Chapter 1013: Witch Hunt: True Power of an Emperor
Chapter 1013: Witch Hunt: True Power of an Emperor
Gawain widened his eyes as he felt goosebumps across his body. He slashed his sword once again.
"Third Stance: True Slash!"
The forbidden spell continued expanding, destroying every object in its path. He stared at it with narrowed eyes, wondering if they had defeated the monster.
Gawain didn't know if he was imagining things, but he felt something in that moment.
Layla, Elder Reana, and Elder Lincy observed the destruction.
They couldn't discern what was happening at the impact of the spell. The energy levels were too violent at this moment for them to sense it.
Arven and Lensa were also observing from the side, near the spell.
The power that had destroyed the objects slowly receded, leaving a chaotic area full of violent energy sparks. Spatial fragments floated everywhere.
"He's coming..." Gawain suddenly said.
Layla and the two elders widened their eyes. They saw a pool of blood spreading from the bottom of the huge crater created by the forbidden spell.
The blood enveloped the ground, and a figure landed on top of it.
Souta was covered in wounds, and his blood continued to drip non-stop. He had only healed the wounds that could hinder his movements, leaving the others since they were needed for [Draw Blood].
"Eh, that's a strong attack," he said with a grin on his face, looking at Layla and the others.
If he didn't have the regeneration ability of the parasite, it would be hard to continue fighting after taking that much damage from the forbidden spell.
"He's tough... It's difficult to prepare another forbidden spell, and I don't think I have enough mana for it," Layla said in a low voice.
Elder Reana and Elder Lincy agreed with her assessment. Preparing another forbidden spell would be challenging in their current condition, especially considering Souta's likely interference.
The air vibrated as dark clouds in the sky grew thicker. Lightning flashed every second, increasing the pressure on everyone in the area.
Ohm!!
Five statues rose from the sea of blood, each emanating an ominous vibe.
"Those statues look familiar," Alice muttered.
Gawain looked at Souta and finally understood something. He laughed, "Hahaha, so that's how it is! The monster who caused a commotion two months ago was you! You're an emperor!"
He raised his sword and added, "I didn't think that I would meet a fourth-stage emperor here on Walpurgis Night. I wonder what's currently happening in reality. It should be quite interesting since a monster like you has appeared."
Releasing his energy, Gawain looked down at Souta. Since the [Third Stance] didn't have enough power, he would use a more powerful stance to show how a master used an Archetype.
"Show me how powerful an emperor is," Gawain said with a huge grin. His energy exploded as he charged at Souta without hesitation.
[Second Stance: Vanishing Gale Step]!
Swoosh!!
Souta stood at the center of the five statues. He raised his finger, and ripples appeared on the sea of blood. The five statues fused together, forming a huge skull with its mouth wide open.
The skull, standing ten meters tall with its jaw submerged in the sea of blood, had horns on its sides and purple flames glowing in its eye sockets.
Souta stood within the mouth of the skull, gazing ahead at Gawain.
In the next moment, tens of thousands of webs burst from the sea of blood as Gawain appeared hundreds of meters away.
Swoosh!!
Gawain moved swiftly, slicing through the webs. He noticed a change the webs had become tougher. It was now harder to cut through them compared to before.
"Eh, I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of power you possess."
He laughed before thrusting his sword forward with tremendous force.
[Fourth Stance: Gale Piercing Blow]!
A powerful swirling wind burst from his blade, destroying the webs in its way. However, before it could reach Souta, a wall of blood rose, altering the attack's direction.
Gawain's attack split into two and exploded at a distance, creating a mushroom cloud that distorted the space.
The grin on his face widened as Gawain observed what happened to his attack.
Suddenly, Souta turned his head to the side and waved his hand, sending hundreds of webs.
"You think I wouldn't notice!"
Arven and Lensa were employing a high level of stealth, but he could sense them due to having blood in their bodies.
The two immediately launched an attack and broke through their stealth.
Swoosh!!
A lot of witches emerged from the Dream Palace. They were unsettled by the battle, which was causing tremors in all the dimensions contained within the palace.
They could only watch from a distance without intervening. It wasn't that they chose not to act, but rather that they couldn't. The battle was in a different league compared to them. Only experts close to the level of the elders could participate in such a large-scale conflict.
Shockwaves swept out one after another.
"That's it!"
Gawain laughed as space bent under his sword.
[Sixth Stance: Spatial Reinforcement]!
The space in the area distorted with every movement of Gawain, seeming to cover his body in armor and enveloping his blade with an ominous vibe.
"Sir Gawain, we can't hold out much longer! We've been out of the Dream Palace for a while!" Arven shouted as he charged at Souta.
Normally, experimental subjects couldn't leave the Dream Palace. Arven, Lensa, and Gawain could exit due to their power, but they couldn't sustain it for long. The pulling force of the Dream Palace grew stronger by the minute.
"Don't worry about it. We can't die," Gawain said with a laugh.
He wasn't wrong; their bodies would only be destroyed, respawning somewhere within the
Dream Palace.
Arven and Lensa rushed from both sides of Souta, while Gawain charged straight ahead.
Souta pressed both hands together and grinned widely.
[Armor Integration]!
The huge skull suddenly closed its mouth, swallowing Souta. The sea of blood burst towards
the sky, creating a rain of blood across the area. Webs swept out in every direction, slicing through every object in their path.
"Protect yourselves!" Layla shouted loudly as she created a barrier.
Boom!!
Some of the people watching from afar were sliced into tiny pieces of meat. Those who
couldn't defend themselves in time died horrific deaths.
Elder Lincy and Elder Reana wore grim expressions. Almost everyone here were citizens of
Walpurgis Night.
They wanted to protect everyone, but their strength was insufficient to shield them all.
Elder Reana stretched out her palm, and a drop of blood fell onto it. She furrowed her brows
and said, "This is bad. The destructive power within this drop of blood is immense... It can kill
a Fifth Shackle directly..."
Elder Lincy couldn't help but turn her head, gazing at the rain of blood.
Does this mean...
Ohm!!
Elder Lincy, Elder Reana, and Layla felt goosebumps across their bodies. Even the experts who
managed to defend themselves felt an unsettling sensation.
It was as if they were facing an apex predator.
Gawain retreated with an excited look on his face. "So this is the power of an emperor... I
never expected to face a future powerhouse before I depart this world."
Arven and Lensa stood beside him, their expressions grim. Their condition was worse than Gawain's; Arven had lost his entire arm up to his shoulder and half of his chest, while Lensa had lost his left leg and hand.
"Sir Gawain, I can't resist the pulling force of the Dream Palace any longer. I'll be forcefully pulled back in one minute," Lensa said.
"Before we're pulled in, we'll fight until we're destroyed. Perhaps this monster can even destroy the Dream Palace," Arven added.
Gawain looked at the two and said, "There's no need to worry. Look ahead. I don't think
there's anyone who could stop this monster in the entire Walpurgis Night. The potential of an
emperor is not a joke."
Arven and Lensa glanced ahead and widened their eyes.
Ohm!!
A powerful pressure descended over the entire region. Souta walked forward, his body covered in crimson-colored armor adorned with black
markings. The four spider legs on his back glowed red, and a pair of horns protruded from the
sides of his head, moving in a circular motion like a crown.
He raised his finger and stepped on his web.
[Emperor Armor]
It was a fusion of his armor brought forth by his trait skill [Armor Integration], gained when
he became an emperor.
A monster standing at the pinnacle.
A lord among monsters. Souta ignored them, fixating his gaze on Eilan's location. Then, he glanced up at the six holy
stakes shining brightly above.
Anyone who looked at him could feel the immense pressure. Merely by observing his figure,
they felt as though a colossal boulder rested on their shoulders.
Gawain muttered, "So this is the true power of an emperor..."
Being closest to Souta, he comprehended that an emperor was an entirely different existence compared to everyone else.