Chapter 37

A series of intense flashes accompanied by a series of unpleasant popping sounds, turning the vision of those present completely white. The Eighth Wind Step: Great Discharge had been activated.

The human body is both robust and fragile.

Sometimes it can withstand lightning, while other times a small current can stop the heart. Ultimately, it comes down to where the hit lands.

The Eighth Wind Step: Great Discharge is a magical technique that sends a massive current through the surrounding area. It's not an exaggeration to say that anyone caught within its range will die without exception. Of course, if they have appropriate defenses, it's a different story.

“Gah... s...o...”

The red-clawed boss barely withstood it with a non-elemental barrier. Although he suffered severe burns all over his body, he managed to survive. However, he could no longer move. He would die if left alone.

And he was one of the few who managed to withstand it; most of the others had been struck by lightning and died.

The ground was littered with bodies, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh.

Only one person managed to defend against the sudden attack of the Great Discharge.

“This... what has happened...”

Selstar Altrain, who had protected himself from the current with a hasty barrier spell, was speechless. Indeed, he understood that using a Great Discharge in a densely populated area would result in such carnage.

However, whether he could accept it was another matter.

“The barrier we set up to prevent the dark organization members from escaping also worked against us...”

The Great Discharge's immense power was partly due to the five Holy Knights who had set up a barrier using light magic. The barrier prevented the current from dispersing and reflected it back, amplifying its power. Without it, more people might have survived.

“Captain! What happened?”

The Holy Knights who had set up the barrier approached Selstar, who stood there in shock. Although it was not what they had intended, the dark organization's magic-armored soldiers had been eliminated. The barrier was no longer necessary.

Seeing their forms, Selstar immediately gave orders.

“First, treat the wounded. Those who are still alive might be saved!”

“Understood. Everyone, let's get to work.”

At the call of one Holy Knight, the other four nodded. They approached the Holy Knights who were still breathing and began treating them with light magic.

Meanwhile, Selstar surveyed the surroundings.

(Come to think of it, where is the deputy? Did he manage to escape using a teleportation spell?)

Selstar trusted the deputy of the Sealed Holy Knights. This trust was based not only on his abilities but also on his character and administrative skills. As an A-rank magic-armored soldier, the deputy was not someone who would go down easily. Selstar quickly searched for him.

However, he was forced to stop.

“Death”

“Gah...”

A voice suddenly came from the sky. As soon as it reached Selstar's ears, he felt a sense of powerlessness, as if his magic power had been drained. He involuntarily knelt down.

“Wow, this is the first time I couldn't kill someone with one shot.”

“That's cheating, using a surprise attack.”

“It's your fault for letting your guard down. If you had been more aware of your magic power, you would have noticed it.”

“Yeah, that's true.”

Selstar thought it was indeed true.

Whatever the attack was, he had only been hit because he was off guard. If he had been more cautious and focused on the attacker of the Great Discharge, he wouldn't have made such a mistake.

Recovering from the exhaustion caused by the loss of magic power, Selstar looked up.

Two figures were landing from above.

“It’s you...!”

Selstar recognized the face.

He had marked this person as a dangerous individual within the Holy Knights. There was no way he could forget.

“Shu... no, the Dark King Arklight!”

Shu narrowed his eyes, realizing his identity had been revealed.

“So, you figured it out.”

“Is it okay to say that, Shu?”

“There’s no point in hiding it. Besides, I plan to kill all of you here. The reward of ten million is too tempting.”

The purpose of killing him was the reward.

Hearing this, Selstar was certain that Shu was the dark assassin known as the Reaper. And he was also certain that Shu was an enemy who needed to be defeated here.

“Captain! I’ll assist you!”

“That’s the Dark King! The one next to him must be the Witch!”

“We’ll defeat them here. We’ll avenge our comrades.”

“Evil one who harms others! We’ll defeat you here.”

“Be careful of their magic. First, protect yourselves with light magic!”

The Holy Knights, who had been focused on healing, must have decided that the Dark King was a higher priority. They quickly approached Selstar, summoned their magic armors, and prepared for battle.

Selstar also stood up and summoned his magic lance.

Shu was wary of this.

(My death magic drains energy. I should have drained all of Selstar’s life force and magic power... why is he still alive?)

Shu thought it was probably because Selstar was awakened. However, he didn’t know the specifics of the awakening of magic armors, so he couldn’t understand why Selstar hadn’t died.

“Airis, I’ll handle this from here. You just watch.”

“Understood.”

Airis stepped back as Shu took a step forward. In response, Selstar also stepped forward.

“I am Selstar Altrain, a Sealed Holy Knight and S-rank magic-armored soldier. I will defeat you.”

“Dark King Arklight. I will kill you.”

The other five would be a hindrance in the fight with Selstar. Shu immediately used his death magic.

“First, I’ll eliminate the obstacles. Death.”

The five Holy Knights fell without a sound. Their magic armors shattered into magical particles, and they didn’t move again. It seemed that only Selstar was immune to the instant death magic, likely due to his awakening.

Realizing that his comrades had been killed instantly, Selstar calmly advanced with his lance, anger in his eyes.

“Haah!”

“Damn.”

Shu couldn’t dodge the lightning-fast thrust. As a primarily spellcaster, he was not skilled in close combat. Moreover, Selstar’s attack would likely break the magic array for vector reversal spells.

The lance pierced Shu’s left shoulder, and he used his death magic again.

“Guh...!?”

The force seemed to drain again, weakening the thrust. Seizing the opportunity, Shu kicked Selstar in the abdomen and pulled out the lance.

As a spirit-type monster, he didn’t bleed or feel pain.

However, there was a strange sensation in his shoulder.

“My left shoulder is hard to move...”

“You seem to have noticed.”

“What!? You’re still alive...”

Shu was shocked that Selstar had survived his death magic twice.

But Selstar stood up and repositioned his lance.

“Does this lance have a paralyzing effect when it pierces its target?”

“Paralyzing...? I intended to immobilize you completely, but it seems to have only caused a slight discomfort.”

“I see. The more you attack, the more you slow down your opponent. As a lance user who relies on quick thrusts, you gain an accelerating advantage. It’s a troublesome ability.”

In response to Shu’s words, Selstar launched another lightning-fast thrust. This time, Shu seemed to predict the move and used acceleration and movement spells to dodge.

Reacting to the dodge, Selstar swung his lance horizontally, sending a cutting attack. This was a type of non-elemental magic that sent out magic power, which couldn’t be bypassed even by a spirit form.

“Damn...”

Blown back by the strong impact, Shu landed on the ground and rolled to regain his balance. When he looked up, Selstar was ignoring him and heading towards Airis.

“What...”

“I’ll take care of the Witch first.”

Shu’s mind went blank.

Airis, being a primarily spellcaster, couldn’t dodge Selstar’s attacks. Several thrusts were launched, creating multiple holes in Airis’s body.

“Aah... aah...”

“It’s over.”

“Not if I can help it!”

Shu used his death magic to target Selstar’s lance. Since magic armors are formed by magic power, destroying this would shatter the lance.

The lance shattered with one hit, and Selstar was shocked. Seizing the opportunity, Shu used acceleration magic to rush at Selstar and tackled him.

“Are you okay, Airis!”

“It hurts...”

“What about your immortality? Why aren’t your wounds healing?”

Airis had the power of immortality, which could heal any injury or illness as long as her magic power lasted. However, the wounds inflicted by Selstar were not healing.

Shu was also surprised by this.

“Could it be that it’s preventing healing? It’s not just a paralyzing effect?”

At this point, the pieces fell into place for Shu. The ability he thought paralyzed the target, the one that hindered Airis’s immortality, the perception-blocking ability he saw in Altha, and the reason he was called a ‘Sealed’ Holy Knight...

“Seal!”

“You seem to have figured it out.”

Selstar, who had been blown back by the tackle, returned and reacted to Shu’s words. His magic lance had already reformed in his hand.

“By sealing the target’s perception, they become invisible to others. By sealing the muscles of the target, they can’t move. By sealing magic power, they can’t use magic armors or spells.”

Selstar explained his ability in a light tone.

In other words, everything that had happened was due to the sealing power of his magic armor. With Airis’s immortality sealed, her wounds couldn’t heal.

“Shu... san...”

“Airis.”

Shu could only call out to Airis, who was in a painful state and making weak sounds. He didn’t know any healing spells.

He considered using his death magic to kill the seal, but quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn’t risk accidentally killing Airis.

So, Shu used a power he had never intended to use.

“Kill.”

Black magic power surged and enveloped Shu’s body.

The black magic power swirled and attacked Selstar. He tried to dodge, but the death-infused magic power split like tentacles and approached Selstar from all directions.

“This...”

Selstar saw the grass and flowers touched by the death magic crumble and the ground turn to ash. Even large trees were invaded by ‘death’ in an instant.

The rapidly approaching death magic was clearly dangerous. Selstar realized this and dodged with all his might. To seal the death magic, he slashed at it with his lance.

However, something unexpected happened.

“What! That’s impossible!”

It was understandable that he would exclaim in surprise.

The lance touched by the death magic crumbled instantly. The power of the Dark King, which carried the concept of death, made him realize what he had been up against.

(No good... I can’t seal this with my power!)

The swirling death magic finally entangled Selstar’s right arm. It quickly killed his body, turning it to ash and losing its color.

Even the blood that spurted out was killed, and his confident magic armor was useless.

Selstar’s mind was instantly filled with despair.

But Shu mercilessly manipulated the death magic. Extending his right hand towards the fleeing Selstar, he said,

“If you die, Airis’s seal will be broken... right? So, die for me.”

He clenched his right hand as if crushing something.

At the same time, the death magic enveloped Selstar’s entire body. In less than a second, his existence was erased. The death magic killed everything, leaving not a single atom or magical particle, completely erasing Selstar from the world.

“Phew...”

Confirming Selstar’s disappearance, Shu dispelled the death magic. This death magic not only consumed a lot of magic power but also caused significant mental strain. It was a power he didn’t want to use.

To regain magic power, he needed to absorb it with death magic, eat, or kill living beings; it didn’t recover naturally. He felt a significant drain on his stored magic power.

However, he had no regrets.

With Airis’s life at stake, he had no choice but to use the death magic against Selstar, who was immune to his death spells.

“Are you okay, Airis!”

Shu immediately turned to Airis and checked on her.