Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

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Chapter 316: The Highest Mountain (3)

***

Red Dragon Balhard was barely able to hold back his rage.

"The demons are currently searching for the altar."

The cause of his anger was the human standing before him.

Like most dragons, Balhard held humans in extreme contempt. It was only natural.

Compared to dragons, humans were a weak race with frail bodies, mediocre magic skills, and feeble intelligence.

Although his race had been defeated by the humans he so despised and forced to flee to the Otherworld, it was all because of a person named Ruin.

"The mountain isn't that big. The fact that the demons haven't found it yet means it must be in a rather unusual place."

Yet now, Balhard found himself having to 'listen' to the words of the very human he despised. His insides were churning.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

The human, Damien Haksen, asked Balhard. Balhard suppressed his anger and replied.

"...Yes, I've heard everything from beginning to end."

"Then make some kind of noise. I thought I was the only one talking."

Damien sneered and looked at Balhard as if he were useless. Balhard felt his anger rising to another degree.

"Anyway, do you know anything about the altar? Given you lizards have a long lifespan."

"I only know the basics. I know that Ruin used a key to create an Oath there."

"Tsk tsk."

Damien looked at Balhard with the eyes of someone looking at something absolute trash.

Even Balhard couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger.

"I have one question for you as well!"

"Who do you think you are raising your voice to? Do you want to die?"

"B-But, I-I really want to ask."

"Alright."

Damien nodded, permitting him to ask. Balhard felt a deep sense of humiliation at being treated like a subordinate.

"Why am I the only one preparing the food?"

Balhard had not simply been listening to Damien's words quietly until now.

He was roasting a whole boar over a magic-fueled bonfire.

On top of that, Balhard had also hunted the boar himself.

"Your ancient dragon said I could do whatever I wanted with you."

"That doesn't mean I should be doing menial tasks like this!"

"If you have a problem with it, go and complain to her."

Balhard couldn't help but stand up in anger at Damien's brazen attitude.

"Damien Haksen! Draw your sword! Right here, right now..."

...I'll crush you!

But before he could say it, Balhard found himself unable to speak.

He had just remembered the battle between Damien and the Marquis class demon.

While Balhard was fighting with the miscellaneous demons, Damien was fighting the Marquis class demon.

The clash between the two was so intense that even Balhard, who was far away, could feel it vividly.

What was even more surprising was that Damien had killed the Marquis class demon in the blink of an eye.

Of course, Balhard was confident that he could defeat a Marquis class demon in a fight. He had inherited the powers of the mad dragon Typhon and the thunder dragon Ruak.

But he wasn't sure he could defeat a Marquis class demon as quickly and without a single scratch as Damien did.

If he were to fight a Marquis-class demon, he would struggle greatly to defeat it.

"Why the sword? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

Damien said as he got up. Balhard quickly added.

"I meant that the meat is almost cooked, so come and get your sword ready to cut it."

"Oh, is that so? I thought you wanted to fight again. If you really did, I would have peeled off all your scales this time."

Damien's eyes gleamed with killing intent as he said that.

Balhard swallowed hard involuntarily. He thought to himself that he was glad he had held back.

"So, can I eat now?"

"Just a moment."

Balhard opened a subspace and took out a small bag.

When he opened the bag, all sorts of spices appeared.

Balhard made an incision in the roasted boar and began to evenly apply the spices.

"You're pretty skilled at this."

Damien asked curiously.

Balhard's skill was extraordinary enough to pique Damien's interest.

"I learned when I was raising a child."

"A child? Your child? A dragon?"

"No, it was a human. Or rather, a half-human, half-dragon."

Damien looked at Balhard with a strange expression.

"You despise humans so much, yet you had a child with one?"

Balhard was at a loss for words at Damien's remark.

It was true that he looked down on humans.

"...It's more common than you think among dragons who are sent on missions to the surface."

Dragons couldn't go to the surface due to the Oath.

But they used Dragon Tongue to create loopholes and send dragons to the surface.

Only one dragon could be sent, and even then, most of its power was sealed.

Nevertheless, the reason they were sent to the surface was to gather various information.

"I wonder how your child is doing."

Damien opened his mouth.

The casual remark sent ripples through Balhard's heart.

Balhard silently stared at the blazing fire.

[PR/N- Mercenary King?]

***

After finishing his meal, Damien took out Erebos. It was to review his battle with Laetitia.

"I need to get used to Erebos."

The reason he took out Erebos instead of Dawn was because he still felt an unfamiliar sensation in his hand.

Although he had used Erebos endlessly in his past life as a Death Knight, his body was different then.

He was larger, and his fingers were longer. So, using Erebos with his human body felt strange.

Damien swung Erebos and recalled his battle with Laetitia.

"I've grown much stronger than before. And my Five Wheel Harmonious Art becomes even more perfect."

While fighting Laetitia, Damien could feel how much stronger he had become.

"I defeated a Marquis class demon without using the power of a Death Knight."

Normally, it is said that only Grandmasters can face Marquis class demons in battle.

In that sense, Damien could be said to have acquired the strength of a Grandmaster.

"But she was weak for a Marquis class demon."

Compared to the Marquis class demons Damien had encountered so far, Laetitia was too weak.

That's why Damien couldn't be satisfied. If a Marquis class demon stronger than Laetitia appeared, he couldn't be sure of victory.

"I need to reach the level of a Grandmaster. I need to have my own power. I can't rely on the power of a Death Knight forever."

Right now, Damien was one step away from becoming a Grandmaster.

He could reach the realm of a Grandmaster with just one more step.

The problem was that half-step.

He had no idea how to take that step. It was like wandering around in the depths of the sea.

The reason lay within Damien himself. He had too much information in his head.

“The only good thing that happened is I found a clue to reach the Grandmaster.”

It happened when he used the nameless mana art. Damien realized one thing when he was using dark mana.

"Dark mana originates from the suffering of the human soul. And normal mana originates from nature."

The two energies seemed similar but were completely different.

However, Damien saw a clue to combining the two energies.

No, that wasn't all.

"Divine power stems from human faith. So, maybe I can combine this too."

He thought he might be able to combine energies that he thought were completely separate.

Coincidentally, the Five Wheel Harmonious Art, the mana cultivation method that Damian had recently created, was also centered around unification.

"I was already on this path and I didn’t even know about it."

Damien laughed bitterly.

It wasn't entirely bad. A knight's strength was determined by how high a wall they could overcome.

If he solved this problem and became a Grandmaster, Damien would gain immense power.

"But there's something else I need to solve first."

Damien's worries extended beyond reaching a higher realm to the altar.

"The demons' goal is to find the altar. My goal is to kill Dorugo and Vahel."

But Damien currently had no way to find Vahel's location.

Ultimately, Damien needed to find the altar. After all, that's where he would encounter the demons.

"Where is the altar?"

It was certainly hidden somewhere so that no one could find it. Otherwise, the demons wouldn't have failed to find it until now.

"Let's change my perspective. My goal isn't to find the altar. It's to kill Vahel and Dorugo."

Damien's real goal was to deliver them their deaths. The altar was merely a means to achieve his goal.

"I’ll hinder the demons and prevent them from finding the altar. Then, Vahel will eventually reveal himself."

That was when it happened.

Erebos collided with something.

"Huh?"

Damien looked at Erebos with a puzzled expression.

That was because there was nothing in front of Erebos.

"What's going on here?"

Damien grabbed Erebos and pushed. But Erebos didn't budge. It felt like it was stuck in something hard.

Damien pondered for a moment, then grasped Erebos with both hands.

And he pressed down on Erebos with his weight. He could feel Erebos cutting through something invisible.

The place where Erebos had cut open widened. At the same time, a strong wind began to swirl.

It was as if the air was being sucked into a gap. His vision was obscured by his flying hair.

Damien blocked the wind with his forearm and carefully peered into the gap.

And then he saw a completely different landscape.

Seven statues were erected on a high peak.

In the center of them lay a human-sized stone coffin.

"...What is that?"

Damien squeezed his body through the crack and slowly approached the stone coffin.

The lid of the stone coffin was not closed but open. He looked inside the stone coffin and saw a human male lying quietly.

It was a face he had never seen before. Fortunately, the coffin had a name engraved on it.

Due to the passage of time, the name engraved on the coffin was worn and faded.

Damien traced the letters with his fingers and slowly read.

"...Ruin?"

***

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]