Chapter 292. The Last Member (9)
Overlord increased in power the more health and mana I had as it multiplied my power rather than adding to it.
Even now, the Beast King’s mana was constantly melting into me. Overlord received this mana and amplified it, and the augmented mana dominated the mana I couldn’t yet control and brought it into Peruta Circuit’s flow.
Peruta Circuit drew in the Enigma surrounding my mana and created a whirlpool. This whirlpool served as a shield that could defend against everything and a blade that could cut everything.
“Huu…”
I drew in a quick breath. I felt it every time I used Overlord. During this 5 minute period, I always tried to grasp its true nature. This was an unknown mana. Enigma, a power that rivaled divine power and Sherafina’s power.
Not even Sherafina could have created Overlord. Overlord was created from Skill Synthesis, which came from the artifact Loretta gave me, the Collector’s Pocket Watch. I always knew Collector’s Pocket Watch was a powerful item, but I now knew it wasn’t just a powerful item. No matter how I thought about it, it wasn’t something one should get as a quest reward.
As proof, the mana I wielded now…
[Is that the source of your confidence?]
[Truly mystical. It’s too great a power for a mere human to wield.]
[No matter how great the power is, in the end, its wielder is a human. That will be the reason for your defeat.]
If anything, the Fear King really knew how to boast. Having a great power was no use if one’s willpower was broken, but…
“Bluffs won’t work on me!”
The whirlpool intensified, growing bigger by the second. Whispers of the Fear King’s clones were cut apart, and the ones falling to the ground from Gaia Buster’s impact were drawn towards the whirlpool and torn apart. The amplified mana from Overlord was being poured into the whirlpool entirely. At the same time, the whirlpool continuously pulled in the mana forming this world. Enigma’s mana kept increasing ceaselessly.
[Kukuku, a human wants to devour my mana?]
“I said focus on me!”
Hwaya shouted. Surprisingly, the flames surrounding her were starting to look transparent.
“I won’t let you even scratch him!”
[Kuk!?]
The Fear King flinched, shocked by Hwaya’s flames. I immediately took action. Thanks to Gaia Buster and the huge whirlpool, the Fear King’s numerous clones were incapable of doing anything. Now, it was the time to attack his main body.
“Elementals, it’s time to party.”
[Yay!]
[Whoo, it was worth the wait!]
[I’m number 389,873 on the line. Take good care of me!]
[Uu, today isn’t the rollercoaster, right? Right?]
[Why does he keep coming?]
I didn’t approach him, simply standing in place as I pulled my spear back. When the spear blade grew and reached close to 70 meters, countless number of elementals jumped in. The whirlpool enveloping me naturally moved to the spear and started to spin fiercely.
[Uoooooooo!]
[Uaaaaaaaaa!]
[This must be a soul cleansing!]
Sorry, but that’s not it.
[Aah, I’m transforming.]
[This is Prince-nim’s power, the power to evolve us!]
[I feel like I got taller!]
Enigma’s mana transformed the elementals’ appearance. Of course, I couldn’t see them as my soul didn’t match their wavelengths, but I could at least see that the light they were giving off were growing brighter as they spun around in the whirlpool of Enigma. Since their strength affected the strength of my skills, this was only beneficial for me.
“Hwaya, restrain him!”
“I don’t plan on stopping there!’
After Hwaya’s confident shout, flames shooting out of her hands greedily devoured atmospheric mana while fiercely charging toward the Fear King. Twisted together like a chain, Hwaya’s flames penetrated the Fear King and held him together. At that moment…
[Good, humans. I will let you have a taste of this Fear King’s power.]
The fear King’s body, which was being restrained by Hwaya’s chain of flames, suddenly split in half like an omelet cut by a knife. From the endless void, a huge eye of fear opened.
If his existence instilled fear into people and his clones brought this fear into reality, his single eye transformed a person’s every bit of fear into a fear worse than death. In a way, it was like a venomous poison, making one take his own life. It evoked all negative experiences one faced throughout his life and engraved them into his mind. In fact, it even twisted and amplified these experiences. Once one rejected his own existence and refused tolerate it, the only thing left for him was death.
I realized that his eye were a type of Evil Eyes.
“Elemental Tempest!”
I shot my spear at it.
[Uoooooo!]
[Too fierce! Too exciting!]
[Uweeeeeek!]
It was truly a sight to behold. Countless number of elementals shone within the whirlpool of Enigma, making the sky resemble a galaxy in a short time. Enigma also acquiesced its light to the elementals and focused solely on strengthening their powers. To be exact, I made it do so.
The storm of elementals struck the Fear King’s eyes.
[KAAAAAAAAAAK!]
A scream containing all fear and despair rang out. I waited for a moment with my spear still stretched out before changing it back to its original appearance. It was after I confirmed his eye being torn apart. I made a sigh of relief.
“Whew, that was dangerous.”
I was almost devoured. Though Absolute Soul was defending against his mental attacks, his eye had erased Absolute Soul’s existence for a moment. If I didn’t have Evil Eyes of Petrification, I might not have been able to use Elemental Tempest.
[KUOOOAAAA!]
[How could a human…!?]
“Hwaya, are you okay!?”
I immediately checked for Hwaya’s safety. Since I was in such a state, I expected Hwaya to be worse. However, Hwaya wasn’t listening to me.
“You, die! Die!”
Transparent flames were burning all around her. I wondered how flames could be transparent, but since I was seeing them with my own eyes, I couldn’t deny their existence. She shot transparent fireb.a.l.l.s at the Fear King’s single eye, which was untraceably torn apart by my Elemental Tempest. The Fear King shouted.
[Accept fear! Accept the despair of reality that waits you! In the end, you will have to face them all!]
His body, which had been of an indeterminate form, suddenly began to grow arms. These tentacle-like arms flew towards Hwaya and attempted to a.s.sault her. They carried tainted mana that seemed capable of instilling the same or even greater fear than looking into his eye. Hwaya scorched these arms and shouted fiercely.
“Shin, I’m going to finish him! Protect me!”
“Got it!”
Rather than submitting on fear, Hwaya used it as fuel to her anger and increased the power of her flames. Her Evil Eyes were surely helping, but I was still surprised by her willpower. She seemed to be rivaling even me who had Absolute Soul. Well, it was likely that my skill was affecting her too…
Looking at her flames, I was certain that she had taken a step into the same realm as Enigma. Perhaps, she might come to freely wield Enigma quicker than me!
“I can’t lose now, can I?’
I murmured silently and raised my spear. With just that movement, the subsided whirlpool rose up again. The whirlpool formed by pure mana began to spin fiercely with my will.
The Five Kings were losers who had no choice but to be satisfied standing in equal positions. If I couldn’t overwhelm them, how was I to fight the Demon Lord or the existence that these kings feared so much? How was I to put an end to this futile compet.i.tion?
I needed my spear to be sharper. I needed it to have absolute power that could pierce through anything.
“… But I’ll let Hwaya do it here.”
Hwaya wanted this. I wasn’t so immature as to steal her thunder.
I gathered the huge spinning whirlpool into a single point at the tip of my spear. In the next moment, I lightly thrust my spear.
“Now, show me your true appearance!”
[Ku, kuaaaaaa!]
The Fear King’s tentacles that wouldn’t submit to Hwaya’s flames disappeared without trace. Even the Fear King’s body that didn’t make contact with the whirlpool began to slowly disappear from the outside.
“Good, I could incorporate it a bit.”
I was content knowing that I could mix a bit of the principle behind the strike I made a while ago. Perhaps, it was thanks to Enigma’s help. But in the end, Enigma was also part of my strength. Once I could control all of these freely, I would have nothing to fear.
[Foolish humans, you truly want to face me!? Kuaaaaaaak!]
While my whirlpool annihilated parts of the Fear King’s body, a giant grotesque creature began to appear in the sky. If the emotion known as fear had a living form, this would be it – grotesque, deformed, and repulsive.
But the Fear King, in the end, was a living creature! It wasn’t an emotion that couldn’t be erased!
“You’re a fake. You can never be fear itself!”
Hwaya shouted curtly and raised her hand. On her palm, an immense amount of mana began to coagulate.
“Even if you are, I’ll burn you up just fine!”
She made a fist, then lightly opened it. Though I couldn’t see anything, I knew this was the strongest attack Hwaya could make. The Fear King’s body burned up from invisible flames. He seemed to have found out there was no going back, as he gave up trying to make us afraid and muttered in vain.
[Ku, kuku… In the end, it turned out like he planned…! Transcendental, a new birth, and… Kuk, kukukuk!]
“Don’t blabber on about ominous things and die!”
[This is what I can give you, a true fear…]
With that, the last wisp of his existence burned out.
We had defeated the Fear King.