Chapter 238
Yan frowned as he watched Werner suddenly erupt in anger.
‘What’s going on?’
But there was no time to ponder. As soon as Werner shouted, the surrounding flowers began to scatter their petals.
One might think that ordinary petals were being blown away by the shockwaves of superhumans.
But Yan’s instincts sensed danger from those petals.
There were only a few things that could pose a threat from Werner.
One was the deployment of a domain that could be handled by second-class superhumans.
The other was the use of the bizarre martial arts unique to the Seven Deadly Sins, known as demonic arts.
‘Is it starting?’
Deploying a domain was a difficult technique to cast in the current situation, as Yan wouldn’t give him the leisure to do so.
The only thing Werner could use was demonic arts that defied logic.
At that moment, Yan’s gaze caught the petals blowing towards him.
Swish.
They looked like ordinary petals fluttering without any force.
Yan’s eyes narrowed.
His mind warned him not to let those petals touch him.
But he needed to see why he shouldn’t let them touch him.
He had to see what kind of result they would bring to devise an appropriate response.
Yan gripped Ascalon tightly and drew upon his mana.
Whoooosh!
Massive amounts of mana began to sweep through Yan’s body and into Ascalon.
Before long, Ascalon was enveloped in a sword aura twice as large as usual.
It was reminiscent of a greatsword.
Yan’s gaze quickly scanned the surroundings.
While his attention was focused on the petals, Werner’s figure was retreating.
‘I won’t give him any leeway.’
Yan’s lips curled into a smile.
He realized there was no need to directly confirm the petals.
He pushed off the ground with force.
Bang!
The ground cracked, and Yan’s figure blurred.
Werner frantically turned his head to find him as Yan’s figure disappeared from his sight.
Soon.
“It seems you can’t focus on anything else while controlling those.”
Werner’s eyes widened at the murmur from right behind him.
He turned like lightning and swung his sword imbued with energy.
Boom!
With a loud noise, another massive shockwave erupted from them.
The ground they stood on couldn’t withstand the shockwave and burst, causing a cloud of dust to rise.
Yan, even in the dust, spotted the approaching petals and retreated.
Werner, unable to retreat in time, allowed the petals to touch him.
Slash! Slash!
Arghhh!
Yan let out a hollow laugh as he watched the scene unfold before him.
“They’re not petals; they’re like blades.”
The petals grazed Werner’s skin, causing blood to spurt out.
It seemed similar to Hans’ technique, Ice Flowers, which Yan had seen in the Beowulf territory.
Of course, the difference in power was overwhelming.
Yan watched the petals tear through Werner’s flesh and prepared a finishing blow.
At that moment, from afar, Duke Juda clicked his tongue as he watched Yan.
“He’s fallen for it. Giving him an opening.”
“…!”
Yan’s eyes widened at his words.
A formidable energy burst forth from Werner, who Yan thought had fallen for his own trick.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Yan’s mind.
“Did he let himself get hurt on purpose?”
To create this opening?
And as if to confirm Yan’s suspicion.
A loud laugh echoed from the dust where the carnage was unfolding.
“Kahahaha! Now it’s round two!”
Werner’s voice, filled with confidence in his victory.
Yan clicked his tongue.
“In the end, I gave him the time to deploy his domain.”
At that moment.
From the barren ground, colorful flowers began to sprout.
The area and scale of the flowers rapidly expanded, soon covering the entire territory.
Even the knights watching the battle from afar were visibly startled by the sudden emergence of flowers from the ground.
This was the technique of Werner, known as the Duke of the East.
“The Flower Garden.”
* * *
Each of the four Dukes possesses their own unique technique.
The Northern Duke, Duke Beowulf, commands the domain of Eternal Frost, an extreme ice realm.
The Western Duke, Duke Melkir, wields the domain of Illusionary Land, a realm of illusions.
The Southern Duke, Duke Juda Caballan, controls the domain of the Sun, a realm of extreme heat.
Lastly, the Eastern Duke.
Werner possesses the domain known as the Flower Garden.
As the name suggests, the Flower Garden of the Eastern Duke is a domain that is difficult to define compared to the others.
Moreover, the Eastern Duke has only deployed his domain once.
That was when he overthrew the previous Eastern Duke through a demonstration of his prowess.
This event took place fifty years ago, and due to its antiquity, the Special Task Force has only a few records about the characteristics of the Flower Garden.
However, both the records of the Special Task Force and those who witnessed the challenge at the time unanimously stated:
The new Eastern Duke’s domain, the Flower Garden, is limitless. In other words, it is an infinite domain.
* * *
Yan’s eyes widened as he saw flowers bloom across the entire landscape in an instant.
“Damn it, those petals were meant to create a domain.”
Whether it was planned from the start or a change of strategy midway, he couldn’t tell. But using self-inflicted attacks to regain composure showed a sharp mind.
Well, considering he was the brain behind the revolutionary army that almost swallowed the southern empire, it made sense.
Yan steadied his breath, lifting Ascalon.
“I still don’t know exactly what my domain is…”
He had accidentally deployed a domain against Aquinas, who was possessed by the White Flame Jade. But that was a fluke, a mix of luck and coincidence.
Yan considered himself a vague second-tier, unable to fully grasp his own domain.
But.
“I have the physical abilities of a second-tier superhuman!”
So, he should have some resistance against the opponent’s domain.
Yan’s eyes flashed as he kicked off the ground.
Bang!
Just as he was about to charge forward again…
Squirm, squirm.
Rustle, rustle!
Countless green tendrils shot up from the ground, wrapping around Yan’s ankles. He quickly tried to shake them off with mana, but…
“Damn it!”
They wouldn’t budge.
He thought they were just flowers. He figured he could crush them with brute force if they got annoying.
No matter how much strength he used, the tendrils around his ankles showed no signs of breaking.
Sweat trickled down Yan’s forehead.
Seeing this, Werner burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! The plants from my garden have durability surpassing even steel! And!”
Werner’s lips twisted into a sneer.
At that moment, Yan’s face turned pale. He could feel the tendrils around his ankles absorbing his mana.
Plants that absorb mana!
Yan gritted his teeth, slashing at the tendrils with Ascalon.
Wriggle, wriggle.
Rustle, rustle!
But for every tendril he cut, three or four more sprang up, tightening their grip on his ankles.
Werner, satisfied, walked slowly towards Yan. His steps were leisurely, confident that he could capture Yan at any moment.
Werner grabbed Yan’s chin roughly as he reached him. The tendrils that had bound his ankles now wrapped around his entire body.
The tendrils seemed to be draining not just his mana but his stamina as well. Otherwise, he would have broken free from Werner’s grip.
“Well, well, it suits you.”
Werner smiled, his eyes crescent-shaped as he looked at the immobilized Yan.
Yan glared fiercely, but what difference did it make if he couldn’t resist?
Werner chuckled, raising his hand.
Then he swung it down hard.
Smack!
A fierce slap landed on Yan’s cheek. Just one hit was enough to split his lip, blood trickling down.
“Say you give up. Beg for your life.”
Werner said, staring at Yan.
But Yan’s eyes still glared at Werner.
Seeing this, Werner laughed and swung his hand again.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
* * *
From a distance, Sun Duke shook his head as he watched the scene unfold.
“It’s over.”
Cruel, who was watching beside him, widened his eyes.
“Then, I’ll go help Yan…!”
“And I’ll stop you.”
Roman, shocked by Sun Duke’s statement, asked coldly.
“Weren’t you friends with Yan?”
Sun Duke laughed as if it was absurd.
“Me? Yes, we are friends. But this is a public event. And I am the judge certifying this event. Are you asking me to break the rules and let you in to help Yan?”
His words were flawless, perfectly logical.
But…
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Rules and certification meant nothing to them.
The most important thing was to ensure Yan didn’t die.
Seeing their expressions, ready to attack him if necessary, Sun Duke let out a hollow laugh.
They knew who he was, yet they were prepared to defy him.
“Knights are truly loyal.”
Shing.
Shing.
Cruel and Roman drew their swords, their mana flaring.
Seeing this, the knights of the Eastern Duke also began to draw their weapons one by one.
The Armenian knights, sensing the tension, placed their hands on their sword hilts.
A situation on the brink of explosion.
Sun Duke frowned.
“Just watch. If your lord looks like he needs your help, then continue.”
At his words, Cruel spoke up.
“You know the true nature of the Eastern Duke! If we don’t act now…!”
“Enough!”
Sun Duke raised his hand, cutting off Cruel’s words.
Then, he looked coldly at the battlefield and continued.
“If Yan is as capable as he seems, I will step in. No matter how sacred the imperial law is, we cannot leave the Seven Deadly Sins unchecked.”
With Sun Duke’s firm stance, Cruel and Roman couldn’t insist any further.
They, along with the Armenian knights, could only watch Yan with worried eyes.