Chapter 411 (1/2)
“Blow away, Palm Leaf,” Su-hyeun decided to gently welcome the other party first.
Fwhooooosh—!
The winds swirling around his sword extended forward in a strand. Magical energy powerful enough to create a typhoon had forcibly compressed all those winds that would’ve normally gone to cause a storm. The winds, now tightly condensed into a single strand, rapidly extended forward according to the sword’s trajectory.
Chwa-jajajajak—!
Creeeaaak—
The wind rushed toward Fafnir’s figure, only to dissipate without a trace before reaching its target. A black barrier materialized by the staff in the Predator’s extended hand answered Su-hyeun’s attack.
It was one of the abilities Su-hyeun saw in the illusion that the Bull Demon King had shown him before.
“Who are you?” Fafnir asked, which was something he didn’t do in the past.
Of course, Su-hyeun wasn’t thinking of answering. Right now, his whole body was burning up in the anticipation of finally having a go at Fafnir.
[Indomitable Body]
[Spirit’s Grace]
[Armor of the Mage]
[Sky King’s Feather]
[Immortality]
[Flame – Territory Declaration]
[Flame – Armor of Fire]
Many skills were activated on Su-hyeun’s body. Half of those happened to be the ones he had prepared just for this occasion—one where he’d be battling a powerful magic-user.
This was a battle that Su-hyeun had simulated thousands, no, tens of thousands of times in his mind. Therefore, at this very moment, he utilized the findings and experiences from them to their fullest extent.
KWA-JAJAJAJAK—!
Ka-booooom—!
A sharp and deadly sword strike enveloped in the divine Flame shot forward. Fafnir had to take a step back at that attack overflowing with magical energy and superheated flames.
“It seems that you don’t wish for a conversation.”
Fafnir’s voice was the same as Su-hyeun remembered. He had come face to face with the Predator and heard its voice only once in the past, but even then, he had never forgotten how the creature sounded.
“Conversation, my foot.”
Pah-aht—!
Su-hyeun’s figure darted and landed behind Fafnir.
“No need to chat to a bastard who wrecked my home.”
Fwhooosh—!
Snick—!
The energy that gushed out from Fafnir’s hand swept Su-hyeun’s figure away, but the latter’s sword that sliced across finely nicked the Predator’s throat.
Crack—
Its scales were ever so slightly cut open. Crimson blood leaked out from its wound, while Su-hyeun was shoved back as dark “dust” caked his figure.
Fafnir was surprised, “You’re a Hound?”
The Predator used the word “Hound”—the slang word that circulated among the Predators to denote the proxies of the gods, the Apostles—yet Su-hyeun still didn’t find any value in replying even now.
However…
“Strike down mercilessly…”
Ku-rrrrrr—!
He still addressed the Somersault cloud up in the skies.
“Somersault cloud.”
FLASH—!
Ka-booooom—!
A bolt of humongous lightning was concentrated in one spot and crashed to the ground. It was also during this moment that Fafnir’s figure glowed white.
Even if it was none other than Fafnir, there was simply no way that it could roundly ignore the lightning strike from the Somersault cloud, which had been highly concentrated in one spot.
A thin barrier of energy materialized around Fafnir. This barrier managed to absorb as much damage as possible, but it still failed to perfectly protect the creature from the lightning.
Fafnir rubbed its torso with its hand. With the sword nick on its throat and the burn wound from the lightning, it had been injured twice now.
“Surprisingly painful, I see,” the Predator glared at Su-hyeun. Unlike the beginning, it no longer looked down on Su-hyeun. It acted disdainfully earlier because, even at this very moment where Su-hyeun was encountering Fafnir for the “first time,” it was a powerful existence ranked among the One Hundred Evils.
“You know who I am. Am I wrong?”
Su-hyeun, planning to ignore every attempt at conversation, heard that and paused for a moment.
A creature that was nothing more than an illusion had managed to figure out this situation and was trying to talk back to him.
“I see. I’m just an illusion, too.”
Not only that but the Predator even figured out what it was.
“Which means that the current me was recreated from your memories.”
Fafnir the Predator was born when Bradley devoured the heart of a black dragon. He used to be an outstanding knight and the emperor of a world and, at the same time, an excellent magician.
As such, Fafnir was able to quickly figure out its true nature. It noticed that its own construction was different from what it remembered and quickly realized that something about this situation was unnatural.
However, rather than getting flustered by the revelation, Fafnir remained composed as it continued to speak, “You have already faced me before. Have you not?”
Su-hyeun reined in his quickened breathing. Excessive tension and agitation were not that different from fighting after ingesting poison, but thanks to his breathing technique, his rushed breathing returned to the state before the fight began.
Su-hyeun regained his cool and finally replied, “That’s right. I have faced you before.”
“So you finally have decided to answer me,” Fafnir chuckled, baring its fangs. It seemed to be happy that its hypothesis was right.
“In that case, I should be in a state that you are familiar with. It seems that you see me as a rather omnipotent being and an arrogant creature as well.”
Those observations were right on the money. Fafnir’s current personality was based on Emperor Bradley from the 100th floor’s trial. As for its abilities, they were based on the Bull Demon King’s illusion.
This interpretation of Fafnir was not as strong as the one from the illusion, but even then, it still wouldn’t be far off to call this version near-omnipotent with its current set of abilities.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t know much about you.” Indeed, Su-hyeun knew only one thing. “But what I do know is that I must kill you.”
“Is it resentment? No, it’s something else.”
The light within Fafnir’s eyes deepened as it stared at Su-hyeun. It was as if the Predator was seeing right through him.
At such a response, Su-hyeun took another swing with his sword.
Smash—!
Poooow—!
Fafnir’s shoulder was sliced open, and more blood splattered into the open. Su-hyeun watched that happen with burning eyes. “Doesn’t matter what it is, really.”
“Yes. And it’s the same story for me.”
Go-oooooh—
The color of the skies changed. A huge shadow loomed over everything as Fafnir raised its staff in the air.
“I, too, was given life in order to kill you. Therefore, I shall do everything in my power to achieve that goal.”
The skies had become completely dark now. The sunlight that was baking the ground was completely blocked out by a humongous falling asteroid big enough to blanket the entirety of Guangzhou.
It was Fafnir’s power.
“Well, at least we’re on the same page, then.”
Squeeze…