Chapter 129 - Suspicious Movements (4)
They had attacked several waypoints to the Road of Emptiness before this, but they rarely found living troops dispatched to those locations. Since Undead and Golems do not need rest and sleep, they were used as dogs to guard the house. However, administrators were on standby to oversee them. Moreover…….
Lambda looked towards the inner tunnel. He sensed a powerful magical device activate. It was the Road of Emptiness.
“It seems someone is coming here from the Plain of Darkness. We should welcome it.”
Iota actually had a smile on her face. She didn’t know who the Plain of Darkness was sending, but it would be a powerful existence. She was quite happy, since she would have the chance to defeat such an existence.
Soon, they arrived at the s.p.a.ce where the Road of Emptiness existed. This large s.p.a.ce was created artificially, and in the middle, there was a round golden structure. This was the magical device that connected one to the Road of Emptiness.
There was a chasm at the middle of the Road of Emptiness, and three people appeared from within. When she saw them, Iota smiled.
“Ho-oh. They sent three officers. This will be a delightful feast.”
She also lost everything to the Dragon Demon King worshippers before she became a Keeper of Prophecy. The fact that she could cause more harm to the Dragon Demon King worshippers made her happy.
“You lowly b.a.s.t.a.r.ds dare to dirty the holy artifact of the king!”
The man, who exited the Road of Emptiness, raged. As if it was responding to his anger, a powerful wave of Dragon Demon magic spread out into the surrounding.
The man had long black hair, and a blue colored light surrounded him. There were horns protruding from between his hair that was similar to a bull’s horns. He was the descendant of the one of the 4 legendary Dragon Demon general. His name was Almarick Jeffers.
The others were Dragon Majin officers, who had followed him here. They were much lower in rank than Jeffers, but they were all very skilled. There was a restriction on how many people could travel through the Road of Emptiness. This was why they sent their strong members.
Iota laughed.
“How foolish. You guys are already facing a manpower shortage, yet you are throwing away precious manpower as if they are trash….. You are clinging to a mere tool.”
If Iota was in their shoes, she would have given up on the Road of Emptiness. She would have destroyed the magical device thoroughly, so the Guardian Shadows would be unable to learn of its secret. The wise move was to aim for a different opportunity.
However, it was the same story as when they attacked the previous waypoints. They couldn’t let go of their foolish fixation. The reason being the Road of Emptiness was one of Dragon Demon King Atein’s artifacts. It couldn’t be recreated with current knowledge of magic.
‘We will not allow unbelievers to sully the great king’s artifact!’
They had an illogical obsession. They directed their fanaticism towards someone, who was already dead.
Iota mocked their foolishness. Of course, their foolishness was a lovely opportunity for her.
“I bet the Dragon Demon worshippers in the vicinity are all headed here. Shall we enjoy the feast?”
Of course, it wasn’t enough to just send Jeffers. They were probably mobilizing all their fighting forces nearby. Maybe other officers might come through from other waypoints on the Road of Emptiness.
“I command upon my great name! Come back from the eternal battlefield! Dragon Arts: Storm of Blades!”
Hoo-ooooooooooh!
Jeffers knew he was at a disadvantage, so he immediately used his Dragon Arts. It was humiliating to use his Dragon Arts on the lowly Undeads, but he had the holy duty of protecting the great king’s relic. In front of such a task, his pride amounted to nothing.
His sword became transparent as if it was made out of gla.s.s, and a blue flame climbed up the blade. Iota spoke as if he watched him.
“That magical weapon…. Is that what they call a Dragon weapon? It’s an interesting item. The fact that I’ll be able to end the succession of this weapon makes me want to kill you more.”
The flame of hate started to burn within her eyes. She spoke.
“Lambda. Mu. Take care of them.”
Lambda and Mu split up to take care of the officers. Jeffers ran forward as he let loose his Storm of Blades.
Kah-ang!
However, Mu blocked it with his shield. Then the Guardian Shadows surrounding Iota swept towards them en ma.s.s like a wave.
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!”
The blue flame whirled as it shot out into the surrounding. This attack was able to affect a wide range. Moreover, Jeffers could choose, who the flamed affected. It wasn’t a physical manifestation of heat. This surprising magical flame was able to ignite the magical energy within his opponents.
Even Lambda, Mu and the Guardian Shadows were unable to break through the flames. When they were pushed back, the Dragon Majin officers attacked them.
Pahhhhhhng!
However, a sudden and violent magical backlash occurred. It was as if an explosion had gone off as light exploded forth.
The blue flames created by Jeffers’ Dragon weapon dissipated quickly. Jeffers was taken aback.
“What?!”
“It performs well, but it is easy to deal with.”
Iota mocked him. A faint gold light emanated from her hands. Jeffers was shocked when he saw it.
“That Dragon Demon magic is…...”
A wave of Dragon Demon magic that was on par with his own was coming out of Iota. The Plain of Darkness didn’t know much about the Guardian Shadows, but it was known that they were a special existence amongst Guardian Shadows. Moreover, they knew that humans amongst them possessed Dragon Demon magic as if they had gone through the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual.
However, Jeffers couldn’t help, but be surprised at what Iota had done.
There was a big crysta like magical construct hanging around her. It was the size of a child’s fist. This wasn’t a simple magical product. The Dragon Demon magic emitted by Iota was constructed from a special image from within her mind. It extinguished everything from magic to Dragon Demon Qi.
“Your magic is powerless in front of me. I have awakened to the power of prophecy.”
Iota declared in an haughty fashion.
Power of Prophecy.
It was a latent power within the Keepers of the Prophecy. However, only three Keepers of Prophecy was able to awaken to the power. This really drove home the fact that it was very hard to awaken to this power.
“Ridiculous! Koo-uhk!”
Jeffers coughed up blood.
Jeffers felt a powerful backlash just from his magic touching Iota’s magical construct. Moreover, she was able to specify this power to work on only the enemy’s magic!
Jeffers was a Dragon Arts pract.i.tioner, but all the equipments he wore was infused with magic. Moreover, the magical construct flew in towards him, while he was fighting Lambda, Mu and the Guardian Shadows. It felt as if his innards was being ripped into pieces by the shock.
Moreover, his Dragon weapon was also part of the problem. His Dragon weapon, ‘Tempest’s Blade’ didn’t react negatively to the magical construct. However, the cursed blue flame was created from magic, so it caused a backlash. If he sealed the use of the flames, he wouldn’t have access to most of the function of his Dragon weapon
Puh-uh-uhng!
“Koo-ahk!”
In the end, Jeffers was sent flying in a b.l.o.o.d.y mess. One of the Dragon Majin officers was a magician. His head was blown away by Mu’s mace. The other office was a Dragon Majin warrior, and his arms were broken. He backed off as he tried to gather his breath.
‘W...what ridiculous power…..’
This was a losing fight from the beginning. The Guardian Shadows had the numeric superiority, and the fear of the waypoint being destroyed made them come here without much of a plan.
They had come here thinking they would just buy some time. It was as Iota had surmised. Dragon Demon King worshippers were gathering to this location, so he had wanted to fight a defensive battle. He had thought he could turn the table on them….
It was a complete miscalculation.
He never expected to die in such a ridiculous manner. It happened when Jeffers was despairing.
“Mmm. I guess you really are Almarick’s descendant? I guess I have to save you.”
An easygoing voice could be heard.
6
Everyone became surprised, and they turned to look at the location where the voice had emananted. A Dragon Demon was coming towards them from the tunnel.
Iota was taken aback.
‘He didn’t set off my detection magic?’
She had put up a detection magic spell. She wanted to keep tabs on what was going on outside. However, the Dragon Demon hadn’t triggered it.
The Dragon Demon youth had messy black hair. His eyes and Dragon Demon stone were a green color. He also had something akin to a ram’s horn that was silver with a bluish tint. His face didn’t hold any tension, and he looked kind. He looked as if he had come out without changing his clothes after he took a nap within his house. He was very loose. Basically, he was unarmed.
‘Why didn’t the Guardian Shadows react to him?’
The problem wasn’t the fact that he was able to dodge her detection magic. Even the Guardian Shadows were unable to sense the presence of this youth.
As soon as that thought crossed their minds, one of the Guardian Shadows attacked him. The ghost closed the distance as he attacked.
Lambda was astounded. The Dragon Demon youth just stood there, and he took the Guardian Shadow’s sword strike. However, after a moment, he could see that the youth had retreated the exact distance of the sword strike.
The Dragon Demon youth laughed.
“Wow. You guys are so violent. You guys attack on sight? That kind of att.i.tude will turn a non-enemy into an enemy.”
He leisurely avoided the sword strike to the side, and his presence started to change. His presence could now be felt by the Detection magic….
‘Incredible Dragon Demon magic!’
It felt as if all the hairs on her body was standing up on its ends. The relaxed looking Dragon Demon youth was letting out a boundless amount of Dragon Demon magic. It was a brief glimpse into his powers, but he was on a completely different level compared to Jeffers. Jeffers was outstanding in terms of Dragon Demon magic, but if one compared him to this youth… It was like comparing a brook to a lake.
‘He is on a completely different level compared to any Dragon Demons I’ve seen up until now. He might exceed a Dragon in terms of power….!’
Iota had killed countless Dragon Demon king worshippers as the Keeper of Prophecy. However, no one had possessed comparable Dragon Demon magic as this person.
The youth gestured to calm her down as he spoke.
“Calm down. I’m not a Dragon Demon king worshipper. I don’t really want to fight with you guys.”
“What do you mean?”
“I came here to borrow and use the Road of Emptiness. However, the situation turned into this…. It would be great if you’ll allow me to take the descendant of Almarick. I don’t care what you do with the other afterwards.”
“The negotiation ends now.”
She attacked at the same time as she spoke. The clear magical constructs surrounded the youth, and the Guardian Shadows attack all at the same time.
Pah-ahhhhhhhhhhng!
There was an explosion of light. However, the result completely differed from what Iota had expected. The entire force of Guardian Shadows were repelled.
A clear light dragon was surrounding the youth’s body. Iota, Lambda and Mu became surprised when they saw it.
‘What the h.e.l.l is that?’
This was a type of power they had never seen before. The red semi-transparent dragon of light wound itself around the youth"s body and it was growling at them. One could feel a strong will from it as if it was alive.
The youth scratched his cheeks as if he was in a bind.
“I said I don’t want to fight, but you guys are being very aggressive. Well, I still haven’t decided what to do with you guys, so I’ll finish my business first.”
“Lambda! Mu!”
Iota yelled out towards them. Lambda and Mu were like a tornado of steel as they charged the youth. They hadn’t completely neutralized Jeffers and the Dragon Majin officer, but this man was much more dangerous than them!
Shwee, shwee, shwee, swheee!
Lambda’s sword moved through the air in a dazzling display. A normal human would have died without seeing the sword coming.
However, the youth evade all the sword strikes. He wasn’t even in a defensive stance. He just moved slightly to dodge with a paper thin margin.
While Lambda was becoming frustrated, Mu lashed out with his shield from an angle. The surface area of the shield was large, so the youth had to avoid by making a big movement. Mu’s mace moved as if it had been waiting for this moment. It arrived where the youth couldn’t dodge.
“Ooht-cha!”
The youth blocked the mace with his bare hand. Mu was shocked.
The mace had enough power to destroy a house. However, the youth had blocked it with one hand, and it looked as if the youth had felt a no ill effects from it. When the mace’s head met his palm, he pulled off a superb move by grabbing and pulling it to dissipate all of the power behind the mace. It was a crazy trick.
Afterwards, the youth disappeared from his field of vision.
Too-oohng!
Something brushed by Mu’s body. The youth had spun to the side as he applied a blow to Mu’s side. However, the blow was weak. Was he unable to put a lot of strength behind it, because he was moving so fast?
It happened as he had this thought. He tried to turn his body.
Kwah-jahk!
His armor was destroyed, and his innermost bones were broken. Mu sank down to the floor. It had looked like a light attack, so did he use a skill? If it was a skill that penetrated armor, his magical amor should have stopped it.
Hoo-ooooooooooooooh!
Afterwards, a gust rose up. Lambda was a beat too late in attacking, and the youth was already gone. For a moment, he doubted his senses, since the youth had just disappeared. However, the youth was leisurely walking away, and each step moved him several meters away….
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!
An explosion rang out.
Lambda and all the Guardian Shadows, who were running towards the youth, were all sent flying.
Mu was already on the floor, so he was able to see the truth behind the technique. The youth had used short-distance Instantaneous movements continuously, and he was off beat everytime he moved. It messed with everyone’s senses. The more surprising part was….
The youth wasn’t just moving his entire body as a whole. His Instantaneous movement varied depending on what specific movements he wanted to perform. It was clear that his physical ability was outstanding, but how could his hands and feet use Instantaneous movement separate from the body? How were the hands and feet able to keep up?
It should be impossible. If an Undead like him tried this method, his bones would be crushed. So how was he able to pull it off with a living body? Just the act of repelling the Guardian Shadows should have crushed his body. When he forcibly stopped on a dime, the backlash should make his body explode.
“Oh. You have a great eye to see that. You must have been very talented in life.”
The youth asked as if he was amused.
“Anyways…. Do you know where the miss acquired the item she is using? It is something I’ve seen before.”
The youth was a Dragon Arts pract.i.tioner, and he didn’t possess any magical items. This was why the magical constructs spread by Iota wasn’t responding to him.
Iota spoke with a tense expression on her face.
“There is no reason why I should tell you that.”
“You are being so cold. Box of Hate.”
Iota flinched at his words. The words didn’t have any context behind it, so she thought he had spoken a word of activation. She was on guard for a spell. The youth let out a bitter laugh.
“By your reaction, it seems you don’t know much about it even if you are using it. You call yourselves the Guardian Shadows….”
He tilted his head, and he approached Jeffers….
“Ooh-wahk! W...what the h.e.l.l are you doing!”
He started stripping Jeffers.
Booh-ook! Zzeek! Chul-koo-ruhk!
The armor was ripped away, and Jeffers’ clothes were torn away. Jeffers was scared out of his wits, so he struggled. However, the youth ruthlessly struck the back of Jeffers’ neck.
“Kuh-uhk!”
Jeffers fainted immediately, and the youth stripped him nude in an instant.
“…….”
Everyone was just dumbfounded as they watched what was happening.
What the h.e.l.l was he doing?
The youth put the nude Jeffers over his shoulder.
“Please excuse me. You should get on with your work.”
“Wait a moment!”
Iota came to her senses as she yelled out, but the youth didn’t listen to her. He immediately kicked off the ground, and he disappeared using the Instantaneous method. Iota had put up magical constructs in the air, but it didn’t react to his presence. It was, because the youth had stripped Jeffers nude.
“Kook!”
The Guardian Shadows tried to catch them, but they didn’t stand a chance. He was so fast that the Guardian Shadows couldn’t even react before he was past them.
“…that’s ridiculous.”
The youth had destroyed their bodies, but the two Undead didn’t receive any critical blows. However, the blow had Dragon Demon magic behind it, so the recovery process was slowed.
As the youth had suggested in the beginning, he left behind the Dragon Majin officer after he rescued Jeffers.
A silence had descended, and the first to break it was Iota. She spoke as she sighed.
“All right. There is no reason why he should stand here absent-mindedly. Let’s do our job then he can slowly think this over.”
The remaining Dragon Majin officer"s face turned pale. He had been listening to their absent-minded words, and now he realized his life was at an end.
Soon, a gruesome scream rang out, and their work was done.