Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

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Chapter 315: The Highest Mountain (2)

***

Two aurablades extended from a pair of daggers and flew towards Damien's neck.

Damien parried the attack with Dawn. In that instant, a tremendous shockwave hit him.

It felt as if he had blocked a heavy boulder instead of an aurablade. Dawn trembled as if it was going to break.

Damien twisted Dawn and deflected the attack. Immediately, a second strike came flying.

It was a sharp, consecutive attack, befitting the title of the 'Sword Demon'.

[TL/N- Mariqus of Sword → Sword Demon.]

Damien blocked the second attack and retreated. Laetitia didn't immediately attack. She maintained distance and spoke regretfully.

"Huh? You're completely different from the last time I saw you. Back then, you were strong enough to knock Asthar out in one hit, but now you're not so good."

Unlike last time, Damien was now facing Laetitia as a 'human' rather than a 'Death Knight'.

'Human Damien Haksen' had yet to catch up to 'Death Knight Damien Haksen'.

So, it was natural for Laetitia to perceive Damien as weakened.

"Lord Vahel told me to be careful not to provoke you too much... but at this rate, I can handle this on my own, can't I?"

"You're incredibly arrogant for someone who's only clashed swords with me once."

Damien twisted one corner of his mouth and said. Laetitia laughed and replied.

"You seem very angry. But if you're a swordsman, you should show it with your skills. What's the point of just talking?"

"If you want to see it so much, I'll show you."

Just as Damien was about to conjure mana, he suddenly pointed at the daggers floating around Laetitia and asked.

"Aren't you going to use those?"

Dozens of daggers were floating around Laetitia.

Even with so many weapons, Laetitia was only using two.

"Are you that curious? But unfortunately, I only use this against strong opponents. I don't think you'll be able to see it."

Damien couldn't help but chuckle at the repeated provocations.

"If you're eager to meet your end, I'll be happy to introduce you."

Damien awakened the magic that had been quietly dormant.

"First Wheel."

The mana began to rotate inside Damien’s body. At the same time, the sapling of the World Tree rooted in his soul lent its strength.

Mana and spirit power merged as one. It fused with his body as one.

One Wheel. One unity.

The moment it was completed, a blue light emanated from Damien's eyes.

The next moment, Damien disappeared. Immediately afterward, a strike landed on Laetitia's neck.

Laetitia's eyes widened. She quickly retreated and crossed her daggers.

Dawn struck the X-shaped aurablades causing Laetitia's body to be pushed back.

"...Kuk?"

A look of shock appeared on Laetitia's face. Damien didn't miss the opportunity.

Damien closed the distance in the blink of an eye and swung Dawn. Laetitia raised her daggers to block the incoming attack.

However, Laetitia's strength was insufficient to deflect Dawn. The sword cleaved through her daggers and grazed her cheek.

Her cheek split open, and blood gushed out. Rage flared on Laetitia's face.

"A mere human who won't live a hundred years dares to injure me? You are courting death!"

Laetitia's eyes turned red. Vast amounts of demonic energy erupted from her entire body.

Her body also changed. Her eyes turned purple, two horns grew from her forehead, and tiger-like patterns appeared all over her body.

"I'll let you feel the difference in our power!"

Laetitia charged towards Damien. The ground shook with each step she took.

Staring at the approaching Laetitia, Damien muttered again.

"Second Wheel."

The blue light emanating from Damien's eyes grew even deeper.

Damien blocked Laetitia's strike head-on. The shockwave pushed the surrounding air away, creating a strong wind.

The two of them stared at each other with their swords locked at the ready. Laetitia gritted her teeth and muttered.

"...You withstood my attack?"

"It's just too light to dodge."

Laetitia's eyes flashed with anger at Damien's mockery.

"Who do you think you are, getting so cocky!"

Laetitia put strength into both arms. She pushed Damien back and swung her twin swords.

The two daggers drew different arcs. The aurablades extending from the daggers aimed for Damien's vital points.

However, Laetitia's consecutive attacks were easily deflected. It took Damien only a few swings of his sword to parry all of her attacks.

"Given your boasts about your experiences, I expected fireworks. Instead, I got a damp squib."

Laetitia's face twisted at Damien's mockery.

"I haven't even shown you half of my abilities yet!"

Laetitia screamed and unleashed her swordsmanship.

Countless techniques poured out. None of them were anything to scoff at.

But none of the techniques could reach Damien. As if he could read her mind, Damien easily blocked all of her attacks.

There was no way Laetitia could have missed that fact. Her face hardened rapidly.

"Is that all you've got?"

Damien asked Laetitia.

"Then I'll set up your appointment with the death."

Damien used Dawn to deflect Laetitia's attack.

The trajectory changed sharply, and the two daggers flew in different directions.

"Huh?"

At the moment Laetitia was taken aback, Damien took a large step forward.

Damien instantly closed the distance and swung Dawn. Dawn sliced through Laetitia's neck.

"...Ughhhh!"

Blood gushed out as her neck was half-severed. Laetitia grabbed her neck and retreated.

"You're tougher than I thought."

Damien swung his sword with the intent to deliver a perfect strike this time. Fear of death appeared in Laetitia's eyes.

"...Ahh, Aghhhhh!"

Laetitia coughed up blood and cried out.

At that moment, the daggers floating in the air all flew towards Damien.

Damien tried to parry all the daggers. Although there were many, he could handle them now that he was in the state of Second Wheel.

However, the moment Dawn collided with the daggers, Damien had to immediately revise his plan.

The power contained in the daggers was much heavier than he had expected. They were far stronger than when Laetitia wielded them herself.

Damien had to stop and parry the daggers where he stood.

With each collision between Dawn and the daggers, there was a loud explosion. Damien's body was pushed back slightly.

'These are demonic swords that I parried moments before?'

Even Damien was astonished by the terrifying power of the demonic swords. It truly felt like fighting the Sword Demon.

Meanwhile, Laetitia was focused on healing the wound on her neck.

If Laetitia fully recovered, the battle would undoubtedly be prolonged.

Damien had to go all out to finish it.

"Third Wheel."

Third Wheel was completed within his body. The pressure emanating from Damien amplified in an instant.

The next moment, lines were drawn in the air.

Dozens of lines extended outward from Damien. All the daggers that touched the lines were cut in half.

"...What?"

Laetitia exclaimed with a startled expression.

The next instant, Damien kicked off the ground. He dashed forward in a straight line and slashed at Laetitia's neck.

Purple blood splattered as Laetitia's head fell to the ground.

Even at that moment, Laetitia didn't realize what had happened to her.

"For something so insignificant...You, you..."

Even though her head was severed, Laetitia was still alive. It was thanks to the powerful vitality unique to demons.

She could have survived if she quickly reattached her head, but Damien had no intention of letting that happen.

"I want to ask what your plans are, but... you won't tell me, will you?"

Damien reached out towards Laetitia's head. He used dark magic to extract her soul.

-Kyaaaaak!

As expected of a demon, Laetitia's soul was enormous. Damien tore her soul apart and absorbed her memories.

"...Nothing special."

Unfortunately, there was no great information.

All he learned was that they had to find the altar to break the Oath.

And that even the demons didn't know the location of the altar.

"I'll have to find the altar before the demons."

Saying so, Damien turned his gaze toward the roaring Red Dragon who was standing on the corpses of the demons.

***

"What? You're saying Damien came with a dragon?"

Vahel couldn't hide his surprise upon receiving the report.

"Asthar, isn't that amazing? A dragon! Damien Haksen brought a dragon with him!"

Vahel turned around and spoke. Behind him stood a demon with the head of a bull.

-If you just give the order, I'll go and tear them both apart right now.

Asthar said with a murderous look.

He seemed to hold a grudge against Damien for knocking him out.

"What if you end up dead at Damien's hands?"

-This time it will be different!

"Even Laetitia, a Marquis like you, died at the hands of Damien Haksen?"

-I'm not like that fool who just plays around!

Asthar raised his voice. Vahel laughed, holding his stomach.

"Yeah, yeah, you're different from Laetitia."

The title 'Sword Demon' was both an honor and a burden for Laetitia.

Although Laetitia was a demon, she was not born with power. Therefore, she had trained with a sword for over a thousand years, and thanks to that, she was able to become a Marquis class demon.

However, a demon without power was not a demon. Despite being a Marquis class demon, Laetitia was as weak as a Count class demon.

"Just hold on a little longer. There's something more important right now."

Vahel turned his gaze. There, Dorugo was tied to a tree with iron chains.

"Dorugo, quickly recall your memories. Try to recall the feeling of how you entered the altar."

The altar.

The place where Ruin made the Oath was also absent from Dorugo's memories.

Only Ruin knew how to enter that place.

"..."

Dorugo hung limply without responding. A look of annoyance briefly appeared on Vahel's face.

"Hey, wake her up."

A demon with a mosquito's snout.

Laria stuck her snout into the back of Dorugo's head.

At that moment, Dorugo's eyes burned.

"Aaargh!"

"If you had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened."

"Kuaaak!"

Dorugo's screams continued.

***

"Kyaaak!"

Hearing the distant scream, the Four Great Demon Kings bit their lips.

"...Mother's screams are weaker than yesterday. She must be running out of energy."

Epsilon looked around at his siblings and spoke.

"We can't watch this anymore. We must absolutely rescue Mother from this place. Even if it costs us our lives."

The three siblings nodded. Epsilon continued with a heavy face.

"We absolutely need Damien Haksen for our plan."

***

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]