Chapter 53

 

Alone, Ludian walked slowly towards the direction from which the magic was blowing.

 

Swish-

 

A silvery-white blade emerged, exuding a sharp aura.

 

“Come out.”

 

Ludian, who had stopped at some point, spoke towards the front.

 

Growl-

 

A low growl echoed.

 

It didn’t seem like the cry of a normal living being.

 

Rather, it was a darker, heavier, and ominous sound.

 

“Burtal.”

 

As Ludian spat out the name, sticky magi began to burst out.

 

Groan.

 

Ludian gritted his teeth at the terrible scent of demonic energy.

 

But that was it.

 

It wasn’t as overpowering as Gerald’s magic, which was uncontrollable to the point of splitting his body.

 

Whoosh-!

 

Ludian’s sword began to burn red.

 

Like a top-class knight, he easily created an Aura.

 

Thanks to that, the demonic energy that was pressuring his body began to gradually dissipate.

 

“Dark Elves and Burtal. Unthinkable things have happened.”

 

Still, it was a blessing in disguise.

 

This incident did not seem to have been planned by the followers of the Demon Lord.

 

“If that were the case, there’s no way that guy would have appeared.”

 

Burtal was one of the creatures belonging to the named entities corrupted by magic.

 

Its power is so great that it is an unrivaled predator even within the Demonic Realm Helldane.

 

So bad that even the dark elves are afraid of it, calling it a blood-eating beast?

 

Although they were both eroded by demonic energy, in terms of their relationship, the two were no different from enemies.

 

‘It seems like the time of Advent is not far away, and strange phenomena are occurring.’

 

Thinking so was much more plausible than the idea of a Dark Elf and Burtal joining forces.

 

“Well, it doesn’t matter what the reason is.”

 

The important thing was that Burtael had appeared in front of him, and what he had to do now was…

 

“The time has come to repay the lives of my comrades.”

 

Ludein had encountered Burtel before.

 

No, they had fought for their lives several times.

 

Each time, his subordinates died.

 

The number of knights he lost amounted to a staggering 20.

 

But Ludein ultimately failed to hunt him down.

 

The last time they fought was five years ago.

 

During that time, Ludein devoted himself to training and eventually reached the highest level.

 

“Now, I can catch him.”

 

It won’t be an easy task.

 

He was that powerful.

 

But with the sword he honed during that time, he would never yield.

 

“Come on, you filthy beast.”

 

Burtel charged.

 

* * *

 

Swoosh!

 

The dark sword pierced through the heart of the Dark Elf.

 

It was over.

 

After him, there was no Dark Elf standing on two legs.

 

“Haa, haa-“

 

Seo Woojin took a deep breath.

 

Certainly, the dark elves were formidable.

 

It was the first time he had easily dealt with the surprise attack, but the strength of those who regained their senses was powerful.

 

Of course, even so, it couldn’t withstand the joint attack of Seo Woojin and the knights.

 

“Thank you for your help.”

 

One of the knights bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.

 

However, Seo Woojin was not in the right frame of mind to accept it.

 

‘Where is Ludain?’

 

A roar had echoed during the battle.

 

It contained a powerful demonic energy.

 

‘Not as much as Gerald…’

 

Nevertheless, it was a threatening aura.

 

“He’s dealing with Burtal.”

 

A knight next to him noticed Seo Woojin’s gaze and explained.

 

“Burtal?”

 

“A beast that resides in the Demonic Realm. It usually doesn’t come out this far…”

 

Seo Woojin looked around.

 

The Heroes were all unconscious, and the condition of the knights didn’t look good either.

 

‘What can we do?’

 

It seemed he couldn’t rely on their help.

 

Taking a moment to catch his breath and recover, Seo Woojin turned his body.

 

“I think I need to go help over there.”

 

“Help? Who’s fighting with Burtal?”

 

Come to think of it, they didn’t know that Ludain had come along.

 

“I’ll go first.”

 

Without answering this time, Seo Woojin leaped away.

 

There was no time to waste.

 

Ludain seemed to be a strong knight, but the demonic energy he felt was far from ordinary.

 

Soaring through the air, Seo Woojin first assessed the surrounding situation.

 

“It’s chaos.”

 

This area had already transformed into a scene that could no longer be called a forest.

 

Trees were uprooted, the ground was overturned, and remnants of demonic energy and auras continued to wreak havoc.

 

Just by looking at this spectacle, one could sense how intense the battle was.

 

“They said he’s a top class knight.”

 

Indeed, he was on a different level from a high class knight.

 

Testeron and Gerrard are formidable powerhouses.

 

Except for Van Slaine and Dariel, he was the strongest among the humans that Seo woojin had seen.

 

But Ludian was far surpassing those two knights.

 

It was natural.

 

Unlike high class knights, the top class knights were said to be in a realm that only the chosen ones could reach.

 

Talent.

 

Without it, one couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the edge.

 

And Ludian went beyond catching a glimpse; he was the one who stepped into that realm.

 

So, there was no way he was weak.

 

“Who is this monster facing such a person?”

 

He only heard the name Burtal, but he set off without hearing any details about his identity.

 

Listening to all of it might have been too late, so it was an unavoidable choice.

 

“But where on earth did they go?”

 

Even though he had run quite a distance, the two figures still weren’t visible.

 

But there was no need to worry about getting lost.

 

He just needed to follow the traces of the battle.

 

After running for about ten more minutes.

 

“There they are.”

 

Finally, Ludian’s figure came into view.

 

He was wielding a brilliantly shining red aura.

 

Quaang!

 

The aura simultaneously cut down three trees, and even more, it was devastating the surroundings.

 

The power is enormous even at a glance.

 

However, Burtal, his opponent, was avoiding all those attacks with ease.

 

“…A monkey?”

 

At first, he thought it was a person.

 

But looking closely, it was a giant monkey covered in yellow fur all over its body.

 

“No, a gorilla?”

 

They couldn’t be sure.

 

There was no such animal on Earth that resembled it.

 

But what was certain was that its name was Burtal, and it was powerful.

 

“I’ll help you!”

 

Ludian looked visibly exhausted at first glance.

 

His breathing was erratic, and the magical power seemed unstable.

 

“Stop!”

 

Desperate shouts from Ludian echoed.

 

In his urgency, even the polite language he had been using was abandoned.

 

It seemed that Ludian thought it would be impossible for Seo Woojin to fight against the opponent with his current skill.

 

But Seo Woojin didn’t listen to him.

 

‘Acceleration.’

 

Once again, the skill was activated, and Seo Woojin’s body rushed forward like a streak of light.

 

Huh?

 

Burtal tilted his head at the new person who suddenly appeared.

 

But soon, he seemed to lose interest.

 

He seemed confident that Seo Woojin’s sword wouldn’t be able to hurt even a single hair of his own.

 

“Aura.”

 

Hwarururuk-!

 

A blue flame, different from Ludian’s, shot up.

 

Seo Woojin swung it at the back of Burtal, who was completely unguarded.

 

Sgeouak-!

 

Gahhh-!

 

The cost of negligence was quite significant.

 

That’s because the guy who didn’t even suffer a single scratch while dealing with Ludian got a long sword mark on his back.

 

It was by no means a minor injury.

 

Receiving a joint attack from Seo Woojin and Ludian with such a significant injury, he wouldn’t last long for sure.

 

But it seemed to be a misconception on Seo Woojin’s part.

 

“Avoid it!”

 

Ludian issued a warning.

 

“Avoid? All of a sudden? Why?”

 

It was an incomprehensible shout.

 

But Seo Woojin’s body, which had accumulated numerous experiences through repeated battles, was already instinctively twisting away.

 

Something passed by Seo Woojin’s side.

 

It was filled with a terrifying sharpness.

 

Kwakwakwakwak-!

 

The air tore apart, the ground split, and a tremendous shockwave swept through.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Seo Woojin planted his feet into the ground to avoid falling.

 

Cold sweat naturally streamed down.

 

If he had been even 0.1 seconds late, he would have been torn to pieces.

 

“…What’s that?”

 

Only now could Seo Woojin see what had attacked him.

 

Blood.

 

Yellow, viscous blood, much like fur.

 

The yellow blood flowing from the wounded back swayed like a whip, targeting Seo Woojin.

 

“It’s his magical ability.”

 

Ludane’s brief explanation entered his ears.

 

An ability that is different from monsters and can only be found in demon beasts and descendants of the demon lord.

 

“We called that ‘Bloodline’.”

 

A method of using leaked blood as a weapon.

 

“So, small wounds only make it stronger. There is only one thing to aim for”

 

Instant death.

 

The more blood spills, the stronger it becomes, so it had to cut off the throat in one go.

 

“Hoo-“

 

Seo Woojin exhaled.

 

He thought it was a perfect ambush, but it only made things more difficult.

 

But fortunately, Seo Woojin didn’t just troll.

 

“Controlling blood consumes a considerable amount of mental strength. So, you take care of the ‘Bloodline.’ I’ll find a way to cut the throat somehow.”

 

However, inflicting any more injuries had to be avoided.

 

“Understood.”

 

Ludane drew the attention of Burtel, who was keeping an eye on Seo Woojin.

 

“How dare you look away?”

 

Ludein swung his sword.

 

A graceful crimson trail painted the empty air.

 

With just one slash, Seo Woojin could tell how high he had reached.

 

‘It is clean.’

 

He had only seen such a sword from someone like Van Slaine.

 

It was a clean and perfect horizontal slash.

 

Burtal, surprised by the lethal blow, staggered backward.

 

He seemed to realize that he should focus on the imminent threat, Ludein.

 

As Burtal’s gaze shifted, Seo Woojin seized the opportunity and attacked.

 

This time, instead of ‘Acceleration’ he used ‘Power Strike’ and ‘Aura.’

 

Swish-!

 

Blood split the space to block Seo Woojin’s attack.

 

Bang-!

 

‘Shit.’

 

Even though he used ‘Power Strike’, the blood withstood his attack.

 

It was a power that could easily turn most monsters into a bloodbath, yet Burtal showed no signs of taking any damage.

 

His blood seemed even more resilient than his physical body.

 

The blood, which had floated into the air, now descended towards Seo Woojin.

 

Pop-pop-pop-!

 

In the spot where Seo Woojin swiftly dodged, large holes appeared.

 

It looked as if something had pierced through, like threading with a needle.

 

Apart from the whip-like swinging, it could also pierce like a needle.

 

“Magical abilities, huh…”

 

Is there really such a deceptive technique?

 

Does one become stronger with each wound?

 

The yellow blood continued to aim for Seo Woojin.

 

If he took it lightly, this place might become his graveyard.

 

Seo Woojin chewed his lips as he saw this ability for the first time.

 

However, the sword did not stop.

 

He would not be able to kill Burtal himself.

 

But the more he pushed himself, the more the guy had to pay attention to this side.

 

If you’re so distracted…

 

Ludane would indeed slit his throat as he vowed.

 

Seo Woojin believed that and continued to swing his sword.

 

Kwaang – Boom -!

 

A loud explosion erupted.