Damn Reincarnation

Chapter 453: Rage (1)

Chapter 453: Rage (1)

Although this was only natural, there was no one here who could see through to the true identity of the specter. Even Cyan, who had once encountered the specter in the Samar Rainforest, was unable to recognize him as he was now.

This wasnt just because his face was covered by a mask; it was also because his very presence itself had changed so drastically. Even though he was just standing there quietly, he gave off such an intimidating aura that it caused everyone looking at him to break out in goosebumps.

However, just because they couldnt guess his identity didnt give them any reason to hesitate before attacking. That was just how blatantly the specters very presence was currently communicating his intentions.

He was exuding such an ominous and evil aura of power that it made everyone instinctively want to take a step back. The source of this aura didnt seem to simply originate from his dark power. No one here had ever felt such a sinister dark power coming from any black wizard or even a demonfolk.

This meant that this mysterious figure had to be a Demon King or at least a being on a similar level to one. Everyone here had instinctively realized this fact.

Carmen, who had transformed into a fiery white dragon, charged at the specter. Making his move at the same time that she had, Genos also kicked off the ground. Genos may not have been able to practice the White Flame Formula, but in terms of skill proficiency alone, he was ranked second only to Carmen in the Black Lion Knights.

Genoss skills were from the Hamel Style. The specter was naturally able to recognize this fact as soon as he saw it.

Neither of the two knights knew their opponents identity. However, they instinctively knew that this was someone that they couldnt handle on their own. It was a being that shouldnt be fought, that made them not want to fight.

But if everyone here were to honestly submit to their fears, nobody would be left to step forward. So just as Carmen had overcome her terror and charged out to meet him, so had Genos.

After all, this was the Black Lion Castle, the fief of the Lionheart clan with three hundred years of history behind it.

Genos body was engulfed by red-hot flames of mana.

This situation was different from the time with Eward when an insider had betrayed the clan. This was purely an invasion by an enemy. One who hadnt even brought an army with them. Just a single person had dared to intrude into the Lionheart clans territory.

It didnt matter whether or not they could actually kill him. The important thing was that they couldnt just back down from such an opponent. In this, both Genos and Carmens thoughts coincided.

Even though Carmen and Genos had just joined forces without any prior planning, the movements of the two were as smooth as if they had done this hundreds or even thousands of times before. The Asura Rampage that Genos had trained for all of his life and Carmens Lightning Flash both struck the specter at the same time.

So this is Genos Lionheart, the specter thought.

The heir to the Hamel Style. The specter felt a wry sense of gratitude as he created a sword from his dark power. To be honest, if he could have his way, he wanted to respond to Genos with an identical Asura Rampage or one of Hamels other techniques. However, the specter didnt choose to do so. He didnt want to reveal that he was Hamels Death Knight at a place like this. To be more precise, he didnt want Hamels name to be tarnished by his current actions.

So, the specters attack couldnt be something that he had learned before. It couldnt be an attack that was easy to handle or light enough to be overcome with a blind swing of the sword, either. So, since he had to hide his techniques, he needed to apply an even greater force to make up for that.

This wasnt a difficult task for the specter. As the Incarnation of Destruction, his reserves of dark power were infinite. The dark power of Destruction was such a destructive force that most who tried to wield it were unable to control it. Until now, many of Destructions former vassals had self-destructed due to the dark power of Destruction, but there was no such risk for the specter.

Just like how a warrior could draw mana from his Core, the specter was able to draw on the dark power of Destruction.

Claaaaang!

The moment that the Asura Rampage and Lightning Flash reached the specter, they collided with the dark power of Destruction and were erased. But this violent, dark power wasnt satisfied with merely extinguishing the attacks. The dark power spread out and formed a storm centered around the specter.

Whatever this power was, it was dangerous. Both Carmen and Genos shared this same thought. The two immediately leaped backward as they readied their next attacks.

The other people present also began to move. Excluding Gion, who wasnt here, and Carmen and Genos, who had already made their moves, the remaining seven Black Lion Captains led the knights under their command to attack the figure. In an instant, the specter was surrounded by hundreds of knights, and on the outside of this encirclement, the warriors of the Zoran tribe were creating a second wall around the figure.

This suppressive formation made it obvious that they were attempting to consume the specter in a battle of attrition[1]. With this formation, the Captains could either take turns to attack and weaken their opponent, or they could just attack from all sides. Whichever way they chose to attack, their determination to put all their power into suppressing a single person could be felt strongly.

The specter was all alone, and there were hundreds of them. However, they all knew the truth. Even with these hundreds of allied troops working together, it was still impossible for them to deal with this figure. Even if the strongest among them, the Captains and the Council Elders, were to attack him at the same time, it would still be impossible for them to defeat this figure.

As such, they just had to wait for their reinforcements to arrive. They needed to hold on until then while also minimizing the damage to their own troops.

Its pointless for them to try and drag out the time like this, the specter scoffed to himself.

Were they waiting for the reinforcements from the main estate? For the Archwizards of Aroth? Or maybe even the Wise Sienna. The specter didnt really want to let this battle get too large, and he especially didnt want to fight Sienna. Perhaps the one whom they were truly waiting for was Eugene Lionheart, who was currently in Giabella Park.

The specter didnt really want to fight with Eugene either. Or at least, he didnt want the clash between them to take place here.

As such, he had already blocked all the paths through which reinforcements could arrive. He had sealed the warp-gate, and a field of dark power had been deployed to block any communication spells. Under such conditions, it was impossible for any outside reinforcements to make their way over.

That said, he didnt want to prolong this battle for too long, either.

Every single one of them had shown their spirit by not running away even though they knew they were facing someone whose level far outclassed them. It wasnt just the knights of the Lionheart clan. Even the tribal natives who had come here from the Rainforest had shown that they had a sense of honor and pride.

~

I, Molon Ruhr, acknowledge you as a warrior.

~

While recalling those words, the specter gave a wry smile. He wasnt just doing this because he had been recognized as a warrior. The specter who was born from Hamel wanted to respect those who had shown both honor and pride.

The specter slowly took a deep breath.

I, the specter hesitated.

How should he answer her question?

The specter shook his head with a wry grin. He found that he didnt even have a name that he could use to introduce himself. But was a name really all that important?

Instead of agonizing over that question, the specter took a step forward. The greatsword on his shoulder dissipated into dark power, and at the same time, the specters figure disappeared.

All that was left was the sword.

Hundreds of swords covered their entire field of vision. Although it seemed like the specter had only swung a sword that one time, that single sword strike had created hundreds of different slashes and thrusts.

There was no time to distinguish between which ones were real and which were only feints.

Carmens right arm and fingers were broken. Although she had forced the shoulder joint back into place, it should still be impossible for her to make delicate movements.

Crickcrickcrick!

Heaven Genocide forcefully underwent a transformation. Even as her fingers twisted in agonizing pain, Carmen didnt let out a single moan. Her fist, now transformed into the Destiny Form, pierced through his slashes.

Tap.

Unlike the power it had first shown, her fist only managed to land a light touch on the specter when she hit him. Gasping for breath, Carmen glared at the specter.

That was impressive, the specter said, sincerely recognizing Carmens pride as a warrior.

The dark power of Destruction was able to destroy all mana through contact alone. However, Carmens white flames had managed to resist the dark power of Destruction and pierce through his slash.

Although the specters observation didnt feel like ridicule, Carmen still felt an intense rage.

What do you even want from us? Carmen demanded once more.

The slashes she hadnt been able to stop had swept through their surroundings again. From those knights and warriors who had already had to force themselves to stand up, the number of fallen had increased once more.

Why havent you killed us? Carmen asked, frustrated.

Even though he had unleashed such a destructive power onto them, not a single one of them had actually died. The weapons that they had held up in resistance had been destroyed. They had also received many injuries. Some were even so seriously injured to the point of not being able to stand back up. This meant that their wounds were by no means light. However, there werent any fatal injuries, and not a single person had died.

What did all of this mean? There was no way that Carmen could miss something like this. It meant that this mysterious Demon King had no intention of killing any of them. It was under such a condition that he had still managed to defeat everyone here.

Are you here to cause us to despair and fear? If that is the case, you will fail, Carmen spat out, still glaring at the specter.

As he returned her gaze, the specter quietly shook his head and said, I havent failed.

...What? Carmen voiced her confusion.

I didnt come here to bring you despair and fear, the specter explained, still wearing a mask over his face.

Carmen couldnt tell what kind of expression he had behind the mask. The only things visible were his eyes.

I came here to bring you rage, the specter revealed.

As he said these words, those eyes were calm and coldly collected. It wasnt the sort of calm that came from not feeling any agitation at all, but instead, it felt as if he had resigned himself to something and was coolly determined.

...Rage? Carmen repeated questioningly, unable to understand what he meant by those words.

He had come here to enrage them? But for what purpose? However, Carmen at least knew this much. Just as the specter had said, he had already achieved his goal. He knew that he had been successful. Carmen did indeed feel an unbearable rage towards the specter currently standing in front of her.

It wasnt just Carmen who felt that way. Everyone who had encountered the specter here today would feel the same rage towards it.

Even though he could kill them at any moment, he hadnt done so. How dare he show them mercy like this. It was an intolerable insult to any knight or warrior. The fear and despair they felt towards that ominous being would never be able to surpass the rage currently being etched deep within them.

Thats right, a voice was heard from above, You have succeeded.

The specters shoulders trembled in surprise. He immediately raised his head to look up at the night sky.

It was currently late at night, the sun having set already. The bright night was lit up by the countless stars and radiant moon.

Floating high in the middle of the night sky, Sienna glared down at the specter, After all, you have definitely managed to make me angry.

1. The original text uses wheel battle to describe how they intend to take turns fighting the specter. I wasnt sure if this term was all that familiar to the readers, so I chose a more familiar Western alternative.

2. The original text uses White Flame Formula, but Im pretty sure its a typo, as it previously states in this very chapter that he hasnt trained in the White Flame Formula and he is described as using dark-red flames.