Chapter 197 : The Marquis of Envy, Leo Fortia (4)
“Damn that bastard...!”
Leo Fortia began to give ground, inch by inch, under the Grand Duke’s swordsmanship.
A being who had ascended to Grand Master through the sword alone.
Northern Grand Duke Derek Praha.
His bladework was, of course, fierce and razor-sharp.
Clang! Clang!
Frigid bursts erupted from the Grand Duke’s blade.
Crack... Craaack...!
The chill froze Leo’s legs solid, then surged forward as if to devour him whole.
Leo clicked his tongue and severed his own leg.
The severed limb regenerated in an instant.
Boom!
A tomb of icy blades formed where Leo had stood.
Glancing at his restored leg, Leo clicked his tongue lightly again.
Truly, a headache of a technique.
A mere mortal wielding power akin to a Demonkin’s Aspect.
That alone was an insult to the Demon God.
Power not bestowed by the gods. For such vermin to wield it...
Disgust welled up from within.
Then, in that moment.
“You won’t escape, skinwalker.”
The charging Grand Duke swung, carving into his neck.
Blood spilled.
“...How dare you.”
A human, daring to wound his body twice.
Unforgivable.
“Fine, I’ll bury those old memories with you.”
Leo pressed his wound, his eyes flashing with malice.
He drove a kick into the Grand Duke’s abdomen.
“Urgh...!”
The Grand Duke’s body hurtled through the air.
Then Leo, manifesting as a colossal demonic silhouette, slammed down on the Grand Duke with full force.
<Aspect of Wrath - Fiendish Execution>
KABOOOM!
A massive explosion.
Dust clouds billowed, obscuring vision.
The Grand Duke’s presence vanished, yet Leo did not cease his assault.
Leo casually waved his hand.
<Aspect of Gluttony - Ram’s Feast>
Black shadows seeped from the ground where the Grand Duke had flown.
The shadows opened red eyes, morphing into a frog-like form with a gaping maw.
Gape!
Crunch!
The Grand Duke’s body was swallowed into the shadow.
It happened in a flash.
“Your Grace!”
The northern knights cried out in horror at the sight.
But then, the shadow tore apart, and the Grand Duke emerged from within.
“You lack even a single proper ability.”
Unscathed.
Leo bit his lip at the sight.
Why wasn’t it working?
His powers could slay dozens of Grand Masters...!
Why did they seem so weakened against this human!
“Dieeeee!”
Leo unleashed another blast of demonic energy.
Then he lunged straight at the Grand Duke.
In that moment.
“You’re mimicking the martial arts I taught the Third Prince quite well. For a fake, you’re holding up admirably.”
The Grand Duke scattered his Aura as he spoke.
<Ice Age>
A frigid Aura unleashed alongside his Mindscape.
Everything around began to freeze, the very air turning to ice, hindering even breath.
The Grand Duke charged, sword infused with Aura.
“But as a fake, your power falls short.”
He swung.
Whooosh!
A tremendous strike, yet Leo did not evade.
Instead, he hardened his expression, grinding his teeth.
“How dare... how dare...”
Leo began drawing up a savage surge of demonic energy.
“How dare you deny me!”
Demonic energy exploded.
<Demonic Energy Full Release>
<Abyssal Realm - Mimicking World>
Leo unleashed his Abyssal Realm.
“You flee from your sins! You’ll find no rest even in death!” Leo roared.
And with that, a world unfolded—one beyond all mortal perception.
* * *
A world forged from falsehood.
Lancelot sneered at the sight.
“What’s this? Nothing special.”
A so-called false world, sure.
In truth, it was merely a realm where the five senses failed.
It might trouble those below Master... but well.
For Masters and above, it posed no real threat.
We rely on intuition from the start.
Perceiving space as a plane.
That was the mark of a Master, wasn’t it?
In short, cognition transcending dimensions.
Is it here?
Lancelot smirked and swept his spear.
Blood sprayed, wetting Lancelot’s cheek.
He struck at every assailant.
Then the next.
And the next.
Each one burst with blood, dying on the spot.
“Haha! Easy, too easy!”
Lancelot laughed casually and dashed toward the strongest demonic energy.
But as he prepared to thrust again…
—Wake up.
His captain’s voice seemed to echo in his ear.
Startled, he halted the thrust.
In that instant, Lancelot’s eyes took in the space around him.
Dead knights, cackling Demonkin.
Blood on his spear.
And beneath him, Lady Lea blocking his spear.
“No, wait...!”
Lancelot recoiled in horror.
What the hell was this?
He’d clearly been thrusting at demonic energy...?
Lancelot scanned around.
Roxen, His Grace the Grand Duke, even the Divine Archer.
All were attacking indiscriminately, ally and foe alike.
Only he and Lady Lea had snapped out of it.
“...Vile... demon... bastard...!”
Lady Lea blocked his spear, then collapsed unconscious.
Likely the aftermath of the Marquis of Envy’s assault.
“This... what is this...”
Lancelot’s pupils shook as he glanced around.
The sensations had clearly been demonic.
The knights, Lady Lea. All radiating demonic energy like true Demonkin.
“This can’t be...!”
Lancelot staggered back.
Now that he thought, his throat itched.
He needed to scratch it.
Lancelot raised his spear to his neck.
Blood flowed, but he didn’t notice.
The blade dug into skin, nearing his throat.
—Wake up, I said.
His captain’s voice echoed again.
“Huh...?”
Awareness flooded Lancelot’s eyes.
Only then did he realize what he’d been about to do.
...Holy shit!
Lancelot hurled the spear away.
He’d tried to die. Without resistance, without doubt.
He’d welcomed death.
“Damn it, what the hell is this!” Lancelot shouted.
Then, a scene flashed in his mind.
The Divine Archer...? Why was I fighting the Divine Archer... no, wait.
Yes, thinking back, he’d been struck by the Marquis of Envy and lost consciousness.
Then, controlled by the bastard, he’d battled the Divine Archer.
A one-sided fight.
He’d held the advantage. The Divine Archer had held back to avoid killing him.
While he swung his spear madly at the Divine Archer.
And with other Demonkin and corpses around.
It made sense why the Divine Archer was panting so hard.
...I was controlled by him.
Lancelot bit his lip, recalling the recent events.
From the moment he’d rushed to protect Lady Lea until now.
He hadn’t been in his right mind once.
But the question was, why could he think clearly now?
Back when controlled, he’d had no awareness at all.
—That’s because I woke you.
A thought echoed in Lancelot’s mind again.
“...Captain?” Lancelot asked.
The voice replied.
—I’m not your so-called captain. Hell, I’m not even human anymore.
“Are you joking? Fine, just get over here! Snapping out is great, but the situation here’s a mess!” Lancelot yelled into the void.
Of course, the voice belonged to his captain.
How many times had he heard that voice? He wouldn’t forget it so easily.
Not after all they’d been through.
“Captain? Why aren’t you answering?”
—...You don’t listen, do you? That guy’s got his work cut out.
The voice sighed and continued.
—Anyway, when I was alive, that guy was called a wastrel... Has something changed?
“What nonsense is that?”
Lancelot let out a hollow laugh.
Calling himself a wastrel.
Well, it was true in a way.
He did lay “waste” to his enemies.
—Enough, listen up. The foe you’re facing is marquis-level. Unlike other Demonkin, he’s specialized purely in Aspects.
—So the way to kill him is simple. Unravel his Aspects.
—And those Aspects will be easier to break than you think.
Lancelot laughed hollowly at the ongoing voice.
He’d nearly died moments ago.
What did it mean by ‘easy to unravel’?
“That’s something only you could do, Captain? Oh, wait, you said you’re not, so you can’t.”
Lancelot sneered.
Joking even now. Really, even for the captain, this was infuriating.
The real captain wouldn’t pull pranks like this...
“Wait, you’re really not the captain?”
—Didn’t I say so a dozen times?
“Then who are you? The voice is definitely his.”
—It’s borrowing the voice of the one you trust most. As for me...
The voice paused, then continued in a bold tone.
—Direct descendant of the Fortia Empire, favored by Father enough to nearly claim the crown prince’s seat. The third little sun of the great empire. I am Leo Fortia!
The true Third Prince of the Empire revealed himself through Lancelot’s consciousness.
—Though right now, I’m trapped in that Envy bastard’s mind.