Chapter 176: Whose Fault Is It (1)

A strange, unfathomable power enveloped Raion.

Malphas felt the once-fading energy within Raion rapidly surge back to life.

“What did you do?”

“You’ll see. Don’t you know what recovery looks like?”

A faint smile formed on Raion’s face as he immediately aimed his hand toward Malphas.

“…And I can also do this. Concrete Shell.”

The ground beneath Malphas began to writhe. Ash-gray sand shot upward, surrounding the area.

It formed a rough, shell-like structure—massive and coarse.

From inside, the muffled sounds of Malphas struggling to break free echoed violently.

Bang! Bang—!

Then, unable to withstand the pressure, the ashen shell shattered to pieces and scattered across the ground.

“Was that kind of magic even a thing?”

“If you insist, you could call it magic. But it’s not just that. Concrete Spike.”

With the next incantation, the ground continued to tremble.

“Did you think I’d fall for such a trick again?”

Malphas moved away from his original spot, nearing the canyon wall.

At that moment, dozens of sharp, gray fangs burst out from the rock face.

Chachachachachak—! Puffpuffpuff!

Raion’s assault didn’t end there.

“Keep blocking if you can. Concrete Wall! Concrete Spike!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chachachachachak—!

Thick gray walls and jagged spikes closed in mercilessly around Malphas.

“Aaaargh! What the hell is this?!”

Flames burst from Malphas’s hands in irritation, but the ashen forms didn’t burn—they only darkened, charred black.

Strangely, magic of water, wind, and earth attributes had no effect on them.

Even lightning, which should have delivered the most destructive shock, was useless.

Bzzzzzt—!

“What kind of magic is this supposed to be?”

Of course, it wasn’t enough to deliver any fatal damage to Malphas.

But little by little, it was hurting him.

[Target Information]

Name: Malphas

Age: 1,911

Race: Demon

Occupation: Count of the Demon Realm

HP: 9,819 / 9,999

Stamina: 9,210 / 9,500

Mana: 27,050 / 34,230

Just a little bit at a time.

Raion kept moving only his hand, continuously launching his Concrete magic toward Malphas.

‘I came up with this to counter their fighting styles… but I didn’t think it’d actually work.’

Like Decarsen before him, Malphas freely manipulated mana.

If Raion had been an ordinary swordsman or mage, he would’ve been struck down before even attempting a proper attack.

‘But even so, this kind of attack won’t end it.’

Compared to Decarsen, Malphas had similar stamina but nearly twice the mana.

Just earlier, he had even summoned a Death Knight to block the White Lightning Flash Aura.

“Krraaaah! Syahid pengecut ti Tanah Rusak, sato galak bernafas liar anu dikorbankeun (Cowardly martyr of the tainted land, savage beast whose breath was once offered in sacrifice)!”

A long, guttural chant flowed from Malphas’s mouth.

“Gugah! (Rise!) Baphomet!”

Concentrated mana gathered into the air.

Its density was suffocating. The black mist thickened, obscuring vision, and slowly took form.

A Baphomet.

Its head and legs resembled a goat’s, but its massive body was that of a muscular man.

From its back sprouted enormous black feathered wings.

“Was there ever a monster like that?”

Raion couldn’t recall any such creature from his studies or readings.

Meanwhile, Malphas’s smile grew darker and more sinister.

“There’s no longer a choice to be made. Die.”

The moment he spoke, Baphomet’s eyes gleamed sharply—and then its figure vanished.

A giant hand suddenly appeared before Raion’s eyes, sweeping toward him.

Shwaaaa—!

Raion dodged the blow and shouted,

“Concrete Wall! Concrete Spike!”

Walls and fangs of concrete erupted from every direction.

Boom! Boom! Kwoom!

Even as it took those hits, Baphomet’s gaze remained fixed solely on Raion.

“Concrete Shell!”

Bang—!

Gray ripples burst from the wall, wrapping around Baphomet and trapping it.

Of course, Raion knew it wouldn’t hold for long.

Boom!

With overwhelming force, Baphomet shattered the gray concrete apart.

“Did you truly think you could imprison my Baphomet with that?”

Perhaps because Raion appeared to be struggling, Malphas, still full of pride, seemed convinced the battle was decided.

Then Raion spoke, as if waiting for that very moment.

“Are you clever… or just stupid?”

“…What?”

“Even with your weakness exposed, you still rush in. Is that supposed to be bravery?”

“What nonsense are you—”

Before Malphas could finish, Raion lowered the hand he had kept ready.

“Concrete Meteor.”

It wasn’t a spell, but a declaration.

Sensing something off, Baphomet’s head tilted upward.

A massive, burning boulder loomed directly overhead.

Kwaaaang—!

It was a giant sphere of rock, large enough to fill half the canyon’s width.

The impact shook the entire valley, collapsing cliffs in all directions.

Hovering in midair, Malphas was left dumbfounded by the sight before him.

“An ordinary human could cast that kind of magic? No—he looks more like a swordsman…”

A realm beyond Swordmaster—one who commanded even the light of Zigasis.

The domain of the Master Emperor.

It wasn’t enough that he had shown such power already—judging from the magic he displayed so far, he had clearly reached the level of the 5th Circle or higher.

Of course, one couldn’t truly compare a human to a demon.

Yet the human standing before Malphas was fighting him on equal footing.

What kind of human could ever fight a demon like this?

“Don’t tell me… you’re one of the Divine Race!”

“Divine Race? What nonsense are you spouting?”

“…No. If one of the Divine Race had descended to the Middle Realm, I would have noticed immediately.”

At Malphas’s muttering, Raion tilted his head slightly in confusion.

Then, the massive concrete sphere dominating the center of the canyon began to tremble.

Ku-kung…! Kung…!

“He survived that?”

Standing some distance away, Raion watched as remnants of the Meteor began to move.

The Baphomet, now even larger than before, slowly rose, its entire body dyed pitch-black.

Kuaaaaah!

Its goat-like jaws stretched open past ninety degrees as a monstrous roar erupted.

It looked absolutely enraged.

At that moment, Raion’s body shot forward.

Shwaaaak!

The most crucial element in focusing the aura of the White Lightning Flash was—time.

The roar of Baphomet, still straining beneath the massive rock, abruptly ceased.

It no longer moved.

Raion stopped behind it just as Baphomet’s body split diagonally—from its lower right waist to its upper left shoulder.

Kuung—!

The boulder, losing its support, sank straight down.

“To think you’d destroy my Baphomet with such means…! You’re no ordinary creature after all!”

Malphas’s robe flared violently in the wind.

Overwhelmed by excitement after repeated defeats, he could barely contain his mana.

“You kept sending useless puppets one after another. Are you finally going to fight me yourself now?”

“You have yet to face true terror!”

“That’s what I was about to say.”

Raion charged, coating his sword with the thinned aura of the White Lightning Flash.

Swaaak! Swak—!

Each stroke left a blazing trail in the air, while Malphas moved swiftly enough to leave afterimages behind.

Before long, his figure appeared several steps back.

“You should consider it an honor to face me personally…!”

“Funny, Decarsen said something similar.”

“If you dare to equate me with that fool, you won’t even realize when death comes for you!”

Just like with Decarsen, he didn’t seem able to use offensive magic immediately.

Malphas tossed aside his fluttering robe, then wrapped himself in the mana surging from his entire body.

It resembled the moment Decarsen awakened when driven into a corner.

The cocoon-like shroud of mana swelled, then began to flake away from the top like dust.

When it cleared, Malphas reappeared—his body transformed into something resembling a radiant bird turned human, feathers shimmering in every color of the rainbow.

“How about this! Is my glorious form not magnificent? You’ve witnessed it, so take it as an honor—and die!”

As he shouted, he spread his wings wide, wind howling like a typhoon.

Sensing something wrong, Raion urgently swung his sword, its blade charged with White Lightning Flash aura.

Cha-cha-cheng! Cha-cheng!

Something invisible clattered to the ground around him.

“So you’re a fraud after all. You fling invisible feathers and pretend it’s the wind?”

They weren’t truly invisible; rather, the light refracted off them so rapidly that they blended into the background.

Even now, when viewed from a certain angle, the feathers embedded in the ground shimmered faintly, betraying their presence.

“This is only the beginning!”

Malphas’s wings flapped faster.

Winds spun round and round, forming a colossal vortex centered on Raion.

Malphas entered the maelstrom, laughter echoing.

“Hahaha! I’ll acknowledge your power! But you’ll witness your true end—by my hands!”

Raion steadied his stance, calculating from which direction Malphas might strike.

Then, he sensed a murderous presence from the left.

‘What—?’

He quickly adjusted his posture.

Just then, the Death Knight he had defeated earlier burst out, swinging its sword at him.

Shwaaaak!

Cha-cheng! Chwaak!

The concentrated White Lightning Flash aura sliced through the Death Knight cleanly.

“What is this now?”

It felt like cutting through empty air.

The sensation lingered only briefly before fading.

From within the obscuring vortex, a horde of Pitch-Black Ogres emerged.

“He can summon faster than before now?”

There had been no audible incantation this time.

Perhaps he was chanting from concealment.

Yet Malphas was clearly in the very center of the swirling winds, flapping his wings.

Chwaak! Chwachwachwak—!

Raion swiftly cut down the oncoming ogres, then kicked off the ground, soaring upward.

It was to confront Malphas directly.

At that moment, five Baphomets burst forth from beyond the storm.

Not one—five.

Each radiated an overwhelming aura of pitch-black energy.

‘So when he awakens, he can summon this many?’

The first summoning had required an exceptionally long chant from Malphas.

Raion gathered the White Lightning Flash aura more tightly and swung.

Maintaining the Fly spell while moving within the vortex was difficult.

Yet, even as he fought to stay centered, he dodged the Baphomets’ precise strikes and countered.

Chwachak! Cha-cheng—! Chwachwachwak!

Blinding streaks of white lightning traced across the whirling storm.

After cutting down the Baphomets one after another, Raion fixed his gaze sharply on Malphas.

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