Episode 147: Master (2)
The giant’s strike fell upon the world.
A massive slash obliterated Adrian without a trace. It sliced through half of the White Castle and erased the mountain beyond it entirely.
In an instant, everything vanished, leaving behind a deep scar in the earth, stretching all the way to the horizon.
Gasping for breath, Dominico struggled to steady himself.
He had poured every ounce of his strength and dark magic into that single blow.
Even with the body of a death knight, the exhaustion was overwhelming.
“Master…”
Dominico looked ahead with a troubled expression, but Adrian was nowhere to be found.
“This can’t be happening…”
A low voice broke the silence. Gastal stared at Dominico, his face blank with disbelief.
“My… my Adrian… the Master Class I worked so hard to obtain… it can’t end like this…”
The sight of Gastal reignited the fury within Dominico, burning away his fatigue.
“Gastal!”
Dominico shouted, snapping Gastal back to reality.
“Damn it…!”
Gastal hurriedly tried to cast a dark spell, but Dominico was faster. He appeared right in front of Gastal and tore his arm away.
Gastal’s arm, still clutching his staff, flew off into the distance, scattering hot blood across the ground.
“Ah, ahh!”
Gastal groaned, clutching his shoulder as blood streamed through his fingers.
“It hurts… I can feel your hatred for me.”
Gastal looked up at Dominico with a faint smile.
“Are you going to claim the victor’s right? Tear me apart, crush me, do as you please.”
His voice was unnervingly calm, fueling Dominico’s anger even more.
“Fine, have it your way. I’ll make you beg for death.”
“Oh, that sounds fun. Shall we make a bet? Whether I’ll say those words or not?”
Gastal’s taunt made Dominico’s eyes blaze with fury.
Just as Dominico reached out to tear Gastal apart, a voice interrupted.
“Stop.”
It was Demian. Dominico’s hand froze mid-air.
The absolute master-servant bond between Demian and Dominico meant he couldn’t defy the command.
“Victor, please, let me handle this. This man… he killed Lady Frize! And he disgraced my master!”
Dominico shouted, his voice filled with anguish, but Demian remained cold.
“Don’t delude yourself. This is a consequence of your own actions. Besides, you kidnapped people and handed them over to Gastal.”
Dominico gritted his teeth. Anger surged within him, but he couldn’t refute Demian’s words.
“But… at least… let me finish this with my own hands!”
“I can’t allow that. This is the final price you must pay.”
Demian’s voice was icy.
“Moreover, killing him is not your task.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Time is running out. Subdue him quickly.”
Demian sent information about the ‘Myeonrigumchim’ technique to Dominico.
Following the knowledge of Myeonrigumchim, Dominico struck Gastal’s pressure points.
“Ah, ahh…”
Gastal groaned as Dominico’s fingers pierced his body.
As soon as Gastal’s dark magic was sealed by Myeonrigumchim, the ‘Kyeolheuk’ was released, and the altar vanished.
Gastal was a formidable dark sorcerer. Even without his skeletons, he was a dangerous foe. It was crucial to subdue him before Kyeolheuk was lifted.
Demian descended from the altar and approached Gastal.
“Victor… what have you done to me? I can’t move my dark magic. Did you seal my pressure points? What kind of technique is this?”
Even with death looming, Gastal was eager for new knowledge.
His curiosity wasn’t feigned. To reach the level of a grand dark sorcerer, one’s mental world had to be different from others.
Unlike most, death and pain couldn’t intimidate Gastal.
This was why Demian stopped Dominico. No amount of torture would make Gastal surrender.
“If you plan to kill me, you might want to reconsider. I’m part of Pandemonium.”
When Demian remained silent, Gastal chuckled softly.
Pandemonium.
The largest and most powerful dark sorcerer faction, working to overthrow the empire.
Most of its members were grand dark sorcerers or liches, boasting immense power.
“Pandemonium is thorough with its grudges. If a member is killed, they always seek revenge.”
Demian had previously killed a dark sorcerer claiming to be from Pandemonium at the Apple Royal Court.
However, they were merely candidates, so Pandemonium didn’t retaliate.
But Gastal was a true member. Killing him would surely provoke Pandemonium.
“Victor, Pandemonium will scour the continent to find you. A Master Class death knight won’t be enough to stop them.”
Gastal’s words were no exaggeration. A single Master Class couldn’t stand against Pandemonium.
“How terrifying.”
Yet, even at the mention of Pandemonium, Demian only smirked.
Gastal found Demian’s attitude amusing.
“You’re not afraid of Pandemonium’s name? Bold. You truly are worth killing…”
“My name isn’t Victor.”
Gastal’s brow furrowed at Demian’s words, as if questioning their meaning.
“My real name is Demian Haxen.”
“Demian Haxen? The one who killed the Necromancer and destroyed Yuran?”
Hearing the name, Gastal’s expression turned blank for a moment.
“Incredible. Truly incredible. I never imagined a collaborator of the Order would be such a high-level dark sorcerer.”
Demian frowned at the term ‘dark sorcerer.’
“I merely use dark magic. I’m not a dark sorcerer. Don’t lump me in with vermin like you.”
Gastal looked at Demian incredulously.
“Isn’t it the same…”
“Even if Pandemonium investigates the White Nation, they won’t find any clues about me.”
Since arriving in the White Nation, Demian had operated under the name Victor.
Though he caused some commotion, like beating mid-class sorcerers with a club, it wasn’t enough to link Victor to Demian.
“You’re underestimating Pandemonium. There are countless ways to learn about you…”
“You’re planning to leave your memories with dark magic, aren’t you?”
Demian’s sudden words made Gastal’s face turn cold.
“You intend to spread dark magic infused with your memories around here, so when Pandemonium sends someone, they can identify me through those memories.”
In a past life, Demian had seen Gastal use this method to relay information to Dorogo.
“It’s pointless. After I kill you, I’ll clean this area thoroughly, ensuring Pandemonium can’t find me.”
“Foolish. There are other ways to leave information. Besides…”
“You plan to leave a thought imprint, don’t you? A dark sorcerer of your caliber could create a powerful thought imprint at the moment of death.”
Once again, Demian saw through Gastal’s intentions, making his face harden further.
“Don’t bother with threats. From now on, all you can do is suffer.”
Demian placed his hand on Gastal’s head, infusing it with dark magic.
“Time to pay the price.”
As the dark magic flowed in, Gastal’s vision turned black.
When the darkness lifted, he found himself in a strange space.
Everything was white and blue, a place where all things seemed to blend together, and Gastal floated within it.
“A spiritual realm.”
Being a dark sorcerer, Gastal quickly realized where he was.
“To bring me here… what a reckless friend.”
A cruel smile spread across Gastal’s lips.
In the spiritual realm, the strength of one’s soul determined superiority.
Gastal’s soul, as a grand dark sorcerer, was not only immense but also incredibly powerful.
Here, he could destroy Victor’s—no, Demian’s—soul. He might even seize Demian’s body.
“What do you mean by reckless?”
A voice came from behind. Gastal’s smile deepened.
“If you don’t understand, let me enlighten you!”
He shouted, turning to face Demian’s soul, only to freeze as he realized something was terribly wrong.
His first thought was darkness.
Darkness swirled around Demian, like a storm, threatening to consume the world.
His next thought was death.
On a winter’s day, a dreadful chill spread through his body, as if he had plunged into a frozen lake. It felt like thousands of insects were burrowing under his skin, a sensation of utter revulsion.
Without realizing it, Gastal fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground in a gesture of submission.
Even such a degrading act did nothing to quell his fear.
“You… you are… no, I mean… you, sir…”
The honorific slipped out before he could stop himself.
Until now, Gastal had been under a grave misconception. He had thought of Damian Haxen as just another dark sorcerer like himself.
But in this moment, he realized how mistaken he had been.
Damian Haxen was no mere dark sorcerer. He had reached a realm far beyond anything Gastal could comprehend.
“Why… why would someone with your power… bother to create skeletons?”
With Damian’s abilities, he could have easily killed Gastal without resorting to such measures. As effortlessly as a human might crush an ant with a single finger.
“Because I understand.”
The words were cryptic, their meaning elusive.
“To have your enemy before you and be powerless to act… the anger, the sorrow… I have felt it too.”
“What… what do you mean by that…?”
“Let’s end the questions here… and begin.”
With a snap of his fingers, Damian summoned something from the sky.
A haze, like a pale mist, filled the world around them. It was filled with hatred and fury, all directed at Gastal.
Spirits.
The countless souls Gastal had toyed with were now glaring at him.
“Wait…”
Even Gastal, who had faced death with composure, was now gripped by terror.
“No… this can’t be…”
The agony of the soul was on a different level from physical pain.
No matter how powerful a dark sorcerer he was, being tormented by so many souls would drive him mad.
“Just kill me… kill me already!”
Gastal cried out desperately to Damian, but Damian paid him no mind.
He simply turned away and vanished into the shadows.
“Please, just kill me!”
The multitude of souls closed in on Gastal.
And then, a scream that was not of this world echoed through the air.