Chapter 294: Chapter 293: Time to Reap the Rewards (1)
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The swords of the two shed fiercely. Filled with mutual hatred, neither could afford to back down.
Ka-a-aang!
Of course, Harold was no match for Ghiin, who had opened his third stage. The moment their des met, Harold''s sword was sent flying backward.
"What the!"
Although he knew Ghiin was strong, experiencing that power firsthand was apletely different feeling.
Even after burning his life force entirely, the difference was insurmountable!
Before Harold could steady himself, Ghiin swung his sword again.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Ghiin''s superiority wasn''t limited to strength. His sword''s trajectory was so dazzling that Harold couldn''t even follow it with his eyes.
It was an unattainable level, utterly unbelievable for someone of Ghiin''s age.
Harold swung his sword in shock, but no matter what he tried, he couldn''tnd a hit on Ghiin. He was only struggling to defend himself.
''Was this brat''s talent truly this immense?''
Ghiin was like a towering wall. The more they fought, the more Harold realized the full extent of his opponent''s skill. It felt as though he were battling a seasoned warrior.
Overwhelmed by the vast disparity, Harold eventually lost his fighting spirit. Ghiin, however, didn''t miss this briefpse.
Shhhk!
"Argh!"
Harold barely managed to dodge, but a long sh tore across his chest. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled a few steps back.
''Could that brat truly be the North''s Finest Sword?''
The duke''s house had ranked Ghiin on par with Jürgen, the North''s Finest Sword. But Harold had dismissed that assessment as an overestimation, believing it ounted for not justbat prowess, but also his leadership and territory management skills.
Yet even in this exhausted and wounded state, Ghiin disyed such power! How strong could he be to fight like this even now?
Even seeing it with his own eyes and experiencing it firsthand, Harold couldn''t believe it. The realization that Ghiin surpassed him in every way only deepened his sense of defeat.
"I refuse to ept this!"
Before Harold could swing his sword while screaming in rage, Ghiin''s de came flying straight at him.
Quarrrunng!
The mere swing of Ghiin''s sword seemed to tear through space, making the heavens scream. Harold couldn''t imagine himself blocking that strike.
Facing Ghiin''s blood-red eyes, gleaming like those of a devil, Harold felt overwhelming terror.
Paralyzed by fear, the only thing Harold could do was instinctively raise one arm in defense. Crunch!
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold''s left arm was severed at the elbow. Blood gushed out as he screamed in agony.
Seeing this, Ghiin stabilized his core, reducing his release to the second stage. Having already overwhelmed Harold and severed his arm, there was no need to maintain the strain of the third stage any longer.
"Don''t think you''ll die easily, Harold."
"Guhhhhhh..."
Harold could only groan, clutching his severed arm.
There was no trace left of the dignity of a great lord. The once immacte Harold was disheveled, his appearance now drenched in blood and drool.
Despite having mastered the mana cultivation techniques and swordsmanship of his noble lineage, Harold had never dedicated himself to the sword. Instead, he had spent more time managing his territory and engaging in politics.
Although he possessed excellent talent and a privileged environment, which allowed him to reach the level of an high-level knight, that was the extent of his abilities.
Even after burning his life force, he was no match for Ghiin, who had unleashed the power of the third stage.
"Heheheh..."
His groans eventually turned into bitterughter.
"How... how can someone so young possess such knowledge and strength...?"
How had a brat once called the North''s delinquent turned into such a monster?
Why had he overlooked such critical information about this man?
Everything was a question, everything was regret.
"Even after burning my life force... I couldn''t even touch you."
Life force, the very essence of vitality, elerates aging and can never be recovered once used. It''s only utilized in the most dire, life-threatening situations—and even then, only briefly before being stopped.
Harold, however, had gone so far as to destroy his core and burn his life force entirely, all to kill Ghiin. Yet even with that overwhelming power, he hadn''t so much as grazed him.
Despair.
Harold was consumed by utter despair at the realization that even after sacrificing
everything, he couldn''t defeat his enemy.
Having lost everything, he was now about to die without even avenging himself.
"Heh... heheheh..."
The humiliation, shame, and shattered pride tormented him incessantly.
Harold, his shoulders trembling, slowly raised his head to look at Ghiin. His eyes were
dark, sunken pits.
Ghiin stared back and spoke.
"I''ve dreamed every night of killing you and Duke Delphine. Today, one of those dreams
comes true."
"Hehe... you should''ve just kept dreaming."
Harold replied in a cracked voice.
"Fine. If I''m going to lose everything anyway... I might as well use it."
"What?"
"Ghiin... you''ve never seen power like this before. It''s a shame I won''t fully experience killing you with my own will, but... it''s better than dying as your defeated enemy. Watch
closely. This is my ultimate weapon."
Grrrrrrrrr...
Suddenly, Harold''s body began to swell beyond its normal size. His muscles bulged
grotesquely, veins popping as if about to burst.
A storm of mana radiated intensely from him. Unable to withstand the power, blood began
spurting from Harold''s body.
Ghiin raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"This is...''
"Aaaaaargh!"
The light of reason vanished from Harold''s eyes. He had transformed into a blood-drenched
beast.
Boom!
All the mana Harold had umted over a lifetime burned alongside his life force,
exploding outward from his body.
It was simr to the mana cultivation technique used by Ghiin and the knights of Fenris.
The difference was that Harold''s technique hadpletely consumed his sanity.
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold roared again, swinging his sword to unleash a violent gale.
Kwa-aang!
The force was so immense that even Ghiin was pushed back momentarily.
''Interesting.''
As Harold advanced again, Ghiin responded with a cold smile.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Kwa-aang!
The ensuing battle was different from before. Harold was now overpowering Ghiin.
With his greatly enhanced strength and speed, Harold moved without concern for the injuries
he sustained.
He was, in every sense, a mad beast.
Kaang!
Blocking Harold''s sword, Ghiin smirked.
"Have you abandoned your humanity to die as a monster, Harold?"
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold responded with another inhuman scream, devoid of coherent words.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
As they fought, Ghiin felt a strange sense of unease.
''This power... I''ve seen it before.''
Ghiin was familiar with Harold''s mana cultivation technique from his past life, having
studied it after conquering Desmond. That technique didn''t allow for such a dramatic
increase in power.
No matter how desperate one was, such extreme power was impossible. No noble family''s
mana technique worked this way.
Yet now, Harold''s strength was exploding several times over his original limits.
It reminded Ghiin of himself.
"This is simr to that time.''
In his past life, there were those who asionally used their life force to push themselves
beyond their limits.
At the time, Ghiin had been so far above them in skill that he hadn''t thought much of it, dismissing it as just another mana cultivation technique found across the continent. However, it was strange for someone like Harold, a noble among nobles, to use such a mana cultivation technique. In his previous life, Ghiin had killed Harold with a single sh to the waist, so he hadn''t even realized Harold might have learned such a technique.
''This is like...''
It was oddly simr to the wed mana cultivation technique Vanessa had learned in his previous life. She, too, had gone mad after mastering it.
Come to think of it, some of the people who had attacked him back then had exhibited simr
behaviors.
"They either go insane... or turn into monsters. Could they all have been using a mana cultivation technique simr to this one?''
Because each opponent he fought used mana slightly differently, he had assumed they were
simply burningtent power in desperation. He hadn''t thought deeply about it, as his own technique shared some simr characteristics.
And since he had always easily killed those who attacked him, there had been no need to dwell
on the issue.
But for a high-ranking noble like Harold to use such a technique-it couldn''t help but raise
suspicion. Ghiin recalled the enemies he had fought in his past life. There was one thing all those who used explosive power like Harold had inmon.
''Anyone who uses this power always dies.''
Those who had mastered Ghiin''s improved mana cultivation technique could steadily train
to extend its duration. Even if they unleashed their power, they could stop at the right time
without issue.
But the enemies he had faced in his past life-those who used this power-were incapable of stopping. Their power would rampage uncontrobly until they died.
It was as if they were byproducts of his mana cultivation technique, having pursued extreme
strength while abandoning stability.
The enemies Ghiin had seen in his past life and the current Harold bore a striking
resemnce.
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold was no longer human. He was now a monster driven solely by the instinct to kill
everything in front of him.
Bwoooom!
Kwa-aang!
As Harold''s powerful sword strikesnded, Ghiin''s body was steadily pushed backward.
The strength behind Harold''s attacks kept increasing. The sheer force emanating from his
de was enough to upheave the ground. Harold himself seemed incapable of controlling his
own power.
Ghiin gritted his teeth and smiled, opening his core back to the third stage.
"Fine, let''s see this through to the end."
Drrrrrr!
Kwa-aang!
Their swords, now enveloped in intense mana, shed once again. This time, Ghiin did not
yield and held his ground.
Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang!
Each sh of their des released shockwaves of mana that sted through their
surroundings, scattering debris in all directions.
The remaining Desmond strategists and escort knights, who had been watching from a
distance, backed away even further.
If they were caught in that storm of power, their bodies would be shredded instantly.
Kwa-aang!
Ghiin parried Harold''s sword andunched himself forward with a powerful stomp.
In an instant, he disappeared from sight, reappearing behind Harold and swinging his sword.
Shhhaaaak!
Bwooom!
Harold turned swiftly, swinging his sword defensively. Ghiin ducked and retreated.
''As I thought...'' This wasn''t about enduring pain. Harold showed no hesitation, no muscle stiffness-nothing. It was as if his senses hadpletely disappeared, leaving his body to move reflexively. Moreover, Harold''s wounds were incredibly shallow. His body was enveloped in mana that
had swelled to protect him.
Kwa-aang!
Harold''s next strike missed as Ghiin dodged, shattering the ground instead. Ghiin
stomped the ground with one foot in response.
Kwa-aang!
The shockwave caused Harold to stumble, momentarily losing his bnce. Ghiin seized
the opportunity and swung his sword again.
Shhhaak!
Even though Ghiin shed Harold''s neck, it only left a faint surface wound. Despite
opening his core to the third stage, Harold''s defense was still overwhelming.
"Aaaaargh!"
Bwoom!
Once again, Harold swung his sword, but Ghiin easily evaded it.
Though Harold''s strength had grown, his swordsmanship had regressed. Without reason, he
now swung his weapon purely on instinct.
''Something is off.''
Even in his past life, there had been those like Harold, but their levels varied greatly.
Some, even in madness, retained the full extent of their abilities. Vanessa, for instance, had
been able to cast 7th-circle magic while insane.
Others retained their sanity even as their bodies transformed into monstrous forms.
Compared to those individuals, Harold seemed to fall short in some way.
"Aaaaargh!"
Frustrated by his failed attacks, Harold let out a roar of fury. His cognitive ability had truly
fallen to that of a beast.
"Hah..."
At this rate, the fight would never end. Ghiin''s gaze grew heavy.
He knew he would encounter more like Harold in the future. There was no need to think or
worry about it now.
Drdrdrdr.
His body was already beginning to break down, having surpassed its limits.
Goooong!
Ghiin elerated the cirction of his mana, rapidly heating his core. Every nerve in his
body screamed warnings of danger.
Kwa-aang!
This time, Ghiin didn''t dodge Harold''s attack. He faced it head-on.
Grind.
Clenching his teeth to endure the pain, he swung his sword relentlessly. Though it seemed
reckless, Ghiin wasn''t willing to let danger stop him from seizing an opportunity. There were still many enemies to face. Even greater foes than Harold awaited him.
Facing such an opponent, he had to pour everything into this fight to grow even stronger.
Crrack!
''Just a little more.''
Ordinary training could only take the body so far. Training on the brink of death was the most
effective way to grow.
Drdrdrdr.
His bones and flesh had long since been torn and twisted. Continuing to fight would no longer be training but a path to self-destruction.
But...
Drdrdrdr!
The new ability he had gained after consuming the Blood Python''s venom- That ability strained everyst drop of mana, healing his body as it tried to push beyond its
limits.
Fssshhh!
The blood soaking his body evaporated into red mist, swirling around him.
''More!''
Kwa-aang!
At some point, Harold began to sumb to Ghiin''s overwhelming power.
Ghiin''s glowing red eyes burned as he mercilessly struck Harold with his sword.
Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang!
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold roared in agony. With each sh of their swords, tremendous force shook his body
from the inside.
Even Harold''s beastly, unthinking eyes began to show signs of panic.
Kwa-aang!
Unable to withstand the overwhelming force, Harold lost his grip on his sword.
Ghiin didn''t hesitate. He struck Harold''s body directly.
Kwa-aang!
Gripping his sword tightly despite his aching hands, Ghiin struck Harold again. Harold''s
body was so tough it felt like striking with a club rather than cutting.
Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang!
"Aaaaargh!"
Harold, iling with his remaining arm, tried to resist. But Ghiin''s relentless, club-like
sword strikes continued unabated. Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang!
Ghiin''s powerful mana struck deep into Harold''s body, causing him to falter. Unable to properly attack anymore, Harold was forced further and further back.
The violent waves of mana inside Harold shed with the storm of power Ghiin unleashed, amplifying the destruction.
Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang! Kwa-aang!
Harold was beaten relentlessly, his mana armor scattering as it failed to endure the
onught.
Crack.
Ghiin''s bones, too, had begun to crack and break under the strain. Yet, through sheer
superhuman willpower, he endured the pain and spoke. "This is the end."
Boom!
Ghiin stomped the ground forcefully, swinging his sword like a club, smashing it into
Harold''s head.
Kwa-aang!
The immense impact shook Harold to his core, and for the first time, he didn''t roar like a
monster. Instead, a human voice emerged.
"What... is this...?"
The light of reason began to return to his eyes.
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