Chapter 137 - Gathering Legends (3)
Suddenly, Laura spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you go mad, because your death is drawing nigh? What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?”
“When I think about the past, I didn’t try to win against all of you guys. I didn’t care if I won or not. If I failed, I wouldn’t have thought much on it. I didn’t have anything worth caring about.”
There was a faraway look in Laura’s eyes. Dikal was confused. He couldn’t tell what Laura was thinking.
“A person who didn’t have the desire to live survived as the others, who desperately wanted to live, were eliminated. I know how insulting this sounds. I didn’t realize this until not too long ago.”
Maybe, the life lived by Laura in the past couldn’t be considered as her living her life. She hadn’t possessed any enthusiasm or desire for anything. She had merely been a puppet that did whatever her creators wanted her to do.
Her life started from the moment she started to follow Azell.
She had thought her inner self had been killed, yet her flame had been rekindled. For the first time in her life, she had made her own decision on how she wanted to live. Color returned to her gray world, and she was able to feel new emotions each day.
“That is why…. I have to win now. I don’t want to win, because I have to win. I want to win, because I want to win. I want to live, so I’ll survive.”
“What nonsense. Do you think tragedy won’t befall you, because your perspective on life has changed? I’ve always had a hard time discerning what you were thinking about, but it seems you aren’t of sound mind. You should die in the grips of your madness. You should become my stepping stone.”
Dikal surrounded Laura with his cursed swords, and he let out a cruel laugh. If it wasn’t for her, his name wouldn’t have been stolen. A cursed mask wouldn’t have been placed on him, and he wouldn’t have fallen to become part of the disposable troops. He had recovered his original position, so it was time to get the compensation he deserved for the pain he had endured up until now.
“Let me be clear about this one thing. You are too arrogant, Dikal.”
“What?”
Dikal became angry at Laura’s declaration.
Puh-uhng!
Laura’s magic penetrated his defense, and it ignited.
“Koo-uhk!”
Dikal’s defense was strong. Moreover, he had gained experience through battle over the years, so she shouldn’t have been able to get the better of him so easily.
However, Laura circ.u.mvented all of his defense, and she sent a shockwave towards him. Dikal was a b.l.o.o.d.y mess as he fell towards the ground. He was barely able to regain alt.i.tude. Laura turned the table as if the previous fight had been a lie. She let out magic spells in a torrent.
Pah-pah-pah-pahng!
The cursed swords were hit with magic almost simultaneously. They were flung away. After he took control of his scattered Dragon Demon magic, he saw something very intricate had gotten better of him. It gave him gooseb.u.mps.
Dikal was taken aback.
“This… How did you get through my defense…..!”
“You’ve been stuck in one place for far too long.”
Laura looked at Dikal with sad eyes.
Dikal most definitely possessed a wealth of magic. He had borrowed the power of the magic weapons, and he had finished the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual. His strength wasn’t in doubt.
Even if they were all born inside an artificial womb, they weren’t all Dragon Majins. Even if the Dragon Majins were considered to be the most outstanding candidates, the Aunsaurus family performed a variety of experiments with Dragon Demons and Dragon Majins. They were all made to be candidates for the position of heir.
Dikal had been peerless amongst the Dragon Majins, and in some aspects, he exceeded the Dragon Demons. He was talented enough to compete with Laura until the end.
However, this happened a long time ago.
“I don’t have my Dragon weapon, but…….”
Laura started canceling Dikal’s defensive magic one by one. Dikal desperately tried to match her feat, but he was no match for her. Everything he had built up was being brought down like a sand castle being toppled over.
“You came here too soon.”
Finally, Laura was able to break through the silent exchange of magic. Her magic started to manifest one or two at a time. She had taken control of the situation. Lightning exploded, and heat started to boil up to threaten the life of her enemy. On the other side, Dikal’s magic was still being sealed before it could manifest.
At a glance, one could tell that there weren’t much difference between the two in terms of how much Dragon Demon magic they possessed. It was true that Laura possessed a little bit more, but Dikal had just finished the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual. Moreover, he had Aunsaurus’ swords. He had unusually high amount of power right now.
However, in terms of skill as a magician, Laura was overwhelmingly superior. It wasn’t just her use of magic. The types of spells she had learned was also at a much higher level.
It couldn’t be helped. Even if one possessed a genius level talent, one had to still study magic. It took time to go through the process of researching and training one’s magic.
After Laura became the heir, she continued to improve herself as she took full advantage of all the opportunities she was afforded.
If one compared Dikal to her, his access to knowledge was severed when he became disqualified. He had to fight with what he had learned up until that point in time. He was basically a tool with a fixed setting.
He had a.s.sumed he would be able to close the gap by using a good magic weapon. However, he had underestimated Laura too much. Laura had been pushed back until now, because her heart was in turmoil. It wasn’t because she was lacking in skill.
Laura had a resolute expression on her face as she made a declaration towards Dikal.
“I still have a lot I want to see. After waking up everyday, I yearn for more. That is why I will live. I will not live as the puppet they’ve created. I want to see what is at the end of the road that was chosen by me.”
“Laurahhhhhhhhhhk…..!”
Dikal let out a scream. Her surrounding was completely under her control now. The six cursed swords, which was imprinted with blood, was being interfered with Laura’s magic. Their movement was a mess.
“I want to say this is the end, but…….”
Laura mumbled to herself. At that moment, lightning came at her from all sides.
Gwah-gwah-gwahng! Ggwah-gwahng!
However, Laura was able to escape the storm of lightning without taking any damage. Her gaze left Dikal. She looked towards the ground.
She could feel the numerous resonance of powerful Dragon Demon magic. There were over 30 of them. In terms of the quant.i.ty of Dragon Demon magic they possessed, they rivalled the officers on field. They were emitting their killing intent towards Laura.
They were the Shadow’s Sword Belt, who had come here with Dikal. Dikal ordered them to be on standby, so he could face Laura alone. However, it was a situation where they had to interfere.
Suddenly, something Azell said came to mind in Laura’s thoughts.
‘Unfortunately, this isn’t a problem with a ready made remedy that’ll make you feel better. There are many problems in this world, and there are some like this one where you can’t do much about it.’
Her siblings had been born from the artificial wombs to be tools. At some point, they became worthless to her. She hadn’t been wounded, and she hadn’t felt any pain when they disappeared after their disqualification.
However, at this moment…. Her chest hurt when their killing intent was aimed at her.
“…I understand. I have no choice but to end this.”
Laura put on a sad smile as she renewed her resolve.
3
When Dikal started his fight with Laura, Kairen and Leticia was once again placed in deep trouble. They focused only on defense, yet they became b.l.o.o.d.y messes in short order.
“Koo-uhk!”
Kairen was kicked by Reygus. He was sent flying to the ground. He was barely able break his fall, but he faltered to his knees.
“Huhk, huhk, huh-uhk…….”
The battlefield was filled with the sound of battle, yet he was feeling drowsy. He was injured, and his stamina was running out. It was evidence that his concentration was faltering. The fight with Reygus hadn’t been long, but it was too brutal for his body and mind.
It was the same for Leticia. She looked as she was out of strength too.
Reygus spoke in front of them. The two of them had shown their floor now. If it wanted to, it could end them at any moment. However, it wasn’t taking its time, because it was arrogant. It was for a sentimental reasons.
Humans and other races acted foolishly in battle. While they were killing each other, they sought to look cool. They sought out romanticism. Reygus wasn"t an exception either. He had come back from death, so he savored the sensation of fighting against outstanding foes. The fact that the fight had ended made him feel very wistful.
“Koohk…….”
Kairen grinded his teeth.
He had taken too much damage when he was taken unawares in the beginning. If it wasn’t for that, he would have lasted a little bit longer.....
Leticia spoke with a venomous voice.
“You are acting like an old man. You’ve already died once, yet you aren’t pressed for time. Didn’t you learn in your past life that being so confident will actually shorten your lifespan?”
Reygus tilted its head in puzzlement. Leticia snickered.
“I guess I can’t help it If it sounds like that to you. It has been awhile since I’ve experienced being the weaker one in a fight…. As expected, it isn’t a good feeling. I’ve always known your organization was powerful as a whole, but I’ve never faced an individual that was this strong. It is something I haven’t experienced in a long time.”
Reygus was puzzled as he looked at her. Was she giving herself up to despair, because her back was up against the wall? However, the att.i.tude she displayed while sweeping back her bangs indicated that this wasn’t the case.
“However, it is a bit early to bask in your victory, legendary Dragon Demon general.”
“You are an idiot.”
“Comrades… Yes, that is what I’m putting my trust in. It is a bit awkward, since I don’t have much experience in doing so…..”
It happened when Reygus was trying to make sense of her words. The ground beneath it disappeared.
The ground beneath its feet was acting weird. The ground cratered inward. Reygus’ body was being sucked below.
Sometimes, magicians softened the ground in front of a charging enemy in order to trap them, but this was different from such low-grade technique. Reygus didn’t feel anything before the ground beneath its feet disappeared.
When Reygus understood what was happening, a white bolt of lightning rose up from the ground.
Gwah-roo-roong! Gwah-gwahng!
Reygus was able to defend against it by a hair’s breadth as it jumped into the air. The thunderbolt followed after him. Reygus aimed the head of the hammer towards an opening in the attack. The thunderbolt exploded.
Kwahhhhhh……!
From behind it, a young man with swirling red hair made his appearance. It was Azell.
Reygus was sent flying from the ambush attack, but its voice was filled with extreme happiness. The red haired young man was holding a sword that was rippling with a blue sheen. Thunder erupted from his entire body. He looked exactly like someone Reygus knew.
It couldn’t hold back its laughter. It shouted as it laughed out loud.
Then a weird silence descended on the battlefield.