Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

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Chapter 320: Another Round with Duke Class Demon (1)

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"Ahahaha!"

Watching Damien from beyond the dimensional portal, Vahel burst into loud laughter.

"Migmag, did you see that? Damien Haksen just crushed Asthar and Alter! And he did it using dark magic!"

Among demons, dark magic was considered as worthless as trash.

Compared to the true power that demons wielded, dark magic was inferior in every way—output, purity, and endurance.

Yet Damien Haksen had used that inferior power to instantly deal with two demon marquises.

"And it wasn’t just any demon—he cut through Asthar's power! Can you believe that?"

What was even more astonishing was the sword strike that Damien had just used to slice Asthar in half.

Asthar’s power of ‘Invulnerability’ was a well-known even in Inferno. Simple, not very versatile, but immensely strong.

Only Vahel had been able to restrain Asthar, who rampaged while clad in the power of Invulnerability.

"Your Excellency."

Migmag who was holding staff in one hand spoke cautiously.

"I understand you're pleased, but it seems there's something that needs to be dealt with right now."

"Ah, yes. Now’s not the time for this."

Vahel finally calmed down and asked Migmag.

"How bad is the situation of Asthar and Alter?"

"Alter is barely breathing, and Asthar can be saved if treated immediately."

Demons’ vitality was so immense that it could almost be mistaken for immortality. Despite being impaled and sliced in half, they were still breathing.

"Is that so? Then hurry and save them. Treat them while I deal with Damien Haksen."

Marquis class demons were valuable assets to Inferno. Losing several Counts class demons had already been a heavy blow, and Vahel couldn’t afford to let the Marquis class demons die as well.

"What about Bas?"

Migmag pointed his finger toward the large demon battling a red dragon.

"Let him enjoy himself."

Vahel replied playfully.

At that moment, Damien, who had been waiting outside the dimensional portal, called out loudly.

"Are you not coming? Then I'll come to you myself."

"Wait! That would be troublesome! I'll be right there, so just hold on."

The place where Vahel was currently standing was no ordinary location.

It was a fortress created using one of Inferno’s treasured relics, the Phantasmal Realm.

Simply put, the Phantasmal Realm allowed its owner to create their own personal space.

If Damien fought him here, the relic would inevitably suffer great damage—potentially even be destroyed in the worst-case scenario.

Vahel lightly kicked off the ground and effortlessly passed through the dimensional portal, landing before Damien.

There was only a short distance between them as they faced each other.

While Vahel was grinning from ear to ear, Damien was radiating killing intent from his entire body.

"Where is Dorugo?"

“We’ve reunited after all this time, and the first thing you ask about is that bitch? That hurts my feelings a bit.”

“Cut the crap and answer. Is Dorugo alive?”

At Damien’s threatening words, Vahel chuckled and pointed toward the dimensional portal.

“Of course. She’s safely kept inside. But before you get to Dorugo, you’ll have to deal with me first.”

“Don’t worry about that. I wasn’t planning on letting you live either.”

Vahel laughed, his shoulders shaking with amusement.

He was the Duke of Inferno and was being threatened by a mere human. Vahel found the situation utterly delightful and entertaining.

“Your resolve is admirable, but you'd better watch your surroundings first.”

At that moment, something formed right in front of Damien. It looked like a translucent salt crystal, with irregular protrusions jutting out in all directions.

“That’s going to hurt quite a bit.”

Vahel remarked.

Before he could finish speaking, the crystal expanded rapidly. Its jagged spikes stretched out in all directions as they tried to envelop Damien.

* * *

Just before the spikes could impale him, Damien activated his protective aura. Darkness from the ground surged up and enveloped his body, colliding with the crystal spikes.

The result was a defeat for the darkness. The expanding crystal spikes shattered the darkness instantly.

In the end, Damien had no choice but to retreat to avoid being impaled by the crystals.

‘He’s far stronger than when I faced his clone.’

Damien had fought Vahel before. Back then, Vahel used the power of Isolation to create various structures and attack Damien.

These crystals must have been created with the same power of Isolation. But they were far stronger than when he had faced Vahel’s clone.

‘This is not something I can block. I need to dodge.’

During his days as a Death Knight, Damien had focused on a combat style centered around defense rather than evasion. As a result, his protective aura had become so sturdy that it was often called invincible.

But now, even that energy field was woefully inadequate to stop the crystals.

“Oh? You dodged? Well, if you went down that easily, it wouldn’t be any fun!”

Vahel exclaimed as he reached out toward Damien.

Crystals sprouted from the ground where Damien stood, but he dodged them all by the narrowest of margins. At the same time, he summoned Erebos. Dawn couldn’t withstand Damien’s dark mana.

Damien swung Erebos without hesitation and released aurablade. The aurablade split into dozens of smaller blades, each aimed at Vahel.

However, the crystals emerging from beneath Vahel’s feet blocked the aurablades. Aurablades didn’t able to put a single scratch on the surfaces of the crystals.

“No good. Half-hearted attacks like that won’t work on me.”

Vahel was smiling broadly.

Vahel's playful and relaxed attitude was incredibly irritating from Damien's perspective.

'He completely thinks he's above me.'

What infuriated Damien even more was the fact that Vahel was right—these kinds of attacks wouldn’t work on him.

The crystals Vahel created were not only incredibly durable but also formed at an alarming speed.

‘I need a decisive strike, something that can take his head off in one blow.’

Dragging out a fight against a formidable opponent like Vahel was never a good idea.

At that moment, Damien recalled his battle with Ruin.

That fight had been a priceless experience for Damien.

In short, it was like strolling through a treasure-filled warehouse. Ruin’s eyes, movements, the positioning of his feet, the way he gripped his sword—everything about him was superior to Damien.

As he died over and over, Damien desperately tried to learn from him.

In the end, Damien succeeded in stealing one of Ruin’s techniques—the very movement that had once taken his head in a single strike.

It couldn’t be described as merely fast. It was a technique that read the opponent’s breath and movements, striking at the gap in their awareness.

Since the moment he had encountered Vahel, Damien had been gathering as much information as possible, using all of his senses.

As a result, he began to perceive the subtle movements and breathing patterns of Vahel.

“Suddenly deep in thought, are you?”

Vahel noticed Damien’s shift in focus with uncanny precision.

“You shouldn’t let your guard down like that. Shall I snap you out of it?”

Vahel’s demonic energy stirred. His breathing slowed slightly, and the focus in his eyes blurred for a moment.

‘Now.’

Damien moved. He kicked off the ground just as a crystal spike was about to emerge.

Even when Damien was right in front of him, Vahel didn’t notice. Damien had struck at the gap in Vahel’s awareness.

Damien replicated Ruin’s movement perfectly and swung Erebos toward Vahel’s neck.

Sword God.

The slash that cuts through everything cleaved Vahel’s neck. Erebos tore through Vahel’s skin and muscles, reaching the bone.

But with a sharp sound, Erebos's advance stopped. It had failed to cut through Vahel’s bone.

“Huh?”

Vahel looked bewildered with his neck partially severed.

Despite the blood gushing from the wound, he didn’t seem alarmed at all.

“When did you swing your sword? I didn’t see it at all.”

Damien instinctively realized that if he didn’t act now, he would lose his chance.

Gripping the hilt of Erebos with both hands, he channeled his Nameless mana art and pressed down harder.

Erebos pushed against Vahel’s neck, but Vahel stood his ground without a care in the world.

“Ahahaha!”

Instead, he burst out laughing.

“You’re as entertaining as ever. You never fail to meet my expectations!”

As Vahel's laughter grew louder, his body began to transform.

His eyes turned pitch black, and his frame expanded rapidly, with muscles bulging out prominently. Three horns sprouted from his forehead.

"Damien Haksen, I apologize for underestimating you."

Vahel said with red eyes gleaming.

"But now, I will unleash all my power."

With a single swing of Vahel's hand toward Damien, the ground and nearby mountain peaks were shattered into pieces.

* * *

While Damien and Vahel clashed, the Four Great Demon Kings also began to move.

Security had loosened because they were searching for the Altar. Now was the perfect time to free Dorugo.

Thanks to prior planning, they reached the prison without encountering any demons along the way. However, avoiding all conflict was impossible.

A lone demon was guarding the entrance to the prison.

"Why are you here?"

Demon with a mosquito head asked them.

Laria glared at the four of them.

They swallowed nervously. Laria was one of Vahel’s trusted aids, a Marquis class demon with extraordinary strength that rivals even Asthar.

Even if all four of them attacked together, victory was far from guaranteed.

"We’re here to free our mother."

One of them said.

Despite the overwhelming odds, they prepared to release their full power. They would have to kill Laria to free Dorugo.

"Fools have gone mad."

Laria sneered, her muscles swelling even further as she activated her true power.

* * *

Vahel’s fighting style was simple.

When Damien was close, he swung his fists. When Damien was at a distance, he summoned crystals to attack.

Damien dodged the crystals and aimed for openings as he continued to slash Vahel’s body.

Vahel neither dodged nor used crystals to defend himself. He took several deep wounds from Damien’s strikes.

"Hahaha! Your movements are impressive!"

Vahel laughed as he was totally unfazed. If anything, his excitement only grew stronger.

‘What a monstrous creature.’

Damien thought and bit his lip in frustration.

‘To think I’m being pushed back, even with my Nameless mana art in use.’

Despite using the power of the Death Knight, Damien had yet to turn the tide against Vahel.

Vahel was superior to Damien in every way—speed, power, and overall strength.

It was an unavoidable truth. Damien was currently in a human body.

The Nameless mana art Damien had created was based on the powerful physique of the Death Knight. Using it effectively with a human body was a near-impossible feat.

‘I need to increase the output.’

Vahel’s strength was leagues beyond that of a Marquis class demon. The gap between them was so large that even with all of Damien’s skill, it was hard to close the distance.

At that moment, the concept of the Five Wheel Harmonious Art flashed in Damien’s mind. If he could combine it with his Nameless mana art, the stability and output would significantly improve.

However, both techniques were so intricate and refined that merging them wasn't a simple task—not even for Damien.

"Ha ha ha! Even in Inferno, there was no one who could fight me like this! Damien Haksen! Only you can fight me on equal ground!"

Vahel roared. He was clearly exhilarated by the battle.

What was even more terrifying was that Damien had yet to see Vahel’s limits.

‘I must end this here.’

Damien thought resolutely.

But to kill Vahel, he would have to make a choice he didn’t want to make.

‘I didn’t expect to have to use this so soon.’

Seven symbols began to glow on the back of Damien’s hand.

The mysterious power was manifesting. At that moment, a crossroads of fate appeared before Damien’s eyes.

His fate diverged into two distinct paths.

The present life and the previous life.

Humanity and the Death Knight.

'Damn it. I can’t believe I have to choose this with my own hands.'

Damien cursed and reached out toward the fate of the Death Knight.

***

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]