human capable of surviving with a damaged heart.
Brantley was dead.
The shocking event momentarily froze even the frenzied battle.
The now few remaining subordinates of Brantley, with their backs turned to the enemies, pointed their swords at Lilith.
“Wh, what is the meaning of this…?!”
Could she have killed Brantley directly to beg for mercy from the enemy?
Or does she have some other scheme?
Under everyone’s intense gaze,
Lilith stopped her insane giggling and stiffened her expression.
“Guess I can’t even laugh properly.”
Trying to force a smile, her face kept tensing up.
It was truly ironic.
Since Lilith rejected the world and underwent full blooming into a demon,
She lost most of the emotions that normal intelligent beings possess.
Joy, sorrow, pain—none of those emotions remained in their original form; they either mutated or were forgotten entirely.
However, the emotion of fear branded by ‘him’ six hundred years ago continued to haunt her mind even after entering the demonic realm.
She tried tearing her hair, thrashing, and screaming like an ordinary person, but the scars left by him never faded easily.
After six hundred years, the memory seemed diluted enough to almost vanish—
Until the successor who fully inherited that terrifying existence appeared before her like a nightmare.
Looking at him made it hard to even muster a false smile.
But,
“You haven’t fully bloomed yet.”
The opponent hadn’t reached the transcendent level.
That was a clear mistake on the opponent’s part.
If she had intended to kill Lilith, she should have come after reaching the transcendent level.
Hwar-rlek!
The Dragonheart gripped in Lilith’s hand began emanating heat.
Her eyes, torn lengthwise and dripping black liquid, stared straight at Ray.
“After ruminating over it countless times, I’ll erase that day’s nightmare with my own hands.”
Dud-dud-dud-dudk!!!
An unpleasant and overwhelming aura began pressing down on the space.
The faces of all humans still alive in the underground plaza turned pale.
Their hearts raced erratically, and their vision blurred.
Lilith.
Her past name was ‘Eridanus’.
A follower of a wicked deity, notorious for being especially cunning and powerful among demons, striking fear into humanity.
She was revealed to be the worst kind of demon, comparable to a fully bloomed Apostle within the demonic realm.
Black liquid continued to flow from Eridanus’ split eyes, pooling on the floor and beginning to ripple, as if ready to drag people’s minds into the abyss at any moment.
Someone took a step back.
The disturbance spread like wildfire, causing more people to hesitate and retreat.
At that moment,
Ray raised Moros high.
Everyone turned their heads to take in the sight of the empire’s divine sword emitting a blue flash.
Ray, facing an adversary imbued with an unfathomable power that even seasoned knights couldn’t bear to look at,
Raised Moros high into the sky and aimed it straight.
“To the Empire.”
“Glory!!!!!!!!!!”
With cries filled with madness,
Everyone wielding weapons, disregarding their lives, charged forward to tear apart the servant of evil.
