"Huff... huff... At last..."
Chen Ye felt his breath coming in ragged gasps, his lungs seeming to burn after pouring all his strength into the devastating attack he had just unleashed.
Cold sweat soaked his pale face, yet his sharp eyes still gazed warily toward where the enemy had been.
The Demonic Beasts summoned by the Black Mamba and the Demon Dragon Lord had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
All that remained were piles of Demonic Beast corpses scattered everywhere, their bodies torn apart by sharp weapons that gleamed red with blood.
As for the Hunters of the evil Black Mamba organization... they too had been wiped from the face of the earth.
The Rank S Hunters, once so arrogant and terrifying, were now nowhere to be found after being dispatched with ease by Kurogane Ouma and Flashy Flash.
"You really did it, Chen Ye."
The Sword King's voice, full of admiration, echoed from within Chen Ye's soul.
His spiritual master sounded deeply astonished and impressed.
Who would have thought… that since joining the Yozakura Family, this young man had grown so rapidly, reaching a level he had never even imagined?
Even the Sword King, who had lived for thousands of years, had never imagined the day would come when Chen Ye could defeat a terrifying being like the Demon Dragon Lord with his own power!
"Fufu, not bad at all. Using one of the strongest dark spells without suffering any significant side effects, you truly deserve praise~"
A melodious, enchanting chuckle sounded, instantly drawing 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, looked at the young man with slight interest.
"No... This victory would never have happened without all of your help," Chen Ye said sincerely, his voice soft but full of gratitude.
Though exhausted, he did not forget his friends' contributions.
"..."
Restia Ashdoll blinked her beautiful eyes, then laughed softly like silver bells.
"I see... If that's how you think."
"Ah! Chen Ye!! Are you okay?!"
Suddenly, Konno Yūki's cry, full of energy and worry, broke the silence.
Chen Ye turned and found several members of the Yozakura Family—the calm Aoi Sui, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa, Inaba Tsukuyo, and the others—approaching with quick steps.
Konno Yūki, her transparent bat wings shimmering beautifully in the sunlight, circled Chen Ye while saying in a worried tone she could not hide.
"How are you?! Are you hurt? If anything is wrong or uncomfortable, tell us right away!"
"I-I'm fine," Chen Ye felt a little awkward at the sweet girl's enthusiasm.
"All right then." Konno Yūki looked so relieved her face lit up, then her expression turned to admiration and excitement.
"But you were truly amazing! That attack you just did... except for Ji Xuanyuan and Ouma, none of us could do something like that!"
"T-thank you..."
Chen Ye felt a little embarrassed at the sincere praise and scratched his reddening cheek.
"Hmph. It was just a fluke that he managed an attack like that," Kurogane Ouma said in his usual cold, cynical tone, while Kurome beside him merely nodded along without saying anything.
"There's no need to be so cold, Ouma. Besides... we have no casualties thanks to his hard work, do we?"
Ji Xuanyuan said in a soft, wise voice, trying to ease the tension that was beginning to form.
"..."
Kurogane Ouma said nothing more.
He only turned his face aside with his typical cold expression.
"That man will never be honest, no matter the situation. You'll still need a lot of effort to make him acknowledge your ability," said Inaba Tsukuyo with a soft sigh, her voice like a whisper of the wind.
"But whatever the case..."
The petite girl with the always-closed eyes looked toward Chen Ye with a faint smile rarely seen.
"As your teacher, I am very proud that you could achieve something this extraordinary."
"You all did well enough, doing your best to train him. But after all this, I'd better take over his training. I guarantee he'll be ten times stronger than before," said Flashy Flash without hesitation.
"Hey! That's a bit of an exaggeration!"
Konno Yūki's lips twitched in annoyance at Flashy Flash's 'belittling' of all their abilities, making some of the other members unconsciously chuckle at the funny interaction.
Tsukuyomi Tsukasa smiled faintly with a calm expression, Xiang Yu stayed silent as usual, and Kokushibo and Tomioka Giyū only glanced over without caring much about the small quarrel.
Even Restia Ashdoll looked on with interest, as if watching an entertaining show.
But among everyone gathered, Chen Ye's gaze remained fixed on one person who meant a great deal to him.
The petite girl carefully guided by Aoi Sui.
Despite fairly serious wounds on the left side of her body, her right side still sprouted lovely cherry blossom petals, giving off a fragrant scent that refreshed the soul.
One thing was certain and never changed... her gentle, sincere smile never vanished for a second, even in a situation like this.
"You did very well... Chen Ye."
Her soft, melodious voice sounded like the most beautiful music to Chen Ye's ears, deeply refreshing to his heart.
"Yes... And I'm very glad you're safe too," Chen Ye replied.
"Is that so..."
Her beautiful, gem-like eyes looked at Chen Ye with sincere warmth.
"That's right... Without you, I wouldn't be able to stand here now."
"No, no..." Chen Ye scratched his head bashfully, then smiled brightly, lighting up his face.
"Didn't I tell you before? I will definitely never let you die!"
"..."
Oh?
The Sword King blinked in surprise from within Chen Ye's soul.
Several other members were also rather surprised to hear such a bold declaration, while some smiled helplessly at Chen Ye's attitude.
After all, they were not so foolish as to miss this, but they merely shook their heads patiently because Yozakura Tsubomi was not the type to think about romantic things like that…
The Sword King also noticed his disciple's feelings, but as a wise teacher, he would only support his disciple's feelings in his heart...
Besides, the atmosphere, now beginning to turn peaceful, made everyone relax a little.
"So, are we truly done?"
The answer to that question did not really need to be given because it was already plain.
After all, that last devastating attack was the perfect collaboration between Chen Ye and Restia Ashdoll; even a Transcendent being would surely have been killed by such a terrifying attack.
But...
They all forgot one important thing.
The one called the Demon Dragon Lord was no ordinary Transcendent being who could be defeated easily.
"[𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀... 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴]"
Those words echoed with a terrifying pressure that made the whole area tremble violently as if the earth would collapse.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!!
A sudden and tremendous explosion of [mana] spread in every direction at frightening speed, instantly changing everyone's expressions drastically!
Even Chen Ye and the Sword King wore expressions filled with deep dread!
They all stared, bodies stiff and trembling, at the remains of the destruction created by Chen Ye's earlier attack, hoping not to see what they feared.
But the bitter reality struck them.
The Demon Dragon Lord's body, like a terrifying giant serpent six hundred meters long, was no longer there.
Instead, what stood there was a humanoid figure nearly 2 meters tall, much of its body resembling a fearsome legendary dragon.
Its entire body was covered in metallic purple scales gleaming like impenetrable armor, every part of it full of supernatural power as if the overflowing [mana] wanted to escape from that frightening humanoid body.
Its long tail swayed gracefully yet menacingly, a pair of grand dragon wings spread behind it, and most terrifying of all...
Eyes that could drown an entire city with a single gaze full of death.
Normally, in a situation like this they would immediately react and launch a counterattack, but...
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸.
Not that they did not want to, but they truly were unable to!
[Mana] pressure like gravity dozens of times heavier left them able only to tremble, their bodies barely able to move.
An aura of darkness and evil so thick that the whole area slowly began to break down and be destroyed...
Their rigidity and fear had only just begun to ease when that terrifying voice echoed again—
"[𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗼... 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁]"
The terrible pressure vanished for a moment and everyone immediately raised their weapons, staring warily at the Demon Dragon Lord, but—
The Demon Dragon Lord was nowhere to be seen.
No, he wasn't truly invisible.
His speed was so overwhelmingly great that even their well-trained eyes could not follow his movements at all!
𝙆𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!!!
An explosion of dark radiation like a nuclear bomb instantly destroyed and annihilated everything with unimaginable force!!!
Heaven and earth shook violently, and everyone caught in the impact of this devastating attack immediately spat out fresh blood in great quantities!
But with burning determination and an unyielding will, they forced their wounded bodies to rise and regain their balance, only—
The cruel Demon Dragon Lord gave them no chance to recover and strike back.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!
"COUGH!!!"
The first victim of that brutal attack was Konno Yūki.
The Fairy girl who had earlier bravely killed a terrifying Darkness Dragon was now hurled hundreds of kilometers away, her whole body full of wounds and nearly dead!
But the cruel, inhuman Demon Dragon Lord did not hesitate; he looked at the trembling Yozakura Family members before preparing to launch another lethal attack!
The first to notice the terrifying Demon Dragon Lord's presence was Chen Ye, and his gaze was instantly filled with deep fear as he cried out in a voice full of despair—
"𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗘𝗘𝗘𝗥...!!!"
Inaba Tsukuyo's expression changed drastically and she immediately used her full speed to respond to the threat as she sensed lethal danger from behind her, but—
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈....!!!
"?!!"
Everyone's eyes widened.
For an instant, there was a flash of countless sword strokes like a storm of steel, but—
"Cough..."
A mouthful of fresh blood spilled from Inaba Tsukuyo's pale lips.
Her red eyes, normally calm and empty, trembled violently as she tried to move, but her body did not respond at all.
Her katana had shattered to pieces in that fraction of a second and... the Demon Dragon Lord's clawlike hand had brutally pierced her small abdomen.
Yes... literally, the Demon Dragon Lord did not hesitate to deliver a truly 'lethal' attack to the girl, lifting her tiny body with one hand and then flinging it like useless trash.
When Inaba Tsukuyo's helpless body landed hard on the ground, a spray of blood gushed out like a terrifying waterfall.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, as if time had stopped, then—
"AAAARRRGGG! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
A scream full of rage and burning vengeance burst from Chen Ye's mouth with a force that shook the soul.
"Wait! WE MUST UNITE AND—!"
Aoi Sui shouted 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 force!
Facing a combined attack that could easily kill a Rank SS+ monster, the Demon Dragon Lord merely raised one hand casually and then—
Dense darkness [mana], capable of annihilating any living thing, shot out at the speed of light in every direction!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!!
Countless beams of darkness—each capable of annihilating a large city in a single strike—sent them all flying with tremendous force!
But a few people managed to withstand that lethal attack.
Among them were Tomioka Giyū and Kokushibo, both of whom, with extraordinary skill, used their respective special breathing techniques to dodge perfectly and then launched a counterattack—
"<<𝐌𝐢𝐳𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐊𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐮—"
"<<𝐓𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐧𝐨 𝐊𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐮—"
Tomioka Giyū and Kokushibo swung their katanas with the best techniques they had mastered!
The moment they used their full power, to their shock and horror, the Demon Dragon Lord managed to stop both katanas with only his two bare hands!
Both their expressions changed slightly and they wanted to retreat.
But the Demon Dragon Lord easily shattered both of their katanas to pieces and then—
"[<<𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧>>]"
Those words were spoken in a cold voice, followed by a deadly silence before light filled with thick darkness illuminated the whole world…
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍.....!!!!
That explosion of darkness was like a giant nuclear vortex, bursting and devouring in every direction with unimaginable force, leaving not a single living thing in the area.
As a result, the entire magnificent Master Swordsman City vanished completely from the face of the earth!!
At that moment, the force of the attack even soared into the sky at a frightening speed, piercing and shattering the magical barrier that had been hiding this terrifying [mana] from the outside world!!
"Cough! Cough! COUGH! A-ack... ARRRGH!"
Chen Ye, feeling his body pinned beneath building rubble and other heavy objects, unconsciously screamed in unbearable pain.
No, the problem was not only that—his entire body and soul were being slowly and torturously devoured by a terrifying dark element!
The pain was so extreme he wished he could faint immediately to escape the suffering!
With difficulty and using the last of his strength, he managed to push off the heavy weight crushing his body, then looked at the scene before him with eyes full of horror and deep fear.
Nothing remained of the once beautiful and magnificent city.
There was only a vast stretch 200 kilometers long filled with terrifying dark energy, continuing to devour and corrupt everything that was left.
Then, with eyes swimming with stars, he found the Demon Dragon Lord, now choking Restia Ashdoll's neck with one hand…
The Darkness Spirit, normally so confident, now looked to be in terrible pain.
"[𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲... 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆]"
"Is that so?"
Restia Ashdoll's voice sounded very strained and tormented, but the strong girl still forced a resilient smile.
"How could you survive that earlier attack? I was certain you took it head-on."
"[𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲. 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗜 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 '𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁' 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺]"
"Ara~ Nearly perfect form? So you can still be defeated and killed?"
"[𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁... 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻]"
"Is that so? Then you will surely die before that actually happens."
Just as Restia Ashdoll said so confidently even while pinned, a terrifying windstorm with pressure capable of annihilating an entire large city came from behind the Demon Dragon Lord and struck it with extraordinary force!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
The owner of that spectacular rescue attack was of course Kurogane Ouma.
Only, unlike his usually neat and perfect appearance, this time his upper clothing was completely destroyed and tattered, with terrible bleeding wounds across his body.
Not only that, his usually beautiful long hair had also been cut short and disheveled by the earlier explosion.
Restia Ashdoll took advantage of that golden opportunity to escape, her breath ragged as she coughed up fresh blood.
"[𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁]"
That cold and menacing voice echoed, making the entire air seem to freeze in fear.
"?!!"
All their eyes widened.
"[This form may not yet be as perfect as I desire, but to face all of you weaklings... it is already more than enough to annihilate you until nothing is left]"
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.
"EVERYONE, RETREAT NOW!!"
But the warning came too late.
Even before Kurogane Ouma's words had finished leaving his mouth, Restia Ashdoll had already moved away just as the Demon Dragon Lord launched his lethal punch at lightning speed toward Kurogane Ouma's frozen body!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
A tremendous explosion thundered, shattering the silence of the night!
That fist was like an unstoppable beam of darkness, a primordial force destroying everything!
Everything it passed—ground, rock, trees—vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed in this world!
"[𝗢𝗵? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴... 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁? 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀]"
A little interest and curiosity arose in the Demon Dragon Lord's terrifyingly echoing voice.
"You underestimate me too much, you stubborn lizard."
With his body soaked in black blood flowing heavily, Kurogane Ouma aimed Ryūzume—his nodachi—at the Demon Dragon Lord.
A terrifying wind swirled with destructive power, filling the entire battle area like a tornado of death.
"[𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀... 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗺𝘀𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲?]"
𝙆𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!!
Once again a terrifying attack occurred, so powerful it broke the sound barrier, creating a shockwave that spread to every corner!
As the impact of the lethal radiation from that terrifying [mana] collision nearly struck Chen Ye and would have killed him instantly, his body was suddenly lifted into the air.
With still-blurred eyes, he realized it was Xiang Yu who was carrying him—the protector's mechanical body now badly broken, with metal parts scattered about.
The two of them immediately moved away from the source of that deadly fight at full speed.
Before long, once a safe distance had been reached, Chen Ye saw Yozakura Tsubomi.
After Xiang Yu carefully set him down, the young man hurriedly ran over with staggering steps.
But his expression immediately turned horrified and nauseated at the terrible sight before him.
This was hell on earth.
Around the weakly lying Yozakura Tsubomi, Kurome lay unconscious with her body torn to pieces from the waist down, fresh blood still flowing heavily from the horribly gaping wounds.
Aoi Sui was gasping for air, his breath growing weaker, both his arms gone up to the shoulders, leaving open wounds with bones jutting out.
As for Kirihime Yoruka, who had been unconscious before, her body was now slowly turning to gray ash that drifted away on the wind, as if her existence in this world were being slowly erased.
Only Ji Xuanyuan and Flashy Flash still appeared relatively fine, yet Ji Xuanyuan's left arm was distorted into an utterly inhuman shape—her bones jutting out at terrible angles, her flesh torn to reveal twitching, pain-wracked sinews.
Seeing this horrific, chaotic scene, and realizing with deep regret that all this tragedy had occurred because of his own fault and weakness, Chen Ye could not help himself and immediately vomited violently.
His stomach contents came out mixed with blood as disgust, regret, and unbearable fear overwhelmed his entire soul.
"Chen Ye, are you all right?!"
The Sword King's voice, full of anxiety and panic, sounded.
"Huff, huff, huff... I-I'm fine, Master... b-but..." Chen Ye sounded ever weaker and more desperate as he looked at the Sword King in terror.
"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 Yozakura Family members also fell silent.
Their situation now was truly dire—nearly all their combat strength had been wiped out, and on top of that the Demon Dragon Lord's power had risen to a truly terrifying level...
There was almost no hope of winning.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
The thunderous succession of explosions suddenly ended, leaving an oppressive silence...
Flashy Flash suddenly rose to his feet despite his grave injuries.
He said, "I'll fight it."
"...Flash?"
Yozakura Tsubomi's gentle voice sounded weak.
The girl, though extremely weak and dying, still tried to lift her head to look at the young man.
"Right now, the barrier that creature created has already been shattered. So I will buy you precious time to escape, in the meantime... 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 sprouting from within his body, blooming with petals sharp as knives.
Flashy Flash did not notice Chen Ye's pitiful condition because his entire focus and sharp gaze, like a hunting hawk's, was already fixed on 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 murmured in a cold voice…
"<<𝐙𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐢... 𝐑𝐲𝐮𝐮𝐞𝐢 𝐊𝐲𝐚𝐤𝐮!>>"
Flashy Flash's figure left a trail of blinding bright light along its path, and at that moment—
The pitch-black 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, a devastating and deadly exchange of attacks, one after another, spread in every direction, creating destructive waves that struck mountains even very far from the battle site, causing terrible cracks that split mountain peaks in two!
But back to Chen Ye… now the poor young man screamed in heartbreaking pain because the black cherry blossoms, like terrifying parasites, were trying to gnaw and destroy his body from the inside!
Those sharp petals pierced out of his skin, oozing fresh blood mixed with foul-smelling black sap.
This horrifying sight made the Sword King panic!
"What is happening to him?!"
"This is the effect of excessive use of Blooming... Within my 'Someinine' there is a very dangerous type called Chizakura. But don't worry... I will soon—"
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 lethal purple beam shot toward them all at the speed of light!
𝙆𝙍𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙆...!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈....!!!
A tremendous explosion occurred right where they had gathered, destroying everything within a radius of hundreds of meters!
Everyone's bodies were flung in various directions like rag dolls, crashing into rubble and huge rocks with bone-crushing impacts!
As for Xiang Yu, that mighty mechanical body was now completely destroyed—metal scattered, severed cables spitting green sparks—because he had sacrificed himself to block the Demon Dragon Lord's lethal attack!
'𝗡𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢!'
Chen Ye screamed in a voice full of fear, despair, and deep regret that shook his soul!
The Demon Dragon Lord now stood arrogantly right in front of the helplessly fallen Yozakura Tsubomi.
His huge, terrifying hand moved slowly, trying to touch the petite girl with malicious intent shining from his eyes—
But suddenly, from the sky above, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa, drenched in fresh blood, swung her katana with movements full of killing intent!
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃!
With truly astonishing speed and precision, beyond the limits of human ability, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa launched a series of lethal slashes that did not even touch Yozakura Tsubomi, who was very close to her—the perfect control of a master swordswoman.
But—
The Demon Dragon Lord's figure had vanished like a shadow.
Then in the next second, that terrifying Transcendent being was already standing right behind Tsukuyomi Tsukasa.
"?!"
The girl's eyes widened, her instincts screaming danger.
She wanted to turn to face the threat. But it was all too late.
The Demon Dragon Lord, with a single punch carrying the power to level an entire large city in an instant, struck Tsukuyomi Tsukasa's entire body from the right side with unimaginable force!!!
𝘽𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙉𝙂...!!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
A rain of fresh blood spread instantly in every direction as most of Tsukuyomi Tsukasa's body was obliterated in an instant, leaving only scattered pieces of flesh and bone.
Splashes of her warm blood even struck the face of the terrified Chen Ye.
"Ah... Ah... No... This can't be..."
Chen Ye nearly lost his sanity witnessing this unimaginable cruelty.
His eyes were empty, his mouth open without a sound.
All the members of the Yozakura Family who had fought together with him were now being wiped out one by one before his eyes and there was nothing he could do.
And now, all that remained was...
"[𝗜 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘁, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗺𝗶. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗜, 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿]"
"..."
Facing a Transcendent being capable of killing the strongest Hunters by mere existence, Yozakura Tsubomi still smiled gently.
But that smile now... was full of weakness.
"[𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲]"
The Demon Dragon Lord said in an indifferent tone, yet with a veiled note of admiration.
No, no, NO!
Move! Move quickly! Do something!
Chen Ye tried desperately to move his body, ignoring the pain burning through his whole body from the black cherry blossoms that kept growing sharp petals from within his flesh.
His cherry-blossom-patterned pupils were also now bleeding heavily down his cheeks from forcing power beyond his limits...
He even tried to beg and force 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 being had locked down the Sword King's movements in an incomprehensible way, keeping him trapped inside Chen Ye's necklace and unable to do anything.
Argh! Why?!
Why did it have to be like this?! Why am I so weak?!
Seeing the Demon Dragon Lord's hand slowly about to touch Yozakura Tsubomi, Chen Ye lost his mind even more.
Total despair took over his soul.
The Flame of Abyss within his body roared ferociously like a caged beast, but it was all in vain.
Not a single one of them could move anymore... at least until...
"Wow, look at the state of this place. What a total mess."
"..."
Chen Ye's pupils trembled violently.
His blurry, tear-filled gaze lifted with difficulty to look at the figure who had just arrived with a presence that shook the world.
Even the Demon Dragon Lord unconsciously stopped his movement and turned around.
Of course, not without strong reason... it was because he sensed an enormous [mana] pressure, even a threatening one, coming from the blue-haired young man standing atop the ruins.
Yes... Cecilus Segmunt, in a condition far from prime.
His clothes were in tatters, his body full of wounds, yet the aura radiating from him was like a storm ready to destroy everything.
Moreover, although his voice sounded relaxed and calm, there was not a single smile on his normally cheerful face.
There was only… a cold gaze.
"[𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻... 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹... 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴'𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘆. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗴]"
"Huh? Flee? 𝗣𝗨𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔!!! Interesting, very interesting!!"
Mad, inhuman laughter exploded from Cecilus Segmunt's mouth.
His eyes flashed with terrifying madness. "It's been so long since I felt a challenge like this! 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻—"
A horrifyingly mad and inhuman grin formed on Cecilus Segmunt's face, making him look like a bloodthirsty demon.
"𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀."
"[...]"
The two stared at each other intensely in a suffocating silence.
The air around them vibrated with the pressure of extraordinary power.
At that moment, a large ruin in the distance collapsed with a rumble, and the moment the sound of the quake began to fade...
𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱.
No, more precisely, the speed of their movement was like teleportation itself, beyond the limit of human eyes to follow!!!
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!
Countless dazzling blue flashes and terrifying purple beams bombarded one another with astonishing intensity, breaking the sound barrier many times over, creating a terrifying storm of radiation, and forming shockwave after shockwave capable of reshaping the world map!
In the pitch-dark sky, whether Cecilus Segmunt or the Demon Dragon Lord—both moved at speeds beyond human understanding!
In every second, in fractions of a second, even in the blink of an eye, they exchanged a hundred, a thousand, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of lethal attacks, each with burning killing intent!
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍...!!!
The entire world was shaken to its core, natural phenomena that looked like the end of days kept spreading rapidly across the whole region... as if their battle would decide their fate!
Air and dimensional space were severely distorted as the two moved at an already inhuman speed, many times beyond supersonic.
Each time the two mighty forces met and clashed, space would tear and distort, creating destructive waves that instantly killed all living things within a radius of tens of kilometers!
Then suddenly, a giant magic circle covering a 10-kilometer radius formed right above the dark sky, radiating a terrifying aura of death.
From the center of that spinning magic circle came countless giant swords of darkness, each with power enough to kill ten Rank SS Hunters at once!
But—
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃!!!
A single blue lightning slash of no less vast and devastating scale spread at the speed of light and in the blink of an eye all of the terrifying attacks produced by the dark magic—including the giant magic circle itself—vanished instantly without a trace!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
But the momentary clash between those two mighty forces was enough to cause a natural disaster on par with one of the worst in the history of humanity!
A tsunami of energy swept across the land, towering mountains shattered to pieces, and rivers changed course from the altered shape of the terrain!
Only, the fight did not stop there.
Dozens of magic circles radiating an extremely strong aura of curses were released at the same time, directly toward the blue lightning moving swiftly like a killer comet!
But all those horrifying curses vanished instantly as the swing of Cecilus's katana passed through them easily, as if they were mere illusions!
"[𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲... 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆. 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗮, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁]"
"[𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂... 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀' 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝘆? 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲...]"
The concepts of 'slashing' and 'cutting' no longer applied to him.
Yes... after successfully absorbing all the life energy stored in the 'Root', the Demon Dragon Lord had unlocked an extremely rare and terrifying Rank ??? Talent—a Talent that made him immune to the concept of any 'slash' or 'cut' in this world.
So... no matter how miraculous a weapon was, as long as it tried to 'slash' or 'cut' him, the slash would not apply and would not hurt him in the slightest...
Thanks to this terrifying cheat ability, in terms of power level, the Demon Dragon Lord was undoubtedly nearly equal to the terrifying beings of Rank Unknown.
"[𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗺𝗶, 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻]"
The terrifying figure of the Demon Dragon Lord floating in the sky began to create an enormous vortex of dark [mana], with deadly sparks of energy lashing out in every direction, resembling a scene as if the apocalypse were coming to destroy the whole world.
"[𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻]"
"HAHAHAHAHA!! In that case, I'll show you the true power of the strongest swordsman in this world!!"
"[𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲... 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸]"
"?!!!"
Cecilus Segmunt's eyes widened in extreme shock, then he merely smiled a terrifying psychopathic smile while gripping the two legendary katanas in his hands tightly.
In the dark sky, a terrifying mass of [mana] with corrosive intensity and a deadly curse began to form slowly.
Cursed dark energy gathered from every direction, creating a sphere of destruction radiating an aura of death.
Its diameter was truly unbelievable to the human eye.
Because... that terrifying sphere of darkness was twice the size of the moon.
That astonishing sight made the entire surface of the land, already pitch-dark from the lethal radiation, grow even darker, as if the sun had been extinguished forever.
And if an overwhelming attack like that were released onto the earth, not only Master Swordsman City but even the entire nearby kingdom would be affected and annihilated in an instant.
Even the strongest attack of Dean—the Rank SSS Hunter Cecilus Segmunt had killed earlier—was like a child's joke before this sphere of chaotic darkness.
But... Cecilus Segmunt was not afraid at all.
He decided to use the 'Maximum Power Sword Slash' technique once more.
Cecilus began absorbing all the available [mana] within a radius of tens of kilometers around him, creating an energy vortex so massive that it produced a certain extremely bright, blinding light on the blades of his two katanas.
Jaken Murasame—the first katana—was now enveloped in a very thick and dense layer of [mana]. The entire surface of its blade radiated an intense reddish glow.
Meanwhile, Muken Masayume—the second katana—gave off a bright white light so brilliant that it wrapped the whole body of the katana like a sheath of invisible flame.
The sword radiated an extremely hot temperature, able to melt even the strongest metals with its heat radiation alone.
One terrifying thing the two katanas had in common was... both radiated a killing lust so terrifying and pure.
And as if responding to the deepest 'desire' of Cecilus Segmunt, who held an absolute obsession with winning this fight, the two katanas began to radiate an ever wilder, uncontrolled pressure.
The energy of the two weapons resonated with each other, creating a destructive harmony both beautiful and frightening!
The two different colors of the katanas—blazing red and brilliant white—merged with Cecilus Segmunt's lightning-blue [mana], creating a three-color spectrum of light enveloping his entire body.
The combination of the dominant lightning blue, intense red of killing intent, and pure heavenly white made his figure look like a god of war descending directly from a higher dimension!
So—there was no need to wait any longer.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.
Whether the Demon Dragon Lord with his terrifying sphere of darkness, or Cecilus Segmunt with his combined sword swing...
The two of them, having prepared their final lethal attacks with all the power they possessed, now released them in a single motion that would decide the winner of this fight!
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙎𝙎𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃...!!!!
The sky split in two with an ear-splitting sound.
The earth shook with an intensity surpassing any Richter scale.
Air and space-time were extremely distorted as the sphere of darkness, twice the size of the moon, began to be dropped toward the surface of the land with terrifying gravity—as if trying to destroy not only all of humanity in this world, but the planet Earth itself into dust!
And the only thing standing against an attack of such destructive scale was none other than a bright slash of light in a combination of three different colors—blue, red, and white—whose luminous intensity could make the entire world as bright as day in the midst of a gloomy night!
Then in that decisive second, the two met.
The unreasonably huge sphere of darkness collided with the three-color slash of light in an explosion that surpassed all limits of physics.
The world immediately sank into a paradoxical dark-white light—a phenomenon that should not have been possible under any law of nature.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!!
The resulting explosion surpassed the power of thousands of thermonuclear bombs detonating at once.
The wave of released energy created a dimensional vortex that sucked in and annihilated everything within a radius of hundreds of kilometers!
The entire Master Swordsman City—once humanity's greatest center of the sword—vanished completely in an energy explosion many times beyond the power of an atomic bomb.
Not only were its buildings destroyed, even the molecular structure of everything in that city disintegrated until nothing remained!