My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 262

262. Continuing Maintenance (2)

Something’s wrong. Terribly wrong.

That was Nurubia’s first thought as he floated in the air.

From his floating perspective, he watched fragments of his exploded organs scatter across the sky.

KWA-AAAAANG!

With a deafening roar, Nurubia’s body slammed violently into the ground.

Staggering to his feet, Nurubia stared blankly ahead.

There stood Cyan.

Oozing a thick, dark aura, standing aloof.

His jet-black sword extended horizontally, a silent menace.

Cyan’s eyes, gleaming with darkness, scanned Nurubia from head to toe.

…Is that really Cyan?

Nurubia couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling.

Not just Cyan, but the very space around him felt off.

A sense of dread washed over him, an unknown terror etched into his senses.

SHAAAAAAA—!

Silent darkness flowed.

Nurubia involuntarily flinched, stepping back.

Something’s wrong. Terribly wrong.

The power he felt now, the pressure crushing his entire being.

Just moments ago, he was merely human.

He had shown a form that seemed to transcend human limits, but he was still human.

And Cyan hadn’t been able to overcome the gap between them.

There was a massive wall between Nurubia and Cyan.

But now, that wall was gone.

SHAAA—!!

Darkness swirled with each step Cyan took.

Nurubia spread his hands wide, gathering magical power.

The gleam in Nurubia’s eyes intensified, turning even redder.

The endless world of magical power unfolded once more.

The power grew stronger, his nails as sharp as if they could tear through anything.

Cyan plunged into the heart of that magical power.

The origin of all forms of the sword.

The slash, the cut, pursued by Kyle’s Demon Soul Asura Sword.

Beneath the swinging sword of annihilation, the barrier of red magical power shattered.

The crimson world was instantly torn apart by darkness.

And before Nurubia could even register it.

The sword of annihilation had already completed its swing.

A crisp, slicing sound echoed.

Confusion etched across Nurubia’s face.

Red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

How… when…?

He stumbled backward.

With a soft tearing sound, Nurubia’s body split diagonally and fell apart.

JJEEOEOEOEOEOEOK—!!

In that instant, a massive abyss lunged at Cyan.

The power of greed, devouring everything.

But Cyan didn’t evade.

SHAAAAAAA—!

With a shroud of darkness, Cyan vanished in an instant.

Before the thought of ‘Where is he?’ could even form.

A rough hand seized Gulneria by the collar.

“That mouth.”

Slamming her into the ground, Cyan whispered softly.

“Shut it.”

KWA-AAAAANG!

With a deafening roar, Gulneria’s body slammed violently into the ground.

The earth cracked and crumbled beneath the impact.

【KEUHUK!!】

Blood gushed from Gulneria’s maw once more.

Through his wavering vision, Cyan’s eyes gleamed with a pitch-black darkness.

Absurd strength.

That was the thought that flashed through Gulneria’s mind.

【Die—!】

In that moment, Nurubia, having recovered his severed body, lunged at Cyan.

Tearing through the space ahead with claws imbued with magical power.

Cyan stood still.

Not moving from where he suppressed Gulneria.

He simply reached out with his other hand, grasping at the air.

KWADEUDEUDEUK!

With a sound like a can being crushed, Nurubia’s attack vanished instantly.

Then, as Cyan lightly pulled his arm, as if shaking the axis of space.

Nurubia’s body was dragged in with a *jjuuuk* sound.

When he regained his senses, Nurubia’s neck was in Cyan’s grasp.

【Kek…! Kereuk…!】

A rattling sound constantly escaped Nurubia’s throat.

【Keuheok…!】

From Gulneria’s mouth, pinned to the ground, blood continued to pour.

The two demon lords were now held captive by Cyan.

Nurubia and Gulneria couldn’t understand this situation at all.

Something’s wrong. It doesn’t make sense. This can’t be happening.

This… this is too absurd.

Absurdly strong.

For a moment, Nurubia and Gulneria’s eyes met.

Though they couldn’t speak, their gazes conveyed a sense of resolve.

And then, for a brief moment.

A blood-like, viscous magical power erupted from the two lords.

【KKEUAAAAAAA—!!!】

【KKEUAAAAAAA—!!!】

Screams erupted.

Amidst them, a nearly infinite magical power exploded.

The power moved with a clear intent to kill, viciously.

It differed from any power they had seen before, in dimension itself.

[That’s…!]

Karze shouted in alarm.

Because he knew what that power meant.

The inherent power drawn out at the cost of damage.

The lords were forcibly drawing on the power of their main bodies, risking damage to their souls.

Combined with the partially restored power from the broken holy relic.

To be precise, a portion of the restrictions had been lifted.

For the two lords to draw out power at the cost of damage here.

It was virtually the same as the power of a lord with the restrictions removed.

Karze couldn’t stand against this power either.

A murderous intent that crushed and killed existence consumed the space.

A terror more dreadful than anything else pressed down.

Evil that craved only death.

Nurubia thought as he unleashed the endless evil.

He didn’t know why, but Cyan was absurd right now.

He felt like a completely different being from just moments ago.

At this rate, they would be the ones to suffer.

So, he would take the risk.

He was worried about the aftermath, but it didn’t matter.

Once this was over, the holy relic would be completely liberated.

More than anything, if they could just tear Cyan apart right now, nothing else mattered.

The eyes of Nurubia and Gulneria, having unleashed their full power, flickered red.

A crimson madness gleamed as they took action.

And it didn’t take long.

To realize it was a grave mistake.

BBEOEOEOEOEOEOK—!!

Before they realized it was a clear error.

A sound of something bursting.

Nurubia’s body was thrust backward.

Keuhahak—!!

A scream couldn’t be uttered.

It circled and circled within his mind, fading away.

The bones throughout his body, unable to withstand the impact, shattered.

The jaw that would have screamed was gone.

KWAAJIK—!

In his fading consciousness, he heard something tearing.

Through his blurred vision, he saw Cyan tearing Gulneria’s maw apart, top to bottom.

The mouth, torn beyond its limits, hung raggedly at the corners.

WAGEUJAK—!

Even in that moment, Gulneria was trying to devour Cyan with the power of greed.

KWAAANG!

The space that held the world shattered. The power of greed crumbled.

The next moment he knew.

Gulneria had slammed violently next to Nurubia.

Nurubia froze in place once more.

His body… his body wouldn’t move.

【Ah… Aah….】

A silent horror spread across Nurubia’s face.

He couldn’t keep up…

That speed, beyond the realm of perception.

Nurubia hadn’t seen or felt anything just now.

That’s why he couldn’t even dare to reach him.

At first, there was a thick wall between Nurubia and Cyan.

And it was a wall that Cyan couldn’t overcome.

But in a fleeting moment, it had been reversed.

That wall, which he thought he could never overcome, had been flipped.

He didn’t know why. But he thought that was all.

So, this time, Nurubia flipped the wall again.

He took the damage, drawing on the power of his soul.

He broke down the wall and widened the gap again.

But it wasn’t.

When he came to his senses, he saw another wall.

There wasn’t just one wall…

There were dozens, hundreds, thousands of walls.

No, there were countless walls, beyond counting.

It didn’t change even when Gulneria joined in.

Gulneria only broke down one more wall.

Teobeok [sound of footsteps].

The sound of Cyan’s footsteps was faint.

Nurubia slumped to the ground.

Sitting down, he retreated backward, as if fleeing.

Now he knew.

Who the being he was seeing now was.

It was truly impossible, but…

【You… You….】

Nurubia couldn’t shake off that thought.

#

“N-No way….”

Aria’s horrified words escaped her lips.

Not just Aria, but everyone gathered here felt the same.

Everyone stopped fighting and simply watched Cyan fight the two lords.

No, it would be more accurate to say there was no need to fight.

Of course, they knew they should help anyway.

But no one took action.

They couldn’t dare to help.

They couldn’t dare to intervene in that transcendent battle.

And there was no reason to help Cyan at all.

Truly overwhelming power.

“……”

“……”

Silent shock descended.

[This is…!]

And Karze wasn’t much different either.

To be honest, he thought it wouldn’t be easy.

When the lords burned their souls.

Karze was honestly thinking something else.

But the sight of Cyan now.

BBEOEOEOK—! KWA-AANG!

KWAAJIK! Seogeok—!

To confess, Karze couldn’t dare to intervene in that fight either.

He was afraid of only hindering Cyan, so he couldn’t even utter a Dragon Word carelessly.

Karze activated his Dragon Eyes [a power to grasp the structure and flow of magical power] and looked at Cyan.

But he couldn’t see it. To be precise, he couldn’t fathom its end.

The existence of Cyan as seen through the Dragon Eyes was truly transcendent.

Was that truly a power allowed to a being living in this world?

Truly, the word ‘astonishing’ escaped his lips.

As much as the man from long ago wouldn’t leave his mind.

But it wasn’t complete.

The vessel containing that power was too precarious.

Even so, Cyan was enduring.

Even knowing what awaited him at the end of this, Cyan didn’t hesitate.

But soon, he would reach that end.

[……]

Karze was lost in deep thought.

#

【D-Don’t be ridiculous….】

Nurubia spoke in a trembling voice.

He continued to deny the thought that wouldn’t leave his mind.

The power that seemed to sting the very ends of his skin now.

An overwhelming presence that even dragons couldn’t aspire to.

【There’s… There’s no way you could be….】

The very fact that he possessed this power was impossible.

Nurubia looked up at Cyan again.

His vision was blurred by the overwhelming terror that shook his entire body.

But Nurubia could clearly perceive a strange sense of incongruity.

None other than Cyan’s trembling hand.

It wasn’t just his hand.

Cyan’s entire body was filled with subtle tremors.

He was pushing himself too hard.

Nurubia could tell that at once.

He didn’t know where he had drawn that magical power from.

But there were clear limits to an existence.

Cyan seemed to have forcibly stretched those limits.

Of course, even if he stretched his limits, this magical power didn’t make sense.

Limits were just that, limits.

Originally, the vessel should have collapsed without being able to withstand it.

The fact that he was enduring now was already impossible, but it was only a matter of time.

Soon, the vessel would break.

Look at him now.

Cyan, as seen through the Demon Eye [a power of the lord], was extremely precarious.

Severe cracks were etched into the vessel that made up his existence.

And even at this moment, those cracks were continuing to grow.

Then there was only one answer.

He just had to stall for time.

He just had to endure until Cyan self-destructed.

Once Cyan self-destructed, everything would be over.

This situation would soon be distorted by despair.

Imagining that sight…

The pent-up anger, annoyance, and terror vanished at once.

A smile returned to his face, which had been filled with bewilderment.

Nurubia said to Cyan with a bitter smile.

He was, after all, a mortal being.

He knew it. That guy was…

“I know.”

At that moment, a voice that seemed to pierce through Nurubia’s thoughts rang out.

“I know everything you’re thinking─.”

BBEOEONG─!!

The words didn’t reach the end.

Before Cyan’s words, spoken from his mouth, could reach Nurubia’s ears.

Cyan’s movements surpassed sound and shattered Nurubia’s perception.

His head regenerated, and his thoughts returned.

Keuhahak—!

Through his returning vision, he faintly heard Gulneria’s scream.

There, he saw Gulneria, whose body was torn apart and regenerating.

In that fleeting moment when Nurubia’s perception was severed.

Gulneria seemed to have suffered the same blow as Nurubia.

He suppressed two people simultaneously in that short moment…?.

Nurubia hadn’t even reacted.

Gulneria seemed to be the same.

Nurubia’s eyes trembled.

Deopseok [sound of grabbing].

Rummaging through the cracks in his thoughts, a rough hand seized Nurubia’s hair.

【Let go…!!】

Nurubia screamed and swung his arm. Cyan kicked Nurubia’s body away.

BBEOEONG! With a bursting sound, his body flew far away.

However, the head that Cyan was holding remained in his grasp.

Separated body and head.

Nurubia’s arms, attached to his body, flailed uselessly in the air.

And at some point, Cyan stopped using his sword.

Nurubia gritted his teeth, suppressing his screams.

Endure. He just had to endure.

He just had to stall for time until Cyan self-destructed─.

KWAAJIK!

His train of thought stopped again at the gruesome sound of flesh tearing.

Cyan casually tossed aside Nurubia’s head, which he had slammed into the ground.

Cyan slowly turned his gaze.

There, Gulneria was looking at Cyan, her eyes trembling.

【Do you think this… this will mean anything?】

Gulneria said in a trembling voice.

She didn’t even realize that she was feeling the emotion of fear.

Gulneria was looking at Cyan with trembling eyes.

The darkness gleaming in Cyan’s eyes seemed to face something from the abyss.

Cyan stared silently at Gulneria.

“It doesn’t.”

And then he quietly continued.

“Break easily.”

It doesn’t break easily…?.

Gulneria thought about Cyan’s words for a moment.

And she could easily guess what he meant.

【Are you talking about the connection with the vessel?】

Cyan didn’t answer.

But Gulneria knew that was what he meant.

The human containing Nurubia, Helen.

The beastman chieftain containing Gulneria, Karis.

These two were now under the control of the two lords.

And they were completed with the liberation of the holy relic.

Nurubia’s incomplete control was also completed.

The minds of the lord and the vessel had finally become one.

Therefore, it was impossible to sever these two connections.

2 can be separated into 1 and 1.

But 1 cannot be separated into 0.5 and 0.5.

【There’s no way but to kill us.】

In the end, it was a fight that could only end by killing the lords.

And that was just the death of the present.

Hundreds, thousands, and thousands of years.

The lords would always return.

【Your actions are meaningless─.】

“That’s why I said.”

Cyan approached Gulneria with a *teobeok* [sound of footsteps] sound.

“It doesn’t seem to break easily.”

He had promised to save them no matter what.

BBEOEOEONG─!

Gulneria’s thoughts stopped for a moment.

And the thoughts that were rebuilt trembled.

The emotion of astonishment was clearly etched on the expression of thought.

A despair that felt like her heart had dropped.

Thinking about it again, Cyan had stopped using his sword at some point.

And that moment was none other than right after the two lords had drawn out their inherent power.

Could it be that he was aiming for this…?.

It was a mistake…

He shouldn’t have drawn out the power of the main body….

The price of drawing out the power of the main body was a substantial blow to the soul.

It became possible to directly strike the lord’s soul beyond the vessel.

Of course, in return, the lord could unleash transcendent power, but….

【……… Stop… Stop…!】

Now it was utterly meaningless.

The power of true transcendence.

In front of that, the fake couldn’t shine at all.

Only the side effects remained.

Only the terrible side effects remained, where all the attacks being made now led to blows to the soul.

【Th-This is… This is…!】

Gulneria’s mouth opened wide.

And it wasn’t from the power of greed.

【Stop… Please stop…!】

Nurubia begged in terror.

Cyan felt a strange feeling from the sight of the two of them.

The two lords were the beings who had plunged the entire continent into chaos a thousand years ago.

They were absolute evils that terrified the continent with their mere existence.

But really…

Should he call it ironic?

The lords themselves didn’t seem to have ever felt such emotions.

Because they were terrifying beings themselves, fear didn’t suppress the lords.

Thus, the two lords were truly pure now.

They possessed a clear, untainted mind, not contaminated by fear and dread.

“Let’s see if you can endure to the end.”

BBEOEOEOEOK─!!

The minds of the two lords were severed once more.

And when they regained their thoughts again.

They could belatedly recognize that Cyan had just slapped them.