Chapter 204 - The Return of a Legend II (3)
Chapter 204 - The Return of a Legend II (3)
Chapter 204 - The Return of a Legend II (3)
It was the first humiliation he had suffered since his revival. His chest voice exploded forth.
“How dare you, you little gnat!”
The Dragon weapon looked like a sword made out of clear glass. The Storm’s Scream let out a fierce blue thunderbolt. The overwhelming power ripped away at the gale assaulting Almarick. He fought for control over the air.
“You should have come out like that in the first place. You are too different from the description written in history. You were so calm that I was wondering if you were a fake!”
Kairen let out a fierce laughter as he charged forward. When he clashed with Almarick, sounds of consecutive explosions could be heard.
At the same time, Kairen’s eyes became cold.
‘Everything is going too well. If I let my guard down, I might be killed in a single moment.’
Events were progressing better than he had expected. It was the best out of the worst situation.
Kairen had fought several hundred mock battles with Almarick in his mind.
Even if his enemy possessed enough power to make him despair, Kairen had to defeat him only once. He had fought this enemy before, and he had memorized the techniques used by Almarick. He just had to use all of his efforts in finding a way to defeat Almarick’s technique.
Kairen was well informed in regards to Almarick. Azell had given a detailed report, and Kairen had experienced Almarick’s power for himself. He used these information as basis for his practices. He had practiced for this fight until he was sick of it.
On the other hand, Almarick didn’t know much about Kairen. Almarick had defeated Kairen in a fight before, but it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Kairen was a completely different person after gaining the Dragon Soul. He had grown a lot.
The discrepancy in information would allow Kairen to take Almarick unawares.
Kairen, Leticia, Laura and Yuren had attacked Almarick in the last fight, and they lost in mortifying fashion. Kairen had tried to objectively assess the fight, and he came up with three reasons why they had lost.
‘For a short amount of time, I can generate almost equal power as him. I can do this.’
First, the problem was power. The difference in power was too burdensome to overcome with technique.
Kwahng! Kwah-kwang! Kwa-ahhhhhhng!
The swords clashed, and the sounds of consecutive explosions rang out.
Almarick’s sword technique was exquisite, yet heroic. However, Kairen matched him. His explosive sword technique was being supported by the Dragon Soul. He stopped the flow of Almarick’s sword strikes, and Kairen was starting to gain the advantage.
‘I’m sure of it now. My control over air is superior.’
The second reason had been the absence of a Dragon weapon. Almarick possessessed the Storm’s Scream, which held dominion over storm and thunder. His Dragon weapon was akin to a calamity.
However, the Dragon Soul was holding up against the Storm’s Scream. The Dragon Soul acted as an armor against thunderbolts, and Kairen’s control over the air was superior. He was pushing Almarick into a corner.
Kwahng!
At the end of the consecutive explosions, Almarick was pushed backwards.
Chwahhhhhhk!
He slid across the ground. However, Kairen chased after him using Instantaneous Movement. Kairen continued to attack relentlessly before Almarick could right himself.
“Do you think I will give you the time to make a move on me? I’ll end this right now!”
“Koohk......!”
Kairen knew that the advantage he had gained could be overturned. It was a matter of time.
He was making sure his opponent couldn’t display his true power.
This was the golden rule when fighting someone with superior power. He would be begging for a defeat if he allowed his opponent to do what he was best at. It would be foolish and arrogant for him to do so.
‘I can’t allow him to make clones! I have to keep pushing until I kill him!’
The third reason for Kairen’s past defeat was the clone technique.
If he could fight one-on-one against Almarick, he had a chance. However, it was an entirely different story once Almarick used Incarnation.
It was the same as when Azell used his Dance of Shadows. He could exist and act through multiple clones of substance. He was capable of producing power that was on a different class compared to fighting only one real body.
“Let’s see how long you can laugh!”
At Kairen’s shout, Almarick’s eyebrows rose sharply.
‘Laugh? I am?’
He was in a dangerous situation where a knife was pressed against his neck. He had thought he could overwhelm his opponent with a single attack. He had underestimated Kairen. He had thought Kairen was a whelp without a Dragon weapon.
However, Kairen was scarily well-informed about him, and Kairen was exploiting all his weaknesses. At this rate, his head would be severed without him being able to use half his power.
So why was Kairen claiming that he was laughing?
‘I see. I.......’
Almarick realized that Kairen’s words were correct.
‘...am having fun!’
Since he was revived in this era, this was the first time he felt alive.
After he was revived from death, everything had been boring. The passion and heat that had been present in his era was all gone. This era had been desolate.
Those that fought on the same side as him in the past had all turned mad and sinister. They had twisted Atein’s image to create a society of fanatics. He had been incognito as he observed them for several dozen years. He despised them.
This wasn’t it.
He hadn’t fought with his life on the line to create this world.
Even what he considered to be right with the world was gone now. Since martial techniques were lost to the humans, they could no longer stimulate his heart.
However, a foe that could heat up his heart had appeared right in front of him.
“Good! You whelp! If you are confident, you should make me weep! I don’t buy it for a second that you can pull that off!”
The feeling of old came alive within Almarick’s chest. It was a feeling he felt when he faced fate each day with his life on the line.
5
Reygus and Leticia was fighting a battle with each other.
Unlike Kairen, Leticia didn’t insist on fighting a one-on-one battle. The Guardian Shadows were densely packed around them, and they were like a white wave. They supported Leticia.
Kwan-kw-kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwang!
<Hmmph! If you are going to massage me, would you mind hitting me harder?>
Reygus let out a belly laugh.
It didn’t matter if his opponents were hitting him. Reygus’ style was to charge forward like a freight train until his enemies were dead. Several dozen Guardian Shadows were focusing their attack on him, yet they couldn’t stop him.
Too-doo-doo-doo-doo!
A gale infused with frost started to rise, and the situation changed. The ground beneath Reygus’ feet froze, and large ice fragments started to beat against him. In a flash, his body was surrounded as if he was in an ice prison.
It was Leticia’s attack. After releasing her Dragon Soul, she gained dominion over cold air. Her abilities were on par with an ice dragon.
Even if Reygus was an Undead, he couldn’t ignore the cold. He didn’t have any vital functions that could be slowed down by the cold. However, his body was being battered by the ice storm, and his body was being frozen in an instant.
<Ooh-ra-cha!>
However, it was useless. Even if Leticia created a pillar of ice, it took him only a moment to bash through it.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwahng!
Leticia and the Guardian Shadows alternated their attack. It was enough to stop Reygus’ movement for a short time.
This opportunity was used to strike Reygus with an enormous ice pole.
Ggwahng!
<Koo-uhk!>
Reygus was sent flying backwards, and he was planted into the ground. His momentum was so high that dirt exploded into the air as he rolled across the ground.
Leticia didn’t let her guard down. Immediately, the wave of Guardian Shadows attacked Reygus.
Reygus dashed out of the debris. He had suffered under the attack, but the only physical distress one could see was the slight dent in his armor. He looked fine as he heroically swung his Soul Hammer.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwahng!
The earth screamed. An explosion started to spread in a conical shape, and it reached several hundred meters.
“Koohk.......”
Leticia moaned.
The upper edge she had gained with superior numbers had been swept aside with one move. Fortunately, the Guardian Shadows quickly dodged to the side, so the damage was minimal. However.....
Reygus laughed as he walked out of the dust cloud.
<How refreshing! I love it! I hate those that typically try to freeze me. I find it a bit annoying and petty. However, I really like the aesthetics of your plan.>
“You don’t think it is cheap?”
<I take responsibility for my words! I don’t care if it is several hundred or several thousand! They can all attack me. I’ll fight with all the power in my body!>
“You are quite dashing. If you were on our side, I might have fallen for you.”
Cold sweat was running down her body. Reygus was basically a walking fortress. She knew this, but she had thought her previous attack would be able to impart significant damage. However, she had only confirmed that she had been very wrong in her estimation of him.
‘Do I have to apply a direct blow?’
Reygus’ defensive technique was perfect. His power was compressed into an extremely dense energy, and it was used to strengthen his body.
His defensive capabilities were akin to a fortress, yet he was skilled enough to slip attacks. In a momentary notice, he could change his energy into the optimum form needed to avoid suffering serious damage from attacks. He was boorish in his fighting method, but it was backed by his almost miraculous senses and techniques.
It was impossible to overcome his reaction speed with long distance attacks. She had to get close to him, and she had to focus her power using perfect timing. That was the only way she would be able to breach his defense.
‘Or I can mow him down with overwhelming force.... However, our side doesn’t have the number to accomplish this.’
She needed much more Guardian Shadows. A focused attack by the Guardian Shadows could restrict Reygus’ movement.
She needed more time. She needed enough Guardian Shadows to gather, so their party would have a chance to escape.
At the same time, she couldn’t waste too much time. It was apparent that the Plain of Darkness would also sent support.
These contradictions tormented Leticia.
<Well, are you well rested now? We should start this again. I was in a very bad mood, because of Atein. However, I’m starting to have some fun thanks to you, miss.>
“You don’t act like a vassal talking about his king.”
<He isn’t my king.>
“What?”
<Oh. My tongue slipped again. Well, I guess I can say that much.>
Reygus snickered. He suddenly looked at his surrounding as he spoke.
<The 2nd wave is coming. It’ll take some time for them to assemble. Shall I wait?>
“.......”
Leticia was at a loss for words. It was as he said. More Guardian Shadows were coming towards them. Their numbers were much larger than the advance party.
This was apparent, yet Reygus said he would wait for them.....
“If Kairen heard your words, he would have gotten angry.”
<Oh ho. You are quite level-headed.>
“I’m the type to thankfully accept the arrogance displayed by the strong. If you wait without going through your transformation, I might fall for your manliness.”
<If we weren’t enemies..... No, it is quite unfortunate that my body is like this. If I was like my past self, I would have tried to seduce you with a passion.>
At Leticia’s cold attitude, Reygus laughed.
Leticia snorted.
There was another reason why she couldn’t waste too much time. It was Reygus’ transformation. Reygus was already a foe that was hard to defeat. If he was allowed to transform, they wouldn’t be able to handle him.
However, the transformation took a very long time. Reygus had started the process of his transformation when the battle began. His magical energy had been going through an amplification. However, when he offered to wait, he had paused his transformation.
“I’ll do as you wish. If it is this many, it might be worthwhile.”
She used her mind to assess the number and location of the Guardian Shadows.
Leticia only called for those that were capable of long distance attack. The rest were dispatched towards Azell’s side. She decided those that could only fight up close would be useless against Reygus.