The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 186

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

Chapter 186. Overwhelming Force (2)
Blake—the calamity that had toppled Caravana.
And Adrian, who had subdued even Blake with an overwhelming gap in power.
The moment Levantis, Caravana’s mayor, confirmed that Blake’s body had collapsed, his legs gave way beneath him.
The people followed Levantis’s lead, collapsing into their seats with heavy thuds.
“We’re alive…!”
“We won!!”
And with that, they embraced one another, clinging desperately.
Relief at their survival washed over everyone, and tears streamed down their faces without exception.
All of this was the work of a single person.
“If it weren’t for Adrian, we would have…!”
“Thank you, truly thank you….”
Adrian had been the hope that saved them.
“Adrian!”
“Long live Adrian!!”
Waaaaaaaahhhhh─!!
The roar of jubilation from the surging crowd echoed across the entire sky of Caravana.
Levantis sought out Adrian.
Adrian was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with exertion.
His clothes, stained with dried blood, were torn in countless places.
His blood-soaked body appeared as though it might collapse at any moment—and yet….
Adrian did not fall.
He remained standing firm in that spot until the very end.
“…How anyone could call him a wastrel, I haven’t the faintest idea.”
It was utterly unbelievable.
Who in their right mind had ever called Adrian a wastrel of Count Whitewolf’s House?
Levantis would have gladly torn that person’s mouth apart on the spot.
Levantis let out a hollow laugh.
And then, in that moment.
Ssshhhhh…!
An ominous sound echoed from somewhere.
As Levantis turned his gaze, wisps of darkness began rising from Blake’s collapsed form.
No—it was less like mist and more like clouds.
Dark, heavy clouds pregnant with rain.
The shadowy clouds spread outward like twilight itself, gathering into a single mass.
And then, as if a flower were blooming.
From within the darkness, someone slowly rose to their feet.
Pouring darkness from every inch of their form, the first thing to emerge was a full plate armor of black suffused with an eerie blue hue.
The helmet covered the entire face.
Within the deeply lowered helm, blue eyes flickered like malevolent flames.
A massive sword was strapped across his back.
Like the clanging metal armor that rang with each movement, the greatsword bore a deep blue-grey hue. Its size towered well above that of an adult man.
A veil of darkness draped across his entire form, undulating around him like a shadow seeking to conceal its very existence.
The quintessential appearance of a knight.
And yet… how could one describe it?
There was no vitality emanating from him.
Despite moving with clear animation, there was no trace of life force.
Alive, yet not alive—a knight suspended between states.
A Death Knight.
Death Knights were among the highest-tier undead entities, comparable to liches.
They were knights of death who retained every combat ability from their living years.
Thus, a Death Knight’s combat prowess varied entirely based on what strength the resurrected knight possessed in life.
Therefore, if this Death Knight were Blake, the calamity of Caravana, resurrected…
A violent crack split the air!
A sickly blue light erupted outward.
An ominous darkness swept across all directions.
As the Death Knight swung the sword from his back, Caravana’s sky turned pitch black, and night descended.
A hollow, piercing wail echoed forth!
The Death Knight summoned darkness. It coalesced at the blade’s edge, taking on a malevolent form and murderous intent.
As if it cradled death itself.
Should that blade cut, it seemed it would sever not flesh or bone, but life itself.
…I will die.
The thought flashed through Levantis’s mind in that instant.
A crimson radiance streaked across his vision.
“Adrian…?”
Adrian lunged forward.
* * *
Black clouds suddenly bloomed from Blake’s body.
Without even time to confirm the special skill’s details, I scattered the message window. Quickly shifting my gaze, I perceived the entity emerging from within the black clouds—
A Death Knight.
A being resurrected from death.
Yet Death Knights could not simply manifest so abruptly.
Historically, the appearance of Death Knights was extraordinarily rare.
More precisely, necromancers powerful enough to command Death Knights were exceedingly scarce.
Therefore, to my knowledge.
In this current age, necromancers capable of commanding Death Knights are—
The six lords who serve The Emperor.
The Death Lord.
Only those connected to them.
In other words, either The Death Lord or a commander of the Death Legion had become involved…
That was when it happened.
The Death Knight brought his sword crashing down. The earth split with a sickening crack, cleaving in two. From the fissure, darkness erupted like a geyser.
I lunged forward and swung my Monomolecular Blade[S] in a wide arc.
Crack—!!
The darkness tore apart. The Death Knight did not retreat.
With his sword held before him, he charged straight ahead.
Shhhhhhh—!
In an instant, my vision flooded with darkness.
From within that abyss, a massive greatsword descended toward me, raised high and ready to strike.
I lowered my stance.
All effects of Contempt for the Weak[L] had now dissipated.
Dragon Blood Eruption[L] was still active, amplifying my final stats to a x12 multiplier.
At this moment, I stood mere steps away from becoming an ultimate lifeform.
Boom!!
I caught the greatsword.
The earth beneath my feet cracked and split from the impact.
‘Formidable.’
And different.
Whoosh—!
The greatsword became engulfed in darkness. Reality twisted and warped. The blade transformed into a colossal hammer.
Whoooosh!
The hammer plunged down with enough force to pulverize me entirely.
I held my breath.
Boom!!
The impact—far beyond anything before—sent my vision reeling.
The ground beneath me and all the rubble surrounding me vanished without a trace.
And.
‘It’s not making contact.’
The hammer maintained a distance from my Monomolecular Blade[S], never actually touching it.
A power like Ahimsa Yuda.
Whether it awakened from Blake’s body or Blake’s power itself being wielded—I couldn’t be certain.
But Contempt for the Weak[L] was not being used.
I concentrated all my focus into my eyes.
◆Derivative Skill, Dragon Burst[E] activated!
An explosion erupted point-blank from my eyes, firing in a straight line.
My vision lost in an instant.
My eardrums ruptured from the proximity of the blast.
I could see nothing.
I could hear nothing.
Yet the sensation of a direct hit was unmistakable.
The hammer faltered as it clashed against the Monomolecular Blade[S].
‘Now!’
◆Eruptive Skill, Dragon Impact[E] activated!
I propelled my body forward with an explosive burst of energy concentrated in both legs.
But this time, my senses cut through empty air.
My ruptured eardrums regenerated[B+].
My hearing returned.
Shhhhh—!
My burst eyeballs regenerated[B+].
My vision cleared.
The Death Knight’s body crumbled into darkness.
The crumbling darkness pulled away from me, creating distance. The separated darkness coalesced again and rose, reconstructing the Death Knight’s form.
The hammers gripped in both hands sank into the darkness.
Clang-clang-clang!
The sharp metallic screech of twisting steel.
Suddenly the hammer curved inward, transforming into yet another shape.
‘A chain scythe?’
After the greatsword and hammer, now came the chain scythe.
Clang-clang!
The chain scythe’s trajectory sliced through the air, spiraling in a helix.
This… is difficult to counter.
With Weak Point Hunting[M], I can predict the Death Knight’s movements.
But the random unpredictability created by the chain scythe’s rotating trajectory is difficult to read with Weak Point Hunting[M].
Therefore, countering it is also difficult.
‘In that case…’
It was wasteful, but now wasn’t the time to measure my opponent.
And this wasn’t even an opponent worth measuring.
◆Current Sanity: 3,797.
◆Consuming 3,214 Sanity.
◆Berserk[?] rank applied as [A].
◆Transcendent Skill, Hyper Regeneration[A] activated!
Crack-crack-crack!
My bones tore as sharpened bone protrusions erupted below my elbows, honed like blades.
Bone Blade.
I had depleted nearly all my Sanity.
So I couldn’t use Nutrient Creation[A-].
But by utilizing the basic skill, Nutrient Synthesis[B].
I finished the cutting edge of the Bone Blade with ‘keratin’, applying the Monomolecular Blade[S] effect to it.
I checked my remaining biological energy reserves.
◆Biological Energy Remaining: 27.8%
The remaining energy reserves had dropped from the previous 61.5% to 27.8%.
Multiple skill activations, including Hyperregeneration[A], had consumed far more than anticipated.
Once this energy was completely metabolized, Crimson Torrent Eruption[L] would vanish.
Prolonging this battle would only work against me.
◆Activating the Ultimate Skill, Predator[M]!!
* * *
The crowd had been crying out in jubilation, relieved to have survived.
But then.
“Th-that is…!”
“A Death Knight…!”
The sudden appearance of the Death Knight drained the color from every face.
The hope they had believed in transformed in an instant into despair as death loomed before their eyes.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
Cheers of joy became screams of terror in a heartbeat.
“We’re going to die… we’re all going to die here…!”
“We have to run…! We have to escape now!!”
The crowd descended into panic, scattering in all directions.
People shoved one another aside, fleeing in blind chaos.
“Mommy!! Waaahhhhh!!”
“P-please… save me…!”
The entire city became a hellscape in mere moments.
And with good reason—the Death Knight’s power transcended imagination.
One need only consult the historical records to understand this.
The Capital of the Kingdom burned.
Legendary knight orders were annihilated.
In every such historical account, the Death Knight’s name appeared without fail.
In other words, confronting a Death Knight required the full mobilization of the Kingdom Army.
Such was the Death Knight—the knight of death itself.
Yet this Death Knight transcended even that level.
Even the Kingdom Army could not guarantee victory against it.
A calamity beyond disaster.
Everyone felt it.
…There was no way to win.
Everyone here would die.
Yet there was one person.
Adrian alone did not tremble in fear before this calamity of a Death Knight.
He neither retreated nor withdrew.
At some point, he had begun wielding the protruding bone that had grown below his elbow, driving the Death Knight back relentlessly.
Shwaaaaaaah!!
The chain scythe of darkness tore through the air as it came hurtling down.
The black curve thrust forward with the force of death, piercing into Adrian.
In that instant.
…Adrian’s momentum shifted.
Adrian’s crimson eyes burned with an even deeper crimson hue.
As if swallowing reason itself, the whites of his eyes flooded entirely red, transforming into reverse pupils.
Uncontrolled ferocity.
Levantis felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Adrian surged forward.
The chain scythe’s arc barely grazed beneath Adrian’s jaw.
The Death Knight hoisted the chain scythe upward.
Adrian twisted his body instantly.
Whoooosh!
The wind whipped up by the chain scythe brushed past Adrian’s hair.
The Death Knight’s eyes blazed fiercely.
The Death Knight twisted the wrist of his armored hand, spinning the chain scythe through the air in a violent sweep.
Clang-clang-clang-!!
The chain scythe whirled in all directions, a vortex of devastation.
The earth’s surface split deep, vomiting forth soil and stone.
The very air warped and fractured.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-!!!
The sensation that the entire space was being torn asunder.
No—it was actually being torn asunder.
And yet.
Adrian was responding.
He met each trajectory of the raging chain scythe with his Bone Blade.
With each exchange, Adrian’s movements revealed themselves.
Smooth as silk.
Fluid as water.
As if letting everything flow through him, Adrian’s muscles and joints adapted—round curves received round strikes, sharp angles received sharp strikes, and every motion was absorbed and neutralized.
“This… this can’t be real!”
“How is that even…?”
…His movements and reaction speed were utterly beyond belief.
Adrian’s Bone Blade struck the chain scythe away.
The rampaging chain scythe halted abruptly.
Adrian extended his hand, grasping the chain scythe’s handle and yanking it toward him—the Death Knight’s body was dragged along with it.
In that moment.
The chain scythe, cloaked in darkness, transformed once more into the shape of a greatsword.
The Death Knight, carried forward by his own momentum, swung the greatsword down at Adrian.
Greatsword and Bone Blade.
Death Knight and Adrian.
Steel-blue darkness and blood-red flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!
Between them, successive explosions and thunderous strikes erupted.
Kaboom! Rumble!
The surrounding landscape shattered entirely, transforming into rubble.
And what was being pushed back….
Screech—!
The Death Knight.
With each of Adrian’s attacks, the Death Knight’s armor twisted and cracks etched themselves across its surface.
…Adrian was driving the Death Knight backward.
“Good heavens…!!”
Levantis’s eyes widened with shock so profound that mere astonishment could scarcely contain it.
Who could have imagined it?
That a single person—not the entire Kingdom Army—could drive back a Death Knight.
“How… how is this possible…!”
“It’s… it’s impossible…!”
Everyone stood with gaping mouths, capable only of awe.
Crash!
The Death Knight’s greatsword flew upward. The rebounding blade transformed into a spiked mace that descended with devastating force. Adrian’s eyes blazed with light.
Crackle—!
Sparks erupted from the descending mace.
The darkness clinging to the mace scattered.
Bewilderment flickered across the Death Knight’s hollow gaze.
Metallic screech—!
The Death Knight emitted a metallic shriek and altered its movements.
The scattered darkness swelled enormously.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!
The mace shrieked through the air. The Death Knight’s eyes blazed fiercely. The mace, infused with malevolent power, descended again as though to shatter the world itself.
Adrian made no attempt to evade.
Surely he wasn’t planning to meet it head-on?
It was impossible.
Even those untrained in martial arts could see it immediately.
…That was a force beyond any defense.
To block it directly was a choice bordering on madness.
In that instant.
Adrian’s form split.
What the eye perceived was one.
Yet the movements… were three?
It was as though he had cast an illusion.
The Death Knight’s mace crashed down upon the Adrian directly before it.
Boom boom boom—Crash!!!
The mace shattered the ground where it struck, and the Adrian before me vanished. One copy darted left, another retreated backward.
Crack!
The Adrian from behind tore straight through the Death Knight’s back plating.
Whoosh!
The mace transformed into darkness, reshaping itself into a shield.
The Death Knight hastily covered itself with the shield. In that same instant, two different Adrians hammered against it relentlessly.
Front and side. Rear and diagonal.
Boom boom boom boom boom!!
My attacks poured down from every direction, giving the Death Knight no respite as I pressed the assault.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the shield, and the Death Knight’s stance wavered.
I exploited the opening. The Death Knight twisted its waist and threw itself forward, attempting to push me back with the shield—but.
Crack—!
My Bone Blade pierced through the Death Knight’s armor a half-beat faster.
* * *
◆The Ultimate Skill, Predator [M] has been deactivated.
A notification flickered before my eyes.
The rationality that had been consumed by instinct gradually returned to me.
Before me, the Death Knight trembled, impaled upon my Bone Blade.
Each shudder caused its armor to clang against itself with metallic clangs.
The armor’s durability and defense were so formidable that even dragon claws [A] couldn’t leave a scratch.
But against the Bone Blade’s monomolecular edge [S], such defenses meant nothing.
Unless it was something like Ahimsa Yuda that couldn’t be touched at all.
Once contact was made, the monomolecular edge [S] severed molecular bonds, dealing 100% direct damage regardless of the material.
I withdrew the Bone Blade that had pierced through the armor.
Crack—!
As the supporting force vanished, the Death Knight’s body swayed.
Staggering, it finally collapsed onto both knees.
Its armor clanged loudly against the ground. The wavering blue luminescence in its eyes flared violently.
A Death Knight is a knight resurrected from death.
Therefore, a Death Knight does not die.
One cannot kill again what death has already claimed.
With no true weak points, its body would rise again even if its heart was pierced or its head severed.
There was only one way to eliminate such a Death Knight.
Destroy the necromancer commanding it.
But.
‘This isn’t a Death Knight.’
It wasn’t a Death Knight.
And it certainly wasn’t Blake resurrected.
Blake had never died in the first place.
As expected.
The armored figure on its knees crumbled entirely into darkness.
The armor, scattered like mist, dissolved into the ground as if seeping away.
Nothing remained where it had vanished.
As if it had never existed in the first place—like a record erased long ago—it left not a single trace behind.
◆You have defeated the Forgotten One!
Only the notification of death remembered its existence—
◆Combat Experience Gained: 79,400,000… Wait???
“…?”
For a moment, I thought I must have misread it.
Because what did experience mean?
‘79.4 million?’
Not just 79,400?
◆W-What is this…?
Even the notification seemed stunned.
It fluttered about as if an error had occurred.
After wavering back and forth for a while—
◆T-This can’t be right…??
The notification began to panic severely.
Something was clearly very wrong, so much so that the message window before my eyes trembled faintly.
But no matter how long I waited, no Error message appeared.
And no matter how many times I looked, the experience value of 79,400,000 did not change.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
◆Your level has increased.
.
.
.
An endless cascade of level-up notifications blackened my entire vision.

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