Chapter 257   - One Person (3)

Azell and Atein were fighting the fastest battle that had ever happened in this world.

Since Almarick was dead, the two of them were the best clone technique users. No one could measure up to them. They immediately appeared wherever they wanted to appear in an instant, and they could dismiss their clones at any moment. The battle between the two of them had transcended the general concept of space and time.

The darkness from the ritual was wrapped around them as the two men clashed with their swords.

Kwahng!

Each fighter took a step back as the sound of an explosion rang out.

However, that wasn’t the end. Clones kept flickering in and out around them like phantoms. The clones were clashing against each other. It caused sparks and shockwaves to erupt around them.

Streaks of light and darkness slashed through the air as they intersected with each other. The two men were so fast that one could only seen countless lines being drawn in the air. One could only see the sparks that erupted when the two lines crossed each other.

Azell inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘Koohk! The Darkness Engraver has gotten stronger.’

The Darkness Engraver was the exact opposite in nature as the Sky Splitter. To be precise, Atein had copied the functions of the Sky Splitter when creating the Darkness Engraver. Reygus had made that admission.

However, the Darkness Engraver could never hold up against the Sky Splitter in the Dragon Demon war. Even now the difference between the two weapons were large.

Azell held the Dragon Demon weapon called the Moon sword in his hand. The Sky Splitter had turned into light as it moved within space.

On the other hand, Atein still had his Darkness Engraver in his hand. He created streaks of darkness to counteract the Sky Splitter. He didn’t need to do much else.

The fight between light and darkness was taut. Was it because Atein’s power had grown? Or was it because the Dragon Demon castle was a location that amplified Atein’s power to the extreme?

Kwah-ahng!

The ritual room could hold several hundred people, yet it was too small to host the fight between the two of them. The walls fell, and a hole was formed in the ceiling. As if both of them had been waiting for this moment, they flew into the air as they fought.

‘I cannot destroy the ritual using the aftereffects of our fight.’

Azell had made that assessment. He even tried to attack the ritual couple times, but the darkness above the magic circle swallowed up all his attacks. It was none the worse.

There was a reason why Atein was so confident. He had reached the 3rd stage of the ritual. If Azell wanted to destroy it, he would have to use all his strength.

This was why Azell had given up on fighting within the ritual room.

“This is surprising.”

Suddenly, Atein mumbled to himself.

Each clash made one’s blood curdle.

In terms of sword fighting, Atein was slightly at a disadvantage.

In the battle of clones, he was being overwhelmed. Atein could create nine clones if he included the Darkness Incarnate. On the other hand, Azell was able to create 32 clones.

However, the battle was even, because Atein was a magician. As a magician, Atein held the advantage in the size and quantity of magic he could use. He was like a moving castle, but at the same time, he could use his power in a dynamic fashion. This was why he wasn’t at a disadvantage in this fight.

Atein mumbled to himself.

“Dual Banding. It is a very surprising technique. He has enough magical energy to contend with me....”

In the Dragon Demon castle, there were many devices installed that were boosting his Dragon Demon magic right now. Currently, Atein possessed much more Dragon Demon magic than the version of himself that had lost to Azell in the Dragon Demon war.

However, Azell wasn’t being pushed back. Azell had finished his Dual Banding, and in terms of Dragon Demon magic, Azell possessed more than Atein.

“Ha! I’m the one that should be dismayed.”

Azell clicked his tongue.

Even if the Dragon Demon castle helped in boosting Atein’s power to the extreme, his party had gone through extraordinary efforts to chip away at his power base. Six pillars of the Great Darkness had been destroyed. One of them had fallen recently when Reygus had sacrificed himself. The Darkness Incarnate was also destroyed once in that fight..

‘The Darkness Incarnate isn’t in its normal state.’

Currently, the Darkness Incarnate was in its summoned state. However, the Darkness Incarnate was focused on using spells only. It was unable to use the Incarnation technique.

Atein knew about this deficiency, yet he remained unshaken.

-Come Dragon Demon weapon! White Flame Phoenix!

Azell summoned a new Dragon Demon weapon. It was a large bird that was made out of white flame. It attacked Atein as it flew at high speeds.

“It is a mean-spirited attack.”

Atein let out a bitter laughter.

He was being attacked by the White Flame Phoenix, which had been taken from him by Yuren. It was like a bad joke. The White Flame Phoenix let out white flames as it let out the spells stored within itself. It blew apart a portion of the Dragon Demon castle.

Kwahhhhhng!

They finally broke through the Dragon Demon castle to appear on the surface. Azell had been trailing behind Atein, so he flinched when he came outside.

“The sky....”

“If you were anticipating seeing the blue sky, you won’t. I apologize.”

Atein replied.

It was as if it was night outside. The sky was covered with a murky darkness.

This was unlike a normal weather event where dark clouds covered the sky. There was a distinct curtain of darkness covering the sky, and it was blocking the sunlight. It covered the city and a distance of several kilometers. It was like the darkness that came with a starless night.

‘I never expected him to make such preparations.’

Azell stopped breathing for a moment.

The Dragon Demon castle was at the center of the city, and exactly eight pillars of Darkness were stretching into the sky. They were located at the perimeter of the city. This caused the enormous curtain of darkness to form in the air, and it had blocked out the sunlight.

The Sky Splitter became stronger when it was exposed to external light. On the other hand, the Darkness Engraver became stronger in darkness.

Their special characteristics were on the polar opposite end. In terms of when they were fighting the battle, Azell had the advantage. This was why he had given up on fighting within the ritual room. It was supposed to be day outside, so Azell had never expected this scenario.

-Come Dragon Demon weapon! Storm’s Scream! Volcano’s Giant! Breath of Wind!

With the massive darkness as background, Atein summoned Almarick’s Dragon Demon weapon, and he let his clone wield it.

Afterwards, an enormous giant made out of fire appeared, and it attacked the White Flame

Phoenix. Since this was a battle between two beings made out of fire, heat started to burn everything in their surroundings.

Then there was the half translucent blue cape that appeared around Atein’s shoulders. It fluttered as it started to rapidly change the air currents.

“Hmmph!”

Azell didn’t let him do as he liked. He summoned the Storm Dragon’s Wing. It burned white on his back, and he fought for the control of the air currents with Atein.

Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah......!

Aside from the space occupied by Azell and Atein, the region was swept up by a fierce wind.

“Everyone evacuate! We’ll die if we get caught up in this fight!”

The people near the Dragon Demon castle screamed as they started to evacuate. They instinctively knew that the fight between the two of them would basically be a natural disaster.

They made the wise decision. Azell and Atein hadn’t used their full power, yet the area around the Dragon Demon castle was being brutally destroyed.

-Come Dragon Demon weapon!

Azell immediately summoned new Dragon Demon weapons. He hadn’t predicted this development, but he was in open space now. There were countless things he could do now that he wouldn’t be able to do if he was indoors.

-Dawn’s Defender! Underworld Ruler’s Marksman! Box of Hate!

Four clones made out of light appeared. Two clones were a silhouette of Kayalia, and the other two possessed the silhouette of Laura.

They split apart as they supported Azell with their magic. Then Azell used his numerous Dragon Demon weapons to attack Atein.

Gwah-gwahng! Gwah-ah-ahng!

The Box of Hate created countless marbles of light. They flew in the air as homed in on Atein’s spells. It detonated his spells. Atein furrowed his brows.

“Box of Hate. As always, it is a troublesome Dragon Demon weapon.”

Atein could freely use the Dragon Arts and magic, but at his essence, he was a magician. The Box of Hate was a natural enemy of magicians.

When the owner of the Box of Hate was Azell, its power was beyond imagination. A box made out of light floated in the air as it dispersed countless light marbles. It was like watching a dandelion spread its seed. It continuously made the spells explode.

Of course, Atein had a countermeasure.

He created minor spells, so the light marbles created by the Box of Hate was wasted. The real spells were packaged with higher density of magical energy. These spells were sturdy enough to overcome the ability of the Box of Hate.

This tactic had been used during the Dragon Demon war. However, this tactic consumed a lot of magical energy, and it limited what spells he could use. This fact hadn’t change.

The Box of Hate wasn’t the only thing that troubled Atein.

One of Azell’s clones was flying through the air, and he was shooting invisible magic arrows using the Underworld Ruler’s Marksman. It flew at a speed several times faster than the speed of sound. Its destructive capability wasn’t that high, but it could penetrate magical defense. It was also an unusually stealthy weapon.

“Mmm......!”

Atein groaned.

The Box of Hate was making him consume his magical energy to the extreme. The Underworld Ruler’s Marksman was eating away at his concentration. It was a dangerous combination of attack.

‘In such a short amount of time, I can’t believe he became so good at using the Brand of Paradise.’

Azell was using his cloaking technique on it, but Atein knew Azell had summoned the Brand of Paradise.

The Brand of Paradise was imbued with the power to manipulate the flow of time.

Amongst the Dragon Demon weapons, it was one of the most difficult power to control. Azell could use such a weapon freely. He used it as he instantaneously moved between his clones.

‘He really is a monster. He really is my fated foe.’

Atein suddenly felt the treachery of fate.

At the end of the Dragon Demon war, he had died to Azell once. Now they were in the distant future. His victory should have been guaranteed in this era.

However, Azell had overcome his curse, and he had revived in this era. He had ruined all of Atein’s plan.

If Azell had died from the curse, Atein might have woken at a later date. He probably would have no trouble implementing his plan. He might have been able to hide his identity as he took his time to change the shape of the world.

However, Azell had awakened in this era. Moreover, Carlos had made the Guardian Shadows after he had sealed the god of Death Belrun. Carlos was able to deliver the truth to Azell, so Atein was left with not many options. He was put in a bind.

“...I’ll sever all lingering feelings here.”

Atein mumbled to himself as he summoned a new Dragon Demon weapon.

-Come Dragon Demon weapon! Moon of Rest and Anger!

From beneath the curtain of darkness, an ominous red moon appeared. The red orb looked as if it was melting.

Azell’s face hardened.

‘Is he planning to use that instead of the Dream’s Apostle?’