Chapter 62: The End of a Duel

Iselin searched for Serad.

Unaware of the situation outside, Serad had hidden in the engine room, thinking an enemy was approaching.

By Metra standards, the interior was complex and difficult to navigate; it was filled with moving parts and heat sources, making it an ideal place to evade detection magic.

Of course, such efforts were useless against Iselin, who could sense life-force through her Spirit of Life.

Even though it was her first time aboard a Dimension Ship, Iselin pursued Serad without once losing her way.

Serad’s efficient internal design actually played a part in this.

Because the corridors were built straight and wide to prioritize worker efficiency over defense against boarders, Iselin advanced without hindrance.

The engine room was relatively busy, but it was still far simpler than the bridge of certain Elf Dimension Ships that discarded all efficiency for the sake of aesthetics.

Unaware of this, Serad’s LCD screen was filled with questions upon facing Iselin.

“Only 324 seconds elapsed since Dimension Ship entry. Question: Method of tracking me?”

“It seems you are more curious about that than who I am. Typical of a Metra.”

At Iselin’s remark, Serad hurriedly brandished weapons.

They were a Mana Gun and a Mana Cutter, which utilized processed Mana. Having no intention to fight, Iselin showed her open palms.

“Even an unarmed Elf possesses spirits. A great threat to me. Your identity and purpose?”

“I am Iselin, a High Elf of the Derael Family from Marsala.”

Iselin pointed to the Spirit of Life perched on her shoulder. The Spirit of Life twitched its ears.

“I should first apologize for the hardships you suffered because of Elinor Ardecon.”

“Elves are untrustworthy.”

“I am not asking you to trust me right this moment. We can build trust as we go.”

“Elves always approach with kind words. Sarcasm probability 100%.”

“I have a good method I use in times like this.”

Iselin lunged forward.

The Mana Gun fired by Serad was blocked by a shield deployed by the Spirit of Life.

Iselin struck the blade of the Mana Cutter to push it aside, tripped Serad to the floor, and seized the weapons.

A member of a craftsman race, the Metra was helplessly suppressed.

“I have found that everyone eventually starts to believe me if I tie them up and then help them.”

Iselin tied Serad’s limbs behind his back. Serad spat out a flurry of incomprehensible mechanical noises.

“Just endure it for a little while. Everything will work out.”

Serad was carried out by Iselin, looking very much like a metallic rotisserie chicken. Upon exiting the Dimension Ship, a Central Command Warrior was waiting.

– I thought you said you would persuade him?

“This is part of the persuasion process,” Iselin said confidently.

Choi Kangjoong accepted the explanation and transported Iselin near the Soil Pit.

Marquis Vespira gripped his sword and composed himself.

A Monster was just a Monster. No matter how large it was, there was a limit to how much it could refine the quality of its Mana, even if the quantity increased. The proof of that was the Aura Blade.

No Monster, regardless of its lifespan or size, could manifest an Aura Blade.

Therefore, as long as he utilized an Aura Blade while maintaining the Blood Castle, no Monster could stop him.

Even if a Monster was kilometers long, and no matter how thick its shell was, it would be sliced apart by the Aura Blade, forced to offer its blood and energy to the Blood Castle.

It had to be that way again.

The small ones were destined to turn into Demonic Energy within the Blood Castle.

The large ones were meant to be sacrifices of pleasure, their hearts pierced and their innards hollowed out.

However, this time was different.

“A Monster using an Aura Blade… No, is it stronger than that?”

Marquis Vespira recalled the days before he became a Demon.

The days when he swung his sword and swept through battlefields with the singular obsession of reaching the pinnacle of the blade.

Yet, the one who had actually seen the Aura Blade bloom was not him, but someone else—someone he had considered inferior to himself.

That person and this Monster now overlapped in his mind.

“Those who attained the Aura Blade through luck rather than effort.”

Marquis Vespira resented the world. He lamented that it was not fair to those who put in effort.

Eventually, he fell into the pleasure of destruction and officially became a Demon of Ruin.

He had killed his own Family with his own hands, and much had changed, but he had no regrets.

It was because he could now slaughter those who had grown strong through mere luck.

The enemy approached. Every attack was lightning-fast; the lethal Abyssal Claws grew in size in an instant.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In less than a second, dozens of strikes were exchanged.

Lutal aimed for a fatal blow, while Marquis Vespira suppressed the recoil of his strikes as much as possible to avoid losing his balance.

Despite their efforts, the surrounding buildings, their pillars shattered by the shockwaves of the battle, came crashing down.

Even while dodging and parrying the falling debris, they did not stop attacking one another.

Marquis Vespira entrusted his sword to the flow.

The attacks from the four Abyssal Claws were so organically powerful that there was no room for conscious thought to interfere.

Although he was being pushed back, Marquis Vespira anticipated victory.

“You cannot block the Blood Castle.”

The enemy was losing its blood and stamina to the Blood Castle.

The Monster realized this as well and focused its attacks primarily on the Demons maintaining the Blood Castle.

However, 1,000 Demons were sufficient to maintain the field, and he had 8,000 left.

“A Monster is just a Monster in the end. I will crush you, and then I will destroy and trample every other thing.”

The Death Blade scratched Marquis Vespira’s armor several times. Death Mana invaded his body, gnawing at his flesh.

Since the amount was small, he could push it out using the power of the Blood Castle.

As long as this was active, he, the core, was nearly invincible.

He did not care if the Demons of Ruin were consumed; they were merely batteries to him, and there were plenty of other Demons of Ruin eager to serve under his command.

While Marquis Vespira remained unharmed, the enemy did not fare as well.

Its wounds multiplied, and even one of its legs was severed.

Because the Dark Blade prevented regeneration, the leg did not grow back. It was clear even from a distance that the enemy was exhausted.

As expected, time was not on the enemy’s side.

“Hahahaha!”

Marquis Vespira swung his sword with a much more relaxed demeanor.

The number of Abyssal Claws had dropped from four to three, and the resulting opening was even larger than expected. He severed another leg and even cut off the tip of the tail.

In response, the enemy soared high and flew toward its own rear lines.

“Are you running? If you do, no one can stop me!”

Thinking he had already won, he let go of the last shred of his restraint.

Marquis Vespira charged forward, slashing and crushing everything in his path.

Crude buildings crumbled under the pressure of the Blood Castle. A path made of the corpses of Metra and Apocalid stretched out long behind him.

“Khahaha!”

The Blood Castle grew even thicker with the joy of destruction.

The overlapping mad laughter of the Demons was so intense that the Metra began to leak fluids just from hearing it.

However, Marquis Vespira’s advance, which seemed like it would never stop, came to a sudden halt.

It wasn’t just because the enemy he had fought earlier was approaching from the air.

The middle leg and upper leg that were supposed to be missing were now present. Moreover, the enemy, who should have been exhausted, looked perfectly fine.

“It has regeneration, but this shouldn’t be possible with that alone.”

Even a hydra eventually dies if forced to regenerate repeatedly.

It was an inevitable consequence of exhausting one’s stored energy and mental strength.

Only an ability that manipulated time or life itself could restore a body so completely.

“Could it be?”

Marquis Vespira’s thoughts turned to Iselin. However, it made no sense for her to be here.

He didn’t think she would lavishly waste Life Essence to heal a mere Monster.

“It must have at least one special ability.”

The Dimensional Sea was vast; there were Monsters with incredible, if difficult-to-use, abilities like time reversal or perfect regeneration.

He assumed this would be the last time, or at most, the second to last.

“Come. I saw through your claw work long ago.”

As it turned out, Marquis Vespira’s boast was not empty words. He severed the enemy’s legs even faster than before—two at once.

Boom!

The enemy fled once more, only to return fully recovered. Marquis Vespira thought this would surely be the final time.

Chop. Chop.

The enemy, its legs severed, fled again and returned. It was already the third time. Even Marquis Vespira could not help but be stunned.

There were now very few Demons left to maintain the Blood Castle.

“This is cheating! Just how are you doing this?”

“Grrr.”

Lutal answered with its Abyssal Claws. A fierce exchange of blows resumed.

“You’re working hard.”

Choi Kangjoong spoke to the panting Iselin.

“I have never squeezed out Life Essence like this before.”

Lutal was a being on a completely different level compared to other Apocalids, so healing it consumed far more energy.

Since such an Apocalid had requested to be fully restored three times, even someone like Iselin could not remain unaffected.

Choi Kangjoong asked Kai to bring a chair.

Using Stealth Blink, Kai quickly retrieved an undamaged chair. Iselin sat down and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief.

– Recovery needed.

A Central Command Warrior approached with a request. Choi Kangjoong stared off into the distance. Iselin glanced at him and then sprinkled Life Essence. The gaping wound in the Central Command Warrior’s side healed. The Spirit of Life on her shoulder slumped over.

“This is truly my limit.”

“The battle is almost over anyway.”

“Did you finish off Marquis Vespira?”

“Almost. But people say that if you say things like that, the dead enemies come back to life.”

“Most of the Demons of Ruin are dead; it wouldn’t matter even if he did.”

“I suppose so.”

Choi Kangjoong and Iselin were relaxed. They spent their time watching the Walkers bring in materials that would become nutrients and Evolution Points.

“A battle is raging just a few kilometers away, yet it is so peaceful here.”

“That guy over there doesn’t seem to think so.”

Serad was struggling against his bonds.

“Since I’ve explained everything, he will settle down once we kill all the Demons and show him the results.”

At Iselin’s words, Choi Kangjoong thought of Count Ambi. She was the Demon of Greed Serad had tried to contact, but she had shown no movement until now.

“Kiee!”

Kai, who had been using a Stealth Scout to monitor Count Ambi’s actions, cried out.

“Magic Beasts are coming? Attacking now of all times.”

It was far too late in the game. Choi Kangjoong sent Kai back to Count Ambi.

“Find out what she is trying to do.”

“Kiee!”

Kai melted into the surroundings and vanished. Iselin watched Kai with curious eyes. It was her first time seeing a creature that even the Spirit of Life found difficult to detect.

“If I had an Elf like that, there would be nothing I couldn’t uncover.”

“Kai was the one who found the Disorder headquarters too,” Choi Kangjoong said, sounding like a proud parent.

“That’s impressive. Do you think he could enter Eleanor’s room too?”

“Eleanor?”

“The eldest son of the Ardecon Family. I have some suspicions. I am also curious about what he is planning with Clessence.”

“Should we give it a try?”

“There is a High Elf in the Ardecon Family as well, so you must be careful.”

“If he’s caught, he can just run away.”

Kai was naturally difficult to find, and with Stealth Blink, who could possibly catch him?

“I’ll send Kai to Eleanor and another one to Clessence.”

“I can provide assistance for infiltrating Clessence’s home. It is a mansion I designed. I remember all the blueprints.”

Serad spoke up.

“Will you tell us?”

“Release bonds first.”

Iselin cut the ropes binding Serad’s limbs.

Clatter. Clatter.

Serad moved his stiff limbs and attempted to draw the blueprints on the floor.

Choi Kangjoong told him it was fine to do it later and to rest for now.

Serad sat down roughly on the floor while making dissatisfied noises at Iselin.

Suddenly, Count Ambi took flight and positioned herself above the Blood Castle.

Then, a massive explosion erupted.

The resulting gust of wind reached all the way to where Choi Kangjoong and Iselin were standing.