Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 123

1. The True Successor vs. The False Successor

1

“Heh heh, in the end, you fell for the bait.”

In a dark, secret chamber, a figure with a sinister glint in his eyes, hidden beneath a hood, watched a scene unfold through a crystal ball held in his bony hand.

The crystal ball displayed the young king and the mercenary wielding a bastard sword, facing off in the palace garden. It was none other than Luke and Hiros.

The one who had sent Hiros was the lich, Arsen, who was currently observing the fight.

Arsen, determined to eliminate any forces that would hinder his grand plan, decided to get rid of Luke, who had become a thorn in his side, first. To this end, he dispatched Hiros, a guardian created from Rakan’s corpse, to the Symphonia Kingdom.

His goal was to corner Luke, who was secretly learning black magic while disguised as a descendant of a hero. The scheme worked perfectly.

Unbelievably, the man had summoned a demon and kept it by his side. Thanks to that, Arsen didn’t have to go through the trouble of finding evidence. Of course, he was briefly taken aback when Luke shamelessly retorted that Hiros was the one using dark magic.

But in the end, Luke fell for Hiros’ provocation and ended up in a duel.

“Heh heh, Hiros retains the skills of Rakan, the Sword Emperor. Not only that, but the souls of many renowned experts have been grafted onto him over the past 500 years.”

In terms of swordsmanship, there was no knight in the Lodisia continent who could defeat Hiros. Even Rudolf of the Baroque Empire, who prided himself as the strongest on the continent, would not be a match. The same was true for Luke, the Rune Knight.

However, Luke possessed another ability. From his own experience, he had black magic and demonic powers, and if he used these, he could fight Hiros on equal terms.

‘But the moment he reveals his hidden power, he will be ruined.’

Unlike other nobles, Luke was a descendant of the renowned hero Rakan. If it became known that he had learned black magic, not only the vassals who had served the Rakan family for generations, but also the ministers and the people would turn their backs on him. Moreover, the Holy Artenia Empire, which maintained a close relationship with Symphonia, would undoubtedly change its attitude.

‘There’s a rumor that Veronica III is actually Princess Reina, isn’t there? Even if that girl is Luke’s fiancée, she won’t be able to cover up matters related to black magic.’

Of course, Luke might not use black magic or demonic powers out of concern for such issues. But if he did, he would be killed by Hiros. In that case, he would maintain his honor, but Symphonia, with its king dead, would inevitably experience internal strife. It was known that Luke had no successor yet.

‘And if that troublesome guy disappears, my grand plan will proceed more smoothly.’

No matter what the outcome, it wouldn’t be bad for Arsen. Of course, there was a possibility that Luke might win using only swordsmanship and white magic, but this was so unlikely that there was no need to worry about it.

“Now, Rakan’s successor, show me your skills to your heart’s content against the guardian made from your ancestor’s body. Heh heh.”

Arsen sent mocking cheers to Luke as he drew his sword and ran towards Hiros. He hoped that Luke would walk the path of self-destruction.

Clang! Clang—!

Whoosh! Whoosh—!

The flowers planted in the backyard of the detached palace were swept into the air by the sword winds caused by the fierce battle between Luke and Hiros. The flower petals, which were being swept around, burst into flames from the sparks and the fierce aura trails that occurred each time the swords clashed. Visually, it was quite beautiful, but those watching felt more anxious than impressed.

“Shouldn’t we help His Majesty? It’s not really a formal duel anyway….”

When High Priest Maron, who was watching the fight, couldn’t hold back any longer, Philip shook his head.

“It’s impossible. If we could join in, neither I nor Commander Hwangbo Sung would be just watching like this.”

Originally, the fights of skilled knights were quite visually spectacular. Various sword techniques and auras would clash, creating magnificent scenes. However, the story was different for superhumans who had surpassed a certain level. Because they had mastered the handling of aura and swordsmanship, it could actually look rather calm on the surface. So, to those who didn’t know much about swordsmanship, the two men’s fight might seem like nothing special.

But the fight between Luke and Hiros was more dangerous than it appeared. The auras that the two men were emitting as they exchanged blows were not spreading out but were constantly swirling around them, creating an intense vortex. In this situation, not only would it be impossible to join in, but even approaching the vicinity would tear one’s body to shreds.

“Then, are we just supposed to watch like this?”

“That’s how we help His Majesty. If we do something clumsy and distract His Majesty’s concentration, an irreversible situation could occur.”

An irreversible situation. Maron and the other officials were well aware of what kind of terrible situation that meant. That was why they all had to clench their fists and stomp their feet anxiously.

Erewine and Jegal Soha were the most anxious, but Hwangbo Sung was no less frustrated. He already knew the outcome of this fight. He had seen the future through Oster’s Lightning Energy, what was going to happen.

‘My lord, you absolutely cannot use black magic. You must endure with swordsmanship and magic alone!’

He had to suppress the urge to shout this countless times. Fortunately, Luke was fighting well. Hwangbo Sung knew that around this point, Luke’s sword should have broken and his right arm should have been cut off, but he was still fighting on equal terms.

‘Is the situation perhaps changing?’

Filled with such anticipation, Hwangbo Sung turned his gaze towards Oster. Oster, who was silently watching the fight while holding the unconscious Karen in his arms, nodded when his eyes met Hwangbo Sung’s. He also seemed to be hopeful about the situation, which was progressing differently from what he knew.

2

“Blink!”

Luke, who had been exchanging sword blows with Hiros, took advantage of a brief lull in the attacks to switch to magic. As the ether glove transformed into a mana circle, his body flashed around Hiros several times before penetrating his blind spot.

“Titan Fist!”

Kwaaang!

A powerful magical iron fist struck Hiros. The armor he was wearing shattered like a cookie, but his body was unharmed. He had strengthened his body with gold aura to deflect the impact of the Titan Fist.

“You’re quite capable for a traitorous bastard.”

“Who are you calling a traitorous bastard?”

Thud!

Luke, enraged, stomped his foot hard, causing sharp stone pillars to rise from the ground in succession.

“Stone Edge? Do you think you can defeat me with such petty magic?”

“It’s impossible. But I can hold you back for a moment.”

As Luke had declared, while Hiros was dodging the Stone Edges, he created dozens of fireballs in the air in succession. Each one was a decisive move created with the magic power of the 8th circle [a high level of magic].

“Explosion Bomber!”

At Luke’s gesture, the fireballs fell towards Hiros all at once.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang—!

Each time a fireball fell, explosion magic detonated, causing flames and shockwaves. The ground was deeply gouged, and the shockwaves and heat spread to the detached palace building. As a result, parts of the building collapsed, and the windows were completely shattered. The officials who were watching were almost caught in the explosion. However, they were able to stay safe thanks to Erewine and Jegal Soha, who hastily deployed shield magic and the Golden Fortress Iron Wall technique [a defensive technique].

“Oh, that’s amazing.”

Philip shuddered as he watched the spot where the fireballs had fallen, which was now melting like glass from the heat. ‘More importantly, what about Hiros?’ If he had been hit by that level of magic attack, even a Sword Master, no, even a Sword Sage [extremely powerful swordsman], would not have been unscathed. But surprisingly, Hiros walked out from the red flames and black smoke, step by step. He was almost naked, but his body didn’t seem to be damaged.

“That was a good attack. But you can’t eliminate me with that.”

‘Damn monster!’

While Luke was grinding his teeth, Hiros, who had readjusted his bastard sword, launched another offensive.

“If you don’t want to die, you’d better unleash your hidden dirty power. The attacks that will unfold from now on are not something your pathetic swordsmanship or magic can handle.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hiros charged forward. He ran with the tip of his sword touching the ground, and then fiercely raised his sword as if to tear through the air.

Jjeoeeong!

Uuuuuung!

The moment Hiros’ bastard sword and Luke’s sword collided, a sharp noise and resonance occurred. This was because both of them had manifested gold aura [a powerful energy]. However, Hiros, who was using Rakan’s body, had mastered the latter stages, so he was able to overwhelm Luke, who was still incomplete, with his power.

‘Kuh! This is Rakan’s complete Gold Sword!’

Luke, who was pushed back by the fierce offensive, felt both resentment and awe. 500 years ago, when he fought Rakan, he didn’t realize how great his Gold Sword was. At that time, he was only a black magician. But now that he had learned swordsmanship, seeing his level again made him feel like he was fighting an Ancient Dragon. It was completely different from the Gold Sword of Geomseon Yeon Garam, the Golden Light Spirit Sword, which he had seen with Nanda’s help. If the Golden Light Spirit Sword was a raging torrent that could collapse a mountain, the Gold Sword he was seeing now was like a typhoon accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Kkaaaang—!

After several fierce golden trails seemed to fall on Luke, the sword he was holding broke. It wasn’t just any ordinary sword; what Luke was wielding was the legendary master Zigg’s wind magic sword, Iron Feather. The fact that the renowned sword, which rarely had a single blade damaged, had broken, changed the expressions of not only Luke but also Hwangbo Sung and Oster. Could it be that the future would not change after all?

“Die, Luke!”

Hiros swung his bastard sword at Luke, who was hesitating after his sword broke. At that very moment, Luke did not retreat but instead rushed into Hiros’ arms, extending his hand.

‘Magic?’

Hiros, flustered, quickly retracted his sword and hastily covered his entire body with gold aura. He didn’t know what kind of magic he would use, but he thought that he wouldn’t be able to damage his body strengthened with gold aura. However, Luke, who he thought would use magic, instantly clenched his hand and punched Hiros in the abdomen.

“Thunder Blow!”

Ppeoeoeong—!

“Kuh-uhk!”

With a groan, Hiros’s body flew backward.

The fist that Luke had just thrown with all his might was imbued with powerful electric mana, along with his gold aura.

The punch, which had tripled the power of the 8th circle Thunder Burst magic, pierced through the gold aura’s defense and struck Hiros’s body.

The courtiers, who had been anxiously watching the fight, burst into exclamations.

“Mixing martial arts with magic!”

“More than that, wasn’t that Commander Hwangbo Sung’s technique just now?”

As Philip pointed out, what Luke had just used was Hwangbo Sung’s Three Thunder God Fist.

He had learned it by stealing glances while sparring with him.

Of course, Luke hadn’t mastered the Thunder Spirit, so instead of using the fist technique perfectly, he imbued his fist with powerful electric magic.

The power was weaker than the real Three Thunder God Fist, but it wasn’t difficult for Luke, who was unfamiliar with martial arts, to use.

Hiros staggered and opened his mouth.

“Kuh-uhk, you’re quite good, but you can’t defeat me with just that… Kuh-huhk!”

“Looks like I can’t defeat you?”

Hiros, who hadn’t budged from any of Luke’s attacks until now, knelt down and collapsed.

Not only that, but he was also trembling all over and spitting out blood.

“What, what did you do to my body? What kind of sorcery did you use!”

“Sorcery? I just shocked your power vessel with the Thunder Blow from earlier.”

Just as a mage would faint or suffer serious injuries if their mana core [the heart’s mana circle] was damaged, knights would also suffer fatal injuries if their power vessel was damaged.

Just like the core engine of a Gigant [a large, mechanical construct] being destroyed, the aura controlled by the power vessel would backflow, twisting the nerves and muscles.

Once twisted, the nerves and muscles would not recover easily. The greater the damage to the power vessel, the more severe the consequences.

However, Hiros, who was created with black magic, was different.

Even after suffering a fatal injury, his power vessel was showing a rapid recovery.

Of course, Luke wasn’t just watching it happen.

“Titan Fist!”

“Kuh-uhk!”

Kwaang! Pu-pu-pung—!

Starting with Titan Fist, Luke literally poured high-circle attack magic such as Fire Explosion and Thunder Burst onto Hiros.

The courtiers watching even thought it was too much.

“It seems like the match is already decided, shouldn’t we stop him?”

“But the opponent is a criminal who insulted His Majesty and drew a sword….”

“Still, he is a descendant of a hero. Rather than killing him, it would be better to appease him and make him an ally, wouldn’t it?”

When someone made such a carefree remark, Hwangbo Sung frowned.

‘It’s not over yet. And he’s definitely not someone to make an ally.’

Even though Luke’s beating of an almost defenseless opponent might seem excessive, he knew ‘what was supposed to happen’ and, knowing Hiros’s true identity, he thought he had to finish him off for sure.

“Kuh-ack! Ku-aack! Lu, Luke, you…!”

‘That guy is disgustingly persistent.’

His power vessel was almost destroyed, his bones were twisted all over his body, and his skin was melting and festering from burns, yet Hiros was still alive.

No, the expression ‘alive’ wasn’t right.

It was just that they were making a dead being move by patching together all sorts of souls.

“Your Majesty, it’s time to stop….”

High Priest Maron stepped in to dissuade him.

Although he had committed a great act of disrespect, Hiros was a descendant of a hero. Moreover, he looked exactly like the first Rakan and had mastered the latter half of the Gold Sword.

He didn’t want such a talent to die.

Despite Maron’s dissuasion, Luke did not stop his attack.

He pulled out another sword of Master Zigg, Dragon Tooth, from the subspace and released his gold aura to the maximum.

“This is the end!”

“Ah, no! St, stop it!”

Sssseeeeeeek—!

Cyclone Rage.

The technique that Luke could unleash most powerfully among the latter half of the Gold Sword was unleashed with Dragon Tooth.

The dazzling golden aura that cut through the air with a bright light blew off the head of Hiros, or rather, Rakan, who created the Gold Sword.

Just like how Rakan of the past had blown off the head of Luke, who was called the Demon King Seymon, 500 years ago.

3

“Khel! What. He. Lost. Already?”

Arsene, who saw the head of the guardian he had painstakingly created fly away, dropped the crystal ball from his hand in disbelief.

Thud, de-gul-lu-lu.

The crystal ball that fell on the floor rolled far away.

Arsene was sure that Hiros would win.

He thought that Luke would either use black magic to survive or would be killed while hiding it until the end.

He thought that would happen until he broke Luke’s sword.

But suddenly, like a lie, the result was reversed!

Luke broke the perfect Gold Sword that Hiros had unleashed, damaged his power vessel with the martial arts of the Southern Continent, and then unilaterally beat him up and cut off his head.

‘No way! Hiros was created based on the corpse of the strongest Sword Emperor Rakan. How could this be possible!’

Arsene couldn’t accept the result even though he saw it with his own eyes.

But there was a fact he didn’t know.

The techniques of the latter half of the Gold Sword that Hiros had unleashed were the ones that the hero Rakan had used to kill Luke 500 years ago.

Among them, the last blow was so identical that it could be said to be a carbon copy.

Although it had tremendous power, the current Luke was not so weak that he would be defeated again by the swordsmanship that had once defeated him.

Unlike Luke, Hiros was too careless and optimistic after breaking Iron Feather.

Moreover, he never expected Luke to counterattack with martial arts instead of magic.

Such carelessness and Luke’s surprise attack created the tremendous result of defeating a Sword Emperor-level undead guardian.

“Kuh! This. Can’t. Be! I. Won’t. Allow. This!”

Arsene was furious.

He was angry that the guardian he had worked so hard to create for a long time was destroyed.

But he was even more frustrated that he had failed to expose the reality of Luke, who had mastered black magic.

‘Should I go to Symphonia right now and cut off Luke’s head?’

He desperately wanted to, but he couldn’t act rashly.

If his existence was revealed before the great work, the entire continent might unite and resist.

Looking at the power that had united against the Demon King Seymon in the past, it wasn’t an absurd thought.

And Luke, who had defeated Hiros, who had inherited the body of Rakan, the strongest knight on the continent in history, also seemed stronger than before.

He didn’t know what kind of opportunity he had obtained, but it was clear that his skills had improved since the last time he fought him.

And lastly, the whereabouts of the troublesome Nanda were not known.

Arsene, who had been hit by Nanda, was tracking him, thinking of him as an obstacle to his great work, but he had no idea where he had gone, whether he had soared into the sky or disappeared into the ground.

“Khel. I. Have. No. Choice. But. To. Recycle. Hiros.”

Although his head was blown off, Hiros was not completely discarded.

By using him, he could kill Luke or expose the fact that he had mastered black magic.

‘Even if I can’t do that, I can at least wipe out his foundation.’

Having made up his mind, Arsene picked up the crystal ball that had fallen on the floor, concentrated his magic power, and began to chant an eerie spell.

While Arsene was chanting the spell, Luke, who had finished fighting Hiros, was being resented by his courtiers, especially Hans and Maron.

“Your Majesty, why did you kill Hiros?”

“Even so, this is the same as patricide. If it becomes known to the world, it will surely be difficult to avoid criticism.”

Luke smiled bitterly at the two people’s resentment.

“Patricide? Does that mean that guy and I are brothers?”

“W, well, of course, you are not blood brothers, but considering that Rakan’s bloodline is rare….”

“Do you really think that guy is from Rakan’s bloodline?”

Luke knew Hiros’s true identity.

Hiros was Rakan himself, an undead monster made by patching together all sorts of souls into a corpse that had already died 500 years ago.

But the stubborn old men were talking nonsense without knowing the truth!

“Haven’t I already told you? Considering the history and appearance we heard from Hiros, and the fact that he mastered the latter half of the Gold Sword, he must be a collateral relative.”

“Is that so? Then I have a huge monster as a relative.”

Luke, who was sneering, pointed somewhere with his finger.

Hans, who was about to retort, looked at where Luke was pointing and his face turned pale.

It was because Hiros, whose head had been cut off, was slowly getting up.

“Eeeek! Wh, what is it!”

“H, how is he alive?”

The royal knights, who were trying to collect Hiros’s body, were horrified and retreated.

The body, which was looking around, picked up the head that had fallen on one side and reattached it to the torso.

At this absurd sight, people were speechless with their mouths wide open.

Only Luke was smiling calmly. It was because he had already sensed that a series of black magic was being activated in Hiros’s body.

‘Arsene, that guy, seems to want to kill me so badly.’

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used the precious Hiros to this extent.

“Lu, ke….”

A furious voice flowed out of Hiros’s horribly distorted mouth along with black smoke.

The royal knights trembled as if goosebumps had risen all over their bodies at the voice that sounded like a ghost’s sob.

‘No, already? Shouldn’t this kind of thing happen much later?’

Hwangbo Sung, who had been relieved and happy about Luke’s victory a little while ago, couldn’t help but be flustered when Hiros got up again.

According to the memories of the future he had received from Oster’s Thunder Spirit, the identity of Hiros, who was an undead, was supposed to be revealed five years from now, during the war with the Holy Artenia Empire.

Until then, he had to pretend to be human and deceive the people around him perfectly.

‘In the war with the Holy Empire, Grand Duke Gregory will perish together with him and destroy him. And the Symphonia Kingdom will virtually perish.’

Hwangbo Sung looked at Oster as if asking if that was right.

As if reading his mind, Oster nodded.

‘But he’s already revealing his identity… Is it because His Majesty won? So is the future changing?’

Changing is not the problem.

However, Hwangbo Sung was worried that Luke might do the mutual destruction that Grand Duke Gregory would do.

The power of the guy who had revealed his true colors was very strong.

‘This won’t do. We have to respond somehow.’

Just as Hwangbo Sung was about to order the royal knights to attack, it happened.

Whirrr—!

A sinister aura swirled from Hiroth’s completely destroyed power vessel, and then black flames erupted from his body.

“Wh-what is that…?”

“Magi! It’s definitely Magi!”

Maron, his face as pale as Hans’s, cried out as if screaming.

The Magi that Hiroth was emitting was terrifying even to Sebastian, a demon. It was comparable to a high-ranking demon general of the Demon Realm.

‘H-how could they create such a monster? And with human hands?’

“Never underestimate humans.”

“Never be deceived by humans.”

“Never give humans great power.”

These were common pieces of advice that long-lived demons often gave to younger demons.

However, not many demons took that advice to heart. Sebastian was no exception.

After meeting Luke, the black magician who devoured demons, he realized that there were terrifying individuals among humans.

But this was the first time he truly felt that humans were a frightening existence.

“Luke. So much. Did you. Want to. Hide. Your. True. Power?”

Luke did not listen to Hiroth’s words.

He only focused on the hazy, flickering things within the Magi that Hiroth was emitting.

Kuaaaaaa!

Save meeeeee—!

It hurts! Please, someone……!

The chilling lament of the spirits echoed.

Luke had seen this before. It was definitely when he fought Arsen at the Zhuge family.

‘This is what I saw when using the Spirit Armor or Gorgos…!’

Remembering that incident, Luke quickly manifested his magic. He realized that if he left it as it was, he would be in a very difficult situation.

“Explosion Bomber!”

In an instant, dozens of fireballs appeared in the air and poured down on Hiroth.

Kwaang! Kwang! Kwakwakwakwang!

Hot flames and heat, as if to evaporate the Magi and the spirits, engulfed Hiroth.

However, the flames and heat were instantly consumed by the extended Magi. They were all absorbed by the Magi that wrapped around Hiroth’s body.

The Magi, having grown stronger by absorbing the flames and heat, began to gather like dark clouds and form a shape.

With a pair of wings, two pairs of long arms, goat-like bent legs, and a snake-like tail, it was clearly the Spirit Armor Gorgos that he had seen at the Zhuge family.

Kuaaaaaa—!

In front of the pale-faced people, Hiroth, clad in the Magi armor, roared like a monster.

And the future began to flow in a direction that Hwangbo Sung and Oster could not foresee.

4

“Wh-what is this…?”

Hans and the other ministers, seeing Hiroth transformed into a giant monster, froze in place. Their minds had temporarily stopped due to fear.

Hwangbo Sung urgently shouted at them.

“Everyone, run away! Quickly!”

He was so flustered that he spoke in his native language, not the common language of Rodisia.

However, there was no one who did not understand his words.

While everyone was scrambling to flee, some ministers, including the royal knights, who had a strong loyalty to Luke, drew their swords and prepared to fight alongside him.

They knew their strength wouldn’t be of much help, but they couldn’t back down.

Among them were Hans and Philip, as well as Erewine and Zhuge Soha.

“What is that? What is that thing wrapped in such malicious energy…?”

Zhuge Soha frowned and answered Erewine’s question.

“I don’t know either. But I know it’s terrifying.”

She recalled what had happened at her family’s estate.

At that time, Luke had fought Arsen, who was wearing the Spirit Armor, while riding the Avenger’s test model.

He had defeated the Spirit Armor by simultaneously activating the demon’s power and gold aura. Although he had not been able to eliminate Arsen.

‘If he uses the same method as then, he might be able to kill that monster. But….’

Unlike then, Luke cannot use black magic or the power of demons now.

Of course, it’s not that he can’t use them, but that he’s choosing not to. The moment he uses that power, all his efforts so far will be in vain.

And another thing, he was unarmed.

Of course, he had the completed super-hero-class Gigant Avenger stored in the subspace of his bracelet, but Hiroth did not give Luke a chance to summon the Gigant.

“Die, Luke!”

As Hiroth raised his long arm, his hand transformed to be as long as a greatsword.

Not only that, but sharp blades and thorns sprouted from his arm.

Hiroth brought his viciously transformed arm down on Luke.

“Shield!”

Luke chose to defend rather than evade.

Behind him were his royal knights, and behind them, in the detached palace, were the ministers who had taken refuge.

Kwaaaang!

The shields, layered with 8th circle magic, were shattered mercilessly.

The fact that the last shield did not break was thanks to Luke adjusting the angle of the shield to deflect the attack.

And Hiroth was weaker than Arsen.

Besides his inferior skills, the small number of cobbled-together spirits could not be ignored.

However, even so, Hiroth, wearing the Spirit Armor Gorgos, was an opponent that Luke, unarmed, could not handle.

“Tch, he’s a monster alright.”

The ether globe, transformed into a mana circle, shook violently from the impact of the shields breaking one after another.

Thanks to that, Luke had to suffer a heart-wrenching pain, but he didn’t even have time to feel the pain.

Hiroth was about to launch another attack.

‘The best defense is offense!’

Judging that, Luke made the first move.

“Stone Edge!”

The ground Hiroth was standing on danced like waves.

The sharp stone pillars that shot up did not inflict any significant damage on Hiroth, who was wearing the Spirit Armor, but the effect of the ground shaking was enough to make Hiroth lose his balance.

“Now’s the chance. Thunder Burst!”

“Kuaaaa!”

Kwarurung! Kwarung! Kwakwakwang!

At Luke’s spell, dark clouds quickly gathered in the clear sky and poured down intense lightning.

Hiroth’s body, caught in the onslaught, staggered like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Hmm.”

Oster, who was watching the battle, groaned.

At first glance, it seemed like Luke was pushing Hiroth, who was wearing the Spirit Armor, but he knew very well that if things continued like this, Luke would not be able to win without using all of his true power.

As he was wondering if there was a way to help Luke, he saw Hwangbo Sung summoning a wooden ox.

He smirked.

With a satisfied smile, he handed Karen, whom he was holding, to Erewine.

“What are you planning? Surely not…?”

Oster nodded with a smile and grabbed Hwangbo Sung’s shoulder, who was about to get on the summoned wooden ox, and threw him backward.

“Kuh, what are you doing!”

Hwangbo Sung, who was furious, widened his eyes when he realized that the person who had pushed him was Oster.

“Wait, wait! Wait, I say!”

“…….”

Despite Hwangbo Sung’s pleas, Oster got on the wooden ox and charged towards Hiroth.

Thump thump thump thump!

Just then, Hiroth had just escaped Luke’s magical barrage and was about to launch a counterattack.

At first, he had been helplessly battered by Luke’s consecutive high-circle magic attacks, but he had absorbed most of the attacks or quickly regenerated the damaged parts, so the damage was less than expected.

Moreover, perhaps because he had gradually grasped the pattern of the magic attacks, he was not easily defeated.

Eventually, the magic attacks stopped, and Hiroth’s fierce counterattack began.

‘Damn it, magic alone won’t work anymore!’

Luke frowned deeply as he was put on the defensive.

However, it was reckless to face Hiroth with a gold sword in his bare hands.

He had to use black magic or the power of demons to restrain him and then summon the Avenger.

‘I have no choice. First, with Black Bind….’

Hiding the fact that he had learned black magic was important, but saving his life was much more important.

Once he got rid of the guy, he could either persuade his vassals or imprison and brainwash those who opposed him. He had to live first.

Just as Luke, having decided to use black magic, was about to draw up his Magi, Oster, riding the wooden ox, intervened and unleashed the Three Thunder God Fist.

Kwakwakwang—!

The powerful impact, imbued with lightning, caused Hiroth to stagger greatly and fall backward.

Oster did not miss the opportunity and lifted the wooden ox into the sky before slamming it down on Hiroth’s body with both legs.

“Kuaaaak! Lukeuuuuu—!”

Hiroth struggled and tried to get up, but Oster did not let him go.

Having succeeded in holding Hiroth for a moment, Oster turned his gaze to Luke.

He hoped that Luke would not miss this opportunity, and indeed, Luke did not disappoint his expectations.

Taking advantage of the gap created by Oster holding Hiroth, he summoned the Avenger from subspace.

‘That’s it, now….’

Puuk—!

The expression on Oster’s face, who had been smiling with satisfaction, suddenly hardened.

Hiroth’s right hand, transformed like a greatsword, had pierced through the head of the wooden ox.

Unlike the Gigant, the cockpit of the wooden ox was in its head.

As if to prove that it had suffered a fatal blow, red blood trickled down from the cracked gap.

“Kaaak!”

“Oster—!”

At Zhuge Soha and Erewine’s screams, Luke, who had just boarded the Avenger, looked at the wooden ox.

‘Is that Oster, not Hwangbo Sung, riding there?’

Oster, who had intervened to help him and suffered a fatal injury.

Luke felt an immense gratitude towards him.

Meanwhile, Oster, who had fallen inside the cockpit of the wooden ox with his body split in two, was smiling.

As if trying to say something while looking at Luke, his body, which had been moving his lips until the very end, crumbled like white sand and disappeared without a trace.