Chapter 1276 |
“Hmm…”
Just as Siegfried had sensed the Lord of Destruction’s presence, the Lord of Destruction also sensed that Siegfried was approaching.
Whoosh!
With a single swing of his greatsword, the Lord of Destruction swept away those around him.
Then, he turned to face Siegfried. It was as if he was declaring that the clash of true warriors was about to start and that there was no room for weaklings to get involved.
Thud… Thud…
At last, Siegfried arrived before the Lord of Destruction.
“Siegfried von Proa.”
Despite being addressed, Siegfried did not respond. Instead, he simply gripped his +10 Sky Piercer and prepared for battle.
Words were unnecessary in a battle between Grandmasters. Instead of words, these warriors standing at the pinnacle would rather clash with their weapons and test each other out.
“Damn…” Siegfried muttered under his breath. He checked the Lord of Destruction’s details with his Rune of Insight, and he couldn’t help but grimace in disbelief.
The Lord of Destruction’s level was an astounding Level 750, making it the highest Siegfried had ever encountered.
However, one’s level was not an absolute measure of strength in BNW. For instance, monsters and other races tended to have abnormally high levels compared to the Adventurers or NPCs.
A prime example of this was the Ten Calamities; the angels and the demons were great examples, too. Yes, a higher level meant greater stats, but it was not a decisive factor that would predetermine the outcome of a battle with absolute certainty.
However, the Lord of Destruction’s level being the highest Siegfried had ever seen meant that he was the real deal.
Rather than innately having a high level, the Lord of Destruction was a true martial artist who had trained to reach his current heights.
‘So he really is the strongest among them…’
Siegfried finally understood why the Lord of Destruction had earned that reputation despite being missing for decades. At present, Siegfried’s level was Level 633, which meant that there was a full 117 levels gap between them.
‘I’m going to lose the moment I let my guard down.’
He couldn’t help but feel nervous about facing a Level 750 enemy. He wouldn't be this nervous if he were merely battling a high-level monster, but someone like the Lord of Destruction was a whole different story.
One wrong move, and his head would be severed from his shoulders before he even realized what had happened. This was a fight where he had to focus—no, this was a fight that demanded his utmost focus.
After all, his opponent was not only a high-level warrior walking the martial path, but he was also the descendant of Sword Saint Murcielago.
Siegfried had no idea what kind of extraordinary abilities he had up his sleeve, and the uncertainty made being cautious all the more important.
‘Focus…’
That was the last of his thoughts...
Fwoooosh!
Ssseuuu…!
He unleashed Karma Flare and Embrace of Despair. Then, he activated Overclocking and cranked it up to the third stage. Siegfried had no intention of holding back and decided he would go all out from the very start.
The Lord of Destruction raised his sword and said, “Come, Siegfried von Proa.”
Swoosh!
The distance between them vanished in an instant, and the first clash erupted.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion thundered, and shockwaves blasted outward.
“...!”
Siegfried reeled from the impact of that single collision.
It felt as though his very organs were hit, as the taste of blood welled up in his throat.
[Siegfried von Proa]
[HP: ■■■■■■■■■□]
He lost ten percent of his HP even though all they did was collide weapons. It was not even a direct strike; it was simply their weapons colliding with each other, yet he still sustained immense damage.
The Lord of Destruction was indeed a formidable opponent.
He could shatter the heavens with a single blow—the embodiment of overwhelming strength.
***
The duel between Siegfried and the Lord of Destruction was nothing short of catastrophic, as everything within a five-kilometer radius was laid to waste.
Every time their weapons collided, the resulting shockwave was on par with the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.
‘D-Damn! This guy is insane!’
Siegfried abandoned all thoughts of engaging the Lord of Destruction in close combat.
Instead, he put all his focus on evading. There was no big secret to the Lord of Destruction’s strength. He was simply just strong, the ultimate embodiment of raw power itself. Each casual swing of his greatsword carried the destructive power of formidable artillery shells.
To make matters even worse, his movements were far more impressive than his destructive power. Despite wielding such a massive greatsword, he showed no openings at all. He was so fast that even Siegfried struggled to keep up with him.
Had it not been for Embrace of Despair, keeping up with the Lord of Destruction would have been impossible.
‘This is madness! He’s totally broken! That’s a monster!’
Even after casting all of his debuffs, Siegfried could barely keep up with the Lord of Destruction. In fact, the only reason he was still alive was all thanks to the automatic defense system of the Invincible Spear Arts.
‘So this is what it means to be complete…’
The Lord of Destruction’s might was so overwhelming that Siegfried couldn’t even dream of landing five hits to trigger Five Steps to Invincibility.
It wasn't that there were no gaps in the Lord of Destruction’s defense, but rather, even scoring a single clean hit seemed utterly impossible.
The Lord of Destruction nonchalantly remarked, “To reach such a height at your age is quite impressive. I must admit that you’re strong.”
“Arghh…!”
“A truly surprising growth.”
Though he was an enemy, the Lord of Destruction acknowledged Siegfried. For decades, he had reigned as the most powerful man on the continent. He had fought countless warriors but had never found even a single worthy opponent.
In a one-on-one fight, no one had ever been able to push him back. Thus, it was only natural for him to admire Siegfried, who was holding his own against him.
“But you cannot defeat me. Not yet.”
The Lord of Destruction drew his greatsword back and then thrust it forward.
Boom!
A formless shockwave blasted out like a cannon, shooting toward Siegfried.
‘That’s dangerous!’
Siegfried instinctively sensed the threat and activated Shield of Malice to boost his defense. He knew he couldn’t dodge it, so to take it head-on without any defensive skill would mean certain death.
Boom!
“Gaahk!”
Shockingly, Siegfried was sent flying dozens of meters away.
[Siegfried von Proa]
[HP: ■■■■■□□□□□]
The damage from that single blow was staggering.
If he hadn't activated Shield of Malice, he would have died outright.
Even after debuffing and reducing the Lord of Destruction’s damage output by thirty percent, a single thrust of his sword generated shockwaves powerful enough to wipe out a huge chunk of Siegfried’s HP.
“Ughhk… This guy is absurdly strong. No, he’s beyond strong…” Siegfried groaned while blood trickled down his lips.
Once again, he felt the Lord of Destruction's true power. This warrior was far more terrifying than any other opponent Siegfried had faced thus far. The Lord of Destruction had devastating Attack Power, blindingly fast Movement Speed, and an almost impregnable defense.
Siegfried felt like he was standing before an immovable mountain.
‘I have to do something… Even if it’s a gamble,’ Siegfried thought.
He knew he couldn’t drag this fight out.
The longer it went, the more disadvantaged he would become.
‘It’s time to settle this…’
Siegfried sprang back to his feet and unleashed every single debuff aura in his arsenal.
Wooooong!
“I acknowledge the heights you’ve reached. But your techniques will not make me weaker.”
Even after getting afflicted by layers and layers of debuffs, the Lord of Destruction stood tall without showing signs of being debilitated.
“...Do you really think so?” Siegfried sneered with a smirk.
Woooong!
Siegfried unleashed a surge of darkness that devoured both him and the Lord of Destruction. It was the skill that would invite the target to the domain ruled by the Invincible Emperor—the World of Despair.
***
Meanwhile, Hansen seized on the momentum to go on the offensive. He pushed the Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces deep into the Marchioni Empire’s territory.
Once forming a new front, he secured supply lines and began laying the groundwork that would serve as the foundation for the remainder of the war.
Thanks to this, the Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces succeeded in nearly encircling the Marchioni Imperial Army stationed at the border.
If Siegfried could somehow eliminate the Lord of Destruction, the morale of the Marchioni Empire’s troops would surely plummet.
Once that happened, then it would be impossible for the Proatine Imperial Army to lose even if they trolled hard in the upcoming large-scale battle.
‘The Marchioni Empire must be aware of this. They will withdraw their forces soon. And when they do, we must secure a major foothold in their territory,’ Hansen thought.
He didn't think, even for a second, that the Marchioni Empire was full of fools.
Hansen expected that the Marchioni Empire would move their troops before being completely surrounded, so he chose that moment as the timing to go on the offensive.
Once the Marchioni Imperial Army decided to pull back from the border, that would be the critical window of opportunity for the Proatine Imperial Army and the allied forces to push forward.
Of course, the golden opportunity was…
‘When His Imperial Majesty defeats the Lord of Destruction, then that’s when we will strike the hardest.’
Hansen had no intention of loosening the reins of attack. He believed that Siegfried would emerge victorious against the Lord of Destruction without the slightest doubt, which would be the signal for them to attack.
The moment the Marchioni Imperial Army learned of the Lord of Destruction’s fall, they would immediately begin to retreat and reorganize.
‘We must move before then. If we wait until the enemy starts preparing for retreat, then it will already be too late. We have to strike first.’
Hansen knew that they had to be one step faster and be more daring than the enemy for his strategy to work.
“Send more troops into the Marchioni Empire’s territory. The troops that have already crossed the border will immediately prepare to encircle the enemy army.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We will encircle them from all sides. Do not worry about the supply lines. Focus solely on encircling and annihilating the enemy.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We will be launching a full-scale assault on the enemy in three days. All troops are expected to be ready to march.”
With that, Hansen threw the dice. Relying on nothing but faith that Siegfried would bring down the Lord of Destruction, he put forward his strategy that would topple the great Marchioni Empire.
***
Meanwhile, Siegfried also cast the dice. After dragging the Lord of Destruction into the World of Despair, he unleashed everything in his arsenal to end this battle as quickly as possible.
Fwaaaah!
Ssseuuu…!
Flash!
Siegfried unleashed Infernal Hellfire, Frozen Hell, and Absolute Zero the moment they were in the World of Despair.
“...!”
The Lord of Destruction tried to evade them, but it was impossible.
This was the domain of the Invincible Emperor, Siegfried.
Using his ability to expand or contract the space within the World of Despair at will, he reduced the space around the Lord of Destruction, leaving him with no chance of escape.
Now that he was firmly rooted in place, Siegfried unleashed his offensive skills.
“Arghh…”
The Lord of Destruction was struck head-on by the full brunt of Siegfried’s skills, but that was not enough to bring him down.
[Lord of Destruction]
[HP: ■■■■■■□□□□]
His Defense, Magic Resistance, and Tenacity were so overwhelmingly high that the attacks failed to deal fatal damage.
Of course, Siegfried already expected this.
‘That should create an opening,’ he thought.
Then, he charged up Touch of Death and swung his +10 Sky Piercer at the Lord of Destruction.
“...!”
Sensing that the oncoming attack was the finishing move, the Lord of Destruction raised his greatsword to deflect it.
If he couldn’t dodge it, then he had to block it.
Woooong!
The greatsword unleashed a golden glow, and a rectangular shield materialized in front of him.
It was a skill that created an aura shield to protect the Lord of Destruction from enemy attacks.
‘You wanna block it? Sure, be my guest. That’s what I was hoping you would do.’
Siegfried did not care whether the Lord of Destruction managed to defend against the Touch of Death or not.
Rumble!
The Touch of Death collided against the aura shield, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave that raged throughout the World of Despair.
“Ghhhrk!”
The Lord of Destruction staggered from the impact, but he managed to block the fatal attack.
‘Now!’
Siegfried dove straight into the opening, which was created when the Lord of Destruction staggered after blocking the Touch of Death.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smaaack!
He struck the Lord of Destruction five times in the chest.
Five Steps to Invincibility.
The Invincible Emperor’s most lethal skill landed.
