novelburst
Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Chapter 50
"I can't understand from that perspective. Ah, it's all undone."
As Melissa finally unraveled the last chain, Luna Basilin moved her body around before slowly rising and spreading her wings.
"Haa... I really didn't expect the seal to be broken like this."
"Just a moment ago, you seemed ready to die."
"I changed my mind. I want to be freed from this space."
"You changed your mind?"
"There is something I need to find."
Just moments ago, she had seemed full of resignation.
But now, there was something strangely desperate about her.
I had no idea what had happened in such a short span of time.
"It must be somewhere on the continent where you all live. I have to find it."
Then, she lightly traced her index finger through the air.
With a flash of light, an ornate-looking artifact dropped into existence.
"My goodness. That looks incredibly expensive."
Melissa's keen eyes quickly assessed the item's value.
"This is all I can offer."
Regardless of where these treasures came from or how valuable they were, one thing was certain—
To her, these treasures meant nothing.
And whatever she sought was worth far more than them.
If I played this right...
[It could become a shackle preventing her own existence from becoming a variable.]
‘Geez... I stopped thinking about it because it felt too cruel…’
Unlike me, the Archivist had no hesitation.
As the energy within me settled, the pain that had wracked my body subsided.
It wasn’t just natural healing.
"A healing ability?"
"It’s my specialty."
A healing-specialized angel, huh…
"Leon, is your sword okay? You always end up breaking them."
Melissa pulled out her sword and held it out to me.
I checked the condition of my current sword, the Black Night Blade 1.
"This one’s done for."
Without hesitation, I tossed the broken sword to Melissa, who scrambled to catch it.
"If there's no knife, use your teeth."
I spoke matter-of-factly, then turned to Luna Basilin, who controlled this space.
"There should be something usable here."
Once again, she traced a finger through the air.
This time, a pair of black leather gloves materialized.
"Hand of Fury. A legion-commander-level artifact. Quite useful."
The gloves were quite large, but as soon as I put them on, they shrank to fit my hands perfectly, as if by magic.
"Not bad."
The fit was astonishingly smooth, allowing for easy movement.
"They hold various powers."
Honestly, I preferred these over another sword.
At that moment, the surrounding space began to collapse.
"What the hell? What's happening here?!"
"It's collapsing faster than expected. The seal is breaking. When the seal breaks, the space will collapse from its deepest layer. Too many unexpected things keep happening."
Collapsing from the inside out… That meant that, eventually, the seal would fully disintegrate.
And when that happened, Barva would be unleashed.
The mansion was likely to be destroyed in the process.
That meant I had to kill him now.
"How long until it collapses completely?"
"At this rate, about five minutes."
"Open the door. The preparations are done, and five minutes is more than enough."
As soon as she opened the door, I stepped forward.
In my sight was Barva, its entire body covered in the lingering effects of seventy different poisons and curses, its form corroded by dark contamination.
Melissa, having heard of Barva’s strength, looked uneasy.
Understandable.
Barva was that powerful—I'd fought it enough to know better than anyone.
But I also knew exactly how much weaker it was now.
— Grrrrrrrrrrr…
It exuded a massive killing intent, its enormous body riddled with blackened wounds.
The seventy different poisons, debuffs, and curses included many spells crafted specifically for it.
"At some point, you just can't win without this level of preparation... The balance feels completely broken."
[That is beyond my capacity to verify.]
So it does bother them.
Then, Barva moved.
Its massive frame shot toward me at astonishing speed.
I had no sword in hand.
I hadn’t yet reached the level where I could condense aura into a blade.
And Barva was more vulnerable to blunt force than cuts.
Necromantic magic was also out of the question, as I was still charging a different spell.
That left me with only one choice.
Tock… tock…
One step, then another.
Seven paces between us.
More than enough distance.
Inhale.
I took a short breath, circulating my aura in a slightly different pattern to invigorate my entire body.
And then—
— ROOOOAAAAARRR!!
The moment Barva reached the distance I had calculated—
[Overbreak (Transcending Limits)]
[Single Strike]
[Translator - Night]
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A symbol of the Fist Master, Fist Aura, enveloped my hand.
However, it was not a fully formed Fist Aura but an unstable version, akin to an incomplete Sword Aura.
Yet, its instability was compensated by my immense proficiency and overwhelming amount of aura.
BOOOOM!!!
With incredible speed, my fist shot forward, striking deep into the enemy’s body with a short, precise blow.
"Keugh?!"
Barva stumbled backward in pain, momentarily halted.
Even in its weakened state—further debilitated by poison and curses—I hadn't expected to wound it this much.
But Hand of Fury, given to me by Luna Basilin, had amplified my lacking shockwave to an astonishing degree.
Now I understand why people rave about powerful artifacts.
Before the staggering enemy could regain its balance, I stepped in again.
Closing the distance in an instant, I clenched my fist and delivered another strike with absolute precision.
[Taiji - Strength]
[Yang]
Fwoosh!! BOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, as blazing aura flames detonated against Barva’s body.
Even so, it was sturdy.
It endured the impact and retaliated with its claws.
Its claws tore through the air, burning everything in their path.
But I smoothly deflected its attack, flowing like water, and prepared my second strike.
[Taiji - Strength]
[Yin]
CRACKLE!!!
A second strike—this time infused with dark, chilling aura—landed at the exact same spot.
The aura spiraled within it, rotating with the harmony of Yin and Yang, creating a tremendous internal disruption.
Sensing the imminent danger, Barva instinctively tried to retreat.
Had this been a moment ago, it might have succeeded.
But now, with Hand of Fury amplifying my attacks and Luna Basilin’s mysterious power draining its regeneration at an alarming rate, it had no escape.
"His base speed and healing have slowed?! Then I should join in—ahhh!"
"If healing can be inverted, it can suppress his regeneration. But beyond this, I’m useless. And so are you. Don't do anything unnecessary and stay put."
True to the mechanics of the game, when powerful synergy comes into play, the damage dealer can rampage without restraint.
Realizing it was too late to evade, Barva ignited Sacred Flames around its entire body.
But I did not stop.
I leaped towards its chest.
Its sheer size ensured I wouldn’t miss.
Sacred Flames burn everything they touch.
Melissa screamed.
"Leon?! No, stop!!"
"I have a way to deal with the flames! Keep going!!"
[Taiji - Strength]
[Disharmony Yin-Yang - Collapse]
My fist, forcibly reversing the harmony of Yin and Yang, drove into its body.
The Sacred Flames, which should have engulfed me, reacted to Hand of Fury—and with a whoosh, they dissipated.
With his body now exposed, my Disharmonious Strike twisted its internal energy flow, further crippling its regeneration.
Sacred Flames consume all.
Not just matter, but even space itself bears their scars.
Even as a 6th Circle Necromancer, I had very few ways to rid myself of them.
Some damage was inevitable.
In other words, getting hit by those claws was a huge problem.
So how did I handle it in the Hall of Martial Arts or the Hall of Swords?
I could unleash Sword Aura Explosions for semi-ranged attacks in the Hall of Swords.
But it was a brutal slugfest in the Hall of Martial Arts, where I relied solely on fists and kicks.
I died hundreds of times before realizing—
"This isn't working."
So, I adopted a single-minded strategy—I must avoid its claws at all costs.
I knew it could burst forward with sudden acceleration.
But whether due to poison, curses, or spatial collapse, it could no longer use that ability.
Yet before I even needed to dodge, Hand of Fury radiated a pure white light, nullifying the Sacred Flames—catching me off guard.
Unexpected, but a fantastic outcome nonetheless.
With Taiji’s Disharmony Strike properly landing, Barva’s blood flow and movements were twisted.
Both Luna Basilin and I had relentlessly chipped away at its regeneration and resistance, leaving it unable to endure its own curses, debuffs, and poisons any longer.
Barva staggered backward, its body trembling.
"Grrrr… Keugh!!"
Coughing up black blood, it wobbled, seemingly unable to comprehend its own predicament.
Its rational mind was long gone, leaving only instinct—and instinct alone wouldn’t help it in a complex battle like this.
"Hoo."
I took a short breath, carefully regulating my over-revving Mana Circles.
Inflicting curses had already drained a massive amount of mana.
But mana was never a concern for me.
With plenty left to spare, I prepared one final, decisive blow—the strongest a 6th Circle Necromancer could unleash.
Despite Barva’s desperate resistance, I clasped my hands together with a resounding clap.
At the same time, a massive violet magic circle unfurled beneath my feet.
From my shadow, numerous mist-like Wraith Heads emerged, their serpent-like bodies lashing out, sinking their fangs into Barva.
[6th Circle Necromancy]
[Overcharge (Power Overload)]
[Revenge of the Banshee]
My Death Knight remained behind at the mansion, but my Wraiths had been lurking in my shadow, resonating with my magic all this time.
A mere bite from a ghost wouldn’t be worthy of a 6th Circle spell.
If that were all it did, I wouldn’t have needed such a lengthy preparation.
But Revenge of the Banshee was far more than that.
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