Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 195

7. Arsen’s Misjudgment

1

A massive magic circle suddenly appeared on the ground.

The moment the magic circle flashed, a five-colored light soared into the sky.

At the same time, the enhanced undead began to emit wails.

Keeeek!

Kkieeek!

The giant Death Knights that had descended to the ground, as well as the mid- to high-level liches fighting the mages in the sky, writhed in agony.

Arsen was not spared from the pain.

He felt a stinging pain in his skin, which he believed was stronger and tougher than orichalcum [a mythical metal of great strength].

“Could this be… an amplified magic circle constructed using holy objects as a medium?”

“You know your stuff. As expected of a former archmage.”

Luke clapped mockingly.

Arsen’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he yelled, his eyes bloodshot.

“No way! There’s no way you could create something like this in such a short time!”

Of course, it shouldn’t be possible.

Even in Bless, where holy objects were abundant, it would take at least a month to create an amplified magic circle that enhanced divine power and suppressed dark magic using them.

The calculations for the magic circle were not simple.

“Hehehe, that’s usually the case. But I have a very talented daughter.”

It was Karen who created the amplification magic circle in Bless.

As soon as she received Luke’s magical communication, Karen, with Reina’s help, gathered the holy objects stored in the Holy Palace and the Great Temple of Bless and constructed the amplification magic circle in the shortest possible time.

Bless itself was already designed as a holy city, so the basic foundation was already in place, and Karen applied magical knowledge devised from the future to complete it very quickly.

Of course, Arsen, unaware of these circumstances, was furious.

“Even if we grant you the magic circle, it doesn’t make sense that you’re here! You were supposed to be in Ankara, so how could you get here faster than me!”

“There was another person’s help in that.”

Luke, smiling at Arsen who was shouting in anger, recalled what had happened three days ago.

Luke began his retreat from Ankara.

Although he tried not to show it, his heart was growing more and more anxious.

He had realized Arsen’s plot and was marching with all his might, but he knew that he could not arrive in Bless before him.

He had already lost two days since leaving Ankara, and he was losing time because he was moving with his troops, not alone.

So, while retreating, he contacted allied nations connected to Bless by long-distance teleport gates and requested reinforcements.

He ordered the dispatch of elite troops gathered in the capitals of each country to stop Arsen and the enhanced undead army.

And he also ordered the Kingdom of Symphonia to mobilize all its elite forces.

“It’s okay to empty the palace, send the Royal Knights to Bless! The Blood Hawks as well!”

– Your Majesty, should we also send the Song and Yemaek reinforcements that arrived in Lamer there?

“Yes, ask them to send all the martial artists and sword masters, if not all of them!”

Even with this urging of his home country, Luke was not reassured that he could completely stop Arsen and the enhanced undead army.

Arsen alone was so strong that he had no equal in the middle realm except for himself.

So, Luke sent magical communications to the leaders of the Elven race, asking for their help.

The Elven leaders, who were already worried about the undead crisis and a series of events, promised to send only the strongest from each tribe.

The plan was for them to go to Bless and defend with the first arriving reinforcements, while he would lead his troops and attack Arsen from behind.

However, Luke’s plan was interrupted shortly after he left Ankara.

It was because of one person who suddenly stood in front of the troops.

“No, you are?”

Surprisingly, it was the high monk Nanda from the Arahan Order of the Southern Continent.

The very person who had healed Karen from the divine punishment two years ago, helped Luke use divine power, and then left without a trace!

“Amitabha! This humble monk has been waiting for Your Majesty.”

“Did the Great Master wait for me?”

Luke asked with a puzzled look.

Nanda replied with a mysterious smile on his lips.

“It seems that the World Honored One wanted to use this body one last time, and gave me a revelation a few days ago.”

Nanda already knew that his lifespan was almost over when he healed Karen’s divine punishment.

Because he had done something that defied the will of God, his lifespan had shortened rapidly.

He had already attained the six supernatural powers [a concept in Buddhism referring to extraordinary abilities] and reached the realm of a demigod, so he wandered the world quietly waiting for the moment of enlightenment.

The middle realm was in chaos due to the demon Arsen and the undead he had created, but he thought that his connection with the middle realm had ended two years ago when he helped Luke.

But a few days ago, the World Honored One suddenly appeared in his meditation and gave him a revelation!

‘Huh, it seems there was one last thing left to do.’

For the past two years, he had been on the verge of enlightenment, but it turned out there was a reason why he hadn’t achieved it.

“Ho, perhaps… !”

Luke, who had been puzzled by the mysterious smile on Nanda’s lips, quickly grabbed his hand with a look of delight.

“What Your Majesty is thinking is correct. This humble monk will send you to your destination.”

Nanda, who had taken a prayer position, then unleashed the power of the divine foot power [a Buddhist concept referring to the ability to travel great distances instantly].

The moment a faint sunset glow and a divine aura were felt from his body, Luke and 4,000 troops were standing on a plain with the walls of Bless visible, not Ankara.

“M-my goodness!”

He had known that he had a mysterious ability since he had taken him from the Southern Continent to the Rakan Territory in an instant.

Later, he heard that it was an ability called the six supernatural powers.

But how could he move thousands of troops, 200 Gigants, and countless horses and various military supplies, including trailers, in an instant?

This was something that even the dragon, called the progenitor of magic, could not do.

“Great Master, what on earth…”

Luke was about to ask Nanda a question when it happened.

Suddenly, his body began to turn into light and disappear from his feet.

“Hehe, the time allowed in the mortal world is up.”

“N-Nanda Great Master!”

Nanda, looking at Luke and his party who were bewildered by his disappearing form, left his last words of advice.

“Please stop the bloodbath of the wicked… Only then can you save the world and erase the karma [the concept of cause and effect in Buddhism] that Your Majesty has accumulated in your past and present lives.”

With those words, Nanda, who had completely turned into light, ascended into the sky.

‘The world is truly vast, and there are many extraordinary people.’

Luke thought that there was no one stronger than him in the middle realm after he began to use the power of the demons and divine power.

Arsen was a strong enemy, but he didn’t think he would lose if he fought him one-on-one.

But today, he saw another strong person.

No, it would be more accurate to call him a transcendent. Someone who had transcended the shackles of humanity and reached the realm of God.

While Luke was staring blankly at Nanda ascending, Grand Duke Gregory approached and said.

“Your Majesty, let’s go into Bless quickly.”

“I understand.”

Luke, who had thanked Great Master Nanda in his heart, entered Bless with Grand Duke Gregory.

And with the reinforcements arriving one after another through the long-distance teleport gate, he hurried to prepare to stop Arsen and the enhanced undead army.

Luke, having finished his recollection, looked at Arsen, who was still enraged, and said.

“Arsen, there are people in the world who are far more amazing than you can imagine. The power you and I have is nothing compared to such transcendents.”

Because of Great Master Nanda’s case, Luke realized that there were strong people or transcendents in the world who were not revealed.

“Shut up! How dare a brat who hasn’t even lived for 100 years talk about the world in front of me!”

Flash!

The draconic aura, reacting to Arsen’s anger, reached out towards Luke.

Although it did not take a concrete form as before, it had the power to split rocks and pierce steel on its own.

However, Luke, who quickly boarded the Avenger, waved his arm, and the draconic aura was deflected by the Avenger’s fist.

“Whether you’ve lived for 100 years or 500 years, time doesn’t matter. What matters is what you realize and how you act.”

Whoooong!

As the divine power that Luke had deployed began to amplify through the core engine, the Avenger emitted a dazzling light.

Just like on Thanatos Island, it spread a bright and holy light like the sun into the air.

The holy light illuminated the entire Bless, and in conjunction with the divine amplification magic circle constructed by Karen, it inflicted massive damage on the enhanced undead army.

Arsen was not spared.

“Kuh, Luke, you bastard!”

Arsen, unable to bear the pain that felt like his flesh was being gouged out, hurriedly pulled up his magic power and wrapped his entire body in layers of dark barriers.

Trying to use his power in a place overflowing with divine power was so unbearable that it felt like his insides were burning.

In one corner of his mind, the words retreat or escape came to mind, but Arsen gritted his teeth and endured.

He knew that if he retreated here, he would no longer have a chance to defeat Luke.

‘You damned Rakan spawn! I will definitely take your head!’

Arsen glared at the Avenger emitting holy light, and at Luke who was probably inside, with bloodshot eyes.

Burning with pride and spite, Arsen attempted another transformation of his body within the dark barrier.

To defeat Luke, who had become a thorn in his side, no, a knife piercing his heart.

2

Keeeek!

Kweeek! Keeeek!

The enhanced undead, who had been hit by the divine amplification magic circle earlier, suffered even greater damage when they were hit by the divine power amplified by Luke’s Avenger core engine.

The lower-level undead began to melt like candle wax.

“Now is the time! Eradicate them!”

“Don’t miss the opportunity that His Majesty has created!”

The mages fighting in the sky, as well as the knights on the ground, rushed at the undead all at once.

They deployed powerful fire magic to burn the liches, and several Gigants rushed in to slaughter the giant Death Knights.

However, the undead’s resistance was not weak.

The high-level undead, on whom Arsen had put special effort, did not suffer much damage.

Rather, the small wounds stimulated them, making them rampage like wounded beasts.

But the high-level undead were not just rampaging to overcome the pain.

As they were once renowned superhuman beings, they instinctively knew what the situation was and what to eliminate first.

“They’re trying to destroy the amplification magic circle!”

“Stop them! Protect the holy objects built into the magic circle!”

Boom! Bang!

With explosions, several buildings collapsed, burying the undead or blocking their path.

Since all civilians had already been evacuated before the battle, the Continental Alliance forces gathered in Bless could use drastic measures.

Of course, the enhanced undead army was not so weak that it could be stopped by that alone.

Crack!

“Aaaargh!”

A Gigant [a large, humanoid combat machine] belonging to the Symphonia Royal Knights, who was fighting a giant Death Knight, was sent tumbling to the ground, his right arm severed.

The Death Knight, smoke rising from its entire body, was about to plunge its sword into the fallen Gigant’s torso when Orion, marked with a red lightning crest, appeared and beheaded the Death Knight.

“Oh, it’s Count Belik!”

“You fools! Don’t rush in recklessly! Unless you’re a Sword Master, I told you to always use the Superhuman Combined Formation when facing them!”

At Luke’s request, only the elites from each country had gathered in Bless.

However, among them, there were fewer than a hundred strong individuals who could face the enhanced undead one-on-one.

Therefore, Belik and the other leaders divided the thousands of allied knights into groups of several dozen, instructing them to use the Superhuman Combined Formation.

But battles rarely go as planned.

Some hot-blooded knights, trusting in their own prowess and the performance of their Gigants, rushed in and were often crushed.

In response, Belik, along with Grand Duke Gregory, Hwangbo Sung, Karen, Duke Dimitri, and other powerful figures from Luke’s camp, took the lead.

Reaching at least the upper level of Sword Master and at most Sword Emperor [high-level swordsmanship ranks], they relentlessly drove back the undead, both in the sky and on the ground.

“Don’t fall back!”

“The fate of the Holy Empire and the continent rests on this battle!”

“Let’s show them the strength of our elven warriors!”

Flash! Kuaaaang—!

Crash! Shatter! Boom!

Magic and auras raged, and a more intense battle than before unfolded in the sky and on the ground.

As Gigants and giant undead clashed, buildings were destroyed, and the ground was overturned.

In the sky, many were shot down by the countless offensive spells flying back and forth, or were burned and annihilated.

It was truly an enormous battle, reminiscent of those from the ancient mythical era. As time passed, the human and elven allied forces, aided by the Holy Amplification Magic Circle, began to gradually overwhelm the enhanced undead army.

However, there were exceptions.

These were the high-level undead.

As knights in the hundreds were killed or Gigants were destroyed by their overwhelming power, the strongest of the human and elven alliance, including Grand Duke Gregory, stepped forward to intercept them.

“Heh, you dare to face me?”

A high-level Death Knight, who had been cutting down allied Gigants like stalks of straw, was a man from the Southern Continent with black hair and brown skin. He looked at Grand Duke Gregory, who had blocked his path, and asked ominously.

“Yes, you wraith who has violated the laws set by the gods! I, Gregory, the sword of the Holy Empire, shall guide you to the embrace of the gods.”

“Is that so? Then try it if you can.”

The high-level undead’s identity was that of a martial artist who had made a name for himself in the Southern Continent in his previous life.

He was Cheolpae, the Black Demon King.

Three hundred years ago, he was the best martial artist of the Demonic Sect, not as strong as the then-unrivaled Fist King Hwangbo Woong, but still one of the Five Great Masters of the Martial World.

At that time, his level was that of a transcendent master.

Now, as a high-level undead, he was even stronger than before, reaching the absolute realm.

“Then, try to block my signature technique, the Asura Blade Technique!”

Cheolpae drew out a powerful aura over ten meters long from the large, wide blade he was holding and swung it at Grand Duke Gregory.

Grand Duke Gregory, not to be outdone, unleashed a golden aura and swung his sword to meet it.

Clang! Kuaaaang!

The Asura Blade Technique, one of the ten great demonic arts representing the Central Plains martial world, and Grand Duke Gregory’s Gold Sword clashed fiercely.

In an instant, dozens of exchanges passed.

Surprisingly, the duel between the two was a draw.

‘My swordsmanship, which recently advanced after gaining enlightenment, isn’t working?’

Grand Duke Gregory was inwardly surprised.

He had recently gained enlightenment and was able to become a Sword Emperor, something he had long desired.

In history, only a handful of people had reached this level.

In their time, only Luke and the deceased Rudolf had achieved it.

Therefore, he thought that no matter how strong the undead were, they were still just undead.

But it seemed he had to reconsider that thought.

Inwardly shaking his head, Gregory decided to go all out.

He began to unleash his ultimate technique, which he had named ‘Absolute Sword,’ combining the essence of the Holy Empire’s swordsmanship he had learned with the latter part of his Gold Sword.

‘No matter who the opponent is, I will never back down!’

If he were to retreat here, he could not guarantee the lives of the people who had fled outside Bless or the Pope, who was steadfastly guarding the Holy Palace.

With this resolve, Gregory drew up his aura.

Then, a majestic aura resembling nature itself emanated from his body.

With that aura imbued in his blade, Gregory charged towards Cheolpae, who was spewing demonic energy from his greatsword.

Karen, who was commanding the mages in the sky, was facing a high-level lich.

The high-level lich, whose skin had disappeared, leaving only gray bones, clicked its teeth and opened its mouth.

“Keh keh keh! Your skin looks so soft and delicious.”

“What are you talking about, you bag of bones?”

“Keh keh keh, you’re a cheeky little brat. Four hundred years ago, there wasn’t a human who didn’t tremble at the mere mention of Goebelman’s name.”

“You’re Goebelman!”

Karen looked surprised.

Four hundred years ago, there was a genius mage at the Keroyan Magic Tower, one of the ten great magic towers at the time.

He reached the 6th Circle in his teens, and by his mid-twenties, he had surpassed the 7th Circle and was eyeing the 8th Circle.

It was an incredible pace at the time, and it was thought that he might become the youngest 9th Circle sage in history.

But for some reason, his magical abilities did not improve even after ten or twenty years.

Desperate to cross the threshold of the 8th Circle, he dabbled in various taboos and eventually caused a major scandal at the Keroyan Magic Tower, leading to his expulsion.

He seemed to have been forgotten in the magic world, but ten years later, he reappeared in history in a very surprising form.

He had become a terrifying black mage.

Although not as powerful as the Demon King Seimon, he killed many people or used them as sacrifices for black magic, earning the infamous title of ‘Blood Black Mage.’

He even destroyed the Keroyan Magic Tower, which was like his hometown, with his own hands.

Eventually, the Holy Empire, unable to bear it any longer, dispatched the Undying Legion and high priests, bringing an end to his bloody atrocities.

But to think that such a villain would reappear in the human world after 400 years!

“Keh keh keh! Die, brat!”

Goebelman pointed his hand at Karen.

Then, grotesque snakes created by black magic flew towards her.

“Hmph, do you think you can kill me with that!”

Karen snorted and deployed a Holy Shield.

No matter how infamous the black mage was 400 years ago, she had struggled against Arsen for decades in the End Time Space.

Naturally, she could easily handle a high-level lich, and she thought she could do it this time as well.

Clang!

But when the opponent’s black magic collided, cracks appeared in the Holy Shield, which had been shining with divine energy, and it shattered.

“W-what!”

Startled, Karen quickly used Blink magic to evade the attack.

If she had been a little slower in dodging, she would have been seriously injured.

“Keh, what a shame. I could have incapacitated that cutie with this attack.”

Karen, trembling at Goebelman’s disgusting words, gritted her teeth and said,

“You disgusting bag of bones… I’ll grind you into dust so you can never be resurrected again!”

Karen, grinding her teeth, converted ether into divine power and sent hundreds of Holy Bullets flying towards Goebelman.

Light and darkness.

Black and white.

The battle between those who were considered genius mages in the future and the past began to color the sky brilliantly.

Duke Dimitri was the best swordsman of the Volga Republic, having reached the level of Sword Sage [a high-level swordsmanship rank] a few years ago.

Although he was not as good as Sword Emperor Rudolf or Luke, the strongest Rune Knight, or Grand Duke Gregory, who had been a Sword Sage for a long time, he had considerable pride in his abilities.

In particular, he was confident that his Gigant piloting skills were the best in the Republic, if not the entire continent.

But he never expected to be pushed back by a single giant Death Knight.

Boom—!

“Kuh!”

When his Hero-class Gigant was pushed back by the plum blossom-like aura the enemy unleashed, Dimitri looked dumbfounded.

“Just what is that guy…?”

Dimitri didn’t know it, but the giant Death Knight he was facing was a master who had made a name for himself in the Southern Continent 150 years ago.

He was a disciple of the former elder of the Mount Hua Sect, and in his 30s, he had reached the level of a transcendent master, and was expected to make the Mount Hua Sect the best sect in the Central Plains.

However, he suddenly disappeared less than ten years after entering the martial world.

The head of the Mount Hua Sect and the mainstream faction, fearing that he might take their place, secretly poisoned him.

In any case, his body, which had died so tragically, fell into Arsen’s hands and was reborn as a Death Knight.

As Dimitri was helplessly pushed back by the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Hands that the Death Knight was using, a voice came from the cockpit of a Gigant approaching from behind.

“Hey, traitor. Shall I help you?”

“What?”

“I don’t care if a traitor like you dies, but I think we need to work together to protect Bless, where the princess is.”

It was Belik who spoke to Dimitri.

Belik, who had just annihilated a group of lower-level undead with his Gigantic Aura, had noticed Dimitri struggling against the giant Death Knight.

At first, he had thought about just cutting him down, but he couldn’t attack a guy who had come to help the princess.

This wasn’t the time to be swayed by personal feelings.

‘Damn it, why did I have to run into Belik…!’

Dimitri didn’t want to receive help if he could avoid it.

It was humiliating for him, a Sword Sage, to receive help from someone else, but he especially disliked that it was Belik, who was practically his nemesis.

However, the giant Death Knight in front of him was stronger, and it was clear that he would lose if he continued to fight like this.

In the end, he had no choice but to ask for help.

“I’ll repay this debt later.”

“You don’t have to repay it, just let’s have a good fight later. I’ll cut off your head and offer it at the tomb of the late king.”

Dimitri snorted at Belik’s retort.

“Hmph, you have big dreams for someone who isn’t even skilled.”

“What did you say? You moron who can’t even keep your Gigant balanced!”

Dimitri and Belik, who had been bickering for a moment, quickly scattered to the left and right when the giant Death Knight attacked, and then launched a coordinated attack.

Their teamwork was so perfect that it was hard to believe they had become enemies after the Republic Revolution.

3

While battles that would go down in history were taking place all over Bless, there were those who were watching from a distance.

Unfortunately, the identities of those who could only watch idly were Yohas and the black mages of the Black Tower.

Although they had good intentions, they could not be near the Holy Amplification Magic Circle or the Avengers who were emitting powerful divine power, as they possessed black magic.

They would have been killed before they could even kill the enemy.

“How pathetic, to be reduced to just watching!”

“Still, I believe we’ve done as much as we could.”

Despite his disciple’s consolation, the disappointment and regret on Yohas’s face did not fade. He was deeply saddened by the fact that he and his disciples could not participate in this historic battle.

Then, at some point, he suddenly looked surprised, as if he had seen something.

“Wait, what is that?”

“What is it, Meister?”

“Look there, in front of His Majesty’s Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine].”

A black sphere was located where Yohas was pointing.

Even amidst the dazzling light, the deep abyss of darkness was clearly visible, fully revealing its presence.

“Isn’t that Arsen? I saw him deploy a dark barrier to block His Majesty’s divine power earlier.”

“Of course, I saw that too. But…”

Something felt ominous.

Because of the divine power enveloping Bless, his disciples and subordinates didn’t seem to notice, but Yohas sensed an unusual energy stirring within the abyss of darkness.

‘Could it be that Arsen has some hidden power?’

He was already surprised when Arsen transformed into a dragon earlier, but could there be something even more powerful?

As Yohas watched with worried eyes, the dark barrier surrounding Arsen began to crack.

Crack! Crack!

It wasn’t breaking because it couldn’t withstand the divine power emanating from the Avenger. It was breaking because something inside was trying to get out.

Crack, BOOM—!

With a sudden explosion, the barrier completely shattered, and Arsen, having completed his transformation, revealed his new form.

“What is that?”

Luke, who was continuously amplifying his divine power using the Avenger, widened his eyes at Arsen’s new appearance.

Armor that looked thicker and harder than dragon scales, and two pairs of wings.

His arms, which had sharp claws, now had large pincers, and the end of his long tail had a sharp stinger.

The overall appearance was half human, half scorpion.

“Hehehe, behold, this is the evolved form of the Ghost Armor Gorgos!”

Arsen looked down at his body and shouted with a triumphant expression.

By completely absorbing the power of the Draconian, the abilities of the Ghost Armor Gorgos had also advanced to the next level, and that was his current form.

“I thought you’d make some grand transformation, but you’ve devolved from a lizard into a bug.”

Luke spoke mockingly, but he knew that this change was not simple.

He had struggled against Arsen’s dragon form, but now Arsen was seemingly unaffected by his divine power and was accelerating the Black Circle [a dark magic technique].

It was clear that the new form of armor was completely blocking the divine power.

“Kahaha! Unlike your words, I can see you’re tense. Luke, let’s end this now!”

Arsen raised both hands and created hundreds of black spheres above his head.

Luke, who had been tense, thinking he was about to unleash some great attack, couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

No matter how many black spheres there were, they wouldn’t be able to finish him off, let alone inflict any damage.

Moreover, due to the influence of the divine power amplified by the Avenger, the black spheres created by Arsen were not at their full power.

“Hmph, what good is that…”

Luke’s expression changed completely as he scoffed.

The hundreds of black spheres that Arsen had manifested were flying not towards him, but towards his allies fighting in the sky and on the ground.

Swish, swish, swish!

“W-what is this?”

“We have to dodge… Aaaagh!”

In the blink of an eye, dozens of people were hit by the black spheres and collapsed.

Many others barely managed to dodge, but were struck down by attacks that exploited openings from the liches and death knights they were fighting.

“Tch! Arsen, you coward… !”

“Hehehe! Luke, you have many things to protect. But can you really protect them all?”

Arsen manifested hundreds of black spheres again, as if to launch another indiscriminate attack.

In response, Luke hastily deployed Thousand Holy Bullets to intercept the black spheres that Arsen was scattering.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

The black spheres that Arsen scattered and the holy bullets that Luke fired collided in the sky, causing countless explosions.

‘Hehehe, he fell for it.’

While Luke was focused on intercepting, Arsen used Blink magic to get behind him and snatched the Avenger with his large pincers.

Clang— Crack!

“You… !”

“Kahaha, you have too much sentimentality. You could have just left those losers to die.”

Arsen, bursting into a triumphant laugh, tightened his grip on the Avenger with his pincers.

Crack, crack, crack!

The power of the giant pincers was immense, and the armor began to distort as if it would break the Avenger in half.

Keeeeeeen!

Luke was not going to just stand by and take it. He tried to break free from Arsen’s grasp by maximizing the output of the Avenger.

“Hehehe! I can’t kill you with black magic while you’re emitting divine power. But what if I unleash my Draconic Aura to the maximum?”

No sooner had Arsen finished speaking than a red Draconic Aura flickered like flames from his body.

Soon after, a high-temperature flame, like a dragon’s breath, erupted from the pincers gripping the Avenger.

Whoosh!

The Avenger, completely engulfed in the super-heated flames, instantly turned red-hot.

The outer armor, made of Gigantium alloy, began to melt and sag as if it would melt away.

“Arsen, you bastard!”

“Hahaha! Scream, Luke! Or escape from that scrap metal if you don’t like it!”

The reason Luke, who was neither a saint nor a high priest, could emit such powerful divine power was because he was amplifying it with the Gigant’s core engine.

Therefore, Arsen thought that even if he only destroyed the Avenger that Luke was riding, he could reduce Luke’s power by more than half.

“You were planning to destroy my Avenger? You miscalculated, Arsen.”

Luke, who had been shouting in panic just a moment ago, suddenly spoke in a sinister voice.

As Arsen flinched, the divine power being emitted from the Avenger suddenly stopped as if it were a lie, and then an enormous amount of demonic energy began to pour out.

“T-that’s!”

“Build Up Stage 3!”

When Luke used Build Up, one of the abilities he had absorbed from the demons, the Avenger began to exert a monstrous power that exceeded the output of its core engine.

It grabbed the pincers and broke them apart, unable to hold on.

BOOM—!

“Oh no!”

Arsen exclaimed in alarm as the pincers were broken off.

But Luke’s counterattack was not over yet. He immediately unleashed the power of the high-ranking demon, Kauren.

“Thunder Bringer!”

The purple lightning that shot out from his left hand struck Arsen’s body directly.

“Kuaaaagh!”

Because the distance was so close, Arsen could not avoid Luke’s attack and screamed.

In fact, Luke had deliberately created an opening earlier to get caught by the pincers. It would have been difficult to defend against Arsen if he kept running around and attacking the human and elven allied forces from a distance.

He decided to induce a close-quarters battle, even if it meant taking some damage, and his acting worked perfectly.

“Bugs should be squashed!”

Crack!

Luke, having ripped off the arm with the pincers, unleashed a barrage of punches on Arsen.

Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!

They were not just simple punches, but the Three Thunder God Fists of the Fist King Hwang Bo-woong [a legendary martial arts technique]. However, the iron fists of the Avenger were imbued with divine power and demonic energy instead of lightning.

Luke switched the Ether Glove very quickly, striking once with divine power, and then unleashing a punch of demonic energy.

Arsen couldn’t come to his senses with the continuous attacks.

Just when he thought he would block with Draconic Aura, a punch of demonic energy would fly at him, and when he put up a barrier with black magic, a divine power-infused iron fist would strike.

Moreover, the Gigant’s punches themselves were not to be underestimated.

The heavy metal was being swung at high speed using immense elasticity, and one punch was enough to destroy a mountain peak.

‘Still, it won’t be able to break this evolved Ghost Armor Gorgos…’

Crack!

In an instant, the Avenger’s fist broke through the thick armor and dug in.

“Kuaaagh!”

A desperate scream erupted from Arsen’s mouth at the pain of his flesh being torn apart.

As a lich, he originally did not feel physical pain.

It had changed after he took over Shaikhan’s body, but even then, he had not encountered an enemy that could threaten him while he was operating in the Livia Kingdom.

Therefore, this pain that made his bones ache and his head throb was very unfamiliar.

It was a pain he had not experienced even when he was a human mage 500 years ago.

But what shocked him even more than that pain was that the Ghost Armor, which had absorbed the power of the Draconian, had been destroyed.

The evolved Ghost Armor had such excellent defense that it could even block divine power emitted at close range.

Yet, it had been shattered in an instant as if it were a lie!

“Kuh… Why did it break! Why!”

“Did you think you could withstand being hit by attacks that are polar opposites in succession?”

If you suddenly cool down hot steel, it will break.

Luke judged that Arsen’s Ghost Armor would be the same.

He didn’t know what tricks Arsen had used, but he judged that if divine power and demonic energy, which were polar opposite energies, were unleashed in succession, it would definitely take damage.

Of course, to do that, he had to switch the Ether Glove at high speed.

This was very difficult and physically taxing, but Luke persevered.

It was because he had the will to defeat Arsen no matter what.

“I’ll finish you off now.”

“Kuh, damn it!”

As golden aura burst out dazzlingly from the greatsword that Luke drew, Arsen’s face twisted horribly.

After stealing the power of the Draconian and finally synthesizing the high-ranking undead, he had judged that there was no longer an enemy who could stop him.

That was why he did not retreat even though he knew about the trap that Luke had set in Bless earlier.

But it was a clear misjudgment.

The moment he realized that his wrong judgment had ruined everything, a dazzling golden aura was flying towards him.

“Luke de Racaaaaaan! I will never dieeeeeee!”

A scream-like shout erupted from Arsen’s mouth.