359th Chapter
The End of Life.
In that final moment…
Ray stepped into a realm he was never supposed to reach.
The countless scars deeply etched into his body and soul from relentless exertion drove Ray toward this place.
The meager talent that had only sought after life finally shone alone, lifting Ray up.
Holding a sword made of light, Ray faced Ernst once again.
Ernst’s golden eyes surrounded by red were sharply imprinted in Ray’s vision.
“…”
What purpose did those eyes serve to achieve?
Ray easily anticipated what Ernst had pursued and guarded against, forcing him to swallow his self-mockery.
“…”
The uniqueness of power or the peculiarity of existence.
Entities with such uniqueness often deceived and trampled over ordinary people living in this world without hesitation.
Sometimes, an entity with an excessively unreasonable peculiarity would throw the entire continent into chaos.
Even those who had reached high realms found it difficult to oppose beings wielding unfamiliar yet powerful forces.
Defeating entities with such uniqueness always came at great cost.
And… Ernst’s second eye-opening achievement was one ultimate answer to counter all such anomalies ravaging the world.
Ernst’s two eyes pierced through the hidden truths of the world, capturing the essence of the peculiarities possessed by their opponents within their sight.
Based on the information captured within his sight, Ernst could crush and pull down any advantage based on uniqueness.
However, pulling them down to the ground didn’t necessarily mean Ernst would gain a significant upper hand.
Ernst merely forced his opponents to face him on equal footing.
Not based on the uniqueness of power, but on pure strength of capability.
That was why Ernst’s completed eye-opening ability was extremely lethal to Ray.
Until now, Ray had heavily relied on the peculiarity of Spatial Blade.
He had concealed his meager talent behind the peculiarity of Spatial Blade and the transcendentally inscribed trajectories of swordsmanship.
Over time, Ray began to mistake the peculiarity of Spatial Blade as part of his own strength.
It was a presumptuous delusion.
From the moment Ray first held a sword, he had cloaked his inadequacy with privilege.
This inadequacy of Ray was exposed by Ernst’s two eyes.
Embarrassingly, Ray, who had wielded others’ abilities as if they were his own with arrogance, failed to even scratch Ernst in a battle of pure strength.
“…”
And so, in the end.
He stepped into a realm he thought he’d never reach.
The relentless struggle Ray had continued throughout his life miraculously bore fruit in this final moment.
Still, Ray remained inadequate. That was the fate of pretense.
In a battle of pure strength, Ray could never touch Ernst.
This was a gap that needed time to bridge, but Ray was already facing the end.
Thus, even having attained the rank of Swordmaster, the path available to Ray remained singular.
A struggle of strength. To overpower Ernst, far ahead in the art of sword handling, Ray had to crush him with sheer force.
Ray deployed his Absolute Domain.
!!!!!!!
The collision of the two Swordmasters’ Absolute Domains emitted a tremendous resonance.
When the flows of mana within the space twisted violently due to overlapping domains, Ray endured the pressure threatening to crush his entire body while creating swords of light in the air.
Having reached the level of Swordmaster, Ray gained much easier control over the rampant mana of his core, crafting dozens, even hundreds of swords of light that covered the sky.
As the heavens blazed brilliantly, Ernst also created swords of light to counter Ray’s bombardment.
However, Ernst, not possessing a rampaging core, had access to significantly less mana compared to Ray.
The number of swords of light above their heads clearly showed Ernst’s disadvantage.
Simultaneously, both Ray and Ernst moved their swords of light.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The storm of swords of light poured towards each other and collided.
Ernst’s swords of light were far more stable and sharper than Ray’s.
Nevertheless, Ray’s overwhelming numbers dominated Ernst.
Jjak!
Blood spurted from Ernst’s body for the first time, and this marked the beginning.
The firepower that couldn’t be overcome by mere technique swept through the space where Ernst stood.
!!!!!
Blinding flashes filled Ernst’s vision.
Amidst the terrifying scene that made him want to collapse immediately, Ernst took a step forward instead of retreating.
Moving forward without minding the wounds carved onto his body was akin to crossing a stormy sea alone.
Yet, Ernst closed the distance with Ray without allowing a single fatal injury.
Ray had no choice but to clash swords with Ernst once again.
Tseung!!!!!!!!!!!
The aftermath of a single sword clash threatened to tear apart their bodies.
Neither Ray nor Ernst cared and pressed their weight into their footholds.
Clashing sword strikes scattered brilliant fragments of light.
Ray was completely overwhelming Ernst with firepower and strength.
However, the sword paths Ernst traced cut through precisely, tearing Ray’s flesh.
Ernst Prislan.
Facing the true prowess of this genuine Swordmaster, Ray could only marvel.
But still, he had to overcome this.
If he faltered here, everyone Ray loved would not escape death.
Ka-ddeok!!!!!!!
After enduring damage and deflecting Ernst’s strike, Ray stepped back, adjusting his grip on the sword.
Ernst also adjusted his grip and faced Ray.
Their gazes, filled solely with duty-bound malice, momentarily flickered with guilt or sympathy before vanishing.
Ray charged towards Ernst first, and Ernst reacted to Ray’s strike.
Ray thrust his sword straightforwardly with all his might.
Ernst would surely sidestep such a straightforward thrust and exploit the opening to decapitate him.
However, Ray disregarded such techniques and thrust his sword with unwavering determination.
At the same time, he concentrated all the overflowing mana from his rampaging core into a single thrust.
It was a resolve to shatter even the sword techniques of the Empire’s Swordmaster head-on.
Ernst also drew upon all his capabilities to counter Ray’s strike.
The trajectory of the sword drawn by someone who had truly reached greatness blurred.
The swords of the two Swordmasters clashed.
Immediately afterward.
The area was covered in blinding flashes.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The explosion accompanying the flash pushed away the atmosphere, creating a vacuum in the area.
When all the air was expelled, a serene silence descended on the ground as if no roar had ever sounded.
The two Swordmasters still faced each other silently, swords in hand, amidst the silence.
Before the compressed air rushed back from afar.
Ernst spoke first.
“You…”
Without air, the swords embedded in each other’s bodies conveyed their voices.
“Do you wish to become the ruin of the Empire?”
“No… I… I…”
For a moment, Ray stood dumbfounded with his mouth open before slowly continuing.
“I will be… recorded as the Empire’s… Swordmaster.”
Hearing Ray’s answer, Ernst gave a dry laugh.
Ernst knew well the implications contained in Ray’s answer and how hopeless the hope Ray harbored was.
Ernst once again focused his two eyes on the boy trembling with suppressed sobs.
The boy before him had thrown away his life to save a single person, rescuing the continent.
And unable to turn away from the wish of just one person, he had dismantled everything he had built with his life using his own hands.
It was such a simple story.
Ernst bitterly lamented.
“You are… an incredibly stubborn fool.”
“…”
Ray and Ernst tightened their grips again.
The swords embedded in each other’s bodies swung diagonally simultaneously.
Ray’s left arm was severed, and Ernst fell.
Passing by Ernst, Ray no longer looked back.
Having escaped the massive crater that had formed somehow, Ray gazed at the place that would be his final destination.
There wasn’t much time left for Ray either. Perhaps, the expression “not much time left” itself was misleading.
Ray instinctively knew that if he closed his eyes once, he wouldn’t be able to open them again.
He had to reach the Imperial Capital before his body and soul shattered entirely.
Ray planted his already half-broken leg into the ground.
*
“…”
Despite receiving reports of the entire situation,
the Emperor maintained his throne without showing a hint of excitement or bewilderment.
When someone dared to raise their voice, claiming those meant to protect the Emperor should vacate their positions, the Emperor remained silent.
The Emperor reviewed the battle that unfolded in the Imperial Capital amidst the silence.
“…”
Meteors were critical.
Above all, the meteors proved devastating.
Had the damage within the Imperial Capital been acceptable, the defense system of the capital should have been enough to suppress even a couple of Lord-level threats.
The firepower of the Imperial Capital’s defense system should have been more than capable.
Until just before the meteor struck, discussions about annihilating Ray using bombardments were already underway due to the excessive damage caused to the capital.
However, the meteor fell, and although the capital was saved from the meteor, the defense system was damaged.
Some functions remained operational, but it was far insufficient to hold off a Lord-level threat.
That’s why Ernst had to step in.
Even with Ernst stepping in, there was no guarantee this situation could be resolved.
No one could be blamed for this.
No one on the continent could have predicted that the deployment of meteors would be completed in minutes rather than hours.
“…”
The Emperor was analyzing the current situation very calmly, having set aside all emotions.
Dozens of solutions to this nightmarish situation flashed and disappeared in his mind repeatedly.
With the Imperial Capital as the center, the Empire might need complete reconstruction, but the Emperor doubted whether everything could proceed smoothly even if everything ended here.
“…”
Just as he narrowed down several response strategies,
he realized that the mighty sword protecting the Empire had fallen.
A brief confusion arose, but the Emperor remained composed on his throne.
Finally, after learning of Ernst’s fate, the Emperor addressed those waiting below his throne.
“We can no longer afford further losses. We retreat from the Imperial Capital.”
“…!!!”
“I believe you will reclaim the Imperial Capital soon.”
Demon King (1)
