Chapter 416
Chapter 416: Still Cannot Close It (2)
With a single clash, Ghislaine and Equidema were sent flying in opposite directions.
The knights who caught a glimpse of this while fighting the Cracked Beings were astonished.
‘The Lord was pushed back?’
‘What the! That monster is insane!’
‘This is crazy… are we all going to die?’
Ghislaine was now among the top five strongest in the kingdom. For him to be pushed back like that meant that the creature must be incredibly powerful.
Of course, the creature was also pushed back by Ghislaine’s strength. It meant he wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than Ghislaine.
But the problem was that such monsters were about to emerge across the continent.
Hundreds or even thousands of superhuman monsters were going to rampage across the land.
‘It’s truly the end.’
There was no other way to express it.
KA-RAAAAACK!
Equidema let out a roar, spewing forth blue smoke from his mouth.
KUUUNG!
Every time the creature took a step, the ground shook. Those fighting nearby wobbled on their feet.
The ground where Equidema stepped was gradually turning gray.
Ghislaine glared at the monster and focused his mana again.
‘Corrosion…’
Equidema was akin to the vanguard leader of an army. Every time that creature breathed and stepped on the ground, the environment around them changed.
Thanks to that energy, the Cracked Beings could emerge here and carry out their activities.
‘The longer we drag this out, the worse it will become.’
Thus, it needed to be eliminated quickly. The longer it took, the more Cracked Beings would spawn. Even now, their numbers continued to rise.
Caaaang! Caaaang! KAAAAANG!
“Damn it! They just keep coming!”
“Are those bastards Grex, or what?”
“Another one has broken in! Quickly, take it down!”
The knights began to tire out before long. Each Cracked Being had substantial physical abilities, and there were just too many of them.
Fortunately, the knights and soldiers who had managed to evacuate the people were rushing back to this place. And the city’s defending forces, sensing the chaos, were also gathering.
After all, this was a territory belonging to the wealthy Duke Faction. Even if it was a small city, nearly 500 defenders had arrived.
The mayor saw this and urgently shouted.
“Block them! Stop the monsters! Help the Knights of Penris!”
For someone who had initially opposed it, it was quite an astute decision. The mayor was doing his best to prevent the Cracked Beings from spreading.
“Stop them!”
As the commander of the defenders shouted, the knights and soldiers charged at the Cracked Beings.
Those who arrived a little late were just as bewildered and couldn’t understand the situation. They had received the official notice about the rift, so they could respond calmly.
But the reason they were fighting so hard was primarily because the Knights of Penris were leading the charge.
“CAAAAA!”
“Die! You disgusting bastards!”
The soldiers were weak against the Cracked Beings, but as they blocked the area, it became easier for the Knights of Penris to fight.
Ghislaine glanced at them.
While others were holding back the Cracked Beings, he needed to deal with Equidema while the monster couldn’t unleash its full power yet.
Ghislaine summoned more mana. To reduce the time, he had to exert his maximum strength.
“Dark, let’s begin.”
― Ugh, don’t die.
Dark amplified Ghislaine’s emotions using his ability.
KAAAAAA!
The crimson aura enveloping Ghislaine began to swell. It violently extended in all directions, pressuring Equidema.
GRRRR…
Equidema growled lowly, seemingly displeased. The beast’s eyes turned even redder, exuding killing intent and rage without restraint.
“Let’s go.”
Ghislaine murmured quietly and moved forward.
KAA-KAANG!
The ground he stepped on cracked. Activating the level 3 core, his emotions, further amplified by Dark, bestowed immeasurable power upon him.
All the negative emotions Ghislaine had felt over his lifetime coalesced and ignited.
‘I will kill.’
Only that single goal remained in Ghislaine’s mind. All the rage he harbored urged him to eliminate the enemy in front of him.
The harbinger of the end, Equidema.
The monster that had killed countless people in his past life and plunged many into despair.
Many of his mercenary followers and companions had also died at the hands of this monster.
Each time, how he lamented not being strong enough.
Each time, how he grieved for not being able to protect others more.
Blocking the rift was for the ultimate victory. It was to protect the people and minimize damage.
For that, he had devised plans and prepared behind the scenes.
But now, he had forgotten all about those grand ideals.
He simply found the beast in front of him to be disagreeable. He couldn’t stand wanting to kill it.
“Die.”
In an instant, Ghislaine’s aura blade shot out, striking Equidema’s body.
KAAAAAANG!
Equidema tried to dodge, but the speed was too fast, and it was slashed in the side.
Blue smoke began to erupt from the deep gash in its side, just like from its mouth.
WHOOSH!
Once again, Ghislaine’s aura blade pierced down. Perhaps sensing it couldn’t escape, Equidema took it head-on.
KAAAAAAAAANG!
An explosion resounded again, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Knights, soldiers, and even the rampaging Cracked Beings all lost their footing and stumbled over.
The Cracked Beings that had constantly surged around Ghislaine burst apart completely.
But Equidema endured that might and clawed at Ghislaine’s body with its sturdy front paw.
SPLOOSH!
As the crimson energy surrounding Ghislaine was torn apart, his body was revealed for a moment.
No one had properly dismantled the barrier Ghislaine had surrounded himself with until now. Yet this mere monster, Equidema, pierced through it.
The crimson energy quickly rewrapped around Ghislaine, but the color had darkened slightly due to the mixing of his blood.
Ghislaine trusted his regenerative abilities and swung his sword once more.
KAAAAAANG!
Equidema’s body jolted. Ghislaine’s sword was impossibly fast and powerful, making it hard to dodge properly.
But Ghislaine was no different. Attacks stemming from Equidema’s immense size and tremendous power were difficult to evade.
The very being of the Cracked Beast represented an apex of innate strength and primal instinct.
Gritting his teeth, Ghislaine swung his sword again.
KAAAAAANG!
If he fought while avoiding attacks, it would be hard to deal a significant blow to Equidema. He couldn’t use this power for long, nor could he afford to drag it out.
Equidema wasn’t afraid of being injured. It had confidence in its own strength.
Thus, it didn’t hesitate to take on Ghislaine’s attacks while launching its own.
KAAAAAANG!
It felt like a battle of beasts, driven only by a will to kill. Ghislaine and Equidema inflicted wounds on each other, never stopping their onslaught.
KAAAAAANG! KAAAAAANG! KAAAAAANG!
Ghislaine’s crimson barrier was torn time and time again, scattering crimson smoke around. Equidema’s body suffered many wounds, releasing blue smoke.
Those smokes began to intertwine, filling the space around them.
GRRRR!
Equidema roared loudly. It couldn’t understand why the tiny human in front of it wouldn’t die.
KUUUNG!
At some point, Equidema had been forced to take a step back each time it attacked Ghislaine.
It couldn’t accept it. It couldn’t accept being pushed back by such a small lifeform.
Seeing Equidema in this state, Ghislaine stepped forward again.
‘Come.’
He had fought creatures like this countless times in his past life. No matter how strong its power might be, it was nothing but a beast in the end.
He mustn’t retreat. He mustn’t be devoured by its momentum.
He needed to press harder and impose more pressure on his opponent.
KAAAAAAANG!
Ghislaine moved forward again and swung his sword. Equidema was pushed back a little further.
When a beast realizes its claws aren’t working, it often resorts to stronger weapons. Equidema no longer swung its claws.
CAAAAAAA!
The monster’s massive body lunged towards Ghislaine in an instant, its open jaws intending to chew him up.
Ghislaine swung his sword at Equidema’s advancing head.
KAAAAAANG!
One of Equidema’s eyes burst, splitting its face in half. But it bore through the pain and charged forward regardless.
CRUNCH!
Ghislaine’s body was caught in Equidema’s jaws with extreme force, making escape impossible.
DRRRR!
Equidema didn’t make the foolish mistake of simply swallowing him. It clenched its jaw and attempted to crush Ghislaine’s body.
“Ugh!”
Ghislaine involuntarily groaned. Equidema’s massive, sharp teeth dug progressively through his barrier and into his flesh.
Even more serious was the blue smoke continuously emanating from Equidema’s mouth.
That smoke deeply infiltrated Ghislaine’s body through the gaps in his barrier. Red spots soon began to appear and disappear all over his body.
The blue smoke was no ordinary poison. It was closer to a disease. Ghislaine’s body was wrestling with the disease, trying to expel it while falling victim to it repeatedly.
“Ughhh…”
Ghislaine gritted his teeth and amplified his aura blade further. He left barely enough mana to protect himself and poured all his power into the sword.
Now wielding the sword in reverse grip, Ghislaine jabbed at Equidema’s already burst eye. The elongated aura blade was just within reach.
GGRRRR!
With a sound as if sparks were flying, it pierced like it would break through the iron plate. Just a little further, and he could completely pierce through Equidema’s head.
Having failed to instantly kill Ghislaine, Equidema reluctantly opened its mouth.
‘Now!’
As Equidema changed its direction to bite Ghislaine again, Ghislaine’s movements were already faster.
SWOOSH!
Ghislaine nimbly climbed over Equidema’s head. And he dove towards Equidema’s eye.
“Now die already.”
The crimson barrier that had surrounded Ghislaine vanished. He had poured all his protective mana into the sword.
KAGAGAGAGAK!
Ghislaine’s aura blade surged forth with unprecedented vigor. It plunged into Equidema’s eye, turning the monster’s brain into mush.
GRRRR!
Equidema raised its body high and shook its head violently. But its gaze had already dimmed, lacking vitality.
Its internal organs, no longer protected by a powerful exterior, couldn’t stop the aura blade.
GRRRR…
The blue smoke pouring out of Equidema gradually diminished.
Once its brain was destroyed, no matter how powerful Equidema was, it couldn’t escape death. It was just its incredibly robust body hanging onto life.
But just because it hadn’t died didn’t mean it was alive. It could no longer move and had no choice but to await its end.
KUUUNG!
Staggering, Equidema finally collapsed its massive body to the ground. The blue smoke no longer emitted from it.
After a while, the beast that had been gasping finally closed its eyes.
“Ha…”
Ghislaine slumped down before Equidema’s corpse.
Having drained all his mana, he no longer had the strength to fight. His bones were twisted, and his muscles had torn apart.
The very faint mana left coursing through him attempted to heal, but the wounds were too grave to heal easily.
“I finally killed it.”
In ordinary circumstances, he wouldn’t have dared to climb onto Equidema’s head.
Yet Ghislaine pressed on, persistently maintaining pressure until Equidema ultimately bared its fangs.
He capitalized on that brief opening and destroyed its brain, securing victory.
With Equidema’s death, the Cracked Beings could no longer emerge. Those already in existence suddenly began to suffer.
“KA-RAAAAACK!”
The Cracked Beings clawed at their own bodies, clutching their heads as they screamed.
Even those fighting them were taken aback and recoiled.
“What, what’s happening?”
“Why are they suddenly doing this?”
“Are they crazy?”
The number of Cracked Beings that had emerged was nearing a thousand. They had been worried about when they would die, but suddenly they ceased their attacks and began to convulse.
“Now’s our chance! Let’s take them down!”
Lucas exclaimed loudly as he tried to rush forward again, but then he halted.
Sssssst…
The bodies of the Cracked Beings began to tear apart, gradually turning to dust and dispersing away.
As if they were beings that shouldn’t exist in this world.
“What, what’s happening?”
People stared blankly at the Cracked Beings vanishing into dust.
Ghislaine sat there, looking around as he muttered.
“Finally disappearing.”
In his past life, the Saint had said that the beings from beyond the rift were not allowed in this world.
Ghislaine turned his head and gazed at Equidema’s corpse.
That massive body was also slowly splitting and transforming into dust.
Seeing that, Ghislaine sighed.
“It would have been nice if it ended like this.”
Despite everything turning to dust, the rift still remained right there.
