Chapter: 500
“Is this the end?!” Arthur, who sprinted to the last door of the dungeon, gasped for breath.
“It’s the final trial now.”
However, the little kid next to him cruelly informed Arthur of the harsh truth. There was still something left.
Hearing that voice, Arthur glared at the kid, but the little brat merely crossed his arms with a blank expression.
“You should know by now, right? This is a dungeon. So, there’s something waiting at the end.”
What’s at the end of the dungeon? The dungeon’s master, huh? Is it the same here?
“Damn it. Can’t I skip this procedure just a little?!”
“Just say what you said before! Hurry up and get in! Now!”
After hearing the kid’s urgent voice, Arthur turned his head back, suppressing his beating heart.
The thick, black darkness was invading the dungeon like a raging tide.
Damn it. Was it only a brief pause?! Thinking he would be swallowed by the darkness if he stayed, Arthur hastily brought his hand to the boss room door and asked one last question before entering.
“Just to ask, what’s inside?!”
“Your nightmare will be waiting for you! Don’t break down! Just that will be fine!”
With that desperate voice behind him, Arthur stepped into the dungeon’s end, only to spit out a ha of disbelief at the sight of the boss room.
Inside was a scene that was entirely out of place from the dungeon’s savage appearance.
The grass was vibrant, as if welcoming spring with all its vitality.
The blue sky dotted with sparse clouds was so beautiful it embodied the word ‘refreshing.’
And standing before him, a woman smiled, wearing lively clothes like the surrounding scenery.
“Welcome, Arthur.”
His nightmare welcomed him with a teacup in her hands.
*
The hair on his skin stood on end.
A chill ran down his spine.
The instinctual warning echoed in his mind.
Everything was telling him.
Right now, Luca was in great danger.
My simple answer to that was clear.
Why the hell are you spouting such obvious nonsense?! Anyone could see that looks dangerous! Even a five-year-old would cry out loud seeing that!
“Shall we start off lightly?”
The moment Luca’s foot lifted, thoughts raced in his mind.
How should I block that greatsword swinging down from above? It may look like a simple action of swinging down from above, but with the muscles of his hands and arms in motion, and considering Luca’s step, that must be a trap.
Was he aiming for the moment I freeze in fear to slash sideways? Anticipating the opponent’s intention, I adjusted my shield accordingly.
Luca’s moves were not out of my expectations. He merely focused on swinging down from above.
The timing to present the shield was perfect.
I’d succeed in parrying, so the impact wouldn’t be too strong.
BOOM!
As soon as the shield collided with the sword, a deafening sound filled my ears like a bomb detonating, sending a jolt of pain down my arm.
“Truly, your shield technique is astonishing.”
I bit my lip while letting Luca’s relaxed words flow into one ear and out the other. Even having succeeded in parrying, this much impact?
Not only did his appearance and abilities change, but it seemed his physical capabilities had strengthened as well.
“Shall we keep going?”
Luca swung the massive greatsword like a thunderstorm, and his movements were remarkably clean. It was as if he had been wielding a greatsword for ages.
[RUCI, are you okay?!]
“I can hold on.”
Yet the shocks emanating from his sword were still manageable.
Threatening, yes, but only that. He was no match for Lasha or Benedict.
Then I could block it.
It helped that I was accustomed to facing off against greatswords.
After all, I ran into those weapons quite often while sparring with the Knights of Allen.
I closed the distance to prevent long swings, making the weapon length a hindrance.
Continuously disrupting the opponent’s intention to create distance.
During all those sparring sessions, I was moving based on the combat logic I had developed when suddenly, Luca’s entire body was shrouded in darkness.
I paused momentarily, seeing this unfamiliar phenomenon as I quickly raised my shield against the axe blade that shot out from the darkness.
“…Gah!”
An attack aimed to cleave the enemy in half struck down, delivering a massive shock across my body.
To withstand that blow, I bit down hard, tasting blood as I met Luca’s sharp gaze.
“Are you not being a bit noisy now? If your spirit is already waning, that would be troubling…”
Luca’s voice was cut short by a sudden ambush from Frey. She, like the wind, swooped in while keeping an eye on the situation and precisely swung her sword at his neck.
Luca, who was focusing on me, noticed her too late and staggered back, his neck nearly severed.
“Keeping my composure is getting harder. This is quite troubling.”
While a fatal wound that should’ve killed an ordinary human was evident, Luca wore a calm smile as he held his wound.
And the moment Luca’s hand dropped, his neck returned to its original state.
“What was that? Amazing, isn’t it?”
Watching Luca chuckle, I couldn’t help but smile at Frey’s calm remark.
His demeanor had shifted entirely from just moments ago.
It was not just a change in weaponry; everything about Luca was altered to wield that crude axe.
And given how he just shrugged off his fatal injury, I could guess what authority he had received from some evil god.
The power of the Void.
The Evil God, who had dominated this academy, lent Luca his authority, harnessing the power of Agra.
Tsk, this is annoying.
It’s rare to find someone who can utilize the power of Void as well as Luca can.
That lunatic, who had dabbled in everything with the intent of becoming a craftsman, was adapting his strategies on the fly.
Oh, come on! Arthur, what the hell are you doing!?
How long are you planning to just sleep like this?!
Don’t tell me you’re pretending to be unconscious until everything is over!?
If this is true, I’ll never forgive you! Arthur!
I’ll drag your personality down to the depths so that you can never rise again!
“My lady. It seems you’ve noticed what I can do.”
“What are you talking about?♡ You’re just a pathetic moron who can’t do anything by himself?♡ A piece of trash that sold his own soul to win over a girl?♡”
As I deliberately provoked Luca with giggles, his grip tightened around his weapon.
Luca, engulfed in darkness, rushed at me, swinging a blunt weapon larger than my head as I raised my shield high.
Once again, an earth-shattering BOOM! echoed. The shock coursing through my body. Luca’s eyes glimmered with the intent to crush me.
“My lady Allen. Just to ask, do you think this change is limited to this place?”
When I didn’t respond and just smiled, Luca babbled along with his furious attack.
“The Evil God’s authority has spread throughout this barrier. Your precious companions must be facing the hellscape too.”
…
“I’m disappointed I can’t hear your friends scream. If you overcome this trial, you could indeed become a star.”
“Looks like you’re desperate to be recognized as a loser♡ You just want to accept the fact that you’re a masochist, don’t you?♡”
As I voiced my irritation, Luca’s eyes narrowed. Though I could feel heat rise to my head, I chose to wield my mace instead of speaking.
Though I genuinely didn’t want to accept it, what Luca said was probably true.
That bastard Agra wouldn’t play tricks on just me.
His interference assuredly affected things outside too.
Damn it. To assess the situation up there, I need to shake off this perverted bastard Luca.
“What if the roles were reversed? Are you getting heated?”
This lunatic knows I’m in a pinch and is dragging this out.
While I kept provoking him, I managed to land a hit with Frey’s surprise attack, but everything was negated thanks to the power of the Void.
Ugh! Damn it!
Is there no way out?!
Think! You idiot!
Walking around confidently claiming that this Soul Academy is a cesspool, yet when it’s time to think, why can’t anything come to mind?!
“Do you have the luxury to think about other things?”
After parrying Luca’s attack again, I clenched my neck in frustration when suddenly I sensed a slight disturbance in the power he wielded.
The force he was handling was different from simple void energy.
It was mixed with Agra’s power.
Thinking carefully, it’s bizarre that this guy was even using the power of the Void.
How could someone who hasn’t offered anything to the Evil God of the Void possibly utilize its powers?
…Huh?
Wait a minute.
If this can be used properly.
Suddenly hit with inspiration, my eyes widened as I grasped the thought desperately.
It’s possible.
It’s totally possible.
Upon reaching the conclusion, I unconsciously pulled the corners of my lips upward.
*
If you asked who the strongest being on the continent is, you’d likely hear different answers from everyone.
Each would have different values they pursue and different strengths, so that’s natural.
But if you asked what the strongest species on the continent is, the people of the world would all give the same answer.
Dragons.
Wings so large they seem to cover the sky.
Claws piercing through the surface of the lake like the mythical metal itself.
Scales hot enough to make even lava seem warm. Immense magic power that could bring even Great Wizards to their knees, and flames that could burn anything in existence.
The privileges held by dragons are something that other beings need to dedicate their lives to earn.
No one could deny that dragonkind is the strongest species.
“The pure white master has sent down his fangs!”
Beneath the shimmering voice of the Apostle, Yuden adds strength to her gaze.
A fully grown dragon is already a terrible disaster, but one that has been amplified by the power of the Void?
I might lose my mind. That’s something no individual can handle.
“…Sword Saint, is that an illusion?”
“No, Saintess. You feel it too, don’t you? That immense power within.”
There’s no way a being with such tremendous power is a mere illusion. Even if it were an illusion, possessing such energy would make it even more terrifying than the real thing.
As Yuden spoke firmly, Phoebe sealed her lips.
“Ducal Young Lady Partlan, the magic circle…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Yuden turned her head, chuckling at the darkened magic circle.
Did the darkness settling in just moments ago affect this too?
What the hell is that brat from the Allen family planning? Ha, I’m really losing it.
“Run! You two!”
“…What?”
“I can only handle so much on my own.”
Yuden, even after attaining the title of Sword Saint, had defeated many formidable foes. Among them were several who bore dragon blood.
So she believed she could handle it.
If it were just a regular dragon, she’d have managed somehow.
However, this one was strengthened by the power of the Void. Before long, if the Divine Realm dwindles, she would have to face the mage alongside the Followers of the Void.
In that process, we would be worn down while they’d only grow stronger, so how could we defeat that?
It’d be better to just die alone.
“That’s not an option! Sword Saint!”
“You’re right! We will fight until the end!”
“If you have time to yap, hurry and get out! Now!”
“Haha! Now that’s a sight to weep for!”
Just when the earlier urgency vanished, the Apostle of the Void let out a lunatic laugh. Yuden’s keen senses caught an incredibly small change.
Among the energy that had just enveloped the dragon, a minuscule portion began to flow downward.
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