Chapter: 500
“Is this the end?!” Arthur gasped as he reached the last door of the dungeon, his lungs burning from the sprint.
“It’s the final trial now,” he muttered, trying to catch his breath.
But the damn brat beside him had the audacity to break the news. There was still something left to face.
Arthur glared at the kid, lifting his chin defiantly, but the kid just folded their arms and wore a bland expression, not even flinching.
“Surely you’ve figured it out by now? This is a dungeon. So, what’s waiting at the end? Something scary, right?”
“What’s at the end? The dungeon master, maybe?” Arthur groaned, realizing the truth.
“Damn it. Can’t we skip some procedures?” he grumbled.
“Just repeating yourself again… Hurry up and go in! Now!” the kid urged.
Arthur turned away, trying to contain his pounding heart, as the thick, black darkness swept over the dungeon like a tidal wave.
“Damn. Did I really just pause for a moment? If I wait, I’ll be swallowed by this darkness!” He hurriedly placed his hand on the boss room entrance and asked one last question before stepping inside.
“What’s in there?”
“Your nightmares will be waiting for you! Just don’t fall apart! That’s all!”
Ignoring the kid’s desperate voice, Arthur stepped into the dungeon’s final room and couldn’t help but chuckle at the scenery inside.
It looked nothing like the grim dungeon he expected.
The meadows proudly displayed the vibrant colors of spring.
The blue sky with scattered clouds was so refreshing it could be bottled up and sold.
And right in front of him stood a woman, smiling, dressed in lively clothes that matched the scenery.
“Welcome, Arthur.”
His nightmare greeted him, holding a teacup.
*
A chilling shiver coursed through Arthur as if his hair was standing on end.
A cold sweat trickled down his back.
His instincts screamed danger.
Everything was telling him that Luka was seriously dangerous right now.
His answer was simple.
Why say the obvious? Anyone can see that’s dangerous! Even a five-year-old would cry at the sight!
“Shall we start off light?” Luka smirked as his feet moved.
Arthur’s mind raced with how to block the incoming greatsword. The downward swing looked simple, but with the muscle movement of Luka’s arms, that was clearly a trap.
Was he waiting for the moment I got scared and froze to the spot, swinging sideways? Having read his intentions, Arthur adjusted his shield.
Luka’s moves didn’t deviate from his predictions. He hammered down with a simple downward attack and then followed through.
The timing of Arthur’s shield was spot on.
He’d succeed in parrying it, so the impact shouldn’t be too strong…
BAM!
The moment the shield met the sword, a thunderous roar filled the air, followed by a jolt that traveled through Arthur’s arm.
“Really now, your shield technique is on another level,” Luka commented casually.
Arthur bit down on his lip, ignoring Luka’s nonchalance. Even after successfully parrying, he felt that strong of a shock.
It wasn’t just a change in appearance and abilities—the physical strength was amped up too.
“Shall we continue?” Luka’s swings were so fluid, it was as if he had been swinging greatswords his entire life.
[Lucy. You good?!]
‘I’m holding up.’
However, the shocks he dealt were reasonable enough to handle.
While intimidating, it wasn’t unbearable. He wasn’t up to the levels of Rashana or Benedict.
So, Arthur could hold his ground.
His prior training with Alrn’s knights had prepared him for this weapon.
He closed the gap to prevent long swings and made sure the length of the weapon was a hindrance to him.
He constantly disrupted the opponent’s intention to create distance.
Moving based on the combat logic developed over numerous sparrings, Arthur suddenly felt a wave of darkness engulf Luka.
It was the first time he’d witnessed such a phenomenon, and for a moment, he hesitated before he spotted the axe blade shooting out from the darkness and shot his shield up.
“…UGH!”
The strike that aimed to split him in half sent an immense shockwave through Arthur’s body.
He clenched his teeth, tasting a coppery tang from his bleeding lip as he met Luka’s twisted smile.
“Are you still here? You’re losing your edge…”
Luka’s voice was cut off by a sudden ambush from Frey. Watching the situation unravel, she flew in like a breeze, targeting his neck precisely.
Caught off guard, Luka retreated, his neck almost severed.
“It’s getting harder to hold on to my sanity. This is troublesome.”
A fatal wound that would have killed a normal man had merely earned Luka a calm smile as he pressed a hand to his injury.
And the moment Luka dropped his hand, his neck returned to normal, perfectly intact.
“What’s that? It’s fascinating!”
Luka laughed as he laid eyes on Frey’s nonchalant expression.
He had changed dramatically from before.
He was no longer just wielding a mundane weapon; he had transformed entirely to swing that rough axe.
Seeing him undoing his fatal wound like it was nothing made Arthur realize what kind of godly power Luka had been granted.
The power of the Void.
That accursed Evil God Agra had shared his strength through Luka.
“Tch. This is getting irritating.”
It’s rare to find someone who could wield the powers of the Void as well as Luka.
That nutcase, with his determination to take on everything as a craftsman, was changing his strategy on the fly, and Arthur couldn’t help but scream internally.
“Arthur, what the hell are you doing?!”
How long are you going to lay about, pretending to be unconscious?!
You’re not just going to laze around until everything settles, are you?!
If that’s the case, you won’t ever be forgiven! Arthur!
I’ll drag your personality down to the bottom where it won’t come back up!
“Lady Alrn, you seem to have noticed what I can do.”
“What do you mean?♡ You’re just a pathetic loser who can’t do anything alone!♡ A piece of trash who sold his soul just to beat a little girl!♡”
Arthur provoked Luka intentionally, and he could see the grip tightening on his weapon.
As the dark figure lunged, swinging a weapon bigger than Arthur’s head, Arthur lifted his shield again.
Another deafening crash resonated. The shockwave coursed through him. Luka’s eyes glinted with fierce intent.
“Lady Alrn, might I ask if you think the changes are limited to just here?”
Arthur stayed silent, meeting his words with a smirk, and Luka babbled as he bore down with his furious attacks.
“The powers of the Evil God have spread throughout this entire barrier. Your dear ones are facing the inferno as we speak.”
“…”
“I wish I could let you hear your friends screaming. If you could overcome that trial, then perhaps you could be a star.”
“Sounds like you’re just itching to be condemned, huh? You really want to acknowledge that you’re twisted, don’t you?♡”
His annoying tone triggered something in Luka’s eyes. Arthur felt a slight heat rise within, but he chose to swing his mace instead of voicing it.
It was a truth Arthur was loath to accept, but Luka’s words had a high likelihood of being the truth.
Agra wouldn’t just mess with him alone.
That bastard must’ve influenced everything outside as well.
Damn it. To gauge the situation above, he needed to shake off this perverted freak Luka.
“What do you think of the reversal of roles? Are you feeling the heat?”
The lunatic knew he was in trouble and was dragging things out.
Arthur was attempting to provoke him while Frey struck to leave a mark, but the powers of the Void were suppressing the effects.
“Ugh! Damn it!”
Is there no solution?!
Think! You idiot!
While bragging about the Soul Academy’s ‘stagnation,’ why can’t anything rise to mind now?!
“Is there even room in that head of yours for other thoughts?”
After deflecting another attack, Arthur, ready to snap, felt something off in Luka’s strength.
It wasn’t just the power of the Void he was handling.
It was mixed with Agra’s power.
It struck him that if that was true, it was odd for Luka to wield the powers of the Void.
How could someone who didn’t offer anything to the Void itself wield its power?
…What?
Wait a second.
If I use this right…
Suddenly hit by an epiphany, Arthur’s eyes widened, clutching desperately onto the idea.
It was possible.
Perfectly possible.
As he arrived at the end of his thoughts, he couldn’t help but break into a grin.
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