‘Alright… now, the biggest problem so far.’

Aestrea gripped the sword tightly.

‘Elandor, the Sword Duke…’

His eyes locked onto his figure.

Elandor slowly stepped towards him, holding a regular iron sword in his left hand, while his eyes kept analyzing himself.

And then, in an instant, his figure vanished.

Fwoop!

Aestrea barely had time to blink before Elandor was standing directly before him.

“Huh… seems that you weren’t as strong as I thought.”

With a casual smirk, Elandor swung his sword—a clean arc from left to right.

The blade whistled through the air.

Aestrea reacted instinctively—his instincts screamed at him—but it was too fast, too sudden.

The sword grazed his ribs, CRACK—a sickening sound as the bones fractured.

“Tch!”

He gritted his teeth, barely managing to stay on his feet. His left hand went to his side, where blood dripped from the wound, but there was no time to recover.

Before Aestrea could even blink, Elandor was already behind him.

“You move too slowly,” Elandor taunted, his sword flashing again.

WHOOSH!

Aestrea twisted, raising his sword in a desperate block, but the force of the strike threw him off balance.

His sword slipped from his hand, clattering against the stone floor.

He tried to step back—his vision blurry, his body screaming in pain—but Elandor didn’t allow it.

With terrifying precision, Elandor delivered a low slash that cut through the side of Aestrea’s leg, deep enough to make him stumble, his knee buckling.

“Pathetic,” Elandor muttered as he effortlessly stepped forward, bringing his sword down with a deadly force.

Aestrea tried to roll to the side, but the tip of the sword grazed his shoulder.

Bone shattered as Elandor’s attack found its mark, and Aestrea cried out in agony, his body slamming into the cold floor.

CRASH!

Aestrea barely moved as Elandor stood over him, his sword raised once again.

“You’re just like the others,” Elandor said, almost disappointed.

“Weak, pitiful.”

Screech!

Aestrea’s breath was ragged, his vision blurred.

He couldn’t keep up.

His limbs felt like lead. Every time he tried to dodge or counter, Elandor was there, faster, more brutal.

SMASH!

Another powerful strike sent Aestrea flying back, his back crashing against the stone wall with a sickening thud.

Pain shot through him, and he could feel his body losing its strength.

His ribs—broken.

His arm was fractured.

His breath was coming in ragged gasps.

Yet, despite the blood pooling on the floor beneath him, despite the cracks in his body, Aestrea didn’t stop.

‘Just a little bit more…’

‘Just enough to make the Emperor careless…’

Aestrea thought inwardly, awaiting the perfect moment.

He didn’t even use the beast series technique to make sure that he had enough mana.

Then, Elandor took a step forward, his sword gleaming in the dim light, a smirk still plastered on his face.

“This is where you die, little knight.”

Aestrea’s vision was fading.

His head spun, and his mind grew foggy.

He could feel his body giving in.

The wall behind him felt cold.

He could barely raise his head, his eyes dull beneath the dark mask, but his smile came nonetheless.

“…Perfect.”

A grim smile that said everything.

The Sword Duke’s gaze faltered for just a moment.

“What…?”

SLICE!

Aestrea’s movements were barely noticeable to the human eye.

But with the last shred of his will, he slashed out, his hand flicking in the air like a dart, a subtle gesture.

Suddenly, time stopped.

Aestrea’s body flickered, his broken body shifting as though it was never even there.

The air froze.

His pain was still there, but the world around him stood still.

『 Time Freeze (✯ 9th-Level Spell ✯) 』

Time had come to a halt.

“Now… It’s finally time to make you feel the damage I took.”

Aestrea’s eyes glowed intensely.

His fingers twitched as he muttered under his breath, as the red mana crackled around his finger, just like lightning.

『 Damage Delay (✯ ???-Level Spell ✯) 』

His hand hovered on the Sword Duke’s iron armor chest, as the very air seemed to pulse with a strange vibration as Aestrea’s mana swirled crazily.

He pressed down on the armor, and a feeling of suffocating pressure grew, like the air itself was being sucked out of the room.

“Impacto.”

In an instant, a pulse of mana exploded from his touch, surging into the iron armor, however, it didn’t react immediately.

Then, without hesitation, Aestrea dashed towards the Emperor.

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a Mana Elixir, popping the stopper and drinking it down immediately.

Snap…!

He snapped his fingers and…

『 Damage Transfer (✯ ???-Level Spell ✯) 』

FWOOOP!

BAAAM!

Before anyone could react, the Sword Duke was thrown like a ragdoll.

He slammed against the stone walls with a sickening thud, his body collapsing to the ground in a heap, blood spilling from his mouth.

The Emperor’s eyes widened in pure panic, his body jerking as he stood in shock

But as he stood up, he felt a shadow looming over him.

“Sit down, motherfucker.”

Aestrea’s voice came in a cryptic tone, making it impossible to know that it was him.

BAAM!

Before the Emperor could comprehend what was happening, Aestrea’s boot crashed into his chest.

The force sent him slamming back into his throne.

The air was forced from his lungs, and the imprint of Aestrea’s boot stayed on his stomach like a brand.

Then, Aestrea reached down and grabbed the Emperor by the neck.

His fingers closed around the Emperor’s throat, tightening with such force that it was impossible to breathe.

His mask, cracked but still in place, concealed most of his face, but the dark, twisted smirk was all too visible.

The Emperor’s eyes darted around, panic rising in his chest.

He could barely breathe, his voice trembling as he stammered.

“W-what do you w-want?”

He was extremely scary, but his eyes frantically darted behind Aestrea.

Not to the Sword Duke…

But to something… that only he could see.

“…I want your life. But don’t worry, I won’t take it yet. I want to make sure you understand just how much pain you’ll feel before that.”

Aestrea’s eyes glowed intensely even though no one could see them.

“…But first…” Aestrea’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“I’ll leave a little mark.”

SPLURT!

Aestrea’s sword pierced the Emperor’s leg.

The blade sank into the flesh with a sickening squelch, and the Emperor’s scream ripped through the air.

“ARGHHAA!”

Aestrea twisted the blade slowly.

Blood poured from the wound as the Emperor’s scream turned into a gurgled, desperate cry. Aestrea twisted the blade again, deepening the wound, pulling the flesh apart.

The scream only grew louder, the sound of it echoing through the empty halls, ripping into the Emperor’s very soul.

“AGGAAH!”

The Emperor’s voice broke, his body shuddering in agony, his hands scrambling to push Aestrea away, but he was too weak, too terrified.

ZOOOOM!

Suddenly, a strong aura flared up behind Aestrea, the air vibrating with deadly intent.

Aestrea turned his head, just in time to see the Sword Duke rising to his feet.

“I admit, I underestimated you…” Elandor’s voice was strained, blood dripping from his mouth as he wiped his chin.

His sword was now enveloped in a dark brown, swirling aura.

His eyes glinted with a hunger to kill.

“BUT THIS TIME… YOU’LL SURELY DIE!”

FWOOP!

Elandor shot forward, his speed terrifying.

Unlike before, Aestrea could see him now—he was coming straight for him.

Aestrea didn’t flinch.

His attention was still on the Emperor.

“I’ll be back for your life later…”

Swoop!

The Sword Duke materialized before Aestrea in an instant, his sword raised high, poised to cleave him in two.

But, at that moment, Aestrea’s lips curled into a small, chilling smile.

Then, he snapped his fingers.

『 Time Freeze (✯ 9th-Level Spell ✯) 』

Time stopped once again.

The world froze in place.

Every movement, every breath, every beat of the heart halted in an instant.

The Emperor, still holding his leg in agony, his face twisted in horror, was frozen in place.

Elandor, too, was locked in time, his sword mid-strike, his body suspended in the air.

“Haaah…”

Aestrea let out a deep sigh.

Then, he turned around and dashed away from that place, leaving both of them alone. Not that there were just two of them there…

Fwoop!

Time continued…

SWOOP!

Elandor’s sword, which had been moments away from cleaving Aestrea’s skull, came down—empty air where his target had been.

Elandor froze.

Aestrea had disappeared.

Suddenly, Elandor turned toward the Emperor.

Heyes narrowed as he saw the Emperor’s body twitching in complete agony.

It was the first time he had seen the Emperor so powerless, so weak.

His chest rose and fell, but he still held onto his leg, eyes locked in a horrified stare.

“MAKE SURE TO FIND THAT SON OF A BITCH AND BRING ME BACK HIS FUCKING HEAD!”

His voice was loud like a broken command, dripping with rage and fear.

His forehead bulged with veins, a stark reminder of his complete loss of control.

Elandor didn’t waste a moment.

His lips curled into a grim line as he simply nodded and vanished away.

And as soon as he vanished, the Emperor’s scream tore through the room.

“FUCK, FUCK, FUCKING HELL!”

But as the Emperor continued screaming, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

It was dangerous, yet oddly charming, dripping with a kind of sickly sweetness.

“Why, calm down, dear Francis~”

Then, from the air itself, she appeared.

A woman with skin as pale as snow stepped forward, her red eyes glowing softly in the dim light.

Her long, black hair shimmered as it cascaded down her back like a dark waterfall.

Her outfit was revealing, hugging her figure tightly and leaving little to the imagination.

The fabric clung to her curves, showing off her long, smooth legs and delicate arms.

She wore a tight, dark dress that barely reached her thighs, with the edges of her clothes shimmering as if they were alive.

Her face was perfect.

Delicate eyebrows arched over her eyes, her cheeks soft and smooth.

There was a small, seductive mark just beside her left eyebrow, adding to her seductive, alluring look.

The Emperor’s breath caught in his throat.

His mouth went dry as he stared at her, unable to speak for a moment.

“L-Lilith…”

She smiled.

The smile was dangerous, yet impossibly charming, like a trap he couldn’t avoid.

“I-I…” he stammered again, struggling to find words.

Lilith’s finger raised, glowing with mana.

She gently lifted his chin, forcing him to look into her piercing red eyes.

The Emperor’s face flushed instantly, his cheeks turning a deep red.

His heart pounded in his chest as he felt extremely weak under her gaze.

“Shhh…”

“Don’t speak. Just listen.”

The Emperor froze, his body trembling.

Her voice was like velvet, and he found himself mesmerized by her presence.

“You don’t need to worry, my dear.” Her lips curled into a smirk, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light.

“You’ll definitely kill him.”

Her words were like a promise, but the Emperor didn’t know if he was ready for it.

“And when you do… I’ll reward you~” Lilith giggled softly, and the sound was like music to his ears, but it sent a shiver down his spine.

The Emperor swallowed hard, his throat dry.

He couldn’t stop himself from nodding, his mind clouded with desire and fear.

“I’ll do anything for you!” he said, his voice now full of determination, as if he believed that would be enough.

Lilith smirked, her eyes glowing with satisfaction.

“Great…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep