A giant with four faces, wielding weapon resembling circular saws, struck down towards Sungchul.
Boom!
The ground split with the force of the mighty blow.
Sungchul stepped back and drew forth his new armor, the Hand of the Ascendent.
Emerging from the Soul Storage, the armor made of black carapace moved on its own, wrapping around Sungchul’s left hand.
Feeling a heavy weight in his left hand, Sungchul stepped to the side, hammer in hand, closely observing the movements of his enemy.
Visually, the enemy’s defenses seemed incredibly sturdy. Particularly, the full plate armor appeared to be coated with a high-grade sorcery enhancement.
Seeing this, Sungchul thought to himself,
‘He wants to fight using only the strength of arms? What a compatible immortal for Doron.’
Doron, a general of the Human Empire, had very little contact with Sungchul. He wasn’t from the rebel forces and had joined the emperor after the establishment of the Human Empire. He was new blood in the military leadership.
Yet, he had been a famous swordsman and meticulous soldier even before Sungchul became famous.
Alongside Sungchul, as the Imperial Commander in Chief, he had navigated the tumultuous early days of the Empire, resolving numerous rebellions and conflicts that could have shaken the empire to its core.
Some considered Doron superior to Sungchul, as Sungchul’s accomplishments were often attributed to having been born of Sungchul’s position as Commander in Chief and connection to the Emperor rather than Sungchul’s own ability and merit.
And, in actuality, Doron was a Swordmaster from the Ancient Kingdom, and was already renowned for his considerable skills and reputation with the sword.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, he was head and shoulders above Sungchul.
However, what Sungchul valued more than Doron’s skill with the blade was his noble and chivalrous character.
Although he wasn’t nearly as driven as Sungchul who had directly opposed the Emperor when the Emperor showed tepid responses to handling the Calamity, Doron in his own way decided to do the best he can in his position.
‘How strange. That such a man would choose to become an Evil God.’
The Doron he knew was nothing like the power-drunk princes of the Nimbus Kingdom.
But reality does not always follow one’s expectations.
Doron, now transformed into an evil god, swung his massive sword at Sungchul once again. The three-meter-long sword hurtled towards Sungchul like the wind.
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, Fal Garaz and the great sword with a circular saw clashed multiple times, sparking flames.
After a brief exchange, the two warriors stepped back and eyed each other warily.
[Be careful. That rapist is one of the most skilled swordsmen among the Evil gods.]
An unknown voice echoed within.
Whooosh-
Indeed, the power of the Evil God was real. The echo of the Evil God’s sword strike still resonated in Fal Garaz, producing a clear sound.
Sungchul felt a slight fatigue in his arm despite the God-like power he possessed.
The brief pause in the battle was about to end, resulting in another clash of swords.
But in the tense moment, the Evil God suddenly took a step back.
“It’s not too late to withdraw now, Imperial Commander in Chief. You are free to leave. You were not the one invited.”
Dorion spoke in a voice not much different from his human.
He was a being of noble spirit through and through.
Even while borrowing the power of the Evil God, he was not consumed by the Evil God’s corruption.
He was an enemy that deserved respect and honor. But nevertheless one Sungchul had to overcome.
“When have I ever been invited anywhere?”
Sungchul said as he mentally simulated how the Evil God’s sword might swing in his head.
‘I cannot afford to waste time here. I must deal with him as quickly as possible.’
To swiftly dismantle a formidable enemy, relying solely on brute force was not good enough. It was necessary for him to force the opponent to cooperate unwittingly to his plans.
But to do so, he had to gamble and take on some risks.
As long as the enemy wasn’t some mindless fool, they were bound to think things through and act according to what they perceive as the best course of action.
The clash of warriors of equal might often boiled down to mind games and feints.
Sungchul decided to trust the defensive capabilities of his newly acquired armor, the Hand of the Ascendent.
However, relying solely on unproven method could greatly increase the risk of defeat.
Sungchul once again tried to predict the potential path of the Sword of the Evil God as he charged forward, this time wielding Fal Garaz first.
Their hammers and swords clashed in the air once more.
A fierce exchange followed.
The stone vineyard under the feet of the Evil God and Sungchul shattered and burst from the intensity of their battle.
In the breath-taking combat, Sungchul noticed that the Sword of the Evil God had a consistent directionality.
However the opponent was beginning to notice Sungchul’s pattern of movement as well. The Evil God, too began to attack trying to exploit those gaps.
Shiik—
The giant serrated blade of the circular saw grazed dangerously close to Sungchul’s hair.
It was a narrow escape. Sungchul almost had his head split in two before he could execute his plan.
But Sungchul remained unfazed.
He had already spent many years on the battle field fighting for his life. The Evil god’s sharp attack into his vulnerable weak point did catch him off guard but it wasn’t enough to shake him on a fundamental level.
It was Sungchul’s turn to respond.
He prepared to respond to any potential counter attack the Evil God might do against him as he charged head first towards the Evil God.
Click. Click. Click.
The square plates of armor worn by the Lesser God clanged against each other, producing a bizarre sound like the creak of a rusty mill
The Evil God tried to nullify Sungchul’s charge with a stab.
It was the same answer Sungchul had seen Doron do, one that made use of the advantage in reach.
And just like before, Sungchul knocked away the circular saw sword with his hammer and charged forth even deeper.
The eight eyes of the four faces of the Evil god glistened in unison as the Evil god used all of its strength to deflect Sungchul away.
Sungchul was lifted up into the air. But instead of blocking with the hammer head on, he let his hammer slide across the sword of the Evil God as he deflected the blade away. And using the momentum, he spun like a spinning top mid air before landing on the ground.
Pababak!
The impact of the landing shattered another cluster of tiles, sending fragments flying everywhere, crushing the dried-up trees and flower branches of the muddy Floating Palace’s garden with its shards.
“Whew.”
Sungchul took a deep breath.
The moisture-laden air around him turned white and was sucked into his nostrils, exhaled as steam through his mouth.
Despite the torrential rain soaking his body, steam rose off him like from a boiling pot due to the heat of the battle.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The Lesser God’s plate armor still clanked, making a sound similar to the cry of insects.
Things had been going just as he predicted thus far, the same pattern of battle repeated over and over. However, things wouldn’t go the way the Evil God expected for much longer.
Sungchul had predicted at least one more counterattack to come his way.
Sure enough, a giant foot, reminiscent of the Colossus’s, hidden within the Evil God’s plate armor, revealed itself.
The Evil God kicked a puddle of water that had pooled on the ground.
Muddy water, mud, and fragments splattered towards Sungchul. Kicking dirt to exploit an opponent’s sight was a common tactic among swordsmen.
However, the force of the Lesser God’s kick sent a landslide-like mass of earth hurtling towards Sungchul.
Sungchul’s vision was instantly blocked by the flying dirt. Just before his sight was completely obscured, Sungchul caught a glimpse of a flashing light in the upper right corner of his vision.
A simultaneous attack. The intention was clear. To step forward with the kick that sent the earth flying, and to slice through Sungchul along with the dirt.
The Evil God had thrown a challenging move to defend against.
To such a challenge, Sungchul responded with a counter-challenge.
Sungchul reflected on the philosophy he had established long ago back when he had to fight dirty in the mud even as he considered all the possible moves available to him.
There was one move he could do. A move that could simultaneously protect him from the impact of the oncoming mud baptism, as well as finally put his secret plan into action.
Magical symbols began to appear on Sungchul’s body.
Simultaneously, his loyal soul stones also began their casting of magic in unison.
1st Soul Stone Wind Shield
2nd Soul Stone Wind Shield
3rd Soul Stone Wind Shield
4th Soul Stone Wind Shield
5th Soul Stone Wind Shield
6th Soul Stone Wind Shield
7th Soul Stone Wind Shield
8th Soul Stone Chain Lightning
The beauty of defensive magic lay in the speed at which they could be prepared.
The instant they were ready, the shots of magical wind awaited their deployment in their respective stones.
The shower of mud carrying the strength of the Evil God came enveloping Sungchul.
“Kyaa~!”
Bertelgia shuddered as she burrowed deeper into the pocket.
Sungchul threw the Fal Garaz upwards while pulling out the Krumbui from the Soul Storage.
Simultaneously, he chanted the activation words, unleashing all the magic loaded into the soul stones.
“Wind Shield.”
Nine barriers made of wind unfolded in front of Sungchul.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The turbulence was more akin to explosions than mere wind.
This formidable barrier pushed back the flying dirt, boring a hole through the obscured view in front of him.
From the upper right, the distinct shape of the Evil God’s blade came flying at an angle.
A strike mustering the full might of the Evil God.
Sungchul looked beyond the mud, at the large feet that had kicked up the mud but not yet brought back down upon the earth. He threw Krumbui that had just emerged from the Soul Storage.
Even in that fleeting moment, the blade of the evil deity advanced, casting a shadow over Sungchul’s upper body.
Click.
The Fal Garaz, briefly tossed into the air, landed back in Sungchul’s hand at just the right moment.
“Phew.”
God-like power surged through his body.
Amidst the pouring rain, steam began to rise more vigorously from his form.
The next moment, a fierce clash ensued.
Clang!
The full force of the sword and hammer collided.
“…”
It was a tremendous power and momentum.
His feet that had been planted like roots of the trees were forced back.
If Sungchul had blocked using Krumbui, then that strike would have shattered it.
‘He’s strong.’
The god-like strength flowing through Sungchul’s body began to deplete. Fortunately, the power of the evil god was also diminishing.
And the Krumbui thrown just before had pierced through part of the giant foot of the Lesser God before the plate armor could cover it.
The evil god Kukumbus flinched, but the wound was light and was soon completely shielded by the extended skirt of the plate armor as it once again was brought back to the ground.
The momentum of the Lesser God had resumed suddenly. With his left hand, which had been idle until now, the Evil God pressed his greatsword down on Sungchul, pinning him forcefully.
As Sungchul stepped on the rain-softened ground, his foot sank instantly up to his knee. The Lesser God intended to crush him right there.
Though Sungchul’s strength was on par with those of the gods, the ground supporting him was not. The Evil god was making use of this fact to take a tactical advantage of Sungchul.
Tick, tick, tick.
The Lesser God’s plate armor made intermittent clanking sounds as it shook. He exerted all his strength, intending to completely overwhelm Sungchul, launching an attack that was hard to evade while Sungchul was still embedded in the ground.
Sungchul was in mortal danger.
Even amid the chaos, one of Sungchul’s soul stones was completing the incantation of a spell that took considerably longer to cast than others.
The soul of the Carbuncle within the soul stone conveyed the completion of the Chain Lightning spell through emotions.
‘Well done, Carbuncaca.’
Steam-like massive amounts of vapor billowed from Sungchul as his eyes glistened intensely.
His left hand, adorned with the Hand of the Ascendent, tightly gripped the circular saw-blade.
The Evil God did not react but exerted more force, confident in its superiority and choosing not to respond to every little trick.
But the opponent was Sungchul.
Sungchul’s gaze was fixed on the Lesser God’s foot, where Krumbui was embedded, covered by the skirt.
Hand of the Ascendent, clutching the serrated blade of the circular saw, pointed precisely at that spot.
“Chain Lightning.”
Electricity burst from the tips of Sungchul’s fingers, aimed at the general direction of the armored skirt.
The Lesser God merely smiled, confident in the powerful magic-resistant protection coating every piece of his armor that could stop most forms of magic.
However, Sungchul was not targeting the skirt. His focus was on the soft formation underneath it, a puddle that had formed from the ongoing rain.
Crackle!
The chain lightning struck the puddle.
The current traveled through the water, sneaking into the gaps of the skirt and reaching down to where the Lesser God’s foot stood, right at the spot where Krumbui was deeply rooted.
“Kraaaa!”
This was not the scream of the Evil God.
The shrieks of Krumbui emanated from within the folds of his skirt.
Yet, the Lesser God too was shaken, the force pressing down upon Sungchul weakened slightly.
For a moment, the Hand of the Ascendent which had momentarily strayed, now firmly grasped the circular saw once more.
God-like strength flowed once again through Sungchul’s body. And as a result, Fal Garaz fell away.
In the momentary decrease in power caused by the impact of Chain Lightning upon the Evil God, Sungchul could hold back the circular saw blade with only the Hand of the Ascendent.
“Ido Jenka!”
For the first time, the Evil God shouted.
It must have been alarmed by what it saw.
Sungchul leaped from the mud, blade in hand, before the evil God Kukumbus could fully recover his stance.
Desperately, the evil god channeled his strength into the blade once more.
Each tooth of the cogwheel-shaped blade of the circular saw was imbued with powerful spell, enhancing its cutting power.
Zzzzzzt
Scratches began to form on the surface of the mythic tier armor of the Hands of the Ascendent.
At this rate, the armor and his hands would be cut through.
But he couldn’t stop here.
Sungchul ignored the pain building in his arm as he continued to press forward
Crack
His fingers were cut off along with a portion of the Hand of the Ascendent, causing hair raising pain to shoot throughout his body.
But by that point, Sungchul had finally advanced right up to the Evil God.
At a distance he could finally start hitting the Evil God with his hammer.
Fal Garaz rose high and crashed down towards the Evil God.
Thud!
A thunderous strike.
“Argh!”
The massive frame of the Lesser God staggered.
Sungchul took his blood-drenched left hand off of Evil God’s circular saw and struck the Evil God again.
Within the flurry of blows, the Lesser God struggled desperately but could no longer withstand the assault.
The links of his armor broke, and the mask that covered his face was crushed, scattering blue blood everywhere.
The evil god finally knelt.
Attack. Attack. Attack.
Sungchul did not stop his attack.
Emitting steam from his body and ceaselessly bleeding red from his severed fingers, Sungchul continued his relentless assault.
“Ku… Kuuuu…”
The evil god finally collapsed.
Leaving a corpse unrecognizable in form, the evil god began to fade away.
“Imperial Commander in Chief… it has been an honor… to fight against you…”
With his last words, Doron vanished.
The Transcendent Senses signaled the end of the battle.
[Please trust the Emperor. He is faltering…]
Carried by a wind tinged with the scent of rain, the faint last words of an imperial general echoed in the air.
Sungchul picked up his severed finger, still encased in its gauntlet, and fitted it back into place before pulling out an elixir to heal the wound.
Fortunately, the finger attached properly, and the severed fragment of the Ascender’s hand also reattached itself, regaining its original form.
Sungchul flexed the reattached finger, testing it. There remained a foreign sensation and a mind numbing pain.
But he could not stop.
Because a man had appeared on the terrace of the imperial palace.
William Quinton Marlboro.
The Emperor of the human empire, clad in golden armor, had appeared.
But he was not looking at Sungchul. His attention was elsewhere.
Sungchul turned his head as he finally sensed another presence.
Hidden under a helmet that obscured his face and clad in armor decorated with beast skins, a man stood in the pouring rain.
The Wandering King.
No, it was Kromgard, the only King to have ever ruled the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea, forming one vertex of a triangle with the Emperor and Sungchul.
A king with the Last Crown and two crownless kings.
They had all gathered together.
Amidst the irregular beating of the heart of an Ancient God.
2 more chapters are out!
Thank you!
That was a cool battle, I can’t wait for the movie.