The Gargoyle burst forth at breakneck speed.
I watched it emerge and released my bowstring.
KABOOOOOOOOM—!
Another explosion thundered through the air.
“Gah!”
The Gargoyle tumbled back into the crater. Black smoke billowed forth in thick clouds, and screams echoed from the depths.
—GRAAAAAAHHHHH!
“Things are heating up quite nicely.”
I nodded with an expressionless face, then rummaged through my coat’s inner pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
Hiss.
Nothing quite compared to this for recovering Aura. I was a habitual smoker anyway.
Inhale—
Exhale.
Gray smoke spread gently outward, restoring my Aura.
“If you had those, you could’ve shared one with me.” Lin Praha’s voice was clipped. Judging by her look, she wanted to ask how I’d pulled off that trick—but was pointedly restraining herself.
I gave her a faint smile. “It’s the last one.”
“How cruel.”
“I should be the one complaining. This method won’t work again anyway.”
I turned from Lin Praha, gazing into the pit. I’d used Buckshot again just now, but I knew one thing for certain—the creature wasn’t dead.
It’s not the kind of creature that dies so easily.
Gargoyles were known more for their defense than offense. Master-level fighters being required to bring them down said everything about their durability.
It’ll be climbing up again any second now.
I readied my bow, eyes locked on the crater’s edge. And sure enough—
Whoooooosh—!
Just as expected, the Gargoyle soared up again, its eyes blazing with fury.
“Just shoot it again,” Lin Praha said dully, standing beside me. She seemed to think I could simply repeat the same attack.
“I’ll use it, but it won’t hit as hard this time.”
I released another arrow.
Swish—
KABOOOOOOOOM!
Another eruption. Black smoke billowed out again. But this time…
Pssssssh—
When the smoke cleared, the Gargoyle was still standing—arms crossed in front of its face, having blocked the blast.
“Did you think I’d fall for the same trick twice?!” it snarled, eyes flashing with hate.
Clicking my tongue, I stepped back, shielding Lea and Lin Praha behind me.
Whoosh—!
Flap!
The Gargoyle flew out of the crater. Its body was riddled with wounds. Lava, not blood, seeped from cracks in its stone skin, and its horn had snapped in half. It glared at me, radiating bloodlust.
“Are you done with your little games?”
“For games, you seem awfully beat up.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got more than enough strength left to tear you apart.”
The creature threw its head back and opened its jaws wide. I felt the air shift as an enormous pressure built in its throat. Then—
ROOOOOOOOOAR!
WHOOOOOOSH!
Flames and molten heat erupted. Hell itself had broken through the earth. The Elder Council’s chambers blazed like a volcano.
“This is insane,” Lin Praha muttered behind me. She stared, dumbfounded. It must have been impossible for her to grasp how Mark Leian had become that.
She had never once lost to him before. But now—well, with one arm gone, that alone made things difficult.
“I’ve been wondering… why did that bastard change like that? He was definitely human just a little while ago,” Lin asked.
“No idea. He ate something and transformed,” Roxha Praha answered before I could.
Demon byproduct.
The realization hit me. That was what he’d consumed.
A pill-like object demons manufactured—one that corrupted the user and bound them to demonic power.
Of course, I only knew that thanks to what I’d learned before my regression. At this point in time, it was a secret to nearly everyone.
Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen it cause a physical transformation.
Normally, it stopped at mental corruption.
But that didn’t matter now.
ROOOOOOOAR!
The gargoyle had finished its preparations and charged at me. Lava surged around its limbs, and each movement radiated blistering heat.
Whoosh—!
KABOOM!
Wherever it struck, the ground exploded.
“Where do you think you’re running, you little rat bastard?!” the Gargoyle roared.
“I can hardly stand there and take it, can I?”
I dodged its flaming fist.
<Full Bloom>
<Lightning Bolt>
Gathering Aura, I unleashed my master’s techniques.
Swooooooosh—!
CRAAAAAACKLE—!
Even that wasn’t enough to do real damage. The Gargoyle stood tall, glaring at me with molten eyes—waiting for my Aura to burn out.
I clicked my tongue and rummaged in my coat again. One last cigarette.
Behind me, someone muttered, “Didn’t you say that was the last one?” but I ignored it and lit up.
Sensing my recovery, the Gargoyle snarled, baring its teeth. “How many more minutes do you think that will buy you?”
“I’ve been meaning to say—shut your mouth. The smell of hot garbage is getting unbearable.”
“You’re still cracking jokes?!”
I really meant it. If it could smell its own breath, it’d understand my suffering. What a selfish brute.
Well, I suppose the fun ends here.
The banter had bought me just enough time. The technique I was about to use took considerable preparation.
I looked down at the bracer on my arm and let out a quiet sigh.
Didn’t expect to use this too.
The leather bracer from the Emperor. It housed one of the Divine Archer’s secret skills—a technique that even an Aura Master could only sustain for three minutes.
For me? One minute, if that.
It wasn’t my master’s signature technique for nothing. A Grand Master’s art. You had to stand at the pinnacle to wield it freely.
“I’m going to need some serious downtime after this.”
I lowered my bow.
The moment I did, the Gargoyle’s eyes gleamed, and it charged.
Until now, I would’ve dodged. Not this time. I stood my ground.
“Given up already?!”
The Gargoyle laughed and raised its sword—one it hadn’t dared to use before.
Its broken blade hissed as lava enveloped it, forming a jagged, molten edge.
Glop. Glop.
Lava dripped, steaming, from the blade.
“Beg forgiveness for daring to oppose me—and dieeeee!”
<Eruption Strike>
A monstrous weight surged forward like a mountain crashing down.
I stood still, scattering Aura around me.
Then—I uttered a single word.
“Move.”
* * *
The knight transformed into a Gargoyle, Mark Leian, celebrated his victory.
Finally dead!
He’d been more troublesome than expected, but this attack would definitely have killed him. After all, Eruption Strike was his trademark move. Even Lin Praha would dodge first when he used this technique.
If he and the archer hadn’t been so mismatched, he’d have ended this sooner. Still, no need to dwell on it. He’d won.
Now to finish off the rest.
He glanced at the cloud of black smoke, lips curled in a smug grin. He’d never taken this opponent seriously. Who would? What Master feared an Aura Expert?
This fight had dragged on only because he was careless.
Well, not anymore.
Heheh.
Mark turned toward Lin Praha, who stood barely upright.
Then—
Prick.
He felt a tiny sting—like an insect bite—on his back.
A last-ditch effort?
He sneered. Surviving Eruption Strike was impressive, he’d admit. Made things look more dramatic.
“You fought well—” he started to say.
Wobble.
Thud.
His knees buckled, and he dropped, one knee striking the ground like a knight paying fealty.
His head whipped around in shock.
Louis Berg stood behind him, cloaked in ash.
Mark struggled to rise, but his limbs trembled, barely responding.
“You… what… did you… do to me…?”
His voice came slow, slurred. His vision blurred.
He forced his gaze to focus—only to see something strange.
Blue serpents? No—threads. Dozens of glowing blue threads circled Louis Berg, faint and writhing like misty phantoms.
That… did this to me?
“Argh...!”
Pain surged. His body screamed. Still, Mark gripped his sword.
“What… did you… do?!”
Louis Berg didn’t answer. He simply dragged a hand through his hair and exhaled smoke.
“Thirty seconds,” he murmured.
Thirty…?
Mark wanted to speak, to question—but his body no longer listened.
His thoughts slowed. Then stopped.
The last thing he saw was a massive serpent, lunging toward him from the smoke.
* * *
“Cough!”
I spat blood and braced myself on the ground. This cursed technique always wrecked my body. Of course it would—it was meant for Grand Masters.
Couldn’t Master have made it a little safer?
I grumbled toward the man I hadn’t even met in this life.
Well, whatever. The monster was down. That was enough.
“Phew.”
Flat on my back, I exhaled long and slow. Thirty seconds. That was all I could manage—thirty seconds, and only by risking everything.
I won’t be able to use this properly until I reach Master level.
At the Expert level, it was practically a suicide move.
I turned my head and saw the scattered arrows that had tormented the Gargoyle.
Still… they kept me alive. That’s something.
I closed my eyes and thought about the skill I’d just used.
My master’s ultimate technique: <Divine Beast Invocation>.