100 – 43. Ian’s Reflection (1)
Swiick!
Levrion, saturated with sacred mana, swung down.
There was nothing particularly special about the stance. All Ian did was a horizontal slash.
A technique acquired by those who have just started learning swordsmanship. However, its power was by no means ordinary.
Ka-gak! Shwaaak!
“Kraaack!”
A horizontal slash followed by the true strike of the holy attribute.
The level of light emitted in that moment was beyond the comparison of the Holy Sword Elysion.
Thud! Thud-thud!
“Heuk…. To think, succumbing to such a vile creature!”
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The radiant light of the opposite holy attribute, in stark contrast to Satan’s dark nature, severed the upper half of the body.
While marveling at the flowing crimson blood and magical energies, Ian, on the other hand, cloaked himself in the guardian’s aura.
‘Is this the extent of using the holy attribute.’
A national treasure of Edenia obtained with the help of Glendia and Raymond. The performance was quite satisfactory. Without using this to switch attributes, it would have been impossible to push Satan to this extent.
‘Even if I’ve ascended to a master. Calling Satan a quasi-final boss is not an exaggeration.’
As seen in the patterns, it’s not an opponent to simply overpower through growth.
Even if one were to sever his arms several times, he would quickly recover, consuming the transcendent demon king’s body and rage surpassing that of a human.
If it weren’t for the demon-specific additional damage and reduced recovery effects of the holy attribute, it would have been quite a struggle.
‘I’d like to keep using it, but there’s no advantage in using the holy attribute from Phase 3 onward.’
Using tools to neutralize the opponent’s strengths is a good method, but it doesn’t always work.
The upcoming Phase 3 was no exception.
Thud!
“Uwaaah!”
“The mutation has begun…. Before long, he’ll depart from the form of a human.”
As the wriggling magical energy emerged from the severed upper body, Ian furrowed his brow.
Satan’s Phase 3 was simple.
Satan, having excessively depleted his rage, would prepare for life and death, starting to gather magical energy to its limits.
‘Transformation into the combined form of a human and a twisted monster…. That’s how it begins when the mutation is complete.’
If it were just a simple change in appearance, that would be great. But as mentioned earlier, the boss battle at Heroic Academy is hardcore in itself.
Naturally, there were significant changes compared to before.
“Excluding the obvious pattern change… it seems like the attribute is quite substantial.”
Firstly, he was no longer classified under the darkness attribute.
It might be changing to another attribute, but…
To be precise, the attribute was completely disappearing.
“Originally, the Demon Lords of Astalgia don’t have attributes like humans do.”
Attributes are like the grace of the goddess Eris, a symbol of peace.
How could those opposing Eris receive it?
Naturally, it was merely the act of bestowing the darkness attribute upon oneself while constructing a body to intervene in the intermediary realm.
“But now Satan is abandoning the human form and changing back to its original appearance.”
In a situation where life is threatened, there’s no need to maintain the appearance of a human.
In other words, it also meant that Satan no longer needed to maintain the attribute.
The reason for ceasing the use of the Guardian’s Aura was also because of this.
“If there’s no advantage as an attribute of holiness anyway…”
It’s better not to use it at all.
It would be much better to clash with the power of Neltharion’s divine power.
That was the reason.
[Ceased the use of the Guardian’s Aura! Changing to the darkness attribute.]
[Fulfilled the conditions to use Rebrion! The curse’s mental decay disappears!]
The reason for changing the attribute back to the darkness attribute was.
It was the moment when the color of mana that covered Levrion along with the status window began to darken.
– Huh…? Ian? Can I help now too?
‘Yeah. Will you help?’
– Sure! I’ll help!
The moment Neltallion cautiously continued speaking, his face, which had extended with a nod, changed color.
Finally, with the thought that he could be of help, Neltallion stood next to Ian, maintaining the form of a human once again.
“Kraaa!”
Satan, who had lost his sanity, began to scream. After the storm of magic that was rapidly striking was caught, Ian could see.
“…It’s better not to think about going back alive.”
“It begins.”
The upper body was in the form of a black goat, and the lower body was Satan in the form of a human.
Kiiing!
Satan’s horns, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, turned red.
Kwaaa!
At that moment, the dense storm of magic began to strike Ian.
***
When facing Satan of the third phase, just remember this one thing.
‘There is no such thing as a weakness.’
Generally, boss monsters cannot be dealt full damage with ordinary attacks.
In the small gap between the patterns, a crack appeared in the defensive barrier that enveloped the body, forcing a play that seized only that moment.
Hitting just once or twice, it was because of that that one repeated rolling until the enemy’s pattern came to an end.
Anyway, why bother approaching when hitting wouldn’t inflict proper damage?
However, Satan was a bit different from those.
‘So, rather than waiting for a perfect opportunity, you should aim to strike as much as possible when the timing is right.’
With extreme aggressiveness, even putting the minimum magical power to protect the body into the attack power was permissible.
The best defense is offense… Perhaps that might be a fitting form of the saying.
Hitting without defense would indeed inflict damage well, but it wasn’t as simple as the words implied.
‘Not defending doesn’t mean agreeing to take hits. It means relentlessly attacking to not give a chance for a break in timing.’
Even now, it was the same.
Kuoooo!
“Ro Aias.”
Kaaang!
Ian, using skills to block the raging typhoon, immediately slammed into the ground.
Shiiing!
With mana surrounding his whole body, Ian unleashed a piercing sound. Satan could have approached in the blink of an eye.
“No chance!”
Kugwaaa!
“Hoo….”
Satan’s reaction was, unfortunately, quick.
The gaping mouth emitted the boiling flames of Magi. Following that, it began to engulf the front in the shape of a fan.
However, it didn’t just end with mere engulfing.
Kwagwang!
“Chain explosion too? They were prepared.”
The scorched ground began to explode the moment the flames ceased.
If Rohyis had tried to block it with Aias, he would have lost two shields.
The difficulty with Satan lay in this.
Not only did it not give a chance to attack, but it also continuously presented unpredictable patterns, making it impossible to block.
It was an overwhelmingly perplexing situation. However, the more perplexing it was, the more Ian maintained his composure.
Losing composure in the chaos of battle was nothing more than saying, “I want to die.”
There was no such thing as an easy path. Wherever one aimed, one only needed to analyze the obstacles ahead and consider how to overcome them.
Knowing this, Ian remained calm and read the situation.
“There’s no use running away!”
As Satan shouted, he lifted his foot. If he stomped, shockwaves would spread, causing an earthquake.
Normally, one would keep a distance.
“How about just grabbing that foot?”
It would be better to use what was available. Having completed the analysis, Ian firmly planted his legs and assumed a posture.
“Aether. Activate the Divine Barrier simultaneously.”
– Yes! Ian!
After creating an arm using Aether, he enveloped it with the Divine Barrier.
Crash!
“Got it.”
His arm swiftly reached out, managing to grab Satan’s leg in mid-air.
Perplexed, Satan tried to pull his foot back, creating a slight opening.
Whaack!
Ian didn’t let that opportunity slip away.
In the moments just before Lebrion, imbued with black mana, swung down.
Perhaps he was about to unleash a surprise attack. It was a hard-earned opening, and he intended to showcase everything in this attack.
“I must block that.”
One wrong move could cost him his life in a single stroke. Recognizing this, Satan swiftly extended his right arm.
It might be a bit late, but the motion he was making was significant enough to block it!
Thinking so, Satan desperately wielded magic boiling in his right hand.
It could be seen.
“Hu.”
“Uh, are you laughing?”
At the face of the guy who began smiling upon seeing his own attack.
What’s going on? Is he insane? Has he lost his mind?
Even as he thought this, Ian’s sword and Satan’s arm approached each other.
Swoosh!
In no time, they closed in, so close that saying they were just a paper’s thickness apart would not be an exaggeration.
‘I don’t know what’s what, but….’
The meaning of laughter is still unknown. However, only one thing was clear. Ian’s attack was blocked by his own arm.
It was a moment of relief, thinking like that.
Ping!
“Well, what’s this!”
The moment Ian realized that his attack, which he thought would surely break through, had turned into deflecting his own arm.
It should have been a strong collision in the first place. When his arm touched the sword, it didn’t bounce off powerlessly.
The meaning behind it was simple.
‘No way. Was he not trying to attack with the sword from the beginning?’
Ian didn’t even consider trying to overpower with the sword.
Once again, he fell victim to that bizarre swordsmanship, whether it was an attack or defense was unreadable.
‘This bastard! Is he mocking me!’
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Anger rose at the fact that he was being toyed with. Unfortunately, the opportunity to break free from that was not given.
“You still don’t know even after being hit. What I can use to attack you is not just the sword.”
“Another arm!”
A new arm that had suddenly emerged.
Ian extended it long into the air, and where the arm reached, there was a spear.
“Ian, now!”
Ian received the spear thrown by Celia. However, it was not something like the previous mana-created clone.
‘Gwangchang Bruranak…’
If you were to choose the best sword in the Empire, anyone would count the essence of a master swordsman within Ian’s hands.
Satan, who did not consider protecting his head, could only receive the attack as it was.
Crack!
“Ugh! Aargh!”
As the light burst forth, his head was pierced.
Struggling to maintain his balance, Satan suffered severe damage.
But Ian couldn’t be satisfied here.
If he took a moment to catch his breath because it was difficult, the one who recovered by consuming his anger would come at him again.
“It’s not an opportunity that comes easily.”
Ian knew that well. Moreover, he had completely received Celia’s sword. From now on, it would be impossible to receive her support.
He had to end it here. Ian was certain of that.
“Use all of Neltalion’s divine techniques.”
– All of them?
“Just like when you used Baalzephon and Mamon.”
– Understood!
Using all of the divine techniques, he manifested the appearance of the King of Thousand Blades behind him.
If the attack came from over there, it would be right to respond with corresponding power from this side.
But it was a little different from when he faced Baalzephon.
Crack! Clang!
“I-Ian! Swords have appeared in all of my hands!”
After ascending to the master, he depleted all the increased mana while manifesting swords on each arm.
It was a situation where giving his best was appropriate. If he couldn’t finish it this time, it would be unacceptable! Ian, who was about to swing his sword, had that thought.
“hehehehe! Aiming for the head in an unexpected way… I admit it. But I’ll do the same to you. I still have more than just my left arm to use!”
“…Did you already regenerate?”
The moment Ian realized that his newly grown right arm was targeting him.
Although he thought of prioritizing recovery on that side since his head suffered severe damage… did his right arm regenerate?
In a completely unexpected moment, Ian, flustered, tried to create distance.
“Argh! Darn it….”
“…Did you think you could escape?”
The magical energy that emerged from the ground took the form of a hand, grabbing his ankle and stubbornly resisting.
A situation where he couldn’t prepare for the enemy’s attack.
In that case… should he allocate part of the manifested hand to block the right arm even if it meant sacrificing some of it?
Even in the moment of contemplation, the extended right hand was approaching towards the heart.
‘Is there no other choice….’
First, it’s probably right to take the hit and anticipate the next move. It’s regrettable, but losing his life due to a lapse in concentration is not an option.
Thinking so, at the moment when the sword extended towards Satan, aiming to turn it towards the defense side of the right arm.
Swoosh!
“Ugh…. Ian, don’t worry about me and attack Satan first… I’ll, I’ll hold on… so…”
“Celia?”
Celia Wygnoran. The moment she stood in front of Ian, taking Satan’s attack head-on.
The moment before her abdomen was about to be pierced, Celia gathered her mana and blocked the attack.
She would make sure Ian couldn’t be touched, even if it meant sacrificing herself…
That determination dominated Celia’s mind.
“…Hold on a little longer.”
With his eyes tightly shut, Ian immediately thrust his sword into Satan’s body.
Ku-gwaa-gwaa-gwaa!
A thousand swords poured down like rain. Each stab was followed by a withdrawal and another thrust.
“Krrrk! Krraaack!”
Satan howled in agony and went on a rampage. Ian’s mana rapidly declined, and the excruciating pain felt like his head was about to explode, but…
“I can’t stop no matter how difficult it is…”
He didn’t care.
He couldn’t give up just because it was tough.
In that case, he couldn’t bear to look at Celia, who was sacrificing herself to protect them from Satan’s attacks.
There was only one way for her and Ian to be liberated from this pain. Defeat Satan. Bring him down!
With that thought, Ian steeled his resolve and continued thrusting his sword.
“No… I… I…”
Kwang!
Finally, the last sword fell.
[You have defeated the owner of the Abyss!]
[The wrathful demon king Satan has been obliterated!]
Ian exhaled, holding his breath in the face of Satan’s annihilation.
***
Even though he had defeated Satan, there was no time to rest.
Thud!
“Celia!”
“Huff… huff…”
As Celia collapsed, ceasing her mana manipulation at the confirmation of Satan’s demise, Ian quickly assessed her condition.
“Are you okay?”
“Huff… Ian…”
Her pale face struggled to catch her breath. Even in that state, blood was gushing from her abdomen.
-Ian…
“Neltalion. I’ll use ether to stop the bleeding. Please help me.”
-Okay… I’ll help.
It had been a while since Neltalion had exhausted all of his divine power and lost his stamina. But now, he needed one more person to assist.
Using ether, Neltalion wrapped Celia’s abdomen. He pressed his small hands firmly to stop the bleeding.
However, the blood that surged seemed unstoppable.
-What should we do?
Celia’s sacrifice to block Satan’s attack was an unexpected turn of events.
Ian had only intended for Celia to keep her distance and disrupt Satan’s mental state.
His confusion at her interception of the attack was due to that.
‘I have to save her…’
But Celia never did anything useless.
What Satan did, extending his right arm at the last moment, was an unexpected event that she hadn’t calculated at all. If she had been hit by it, the one to be annihilated would have been herself, not Satan.
If Celia hadn’t risked her life to block it, dealing with Satan would have been impossible.
That was one of the reasons.
“Celia… Don’t say anything… I’ll call for support….”
The reason Ian desperately thought he had to save her.
If there was a memorial link, she might be saved. Wasn’t she the one who handed over the necklace, the medium for that?
She would die if left like this.
Ian, who had thought he couldn’t just watch her die after sacrificing herself, poured continuous regeneration at that moment.
Ding!
[Quest completed! You can check the reward ‘Ian’s Reflection’!]
‘Ah, no! Not now….’
The notification that came up at the worst timing entered his eyes.
At the same time, the surroundings began to darken gradually.
He couldn’t lose consciousness here…. Despite thinking so, he tried hard to endure.
“Ah….”
The status window began to check the reflection without considering Ian.
In a situation close to despair, with eyes gradually dimming, Ian looked around.
“Ian! Celia!”
“…Fortunately.”
He closed his eyes as he saw people running towards them.