NOVEL NEXT Chapter 164
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The battle continued in a stalemate. The slashes that had been tearing the demons apart were gone, but Robert’s skill was still undeniable, almost reaching the heavens.
The two-to-one numerical advantage was meaningless. What a single human wielding a sword was accomplishing was close to a miracle.
CRASH!
The power that had cut the mountain was his full strength, but now he could wield it effortlessly.
That was what it meant to master the use of power. He could pour all his strength into a single point without spilling a drop.
Before, he had been wasting the overflowing mana, but now, he could contain it within his body and strengthen his physical abilities.
It was on a completely different level compared to his previous enhancements. He wasn’t out of breath.
The consumption of mana had also drastically decreased, so even though he couldn’t unleash the same slashes as before, he could still fight.
The Minotaur, its bones broken, looked at its dangling arm and smiled wryly. He didn’t know what Robert had been doing in the past few months.There hadn’t been many humans who dared to challenge him a thousand years ago, but now, he was being carved up like a livestock animal. It was ridiculous.
He had thought he could overwhelm Robert once he regained his strength. Humans were like that, after all. Even if they improved, there was a limit.
To fight against a demon, one had to be at least a deity.
“Interesting.”
“Don’t let your guard down. If we make even the slightest mistake, we’ll be the ones-”
Slice.
Mephisto’s head was severed. It regenerated soon after, writhing, but a more serious glint appeared in his cold eyes.
He was the one who had been beheaded, but the tide of this battle would change now. Or rather, it had to change.
Thump-
Mephisto stomped on the ground, and his figure vanished.
Unlike the Minotaur, Mephisto’s power was focused on speed. It meant he usually dodged attacks. But even so, the sword kept cutting him. He didn’t know why.
At first, he thought it was because Robert had been caught off guard, but considering the level Robert had reached, he would be cut down eventually, even if he poured all his strength into dodging.
He would break through.
One of his arms, sharpened like a blade, thrust forward.
The sword strike, tearing through the air, headed towards Robert, but Robert dodged it with an almost superhuman movement, swinging his sword.
He had honed his swordsmanship alone in the mountains. Although it was a style learned through observation, he clearly remembered the footwork mixed within its principles.
‘Right side.’
Mephisto’s speed was fast. Fast enough that he normally wouldn’t be able to dodge. But he could easily dodge thanks to the training he had accumulated.
Robert, gauging the force that grazed his cheek, smiled wryly. He was amazed that he was holding his own against this.
Well, he would be in trouble if he couldn’t even do this after decades of training.
It wasn’t that Robert lacked talent. He had realized that recently while training in the Moon Tower.
It wasn’t that he lacked talent, but rather that his body couldn’t keep up with his mind.
His mind was already moving forward, but his body hadn’t grown at all, barely able to swing a sword.
How could he gain speed in that state?
His impatient body hadn’t developed properly because it had been pushed too hard, and it had helped that he had focused on refining his body first in this situation.
He would embody the swordsmanship he envisioned in his mind.
Robert deflected Mephisto’s sword, which was thrusting diagonally, slammed the Minotaur into the ground, and chuckled softly.
He had enough mana. Even though he couldn’t unleash it as wildly as before, it was enough to maintain his advantage.
It would be a different story if one of them decided to self-destruct and attack. But he could destroy the demons’ cores before that happened.
“…Amazing.”
The adjutants watching could only stare in awe. The battle between Robert and the demons was like something out of a myth.
They had thought the descriptions in books were exaggerated, but their opinions changed when they saw lightning strike and thunder rumble with every swing of the sword.
Bunta, who had been confident in his own skills, had been speechless for a while now, unable to comprehend the speed at which Robert was wielding his sword.
“You fought against someone like that. Do you know?”
“How did you even manage back then?”
“He must have gone easy on you. Maybe he won on purpose to impress the Grand Duchess.”
Back then, Robert’s power had only recovered to about 10%, but no one knew that.
Thinking back to the time he had fought Temuzin, covered in blood… he couldn’t even remember how many people he had killed.
Had there been hundreds of them crammed into that narrow space?
“How’s the Grand Duchess doing?”
“She hasn’t opened her eyes yet, but she’ll probably come running here when she wakes up. Do you think she’ll stay still while her lover is like that?”
“…I was so worried that he had really betrayed us. Did she already know?”
When they heard that Robert was coming to subjugate the North with the imperial army, the adjutants had been most worried about Adele’s state of mind.
They had been concerned that she might break down, with the man she had been so close to now betraying her, but Adele had simply chuckled and gripped her sword without a care.
She had told them to worry about saving the soldiers instead of worrying about such things.
They had thought she was pretending to be fine while suffering from the shock, but she had actually known all along.
Lothos scratched his head and shuddered, watching the mana emanating from the demons. He couldn’t even imagine how Robert was fighting against them.
But it was his role to prepare for ‘what comes after.’ How many people could come up with a proper plan besides him?
“Organize the remaining troops and get them ready. In the worst-case scenario, we’ll have to retreat to the border, and if not, we’ll have to march on the capital immediately.”
“To the capital?”
“Yes, it’s time to get serious.”
The adjutants’ faces turned pale at his words, and Lothos shrugged, as if it was obvious.
The moment the imperial army came to subjugate the North, all the Northern troops were treated as rebels. And if that imperial army was annihilated along with the demons in the front yard of the Northern fortress, it was obvious what kind of accusations they would face.
Adele had said that the command authority belonged to Lotus in her absence.
Although he didn’t have a deputy commander’s badge, Lothos tapped the badge on his chest and gave the order to the entire army.
Rebels, huh?
He had never thought of starting a rebellion in his life, but now, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
“We are now entering a state of emergency. All troops, arm yourselves and prepare for battle. Contact your families in advance. If Duke Taylor defeats the demons, immediately-”
It was a small comfort that his family was in the West.
At least the capital defense force wouldn’t go after his wife and children. He had also sent a letter telling them to hide, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
“We launch a coup.”
Although he hadn’t intended to overthrow the imperial family, it was time to fight for their survival.
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Crack.
The Minotaur’s completely shattered arm fell off. The Minotaur’s face, having personally torn off the arm that could no longer regenerate, was also a mess. Mephisto was in a similar state.
Now, Robert was also covered in wounds.
‘What would Miragen say if she saw me like this? No, Adriana too… and Adele…’
Having three women was a headache.
Before, he had one person worrying about him, but now, he had three, which meant three times the nagging.
What could he do? It was all karma he had created himself.
He chuckled, finding it funny that he was thinking about other people even though he was in a situation where the slightest mistake could cost him his limbs.
It was probably because he had formed such deep connections with them.
He shifted his sword to his other hand, barely managing to move the arm that was too damaged to be of any use.
Adriana would probably heal him later. A week? That should be enough time to recover. A week for healing his injuries.
A week to march and attack the capital…
He didn’t know how Kaitel would move during those two weeks, and the sight of the demons still stubbornly clinging to life gave him an even bigger headache.
Wasn’t it about time for them to die? The Minotaur was incapacitated after losing both its arms, but Mephisto still had some fight left in him.
The reason he had been able to win this cowardly fight was simple. He had so much energy left just from using his power efficiently.
If he had gone a step further, he might have finished them off instantly.
“…Although you are not a demon, I must commend you. Not only did you cripple the Minotaur, but you also crippled me. It will probably take a long time for these wounds to heal, so… Robert Taylor, was it?”
He remained silent, listening, and the Minotaur, who had been staggering, finally collapsed.
Mephisto stared at the scene, dust rising with a loud thud.
A single human had defeated one of two demons.
Could he finish off this human?
‘It would be difficult.’
His initial carelessness was the cause. He had used a tremendous amount of mana for regeneration and had lost the advantage.
🚨 Important Notice 🚨
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If he had attacked the moment he saw Robert, he could have killed him by now.
Mephisto wasn’t foolish enough to continue this losing battle.
A chance to turn the tables…
Mephisto suddenly looked at the Northern fortress where the remaining Northern troops were stationed. If he couldn’t win, he could at least demoralize them and prevent them from fighting.
Even if he disappeared from here, the Four Dragons would continue to fight. It was a gamble worth taking.
“I respect you.”
Bzzt-
The mana gathered at his fingertips was almost all that Mephisto had left. He poured everything into it, even the last bit of mana needed to sustain his life.
Mana solely for annihilating the Northern fortress. Robert, realizing the nature of that mana, desperately stomped on the ground. It wasn’t aimed at him.
That was-
“So, I will destroy not you, but what you protect.”
Slice-
As Mephisto’s head was severed, the beam of light headed towards the fortress. And Robert, without even confirming Mephisto’s death, unleashed his mana and threw himself towards the fortress.
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[Translator Notes]
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