"Hah... Hah... Finally..."
Chen Ye felt his breath coming in ragged gasps, his lungs burning as if on fire after unleashing every ounce of strength he possessed in that devastating attack he had just launched. Cold sweat drenched his pale face, yet his sharp eyes remained vigilantly fixed on the area where his enemy had been.
The Demonic Beasts summoned by Black Mamba and the Demon Dragon Lord had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed at all. What remained were only piles of Demonic Beast corpses scattered everywhere, their bodies torn apart by gleaming weapons stained red with blood.
As for the Hunters from the evil organization Black Mamba... They too had been wiped from the face of this earth. The S-Rank Hunters who had once been so arrogant and terrifying were now nothing more than memories, easily dispatched by Kurogane Ouma and Flashy Flash.
"You really did it, Chen Ye."
The Sword King's voice, filled with admiration, echoed from within Chen Ye's soul. His spiritual mentor seemed utterly shocked and impressed. Who would have thought that since joining the Yozakura Family, this young man had developed so rapidly, reaching a level even the Sword King had never imagined possible?
Even the Sword King, who had lived for thousands of years, had never envisioned a day when Chen Ye would be capable of defeating such a terrifying creature as the Demon Dragon Lord with his own power!
"Fufu, not bad at all. Using one of the strongest darkness incantations without suffering any significant side effects... You truly deserve praise~"
A melodious and enchanting chuckle rang out, instantly capturing the attention of Chen Ye and the others. Restia Ashdoll, the Darkness Spirit who had returned to her beautiful human form after releasing the power of the Vorpal Sword, gazed at the young man with mild interest.
"No... This victory would never have been possible without everyone's help," Chen Ye said sincerely, his voice gentle yet filled with gratitude. Despite his exhaustion, he didn't forget his companions' contributions.
"..." Restia Ashdoll blinked her beautiful eyes, then laughed softly, a sound like silver bells. "I see... If that's what you think."
"Ah! Chen Ye!! Are you alright?!"
Suddenly, Konno Yūki's spirited and worried cry broke through the silence. Chen Ye turned to find several Yozakura Family members—including the calm Aoi Sui, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa, Inaba Tsukuyo, and others—approaching with quick steps.
Konno Yūki, with her translucent bat wings shimmering beautifully under the sunlight, circled around Chen Ye while speaking in a tone of worry she couldn't hide.
"How are you feeling?! Are you hurt? If something feels wrong or uncomfortable, tell us immediately!"
"I-I'm fine," Chen Ye felt slightly awkward at the enthusiasm shown by the sweet girl before him.
"Good, then." Konno Yūki looked visibly relieved, her face brightening, before her expression shifted to one of admiration and excitement. "But you were absolutely amazing! That attack you just performed... except for Ji Xuanyuan and Ouma, none of us could have done something like that!"
"T-thank you..." Chen Ye felt slightly embarrassed hearing such sincere praise, scratching his reddening cheek.
"Hmph. It was nothing more than pure luck that he managed to pull off an attack like that," Kurogane Ouma said in his usual cold and cynical tone, while Kurome beside him simply nodded along without saying anything.
"There's no need to be so cold, Ouma. Besides... We didn't lose anyone thanks to his efforts, did we?" Ji Xuanyuan said in a gentle and wise voice, trying to defuse the tension that was beginning to form.
"..." Kurogane Ouma said nothing more. He simply turned his face away with his characteristic cold expression.
"That man will never be honest no matter the circumstances. You'll need to work much harder to make him acknowledge your abilities," Inaba Tsukuyo said with a soft sigh, her voice sounding like a whisper in the wind.
"But regardless..." The petite girl with perpetually closed eyes looked toward Chen Ye with a rare, faint smile. "As your master, I'm very proud that you've achieved such an extraordinary feat."
"You all aren't bad—you've done your best training him. But after all this, it would be better if I took over his training. I guarantee he'll become ten times stronger than before," Flashy Flash declared without hesitation.
"Hey! That's a bit much!" Konno Yūki's lip twitched in annoyance at Flashy Flash's apparent 'dismissal' of all their abilities, causing some of the other members to laugh quietly at the amusing interaction.
Tsukuyomi Tsukasa smiled faintly with a calm expression, Xiang Yu remained silent as usual, and Kokushibo and Tomioka Giyū merely glanced over without much concern for the minor debate. Even Restia Ashdoll simply watched with interest, as if observing an entertaining show.
But among all the people gathered here, Chen Ye's gaze remained fixed on one person who meant everything to him.
The petite girl being carefully guided by Aoi Sui. Despite the serious wounds on the left side of her body, the right side still bloomed with beautiful cherry blossom petals, radiating a refreshing fragrance that soothed the soul.
One thing was certain and never changed... Her gentle and sincere smile never disappeared for even a second, not even in a situation like this.
"You did very well... Chen Ye." Her soft and melodious voice sounded like the most beautiful music to Chen Ye's ears, deeply refreshing his heart.
"Yes... And I'm also very glad that you're safe," Chen Ye replied.
"Is that so..." Her beautiful gem-like eyes gazed at Chen Ye with genuine warmth. "That's right... Without you, I wouldn't be able to stand here right now."
"No, no..." Chen Ye scratched his head bashfully, then smiled brightly, illuminating his face. "Didn't I tell you before? I would never let you die!"
"..."
'Oh?' The Sword King blinked with a surprised expression from within Chen Ye's soul. While several other members were also quite surprised to hear such a bold declaration, some smiled helplessly at Chen Ye's behavior.
After all, they weren't foolish enough not to recognize such things, but they simply shook their heads patiently because Yozakura Tsubomi really wasn't the type to think about romantic matters like that.
The Sword King also recognized his student's feelings, but as a wise teacher, he would only support his student's feelings from the heart...
Besides, this increasingly peaceful atmosphere made everyone relax a little.
"So, are we really finished?"
The answer to that question didn't really need to be spoken because it was already very clear. After all, that final devastating attack was the result of perfect collaboration between Chen Ye and Restia Ashdoll—even a Transcendent being would surely perish from such a terrifying assault.
But... They all forgot one important thing.
That the so-called Demon Dragon Lord was not an ordinary Transcendent being that could be easily defeated.
"[Humans... Truly creatures full of miracles and unexpected surprises]"
Those words echoed with terrifying pressure that made the entire area shake violently, as if the earth would collapse.
BOOOOOOOOM.....!!!
A sudden and devastating [mana] explosion spread in all directions at frightening speed, causing everyone's expressions to change drastically. Even Chen Ye and the Sword King had expressions filled with deep horror.
They all stared with stiff and trembling bodies toward the ruins created by Chen Ye's previous attack, hoping not to see what they feared.
But harsh reality struck them.
There was no longer the Demon Dragon Lord's serpentine body that had been six hundred meters of terrifying length.
Instead, what stood before them was a humanoid figure nearly 2 meters tall, most of whose body resembled a legendary and fearsome dragon.
His entire body was covered with gleaming metallic purple scales like impenetrable armor, every part of his body brimming with supernatural power as if the overflowing [mana] was trying to escape from that terrifying humanoid form.
His long tail swayed gracefully yet menacingly, a pair of magnificent dragon wings spread behind him, and most terrifying of all... Eyes capable of drowning an entire city with just one death-filled glance.
Usually, in situations like this, they would immediately react and launch a counterattack, but...
They couldn't attack.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but they truly couldn't!
The [mana] pressure like gravity dozens of times heavier made them all able only to tremble with bodies that could barely move. The aura of darkness and evil so thick that the entire area slowly began to deteriorate and crumble...
Their stiffness and fear only slightly diminished when that terrifying voice echoed again—
"[Your souls as swordsmen are truly extraordinary and inspiring, so... Die with honor]"
The terrifying pressure disappeared momentarily and everyone immediately raised their respective weapons while looking warily toward the Demon Dragon Lord, but—
The Demon Dragon Lord was nowhere to be seen.
No, he wasn't actually invisible.
His speed was so incredibly devastating that even their trained eyes couldn't follow his movements at all!
KABOOOOOOOOOOM..... !!!!
The darkness radiation explosion like a nuclear bomb instantly destroyed and annihilated everything with unimaginable power!!!
Heaven and earth shook violently, everyone directly affected by this devastating attack immediately vomited copious amounts of fresh blood!
But with burning determination and an unwillingness to surrender, they forced their wounded bodies to rise and regain balance, only—
The cruel Demon Dragon Lord gave them no chance to recover and counterattack.
BOOOOOOOOOM.....!!
"COUGH!!!"
The first victim of that brutal attack was Konno Yūki. The Fairy girl who had previously bravely managed to kill a terrifying Darkness Dragon was now hurled hundreds of kilometers away with her entire body covered in wounds and not far from death's door!
But the cruel and merciless Demon Dragon Lord didn't hesitate—he looked at all the trembling Yozakura Family members before preparing to launch another deadly attack!
The first person to successfully sense the terrifying Demon Dragon Lord's presence was Chen Ye, and his gaze immediately filled with deep fear as he screamed with a voice full of despair—
"MASTERRRR...!!!"
Inaba Tsukuyo's expression immediately changed drastically and she immediately used her full speed to respond to the threat upon sensing mortal danger from behind, but—
BOOOOOM....!!!
"?!!"
Everyone's eyes widened. For one very brief moment, there was a flash of countless sword strikes like a steel storm, but—
"Cough..." A mouthful of fresh blood spilled from the pale lips of Inaba Tsukuyo. Her red eyes, usually calm and empty, trembled violently as she tried to move, but her body didn't respond at all.
Her katana had been shattered to pieces in that fraction of a second and... the Demon Dragon Lord's claw-like hand had brutally pierced through her small stomach.
Yes... Literally, the Demon Dragon Lord didn't hesitate to deliver a truly 'deadly' attack on the girl while lifting her small body with one hand, then throwing her away like useless trash.
When Inaba Tsukuyo's helpless body landed hard on the ground, blood immediately gushed out like a terrifying waterfall.
The atmosphere became quiet for a moment, as if time had stopped, then—
"AAAARRRGGG! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" A scream full of blazing anger and vengeance burst from Chen Ye's mouth with soul-shaking power.
"Wait! WE NEED TO UNITE AND—!" Aoi Sui screamed with a panicked expression never seen before, wanting to stop Chen Ye's reckless action!
Unfortunately, everyone without exception immediately launched their strongest attacks with full power!
Faced with the combined assault that could easily kill even an SS+ Rank monster, the Demon Dragon Lord simply raised one hand casually, then—
Dense [mana] of darkness capable of annihilating all living beings shot out at light speed in all directions!
BOOOOOM!!! BOOOOM!!! BOOOOM!!!
Countless rays of darkness, each capable of destroying a large city in a single strike, sent them all flying with devastating force!
But it turned out there were also some who managed to survive that deadly attack. Among them were Tomioka Giyū and Kokushibo, both expertly utilizing their respective special breathing techniques and successfully dodging perfectly before launching counterattacks—
"< "< Tomioka Giyū and Kokushibo swung their katanas with the best techniques they had mastered. When they used their full power, to their shock and horror, the Demon Dragon Lord managed to stop both katanas using only his bare hands.
Both their expressions changed slightly and they wanted to retreat. But the Demon Dragon Lord easily shattered both their katanas to pieces.
"[< Those words were spoken in a cold voice followed by deadly silence before light filled with dense darkness illuminated the entire world.
BLAAAAAAAAAR.....!!!!
That darkness explosion was like a giant nuclear vortex, exploding and devouring in all directions with unimaginable power, leaving not a single living being in that area. As a result, the entire magnificent Master Swordsman City immediately vanished completely from the face of the earth!!
At that moment, the attack's power even shot high into the sky at frightening speed, penetrating and shattering the magical barrier that had been hiding this terrifying [mana] from the outside world!!
"Cough! Cough! COUGH! A-agh... ARRRG!"
Chen Ye, feeling his body crushed under building debris and other heavy objects, unconsciously screamed in unbearable agony. No, the problem wasn't just that—his entire body and soul were being slowly and torturously consumed by the terrifying darkness element!
The pain was so extraordinarily unbearable that he wished he could just faint to escape this suffering!
With great difficulty and using his remaining strength, he managed to push away the heavy burden crushing his body, then stared at the scene before him with eyes filled with deep horror and fear.
Nothing remained of the once beautiful and magnificent city. What existed was only a vast expanse stretching 200 kilometers, filled with terrifying dark energy that continued to devour and destroy everything that remained.
Then with blurry vision, he found the Demon Dragon Lord currently choking Restia Ashdoll's neck with one hand, the Darkness Spirit who was usually full of confidence now looked to be in great pain.
"[You are truly an amazing and rare existence... I never expected to meet a pure darkness Spirit like you in a place like this. The Yozakura Family is indeed truly extraordinary]"
"Is that so?" Restia Ashdoll's voice sounded very strained and tortured, but the strong girl still forced herself to smile bravely. "How could you possibly survive that previous attack? I was absolutely certain that you took the full brunt of it."
"[You did manage to inflict considerable damage. Unfortunately, at the last critical moments I managed to absorb it completely. And instead of fatally wounding me, I actually managed to utilize the life energy characteristics to devour and transform your darkness attack, which ultimately allowed me to access this 'nearly perfect' form]"
"Ara~ Nearly perfect form? That means you can still be defeated and killed?"
"[Yes, that's true... but this form will become truly perfect and invincible once I successfully devour the life force of that Yozakura human completely]"
"Is that so? Then you'll surely die before that actually happens."
As Restia Ashdoll spoke confidently despite being in a tight spot, suddenly an extremely powerful windstorm with pressure capable of destroying a large city came from behind the Demon Dragon Lord and immediately struck him with extraordinary force!
BOOOOOOOM...!!
The owner of that spectacular rescue attack was, of course, Kurogane Ouma. However, unlike his usually neat and perfect appearance, this time his upper clothing was completely torn and tattered with horrible bleeding wounds all over his body. Not only that, his usually beautiful long hair was also cut short and disheveled from the previous explosion.
Restia Ashdoll seized that golden opportunity to escape, her breath coming in gasps while coughing up fresh blood.
"[It seems you've forgotten something very important]"
That cold and threatening voice echoed, making the entire air seem to freeze in fear.
"?!!" All their eyes widened.
"[This form may not be as perfect as I desire, but to face all of you weaklings... This is more than enough to destroy you utterly]"
The terrifying aura radiating from the Demon Dragon Lord's figure was like a tsunami of darkness ready to swallow everything.
Kurogane Ouma's expression changed drastically and he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"RETREAT NOW!!"
But that warning came too late. Even before Kurogane Ouma's words finished being spoken, Restia Ashdoll had already moved away as the Demon Dragon Lord launched his deadly punch at lightning speed toward Kurogane Ouma's frozen body!
BOOOOOOOOOOM...!!!
A tremendous explosion shattered the night's silence! That fist was like an unstoppable ray of darkness, a primordial power that destroyed everything. Everything it passed—earth, stones, trees—immediately vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed in this world.
"[Oh? How interesting... You managed to withstand it? Didn't expect a weak human like you to have such ability]" A hint of interest and curiosity emerged from the Demon Dragon Lord's terrifyingly echoing voice.
"You underestimate me too much, you rotten lizard."
With his body drenched in flowing black blood, Kurogane Ouma directed Ryūzume—his nodachi—toward the Demon Dragon Lord. Terrifying winds swirled with destructive power, filling the entire battle area like a tornado of death.
"[I see, so you utilized the wind around you to reduce the damage from that deadly attack of mine... Clever for a human. But the question is, how much longer can you maintain that fragile defense?]"
KABOOOOOOOOOM.....!!!
Once again, a terrifying attack of devastating magnitude shattered the sound barrier, creating shockwaves that rippled in all directions! The earth trembled violently as if it would split into two!
As the deadly radiation from that horrific mana collision was about to strike Chen Ye and kill him instantly, his body was suddenly lifted into the air. Through his blurred vision, he realized it was Xiang Yu carrying him—the mechanical protector's body now severely damaged with metal parts scattered everywhere.
They both immediately retreated from the source of that deadly battle at full speed.
Shortly after reaching a safe distance, Chen Ye then saw Yozakura Tsubomi. After being carefully set down by Xiang Yu, the young man hurriedly ran toward her with staggering steps. However, his expression immediately turned to horror and nausea when he witnessed the terrible scene spread before him.
This was hell on earth.
Around the weakly lying Yozakura Tsubomi, Kurome lay unconscious with her body shattered from the waist down, fresh blood still flowing heavily from her gaping, horrific wounds.
Aoi Sui appeared to be gasping with increasingly weak breath, both her arms completely gone up to the shoulders, leaving gaping wounds with protruding bones. Meanwhile, Kirihime Yoruka, who had already been unconscious, was now slowly turning into gray ash that scattered in the wind, as if her existence in this world was being slowly erased.
The only ones who appeared relatively unharmed were Ji Xuanyuan and Flashy Flash, but Ji Xuanyuan's left arm was distorted in a completely inhuman shape—his bones protruding at horrific angles, his flesh torn to reveal twitching, pain-wracked sinews.
Witnessing this extremely horrific chaotic scene, and realizing with deep regret that all this tragedy occurred because of his own mistakes and weakness, Chen Ye couldn't help but vomit violently. His stomach contents came out mixed with blood due to the unbearable disgust, regret, and fear that consumed his entire soul.
"Chen Ye, are you alright?!" The Sword King's voice filled with anxiety and panic rang out.
"Hah, hah, hah... I-I... I'm fine, Master... b-but..." Chen Ye sounded increasingly weak and desperate as he looked toward the Sword King with fear. "I-I don't know what to do now..."
"..."
A deadly silence enveloped them. The Sword King fell silent. Not only him, but the remaining members of the Yozakura Family also fell silent. Their current situation was truly dire—almost all their combat strength had been destroyed, and combined with the Demon Dragon Lord's power having increased to a truly terrifying level... There was almost no hope of victory.
BOOOOOM!!
The continuous thunderous explosions suddenly ended, leaving an eerie silence...
Flashy Flash suddenly stood up despite his severely injured body. He suddenly said, "I'll fight him."
"...Flash?" Yozakura Tsubomi's gentle voice sounded weak. The girl, despite her extremely weak and dying condition, still tried to lift her head to look at the young man.
"Right now, the barrier created by that creature has been shattered to pieces. So I'll give you precious time to escape, while you... Leave this place."
"W-wait—" Chen Ye wanted to say something to stop him, but suddenly his body collapsed hard as terrifying black cherry blossoms began emerging from within his body, blooming with petals sharp as blades.
Flashy Flash paid no attention to Chen Ye's pitiful condition because his entire focus and sharp gaze like a hunting eagle was already directed at the majestic and terrifying figure slowly walking toward them with earth-shaking steps.
Taking a deep breath until his chest expanded, Flashy Flash gripped his sword with both trembling hands, then muttered in a cold voice: "< Flashy Flash's figure left a trail of blinding bright light in its path, and at that very moment—
The dark sky was suddenly filled with lights colliding with extraordinary intensity, like thousands of yellow and purple stars falling from heaven and hell!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In those decisive seconds, devastating and deadly exchanges of attacks spread one by one in all directions, creating destructive waves that struck mountains even located very far from the battle site, causing horrific cracks that split mountain peaks in two!
But returning to Chen Ye, the unfortunate young man was now screaming in heart-wrenching pain as the black cherry blossoms that looked like terrifying parasites were trying to gnaw and destroy his body from within! The sharp petals pierced out from his skin, releasing fresh blood mixed with foul-smelling black sap.
This horrific sight made the Sword King extremely panicked!
"What's happening to him?!"
"This is the effect of excessive Blooming usage... Inside my 'Someinine', there's a very dangerous type called Chizakura. But don't worry about the Chizakura... I'll immediately—"
As Yozakura Tsubomi tried to approach with staggering steps to help, everyone's survival instincts suddenly screamed in danger!
Xiang Yu, without the slightest hesitation, immediately moved at maximum speed as a deadly purple beam shot at light speed toward them all!
KRAAAAKK...!! BOOOOOOOM....!!!
A devastating explosion occurred directly at their gathering place, destroying everything within a radius of hundreds of meters! Everyone's bodies were thrown in various directions like rag dolls, crashing into debris and large stones with bone-breaking impacts.
As for Xiang Yu, that mighty mechanical body was now completely destroyed—metals scattered everywhere, cables severed and sparking green, because he had sacrificed himself to try to block the deadly attack from the Demon Dragon Lord!
'NOOOOO!' Chen Ye screamed with a voice full of fear, despair, and deep regret shaking his soul!
The Demon Dragon Lord now stood arrogantly right in front of the helplessly lying Yozakura Tsubomi. His large and terrifying hand moved slowly, trying to touch the small girl with evil intent radiating from his eyes—
But suddenly, from above the sky, the bloodied figure of Tsukuyomi Tsukasa swung her katana with a movement full of killing intent!
SLASH! SLASH!
With truly amazing speed and precision, beyond the limits of human ability, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa launched a series of deadly slashes that didn't even touch Yozakura Tsubomi who was very close to her—perfect control from a sword master.
However—
The Demon Dragon Lord's figure had vanished like a shadow.
Then in the next second, that terrifying Transcendent creature was already standing right behind Tsukuyomi Tsukasa.
"?!" The girl's eyes widened, her instincts screaming danger. She wanted to turn to face the threat. Only, it was all too late.
The Demon Dragon Lord, with one punch containing the power to level an entire large city in an instant, struck Tsukuyomi Tsukasa's entire body from the right side with unimaginable force!!!
BAAAAANG...!!! BOOOOOM...!!
A rain of fresh blood spread instantly in all directions as most of Tsukuyomi Tsukasa's body was annihilated in an instant, leaving only scattered pieces of flesh and bone. Drops of her warm blood even hit the terror-stricken face of Chen Ye.
"Ah... Ah... No... This can't be..." Chen Ye almost lost his sanity witnessing this unimaginable cruelty. His eyes were empty, his mouth open without sound.
All the Yozakura Family members who had fought alongside him were now being annihilated one by one before him without him being able to do anything.
And now, all that remained was...
"[I must admit, for a weak human, you have a certain charisma that's interesting enough to attract some fools to join you and die in vain, Yozakura Tsubomi. Even I, when seeing you directly like this, have a strange feeling growing—a desire to let you live and make you my personal possession forever]"
"..." Facing the figure of a Transcendent creature capable of killing the strongest Hunters with just its presence alone, Yozakura Tsubomi still smiled gently. But that smile now... was full of weakness.
"[Very interesting, you're not afraid at all facing death. Even when I try to corrupt your soul with cursed darkness elements, you still remain steadfast, though already affected. But this is your end, little girl. Now you can only accept your fate]"
The Demon Dragon Lord spoke in an indifferent tone, yet there was a note of hidden admiration.
'No, no, NO! MOVE! QUICKLY MOVE! DO SOMETHING!'
Chen Ye tried desperately to move his body, ignoring the burning pain throughout his body from the black cherry blossoms continuously growing sharp petals from within his flesh.
His pupils with cherry blossom patterns were now also bleeding heavily, flowing down his cheeks due to forcing power that had already exceeded its limits...
He even tried pleading and forcing the Sword King to do something, anything, but unfortunately all those efforts were in vain.
Since the arrival of the terrifying Demon Dragon Lord, that Transcendent creature had already locked the Sword King's movement in an incomprehensible way, keeping him trapped inside Chen Ye's necklace without being able to do anything.
'ARRRG! WHY?! WHY MUST IT BE LIKE THIS?! WHY AM I SO WEAK?!'
Seeing the Demon Dragon Lord's hand slowly about to touch Yozakura Tsubomi, Chen Ye increasingly lost his sanity. Total despair consumed his soul. The Flame of Abyss within his body roared fiercely like a caged wild beast, but it was all futile.
Not a single thing could move anymore... At least until...
"Wow, look at the state of this place. Absolutely chaotic."
"..." Chen Ye's pupils trembled violently. His blurred, tear-filled gaze lifted with difficulty to look at the figure who had just arrived with a trembling presence.
Even the Demon Dragon Lord unconsciously stopped his movement and turned around. Of course, not without strong reason... That was because... He felt an extremely great, even threatening mana pressure coming from the blue-haired young man standing atop the ruins.
Yes... Cecilus Segmunt in a condition far from prime. His clothes were tattered, his body full of wounds, but the aura emanating from him was like a storm ready to destroy everything. Moreover, though his voice sounded relaxed and calm, there wasn't a single smile on his usually cheerful face. What existed was only a cold gaze.
"[Interesting human... You are the strongest human I've ever seen in this long life. Your soul... Is already like a Transcendent creature itself, your power radiation even makes me slightly wary. But fate is cruel for bringing you to meet me at a time like this. You should have fled with your tail between your legs like a cowardly rat]"
"Hah? Flee? PUAHAHAHAHA!!! INTERESTING, VERY INTERESTING INDEED!!" Insane and inhuman laughter exploded from Cecilus Segmunt's mouth. His eyes gleamed with terrifying madness. "It's been so long since I felt a challenge like this! Then—"
A terrifying, insane, and inhuman grin formed on Cecilus Segmunt's face, making him look like a bloodthirsty demon.
"Prove to me whether you're truly worthy of uttering such big words."
"[...]"
They both stared at each other intensely in suffocating silence. The air around them vibrated from the pressure of extraordinary power. At that moment, a large ruin from the distance collapsed with a rumble, and as the earthquake sound began to stop...
Both vanished.
No, more precisely, their movement speed was already like teleportation itself, beyond the limits of human eyes to follow!!!
SLASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Countless dazzling blue flashes and terrifying purple beams bombarded each other with astonishing intensity, breaking the sound barrier multiple times, creating extremely terrifying radiation storms, and forming wave after wave of shockwaves capable of changing the world map!
In the dark sky, whether it was Cecilus Segmunt or the Demon Dragon Lord—both moved at speeds beyond human comprehension. In every second, in every fraction of a second, even in the blink of an eye, they exchanged hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of deadly attacks with burning killing intent!
BLAAAAAAAR...!!!
The entire world shook to its core, apocalyptic natural phenomena continuously spread rapidly throughout the region... As if their battle was one that would determine their fate. This was no longer a human battle—this was a war of gods.
Air and dimensional space continued to be severely distorted as both moved at inhuman speeds, exceeding supersonic speeds multiple times over. Every time these two mighty forces met and clashed, space would tear and distort, creating destructive waves that instantly killed all living creatures within a radius of tens of kilometers!
Then suddenly, a giant magic circle covering a 10-kilometer radius formed right above the dark sky, emanating a terrifying aura of death. From the center of that rotating magic circle emerged countless giant darkness swords, each possessing power capable of instantly killing ten SS+ Rank Hunters!
However—
SLASH!!!
One blue lightning slash of equally vast and devastating scale spread at light speed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire terrifying attack produced by the darkness magic—including the giant magic circle itself—vanished instantly without a trace!
BOOOOOOOOM...!!!
But the momentary clash between these two mighty forces was enough to cause a natural disaster equivalent to one of the worst disasters in human history! Tsunamis of energy swept the land, tall mountains shattered to pieces, and rivers changed course due to land formation changes.
Only, this battle didn't stop there. Dozens of magic circles emanating extremely powerful curse auras were released simultaneously directly toward the blue lightning moving fast like a killer comet!
But all those terrifying curses instantly vanished when Cecilus's katana swing pierced them easily, as if they were mere illusions!
"[So... That's the true ability of the weapon you carry. Cutting all phenomenon points, even concepts. And combined with speed that has exceeded human limits, indeed only a handful of the strongest Transcendent beings could match you in direct combat]"
"[Unfortunately for you... Though your weapon's ability is extremely mighty and terrifying, you're still struggling to truly kill me, aren't you? Do you know why? That's because...]"
The concepts of 'slashing' and 'cutting' no longer applied to him.
Yes... After successfully absorbing all the life energy stored from the 'Root', the Demon Dragon Lord had successfully awakened an extremely rare and terrifying ??? Talent—a Talent that made him immune to any concept of 'slashing' or 'cutting' in this world.
So... No matter how powerful a weapon might be, as long as they tried to 'slash' or 'cut' him, that slash would not apply and would not hurt him at all...
Thanks to this terrifying cheat ability, in terms of power level, the Demon Dragon Lord was undoubtedly almost equal to the terrifying creatures at Unknown Rank.
"[Once I successfully absorb Yozakura Tsubomi, I will become a truly invincible Unknown Rank creature in this world and any dimension]"
The terrifying figure of the Demon Dragon Lord floating in the sky began creating an extremely large darkness mana vortex with deadly energy sparks striking in all directions, resembling a scene as if the apocalypse would come to destroy the entire world.
"[But before my beautiful dream becomes reality, I'll show you what the true meaning of real power is, arrogant human]"
"HAHAHAHAHA!! Then I'll also show you the true power of the world's strongest swordsman!!"
"[Then I'm very curious and eager to know... Whether that sword you always boast about can truly slash this attack]"
"?!!!" Cecilus Segmunt's eyes widened in extraordinary shock, then he only smiled with a terrifying psychopathic grin while gripping both legendary katanas tightly in his hands.
In the dark sky, a terrifying mana mass with corrosive intensity full of death curses began forming slowly. Cursed darkness energy gathered from all directions, creating a ball of destruction emanating an aura of death.
Its diameter was truly unbelievable to human eyes.
Because... That terrifying darkness ball was twice the size of the moon.
This shocking thing made the entire land surface that was already dark due to deadly radiation now become even darker, as if the sun had been extinguished forever.
And if such a devastating attack were released to earth, not only would Master Swordsman City be destroyed, but entire nearby kingdom territories would even be affected and obliterated in the blink of an eye.
Even the strongest attack of Dean—the SSS Rank Hunter killed by Cecilus Segmunt before—was like a child's joke compared to this chaos darkness ball.
However... Cecilus Segmunt wasn't afraid at all.
He decided to use the 'Maximum Power Sword Slash' technique once again.
Cecilus began absorbing all available mana within a radius of tens of kilometers around him, creating an energy vortex so massive it created certain very bright and blinding light on both his katana blades.
Jaken Murasame—the first katana—was now enveloped by extremely thick and dense mana layers. Its entire blade surface emanated intense reddish light.
Meanwhile, Muken Masayume—the second katana—emitted brilliant white light so bright it enveloped the entire katana body like an invisible flame shroud. The sword emanated extremely hot temperatures, even capable of melting the strongest metals with just its heat radiation alone.
One terrifying thing shared between both katanas was... Both emanated truly terrifying and pure killing intent.
And as if responding to the deepest 'desire' of Cecilus Segmunt who had an absolute obsession with winning this battle, both katanas began emanating increasingly wild and uncontrolled pressure. Energy from both weapons resonated with each other, creating a beautiful yet terrifying destructive harmony.
Two different colors from both katanas—glowing red and brilliant white—combined with Cecilus Segmunt's blue lightning mana, creating a three-color light spectrum that enveloped his entire body. The combination of dominant blue lightning, intense red killing intent, and pure heavenly white made his figure look like a war god descending directly from a higher dimension.
So—no need to wait any longer. The moment had arrived.
Whether it was the Demon Dragon Lord with his devastating darkness ball, or Cecilus Segmunt with his combined sword swing...
Both who had prepared their final deadly attacks with all their possessed power now released them in one movement that would determine the winner of this battle!
WOOOOOOOSSSHHH... !!!!
The sky split in two with an ear-splitting sound. Earth trembled with intensity exceeding any Richter scale. Air and space-time were extremely distorted as the darkness ball twice the size of the moon began falling to the land surface with terrifying gravity—as if trying to destroy not only all humanity in this world, but also planet earth itself until it became dust!
And the only thing standing against an attack with such destruction scale was none other than a bright light slash with a combination of three different colors—blue, red, and white—whose light intensity could even make the entire world bright as daylight in the middle of dark night.
Then in the decisive second, they met.
The impossibly large darkness ball collided with the three-colored light slash in an explosion exceeding all limits of physics understanding. The world immediately drowned in contradictory dark-white light—a phenomenon that should be impossible under any natural law.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.....!!!
The resulting explosion exceeded the power of thousands of thermonuclear bombs exploding simultaneously. The released energy waves created dimensional vortexes that sucked in and annihilated everything within hundreds of kilometers radius.
The entire Master Swordsman City—the city that was once humanity's greatest sword center—completely vanished from the energy explosion that was many times more powerful than atomic bombs. Not only were its buildings destroyed, but even the molecular structure of everything in that city disintegrated until nothing remained...