Chapter 247: Despair overflows with endless shadows
At this moment, the last four messengers met their end. The heretic army, having lost control, wandered aimlessly across the desolate battlefield.
Under the combined influence of these wars, the Despair Wilderness has lost its original appearance. All the beasts have been killed or wounded, the terrain has vanished, and even the Corpse Demon City has been burned to ashes. Only settlements protected by holy pillars and the Demon King's castle, nestled in the deepest darkness, remain.
In the forgotten desert, two bystanders still stood quietly.
The former underwater valley was shattered in the aftermath of the war. Most of the people in the fog accepted the monks' help before the decisive battle began. Only the dog-like man Wulfka stubbornly remained, gazing at the battlefield with the monks.
"Eternal time bears witness to the deaths of the four messengers. Only the Nightmare King remains in the city." Bernfar closed the Book of Revelation. "Whether it is life or death, only God knows."
"They will survive," Wufka murmured. "They will defeat the Demon King and come out alive."
"Why are you so sure?"
“There’s no reason…”
The man in the fog raised his head and smiled bitterly: "It's just that I hope I can believe it so."
Believe they can win.
Believe that hope will come eventually...
"You must win and come back alive..."
Beneath the core of the Holy Pillar, Silar clenched his claws and prayed. The settlement was nearly silent, no one had the energy to speak. They continuously channeled their strength through the Holy Pillar's support, preserving as much power as possible for the warriors.
I hope that spare energy can come in handy in the final battle.
I hope the brave ones can hold on for just one more second...
"Lord Divine Tree, is there anything else we can do?" Gulibo said anxiously.
"No more, child." Fen Ya sighed, "If sacrificing my life can make a difference, I would rather burn my remaining body. But Fansalar is the ruler of this place after all, and Chongming and I are powerless to interfere..."
"Hey, what are you worried about?" Jie An said, "We don't need to worry about those people. They will take care of it!"
"That's right. They've already become capable warriors on their own."
Chongming stood at the edge of the settlement, gazing at the castle trembling like a living thing. His gaze penetrated through numerous obstacles and reached the deepest part of the battlefield.
"Trust them," he said. "Trust them, they will surely win!"
·
I can’t count how much distance I’ve traveled.
Countless doors have been broken.
The inside of the castle was like the stomach of a giant beast. In this dead place with no fire or light, there was only endless shadows.
Chu Hengkong advanced in the darkness, following his instincts. It seemed like only seconds, yet it also seemed like a century, before he slashed through the rotten gate and stepped into the empty, cold audience hall.
The devil is there.
With his head supported by one hand, he sat on the cold throne, half asleep and half awake.
He seemed startled and slowly raised his head. His dim eyes crossed the hall and met the killer's.
"Oh...you're here..."
He shook his neck, a sharp grinding sound coming from his body. The killer gripped the murderous knife tightly and strode forward.
"Welcome, young man. It's a credit to you that you've come this far. But..."
"Won't you make more preparations? Won't you squeeze in some time to train? Are you really sure you want to challenge the Demon King now?"
The killer looked at him coldly, and he smiled.
"So……"
He supported himself on the armrest and stood up from the throne. The killer began to run, the knife flashing with blood.
"Be prepared. Be courageous."
"Don't be afraid. Don't back down."
His eyes opened wide, gaping like the maw of a beast. The killer leaped, his blade slashing out in arcs of blood. He pulled a staff from his robes, and bony claws sprouted from its tip!
"Use all your strength to face the Nightmare King!"
Shadow claws slashed at Divine Slash, the first strike an all-out confrontation. Vansalar laughed heartily, his dejection completely fading. He was full of energy, his eyes gleaming with a divine light, appearing more excited and flamboyant than ever. The dark Demon King's Castle instantly lit up, six thousand six hundred blue lights flickering, illuminating the battlefield with a magnificent display!
The demon king's terrifying nature was revealed, his shadow twisted like a disturbing nightmare deep within his soul. Even more frantic than when he first appeared on the battlefield, Vansalar was now like a tyrant, a tyrant. But the killer stood before him, unyielding.
The Divine Slash passed through the gap between the Shadow Claws and slashed towards one of the fingers. Vansalar used his wand to deflect the knife. He laughed at the killer: "The final exam has begun, killer!!"
"I originally thought it would be Xiao Qingxia who would see me off. In Jinye City, I had high hopes for Ji Huaisu, but in the end, it was you who walked before the throne. An outsider with no karmic connection, no karmic consequences, and no entanglements, yet you became the first brave man to challenge the Nightmare King!"
"Do I have to have some deep hatred to kill you?" Chu Hengkong said coldly, "Unfortunately, I have no interest in you. I don't want to find out where you came from, or understand your sick thoughts.
I hate your behavior, I want to destroy the Wilderness of Despair, so I will kill you!"
"Excellent! That's how it should be!" Vansalar trembled with excitement. "Then use all your strength to kill me, brave man!!"
Shadow Claw and Divine Slash collided at extremely close range, sparks of will and magic igniting. The Nightmare King unexpectedly began his attack in close combat. His attacks lacked technique, but were filled with brutal, bloody savagery, like the bite of a hound or the swooping of a hawk. His claws, forged from magical energy, always struck with pinpoint accuracy, a most effective attack forged from countless slaughters.
He was the Lord of the Ghost Slayers, possessing the memories of all the Ghost Slayers, which also meant thousands of years of endlessly accumulated "every second" experience. In the face of this unprecedented beast, even the most refined swordsmanship would be thwarted.
However, experience isn't the only path. Geniuses transcend common sense. For a man who, even as a child, could battle ferocious beasts, the beasts' fighting methods were mere tricks long surpassed. His blade's flash intercepted claw strikes, his slashing blows shattered sharp claws.
Thrust, slash, and slash—three strikes in a flash of blood, shattering Fansalar's shadow claws. At the end of the attack, the divine slash swung behind him, a bloody flame spreading across the blade. Chu Hengkong reversed his grip and slashed again. A surge of flames tore through the hall, and the blazing blade slashed towards the demon king.
Burning Night!
A sharp, swift strike bisected Vansalar, his lower half disintegrating into ash while his upper half floated in mid-air, clapping. The hall, which should have collapsed, now multiplied, transforming into a desolate plain shrouded in night. The Nightmare King's mind warped reality, distorting the battlefield to his will.
He vanished in laughter, rising from the shadows. Slayers swarmed from the shadows, devouring each other and forming twenty Vansalars. They raised their staffs simultaneously, and shadows fell, severing the sky!
"Fear of execution."
One of Vaklo's previous Void Sky Shadow techniques involved sharpening the blade through fear of slaughter. During that battle, Vaklo had summoned only one butcher's blade, but now Vansalar unleashed twenty times that number. Twenty butcher's blades slashed down in quick succession, nearly half blocking Chu Hengkong's path, and nearly half forming a ring to form a prison.
Without a second thought, Chu Heng slashed forward with his divine slash, cleaving the nearest butcher's knife in two. He leaped onto the broken butcher's knife and leaped down like an eagle, severing one of the Vansalars. But the shattered "corpse" vanished into a shadow, and a new demon king emerged from the shadows, blocking the ensuing blows with his blade.
"Vander!" "Thinking about it!"
Finder in his pocket blinked nervously. "The Nightmare King became famous for his demon-slaying and soul-splitting spells. He hates the method of splitting himself after elementalization. The effect of splitting into millions is actually achieved by entrusting his thoughts to his shadow body..."
"Is there any difference between it and the gold leaf one?"
"The difference is that Vansalar is faster, stronger, and more powerful, and... this is a continuous magic!" Finder's eyes lit up, "He has a real body! Go!"
Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up. Fander used hypnosis to mark the location of his true form. The real Vansalar was behind him, wielding his wand and unleashing a new kind of magic. The moment he noticed this, the Demon King smiled faintly, and a tsunami-like shadow rose from the ground. Nearly 90% of the matter was consumed by the shadows, and the battlefield became a semicircle, barely wide enough for one person to stand. He and the Demon King stood at each end of the circular orbit, while numerous clones took flight with shrill laughs, unleashing countless butcher knives.
Chu Hengkong ducked, the massive blade making him feel like he was dodging the sky. He rolled on the ground, sliding along the circular track. His divine slash released ten flaming beams, precisely severing the surrounding fragments. As he reached the halfway point, the fragments suddenly clapped their hands. The six butcher blades formed an impassable cross-section, severing the remaining half of the track.
The battlefield separated, and Chu Hengkong plummeted toward a bottomless abyss. He swung his Wrist of Misfortune upward. Even the extended reach of his prosthetic wasn't enough to cross the wall of blades. However, his Wrist of Misfortune sword and shield transformed into a sickle, piercing the wall with his will. His Wrist of Misfortune retracted, and Chu Hengkong ascended by inertia. At the highest point, he retracted his hand, swung it around, and leaped onto his clone's head.
Chu Hengkong leaped over the wall of blades and reached the sky above the second half of the track. His clones wove a new spell, and he thrust his wrist directly in mid-air. The Sky Spear, empowered by the Scythe of Misfortune, shot out, piercing through the numerous spells and hitting Vansalar's body!
"Very good..." Fansalar covered his chest, "Don't be fooled by appearances. Excellent decision!"
The order-breaking effect of the Scourge Scythe activated, shattering the Demon-Slaying Divine Magic with a single blow. Vansalar's clone vanished, and Chu Heng fell back to the lower half of the circular orbit. In a split second, he could reach the Demon King, but the terrain shifted once again. The curved orbit was twisted into a straight line by the shadows, stretching the once-close distance to nearly a thousand miles.
He possesses a combat power far exceeding his current capabilities, yet lacks the essence of Sephiroth 4. Those who ascend without crossing the First Abyss are ultimately constrained by the terrain and environment. The Demon King, however, controls the world, chanting leisurely from the shadows.
"A screaming, disintegrating behemoth, a turbid malice rising from the anti-zenith, a gnawing, frenzy, a desperate gathering of self-destructiveness—"
Group fear.
"Empty Sky Shadow Technique: Falling Night Crowd."
Vansalar raised his arms like a bird owner calling to flight.
A corner of the night sky turned into a bat and fell to the back of his hand.
The beast was only the size of a palm, its fur smooth and its eyes pitch black. No other color could be found, only pure black. No other color could exist, for it was a beast of the night, a concept animated by magic.
Bats rub their wings together, making noises into the night.
Then the night sky disintegrated and turned into billions of bats flying down.
It was a feat beyond words, a deed so maddening that it shook even the soul. The night trembled at the call, darkness descending like an avalanche. They came alive through magic, and a second and third bat landed on the back of the demon's hand. All the bats flew toward the same spot, as if the demon had grabbed a corner of the night sky.
He waved his arm, pointing at the killer. Billions of bats flapped their wings at his command, and the animated night pounced on Chu Hengkong!
Chu Hengkong slashed a bat, only to be engulfed by the countless beasts. He was unable to "react" at all; the sheer enormity of the swarm completely drowned his own thoughts. He saw only the demon king's wild laughter, the beasts dancing, and his wispy self was swallowed by the night. The boundaries between self and others blurred in that moment, his heart sinking into an endless ocean of minds.
He needed to swing his blade, he needed to flutter his wings. He was human, yet he was also a bat. How could he define himself, how could he be driven to action? In the murky, uneasy night, only endless shrieks and howls could be heard. The despair once felt by the Archmage Vansalar became one of the supreme arts in the hands of the Demon Lord Vansalar.
That was definitely not a despair that could be overcome by one person alone. Even the former great wizard was powerless. But Chu Hengkong grasped the knife tightly and took up his position among the endless swarm of bats.
"—Help me keep track of the direction, Finder."
He has never been alone. The contract he signed when he came to the Shendong Realm filled his ears with the voice of others.
"—Forward, just forward!"
With the recognition of others, a different self emerged. Defined by the contract, the killer stood in the darkness. He held his sword high above his head, assuming the simplest of stances. A single strike, the foundation of Ito-ryu, he raised his sword and slashed with all his might, a strike even a layman with no martial arts experience could replicate.
Simple, fast, pure.
Therefore powerful!
The flames above the divine slash faded, leaving only a condensed line of crimson light. Chu Hengkong shouted, swung his sword, and a vast line of blade light cut into the night. The sharp sound of the blade drowned out the fluttering of bat wings. The pure slash pierced the darkness, and that simple slash magnified before his eyes, forming a path of light that pierced through despair!
Shadow appears in the brilliant sky flow, Yang Yi. The fusion of skillful hands and subtle light, the extremely strong and fierce sunlight knife!
At the end of the path of light, the Nightmare King cried out in ecstasy. He stretched out his arms, ready to meet the blade's blow. In unparalleled joy, the Demon King's emotions reached a new peak.
“Great! Awesome!!”
"As expected of a man who drew his sword! As expected of a brave man who dared to challenge me! You can still surpass your limits, and you will definitely be able to kill me!"
"Go ahead, brave man!
Come on, don’t lose!!!”
The world turned upside down amidst wild laughter, the wilderness sank in the moonlight. The toy box was turned over again, and the devil was now going all out.
"God's heart turns—"
"A Tribute to the Prison Realm: The Land of Despair!"
(End of this chapter)
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