novelDungeon Breakthrough (5)
| ← Ch.174 | Ch.176 → |
Besides, the red beast and wild animal were most heavily used among the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Although Stravadi failed to wear them down completely as he planned, it was beneficial to him to confirm that they were in their best shape now. With the help of the four knights, who became stronger like him, he would be able to hold the red beast and wild animal in check, even if he could not defeat them.
'It is not reasonable to defeat them in a pincer movement. '
It wasn't good for him to attack them with four knights through a pincer movement. It was more efficient for him to block the red beast and the wild animal and have a one-on-one duel with the master of the Mammon family.
Stravadi thought quickly. At his order, the four knights stared at the red beast and wild animal as if they were fully determined.
Yong-ho, the master of the Mammon family, faced Stravadi and four knights.
Instead of wielding Aamon, he said, "You ate Sargatanas, right?"
Although Yong-ho got suspicious when he first heard it from the Nagaraja master who surrendered, he was convinced that Stravadi really killed him and took his essence.
Stravadi twisted his lips and said, "Yes, that's correct. Let me show you the results of it now."
He already opened five horns. However, this was not his best weapon.
Stravadi took a step toward Yong-ho. He awakened Nagaraja's blood in his body. The snake's heart began to pound and transform Stravadi into a more combative shape. Blue serpent scales sprang on the back of his face and arms.
Stravadi took another step. This time, the souls of the dungeon reacted to it. They instilled dungeon mana into Stravadi. But this alone couldn't increase his mana, but it was possible to recover his mana. It was like providing Stravadi with a mana recovery tank of tremendous capacity.
Stravadi felt greatly uplifted. With the serpent's heart, he didn't have any guilt for Sargatanas' death in the first place. All he felt was something like a sense of loss and a little anger from the fact that he killed Sargatanas, whom he loved. But now he didn't feel even such feelings.
Why was he so obsessed with the fighting calculations? What the heck was he afraid of?
Wasn't he perhaps the strongest master in the abandoned southern area, with such mighty power?
Stravadi's mana filled the gathering place again. It was mana filled with chill.
Stravadi laughed confidently. The four knights also admired his great power.
But at that moment, Yong-ho opened up his mana fully.
***
With Yong-ho's five horns soaring, his mana arose like flames, and the green flames devoured the cold energy of Stravadi that was filling the inside of the gathering place.
His fierce mana was like an explosion. Even without the battle of strength, it roughly crushed Stravadi's mana.
The four knights made an embarrassed expression.
Moreover, Yong-ho's attack was not yet over.
Light came from the magic field on his left hand and Brigada. Two of the seven claws that made up the heart of the Demon God bit Yong-ho's heart at the same time, and it brought out stronger power than now.
Stravadi's mana was just huge. On the other hand, Yong-ho's mana was swirling violently. It was like a strong storm.
The moment Yong-ho stepped forward instantly, the tide was turned. His fully uplifted feelings a moment ago were shattered completely.
It wasn't just the difference between the power of their mana.
In terms of the absolute amount of mana, Yong-ho lagged behind Stravadi. With the advantage of the dungeon fight, Stravadi was in a much more favorable position.
Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by Yong-ho. Unlike the four knights who were scared of the wall that suddenly appeared before their eyes, Stravadi quickly understood why. Therefore, he experienced much more fluctuations in his emotions.
The strength of Yong-ho's mana was different from his.
It also differed qualitatively, not quantitatively.
Bang!
There was an explosion. It was the sound of Yong-ho, Eligos, and Ophelia, rushing toward him with full force at the same time.
Absorbed into thoughts, Stravadi could not react immediately. Besides, he even thought of something that he should have not at this moment.
'Can I win?'
The gap in their fighting abilities widened further. Now it was irreversible.
Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!
Eligos and Ophelia struck the four knights hard. Eligos's fists smashed not only the wall and floor but also the knight's armor. Ophelia's attack was much more elegant but fatal at the same time. One of the knights who were overwhelmed by Yong-ho's mana was kicked in his chest. Since he couldn't even stand it, he was pushed back and collided with the wall. The noise of his clash resonated through the gathering place.
Stravadi leaped through space. Faced with a close call, he could avoid Yong-ho's blow by exercising his power. But that was it. Stravadi moved only to escape, not avoid his attack.
At the same time, Aamon pierced the air. Yong-ho turned. He was guided by the experiences he gained through numerous fights. He released black mana from his left arm and grabbed Stravadi, who just finished making a space jump. Then he threw Stravadi down on the floor even before the latter regained power to leap through space again.
Stravadi moaned in pain from the shock transmitted from his back. No matter how powerful his mana was, he was bound by the body, after all.
There was a brief pause. When Stravadi repressed his pain and opened his eyes, Yong-ho already finished taking the next step. Greatly expanded black mana blurred Stravadi's vision and blocked his space jump.
Bang!
Aamon was riding on black mana, and its burning spear pierced Stravadi's abdomen.
An unbearable pain seized Stravadi. His strong Nagaraja body survived the shock, but his mental shock was still there. Stravadi acted instinctively. He exercised his power to escape the pain.
He didn't do it after some careful thinking. Because of this, he couldn't do anything like adjusting his distance with his opponent or his location. He looked at something in the dimming darkness and threw himself into that place.
Stravadi felt the sense of soaring in the air and falling down at the same time. Since the burning spear disappeared, he felt like a burden was lifted, though just a little bit. Yong-ho grabbed him by the neck.
Once again, Stravadi was bumped against the floor. Moreover, this time, his head was hit first. He couldn't open his eyes properly, and even if he did, the only thing he could see was the floor.
Mana, magic, and power, with these three factors, Stravadi could escape the current situation. But he needed time to escape, but Yong-ho did not allow it.
Yong-ho pierced Stravadi's waist with his left hand. A shield of distortion spread out from the hole in the side that Aamon had already pierced.
Stravadi couldn't even scream. When Yong-ho's hand bounced from the wound like a rocket, Stravadi's belly was a mess. The wounds opened wider, and the pressed intestines were torn and crushed.
There was no such thing as an elegant gladiator match. Even the close battle between the rival masters with equal mana didn't take place.
Yong-ho concentrated his magic on his right hand. Just as Stravadi suppressed Kaiwan's mana, he instinctively blasted Stravadi's mana, who was struggling to survive.
The gathering place was shaken. It looked as if the whole dungeon was moaning.
Yong-ho moved his hand again. Though the situation now was overwhelmingly favorable to him, he didn't let his guard down.
The dungeon was still injecting mana into Stravadi. His Nagaraja body quickly rebuilt itself even though the placenta of his intestines was crushed. That was why Yong-ho had to keep attacking.
Yong-ho held Aamon short with his left hand. He then made a new hole by stabbing Stravadi's back multiple times. Stravadi struggled once again but never escaped Yong-ho's attacks. Yong-ho did the terrible thing repeatedly. After releasing Aamon in the air again, he put his left hand into the hole. Using the power of distortion, he destroyed Stravadi's body.
His skin with scales swelled greatly. His bones pressed down by the distortion of the shield were broken. His lung was also maimed, gushing blood. Since his heart, one of the gathering points of mana, was busted, the speed of his body's restoration was also slow
Yong-ho grabbed his right hand then put his left hand on his body that was devastated like a piece of rags after he crushed Stravadi's snakelike neck. He grabbed Aamon with his right hand for the final blow.
Stravadi wriggled. The souls of the dungeon squeezed out mana to inject it into Stravadi, but it was all in vain. Aamon, giving off extreme heat, pierced the back of Stravadi's head and burned his head with the green flames.
"Master!" One of the four knights shouted.
Struggling against Eligos and Ophelia, they felt their mana drastically dwindled. Since their owner, Stravadi, was killed, their connection was also cut off.
Yong-ho was also convinced of Stravadi's death. Letting out a long sigh, he stopped using mana. Then he deactivated the heart of the Demon God, which was straining the spirit and body of the dungeon spirits, and took the next step.
Stravadi died without showing his abilities properly. He didn't properly use his mighty mana, nor did he show off his swordsmanship well known among the eastern masters. He also didn't make the best use of his secret card of Nagaraja mana and the power of space leap.
But Yong-ho was not interested in them. Since he fought and won, it was time for him to reap the results of his victory.
Stravadi's mana, which was equal to five horns.
It could be called the combined mana of those masters who once existed in the eastern and northern regions.
Eligos and Ophelia turned. As they were virtually born and raised in the southern area, they instinctively realized that what would happen from now on was not simply for the winning master to absorb the essence of the defeated master.
The abandoned southern area.
As the name implied, it was a land without an owner. It had always been divided since the times of Mammon, the great King of Greed.
It was not abandoned anymore.
The era of a new king would finally unfold after a thousand years of a long break.
Yong-ho expressed intense greed. He ate all the essence that Stravadi had.
***
"The king of the unclaimed territory."
A crow chirped. Watching Stravadi's dungeon, it contained information in its black eyes.
Then it flew away, making a big chirping noise.
The unclaimed land in the south was unified finally. Although he had not yet combined all the power available, he could unite the essence of mana.
"The king of the unclaimed territory, " Sitri said.
She raised herself in the black silence. Instead of digging through old memories, she witnessed what happened now.
What would all this change bring about, timed with the war in the north?
Sitri shook her head. She got all her inferences out of her mind. She just followed her pure feelings now. She realized she was happy about the outcomes of the battle.
"Mammon."
The nostalgic name warmed her heart. She smiled brightly like a girl.
When would Yong-ho come to see her?
She didn't hide her excitement. She gently pressed her chest and closed her eyes. She looked forward to seeing him.
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