Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 96

1. Confrontation

1

The Shaolin Temple was nestled at the foot of Mount Song, one of the five sacred mountains of the Song Empire.

Since the rise of the Arahan Order, or rather, the Sejon Order, throughout the Song Empire, countless high-ranking monks and martial monks had been trained here.

The Shaolin Temple had always stepped forward whenever the Jianghu [the martial world] was in chaos or the nation faced crises from foreign invasions, earning the respect of the people and the imperial family.

Consequently, people constantly visited the Shaolin Temple on pilgrimages.

However, today, more distinguished pilgrims than usual were making their way towards the Shaolin Temple.

A lavishly decorated golden carriage, escorted by armored cavalry.

The pilgrims were startled by the unusual procession and moved to the side of the road.

‘That’s incredible. Whose family’s private soldiers are they?’

‘You ignorant fool! Can’t you see the flag in front? That’s the imperial guard’s banner!’

‘Oh, then the person in that carriage is…’

‘If you know, quickly bow your head!’

Only the imperial family, and even then, only direct members, could use the imperial guards as escorts.

Not only the commoners who recognized the procession as belonging to the imperial family, but also high-ranking officials who had been strutting about, hurriedly knelt on the ground and bowed their heads.

While the officials were curious about the identity of the person in the golden carriage, the Jianghu people were more interested in the old general at the head of the procession on horseback.

This was because a powerful aura, like a giant mountain, emanated from the old general, who wore red armor that suited his robust physique.

‘I-It’s Yi Yung-mu.’

‘Is that old man the Red Dragon King Yi Yung-mu, the Grand General of the Imperial Guard…?’

‘He’s a monster, just as I’ve heard!’

The Red Dragon King Yi Yung-mu, called the guardian of the Song imperial family.

A descendant of the Divine Spear Yi Seo-woon, who beheaded the leader of the heretical cult, Sa Gun-ak, 200 years ago, he had already made a name for himself in the Jianghu as the ‘Ghost Spear’ in his youth.

Unlike his ancestors, who had dedicated their lives to the Jianghu, Yi Yung-mu entered the military early and achieved numerous war exploits.

Among the enemies he had defeated over the decades were the nomadic empire of Kitai, which had a national power comparable to the Song Empire, and local rebel forces who had risen up to seize the throne.

But the most famous event was his duel with the Sword Immortal Yeon Ga-ram 25 years ago.

Yeon Ga-ram, originally a warrior from Yemaek called the ‘Early-Clothed Immortal,’ was the strongest master in the Jianghu, recognized by all.

The two men, representing the military and the martial world, fought for three days and nights in an imperial tournament held by the emperor during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and as a result, Yi Yung-mu was defeated by a margin of half a move.

Although he lost, people were so impressed by the divine power he displayed at this time that they gave him the title of Red Dragon King.

After the Sword Immortal went into seclusion and disappeared, Yi Yung-mu was effectively regarded as the strongest absolute master in the Song Empire.

However, there was someone who did not care about him, whom everyone in the Jianghu feared and revered.

It was none other than the Crown Prince of the Song Empire, Jo Won-gi, who was riding in the golden carriage.

‘Grand General, I’m feeling dizzy. Please, give me some opium.’

‘That is not possible. His Majesty has strictly forbidden it.’

‘M-my hands and feet are shaking! So, hurry up and give it to me, you old pig!’

As Jo Won-gi, suffering from withdrawal symptoms, suddenly started to rant, Yi Yung-mu gritted his teeth.

Listening to the ranting of Jo Won-gi, who was not even his grandson’s age, made his stomach churn with anger.

‘Damn it, if it weren’t for His Majesty’s request, you would have been dead by my hands already!’

The reason Yi Yung-mu was going to the Shaolin Temple was to treat the Crown Prince, who was addicted to opium.

The Empress, desperate to cure her son’s addiction, had heard that a famous high monk named Nanda was at the Shaolin Temple.

She tearfully begged the Emperor to allow the Crown Prince to recuperate, and the Emperor, thinking it was his last chance, agreed.

The Emperor also chose Yi Yung-mu, who had been in closed-door training at the Imperial Palace Armory, as the escort commander.

‘Tsk, tsk, the Grand General is having a hard time.’

‘I know, right? He’s revered like a king in the Jianghu…’

‘I see why Jianghu people don’t like to serve in the government. How can people with such strong pride as martial artists endure such treatment?’

The murmuring of the passersby made Yi Yung-mu’s stomach churn even more.

As he was frowning, a messenger suddenly ran up from behind and handed him a dispatch sent from the capital.

‘What is it?’

Yi Yung-mu, wondering why a messenger had been sent when it had only been a few days since they had left Daeryang, tore open the wax-sealed envelope and unfolded the dispatch inside.

And his eyes widened in shock.

‘What! The Third Prince was attacked near Nanjing a week ago? And the imperial guard iron cavalry escorting him were annihilated? Why is this news only reaching me now!’

The messenger stammered at his outburst.

‘W-well, it might be because it took some time for the message to arrive from An-gyeong…’

‘Are you saying that makes sense! Are you saying the military’s diviners were doing nothing!’

With the use of divination telegrams, messages could be received quickly.

The fact that it was delayed meant that someone in the middle had either been negligent or had intentionally interfered.

‘Send the imperial guards to An-gyeong immediately! If there is another delay, I will have all of your heads!’

‘Yes, Grand General!’

Even after the messenger left, Yi Yung-mu’s expression did not ease.

It was already a headache dealing with the Crown Prince, and now something had happened to the Third Prince, who had gone on an inspection tour to the south.

‘I wish I could go myself, but I can’t disobey His Majesty’s request…’

Yi Yung-mu could only hope that nothing had happened to the Third Prince.

After some time, Yi Yung-mu’s party arrived at the Shaolin Temple.

The abbot and monks were waiting to greet them, having been notified in advance.

Yi Yung-mu, instead of Jo Won-gi, who was in a daze after taking medicine given by the physician, greeted them.

‘I apologize for disturbing your practice, Abbot.’

‘It is not a problem. This too must be the will of Sejon [Buddha].’

Yi Yung-mu was over 80 years old.

Not only was he older, but even in terms of the Jianghu hierarchy, he was one step higher than the abbot of the Shaolin Temple.

‘But where is the Great Master Nanda?’

When Yi Yung-mu looked around and asked, the abbot pointed to an old monk standing near him.

‘I am Nanda.’

Nanda stepped forward and bowed his head, and Yi Yung-mu bowed in return.

However, his eyes were filled with suspicion.

‘Is this the Nanda?’

He had heard various rumors about Nanda, but this was the first time he had seen him in person.

But the Nanda in front of him did not seem like a high monk who had awakened the Six Supernatural Powers [abilities attained through enlightenment].

His appearance and physique were ordinary, and his attire was no different from other monks.

He did not seem to have any great aura or a unique atmosphere.

‘Can this person really cure the Crown Prince?’

The growing suspicion disappeared completely when Nanda began treating the Crown Prince in the guest hall.

‘I-Incredible!’

As Nanda swept his hand, which was imbued with a mystical light, over Jo Won-gi’s body, the murky energy of opium that had been consuming the Crown Prince’s body rose to the surface and cleanly dissipated.

Not only that, but the Crown Prince’s gaunt and pale face regained a healthy complexion, and his hazy eyes returned to normal.

The Crown Prince, who had been out of his mind from the effects of the medicine, also seemed surprised that his condition had improved.

‘How do you feel, Your Highness?’

‘I feel very light, Grand General. It’s like I’m flying into the sky, a refreshing feeling.’

Yi Yung-mu, who had been pleased, hardened his expression at the Crown Prince’s next words.

‘Now I can smoke opium to my heart’s content without any worries.’

‘Y-Your Highness!’

‘Was it Nanda? I like you very much. From now on, you will be my personal physician.’

At Jo Won-gi’s command, Nanda wore a bitter expression.

With the power of the Six Supernatural Powers, he could only heal the Crown Prince’s body.

The heart, rotten with greed and laziness, was not healed at all.

‘Your Highness, my treatment is only a temporary measure. Your Highness’s illness can only be cured through your own efforts.’

‘What?’

Jo Won-gi glared fiercely, but Nanda continued without paying attention.

‘Your Highness has grown up without any lack or regret. Therefore, you do not know what restraint and patience are. So, how about taking this opportunity to receive the teachings of Sejon and gain enlightenment?’

‘Are you telling me to become a monk?’

‘I believe that would be better for the country and the people. A lazy and greedy ruler will make many people unhappy.’

The Crown Prince’s face flushed red with anger.

Although he did not show it, Yi Yung-mu agreed with Nanda’s words.

Jo Won-gi, who had become the Crown Prince because he was the eldest son, was lazy in his studies and had a bad character.

Even without the opium addiction, he was not fit to be the emperor.

‘You wicked monk!’

Clang—!

Jo Won-gi, enraged, drew his sword from his waist and swung it down.

Yi Yung-mu, startled, stepped forward, but the tip of the sword was already falling towards Nanda’s head.

But just before the sword hit, Nanda’s body blurred and scattered like smoke!

‘W-what!’

Nanda’s voice echoed like a reverberation in the ears of the bewildered Jo Won-gi and Yi Yung-mu.

‘Abandon your greed. Only then can you save yourself and others.’

Unlike Jo Won-gi, who was terrified as if he had seen a ghost, Yi Yung-mu had an admiring expression on his face.

‘Indeed, he is a divine person as I have heard.’

What Nanda had just used was neither martial arts nor divination. It was clearly the Six Supernatural Powers that only enlightened high monks were said to possess.

He was amazed, but also puzzled.

Why was someone who had attained such enlightenment still staying in this tainted world?

‘Does that mean that this world, the Song Empire, is that chaotic?’

Yi Yung-mu could not be sure, but he could not disbelieve it either.

The various events happening around him were that unusual.

‘G-get Nanda here immediately!’

‘Your Highness, if the treatment is over, we must return to the imperial palace.’

Yi Yung-mu soothed the Crown Prince, who was spouting nonsense.

But Jo Won-gi became even more agitated and raised his voice.

‘Are you not listening to me? I said, bring that wicked monk here immediately!’

‘What are you doing! Why aren’t you escorting His Highness!’

At Yi Yung-mu’s shout, the eunuchs and guards looked at each other and began to lead Jo Won-gi to the carriage.

As the abbot was sweating profusely at the sight of the Crown Prince’s tantrum, Yi Yung-mu reassured him.

‘There is no need to worry about this matter. I will explain everything to His Majesty.’

‘T-thank you, Grand General.’

The abbot of Shaolin clasped his hands together, expressing his gratitude.

‘Then, I shall take my leave now.’

Yi Yung-mu, who had donated 1,000 gold pieces as a token of appreciation, led his group away.

His destination was the capital city of Daliang, where the imperial palace was located.

2

Black, swirling flames obscured the sun.

The massive flames, as if intending to incinerate the entire sky, were torn to shreds by the hundreds and thousands of purple lightning bolts that flashed like swords and spears.

However, the black flames surged in like relentless waves.

Luke, who was continuously deploying Thunder Bringer, gritted his teeth and channeled his magic power.

‘Arsene! I will definitely eliminate you!’

When Luke, or rather, Simon, first met him, Arsene was a Meister of the Veritas Magic Tower [a high-ranking mage].

He was a noble figure, incomparable to Simon, who was then a novice mage at the tower.

Due to the vast difference in status and skill, there was no interaction or contact between the two.

It was always the senior mages and superiors who harassed and oppressed him, so Simon didn’t harbor any particular ill feelings towards him.

Rather, he respected him.

He was determined to work hard and become like him, one of the most skilled individuals in the kingdom.

However, that respect vanished without a trace seven years later when Arsene took away his most precious person for his ambition and advancement.

Simon, who belatedly learned of Katarina’s death, rushed to Arsene, crying out to bring her back to life.

However, Arsene showed no remorse, instead displaying a very displeased expression.

‘So, you’re the mage who was infatuated with that wench. Not only did you dare to ruin my work, you’re also causing a commotion, you insignificant speck!’

Arsene summoned the Magic Tower mercenaries and beat Simon to the brink of death.

Furthermore, he even destroyed his magic circle himself.

For Simon, who had always believed in Arsene’s reputation and character, that incident was a tremendous shock.

After having his magic circle destroyed and being expelled from the tower with a battered body, he engraved Arsene’s contemptuous gaze and resentment deep into his bones.

‘I will never forgive you!’

‘If God sides with that bastard, I will join hands with the devil!’

He vowed and dreamed countless times of the day he would punish him.

Even after dying at Rakan’s hands, and even after being resurrected 500 years later.

‘Im.pu.dent. fool! With. your. paltry. skills. you. dare. to. op.pose. me!’

As Luke continued to cut down the flames created by magic and approached, Arsene deployed another dark magic.

‘Dark Hole!’

The abyss’s energy, which rose in a circle from Arsene’s fingertips, flew towards Luke.

‘This is absolute annihilation dark magic!’

Knowing the terrifying power of the Dark Hole, Luke hastily deployed Blink magic [a teleportation spell].

Then, the Dark Hole, having lost its target, flew towards a nearby mountain peak.

Koo-oong!

‘N-no way!’

The top of the sharp rocky mountain disappeared in an instant, as if erased by an eraser.

Luke, as well as the Zhuge family and the clan’s experts who were watching the fight, were shocked.

This was not simple destruction.

It was a terrifying situation where space was distorted, erasing everything in the vicinity without leaving a single speck of dust, truly befitting the word ‘annihilation.’

‘If, if something like that flies at us, hiding won’t do any good.’

‘Is there a way to block it?’

‘We can only pray that such an attack doesn’t come our way.’

However, the person who was most shocked was Luke.

He knew this absolute annihilation dark magic.

It was recorded at the end of an ancient dark magic book he had obtained during his time as Simon.

However, even after establishing the 9th circle dark magic at the time, Luke could not fully master the Dark Hole.

Because it was such a powerful dark magic, the backlash when casting it was too great.

‘I almost had all my internal organs twisted when I tried it once back then. The artifact protecting my body broke instead, though.’

How could Arsene have completed a magic that even he could not fully master?

The answer to that was simple.

‘Right, this is not a magic that a living person can use. He must have been able to use it because he’s a monster, neither dead nor alive.’

‘Why. so. quiet? You. said. you’d. kill. me. and. came. at. me. with. eyes. blazing? Are. you. scared. now?’

At Arsene’s mockery, Luke glared at him fiercely.

Indeed, he had just rushed in without thinking.

Upon realizing that his enemy was in front of him, he had completely forgotten that he was an immortal lich who had lived for 500 years, and the worst mage in history who had reached the 9th circle in both dark and white magic.

But now that he had regained his senses, it was different.

‘Right now, I’ve reached the 8th circle in both white and dark magic, and having mastered the Gold Sword, my swordsmanship has reached the realm of a Sword Master.’

As a Rune Knight, Luke had reached a high level in both magic and swordsmanship, and he had realized one thing.

The synergy effect that occurred when one achieved a certain level of accomplishment in two or more areas was tremendous.

‘Even more so, he’s at the 9th circle in both. Superficially, he’s one circle higher than me, but…’

The problem was that there was a huge gap between the actual 8th and 9th circles.

If the former was a Sword Master, the latter was at the level of a Sword Sage.

The synergy effect formed by these two magics was unimaginable.

Moreover, the 9th circle was not the end of magic.

In the past, it was said that the dragon race could use up to the 10th circle for wyrms and the 12th circle for ancient dragons.

The reason why the 9th circle was considered the highest level was due to the limitations of human lifespan, but also because magics beyond the 9th circle were almost lost.

But what if even one had been passed down?

And what if Arsene had mastered it?

‘No, even if it’s Arsene, he couldn’t have mastered dark or white magic beyond the 9th circle. But he’s been accumulating magic power for 500 years, so it wouldn’t be strange if his magic power had reached the level of a dragon.’

‘Keh.keh.keh, what. are. you. so. deep. in. thought. about? Are. you. racking. your. brain. on. how. to. beat. me?’

Arsene asked with a leisurely expression.

He was not in a hurry at all.

Although Luke had stronger combat abilities than he had expected, he was still at a level that he could easily eliminate if he wanted to.

However, he had no intention of simply killing the one who had destroyed the undead he had painstakingly created.

He intended to inflict as much pain and despair as possible, then turn him into an undead and use him forever in a state of neither life nor death.

‘And there are things that bother me.’

That was his transformed appearance.

The appearance of his body growing larger, with horns and scales protruding, was similar to the transformation of a demon from the demon realm.

In fact, the waves of demonic energy were detected in the purple aura he was emitting.

‘Could it be that he made a contract with a demon after learning dark magic? That descendant of Rakan?’

Perhaps that was why he was able to break free from the curse he had cast on him before.

Although it was rare, there were cases where poison was used to cure poison.

However, it was hard to believe that the rigid direct descendant of Rakan would have done so.

‘That’s not all, but this guy’s spiritual energy is somehow familiar. Why do I feel that way?’

Unlike Luke, Arsene did not know that he was Simon.

Unlike Luke, the victim, he, the perpetrator, had easily forgotten the past.

Moreover, he had never directly faced Simon when he was called the Demon King and swept across the continent.

He had only fought with Simon’s companion, the high elf Erenes.

He had secretly taken Simon’s dead body and, after a long period of training, made it his own minion, but he never imagined that the soul separated from the body would be acting on its own like this.

‘Anyway, I don’t like his eyes. I should pluck them out first.’

Arsene extended his right hand.

‘Dark. Bullet!’

As magic power seemed to concentrate on his skeletal fingers, five black magic bullets flew towards Luke.

‘Hmph, you think you can kill me with that?’

Luke, who had knocked away the incoming magic bullets with his bare hands, immediately counterattacked with Thousand Bullets.

Arsene was startled as hundreds of magic bullets flew towards him.

‘No! The. same. dark. magic. as. me…?’

‘Why? Is there a law that only you can use it?’

In fact, the originator was Simon, or rather, Luke, who had excavated the ancient dark magic book from the ruins.

From his point of view, Arsene was nothing more than a despicable thief.

‘Keh.keh.keh, Rakan. would. be. appalled. if. he. saw. you. A. so-called. descendant. of. a. hero. using. dark. magic.’

As Arsene blocked the incoming magic bullets and criticized him, Luke retorted without backing down.

‘Hmph, what would the Iron Mages think if they knew that the founder of magic engineering had become such a skeleton? They’d probably demand his name be erased from the history books right away, wouldn’t they?’

‘Im.pu.dent. fool! I. don’t. like. your. mouth. as. much. as. your. eyes!’

Arsene, enraged, raised his left hand.

As a powerful magic power that chilled the heart concentrated on his left hand, Luke’s expression hardened.

‘This is Black Abyss!’

Like the Dark Hole, it was a powerful dark magic recorded in the ancient dark magic book.

It was a magic with a high risk, but Arsene, who was not a living being, activated the magic without hesitation.

‘If I try to block or dodge, I’ll lose!’

I’ll strike before the magic is completed!

Deciding so, Luke approached Arsene with Blink magic and unleashed a Shock Wave with all his might.

Kwaaaang!

A terrifying shockwave that violently tore through the air flew towards Arsene.

‘Hmph! You. think. you. can. eliminate. me. with. the. abilities. of. a. low-level. demon?’

Arsene lightly deflected the shockwave with his right hand.

But then, tendrils of magic power extended from under his robe, wrapping around Luke’s body.

‘Wait! This is, Black Bind?’

Black Bind was also a magic listed in the ancient dark magic book.

Luke, who was preparing for the next attack after the Shock Wave, couldn’t help but panic when his body wouldn’t move.

‘Keh.keh.keh, I’ll. suck. all. of. your. power. dry.’

The Black Abyss that Arsene had activated just now was a decoy.

He had judged that if it was Rakan’s descendant, who had been rushing at him so recklessly, he would attack, taking advantage of the gap without blocking or dodging.

As expected, Luke had approached him.

Arsene quickly canceled the Black Abyss and bound Luke with Black Bind.

‘Keh, it’s ending more easily than I thought. I’ll just drain enough power to prevent him from escaping, and then slowly…’

Swish!

It was when Arsene was pondering how to deal with Luke. A sharp blow flew from behind, splitting Arsene’s waist in two.

‘W-what is this?’

Startled by the unexpected blow that had split his body in two, Arsene twisted his head back. He saw a Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine] wielding a greatsword, floating in the air. It was the silver Gigant that had been slaughtering his beloved giant death knights. But strangely, he couldn’t sense the rider’s energy within.

‘What is it? Is this thing controlling it? If so, is it using some kind of marionette magic…?’

“Kuhahaha! How does it taste, Arsene!” Luke’s laughter cut through Arsene’s thoughts. The silver Gigant was a test model that Luke had summoned from the subspace of his bracelet. He figured a frontal attack wouldn’t work against such a cunning foe, so just before unleashing the Shock Wave, he had secretly summoned it behind Arsene’s back. Arsene, focused on Luke in front of him, had failed to notice.

“Tch, c-cowardly… !”

“I don’t want to hear that from you!” Luke, having broken free from Black Bind, glared fiercely. He activated Petrorite, a demonic ability that petrifies the target.

“N-no way… !” Arsene, flustered by his bisected body, couldn’t dodge and was hit by the petrification beam. Crack! Crack! The pure white skeleton instantly turned into gray stone. Luke then unleashed a series of powerful attacks on the petrified Arsene.

“Titan Fist!” The iron fist created by magic struck Arsene’s body. Boom! Arsene’s shattered bone fragments scattered in all directions. It seemed the fight was over.

“Our lord has won!”

“That’s a relief. I was wondering if we should join in…” Hwangbo Sung and Zhuge Moon, who had been watching the battle, cheered at the sight of Arsene being defeated. The sudden enemy that had appeared was emitting a terrifying aura, reminiscent of the heretical cult leader, Sa Gun-ak, whom they had heard about from their elders in their childhood. Of course, the stories passed down through generations were bound to be exaggerated, but that was how fearsome Sa Gun-ak’s divine power was.

Zhuge Moon, who had quickly evacuated the family members, prepared for battle with Zhuge Soha, Zhuge Shin, Zhuge Do, and other masters of the family, in case of an emergency. Hwangbo Sung had also summoned his wooden puppets in advance and watched the fight. He was ready to join in if his lord seemed to be losing, but fortunately, the fight ended with Luke’s victory, who had caught his opponent off guard.

“That person uses some strange techniques.”

“Indeed. I heard he was a mage, but it seems different from the magic I know.”

Zhuge Shin, who was right next to Zhuge Do, agreed.

“Different?”

“Yes, and… no, maybe I’m mistaken.” Zhuge Shin was about to say something but stopped. He didn’t want to cause trouble for the family’s benefactor with uncertain information. While the two were whispering, Zhuge Moon was looking around the area. Zhuge Soha, noticing his strange behavior, tilted her head and asked, “What’s wrong, brother?”

“It’s strange. Even though the fight is over, the evil energy in the sky hasn’t disappeared. It’s too dense to be just the aftereffects of the battle.”

“Now that you mention it, I still feel uneasy.” Zhuge Soha agreed and looked around. But there was no sign of the enemy anywhere.

“Could it be that he’s not dead yet?”

“Our lord hasn’t lowered his fighting stance either.” As Hwangbo Sung said, Luke was maintaining his battle stance. Just as Zhuge Moon’s group was wondering, a black aura gathered at a point in the air and gradually intensified. The black aura, which had gathered like a cloud, soon took on a human form.

“Good heavens, he’s alive again!”

“That’s an unbelievable monster!” Except for Zhuge Moon, those who didn’t know about the characteristics of a lich were shocked. Luke frowned as he looked at Arsene, who had returned to his original form. ‘Tch, as expected, that wasn’t enough to destroy him.’ A lich can only be destroyed by destroying its life vessel [a container holding the lich’s soul]. Since Luke had no way of knowing where Arsene’s life vessel was, his best option was to thoroughly destroy the body Arsene was currently using. That’s why he had pulverized him with a combination of Petrorite and Titan Fist, but surprisingly, Arsene had immediately revived from that state. Even for a lich, it usually takes time to revive, but his revival speed was astonishing.

“Keh.keh.keh, that. was. a. pretty. good. attack. But. that. much. is. not. enough. to. destroy. my. strengthened. body.” In the past, when Arsene had attacked the Dark Moon Magic Tower, he had been struck by Erenes’ elemental magic and had to retreat. Elemental magic, which converts natural mana into a specific state, was an obsolete magic that was rarely learned, overshadowed by mainstream circle magic. After suffering the humiliation of losing half of his body to a magic that was dismissed as heretical, Arsene had greatly enhanced his body’s restoration and regeneration abilities. It had taken a lot of time, but the effort had not been in vain. Unlike ordinary liches, he could recover immediately even after his body was completely shattered.

“I should have burned him to a crisp after all.”

“Keh.keh.keh, it’s. useless. This. body. can. revive. even. if. it. turns. to. ash!”

“Is that so? Then how about this?” Luke, who had deactivated his build-up state, drew his sword and released gold aura. As the gold aura, which possessed the energy of anti-demon extermination, flashed, the demonic energy that had been raging around Arsene’s body momentarily faltered. ‘Is that Rakan’s swordsmanship? And the sword itself is also extraordinary.’ As Arsene had expected, the sword Luke was holding was the Demon Slayer. It was one of the four great swords of Zieg, possessed by the demon Naga, and it contained powerful light magic. Because of that, it greatly enhanced the power of the gold aura. ‘Indeed, that might be a bit dangerous.’ Even though he had mastered both black and white magic and strengthened his body, Arsene was still a lich. He was bound to be incompatible with light that illuminates the darkness or divine power that purifies the impure. If he were to take a proper hit, even his enhanced regeneration ability would be useless. ‘He’s not someone to be taken lightly. It’s a shame I can’t torment him for a long time, but I need to get rid of him quickly.’ Having changed his mind, Arsene released demonic energy from both hands and deployed black magic.

“Face. the. scattering. fear. and. the. grim. reaper. of. death! Death. Invader!” Whoosh-! Swoosh-! The demonic energy flowing from his hands transformed into thousands of moths and spread in all directions. ‘What is this? I’ve never seen this kind of black magic before?’ Luke, who was bewildered, suddenly turned pale and quickly retreated. The moths made of demonic energy were scattering gray powder everywhere. The toxicity of the powder spreading in the air was so strong that even a slight touch caused the skin to swell up red. If he had inhaled it unknowingly, his lungs might have melted away. ‘It’s amazing that it can even injure my body, which can’t be harmed by ordinary poisons. There was no black magic with this effect in the ancient black magic books, did Arsene develop it himself?’ Luke guessed as much, but Zhuge Moon knew the identity of the black magic Arsene had used.

“Good heavens! That’s definitely the Poison Moth Soul Severing Technique!” It was a heretical technique that summoned swarms of moths to spread a strong poison. It was known that once poisoned, the pain was as if the soul was being severed, and he never thought he would witness this evil technique firsthand. Moreover, the moths summoned now seemed to be 100 times… no, 1000 times larger than what was recorded. ‘What on earth is this guy’s identity?’ Based on his appearance, he seemed like a monster from the Northern Continent. However, seeing him use the Poison Moth Soul Severing Technique, he also seemed like a descendant of the heretical cult. But what was important now was not the identity of the opponent. It was whether Luke could defeat him. ‘I need to join in!’ Zhuge Moon, having made that decision, stepped forward to help Luke, and Hwangbo Sung and the others followed him. But they had no choice but to stop after only a short distance.

“Ugh! The poison is coming this way…”

“Fall back! You must not inhale it!” The moths that Arsene had sent were flying towards the Zhuge family. The poison that the moths were spreading was so strong that the plants withered and died in an instant, and the fish in the pond not only died with their bellies up but also melted away. Zhuge Moon hurriedly created wind with his Taoist magic while treating those exposed to the poison with medicine and talismans. But it was uncertain whether they would be properly treated. Arsene smirked as he watched them scrambling. ‘Heh heh heh. I knew you guys would join in.’ Arsene didn’t think he would lose even if Zhuge Moon’s group joined in. However, he didn’t want any more troublesome situations to arise with an already difficult opponent, so he had preemptively restrained them. ‘By the way, what happened to Rakan’s descendant?’ He had seen him retreat to avoid the poison that the moths were spreading a moment ago. He had seen the poison moths chasing after him, but he had completely lost sight of him while turning his attention to Zhuge Moon’s group. ‘Did he run away? Or has his whole body already melted from the poison of the moths…’ But he didn’t seem like the type to be so spineless as to run away in fear, nor did he seem weak enough to be easily defeated by the moths’ poison. He must be hiding nearby, waiting for an opportunity. Boom-! From within the cloud-like swarm of moths, a silver Gigant appeared with an explosion. The Gigant, with a greatsword and gauntlets wrapped in brilliant golden aura, charged towards Arsene, burning all the moths that were swarming around it.

“Keh.keh.keh, finally. you’ve. appeared!” Unlike before, Luke was now on board. It was better to be on board to block the poison and to amplify the power of the gold aura with the core engine. “Die, Arsene!” The greatsword that Luke swung down shone dazzlingly. Startled, Arsene created layers of defensive barriers with black magic. However, the greatsword, imbued with the maximum amplified gold aura, pierced through the barriers that Arsene had created without hesitation.