Episode 244: Blanca Roche (3)
With a swift slash from Damian, two heads rolled to the ground.
Something was off. Despite the clean cut, no blood spurted out. The wounds looked like half-melted jelly, soft and pliable.
“Whoa~! That was fast, huh?”
“This is impossible…!”
Even with their heads severed, the two continued to speak as if nothing had happened.
The wounds wriggled and reattached themselves, healing in an instant.
“They’ve already perfected the immortals.”
Damian clicked his tongue at the sight.
The immortals were a special kind of body created through Slah’s research into unique bloodlines. By concentrating these traits, they developed bodies that could withstand any attack and survive even fatal injuries.
Thus, they were named immortals.
“Valentino, who is this guy? Winning the Helian Tournament is one thing, but having this level of skill at his age is just absurd.”
Acteur, having regained his composure, spoke in his usual tone.
“I told you, didn’t I? Not to let your guard down. That guy’s… quite the odd one.”
“You’re right. I need to get serious now.”
The atmosphere between the two grew heavy. Any hint of vulnerability vanished completely.
Damian wore a look of annoyance. He had hoped to take them out quickly while they were off guard, but the immortals thwarted his plan.
“Damian Haxen~? I was going to take you in nicely, but since you struck first, I guess I can rough you up a bit~?”
“As long as he’s breathing when we take him, Slah will save him anyway.”
Valentino Michele spread his arms wide. Dark energy swirled around him, forming dozens of chains.
Acteur pulled a massive two-handed mace from a pocket dimension.
“The Iron Pillar, Valentino Michele, and the Knight of the Wall, Acteur.”
Thanks to his past life memories, Damian knew exactly who these two were.
Slah’s constant companions, masters who had surpassed two walls.
The bounties on their heads were higher than most notorious criminals, a testament to their danger.
And now, these monsters had gained immortality through Slah’s experiments.
“This is troublesome.”
Damian scratched the back of his head, prompting a chuckle from Valentino.
“Regretting it now won’t help~ This old man has his pride, you know~? If you mess with me… I have to pay you back in kind!”
Valentino reached out towards Damian. The chains wrapped around his forearm lunged at Damian Haxen.
Damian leaped into the air, dodging the chains. They struck the ground where he had stood, shattering it as if a boulder had crashed down.
“Always unsettling.”
Valentino’s chains were condensed aura blades. Only the most skilled could even hope to withstand them.
Valentino could scatter hundreds of these formidable chains at once.
A shadow loomed overhead. Looking up, Damian saw Acteur hovering high in the sky.
“This is a problem.”
Acteur swung his mace down at Damian. Damian blocked it with his sword, Dawn.
The impact sent Damian plummeting to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Valentino peered into the dust cloud, then shouted.
“Found you!”
Valentino swung his arms, sending dozens of chains piercing through the dust.
Damian burst out from the cloud, with Acteur hot on his heels.
“Hmph!”
Acteur swung his mace at Damian.
The massive mace, larger than a grown man’s torso, sliced through the air relentlessly.
“This is troublesome.”
Damian Haxen muttered as he parried Acteur’s attacks. Acteur laughed maniacally.
“To think you can handle both of us and only find it troublesome! It’s a blow to my pride! No wonder Slah is interested in you…”
In that moment, Damian’s sword, Dawn, sliced through the lower half of Acteur’s face. It wasn’t enough; he continued to cut through various parts of Acteur’s body.
But the wounds healed instantly. Acteur, unfazed, spoke.
“It seems you have no intention of talking? Then we have no choice. Valentino!”
Behind Acteur, a massive surge of dark energy was building. Valentino had been preparing something while they fought.
“This will be troublesome for you too, you know?”
Damian said with a look of disbelief. Acteur smirked.
“I won’t die anyway.”
Hundreds of chains erupted from behind Acteur.
The chains engulfed both of them, destroying the ground and filling the air with dust.
While Acteur distracted him, Valentino unleashed the chains.
A simple yet effective tactic. The problem was that Acteur couldn’t escape the range of the chains either.
The chains pierced through Acteur’s body, but he felt no pain.
The immortals not only regenerated any wound but also eliminated pain. Acteur only felt the unpleasant sensation of the chains piercing his body.
“Acteur~? Are you okay~?”
“Do you even need to ask? Who do you think made this body?”
Acteur replied dismissively.
“What about Damian Haxen?”
“I can’t see through the dust yet. But given the silence, he must be dying.”
No one could survive such an attack. Acteur spoke with confidence.
“Get the potion ready. If Damian Haxen dies on the way, it’ll be a problem.”
Even Slah couldn’t revive the dead. Their task was to keep Damian Haxen alive and bring him back.
As the dust began to settle, Damian Haxen’s figure emerged.
Acteur’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Not a single chain had pierced Damian Haxen. They were all embedded in the ground around him.
“This is troublesome.”
Damian Haxen spoke softly from amidst the chains.
“Considering what you and Slah have done, I can’t let you die easily.”
Damian Haxen’s words came slowly.
“The problem is, as immortals, you don’t feel pain. So even if I tear you apart or burn you, it won’t matter. You won’t feel a thing.”
Damian Haxen sighed, looking regretful.
“This is why immortals are such a hassle. They complicate things. So, after much thought…”
Damian Haxen stood up between the chains, looking at Acteur.
“I’ve decided to personally implant pain into your brains.”
A murderous aura emanated from Damian Haxen, far more intense than before.
Acteur felt a chill run down his spine. He shouted to Valentino.
“Valentino! Restrain Damian Haxen!”
Valentino quickly swung his arms. The chains writhed like snakes, wrapping around Damian Haxen.
Damian Haxen lowered his index finger. At that moment, something fell from the sky.
Swords made of aura blades rained down on the chains, slicing through them effortlessly.
“What?”
Acteur’s face twisted in shock. He recognized the technique Damian Haxen had used.
“The Sword of Will…?”
Damian Haxen pointed at Valentino. The swords shot forward like arrows.
Before Valentino could react, the swords pierced him, cutting his body into pieces.
“Sir Valentino!”
Acteur shouted in panic. In that instant, Damian Haxen moved.
He lunged forward, driving his knee into Acteur’s face.
Acteur’s nose shattered, and one eye burst.
But the immortal felt no pain. The damaged area healed instantly.
“Now, just surrender quietly!”
Acteur reached out to grab Damian Haxen. At that moment, Damian Haxen murmured.
“Triple Ring.”
Damian Haxen vanished from sight. Acteur looked around in confusion.
“Where did he go…?”
A shadow fell over his face. Damian Haxen, leaping into the air, stomped on Acteur’s head, driving it into the ground.
“Argh!”
Acteur screamed, lifting his head.
“You… you dare put your foot on my face!”
Acteur roared, getting to his feet. At that moment, Damian Haxen thrust his hand into Acteur’s chest.
Damian Haxen’s hand pierced through Acteur’s chest, injecting magic. The magic spread like needles throughout his body.
“What are you doing…?”
Acteur looked at Damian Haxen with a bewildered expression.
Suddenly, every muscle in his body began to contract.
Unable to withstand the pressure, his bones started to crack. Every joint twisted in the wrong direction.
“What… what is happening…?”
Achtur tried to resist by summoning his dark magic, but it was useless.
“Damian Haxen! What have you done to me?”
The magic that Damian Haxen had infused into his body began to stir once more.
It soon discovered something hidden deep within Achtur.
Nerves.
The nerves that had been severed by his undead state were reconnected by the magic. Dead nerves came back to life.
And then, something struck his mind with force. A sensation he hadn’t felt in ages, and certainly hadn’t missed.
“Aaaaargh!”
Achtur screamed in agony. His eyes rolled back, and foam bubbled from his mouth.
“Stop! Please, stop!”
Even as he writhed in pain, Achtur was bewildered. How was this possible? The undead weren’t supposed to feel pain.
“Meridian Manipulation.”
Damian Haxen’s voice cut through the chaos.
“It’s a mana technique that allows you to manipulate the body. With it, you can even stimulate nerves.”
Damian injected more magic, twisting Achtur’s body further, intensifying the pain.
“Enough! Please, enough!”
“Good thing I learned this in advance.”
“Please… just stop… I beg you…”
“Slah’s dog. I can only imagine how many lives you’ve taken, how many souls you’ve exploited, standing by that wretched woman.”
Damian’s lips curled into a sneer.
“Die like the insect you are.”
Achtur’s limbs began to curl inward, his entire body shrinking.
When Damian finally withdrew his hand from Achtur’s chest, Achtur was nothing more than a crumpled mass.
Leaving Achtur behind, Damian turned his attention to Valentino.
Valentino was desperately trying to reattach his severed limbs. Even as an undead, he couldn’t regenerate lost parts, only reattach them.
“You… what did you do to Achtur…?” Valentino stammered, fear etched on his face as Damian approached.
“Silence.”
Damian stomped on Valentino’s head, silencing him. Even underfoot, Valentino spat out his rage.
“Get… get your foot off me!”
“Now that I think about it, there’s another way to destroy the undead. Keep breaking them until their bodies can’t hold together anymore.”
Valentino’s face turned ashen at those words.
“Wait… you can’t mean…”
Damian stomped on Valentino’s head repeatedly.
“Stop! Please, stop! Aaaaargh!”
The ground shook with each impact.
When Damian finally stopped, the ground was stained with what remained of Valentino.
“I’ve wasted too much time on these worthless creatures.”
Damian retrieved a small pouch from a pocket dimension. It contained strands of hair from the students of Class 13.
He released a bit of dark magic from his bracelet, casting a spell.
Damian closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, a fierce smile spread across his face.
“Slah, so that’s where you are.”