Chapter 213: The Conference (5)

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“Kyaaaaaaa!”

The Demon Dragon, lifting its head stiffly, let out a piercing roar.

The eardrum-shattering sound made Carl frown slightly as he turned to look at Instructor Frahan.

“Have you ever fought a Demon Dragon before?”

“It wasn’t a real dragon, but I did get an extermination commission during my time as Knight Commander. It was a pretty strong foe.”

Instructor Frahan rolled up his sleeve and showed his forearm.

A burn scar, as if scorched by something, was clearly visible.

That meant it had pierced through various protective Artifacts and the superhuman resistance of a Sword Master to leave such a wound.

“Still, it probably isn’t a real Demon Dragon. I don’t feel the same overwhelming pressure as back then.”

“Agreed.”

Carl nodded.

He wasn’t sure what kind of magic it was, but it was likely a barrier or Formation Technique that manifested a virtual enemy.

Ultimately, the purpose was to drain the energy of those trapped inside.

“I’ll take the vanguard. I ask for your support.”

“…Can you trust me?”

“Of course not.”

At Carl’s question, Instructor Frahan grinned and stepped forward.

“If you don’t want to be sliced along with the Demon Dragon, you’d best behave.”

Boom!

With that, he kicked off the ground and hurled himself fearlessly at the Demon Dragon, who was radiating fierce Demonic Energy.

‘What a hero.’

Carl gave a wry smile.

There had been a few martial artists with such a bold atmosphere back in the Central Plains too.

Those who were confident in their skills and full of experience, always exuding composure.

They weren’t close, but conversations with them would often go surprisingly well.

Ta-ta-da-dak!

Carl also leapt at the Demon Dragon, following behind Instructor Frahan.

His concentrated Aura Blade shot out long and tore through the Demon Dragon’s Demonic Energy.

At first, he thought it would be an easy takedown, but perhaps because its body was deliberately and meticulously manifested, it wasn’t as easy to break through as expected.

“…That’s not Demonic Energy, is it?”

Seeing the swirling energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art from Carl’s sword, Instructor Frahan narrowed his brow and spoke doubtfully.

After all, it looked identical to the power that Vento had used.

But with the perception of a Sword Master, he must have sensed that it was different from the Demonic Energy of a Demon Human.

“See for yourself.”

Tap!

In an instant, Carl soared into the air over Instructor Frahan and swung his sword mightily.

『Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash』

The secret technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art unfolded.

Under the overwhelming downpour of Aura Blade from the sky, the Demon Dragon’s body was crushed, and it let out a cry of agony.

“Kieeeek!”

The creature flapped its wings in an attempt to fly upward, but Instructor Frahan, who had already slipped underneath, didn’t let it go.

“I can’t just let that happen. I struggled so much back then trying to take down a Demon Dragon that flew into the sky.”

While floating with Air-Walking, Carl closely observed Instructor Frahan.

Swish.

The released Energy Wave enveloped the Demon Dragon entirely.

Soon, it segmented the area, dissecting its domain and exposing the Demon Dragon’s weak points.

It was the same application method of Arachne, the secret technique he had passed on to Laysis.

Zhe-je-je-je-jeok─!

The swung greatsword shredded the Demon Dragon’s wing.

As flesh and blood scattered through the air, Instructor Frahan, perched atop the Demon Dragon’s head, brought his greatsword down.

Clang!

With a thunderous crash, the Demon Dragon plummeted to the ground.

It looked like he was trying to smash the head into the ground, but unfortunately, the dragon’s scales were too tough, and Instructor Frahan lacked the power to follow through.

“Tch…!”

As the Demon Dragon’s head began to slowly stir again, he clicked his tongue and tried to step away.

But Carl, descending from the air, suddenly reached out near him.

“That’s not how you use force.”

Thud!

His clenched fist struck the hilt of the greatsword.

The blade, which had been loosely lodged and unable to penetrate the scales, finally wedged itself through a gap, piercing bone and flesh.

“Haaaaah!!!”

It was widely known that a dragon’s weakness was the heart containing the infamous Dragon Heart, but if the brain was destroyed by piercing the skull, the heart’s strength would be rendered meaningless.

Especially for a Lesser Dragon, rather than aiming for the half-baked Dragon Heart, targeting the head was far more effective.

Squish.

The greatsword tore through the Demon Dragon’s skull and skewered through to its mouth.

The Demon Dragon struggled desperately to escape, but soon lost strength and collapsed entirely.

Fssshhh.

Its massive body began to crumble into powder.

Pulling out the greatsword, Instructor Frahan wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up.

“So, what should I call you?”

“NOX.”

“NOX, huh.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Did you have something to do with the entrance exam incident at Bayern?”

“I’ve explained countless times—we were actually trying to stop it.”

“Just kidding. I’m aware of the context.”

Instructor Frahan shrugged.

The terrorism that occurred back then had already been exposed in full.

The organization that carried it out was personally crushed by the Imperial Family.

Just as Carl had said, for whatever reason, NOX had shown movements to stop the terror instead.

There were even testimonies from cadets who had received help, and more importantly, they had even defeated the Red Drake that attacked the cadets.

‘Could he have a son attending Bayern?’

A suspicion crossed his mind.

From the sound of NOX’s voice, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a son or two.

Carl, unaware of Instructor Frahan’s musings, looked at the slowly dissipating barrier and said,

“Stay alert. It seems the real thing is just beginning.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Defeating the Demon Dragon had thwarted the enemy’s scheme.

But what did he mean by the real beginning?

Just as Instructor Frahan was about to voice his doubt, the darkness cleared, revealing the outside.

“……”

Dozens of Demon Humans surrounded them, emanating sharp killing intent.

Seeing this, Instructor Frahan let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“To think Althausen had rotted this far.”

“There was a sealed-off space beneath the mansion. That must have been their base of operations—with the cooperation of your Family Head.”

“……”

If it was Althausen’s mistake, it was as good as his own.

Craack.

Instructor Frahan gripped the hilt of his greatsword with force.

He intended to settle the family’s mistake with his own hands.

Even if it meant he wouldn’t be able to return to Bayern when the sun rose tomorrow.

“It’s shameless to say this upon our first meeting, but… would you help me?”

Instructor Frahan couldn’t understand why NOX was blocking these enemies and helping him.

But given his circumstances, he didn’t have the luxury to question it, so he spoke to Carl with sincerity.

“No need for talk of help or whatever. These bastards were my goal from the beginning.”

Zzzzzzz.

The Demonic Energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art began to unravel.

It instantly swept through the Althausen mansion, filled with the killing intent of the Demon Humans, forming a perfectly balanced standoff with them.

Standing so close, Instructor Frahan realized the man’s strength far exceeded what he had imagined.

‘Where did a man like this come from…?’

A mysterious figure who used a power similar to but different from Demonic Energy and wielded sacred techniques akin to Holy Swords.

He didn’t know who Carl was, but for now, it wasn’t a bad situation for him.

“I’ll take half.”

“Alright.”

As Instructor Frahan nodded, Carl suddenly kicked off the ground and charged forward.

But in truth, his target wasn’t the scattered Demon Humans around them.

They were just disposable pawns anyway.

‘Vento.’

If he was cooperating with the Head of House Althausen, he was effectively the real leader here.

If he could capture him and extract information, he might be able to find out where Ascalon, the leader of Origin, was.

Shwaaak!

A sharp slash butchered the Demon Humans.

But Vento was already gone—Carl couldn’t even sense his presence.

There was no way he had escaped the mansion in that short time, which meant he had hidden somewhere.

‘There it is.’

A corner of the mansion lobby.

It was likely connected to the passage that led to Origin’s base.

Tap!

Moving swiftly, Carl entered the mansion’s lobby.

He cut down any Demon Human who blocked his path without hesitation and struck the underground passage he sensed with full force.

KWAANG!

Decorations and the stairs nearby were shattered, revealing the path leading downward.

As he dropped down, a trap triggered as if waiting for him.

BOOM!

A powerful explosion erupted, followed by a flurry of concealed weapons.

Judging by the strange sensation in his body, they had even used poison.

‘…This isn’t from the Central Plains.’

He momentarily suspected it might have been a transplanted trap formation from the Central Plains, but unfortunately, its nature was slightly different.

It was something that could just as well have come from Artenia, so it wasn’t worth regretting.

Tahat!

Carl raced down the passage without pause.

His body outpaced the activation of the traps, pushing further inward.

Bang! Tatatat! Bang!

He deflected the rain of concealed weapons with his Aura Guard and endured the poison and other effects with his ki shout.

After all, a single breath of energy flow would cleanse them all.

Tap.

At last, Carl reached the end of the passage.

He could sense a presence ahead, meaning the target hadn’t gotten far.

As he stepped inside, he entered a large space reminiscent of NOX’s training hall.

“……”

Carl lowered his sword and walked forward slowly.

At the far end, Vento was waiting for him, overflowing with the composure of someone who had lured him there deliberately.

“Incredible. I didn’t think you’d chase all the way here from such a tiny clue.”

“You speak as if you were the one who summoned me here.”

“That too was part of the plan. I just didn’t expect you to bite so eagerly. Thanks to you, though it’s not complete yet…”

Clunk.

The ceiling opened, and several figures dropped down.

They were Demon Humans who exuded an even more powerful presence than those encountered outside.

Regardless, Carl looked at them with calm eyes.

No matter how many Demon Humans came out, the outcome wouldn’t change.

“Because of you, we had to change many of our plans. Especially this one.”

Vento held something in his hand.

It was a Mana Bead manufactured and sold by the Madeira Trading House.

“How did you even come up with something this groundbreaking? It’s truly remarkable. I doubt we’ll see another invention like this in the next hundred years.”

“It’s not quite that impressive.”

“No, the potential of Mana Beads is limitless. They’re not just for boosting power. You probably only saw that far with your mind, but you should’ve seen it earlier.”

With a grin, Vento gestured, and the nearby Demon Humans pulled something from their garments.

They weren’t Madeira’s Mana Beads—but Black Beads created by Origin.

Crunch.

Without hesitation, they bit and swallowed the Black Beads.

Carl, exhaling briefly in disbelief, raised his sword, and Vento lifted his head with an even darker smile.

“Thanks to you, I found a way to temporarily use these useless fools as vessels. So, I offer you my thanks.”

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