Chapter 226: The Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear (2)

A strange cohabitation had begun.

“Delicious!”

Every day, Hyperion ate the meals Keter prepared, always giving a different reaction while praising the taste. Keter, sharing the table with him, didn’t do anything particularly noticeable. He wasn’t constantly stuck to Hyperion’s side, and sometimes he would be absent for stretches.

And just like that, a week passed in the blink of an eye. Hyperion had learned that Keter’s techniques and cooking were exceptional, while Keter had come to know Hyperion’s daily routine.

Out of twenty-four hours, he spent twelve hours sleeping, seven hours meditating, five hours hunting and thrashing monsters of the Demon Capital.

For the heir of the Fist Emperor, who was one of the nine strongest in the world, Hyperion’s schedule was unimpressive and strange. There was no reason for him to live in isolation in the wilderness, spending days hunting Demon Realm creatures. Others may not understand, but Keter was different; he knew why Hyperion was doing all this.

He’s paving the path toward Prime.

Seven-star Prime was a realm beyond humanity, said to be unattainable by mortals. Some said Prime could only be reached by discarding what was most precious. Anyone who reached that state was, by definition, insane.

“That Fist Emperor is ruthless indeed. Of all the ways to Prime, he chose to make his successor pursue Soul-Shedding.”

Humans liked to record everything, and the transcendent realm of Prime was no exception. Thus, there were four known ways to become Prime: Annihilation, Limitation, Molting, and Soul-Shedding.

Annihilation discarded emotion, leaving only reason; Limitation discarded reason, leaving only emotion; Molting abandoned the human body, transforming into a form of pure soul; and lastly, Soul-Shedding—what Hyperion was attempting—abandoned the self to give birth to a new self.

No one could say which method was safer or faster, as the outcome was unpredictable. All that was known was that these were considered the quickest shortcuts to Prime.

So that’s why he feels different from my past life. Looks like he succeeded in Soul-Shedding.

Soul-Shedding didn’t erase memories, but it completely changed the person. This wasn’t a drawback unique to it; every method forced one to leave behind the bounds of humanity to reach Prime.

The ultimate practice of Soul-Shedding was to repeat what one hated most, over and over, until it became something one loved. In doing so, one drifted apart from the old self, giving rise to a new personality that embraced what was once loathed. If successful, one steps into the realm of Prime.

“And it seems like it’s not working out well right now.”

A Grandmaster could survive a month without food or drink. Yet Hyperion enjoyed gourmet meals and roamed the Demon Capital in search of fights. Eating and fighting: these were surely the things he loved most. It was obvious that he was indulging in such escapades because he found meditating all day unbearable.

“Even if he strays, the fact that he still became Prime means that, with enough resolve, he could probably reach Prime even faster. A monster—he really is a monster,” muttered Keter, clicking his tongue.

Once again, he was struck by how many monsters existed in this world. He had thought there could be no greater genius than this man—no ability more broken—but always, somewhere, another one appeared.

“Where are they all hiding, really?”

Crunch... Crunch...

Keter was preparing corn soup and sparrow meat for dinner when...

“Damn it!”

Hyperion, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and had an angry fit.

“Hey! How long are you going to stay here? I can’t concentrate with you around!”

“Hm, I suppose it has been a while. Decameron, how many days have we been here now?”

“It has been ten days and seven hours,” Decameron replied.

“Ten days already? Guess it’s about time I leave..”

Keter set aside the ingredients and rose to his feet. Hyperion flinched.

“Y-you’re leaving?”

“Of course. Like you said, I can’t stay here forever. And there’s nothing more to see.”

“...Didn’t you say you’d kill me? Are you giving up?”

Hyperion sounded oddly disappointed. Keter only shrugged in silence.

Clang!

Hyperion lashed out, kicking a pot on the ground in frustration.

“Fine, go then! I never wanted to see your face anyway!”

“I’m going.”

Keter left on the spot, not even bothering to pack the dishes he had brought.

Not having expected Keter to really leave, Hyperion reached out belatedly, but couldn’t bring himself to speak. He couldn’t bring himself to ask Keter to come back.

“...What are you doing, Hyperion? Get a grip.”

Smack!

He slapped his own cheek and shook his head vigorously.

“I am the Fist Emperor’s heir. I will become the strongest martial artist in the world.”

Reciting his purpose to himself, Hyperion resumed his posture and returned to meditation. Yet never before had it been so hard to focus.

* * *

“So this is the limit of his perception, huh.”

Of course, Keter hadn’t left. The reason he hadn’t fought Hyperion during those ten days wasn’t because he had grown attached, nor because Hyperion was too strong.

An ambush only works if the opponent never sees it coming.

After observing Hyperion, Keter realized that he never once let his guard down. There wasn’t the slightest opening—not while eating, not in battle, not even while snoring in his sleep. So Keter had prepared a situation to shatter that perfection, and that moment was now.

Keter had tested it hundreds of times to see just how far Hyperion could sense living beings. The result: his detection range was roughly eight hundred meters. So Keter positioned himself at a safe distance—about two thousand meters away—on a cliff overlooking Hyperion in meditation.

He exhaled slowly and extended his right hand. In it appeared Amaranth, a jet-black bow. From his left palm, he drew out White Cloud and nocked it onto the bow.

Hyperion wielded Ein—not the incomplete version Keter once had in his past life, but a complete form of it, likely taught to him by the Fist Emperor himself. Complete Ein was the amplified fusion of aura and mana’s strengths.

Keter had yet to acquire Ein. Of course, he possessed Limitless Archery, which explosively amplified his mind, technique, and body. However, Hyperion’s techniques were no less formidable: Sudden Thunderfist From The Blue, and Divine Ironblood Physique.

If the Thunderfist was the ultimate spear, the Ironblood was the ultimate shield. Hyperion was the very embodiment of contradiction. This meant that Keter had to put everything on the line. If this strike didn’t kill Hyperion, it would be Keter’s death.

Heavenly Strength: Level Five.

Crack!

Keter unleashed Heavenly Strength, exploding his strength and senses.

Creak!!

Keter pulled Amaranth back so tight that it was about to snap under the tension. To hit Hyperion from two thousand meters away, not even a speck of error could be tolerated.

And then...

“Tusk.”

He imbued White Cloud with Tusk, the technique that had slain the Queen Rock Ant in a single blow. Pouring every bit of aura and mana he could muster into it, Keter compressed the power and wrapped it around the arrow. Now, it was five times stronger than the Tusk he had unleashed against the Queen Rock Ant. Yet even that wouldn’t so much as scratch the Fist Emperor’s Divine Ironblood Physique.

“Demon Arrow.”

Zwoosh!

The corrupting power of the Demon Arrow swirled around White Cloud. All thirty shots he had painstakingly saved were loaded into this one strike. At that moment, Amaranth trembled, and a voice resounded in Keter’s head.

—Stop this, Keter. This is madness.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Amaranth, who until now had never once spoken to Keter first, suddenly addressed him.

“What’s so mad about it? I don’t see the problem.”

—Hyperion is an Ein user. You know what that means. He is not someone you can defeat. No matter what you do, you cannot win.

“And you know so much about Hyperion, yet so little about me. You should know that when someone tells me I can’t, that’s when I want to do it even more.”

—Fool! If you die, I’ll be trapped here with you in exile!

In response to Amaranth’s anger, Keter grinned slyly.

“That’s why I told you before that you’ll have to give it your all too. That Marksman of the Demon Arrow you’re hiding... Wouldn’t that raise my chances of beating Hyperion, even if only a little?”

Amaranth’s true power wasn’t just the Demon Arrow; it was becoming the Marksman. By enveloping the person in the power of corruption, it fused offense and defense into one. On top of that, even the corruptive power was greatly amplified, making every Demon Arrow fired by the Marksman a true one-shot, one-kill strike.

—You want to use the Marksman for free? After already getting one Demon Arrow a day for free, and even being able to save them?

“Curse me all you want. So, are you lending it or not?”

—Five years. Give me five years of your lifespan, and I’ll be your Marksman in this battle.

It was an extremely generous deal from Amaranth’s perspective, as becoming the Marksman of the Demon Arrow required it to channel its divine power as well. In that sense, five years of Keter’s life were merely the minimum price Amaranth needed to break even.

“No.”

—What?!

“Just let me use it this once, for free.”

—Your greed burns hotter than the sun, and is deeper than Leviathan’s gut!

“Then how about this: if I die, I’ll give you my body.”

—Huh?!

“Even if I kill Hyperion, I’ll give it to you. I promise.”

—...Are you serious?

Keter shrugged.

“I’m always serious.”

Amaranth was struck with a cunning idea.

Defeating Hyperion is impossible, and Keter is going to die. But if I step up, I can at least preserve the body.

Keter was certainly going to die. If Amaranth could keep the body intact and take it for itself...

Then I have no reason to fight Hyperion. If I run away...

Waiting really had paid off. Amaranth knew that this would be the only opportunity to steal Keter’s body.

—...Fine, just this once. I’ll lend you the Marksman of the Demon Arrow.

Fwoooosh!

Black flames erupted from the arrow.

Then, Keter yelled, “Not yet. Transform only when I give the signal.”

—Hmph. Fine, I’ll wait.

Amaranth found Keter irritating for making demands while getting to use it for free, but decided to put up with it.

It will be my body soon... Kekekek...

Having secured Amaranth’s reluctant cooperation, Keter turned his focus back to White Cloud. Hyperion always meditated in the same spot, and he would be there now. He calculated the coordinates, predicting how gravity and wind would alter the arrow’s path as it flew, then raised the angle slightly.

Creak!!

Just before releasing White Cloud imbued with Tusk, Keter drew the bowstring back with such force it seemed he might shatter Amaranth itself. Amaranth bent under the strain, creaking as if screaming in pain. Then...

Twang...

White Cloud flew. Only the faint snap of the bowstring could be heard; there was no sound of the arrow in flight, despite the immense destructive power it carried.

1.5 seconds.

That was all it would take to cover two thousand meters and pierce Hyperion’s forehead.

Hyperion truly was a monster. Even while unsettled by Keter’s absence, he opened his eyes, sensing White Cloud’s stealth effect. But he was just a little late; he had only sensed White Cloud when it was about to hit his forehead.

Ding... Ring... Dwong!!!

It was unbelievable that this was the sound of an arrow hitting a person’s head. It sounded more like a giant bell being struck. Multiple shockwaves ripped through mountains and forests alike and warped the space.

The arrow spun furiously, trying to bore into Hyperion’s skull. Tusk, which pierced through the Queen Rock Ant’s five-layer carapace, could not pierce human flesh and only made strange noises.

Tusk’s first arrow could not get through Hyperion’s defenses, but Tusk pierced twice. The recoil from the first blocked strike transferred directly into the second arrow tip, accelerating it.

Screeeeech!

With the sound of a woman screaming, Hyperion’s head snapped back. Then, White Cloud vanished into the sky, becoming a dot in the heavens.

Shhh...

Smoke rose from Hyperion’s forehead.

“...”

Hyperion rubbed it. It stung. He felt a lump form on his forehead. He was struck by Keter’s White Cloud imbued with Tusk as well as the power of thirty Demon Arrows, but all it had managed to leave was a bump.

Slowly, Hyperion raised his head and glared toward the cliff.

“Your ambush worked.”

Crack...

All he did was clench his fists, but it made a menacing sound.

“Now... die.”

Kaboom!!!

Like a gorilla, he smashed the ground and launched into the sky, closing hundreds of meters in an instant. Keter could clearly see Hyperion, who now had a small bump on his forehead. Keter could feel his beastly rage radiating from him.

—Shouldn’t we run now?

Amaranth’s voice quavered in nervousness.

However, Keter simply drew Milky Way and replied, “There is no paradise waiting for those who run.”

Voong...

Twenty Milky Way spread like wings to his sides.

“Only those who believe in their own path... will one day shine.”

The arrows shone.

“Only those who believe in their own path... will one day shine.”

Keter unleashed all twenty-one shots of the Milky Way upon Hyperion, who had closed half the distance in the blink of an eye.

Crash!!!

With the land becoming waste under the bombardment of the Milky Way, the true battle between the two superhumans, Keter and Hyperion, had begun.