Chapter 156 - Prophesied Being (2)
2
On the ridge of a mountain located on the other side, a being shot into the air like an arrow. He was a 3 meters tall giant with black armor surrounding his body. It was the Undead named Reygus.
Koo-koo-koong!
In a flash, he had flown several hundred meters, and he had landed on the ground without decelerating. The ground exploded as it shook. A being made out of flesh and blood would have been pulverized, but Reygus pushed past the dust. He was unharmed.
Azell's party swallowed their breath when they saw him.
'This is the worst.'
Kairen was letting out cold sweat. The plan was to break through the line of Dragon Demon king worshippers before Reygus arrived. However, everything had gone to hell when Almarick had made his appearance.
"Since I've already gone through death and revival once, it wasn't a bad way to live. Anyways, I planned on fighting soon even if you hadn't nagged me. It seems I won't be able to find the truth through this conversation."
Almarick raised his sword. It was his Dragon weapon Storm's Scream. He was able to create and cut through storms by using the power of his Dragon weapon.
The sword was unusua inl size. It was one and a half times larger than a normal longsword. Almarick wasn't as big as Reygus, but he was still over 2 meters tall. It was as if his muscles were chiseled from rock, so his sword was a perfect fit for him.
The sword was the same as the Storm of Blades used by Jeffers Almarick. The blade was transparent like glass. A blue spark soundlessly danced within the blade as it lit up its surrounding.
Reygus mocked Almarick.
"I'll shut you up."
Reygus shrugged his shoulder as he backed off.
Kairen stood in the way of Reygus, and Yuren compressed his magical energy.
Laura was taking care of Kieren and Niberis. Leticia was holding off Jeffers. Therefore, they couldn't retreat quickly. Fortunately, they had killed a large number of magicians supporting Jeffers, so Kairen and Yuren was free to fight Reygus.
However, Reygus tilted his head in puzzlement.
"We won't let Azell shoulder any more burden."
Kairen was firm with his words.
Reygus' skeleton clacked as he laughed.
"…you don't plan on doing that? No, you sound as if you plan on just spectating the fight between them."
"Are you being truthful?"
"The fact that we are speaking such words does make us sound like outdated country hicks….."
"What?"
"……."
Kairen was at a loss for words. He heard this bastard died, because he charged into a trap. He was set upon by numerous people. How could his way of thinking remain the same like this?
At the same time, his anger rose.
'There is a limit on how much you can look down on us!'
Even if Reygus was a legendary figure from the Dragon Demon war, Kairen was also a living legend inside the Rulain Kingdom. Until now, no one had dared to ignore him, yet he was being treated like a small fry by Reygus!
Reygus spoke.
At his words, Kairen came to his senses.
Reygus' taunt wasn't meant to portend their death. There was a different meaning behind his words.
'The moment we charge the bastard… This cease fire will end.'
Everyone on the battlefield was focused on Azell and Almarick, and a weird cease-fire had developed.
The members of the party and the Guardian Shadows had stopped fighting, and they were just keeping the Dragon Demon king worshippers in check. However, when Kairen engaged Reygus, the paused battle would start once again.
Would that be a boon or a detriment to his party members?
Kairen was working through this problem when Almarick spoke.
"This is only a fleeting form of entertainment for us. You guys should show some patience. Since Reygus and I are already here, it wouldn't be too bad for you guys if we prolong this."
It was as he said. The ones they had been most afraid of showing up were already here, so it didn't matter if more of them showed up. In fact, it might be the opposite. Guardian Shadows were still trickling in one or two at a time, so the delay could be used to their advantage.
Almarick took one step forward.
"Well, Azell, shall we exchange a light greeting?"
Kwahng!
Afterwards, two puppets appeared from between Azell and Almarick. An explosive sound rang out.
They were clones. Both Azell and Almarick made clones that possessed substance as they clashed.
Then…….
"How many are there?"
Kairen swallowed his breath.
It wasn't just him. Everyone were at a loss of words by the sight unfolding in front of them.
As the light dispersed, Azell and Almarick charged towards each other.
It wasn't just a single location. The clashes between the clones were occurring all over the place, and simultaneous sounds of explosions rang out.
In the Dragon Arts, it was called Incarnation. However, Azell's ultimate form of this technique was called the Dance of the Shadows.
Magical energy was used to change the attribute of the clones in a free flowing manner. This was why the clones could fight as if they were real. The clones repeatedly switched between their energy form to cross space, and they solidified to battle each other.
It really was an unbelievable sight.
How could this be called a one on one fight.
Even during the Dragon Demon war, Azell and Almarick had been the only ones able to control their clones to this degree. Even the Dragon Demon king Atein couldn't follow them in terms of manipulating clones.
Suddenly, Almarick spoke.
"As expected, I'm inferior in terms of using this tactic. You look as if you are about to fall over, yet you are able to do all this?"
Azell was superior in using the clones.
Almarick's clone kept increasing one or two at a time, but it capped out at 16. Azell's clones continued to grow as they attacked Almarick's clones together.
"Koohk……."
Azell was letting out cold sweat.
His real body hadn't moved an inch. His Dragon Maken and the clones were the ones fighting the battle, but he felt exquisite pain wash over him. His heart was racing, and he vibrated his vessels and arteries to increase his magical energy. It reached a point where his body became too messed. It was unbearable.
'No. He still hasn't started in earnest, yet I…..'
From outside looking in, it looked like an earth-shattering battle. However, it was merely a light greeting being exchanged from the perspective of Azell and Almarick. It was merely a reconnoitering skirmish.
He was able to fight evenly using his clone technique, but he wouldn't be able to do anything if Almarick himself joined the fight.
Moreover, it didn't take them too long to reach that point.
"You've gotten better from the version I remember. However, you've always been a human that evolved at an abnormally fast pace."
In terms of battling with clones, Almarick was at a disadvantage. Azell had more clones, and he was using battle tactics to destroy Almarick's clones one by one.
In the end, Almarick moved.
In a flash, he used Instantaneous movement to swing his sword towards Azell.
Ooh-roo-roo-roong……!
When Almarick received the attack from Azell's clone, the sound of a thunderclap erupted from within the clear blade. The thunder that had been dancing silently started to burn. It was blinding.
Ggwah-gwah-gwahng!
The thunder erupted as it tried to rip Azell's clones into pieces.
Azell had predicted his attack, so he changed the attribute of his magical energy into thunder.
However…….
"You made such a basic mistake."
A cold voice rang out, and Azell's clones… To be precise, the magical energy of thunder forming Azell's clones were eaten by Almarick.
"Koohk……!"
Azell groaned.
The Storm's Scream had dominion over thunder. In terms of control over thunder, Almarick's sword was superior compared to the Sky Splitter. It was impossible even for Azell to wrestle control away from him.
"S...shit……!"
His vision blinked out for a moment as Azell fell to one knee. It was the backlash from having the magical energy under his control ripped away from him. He couldn't maintain his balance.
Almarick used the moment when his concentration lapsed to ruthlessly push his way towards Azell.
"This is boring. Is it really going to end like this?"
The sword surrounded by thunder swung towards Azell's neck.
It had happened so suddenly that no one had the chance to intervene. The party members were about to yell in surprise.
Light exploded.
It wasn't thunder. The swirling light expanded, and Almarick was flung away. He let out a ferocious laugh.
"I expected at least this much even if you are dying."
There wasn't a single trace of the thunder that had surrounded Almarick as he retreated. As the light dispersed, Azell's form was revealed. He spoke as cold sweat ran down his body.
"I thought you were caught……."
"I knew you wouldn't be taken down in such a disappointing manner. I'm not arrogant enough to think that would happen."
Azell had purposefully created an opening as he invited Almarick to jump into a trap.
When Almarick tried to swing his final blow, he created another clone to take the blow for him, and at the same time, he prepared a technique that would be catalyzed by his clone being destroyed.
'Thunder Eater.'
A portion of the thunder emitted by Almarick was sucked into the clone. It was converted into light before it exploded.
It was an unbelievable technique that only Azell could use. He was the only one able to use such a technique with high degree of difficulty through his clones.
However, Almarick hadn't put down his defense. The trap dug by Azell couldn't even leave behind a scratch on Almarick.
"Let's end our greeting here. Shall we start this for real?"
As he spoke such words, thunder erupted from the horn that looked like volcanic rocks. It joined with the thunder being emitted by the Dragon weapon, and it created strong winds. It felt as if it would sweep away everything.
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!
The storm and the thunder threatened Azell at the same time, and all of Almarick's clones turned into thunder as they charged forward. Azell, who had a numerical advantage, started to be pushed backwards.
"This is quite unfortunate. You aren't able to have a proper clone fight with such magical energy. It doesn't matter that there are a lot of them. They are garbage!"
Almarick gave a declaration.
His Dragon Demon magic was on par with what he had during the Dragon Demon war. It was so overwhelming that no one would measure up to him in this place.
Azell's magical energy wasn't very vary far off from the magical energy he possessed during the Dragon Demon war. However, his body wasn't whole, so he could barely use half his skills.
Azell's clones were being destroyed one by one. There were a lot of them, but each of Almarick's clone were stronger than his.
'Sky Splitter, please endure…..!'
Even the Sky Splitter wasn't its normal self.
Normally, it was something that couldn't be brought out unless the vessel holding the Dragon Majin was whole. However, he had pushed himself over the limit against Reygus, and afterwards, he hadn't recovered his Dragon Demon magic fully. As the owner, Azell's status was a mess right now.
In the end, the defense of the clones were broken, and the Sky Splitter in its light form was dominated by the storm and thunder emitted by the Storm's Scream.
"Koo-ahk……!"
Azell coughed out blood as he fell over.
"Azell!"
Kairen ran forward. Almarick had been about to apply the final blow when Kairen blocked it.
Almarick let out a laugh.
"Your bravery is admirable."
He pushed aside Kairen, and he spoke in a haughty manner.
"I want my allies to hear me! Don't interfere. They are great candidates that I can use to rehab my skills."
"You bastard. You were killed and revived once, yet you are holding up your head so high!"
"You are a brat without a Dragon weapon. I have no reason to be afraid of you even if you attack me by the bushel. I'll let you attack me until your heart's content."
As if by illusion, someone appeared behind him. Leticia had suppressed her presence to approached him, and she stabbed with her cross spear.
"The strong doesn't turn away from arrogance. The strong accepts it."
However, Almarick already knew she had approached him. A clone wrapped up in thunder flew in to block her spear as Almarick spoke.
"Your stance is good. I like the fact that you do not hesitate."
Another clone appeared next to her as it attacked. When Leticia became startled, a beam of light flew in as it exploded.
Kwah-kwah-kwahng!
"It seems you owe me a life debt?"
It was Yuren. Leticia snorted when faced with the grinning Yuren.
"Don't you have a lot of debt you haven't paid off against me? This won't even cover the interest that you've accrued."
"You are being miserly."
When Yuren laughed in a playful manner, Almarick's expression turned peculiar.
"Hmm. You are the brat that betrayed us by claiming that you are a descendant of Carlos. You really do look like Carlos. I'm well aware that humans resemble their ancestors. Still, it feels weird seeing someone with a similar face as him."
"Oh, it is an honor to be spoken in such a way by the legendary Dragon Demon general. In return, I will no longer worry about the consequences."
"What do you mean by that?"
"This is what I mean."
Yuren's brown hair whipped around fiercely as the unbelievably ominous magical energy spread into the surrounding. His slate gray eyes was dyed red, and black smoke gathered at his back. It looked as if evil spirits were congregating behind him.
He was calling forth a demon. He wasn't thinking about the consequences of his actions.
It caught Almarick's eye.
"Interesting. The fact that you are able to do this in a battle without prior preparation is quite surprising."
Instead of answering with words, Yuren answered with his magic. His magical energy increased exponentially, and he unleashed a powerful cursed flame.
Hwahhhhhk!
In a flash, the violent flames engulfed the surrounding, but the flames didn't reach Almarick. The storm he had brought forth was perfectly sealing off the curse and the heat. At the same time, Almarick's clones aimed for Yuren.
As if he had been waiting for this, he let loose the magic spells he had prepared, but…..
"The magic spells itself is quite good. However, you are far away from having the depth of power to use such spells.."
The magic dumbfoundedly just passed through Almarick's clones.
Yuren's eyes widened. He knew what this phenomenon meant through Azell.
'Shit! He knows what I'm going to do!'
Yuren had waited for Almarick's clones to attack, and he had shot a beam of light towards them. However, Almarick changed the attribute making up the clones into light, and he let the attack flow off his clones. Then he reformed them.
Before he could prepare his next magic spell, the clone's sword struck out toward Yuren.
Leticia didn't even have the chance to intervene. Yuren was sure he was dead.
Ooohng……!
In the next moment, his surrounding changed.
Almarick's clone realized a beat too late that he had his back towards Yuren. As if by instinct, he let out another attack.
Puh-uh-ung!
A sound of an explosion rang out, and Almarick's clone was destroyed.
Almarick spoke from beyond the explosion.
"It seems you have firmed your resolve."
"…yes, elder."
It was Laura. She had used Dimensional Distortion to save Yuren.
"We are enemies now."
"That's right."
He nodded his head as Almarick continued to speak.
"I want you to drag out every ounce of power you have when you come at me. If you are going to die, don't leave any regret behind."
After he said his words in an arrogant manner, he relentlessly attack like a storm.