Chapter 244 - Darkness Incarnate (2)
Chapter 244 - Darkness Incarnate (2)
Saibein had ambushed them from outside of their encircling net. This was why he was able to kill the members of the detached force one after another. However, there were ways to counter him now that they became aware of his presence.
“It might have been possible if you were your past self. However, you’ve lost your Book of Darkness! You are merely an outstanding magician now.”
Before Saibein went missing, it was true that Saibein had been the strongest magician within the Plain of Darkness. He was the son of Atein, and he possessed overwhelming amount of Dragon Demon magic. In terms of magic, he had been close to reaching the zenith.
However, Saibein no longer had his Dragon Demon weapon. This difference of having it and not having it was stark. The present Dragon Demon King worshippers were the elite troops of the Plain of Darkness. Several of them possessed Dragon Demon weapons, so they would be able to go up against Saibein without much problem.
At the very least, that was what they had believed.
Kwah-jeek!
A terrifying sound rang out.
Two warriors and two magicians had surrounded Saibein. They attacked from all four direction with exquisite timing. One of them was able to pierce through Saibein’s defensive magic, and he was about to attack Saibein’s body. However, the result was completely different than they had expected.
“What is that?”
The magicians were taken aback.
One warrior had attacked from the front. He couldn’t break through the barrier magic, so he was bounced off. The warrior in the rear was able to break through, but he was suddenly caught in the air.
The warrior was caught in the jaws of the Dragon made out of pitch black darkness. All his bones were crushed by the dragon. It was a grisly sight.
“It is true.......”
Saibein had a cold expression on his face as he spoke.
“...that I no longer have my Dragon Demon weapon.”
Dragon Demon energy erupted out of him like a tsunami. In terms of Dragon Demon magic, he easily had more than Niberis when she was using the Book of Darkness. When he activated his Dragon Soul, he had power that exceeded even the Dragon Demon generals.
This was all possible because the Dragon Souls had a special attribute.
The owners of Dragon weapons maintained their power separately from their weapon. It was merely a tool that allow them to store their Dragon Demon magic over time. They were like a container.
On the other hand, the Dragon Soul was an extension of their owner. They arose from within the owner’s Energy Pulse. Its function deteriorated when the owner’s status deteriorated. In return, one gained the benefit of one’s Energy Pulse being expanded to twice its size when the Dragon Soul was deployed.
If one only looked at the ability to boost the output of Dragon Demon magic, the Dragon Soul was superior compared to the Dragon Demon weapon. This was why Kairen was able to fight on equal ground with Almarick in the past. He had been able to pull up his output of Dragon Demon magic.
Ooh-juhk! Ooh-juhk!
“Koo-ah, ahhhhhhhhk......!”
The warrior let out a blood curdling scream as he was eaten alive by the Dragon of darkness.
The Dragon Demon worshippers froze when they saw this. They were used to seeing gruesome deaths, but they just witnessed their comrade being eaten alive. Of course, they were shocked by it.
At that moment, something black hit them.
Kwahng! Kwa-kwahng!
“Koo-ahk!”
The magicians screamed.
A cursed sword made out of darkness had planted itself on top of their barrier. It was Saibein’s specialty spell called the Dancing Maken.
Just a single blow from sword had almost broken the barrier, yet countless swords had appeared afterwards. They flew faster than the speed of sound as they assaulted the Dragon Demon King worshippers.
Hoo-oooooooh......!
Saibein continued to use new spells as explosions rang out. Fire, thunder and the power of curses detonated against his enemies. While he was putting pressure on his enemies, the darkness started to encroach over them like a wave.
“Shit! Block it!”
He steadily deployed spells to put a groundwork for a large scale magic. When his enemies realized this, they became desperate.
Puh-uhng!
A Dragon Majin warrior was about to turn around when a sharp blade of darkness pierced through his body. The Dragon Majin warrior looked behind him in disbelief.
He looked into Niberis’ cold eyes.
“You dare ignore us.”
If the detached force had been faithful to the plan, they would have been able to kill both Kieren and Niberis. However, Saibein’s appearance had created chaos, and a crack had opened up in their encircling net. Some decided to attack Saibein. They were basically begging Niberis and Kieren to attack them.
Saibein continued to kill his enemies without being pressured.
He didn’t go out of his way to kill or maim his enemies. His sole purpose was to sow as much chaos using his high speed Dancing Makens. He kept using a combination of minor spells to push his enemies backwards.
As he was doing this, he was steadily creating his great magic spell. The Dragon Demon King worshippers couldn’t overcome their nervousness, so they pushed as one towards him....
Kwahng!
At that moment, he activated the fatal traps that he had placed in between using his minor spells. He started killing them in droves.
However, his enemies were the elites of the Plain of Darkness. They knew how dangerous a high ranked magician could be. They used their comrades as fodder. The warriors rushed in using Instantaneous movement.
‘I caught you!’
Even if Saibein was a scary magician, his physical ability and reaction time couldn’t be compared to a high ranked Dragon Arts user. Saibein could bridge this gap using magic, but the Dragon Demon King worshippers sacrificed their lives to open up a path through the wall of magic erected by Saibein. It created a brief sliver of opening that allowed the warrior to reach Saibein. It was possible to cut Saibein down with his sword.
Kwah-jahk!
In the next moment, the warrior’s vision turned black.
From the darkness surrounding Saibein, the Dragon Soul struck out like lightning, and it bit the warrior. The Dragon Soul could keep up with the movement of a high ranked Dragon Arts user.
Ooh-juhk, ooh-juhk......!
The bone chilling sound of the warrior being chewed up could be heard.
“Thank you.”
Saibein wasn’t letting his Dragon Soul eat the warrior alive to instill fear into his enemies.
“The completion time of my spell was lessened by seven seconds..”
Saibein’s Dragon Soul could heal other beings, but it also had another ability. It could suck out magical energy and life energy from the being it ate. It could transform that energy into Dragon Demon magic. It was an ability that was akin to black magic.
-Queen of Darkness!
A tsunami of darkness spread outwards with Saibein at its epicenter. His Dragon Demon magic took another jump as countless Corrupted Beings started to form.
While he was doing this, countless cursed swords continued to fly around. The screams of his enemies rang out.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhk!”
Saibein was slaughtering his enemies with overwhelming power. He was attacking them from outside the encircling net, and his spells were creating holes within their lines. Their formation was being collapsed by his attacks.
“Father.”
She was also draped in the magical energy of darkness. She was using almost the same magic as him. Father and daughter met each other in the air.
Saibein spoke.
“I never expected a day to come when I would be able to fight by your side.”
“I.......”
Niberis was about to say something, but she shut her mouth. She just put on a light smile. For the two of them, this was enough.
3
Chanes’ battle plan was wrecked.
Saibein was too big of a variable. Saibein had given the Book of Darkness to his daughter, yet he was still terrifying. It was almost unfathomable as to how he had picked up the nickname of Simpleton Prince. His abilities was that awe inspiring.
“This.......”
A wretched expression appeared on Chanes’ face. He watched the battle crumble around him.
He suddenly looked backwards.
“As expected, he isn’t someone I can end.”
The battle wasn’t being lost all at once. His side had the absolute advantage in numbers, and they were all elite troops.
However, the result was already determined. Others might not know this, but as the strategist of this force, he knew this to be true.
“Ha ha ha. We’ve built all of this for the past 200 years. We are merely capable of buying time.”
Chanes smiled as he felt his end coming.
It was an empty smile.
He unsheathed his sword for the first time, and he waited for the right opportunity.
“I never expected you to come, prince Saibein. It isn’t something I’ve imagined happening even in my dreams. I’ve made all the preparations, yet the only thing I can do now is to leave it all up to fate.”
When Saibein entered the battle, the encircling net around Niberis and Kieren had collapsed. When the three of them gained some respite, they started attacking the encircling net around Reygus.
Saibein used his overwhelming magical energy to summon beings that could fight independently. He was able to have his fingerprints all over the battlefield all at the same time. This was something Kieren and Niberis couldn’t do.
In the Dragon Demon war, Saibein had gone through all kinds of battle. He fought small and large battles. This was why he was able to effectively lead Kieren and Niberis. It also helped that Niberis had the same magical energy attribute as him. The three of them were able to work synergistically. In the end, a crack formed in the encircling net around Reygus.
<Roar!>
Accompanying Reygus’ shout, a wave of translucent light shot into the air.
Then....
<Soul Hammer!>
The ground flipped over, and earthquake spread outwards.
A radius of 100 meters was destroyed around Reygus. The magic circles were broken, and the soldiers from the Plain of darkness had to stop their assault. They had to defend against the attack.
<That was a pretty great welcome! You bastards!>
Reygus’ voice rang out as earth shot into the air. Massive amounts of soil and rocks were sent flying in all directions at high speeds. It killed the panicked Dragon Demon King worshippers.
“Koo-ahhhhhhk!”
Screams rang out.
However, Reygus didn’t attack them himself. The Soul Hammer created the wave of earthquake only once. Earth and rocks were used to kill unsuspecting enemies.
Reygus was hidden from view from his enemies, and he wasn’t fine. The magic circles had forcefully drained away his power, and he had suffered under the assault of 500 elite troops. Half of his armor was broken, and darkness was leaking out from inside the armor. He swayed on his feet, but he kept his body upright.
<Shit! I never expected to need strong fortitude to move my body even after death!>
He did not possess a living body, yet he felt pain from the magical attacks. His body could be damaged. Moreover, the magic circles still had residual effects on him, so his recovery was slowed.
“Monster......!”
However, his enemies couldn’t see him thanks to the cloud of dust. This was why the Dragon Demon King worshippers couldn’t stem their fear. It was such a fierce attack that it could have pulverized a Dragon several times over. They never expected him to be able to use an attack that could change the tide of battle.
The only one that could assess the situation with composure was Chanes.
“Don’t stop attacking him! We cannot give the general time to recover his strength!”
Reygus had suffered a lot of damge. Chanes had prepared a trap that was more meticulous than the one used by the human alliance in the past.
This was possible, because Chanes knew Reygus’ power better than anyone. However, Chanes wasn’t able to capitalize on this opportune moment like the human alliance during the Dragon Demon war.
Reygus wasn’t alone. In the past, he had ignored his orders. He had jumped into the trap without any allies by his side.
On the other hand, Chanes still had five thousand troops at his disposal.
‘We have to take down the general first. If we are able to kill the general in the allotted time, Saibein won’t be too big of a threat.’
Chanes moved hundred troops towards the edge of the encircling net. They were ordered to attack Saibein, Niberis and Kieren. The remaining four hundred troops would once again focus their attack on Reygus. Chanes gave his orders.
Even if he was able to buy time, it would be their victory. If they were able to hold out for a certain amount of time, they would be able to use an ace up their sleeve. It would guarantee their victory.
However, Chanes wanted to end the fight with Reygus before that happened. He wanted to end Reygus with his own hands.