Chapter 107 - Riki (2)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
‘Not on the same level?’
Nozdog subconsciously shuddered when he heard those words.
He had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Riki drew his sword.
“…”
Then, something strange happened.
Fear gripped Nozdog’s very soul as he gazed at this simple, unadorned sword.
He was astonished by this fact.
‘Am I afraid? Me?’
It was impossible.
Because of his control of the power of death, fear was something he was very familiar with, more than any other Demigod.
Although he didn’t actually have any memories of feeling it, he knew better than anyone how to control and induce fear.
Lord was the only one who could make him feel that way.
Or so he’d believed.
Until Riki drew his sword, that is.
Riki drew his sword in a slow, smooth motion.
Nozdog didn’t move.
No, he couldn’t move.
The experience he had gained over the years warned him that moving at that moment would be extremely dangerous.
It would be no different from suicide.
First, he should observe.
They all knew Riki’s power.
‘Power of the sword.’
From the moment a sword entered his hand, even if it was an old, rusty sword with a blunt edge, it would become a sword that was capable of cutting anything.
That was all they knew about Riki’s power.
But was that truly all?
[Not on the same level.]
These words were said very confidently.
“…”
Riki looked down at his sword.
[A sword without conviction is just a piece of metal.]
He could hear the heavy voice of a man in his ear, as clearly as 4,000 years ago.
He wanted to ask himself.
Is there still no conviction in me?
Am I just swinging a piece of metal?
He was curious.
If that man saw his sword now, what would he think?
Everything started from one question.
[Are you really satisfied?]
‘I don’t know.’
He still didn’t know yet.
[Have you ever risked your life while wielding a sword?]
He hadn’t.
Because he was too strong.
Riki only knew one being who was stronger than him, and he never had a reason to fight him.
But… if he were to face four opponents at the same time, he would have to stake his life.
[When that time comes, maybe you’ll feel something.]
“Right.”
Riki mumbled softly and swung his sword.
His sword seemed to disappear, becoming a flash of white light.
The one standing nearest to Riki was Agni, but Riki wasn’t aiming at him.
Agni’s body was made of inextinguishable flames.
In terms of regeneration, he was the best among all the Demigods.
He could still cut him with his sword and even deal a severe blow. But the damage would be insignificant compared to the others.
Because of this, Riki chose to target Nozdog instead.
[…!]
He couldn’t avoid it.
Nozdog knew this.
As he had the power of death, Nozdog’s defensive techniques were mediocre at best, and he knew that he would be unable to block Riki’s attack with just that.
‘In that case…’
Kooo.
The power of death erupted from his right hand.
It would be a terrible joke for someone who knew they had weak defense to just watch on and wait for death to take them away.
The gold and silver in the room turned purple and melted quickly.
Clang!
The power of death was released as energy.
This caused its speed to match that of Riki’s sword.
‘Can you destroy it, Riki…?!’
Nozdog asked this question inwardly.
Riki’s answer was yes.
Crack.
[Kuaak!]
Nozdog’s right shoulder was completely destroyed as he released a scream at the tremendous pain he hadn’t felt in centuries.
[How… did he stop my death energy?]
Just before reaching him, his death energy had disappeared without a trace.
Riki revealed a dagger in his left hand.
Nozdog hadn’t realised it because it was in his blind spot.
[E-, even… such a small blade could block my power…]
“The size doesn’t matter. It just needs to be in the shape of a sword.”
[I can’t accept…]
Fury shined from Nozdog’s eyes.
He looked around.
This place was small.
Too small.
He couldn’t even stretch properly.
So what would he do?
It was obvious.
He would just have to make it bigger.
Kugugu.
Nozdog’s body began to grow.
Leyrin spoke hurriedly.
“Nozdog! If you release your power here…”
[Shut up!]
“What did you say?”
Nozdog’s words caused Leyrin’s expression to stiffen.
This was because the Demigods rarely ever used such harsh terms toward each other.
This was proof that Nozdog was no longer thinking clearly.
“Tch…”
Leyrin decided to let it go for now.
Then, she turned to the relatively calm Agni and said.
“I’ll protect the Apostles. Agni, you and Ananta help Nozdog.”
“…Help”
Agni made an uncomfortable expression.
What were they?
They were Demigods.
Beings who had overpowered the dragons and were praised as the strongest.
They were unmatched on the continent.
As such, they were all incredibly proud.
Of course, he had never fought against his own kind.
However, he didn’t have a choice at this moment.
“…understood.”
After receiving Agni’s nod, Leyrin disappeared from her spot.
Riki saw this, understanding that she had gone to move the Apostles to a safe place.
He continued to pressure Nozdog with his swordsmanship.
‘Come to think of it.’
He hadn’t even used his divine form.
There was a high chance that he would use it in this fight.
‘…This is a difficult situation.’
Agni analysed the situation calmly.
He was the master of flames, but that didn’t mean he had a fiery personality.
Instead, he was the second most logical among all the Apocalypses, after Riki.
That was why he was able to quickly grasp their current situation and the problems they faced.
The most unexpected thing for him was the fact that Riki really was much stronger than the other Apocalypses.
When it came to divine power, he was certain that Riki was the strongest one after Lord.
However, he couldn’t say if he was strong enough to suppress the four Demigods gathered here.
Agni, Leyrin, Nozdog, Ananta.
These beings were among the strongest Demigods in existence.
Nevertheless, there was no sign that they could conclude this situation easily.
Nozdog spread his death energy, covering Ananta and himself.
Even if Leyrin wasn’t there, they should’ve been able to suppress RIki and force him to kneel down.
[Kuk!]
Nozdog’s left arm was injured next.
Riki used his sword to completely dominate the fight even when the blade was only the size of a fingernail compared to Nozdog’s huge body.
‘This isn’t good.’
Nozdog’s death energy might have had the ability to cause death itself to his opponent, but he was similarly able to give the dead life.
The undead that he raised were dozens of times stronger than normal undead.
This was natural since even the undead summoned by Oydin, who was simply used as bait, were extremely strong.
Yet, Nozdog still hadn’t summoned any undead.
The reason was simple.
It was meaningless.
Even if he summoned hundreds or even thousands of small fries, they would be unable to stall Riki, even for a moment.
‘No. They’re not even small fry.”
Even the weakest among Nozdog’s undead could massacre groups of A class monsters.
However, even these undead would not be able to withstand even a single slash from Riki’s sword.
‘But why can Riki show such strength in that form?’
For Demigods, it was common for them to exert more power the larger they became.
However, Riki was still maintaining his human form.
‘…no way.’
Was this his strongest state?
If so, then there was a chance for them to win this fight.
Crackle.
A ball of flame flew from Agni’s hand.
It looked like a normal fireball at first glance, but the heat it stored was terrifying.
Riki glanced at him before pausing his attack for a moment to swing his sword at Agni’s flames.
“I knew it.”
“What do you know, Agni?”
Ananta, who was standing beside him, asked.
Agni narrowed his eyes as he looked at Riki.
“Isn’t it weird? Riki is able to overpower us even in his human form. If he were to enter his divine form, this fight would definitely be much easier, so why doesn’t he do it?”
“Hmm… is it because he’s not in a hurry?”
“No. Lord will be back soon, so Riki has to end this fight before that. He doesn’t have the time to relax.”
“Then…”
Agni’s gaze was locked onto Riki.
His serious expression, skillful swordsmanship and his body filled with divine power comparable to a divine form.
“That is Riki’s strongest state.”
“What?”
“You’d understand if you remembered that he has the power of the sword. For Riki, entering his divine form wouldn’t mean becoming strong. Instead, it would be a hindrance.”
Ananta nodded.
When they entered their divine form, they would become larger.
For the Apocalypses, while their divine forms weren’t as large as Agni’s, who had the largest, they were still much larger than ordinary Demigods.
And for Riki, who used swords, that was a disadvantage. (Note: they don’t really explain it, but I’m assuming this has something to do with him having to use swords, and there not being any swords of that size/the tediosity of having to carry around a sword so large)
“Maybe for the past few thousands of years, Riki trained himself to be able to unleash his full strength in that form.”
“Kukuku… right. But that still doesn’t mean we have any clear countermeasures. As you said, he can still use his full power in that state.”
“There’s one. If he stays in that state, then his durability should not surpass that of an ordinary mortal’s by much.”
Of course, Nozdog also knew this.
Nevertheless, Riki was moving too quickly, and he was unable to do any damage.
Agni was also not confident he could keep up with his speed, either.
But he had a solution.
Roar!
A pillar of fire rose up from Agni’s body and shot into the sky, causing Ananta to have to back away to not get burnt.
In his divine form, Agni looked down at Ananta and said.
[You should enter your divine form as well.]
“Why?”
[Because I’m planning on raising the temperature of this place.]
The heat rapidly rose, and Ananta’s usual smile disappeared from his face.
“To what extent?”
[Beyond the tolerance of the human body.]
* * *
‘He’s angry.’
Frey was certain.
Lord was practically exuding anger. Far more than 4,000 years ago when he had locked him in the Abyss.
This showed just how much he cared for Riki.
It was also evidence that Riki’s betrayal was more painful to him than any Demigod’s death.
[I won’t kill you easily. That wouldn’t assuage my anger at all. You did something you shouldn’t have done. I’ll make you pay for that.] (Note: Lock him in the Abyss!)
Kung.
He felt the space around him get sealed.
Frey sighed.
He couldn’t beat Lord even if he awakened his full power at that moment.
He wouldn’t even be able to put up a fight.
Just as Frey was about to gather his mana.
“Wait.”
A passage appeared in the frozen space, and someone stepped out of it.
It was a woman he’d never seen before.
The woman had a very sensual body and bright, purple hair, but Frey couldn’t help but feel like she reminded him of someone.
Lord turned to her.
[Iris, what are you doing here?] (YH: oh it gets better)
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