Chapter 203: Book of Nightmares (2)

Ssssshhh...!

Karyl tore the seal from the Book of Nightmares before Nain Darhon could react. He had broken through the 7th Class sealing magic as easily as tearing open a letter.

“Y-You madman!”

“Don’t be surprised. I’m not a sorcerer capable of breaking this seal of yours. The decision is his.”

The room was swiftly engulfed in darkness. Karyl sighed as though he was bored. Whether it was because of the darkness that had consumed him during the trial of the Book of Challenges, or the inherent nature of the corruption he hunted, he found this monotonous.

“Huh, seems he’s willing to meet us.”

“Wh-Where are we...?” Nain Darhon’s voice trembled as he glanced around.

“It seems Duaat wanted to invite you into his domain as well,” Karyl remarked, smirking and poking Nain Darhon in the shoulder. “You’ll still have to teach those two once we get out of here. Originally, you were supposed to handle them while I dealt with this, but...”

“You speak so nonchalantly...” Nain Darhon muttered incredulously. “We’re in the domain of a Spirit King. We might be stuck here forever, and you’re worried about teaching those kids?”

“Yes, it’s very important. In fact, the fate of humanity depends on it, so make sure to teach them well. It’s easier than dealing with this, right?”

“...What?”

Karyl grinned, clearly amused by Nain Darhon’s confused expression.

“One day, you’ll understand. Even if you live for hundreds of years, you can’t know everything. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re an enigma...” Nain Darhon shook his head, resigning himself to the situation.

“Don’t worry too much. I didn’t break your seal. Rather, Duaat allowed it. He could have broken through anytime he wanted.”

“...”

“And the fact that he’s brought you into his domain means there’s a possibility for dialogue, right?”

Nain Darhon smiled bitterly. “You’re being awfully optimistic. It could also mean he wants to kill us both.”

“Well...” Karyl nodded. “Then we’ll just have to defeat him, Spirit King or not.”

“...”

“Don’t you agree?”

“Listening to your nonsense over and over again makes it sound almost plausible...” Nain Darhon sighed, but he trailed off as he realized Karyl was no longer paying attention to him. He slowly turned his head in the direction Karyl was looking, and his eyes widened.

“...!!”

An overwhelming pressure bore down on the Great Sorcerer, leaving him struggling to breathe.

“Aah—! Cough, cough!” He quickly drew on his mana, forming a translucent barrier around himself.

“Just for yourself?” Karyl asked nonchalantly as he saw Nain Darhon casting his protection spell.

“You’re responsible for your life!”

“Yeah, I got it.”

The dark space suddenly blazed with blue flames, reminiscent of a battlefield. Even knowing it was an illusion, they instinctively felt it was more horrific than any man-made battlefield.

This is...

There were no corpses, no enemies, only an overwhelming scent of death permeating the space. Karyl looked ahead, spotting a man wrapped in bandages, like a mummy.

“It feels like he’s crossed over from the underworld... I like it. This is the kind of aura one needs to stand against the gods.”

Karyl smirked as he faced the sinister man, feeling a prickling sensation on his skin from the sheer intensity of his presence. The man stood still, with weapons similar to the Jamadhar attached to his forearms—large blades jutted out from his forearms, flanked by smaller ones. The bandages fluttered around him, revealing violet eyes that glowed menacingly.

Karyl’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his Freezing Talon.

“It’s certainly different from before. Right, Ramine?”

Karyl roughly removed the Bracelet of Greed. His eyes turned a fiery red, as if flames were igniting within them.

Whoosh...!

Red flames flickered around his arm embedded with the Ein Trigger, manifesting briefly as the shape of the Blazing King before being absorbed into Karyl’s body.

“Hah...”

As he exhaled, dark smoke seeped out of his mouth. The red energy from Karyl’s body seemed to push back the darkness created by Duaat.

[This is a familiar sight.]

“Is it?”

A faint image of the fiery giant appeared behind Karyl.

[Duaat, are you still holding onto the Great War of Spirits and Gods? We lost that battle.]

Ramine’s question yielded no response from Duaat. Instead, the pupils of his purple eyes narrowed as he glared at him.

“The scent of the battlefield lingers in the air, and yet there are no corpses in sight. This must be the outcome of the battle between the gods and the spirits.”

[Ramine...]

A heavy, ominous voice echoed.

[Have you allied with humans?]

Every time Duaat moved his mouth, the stitches holding his lips together stretched and pulled tightly.

Boom! Crash—!

Flames erupted in all directions the moment Duaat finished speaking.

“That’s quite a rough greeting.”

Karyl blocked the attack by thrusting his Freezing Talons between the crossed Jamadhar on Duaat’s arms just before they could slice him.

“It seems you were right, Nain Darhon.”

“About what...?”

Nain Darhon frowned at Karyl’s words.

“It looks like he intends to kill us both.”

“Then why are you being so calm about it?!”

Nain Darhon was struggling, barely standing as he maintained his shield, while Karyl stood upright without any protective magic, speaking nonchalantly.

What’s the matter with him? Keeping a straight face even in this situation...

Nain Darhon had believed he had managed to research everything about the void, but seeing the boy in front of him, he realized he hadn’t even come close to the pinnacle.

“Why don’t you help out? I assume you’re capable of more than just sitting around and watching someone else fight?”

“...Damn it!” Nain Darhon bit his lip.

While Ramine’s attacks were characterized by overwhelming power and ferocity, Duaat’s strikes were swift and sharp.

Clang! Clang!! Clang!!

Karyl twisted his Freezing Talon upward, knocking away Duaat’s Jamadhar, making his arms shoot up as if in surrender.

Boom...!!

Seizing the moment, Karyl swung his sword downward with all his might, veins bulging on his arms as he gripped the hilt with both hands.

Colorless Air Sword, The Fifth Stance: Second Unicorn Posture.

With a flurry of five continuous strikes, Karyl prepared a precise, single-point attack in a one-horned stance. The rain of sword strikes concealed the thrust aimed directly at Duaat’s neck.

Ssshhh!

The bandages covering Duaat’s face were torn by the blade, drifting away into the air.

Too shallow, huh?

Karyl frowned slightly. He had felt the impact but failed to pierce Duaat properly. Quickly retracting his sword, he positioned it vertically, ready to defend against any possible counterattacks.

The Third Stance: Long Weeping Posture.

He cautiously looked ahead from behind his blade, but to his surprise, instead of continuing his assault, Duaat just stood there, staring blankly at him.

“...?”

Karyl was puzzled by the unexpected pause. After a brief moment of silence, Karyl lowered his guard slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on Duaat.

[It’s the first time, isn’t it?]

“What is?”

[Duaat is different from other Spirit Kings. He’s an assassin living in darkness. He’s never encountered a human who could evade his attacks and strike back.]

At that, Karyl snorted incredulously.

“That makes two of us, then.”

Since his return, Karyl had never failed in his attacks either.

“I’m the one...”

Swoosh!

“...whose pride is bruised!”

In an instant, Karyl closed the gap between them. Moving faster than the eye could catch, only Ramine’s trailing flames remained, a fleeting afterimage of his speed.

Karyl and Duaat clashed, their fierce battle turning the dark space into a blur of sharp, flashing blades.

“My God... Is he even human?” Nain Darhon muttered in disbelief, watching the rapid exchange of hundreds of strikes within fractions of a second, moving from ground to air and back in split seconds.

He wasn’t lying?

Nain Darhon was starting to realize Karyl might indeed be able to defeat a Spirit King. He gritted his teeth, feeling an unfamiliar sense of frustration.

Karyl’s words rang true. It would be a disgrace for someone bearing the title of Great Sorcerer to simply sit and watch. After all, he had dedicated his life to studying darkness and rifts.

“...!”

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Nain Darhon’s mind, his eyes widening.

Shhh...!

The sound of something slicing through the air echoed across the battlefield. Karyl narrowly dodged Duaat’s blade amidst the darkness. However, Duaat’s relentless assault continued, his arms bending unnaturally as if they had no bones.

A Jamadhar struck from above, quickly changing direction to target Karyl’s back.

Clang!

Karyl instinctively flicked his Freezing Talon behind him, blocking Duaat’s attack.

In that instant, Duaat thrust the Jamadhar from his other arm precisely below Karyl’s collarbone.

Shunk!

[...]

Duaat’s cold, violet eyes gleamed as he viciously kicked Karyl in the shoulder.

Bang!

Karyl was flung hundreds of meters away, rolling across the ground. The blue flames, created by the spirits’ remains, flickered threateningly along the path where Karyl had landed.

[Ramine, are you asking if I still haven’t forgotten about the Great War of Spirits and Gods? Of course I haven’t. You should know, more than anyone, that humans were the cause of our defeat.]

Duaat finally spoke up, growling.

[And now you will suffer the consequences for siding with a human, you traitor.]

[You’ll regret those words,] Ramine responded calmly, despite the fierce hostility in Duaat’s voice. [This one’s no human.]

Rustle...

Karyl slowly rose to his feet.

“...That hurt like hell.”

Gripping his Freezing Talon, he massaged the back of his neck and started walking forward again.

A smirk played on Ramine’s lips.

[He’s a monster.]