239. Name Reclaimed
Barub’s body was strengthened, enveloped in black.
Barub had casted a body strengthening skill that would not be easily penetrated by most attacks.
On top of that, they casted Vacuum ;1 ;, which they had used to butcher many slaves.
Both the tips of their hands tried to pull everything near them like black holes while seeming to desire spreading out and destroying everything.
The corpses of slaves and the knights sprawled out across the floor. And the weapons and armors they used too were instantly sucked into the tips of Barub’s fingers.
What happened after was horrifyingly brutal.
Like how vegetables and fruits in a blender, whatever that was sucked in was ground apart.
However, the situation with Millions was different.
It seemed that Barub’s Vacuum was far too weak to pull in Millions.
As if his feet were fixed to the lobby’s floor, he did not even budge.
Instead, the only thing that moved was his hair due to the air around being sucked in.
Barub had expected that Vacuum would not be able to defeat Millions.
However, Barub was a bit shocked at how Millions would not even budge.
They obtained the power of a marquis, the same title Millions held. Seeing that their attacks did not even work in the slightest even though they had obtained the power of some counts on top of that, it couldn’t be helped that Barub would be shocked.
Barub eventually had to cease casting the skill.
Realizing that they could not damage Millions from range no matter what, they stopped to conserve energy instead.
Instead of spreading their power evenly, Barub planned to focus it all on close quarter combat.
Millions mockingly laughed and looked down at them.
“So you boasted so loudly to show me a pathetic attack like this… How laughable.”
“Kuha. How about this then?”
In an instant, Barub dashed behind Millions.
This was the skill that they had used in the fight with ;Jurassic ;before.
It was a movement that looked as if the user was just passing by the opponent without doing anything else, but the overwhelming amount of brute force that followed would cause the target to take massive amounts of damage.
The only person who knew about this skill and how it worked was Barub.
That was why all those who fought against Barub in the Festival of Blood were defeated without being able to retaliate.
After Barub landed to the opposite side of the lobby, massive shockwaves filled the lobby.
It was as if a massive metal bat was repeatedly bashing into someone.
“…”
Complete silenced fell.
Because of the large noise that passed before, it seemed even quieter.
Barub stood up with their back to Millions.
However, strangely Millions stood still without any movement.
It was as if they had died from a single strike with their body frozen in place.
However, Barub’s doubt and the silence that blanketed both of them were broken immediately by Millions’ laughter.
“Pfft!”
“…”
“Haven’t you forgotten? I am your owner.”
“What?”
“Demon. I’ve observed every fight you partook in the festival without missing a single one. Saw countless slaves lose their lives to your tricks.”
“…”
“And you still think that this skill would work on me? How much more do you plan to disappoint me? This attack is so pathetic that it’s enough to make me lose what old fondness and compassion I have left for you.”
“Urgh…”
Millions turned around and looked at Barub.
There was not even a small scratch that could be seen on Millions’ body.
Not only that, but the armor that he was wearing shined as if it had just been repaired and was without a single scratch.
This meant that he had prevented even a single hit from going through with just his bare hands.
Barub looked a Millions with disbelief.
While this wasn’t their most powerful attack, it was true that Barub had expected it would at least do something.
Because Barub believed that they were evenly matched, it was that much more shocking for them.
Millions slowly approached Barub, who was lost in shock.
“Frozen stiff? Have you kneeled in defeat to my overwhelming power?”
“…”
“As expected. There’s nothing else that fits you better, no?”
“Kuhahat. To think that you’d be this strong.”
“Seems you’ve killed at least a marquis before coming to me, but do you think that’s enough to defeat me?”
“The fight isn’t over yet.”
“Then try taking this head on. The attack from your master, who will remain your master till death!”
“Urk!”
In a blink of an eye, Millions’ body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow towards Barub.
Before Barub was able to mount a defense, the attack flew in.
The attack was so swift that most Protectors wouldn’t be able to see it with their eyes.
However, Barub didn’t just allow the attack to connect so easily.
It was obvious that blocking using an artifact would only destroy the artifact.
Instead, Barub decided to use their fists to block Millions’ punches.
They were demonstrating the fight of raw strength against raw strength that Barub had talked about.
So many shockwaves were produced that it was hard to believe that it was from a clash of fists.
At this point, it wasn’t surprising that sparks flew as if metal were clashing against one another.
After raining down tens of swings, Millions made distance in an instant to cast his spells.
The movements flowed smoothly and naturally like water, and it did not allow the opponent enough time to react.
On the other hand, Barub focused completely on defensive techniques.
It was obvious that if Barub did not pay attention to their defensive techniques even for a moment, they would receive a massive amount of damage.
“You little…”
“Because this is my first fight in a while, it seems that my skills have rusted considerably. The real attacks begin now. See if you can handle it!”
“Urk!”
In an instant, Millions finished casting his magic.
Behind him were thousands of sword auras formed up already, and each of it seemed imbued with either electrical or ice elements.
Anyone could tell from a glance the sheer number of sword auras and the power they exuded were overwhelming, and they flew towards Barub without any delay.
If this wasn’t a brutal fight of spilling blood and rending flesh, one could see this scene as a spectacle.
Barub did everything they could to defend against the sword auras.
Because they didn’t have any methods of defense, Barub could only defend the onslaught using their own body and brute force.
It wasn’t as if Barub had obtained a skill or held an amazing artifact either.
And to make things more difficult, the sword auras didn’t simply just fly in a single direction.
Like Min-Cheol’s Piercing Sword, these sword auras moved as the owner willed, and they also chased after the target as well.
No matter how even the match-up, there was no way to block every attack with their bare hands.
Barub allowed quite a lot of sword auras to slip through, and their body that was covered and enhanced by a pitch black aura was starting to show chips and streaks of red blood.
While it wasn’t a fatal and deep wound, they were receiving damage like a stone slowly being chipped away.
And so a decent chunk of time had passed with Barub defending and removing the sword auras.
Seeing all of this from quite a distance away, Millions spoke with a smile.
“To think that you can’t do anything against an attack as simple as this. And you wanted a fight between raw strengths? Pffhaha!”
“Urugh…”
“Now witness what true power is! Oraa!”
As soon as he had finished speaking, Millions charged at Barub.
The sword auras didn’t stop though.
His skill continued to draw Barub’s attention and forced them to focus on defense.
The reason for him closing the distance was to land a close quarters attack alongside the skill.
Barub saw what Millions was doing, but did not make any moves.
It seemed that they were busy defending, completely focused on dealing the sword auras.
And keeping his hands hidden while getting close to Barub, Millions gathered a massive amount of power in his fists.
At the same time, only about half the number of sword auras remained.
It must be that since power was spread out, he was reducing the output on the skill and focusing the close quarters attack.
Both his fists compressed with power let out a bright glow.
In an instant, the light from Millions filled Barub’s field of view.
Those fists flew towards Barub’s face.
Right as Millions’ attack seemed to land on Barub…
“Kuhahat!”
“Hm?”
Barub gave up defending against the sword auras.
While the number did shrink in half, despite knowing that the number of sword auras still remained as a staggering amount, Barub completely shifted their focus onto grabbing Millions.
The disturbing sound of flesh being torn filled the air countless times.
After all, the sword auras that succeeded in attacking didn’t disappear and continued to tear apart Barub.
With Barub’s difficult to believe response, Millions couldn’t help but be taken back.
It was enough to make Millions wonder if Barub had lost their mind from the continued onslaught of attacks.
Even though defending wasn’t enough already, they had given up on defense and grabbed onto him for a reason Millions could not fathom.
Barub’s blood flew all over the place.
Their battlefield was coated in red and the smell of iron filled the air.
And so Millions believed that this short confrontation was over.
He believed that Barub had given up.
With his new conclusion in mind, he planned to deal the finishing blow.
The sword auras disappeared and Millions’ fists grew brighter.
It was the moment when he was dealing a blow to Barub, who was clinging on like a spider.
“Huh?”
“Kuhat. Don’t you know that victory and defeat are decided in a single crucial moment, Millions.”
“Up to your little tricks again!”
“There is nowhere to run. Meet your death.”
“Bastard!”
Barub used Vacuum on both their hands to put one near Millions’ stomach and the other on the back of his head.
Vacuum wasn’t very powerful from a distance, but what would happen if it was in close quarters?
Their hands that completely attached themselves to Millions’ body began to suck in with great force.
While Barub did attempt this attack, it wasn’t as if Millions’ hand were tied.
Millions tried to remain as calm as possible and landed his fists onto Barub.
Not 100% of the force was properly delivered due to being too close to one another, but it was definitely a powerful attack since all the power that he could gather was behind it.
“Ugh! I shall endure it a hundred and a thousand times.”
“Urk!”
Right now, the situation for the two of them was equal to two snakes swallowing each other’s tails.
With no defensive tactics in play, both were putting everything into offense.
Who had the more powerful attack was an important factor in determining who would win.
Millions’ strikes continued, and Barub poured in greater amounts of power into the skill.
It was then.
“Urgh!”
“Kuha! Seems now it’ll be a fair fight! A fight between raw power and raw power, Millions!”
“…”
Millions’ armor that protected the back of his neck and his stomach crumpled due to Vacuum.
Now Millions’ body was completely bare.
With that, Barub’s Vacuum tore into his body without remorse.
It was hard to know how long each would last.
Barub wasn’t in a good situation either.
They were in a half beaten to death due to Millions’ strikes.
The side of their stomach, their back, and their face was destroyed to the point where it was hard to recognize.
After all, their body was torn up to the point where their intestines were visible.
The fight between the two snakes biting each other’s tail would have its winner be decided in a single decisive blow to come.