Chapter 242
The Emperor raised his black sword as he watched Ifrit thrust towards him.
BOOOOM!
As the two swords clashed, a massive wave of energy and shockwaves erupted from their center. Though it was just a shockwave, it had enough power to blow away all the surrounding buildings.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The knights watching could only struggle to hold their ground, planting their swords into the earth to withstand the overwhelming energy. Their faces turned pale, and any thoughts of fighting had long vanished from their minds.
“This is insane.”
“Shouldn’t we be running away right now?”
The knights of Arnia also couldn’t dare to intervene in the chaos. They knew that if they did, they wouldn’t last a second before being killed.
Just then...
SWISH!
Sothing began to wrap around their ankles. The movent was so fast that even Cruel and Roman, who had reached the level of superhumans, couldn’t react imdiately.
“Vines?”
“They’re not coming off.”
The blue plant stems wrapped around their ankles. Behind Cruel and Roman, the knights of Arnia and the Eastern Duchy were also startled as the mysterious vines climbed up their bodies like ivy.
“What is this?!”
“This is the Duke’s garden...!”
Before long, so of the knights’ faces turned white, and they collapsed on the spot. Sensing sothing was wrong, the knights drew their swords to cut the vines.
CLANG!
The sound was like striking steel, and the knights’ faces turned pale. Even those who tried to cut the vines with their sword energy found them unyielding.
“They’re so tough!”
“Even sword energy can’t cut them?!”
While the knights were bewildered...
SWISH.
More flower stems sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the bodies of several fallen knights.
GULP. GULP.
The vines pulsed as if they were devouring, and with each pulse, the knights’ bodies quickly withered. Watching this horrifying scene, Cruel broke into a cold sweat.
“Damn it.”
If this keeps up, they’ll end up buried here.
* * *
From a distance, Yan watched the scene unfold, unable to co up with a solution. His gaze quickly scanned the area, and what he saw made him clench his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
“The Emperor... even the common folk...”
Not only the knights but also the ordinary people living in the Eastern Duchy were being ensnared by the mysterious plant vines, their life force being drained. Even now, the number of vines was increasing exponentially.
Yan bit his lip as he looked at the villagers, now reduced to re skeletons.
“What should I do?”
At that mont, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
Listen to carefully from now on.
Yan’s eyes widened. The urgency in the voice could only belong to the illusionist, Vivian. But why was she contacting him now?
Before he could ponder further, her voice continued rapidly in his mind.
You, you’ve implanted the White Fla Jade in your body, haven’t you?
Yan’s eyes grew even wider.
‘How did she know?’
It’s the White Fla Jade. Soone like can’t miss it, unlike soone like the Sun Duke who might not know.
‘Is that so.’
There was no reason to lie, so Yan nodded.
As expected. I don’t know how you managed to implant it so stably, but discussing that now is pointless. This phenonon is solely to fill the White Fla Jade implanted in your body.
Yan imdiately understood Vivian’s words. The Emperor intended to infuse the White Fla Jade with souls and then remove the jade embedded in his own body. He had another unknown plan involving the jade.
“Is there a way?”
Yan asked in a low voice, and Vivian replied in a calm tone.
Yes, there is.
“What is it?”
The technique to activate those demonic vines has already gone beyond the Emperor’s control.
Yan’s eyes sparkled at that mont.
“Then!”
Right, defeating the Emperor won’t stop this phenonon, but on the flip side...
“The Emperor has no direct connection to whether this phenonon stops or not.”
He might try to stop it, but with Juda pressing him so hard, he won’t have the luxury.
Yan nodded. This hint was enough. He didn’t know what those mysterious plants were, but...
Grin.
“If I destroy them all, that’s it.”
With that thought, he understood what the Sun Duke’s shout ant. He was holding off the Emperor, so Yan could resolve this phenonon.
BOOM!
The clash between the Emperor and the Sun Duke grew more intense with each passing mont. Each exchange of blows shook the heavens and the earth.
‘This is the battle of the empire’s pinnacle.’
Yan was well aware of the Sun Duke’s power from his past life. But the Emperor, even though not in his true form, was deflecting all of the Sun Duke’s sharp and fierce attacks and even counterattacking at tis.
‘As Vivian said, now is the chance while the Sun Duke is buying ti.’
Swoosh.
Yan steadied his breath, holding Ascalon in his right hand and Unknown in his left. He unleashed his mana explosively. His mana heart pounded as if it would burst at any mont. But his body, implanted with the White Fla Jade, withstood the mana heart’s convulsions firmly.
Swoosh.
Yan steadied his breath once more, drawing out even more mana. Despite surpassing his limits, he didn’t stop stimulating his mana heart.
* * *
Swoosh.
The Emperor, who was fiercely exchanging blows with the Sun Duke, glanced towards Yan.
“To achieve such feats at that age... Impressive.”
“It’s surprising that he hid such skills, but he shouldn’t be distracted by .”
As the Emperor’s gaze shifted towards Yan, the Sun Duke intensified his attacks, pushing the Emperor back.
‘Sothing’s off.’
Yan had revealed that the Emperor was the Founding Emperor. It wasn’t strange for him to display such prowess even in a borrowed body. After all, a thousand years ago, he was the hero who led humanity out of the dark ages into a golden era.
But as the battle continued, sothing felt amiss. There was an awkwardness in the Emperor’s swordsmanship, a slight misalignnt that only soone of the Sun Duke’s caliber could notice.
‘Sothing’s missing.’
Each strike was powerful, but the flow between them felt slightly off. However, the Sun Duke didn’t let this show and continued to press the Emperor.
BOOM!
Despite the awkwardness, the Emperor easily blocked the Sun Duke’s attacks.
“You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
“...”
“My true identity.”
For the first ti, the Sun Duke’s eyebrows raised. The Emperor continued speaking, unfazed by the imnse power clashing between them.
“You wouldn’t rebel against without a reason, would you?”
“I heard you’re the Founding Emperor.”
CLANG!
“Indeed, you know well. I am Bahamut Caballan, the Founding Emperor and the history of this empire.”
“But now, you’ve gone mad.”
The Emperor’s brow furrowed montarily, and his black sword slashed at the Sun Duke’s chest with incredible speed.
SLASH!
Blood gushed from the wound, but the Sun Duke showed no sign of pain.
“Seems I hit a nerve. Your sword suddenly got sharper.”
“Sorry, transferring my soul multiple tis has made my emotions unpredictable. Provocations like this can make lose control.”
“Maybe it’s because you couldn’t die when you should have and are clinging to life in such an ugly manner.”
“Heh, I thought only your sword was sharp, but your tongue is too. If I had known, I would have talked to you more often.”
The Emperor swung his black sword with great force.
CRASH!
The Sun Duke, who had been unleashing a barrage of attacks, staggered. The imnse power in the black sword twisted his stance.
The Emperor smirked as he looked at the Sun Duke, who seed to bow his head.
“I didn’t seek immortality for my own luxury. I wanted to gift a brilliant future to humans like . Though transferring my soul has its side effects, I still hold that goal dearly.”
The Sun Duke’s eyes darkened, not because of the Emperor’s resolve, but because he realized sothing.
‘He couldn’t fully inherit his swordsmanship through soul transfer.’
He understood why the Emperor’s swordsmanship felt awkward. Just then...
ROAR!
A trendous aura erupted from afar, rivaling that of the Emperor and the Sun Duke. The Sun Duke’s lips curled into a smile.
“Is my role over?”
He had kept the Emperor occupied; now it was Yan’s turn. Yan never disappointed, and this ti would be no different.
“...?”
The Sun Duke’s eyes narrowed as he prepared to attack the Emperor again. The Emperor, seemingly lost in thought, was staring blankly at Yan.
The Emperor’s defenseless appearance made the Sun Duke wonder if it was a trap. Soon, Yan unleashed his technique from afar.
The Founding Emperor’s second sword technique.
Oppression.
Simultaneously, gravity intensified, and a white light burst forth.
POP! POP!
The plant vines that had been strangling the villagers burst like balloons upon contact with the light. The knights, who seed on the brink of death, suddenly found strength and began evacuating the villagers and the wounded.
“Ah... Ah.”
The Emperor’s eyes, which had been full of confidence, now sparkled with interest as he watched Yan’s technique. The Sun Duke, determined not to miss the opportunity, swung Ifrit.
At that mont, the Emperor spoke.
“I’ve found it.”
SLASH!
With those words, the Emperor’s headless body collapsed, blood pouring out. Despite defeating a formidable foe, the Sun Duke felt a strange discomfort. It seed the Emperor had gained sothing.
Even though they had thwarted his plot and defeated the Seven Deadly Sins... the Emperor’s face at the end was one of triumph.
“Sothing’s off.”
The Sun Duke stared at the dead face of Werner, who had died with a smile, for a long ti.
“It’s over.”
Yan approached, and the Sun Duke greeted him.
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