MTLNOVEL Chapter 604
Hell is not far away.
For those who roam the battlefield, hell was almost synonymous with life itself. Where else could there be a place bathed in blood, filled with the sound of screams, if not hell?
In the battles where life and death danced together, the size of the conflict held no significance. Even when just three women clashed, the fight, fought for their lives, was intense in its very essence.
Especially if those three were powerful enough to make a name for themselves across the continent.
Elsi, who had just reached the title of ‘Archmage,’ was alongside the Archwitch, one of the only three Masters remaining on the continent. And what of the woman who was relentlessly pushing them both?
She was a legendary monster who had nearly set the continent ablaze centuries ago. Although she could only display half of her power now, that alone was enough to easily dismantle the entire strength of a nation.
Her name was ‘Vampire.’
The noble figure of the woman, with gray hair, clenched her teeth as she swung her arm. Each time she did, a blood-red trajectory shot out like a whip, splitting and forming into sharp edges.
Most of those assaults were fated to be blocked by a magical shield, disintegrating into flames. However, the Vampire had a separate intention.
A blood-red sphere floated above her remaining hand.
The orb of coagulated blood flickered with an ominous light and, as soon as it was thrown, it traced a trajectory at the speed of light.
Bang!
A powerful strike that even erased the sound. The surrounding space tore apart following its trajectory, then rejoined with a deafening boom. The impact shook the very core of the barrier.
Neither the Archwitch nor Elsi had the capacity to withstand this.
“Gyaaaaaah!”
A scream erupted, along with a groan. The torn magical shield shattered into pieces, and the two women, who had hurriedly attempted to evade, were rolled across the ground, unable to escape the shockwave.
Their appearances were already a mess.
Torn clothing, bruises stained with bright crimson, beads of sweat dripping, and dilated pupils losing focus— it was a sight that suggested they were nearing their limits.
And yet, barely ten minutes had passed since the battle began.
The Vampire finally exhaled a sigh and relaxed her grip.
Is it over now?
The combat had dragged on too long. There were far too many unforeseen variables, forcing her to be extra cautious.
Killing those two would be easy.
Though their resistance was not trivial, in a prolonged fight, she would be defeated. Perhaps overcoming their interference and personally beheading them would be enjoyable as well.
Yet, the reason she could not do so.
The Vampire’s eyes flicked towards a distant figure, lying far away from the battlefield.
There was still no reaction.
Is it truly the end?
The man had lost consciousness even before the fighting had begun, and a new personality had taken over him. It would not be strange if he had some hidden trump card.
One that could unleash an unpredictable rampage.
The Deadly Sin of ‘Pride.’
The brightest among the seven stars that adorned the sky, a cursed existence doomed to become a shooting star.
But the strength he possessed was real.
The Vampire felt the chill flowing down her spine as she stepped lightly forward.
“Now, it’s over…”
Just as she thought to wrap things up slowly.
Suddenly, dust erupted from the ground. It was nothing but a strong gust of wind, its range merely spreading dust into the air.
Of course, the one casting this spell was the Archwitch, and its power was tremendous. In an instant, even the Vampire felt herself lift slightly.
Yet that was all.
The Vampire’s body barely rose an inch, but she landed steadily without any need for a proper landing posture. Instead, the fact that her visibility was obstructed only served to annoy her further.
Thick and dense dust enveloped the area.
As the Vampire frowned, attempting to wave her hand to disperse the dust.
A rumbling sound echoed. The Vampire froze at that moment.
And then the explosion.
A lightning bolt struck down from the sky, setting the dust ablaze and creating a terrifying explosion. The Vampire clicked her tongue silently amidst the onslaught of light and heat.
So bothersome.
With the violent winds, the smoke swirled around. The two women, their last desperate attempts failing, lay on the ground glaring fiercely at the Vampire.
The sight was almost ludicrous to the Vampire.
“Did you think you could pull off something interesting? In the end, you couldn’t even touch a single hair on me.”
This was the difference in their levels.
The Vampire, who had regained her strength by any means necessary, versus the Archwitch who had not.
It was a gap that was insurmountable by any action. The Vampire, realizing this fact anew, could finally wear a bitter smile.
Yes, they had no more moves left.
A thrilling sensation struck her tailbone, sending a shiver up her spine. The Vampire secretly trembled with excitement, eyes closed.
Finally.
I look down upon you.
You are powerless, and I shall take everything from you.
Images of the past flickered before the Vampire’s eyes.
That day, when she was left alone in the corner, buried in her study, watching all her research turn to scraps of paper, and the day when she could only observe as the head of the family and its vassals praised one another from the podium!
She had lived solely for that revenge. For hundreds of years, devoting everything.
Now was the time to reap the fruits of her labor. It would be a ridiculous lie to say she wasn’t excited.
If it weren’t for the sound of a body rising.
The gazes of those around her slowly turned towards its origin. There, a familiar man stood firmly on the ground.
“…Master!”
The one who greeted that fact first was, of course, Elsi.
The sight of the man unleashed an expression of horror and disappointment in the Vampire’s eyes as she began to recognize him. But even that was only for a moment.
The man who stood up was strange.
It wasn’t just the Vampire who sensed an uncanny feeling. The expressions of the previously vibrant Archwitch and Elsi slowly hardened as well.
Staggering, the broken body barely regained its balance. Yet the act was so wobbly that it was uncertain whether the man had regained his sanity.
His dazed eyes only added to that speculation.
The completely unfocused eyes revealed he had not regained his sanity. He would occasionally place his palm on his head and let out a soft moan.
And what was more concerning was his demeanor.
The Vampire observed intently and noticed a slight, unusual glow in the man’s eyes. Soon, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“…Ah.”
So it was that ‘Brat.’
The Deadly Sin of ‘Pride’ had a presence like no other. One could feel the air in the vicinity being compressed under his weight. But, that man was not doing well.
His body was in ruins. Although his healing capabilities were stimulated by the influence of ‘Pride,’ bleeding had stopped, but he still bore severe wounds.
At this rate, he wasn’t worth facing.
The staggering man caught his breath before slowly leveling his sword, aimed squarely at the Vampire.
The woman responded with a subtly alluring smile.
“How commendable, little boy… planning to fight in that state? Don’t…!”
At that moment.
Boom, with a crash, dirt erupted in a pillar.
An explosive vibration resonated from the ground where he had stomped, a force that seemed unbelievable from a body in such a state of disrepair.
Even the Vampire was momentarily startled into raising her hands to deflect his sword.
Yet that was all.
Despite his all-out strike, the Vampire’s arm remained unharmed, and the difference in strength was evident despite being pushed down by his superior size.
Was this a last-ditch effort?
As the Vampire pondered this and calmed her heart.
Boom!
The sword once again struck the woman’s arm. Unable to sustain the impact, the ground buckled, leaving an imprint of her foot.
Yet it was not an effective hit. The real cause for the Vampire’s shock lay elsewhere.
‘Is his power stronger?’
It was incomprehensible in every sense.
The man’s body had clearly exceeded any limits. Even if he were relying on drugs or sorcery, there were still limits to what could be wrung out of a human.
Just like his previous strike.
Yet now, he was striking with even greater force.
It was a situation that defied common sense. The Vampire’s narrowed gaze met the man’s eyes at that moment.
“…Ugh, Ah.”
The woman saw it. The man’s eyes stained with blood.
All the blood vessels had burst. It was a feeling of anger and malice, a level of wrath she had never experienced before.
In fact, there was no need to reflect on it.
The moment she made eye contact, a scene crossed the Vampire’s mind.
The eyes of ‘Pride,’ confronted from just a few paces away.
If those eyes were a dormant volcano, this man was a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
A scream-like roar erupted, and the man’s sword came crashing down in succession.
His momentum was truly terrifying. The previously relaxed Vampire found herself staggering backward, eventually flying through the air like a ball struck by a bat.
Thud!
The Vampire’s eyes, now airborne, slowly turned towards Elsi. The most likely suspect who had knocked the man out and raised him in this condition.
The doll-like girl stared blankly at the man.
“What, what…”
Stumbling through two syllables.
That was all she could manage. The man, who had now leaped off the ground, approached with ferocity. The eyes that had stained the whites with blood were terrifying.
His hand, holding the sword, had turned into a fist, aimed directly at the woman. Fist or blade? It indicated he was relying entirely on instinct.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze as the man’s hand converged on the scene. As the particles of magic swirled and gathered, the Vampire found herself screaming in the slow passage of time.
“What have you done?!”
And then, silence.
At the moment of the punch, even the noise vanished. Only the shockwave with a broad wave pattern spread out, resonating with a dull sound.
Mountain Crumble Strike.
The legend that a single punch could shatter a mountain was being recreated in that very spot.
The woman’s body turned into a ray of light, crashing into the earth. The ground shattered with a rumble, and the soil, unable to withstand the impact, swelled like a wave.
At the same time, a towering pillar of dust shot up.
Before the strike that would tear the land apart, Elsi swallowed hard.
“I-I was just following orders…”
A drop of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Yet upon seeing I-an, a word crossed her mind.
‘Rampage.’
Something was going terribly wrong.