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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“How long are you going to run, Jekkiel?!” Regita roared.
“I’m not running. I’m simply heading towards the wand,” Jekkiel retorted.
“Ha, is that so?”
They had long since left the passage created by the academy.
Entering through a gap Regita had forcefully smashed open, they found a landscape so grotesque it seemed impossible to have belonged to the human world.
It was a landscape fit only for the Demon Realm.
The sheer cliff face they were currently descending was a prime example.
While a cave having a cliff within it wasn’t particularly surprising, one this deep was certainly noteworthy.
‘At least the students will be safe.’
Both Jekkiel and Regita were flying at full speed.
This meant that, even now, the distance between him and his students was widening by the second.
It was going according to plan.
From the start, he had intended to face Regita alone.
No matter how heartwarming and impressive their teamwork had been, he couldn’t use Regita as “training experience” for them.
The price would be their lives.
Using Regita as a live training dummy?
Even the Demon King would struggle with that.
‘Anyway, now I can focus on my own fight.’
With the students safe, all he had to do was figure out how to defeat Regita.
“Haa…”
He inscribed a red inscription near his wings to boost his flight speed, plummeting faster towards the bottom of the cliff.
“Whether you’re running away or heading for the wand, you’re dead either way!”
Regita was rapidly closing the distance.
No matter how much he enhanced his wings with inscriptions, a Radiant Dragon’s wings were inherently superior to a vampire’s.
It was inevitable.
A dragon’s wings were practical; a vampire’s were for show.
“Haaaa!”
Regita swung her greatsword, sending a wave of sword wind hurtling towards him.
Jekkiel managed to evade it, though not gracefully.
Finally, the ground came into view.
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With a deafening roar, they landed.
As the dust cloud kicked up from the crater-like impact subsided, Regita grinned.
The bottom of the cliff was eerily gloomy.
The walls were made of violet rock, and a massive iron gate stood before them.
It was so massive it barely resembled a gate.
It looked more like a wall.
“Nowhere left to run now, Jekkiel. And as for those who tried to reach here…”
Regita glanced around, then burst into laughter.
“…It’s quite obvious what happened to them.”
“Indeed.”
Scattered across the ground were weapons used by demons.
While chipped and worn, they were still far from flimsy.
They must have been treasured possessions.
“Seems like quite a few fools have come looking for Lepista’s Wand.”
“I see one right in front of me.”
“Vampires are so arrogant. Is it because of those fangs?”
“Dragons have sharper teeth.”
“Anyway…”
Regita raised her greatsword.
“Let’s have some fun, Jekkiel!”
With a scraping sound, Regita dragged her greatsword across the ground, sending the scattered weapons flying towards Jekkiel.
It was an absurdly powerful attack, but for her, it was as simple as splashing water in a playful manner.
Of course, it did share a similarity with splashing water: dodging at close range was nearly impossible.
“No choice but to deflect them.”
Jekkiel’s eyes narrowed.
He would use his Lord’s crimson eyes to track the incoming weapons and deflect them with Thanatos.
‘I see them.’
While the weapons were flying haphazardly, their lack of precision was their weakness.
They were simply propelled by Regita’s brute force.
Clang! Chang! Clang!
He swung his scythe, deflecting the weapons one by one.
The now-battered tools ricocheted in all directions.
Their durability was no match for Thanatos.
Some were cleanly sliced in two.
Then…
“Hmm?”
Kugugugugugu!
Among the lesser weapons, a massive greatsword flew towards him.
This was a different story.
He flipped backward to avoid it.
Kwaaang—!
And then…
“Jekkieeeeel!”
The moment the greatsword slammed into the wall with a deafening clang, Regita charged.
Kagagagagak!
He swung Thanatos with all his might, but Regita caught it between her teeth.
“Crazy bitch.”
The words slipped out involuntarily.
He kicked her with all his might, barely managing to create some distance.
“How long are you going to rely on petty tricks, Jekkiel?!”
“No, you’re the one with the petty tricks.”
Only she could block a weapon with her teeth.
‘It’ll take too long to defeat her this way.’
Judging by the battle lust in Regita’s eyes, she was just getting warmed up.
He had come here to obtain Lepista’s Wand.
He wanted to achieve his goal as quickly and efficiently as possible.
It would be ideal if he could just grab the wand and escape to the Demon Realm.
‘Is there a way to open the iron gate…? Wait…’
Jekkiel’s eyes widened as he glanced towards the gate.
He now noticed a black box adorned with horns placed in front of the gate.
It had blended in with the surrounding darkness.
Regita’s gaze followed his.
“Do you really have time to be distracted by something else, Jekkiel?”
“Regita, I’ll be generous and let you have all the weapons on the ground.”
“Don’t need them, you fool.”
Retrieving her greatsword, Regita pointed it at Jekkiel.
Prolonging the fight would only put him at a disadvantage.
‘Radiant Dragon’s Battle Lust.’
It was the dragon’s blessing attached to her horns.
The longer the battle raged, the stronger she became.
It was a bizarre ability.
The Demon King had given her strength in exchange for intelligence, but perhaps he had been too generous.
‘But that box is suspicious.’
He wasn’t hesitating to approach the box because he was afraid of Regita.
The box itself was suspicious.
The fact that it was placed there without any wards was unsettling.
Perhaps Regita had anticipated this.
In the end, the hardest path was the fastest.
Jekkiel adjusted his grip on his scythe.
“No choice but to end this quickly.”
“Why say that? I want to play for a while. All day long.”
“Get a boyfriend or something.”
“……?”
A vein throbbed on Regita’s forehead.
At the same time, Jekkiel shifted his grip on his scythe once more.
“Oh?”
Jekkiel’s aura shifted.
Thanatos, its blade radiating a crimson glow, seemed sharper than ever.
In the next instant, he charged like a flash of light.
His scythe moved like a brush, painting crimson streaks across the air.
Like a woodblock print, it sliced through everything it touched.
Despite being cut repeatedly, Regita only expressed admiration.
“Yes, yes! That’s it!”
Ignoring her wounds, he continued to carve his crimson artwork.
The final masterpiece would be Regita’s death.
The crimson lines flew towards her neck, aiming to sever her lifeline.
“Haaaa!”
Regita swung her sword upward with all her might.
An upward strike.
It was a sword too massive to defy gravity, but Regita shattered that law with brute force.
Kwaaang!
Regita’s sword deflected Jekkiel’s scythe.
“It’s too early to get excited like a child, Regita.”
Excitement gleamed in Regita’s eyes, while killing intent filled Jekkiel’s.
With his free hand, he began to inscribe an inscription.
A dark magic inscription.
Soul Severance.
No matter how resilient a body, severing the soul would render it a mere husk.
Strength and resilience weren’t always advantageous.
But sometimes, they made one more prone to breaking.
Her strength could be overcome with even greater strength.
He would go beyond physical force and sever her very soul.
“Haa…”
He inhaled deeply and held his breath.
He combined Soul Severance with several other inscriptions: Haste, Agility… He could deploy a wide variety of inscriptions, as long as he was willing to pay the price in life force.
He swung.
He swung and swung again.
“Pahahahahahahaha!”
Despite being cut repeatedly, slowed by his attacks, Regita laughed.
Crimson lines filled her vision.
The entire world was being carved by Jekkiel.
“Haaaaaaaa!”
Regita swung her sword only once.
She didn’t know such intricate techniques, nor did they suit her temperament.
She simply poured all her strength into a single downward strike.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A massive shockwave erupted, sending them both flying in opposite directions.
Thud! Thud!
They both slammed into the walls.
Neither Jekkiel nor Regita were unscathed.
“Uuugh… Feels… good…”
Regita pushed herself up, blood dripping from her wounds.
Jekkiel clutched his throbbing head.
And then…
“Jekkiel-nim!”
A voice he shouldn’t have heard reached his ears.
He turned to see Artel.
Christine stood beside her.
Both women grabbed his shoulders.
“Jekkiel-nim! Are you alright? Let’s get out of here. We secured the box.”
“…Box?”
Jekkiel’s eyes widened as he saw the box cradled in Artel’s arms.
“You…”
Of course, this was why he shouldn’t have heard that voice.
He knew she would prioritize this!
“…You stupid bitch!”
Jekkiel roared.
A moment later, the entire cliff began to tremble.
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