I opened my eyes to the overwhelming sound and a cloud of dust and debris rising like a bag of flour had been tipped over.
Nearby, I could sense the presence of countless lives. Among them, I spotted the familiar auras of three individuals and sighed in relief at their safety.
However, there was no time to exchange pleasantries to celebrate our reunion. I swatted away a large marble fragment that was falling from above and swung my fist at the man charging toward me through the veil of dust.
Boom!!!
As the shockwave created by my punch cleared the murky dust, my vision sharpened.
The first thing I could see clearly was Jeil Helraig. The Grand Duke of the Helraig Duchy was glaring at me with a ferocious look in his eyes.
Thud, Jeil stomped on the debris. Fragments that had fallen from above shattered into pieces, and a spiderweb of cracks spread from the spot where he stood.
Darkness wrapped around Jeil’s limbs, creating a dizzying trajectory as he charged at me.
When his fist wrapped in swirling black darkness swung once, the falling rocks turned to dust in the shockwave. When it swung a second time, even the dust dispersed without a trace.
‘Fast.’
Disregarding the arrogance of looking down from above, Jeil’s speed was so incredible that even my exceptional reflexes struggled to keep up with him.
Even so, without any preparatory movement, his fist cut through the air at an angle and timing that made it difficult for me to counter, packed with overwhelming destructive force that one wouldn’t expect from such light movements.
He was a typical strongman type, one that couldn’t be avoided.
While Stella had been a wizard type with endless possibilities that made it impossible to predict the outcome, Jeil’s style was the exact opposite, focusing on close combat support with magic but overpowering opponents solely with brute force.
Simple and robust, yet hence it was powerful. Not glamorous, but lacking any clear weaknesses, with no openings for the tricks of the weak to slink through. However—
‘I’m stronger.’
When Jeil first fought seriously, I was briefly chilled to the bone. Yet by the second punch, I was already managing to evade, and by the fifth, I found I had the capacity to counterattack.
Physical abilities, dark magic, and blood magic.
The skills I had honed separately over three years began to mesh together nicely as I exchanged punches with Jeil.
Even though I couldn’t perfectly track him with my eyes, as long as my opponent was a living being, I wouldn’t miss their movements. I felt the circulation of blood flowing through my veins, the pulse of a beating heart, and even the interval of a breath as if they were right in my grasp.
With my body imbued with the experiences of exchanging blows with Stella, I remembered how to resist against a strong opponent with minimal strength.
The darkness that had descended onto the ground became my limbs and the bright red life flowing through my veins my weapon.
The misaligned gears interlocked, and I began to surely crawl over a wall I once thought insurmountable.
Finally, my hand found a grip on the cliff’s edge. As I pulled myself up, I could see the scenery unfolding beyond the summit.
I overcame it.
Higher. Even higher.
I leaped towards the new horizon that lay above the limits I believed I could envision.
At some point, I realized I had gained a sense of composure. The gap between us began to widen at an accelerating pace.
Now I was certain. In peak condition, giving it my all, I was undoubtedly stronger than Jeil Helraig.
The air creaked. Whenever Jeil and I exchanged blows, the ground caved in, and the castle shook precariously.
‘The throne room is sturdy after all.’
Every time we exchanged blows, that thought slipped through my mind as I watched the cracks and collapses unfold.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed there was some kind of defensive mechanism above, resembling the training grounds I had used in the underground city.
In the throne room, while Jeil and I could exchange blows for a while without too much collapse, now, just with one of Jeil’s movements, the castle walls were being unrealistically shattered.
Had I been taking such attacks until now? Though I had the upper hand, I couldn’t help but feel both of us were far from human.
‘Should I change the venue first?’
Honestly, I didn’t think I would die if the castle crumbled down.
Even I thought it was a twisted sentiment, but what’s the big deal if a building falls? A few tons of rubble can be pushed aside, and I’d be out in no time.
But inside, there were Plona, Eleonora, and even Lavina.
While it was true I had the advantage against Jeil, that didn’t mean I could evacuate Plona and Eleonora while fighting Jeil during the imminent collapse of the castle.
‘Wait a second. If I’m in the lead…’
Maybe I could use this situation to my advantage? It looked like something would collapse soon anyway.
It was an impromptu thought, but surprisingly, it felt spot on.
‘Alright, let’s go with this.’
After all, it wasn’t my castle.
I gestured to Eleonora, the closest to me.
Despite the chaos, she immediately caught my signal and made her escape from the vampires who had stopped fighting to avoid the collapsing debris, showing a hint of confusion at my sudden command.
Once Eleonora moved, Plona and Lavina followed her without hesitation.
Their movements were impeccably coordinated. It didn’t take long for the three of them to exit into the outdoors.
“What are you standing around for? Chase them!!”
Jeil’s shout prompted the vampires in the duchy to react with a beat of delay.
Seeing the presence in the first-floor hall rapidly diminish, I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
Was Jeil aware that his command had alleviated my concerns?
“Are you going to continue?”
“… I underestimated you. Did you think I would kneel to you in the center of my territory?”
No, this time I genuinely hadn’t provoked him. It was more of a last-ditch warning, you know?
Yet, Jeil’s consistently rude demeanor pushed me to make a decisive choice.
“Now, I no longer care. It’s all your responsibility.”
My nonsensical words confused Jeil, and his brow furrowed as he swung his fist.
Might I suggest he loosen up a bit? If he could already furrow his brow, his facial muscles would likely cease to function in just five minutes.
“Let’s take a few more hits.”
They say a dose of medicine is good for those who don’t listen.
Boom, I took a step forward, bending my knees and lowering my center of gravity to bring an uppercut.
It wasn’t a clever ambush either. Rather, it was a blatant move to show my opening, practically screaming for him to counterattack, a reckless and provocative action.
Jeil’s eyes flashed with disbelief in response.
Usually, he would take the bait and fall for it instantly, but this guy, despite looking simplistic, was surprisingly sharp.
Seeing through my intention after just a glance, I had to admit it; yet even if he knew, he had no options left.
Would he choose to counterattack, or surrender his chin? In the hellish dilemma, Jeil went for the former.
It was almost expected. Who would want to take a guaranteed loss if they could avoid it? Especially someone who was combative and confident in their abilities.
The instant Jeil’s elbow connected near my wrist, I unleashed the shadows binding my arm and exposed myself to his blow.
Crunch, the upper part of my right elbow shattered as if my flesh and muscle had been ground off entirely, splattering bits all around.
It hurt, of course.
Whether I was prepared or not, pain was pain; I had experienced it hundreds, thousands, even millions of times.
But it was a sensation I didn’t dislike. To see myself not merely as an instrument yet still wield my body as both a consumable and a weapon required this intensity of pain to incite alertness within me.
Pieces of flesh and blood shot out wildly, painting the floor, ceiling, walls, and pillars in bright red stains.
“Wait! No way—”
For the first time, a flustered expression flickered across Jeil, who I had assumed was a mix of ego and fury.
But I had clearly tried to communicate with him; it was he who refused to listen. Right?
I tried to rationalize, even if it’s a weak one. So what could he do?
Before he could finish his sentence, I had already spread my regenerated right hand and left hand wide.
From the tips of my ten fingers, ten threads of blood shot forth, embedding themselves in the bloodstains surrounding me.
As I crossed my arms and pulled the threads, I clenched my fists.
An unremarkable action performed in a split-second of time where he couldn’t respond.
That was enough to slice through the space, and the Grand Duke’s Castle began to crumble.
Boom!!!
The column stained with blood was wrenched from the ground as my arm swung, causing the roof to collapse under the loss of support.
An explosion followed, scattering the remaining blood into more fragments, hastening the destruction of the walls and ceilings.
As the first floor fell, the spire erected above it plunged downward in accordance with gravity.
Watching the collapse of a structure towering dozens of meters high from below was surprisingly a novel experience, as I felt like a spectator to the world’s end.
Boom! Boom!!!
The ground trembled, and a cacophony of vibrations and noises echoed like my brain and eardrums were being ripped apart as chunks of spire crumbled down like meteorites.
‘To take down a Grand Duke, I suppose this level of destruction will do, right?’
Although it was somewhat impulsive, I thought my conclusion was quite rational.
I knew better than anyone just how terrifying the regenerative abilities of a top-tier vampire could be.
If the goal was to kill, it would be a different story, but to subdue a vampire of the Grand Duchy while keeping him alive would take an extraordinary amount of time.
Though it might sound arrogant, I didn’t believe I was likely to lose even in a long battle.
This conclusion was drawn from thoroughly comparing our powers.
If Jeil had allocated half of his abilities to magic at the very least, there would have been some variables, even if he wasn’t on Stella’s level.
But against a dull opponent who poured all his combat prowess into close-quarters, Jeil Helraig became more of a monotonous opponent from a stronger’s perspective, even if he appeared daunting from a weaker viewpoint.
But that was only the case for me.
It seemed Jeil wasn’t the type to easily concede either, and while I might win in direct confrontation, dragging this out would only give me images of Plona and Eleonora becoming a nuisance in my mind.
“How much did it cost to build this castle?”
“You crazy—”
Feeling rather amused, I flashed a charming smile, only to twist Jeil’s expression into one of frustration.
Even if I couldn’t prevent the spire’s collapse, Jeil’s footwork should allow him to escape to the outdoors like his subordinates and the Plona group did.
He probably wouldn’t back down easily due to his pride, but there was always a possibility.
As I blocked Jeil’s escape route and smiled, his expression took on a more delightful form.
‘I can’t let the person who caused such a spectacle get away.’
If one couldn’t avoid it, they should just accept it.
I didn’t like prolonged battles. So, how about we mutually deplete our regenerative abilities and continue?
Boom, that’s how the world collapsed.
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