Chapter 215: Conference (7)

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Vento looked back after leaving the Althausen estate.

Seeing the barrier rippling around the estate, it seemed the mercenary hired at a high price was doing his job.

“He’s a cunning one, so he won’t stay until the end.”

He had tried multiple times to coax him into becoming a Demon Human, but had failed each time.

That’s why he bound him with money, but if his life were at risk, he would flee without hesitation.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as he created a momentary gap, he could tear off the leech clinging to his throat without notice.

Creak.

Vento boarded the carriage waiting at the back gate of the estate.

Even without a word, the coachman gripped the reins and naturally began ascending away from the estate.

“I’d rather he followed me.”

Vento was well aware of Origin’s long-standing feud with NOX.

However, at that time, he was being pursued by the Holy Nation, so he couldn’t act openly.

Lord Ascalion had also ordered to leave the interesting fellow alone for the time being.

‘To not use such a good material would be a sin.’

Clink.

Vento took out a glass vial about the size of a finger joint from his chest.

It was one of the most important ingredients for making Black Beads—a liquid condensed with demonic energy.

He had endured countless years to create this.

But the bigger problem came after the concentrate was made.

“The volatility was too strong.”

Because the demonic energy had been forcibly condensed, the balance was unstable.

To make use of it, it had to maintain its form, but more than half would vanish after just one night, causing him endless headaches.

Unless it was sealed with magic and special treatment like the glass vial he now held, it was useless.

However, treating every distributed bottle this way wasn’t cost-effective.

That was when he noticed the Mana Beads that had become a sensation in the Empire.

“When I first saw them, I could only be appalled.”

Mana Beads weren’t entirely new.

From the past to the present, there had always been items in various forms and names that increased mana.

But the Mana Beads were perfect.

They had almost no side effects, and every product delivered consistent effects.

The researchers on his side said the formula was so ingenious that even a genius couldn’t analyze it, making it nearly impossible to replicate.

The easiest method would have been to coax or kidnap the creator—but amusingly, NOX was involved in that.

—We’ve arrived.

As Vento, lost in recollection, opened his eyes, the carriage had already arrived at its destination, far from the Althausen estate.

He stepped down quietly and entered the underground through the back door of a tavern.

Step. Step.

The passageway was empty.

Of course, it was only made to feel that way.

There were spaces on both sides where members of Origin resided.

Unless one was a Demon Human, setting foot here would result in immediate attack and certain death.

That was why Vento wanted NOX to reach this place.

It was a rare opportunity to obtain both the secret of the Mana Beads and such a powerful sample.

“Vento.”

“It’s been a while.”

As he entered deeper, he saw a man seated at a table.

Vento slightly bowed in response to the greeting and hung his coat on the side.

“I heard the news. The estate was attacked.”

“The underground facility has already been completely disposed of. The agents inside as well…”

Vento checked his wristwatch.

“They should all be dealt with by now.”

“Did you use the Black Beads?”

“There was no other way to stop the opponent. NOX was stronger than expected.”

“Hm.”

Dion, the branch manager of Origin, tapped his forehead in thought.

“I hadn’t heard of such a number of people being mobilized.”

“Oh, it was just one person. At least Master-class in strength, and wielding a powerful divine weapon. He shattered my barrier with ease, forcing me to flee.”

“A divine weapon, you say.”

“Yes. It seems to be a Holy Sword. We should certainly be cautious of that.”

“Indeed. I’ll report the rest to the higher-ups. And you?”

“I’ll be moving to another lab. The Black Beads research is nearing its end.”

“Try to remove the side effects. The one I took last time upset my stomach.”

“Ha ha, understood.”

Vento let out a hearty laugh.

Even the average Demon Human, upon consuming a Black Bead, would go berserk briefly before dying from the surge of energy.

But the man before him was different.

Even before becoming a Demon Human, he had reached the level of a Master, and after transforming, had gained even greater power.

He was said to have once been a famous mercenary, but Vento had never heard the name Dion before.

“Well then, I’ll be on my wa—”

Boom.

The underground base shook.

At the clearly abnormal phenomenon, Dion furrowed his brow and looked up.

“Did you bring a tail?”

“Apologies. It seems that was the case, unintentionally.”

“For someone apologizing, you can’t seem to wipe that smile off your face.”

“Would it be possible to capture them alive? I’d like to use them for experimentation.”

“I’ll try. We’ll also have to prepare a ransom.”

“Don’t worry about that. Generously…”

Crash!

The wall collapsed.

A new path had opened, directly connecting from beyond to their location.

Exhaling briefly, Dion stood up with his large frame and spoke.

“Whatever amount you had in mind, double it. If not, don’t expect to retrieve even a single hair.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Vento smiled and left the area.

There was still too much to be done for him to be captured here.

‘Now then.’

NOX and Dion.

He was quite curious to see which of the two, shrouded completely in mystery, would come out on top.

After Vento left, Carl stepped out from the open path.

Brushing off his hands lightly, he looked toward Dion, who remained alone, and then turned his gaze behind him.

“Ran off already? Quick on his feet, that one.”

“NOX, I presume.”

Dion observed Carl with keen interest.

He had only heard stories until now; it was his first time facing him in person.

‘A black mask, a slim build, and nothing else revealed.’

Perhaps it was some magical device, but he couldn’t discern Carl’s hair or facial features.

It was undoubtedly due to that pitch-black mask.

Crack.

But that didn’t matter.

He could just knock him out and pull it off afterward.

Boom.

It was Dion who made the first move.

He swung his fist with full force, attempting to gauge the strength of his opponent.

Usually, when attacking head-on like this, the opponent reacted in one of two ways.

Either they dodged or faced it directly.

He was fine with either.

If Carl dodged, he’d chase him down and crush him, and if he met it head-on, he’d mock that arrogance and crush him anyway.

Clang!

Carl chose the latter.

He blocked the swinging punch with his own, stopping it right at the center.

Dion grinned and tried to overpower him with brute force, but he was soon forced to narrow his brow.

‘What’s this?’

Despite Carl’s much smaller frame, he wasn’t being overpowered.

In fact, seeing him so unfazed suggested he hadn’t even begun to exert his full strength.

“Interesting.”

His mouth twisted into a wide grin.

Recently, he had been laying low due to circulating rumors, reducing his activities.

This was a perfect opportunity to let his itching body loose.

Boom.

The suppressed demonic energy burst forth and mercilessly weighed down the surroundings.

‘As expected.’

Facing Dion head-on, Carl narrowed his eyes.

To think someone of this level would appear this soon when looking back just a bit.

Among NOX, there were perhaps only five others besides himself and King who could handle him.

It seemed Origin, being a much older organization than NOX, indeed had formidable reserves.

“Had it been any other day, I might’ve entertained you longer…”

“Entertain me?”

At Carl’s words, Dion bared his teeth in a grin.

“I’m not sure who’s supposed to be entertaining whom.”

Crash!

A shockwave exploded in the air.

Dion broke away from the locked fists and ruthlessly struck at the void.

Carl crossed his arms to block, but an overwhelming barrage of force came crashing down.

Boom!

It was like a bomb had gone off.

Under the torrent of punches, Carl’s body was driven back and collapsed along with the wall.

“That’s barely a tickle. Care to entertain me a bit more?”

“……”

Carl unfolded his crossed arms and slowly lifted his head.

Seeing that, Dion narrowed his eyes again.

‘He took no damage?’

He had landed dozens of direct hits.

He concentrated all his strength on Carl’s body, and yet not even his expression had changed.

Was he bluffing?

Or had some kind of magic or artifact absorbed the damage?

“That’s not how you’re supposed to throw a punch.”

“…What?”

“I once knew a master of fist-and-leg techniques. According to him—”

Clench.

Carl tightened his fist.

“A punch should be like lightning.”

Rumble—!

Lightning raged.

Maybe it was just a feeling, but it truly felt like thunder was roaring.

“A kick like a storm.”

Boom!

Carl had already closed the distance and swung his fist.

Compared to his own attacks, it seemed laughably slow, but strangely, Dion couldn’t find a way to block or dodge.

Crack!

The moment the fist landed, Dion let out a silent groan.

He was flung backward, slammed into the wall, and his body even folded in half.

“…Guh!”

It wasn’t until he screamed and spat blood that he realized what had happened.

‘I was overpowered? In strength?’

He couldn’t believe it.

Even if Carl was a Master-level fighter, there should still be a size difference.

When powers are evenly matched, it’s usually those little things that decide the outcome.

Was he saying Dion wasn’t even a match?

Click.

Dion made a quick judgment.

After all he had gone through to reach this point, he wasn’t about to fall here.

Grasping the difference in strength in an instant, Dion pulled out a Black Bead from his coat and swallowed it.

“Relying on such trinkets is why you lose.”

“How dare you…!”

Crackle.

Black sparks erupted as demonic energy surged through Dion’s body.

But Carl only raised a single stream of inner energy.

The force of the Primordial Unity Divine Art coiled around his hand, gathering all his power.

Boom!

Dion launched forward as if to crush Carl entirely.

His skin turned pitch-black, rapidly transforming as if becoming a demon rather than a Demon Human.

“Pathetic thing.”

Clenching his fist, Carl twisted his waist, mimicking the movement of someone once called the Fist King.

Pop!

The crisp sound of air bursting rang through the ears.

At the same time, an unstoppable, straight-line trajectory tore through the air and struck Dion dead center as he flew toward Carl.

Thud.

The massive body was pierced instantly.

Black blood infused with demonic energy splattered everywhere.

With no chance of resistance, Dion’s body crashed loudly to the ground.

The demonic energy that had surged from his body vanished, and his flesh rapidly withered.

“……”

Demon Humans pay a heavy price even in death.

Dion’s soul had likely been claimed by the demon with whom he had made a contract.

Leaving behind a death unworthy of any mourning, Carl followed after Vento.

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