The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 104
104
[You have encountered a remnant of the past.]
[A knight who stood closest to the past Overlord, king of all death knights, and the trustworthy commander of the past Overlord’s Third Legion. You have encountered the Doom Knight.]
[The Doom Knight is currently drifting here in a remnant state.]
[Severely weakened from the loss of its soul.]
[The Doom Knight Remnant recognizes you as an enemy.]
[Eliminate the Doom Knight Remnant.]
The Doom Knight Remnant and a ghost that appeared to be its soul.
Yoo Sung-hyun observed both of them side by side, but paid no mind to the ghost.
There was no time to concern myself with the ghost amid the tension-laden air, drawn taut as a bowstring.
The Skeleton Knight slowly drew a sword, corroded and riddled with holes, as the atmosphere grew heavy alongside him.
Screeeeeech—!
The friction between the poorly maintained scabbard and blade shrieked, piercing the ears.
As the sword was drawn, the scent of rusted iron brushed against the tip of my nose.
That unpleasant odor, reminiscent of the metallic stench of blood, sent tension boiling to its peak.
In that moment, Yoo Sung-hyun mentally reviewed the skills still on cooldown.
Blood Toxin and Blood Plague had roughly three minutes remaining on their cooldowns.
What of the other skills?
Ready.
After a quick assessment, Yoo Sung-hyun drew his own sword.
Shing—!
A crisp, well-maintained metallic ring sounded as the blade was drawn.
The Skeleton Knight observed the sword intently and assumed a stance.
Once it recognized me as an enemy, what reason remained to hesitate?
With only bone remaining, the skeletal form took its first step.
Craaaaaash—!
Massive spider-web-like cracks emanated from the Skeleton Knight as if the very ground beneath had collapsed.
It charged forward at a speed that defied all logic, contradicting its heavy gait.
Booooom—!
Thud—!
With each step, the earth rose as if a small hill were being born in the opposite direction of the movement.
The air exploded as if a shell had detonated, and the Skeleton Knight tore through it, leaping forward.
The Skeleton Knight, moving with devastating speed like an arrow, swung its sword toward Yoo Sung-hyun.
The sword strike, released with a horizontal slash, transformed into a devastating blow of immense power that would tear through all obstacles, unfolding before Yoo Sung-hyun.
Yet Yoo Sung-hyun, who had taken in everything with his eyes, confirmed it clearly and stepped into a footwork pattern, sliding forward while arching his upper body to evade the sword strike.
Wind pressure shot along the trajectory of the blade, brushing past the tip of my nose.
Simultaneously, the acrid metallic stench of rust bloomed.
I had narrowly evaded it by mere inches.
Without tension or relief in my expression, I naturally extended my foot, gently placing it upon the Skeleton Knight’s breastplate.
The Skeleton Knight’s launched speed combined with Yoo Sung-hyun’s strength poured into that kick, embedding itself in his breastplate.
Crack—!
Boom—!
An ominous sound of shattering bone echoed through the air as the Skeleton Knight bounced backward, slower than his initial launch speed.
Had his ribs caved in?
The sound that reached me was quite solid.
It was worth hoping for.
I knew it hadn’t landed properly.
Why?
‘A single blow didn’t trigger.’
The sound certainly announced a perfect counter, but.
No message appeared.
Moreover, the sensation in my foot was faint.
As expected, the moment the Skeleton Knight saw my foot, he swiftly recovered his sword and blocked with the blade’s flat, then bounced far back and corrected his posture mid-air to land perfectly.
He anchored both legs to the ground and skidded across the earth.
Screech—!
Two long gashes appeared in the ground.
It showed he’d been pushed back considerably, but he was closer than our initial standoff.
The distance had narrowed from before.
This distance favored me.
Conversely, it disadvantaged the Skeleton Knight.
So the Skeleton Knight hurried to move his feet.
Seeing that, I’s eyes gleamed and I activated a skill.
The first skill to use was Wraith’s Resentment.
As I clenched empty air, a teal spear materialized and shot forward, leaving trails of teal light across the void.
Whoosh—!
I evaded the teal spear flying at high speed by rotating my body, and was able to close the distance.
It wasn’t the same speed as before.
But it was still fast.
The Skeleton Knight swiftly swung his sword to sever my neck, but.
Grasping the teal spear while wielding the hidden sword in my opposite hand, I saw the Skeleton Knight desperately try to recover his sword to block the darkness pellet blooming from my other hand, but he was too late.
A dark bullet-like projectile already embedded itself in his abdomen and fired.
Abandoning defense, the Skeleton Knight swung his sword.
A navy-blue sword aura, like a night sky after sunset, shot forth like the fingernail of someone who’d grown it for years, and tore through my shoulder.
Simultaneously, the dark bullet embedded in the Skeleton Knight’s abdomen detonated.
Crash—!
Boom—!
Blood erupted from my shoulder as the unpleasant scent of rusty iron mixed with the stench of blood in the air, becoming even more repugnant.
And the Skeleton Knight, struck directly in the abdomen by the dark bullet, could infer significant damage from the bone dust cascading down.
Moreover.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『Single Strike』 activates!]
[Dark damage is applied.]
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 is undead.]
[Vision and senses are not blocked by dark damage.]
[Hit by the dark bullet, recovery and regeneration are impossible for 10 seconds.]
The Skeleton Knight, burdened by various debuffs.
I had taken considerable damage as well, but I paid it no mind as I unleashed another skill toward the Skeleton Knight, now distant once more.
Those skills that had momentarily halted the Calamity Legion.
Sssssss——!
As an ominous black sun blazed across the sky.
Everything in this vicinity was dyed in darkness.
Simultaneously, all things stained by darkness erupted in black flames, incinerating the Skeleton Knight.
Whoooosh——!
The colossal inferno consumed the Skeleton Knight, yet from within those black flames, it alone shone with white radiance, striding forward with unwavering confidence.
But that was not the end.
After conjuring the black sun, I immediately activated two more skills through my shadow self.
One was Writhing Darkness, which guaranteed all dark-attribute attack skills would strike true.
And the other skill was.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Jet-black thorns materialized above the Skeleton Knight.
Because the black sun had rendered everything in darkness, I hadn’t noticed the preliminary sign—the ground darkening.
The Skeleton Knight, seeing the jet-black thorns manifest above its head, raised its sword to block, but all the thorns were aimed directly at it.
Already struck by the dark bullet, all healing and regeneration effects were sealed.
It had to evade somehow.
Due to the guaranteed-hit effect, the jet-black thorns rained down upon the Skeleton Knight all at once.
As it fell, every jet-black thorn pierced the Skeleton Knight.
Countless thorns embedded themselves in it with pitiful thoroughness.
Many thorns pierced clean through and embedded themselves in the ground, while countless others bound it immobile.
Yet the Skeleton Knight’s condition seemed quite manageable.
[Due to piercing resistance, damage is reduced by half.]
It was the Skeleton Knight—nothing but bone remained.
Because of that, piercing resistance drastically reduced the damage.
But that was fine.
The jet-black thorns fed on the earth’s darkness, absorbing the surrounding darkness.
They consumed even the black sun’s darkness and converted it to nourishment.
The thorns grew scorching hot, infused with the power of the roaring black flames.
And hundreds of jet-black flowers bloomed profusely.
Just moments before, this place had reeked of rust and my own blood—a thoroughly unpleasant stench.
Now that the jet-black flowers had blossomed, a fragrant and bewitching floral perfume spread far and wide.
And then Yoo Sung-hyun snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The obsidian flowers unleashed countless thorns in all directions.
Transforming the surrounding fragrance into darkness, they consumed everything the thorns touched.
Craaaaaash———!
A sharp, grinding sound echoed as if being carved by countless blades.
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 takes extreme damage.]
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 enters Phase 2.]
Roooaaaaaaah——!
The Skeleton Knight, having escaped the darkness, unleashed an ominous navy-blue aura.
The surroundings transformed from darkness into that sinister navy-blue radiance.
The ominous navy-blue surged and soared toward the heavens.
It drove back the black sun.
[Due to 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s aura, 『Black Sun』 dissipates.]
Entering Phase 2 was favorable, but—
Witnessing the formidable transformation, I felt the difficulty intensify and gripped my sword properly once more.
Observing me, the Skeleton Knight—now stained navy-blue—also adjusted his grip on his blade and lowered his stance.
Poised to launch forward and cleave me in two at any moment.
Seeing that stance, I furrowed my brow slightly.
Certainly, I was at a disadvantage.
From the start, combat between a Dark Mage like myself and a knight was inherently unreasonable.
To bridge that gap, wielding a sword was the right choice.
And so I had chosen to do so.
“Haaah.”
I activated a skill.
Kuoooooh——!
The darkness that had colored my surroundings gathered once more.
Converging into a single point, the darkness shot toward the blade I held, clinging to it until my sword was stained with shadow.
And then—
All light in the world vanished in an instant.
[Sword Art Skill 『Darkness』 is activated.]
I unleashed the most powerful sword art skill I possessed.
Recalling the experiences and memories of countless souls who wielded various sword techniques.
The strongest sword art memory I currently held came from an ancient knight, Bendix, whom I had encountered in the Crystal Palace.
Yet his memories alone could not withstand the sword techniques of this Doom Knight Remnant.
Though it appeared crude, I could perceive the subtle mastery concealed within it.
So I recalled all my memories, merged them together, and refined them into my own experience.
The Doom Knight Remnant, recognizing that I was no ordinary opponent, immediately shifted his stance.
Whoosh.
From a low posture ready to launch forward, he transitioned into a footwork stance capable of deploying sword techniques.
Yoo Sung-hyun raised his sword with a gesture of respect toward such an opponent.
Pat!
Crash!
Whoooosh——!
Booooom——!
The Doom Knight Remnant advanced toward Yoo Sung-hyun with swift, rigid footwork and relentless power.
And Yoo Sung-hyun moved forward with equal speed and fluidity.
The two collided.
A rigid sword strike was unleashed in a perfectly straight line.
The Doom Knight Remnant’s blade tore through the air like a lament’s claw, its mournful cry piercing the atmosphere, yet—
Kyaaaaa——!
Yoo Sung-hyun’s sword flowed gracefully, enveloping the Doom Knight Remnant’s blade as darkness embroidered itself across the void.
Multiple curves swept forth with elegance and beauty, halting the rigid strike in its tracks.
Screech!
Whoosh!
But when the sharpness hidden within that fluidity collided with the lament’s claw—
Multiple shockwaves erupted, and both combatants retreated.
Stepping through the footwork once more, Yoo Sung-hyun wielded his darkness-stained blade.
The Doom Knight Remnant wielded its navy-blue-tinted sword.
Both swung their weapons frantically toward one another.
The Doom Knight Remnant’s blade shot forth like an arrow, targeting the upper body.
Yoo Sung-hyun embraced such an attack with darkness as if with a mother’s warmth, redirected it, and pierced through the opening to unleash another graceful counterattack.
Clang!
Yet the Doom Knight Remnant recovered its blade, using the flat as a shield to block, deliberately gave ground while executing footwork that shattered the earth, and launched forward again with rigid force.
The charging Doom Knight Remnant unleashed countless sword strikes.
Yoo Sung-hyun, in turn, drew infinite graceful arcs through the air, deflecting every single strike.
Clang! Clash-clash-clash! Clang!
Darkness and navy-blue auras collided endlessly.
Their straight lines and curves intertwined, adorning the surroundings.
Blade met blade, each repelling and seeking to consume the other.
Crackle——!
Screeeech——!
Shhhhwack——!
In less than a single second, dozens of sword strikes showed no sign of stopping, flying toward each other as straight lines and curves scattered in all directions.
One side was drenched in navy-blue like a night sky draped in ominousness, while the opposite side was shrouded in darkness as black as pitch.
To devour each other’s domain.
They coveted one another with ferocious intent.
The domains clashed countless times with equal force, achieving a delicate equilibrium.
From beneath the earth, death reached out its hand toward the Doom Knight Remnant.
Cyan-tinged energy rippled as death’s gesture, wrapped in darkness, burst forth countless times, seizing the Doom Knight Remnant’s ankles.
Crack!
The Witch, her form unsettling and grotesque, giggled behind the momentarily faltering Doom Knight Remnant, delicately raising her index finger to her lips.
—Shhhh.
[You are silenced by the Lord’s Gag Order for 5 seconds.]
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 partially resists.]
[Duration reduced to 2 seconds.]
As the skill seal took hold, the ominous navy-blue aura—like a cursed night sky—vanished.
Darkness consumed the space left behind.
[Sword Skill 『Darkness』 activated.]
[The overwhelming darkness engulfs even the undead.]
[Consumed by darkness, 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s vision is blocked.]
[Consumed by darkness, 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s hearing is blocked.]
[Consumed by darkness, 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s touch is blocked.]
[Consumed by darkness, 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s smell is blocked.]
[Consumed by darkness, 『Doom Knight Remnant』’s taste is blocked.]
[Consumed by darkness, all senses of 『Doom Knight Remnant』 are blocked.]
[Effect persists while the blade remains shrouded in darkness.]
In that instant of sensory deprivation, death soldiers erupted from the earth and enveloped the Doom Knight Remnant, while a dense green mist and brilliant ignition light bloomed, unleashing a catastrophic explosion.
It created a black cloud resembling a skull, devouring everything in its vicinity.
Boom—————!
Pure death itself.
Merely a broadcast on screen, yet.
The viewers felt overwhelmed watching it.
They were seized by the illusion that they might perish in that very explosion.
Was this the gesture of the Grim Reaper?
It created the unmistakable sensation of death drawing near.
Yet for some reason, Yoo Sung-hyun’s combat stance never wavered.
Strangely so.
As viewers tilted their heads in confusion, expressing their bewilderment.
Something tore through the skull-like black cloud and burst forth.
“….”
The tattered equipment had all melted away, clinging to bone, and even the knight’s prized rusted and perforated blade lay shattered—only half the blade remaining.
The bones themselves glowed red-hot from the intense heat.
The creature, its bones melting at the critical threshold, stepped forward and spoke.
—De… struc… tion… of… all… san… ity….
Roaaaaaaaa——!
Simultaneously, an ominous navy-blue aura erupted outward.
The knight wrapped that aura around itself, reclaiming the original form it had worn in the distant past.
Navy-blue blade and armor enveloping its entire form.
And with bones adorned thread by thread in aura like the night sky itself, Yoo Sung-hyun prepared for battle.
Someone posted a final message in the chat.
-Wow, he’s actually pulling this off.
As the viewer’s message appeared, a system notification materialized before Yoo Sung-hyun’s eyes.
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 sustains severe damage.]
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 enters Phase 3.]
[『Doom Knight Remnant』 recovers a portion of its former power.]
[Exercise caution.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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