Chapter 309 - The Great Expedition (11)

“You!”

“Yes, the one you’ve been looking for is right here!’

Swoosh-!

Along with his response, McDowell skillfully showcased his unique spell, Sword Drawing. His sword energy extended like a whip, hurtling toward Gluttony.

The apostle swiftly raised both arms to block the attack.

Crack!

“...!”

The moment the sword energy made contact with his forearm, Gluttony came to a painful awakening. The impact of the sword energy wasn’t ticklish like before; it actually hurt, which made Gluttony realize that something had changed.

‘What in the...?’

Although it was subtle, McDowell could tell that he had thrown off Gluttony, his pupils dilated from the surprise.

He wouldn’t let this chance go to waste.

While Gluttony was still stunned, McDowell took the opportunity to propel himself forward once again with the intent of taking Gluttony’s head. His eyes burned with such determination that it seemed like he would split the earth in two with his sword.

Rumble!

This time, McDowell didn’t use Sword Drawing. Rather, he unleashed his sword strike with all his might, the attack rushing at Gluttony akin to a raging dragon, eventually swallowing him whole.

True to his moniker of Sonic McDowell, it all happened in an instant. Gluttony couldn’t avoid the barrage of Aura blades, so he had to withstand all of them.

‘...’

The consecutive attacks formed an Aura storm that whirled past Gluttony, leaving slithering marks on the ground behind him that resembled the tails of fierce dragons.

At the end of his barrage of attacks, McDowell landed gracefully and raised his blade over his head, his expression full of determination and vigor.

“It’s good to see you again. So tell me, how do you like the gift I've prepared for you?” McDowell asked with a wide grin, his eyes glistening with confidence.

However, Gluttony remained silent with his arms crossed against his face, frozen like a corpse after withstanding all those Aura blades. Smoke was coming off the wounds left by the vicious attacks.

After a few moments, Gluttony finally lowered his arms, his expression somber.

“I see.”

Gluttony, known for his jovial attitude, was uncharacteristically stern. He then muttered to himself, “Is that what you meant, Sir Arthus?”

Arthus hadn’t said anything to Gluttony in particular, yet it seemed like the apostle had arrived at some realization.

He continued to mutter to himself, “Yes... I knew it. This must be a test from Sir Arthus. He’s giving me an opportunity! The opportunity to prove myself and my loyalty for him!”

Seeing Gluttony mutter to himself like a madman, McDowell furrowed his brows. A chance to prove his loyalty? He clicked his tongue at this nonsense. He thought for a second that Gluttony had lost his mind, but then he realized that he was just a fanatic, like all the other apostles.

They were all frantically obsessed with Arthus, which explained why Gluttony was acting like that.

“That’s why you don’t mess with fanatics like them...”

McDowell touched Herabola’s rings that his colleagues had given him and carefully placed them back in his pocket. They had given him three rings, making it four with his own. Even though he wouldn’t have been able to tackle Ayla with the divine power of four rings, he decided to give it a try against Gluttony.

Despite not knowing how much divine power Gluttony had, McDowell thought he stood a chance, given that his previous attacks had worked. Moreover, he believed that the way in which he would attempt to kill Gluttony didn’t depend on the divine rings.

After grasping the situation, he took a few steps forward and told the Sages, “Please back me up.”

“Yes!”

Seeing this, Gluttony sneered, “Of course, you wouldn’t be able to handle me on your own. Forming groups is a common habit of weak humans.”

“Funny you say that, given that you used to be human yourself.”

“Hehe, the past is irrelevant. Only the present matters. In any case, you better put on a good show! I'll give you a chance to show me how much you’ve improved in just one month!”

And with that, Gluttony vanished, using his special skill of going invisible and erasing his presence.

‘Same pattern, same routine.’

Gluttony was the first apostle McDowell had encountered. Back in Vivaldi, he had lost miserably to Gluttony, not so much because his Aura had been futile against his divine power, but because of his incredible stealth abilities and flawless sneak attacks.

McDowell fully enhanced his senses once again. Over the past month, he had diligently trained to be able to maximize his senses. He could’ve used that time to further hone his swordsmanship or Aura, but he had chosen not to because his swordsmanship based on Sword Drawing was already close to perfection, and he couldn’t do much to improve his Aura given that he could use his ultimate skill.

However, the senses were a different story. Neglecting training had quickly dulled out his senses, which was why McDowell believed that training them would be key in countering Gluttony's elusive tactics.

Just like last time, Gluttony had disappeared and erased his presence, becoming one with the silence. McDowell knew that he was a skilled assassin but also a sadistic freak. He knew that Gluttony would wait until he showed a weak spot and then pounce and ravage him until he was satisfied.

Thinking of what Gluttony had in mind, McDowell gritted his teeth in determination.

'You arrogant bastard... You think things will go your way?'

His stealth abilities, amplified by divine power, were far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend in terms of combat. Gluttony himself was well aware of that, which was why he wasn’t too concerned about McDowell. He had only counted four rings, including McDowell’s, and he knew that just four rings wouldn’t do anything against his divine power.

Gluttony circled around McDowell like a hyena, concentrating divine power into one hand and forming a weapon that looked like a finely crafted lance that cavalries used. Once he locked onto a specific part of McDowell’s body, he pounced.

‘Right now!’

Swoosh!

Gluttony had aimed right between McDowell’s eyebrows. He decided not to be sly this time. He would humiliate McDowell by defeating him fairly. In the blink of an eye, Gluttony lunged at McDowell almost without making a sound.

However, just as Gluttony was about to land his attack, McDowell stopped looking around frantically and locked eyes with him.

“There you are.”

Clank!

McDowell drew his sword in that instant, Gluttony being less than a foot away from him. He had modified his Sword Drawing to make a clean upward slash so that he could swing his blade at maximum speed.

The two clashed with a sharp clang.

Clang!

“...!”

“Idiot...!”

Just as they clashed, McDowell smirked as he saw Gluttony’s pupils dilated once again due to his astonishment. He shouted, “Now!”

Zap! Crack! Boom!

McDowell’s upward slash lifted Gluttony in the air, and during the split second when he was airborne, the Sage that was with McDowell cast the magic he had prepared in advance. An explosion occurred right in front of them, followed by ice thorns shooting out with a whirlwind from Wind Judgment.

As the Sage simultaneously cast three spells on Gluttony, McDowell covered himself in Aura to protect himself from the explosive magic, seemingly having anticipated this exact moment.

Then at that moment...

“You bastard!”

Gluttony’s countenance became hideous and monstrous. McDowell suppressed a shudder from seeing his grotesque face as the dust cleared away. However, this horrifying transformation didn’t scare him. He had seen far worse in the Demonic Beast Forest.

McDowell lunged forward where the magic was still in full effect, twisting his sword and making two slashes, one horizontal and one vertical, all in the span of two seconds.

Then, McDowell gripped his sword firmly with both hands and rotated his waist as if he were about to swing a club.

And then...!

Clang!

The thunderous clang reverberated in the air as though someone had hit a giant iron bell with a hammer. The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through their bodies to the point that their fingers were actually tingling.

However, Gluttony didn’t lower the pace, his killing intent still burning fiercely. He swung his hand through the thick dust, intending to hit McDowell with the side of his palm.

However, his opponent was superior when it came to sheer speed.

Bang!

McDowell bent backward and tumbled on his back to dodge Gluttony’s attack. He then pushed himself off the ground, extending both of his feet upward to strike Gluttony right on his chin.

Thud...!

‘I knew it...!’

McDowell felt the same resistance in his feet he had felt in his hand earlier. He knew there was no way Gluttony would be affected by his kick, given that his Aura-infused sword couldn’t even scratch him. Noticing what he was trying to do, Gluttony scoffed and grabbed his right ankle.

“Did you really think your footwork would work on me?”

Swoosh!

Gluttony hurled McDowell with all his might high into the sky. He then leaped into the air to intercept McDowell.

Swoosh!

Gluttony was fast, perhaps even faster than a falcon in flight. As McDowell continued flying high in the air, Gluttony shouted with a wicked grin, “You’re done for!”

Bang!

Enraged, Gluttony brought his hands together and hit McDowell in the abdomen, specifically in his solar plexus.

Following the impact, McDowell felt like he couldn’t breathe at all. After all, the solar plexus was a vital point.

“Gha!”

Gluttony’s attack sent McDowell plummeting toward the ground at a higher speed than when he had ascended. Gluttony watched him drop helplessly with a sinister, cruel laugh.

However, the Sages intervened just moments before McDowell hit the ground.

“Reverse Gravity!”

Woosh—!

Thanks to the Sages, McDowell barely avoided becoming a blob on the ground.

“How dare those bastards...!”

Gluttony was furious at the Sages for saving McDowell. He had momentarily forgotten about them as he soared in the air to strike McDowell. He huffed, veins bulging on his forehead.

People hated mosquitoes, not because they sucked their blood, but because they were pesky despite being insignificant beings. And to Gluttony, these Sages were nothing more than a bunch of mosquitoes waiting to be squashed.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll take care of you first.”

In Gluttony’s mind, everything that had occurred in this fight was merely part of Arthus’ test. Thus, he was determined to kill every single member of Henry’s expedition, regardless of how much time it was going to take.

In other words, the Sages had just become the apostle’s new targets.

With a change of heart, Gluttony turned in the air and descended rapidly toward the Sages. As he made his way down, Gluttony brought his arms together, shaping them into a colossal spear.

But just before he reached the Sages...

“Desert’s Castle!”

Rumble, rumble! Roar!

A pile of sand that did not match the surrounding soil rose like a wave and swallowed up Gluttony from the sky.

“Ghaaa!!”

His body turned red and sizzled with smoke as the sand engulfed him. The sand that rose from the ground was actually extremely hot, close to boiling oil.

Gluttony let out an agonized scream.

Something wasn’t right, but it worked out in the Sages’ favor.

The apostle hadn’t even blinked at the explosion magic of the 7th-Circle Sages, but he was screaming in agony as he was being swept away by the sands of Desert’s Castle, which showed just how powerful this spell really was.

But none of the Sages had cast this spell... The caster was none other than...

“Everyone, now!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

He was Herarion Khan, the sole guardian of the Shahatra desert and ruler of its kingdom, the new Sword of La.