Chapter 170 Unstoppable Fear

I did it, Father, he thought, holding his slashed side.

Still, he knew it wasn’t over–not by a long shot as the Unending Nightmare borrowed another form, expanding its gunky essence in order to rid itself of the flames before redefining the shape and size of its limbs into another figure.

It was an appearance that made him shiver as memories he’d rather not remember came to be recalled; unkempt, ginger hair and a verdant cloak like a ranger, a youthful glow that would be mistaken as benevolent, though that smile he held was a fragile facade when seeing that star-shaped iris and jester tattoo on his right hand.

“…Rubert…” He recalled.

The ‘Chaos God Style’ user that was beyond simply malice; a force of evil that felt inhuman, yet he unmistakably was, however, this time, there was no doubt that he faced a monstrous entity.

I can do this. I’m stronger now, he thought.

–In an instant, the Unending Nightmare boring Rubert’s likeness disappeared with untraceable speed, causing Emilio to pause for a moment before a cold breeze swept across his left side, making him spin around to that direction before blocking instinctively.

“–!” Emilio watched in surprise.

He managed to react by pure reflex as the silver sword of the false Rubert’s clashed against his own with sparks dancing in the air, lightening up the jester’s smile.

The air subtly howled around the false Rubert before he vanished again with silence in his step like a feline, forcing Emilio to spin around to find the swift swordsman.

Behind! He realized.

Spinning around, he managed to duck down while countering at the same time, dragging the sharp edge of his blade across the false Rubert’s stomach.

It was somewhat surprising to him, but it put into perspective in that moment how he’d grown. Still, a simple disembowelment that would kill a normal man was hardly a scratch for the primordial avatar of fear.

I can feel it…every bit of damage inflicted, it’s mana dwindles–it’s a small amount, but it’s something. We can win, he thought.

As he turned to face it once more, he found its stomach mending itself as half of its head altered its appearance, manifesting a familiar, black-steel blade in its other hand.

Half of its head of hair was ginger, and the other was jet-black; one hazel eye and one with a cross-shaped pupil.

“What…?” Emilio let out.

It was a horrific development; a half-and-half, combination form taken by the Unending Nightmare who dual-wielded blades, equipping two styles.

“Mountain God Style (Julius Dragonheart) plus Chaos God Style (Rubert)…I’d say this combination is something intriguing,” the Unending Nightmare spoke with his half-and-half face.

Such a unison simply went against what should be possible, yet it was unmistakably the truth when wielded in the hands of the nightmare that could reshape reality to its whim, bringing the internal fears of those around into reality.

As he glanced back, he became fully aware he was still in this alone for the moment; Sumera and Melisande were working together to close the nasty wound inflicted on Kintoki, which reminded him of the slash on his side.

It doesn’t seem to be affecting me as badly. I’ve been focusing a concentration of healing magic on it, though–it’s not closed yet, but the bleeding is slowed, he thought.

Due to the benefits of his Dragonheart System, it wasn’t just his physical prowess that was enhanced, but his magical abilities as well, allowing for such feats. Though he was forced to continue fighting with the open wound as the amalgamation of Julius and Rubert launched towards him.

“–!”

The agility possessed by the pussyfooted swordsman was always surprising, more so when he used the air itself as a platform to launch towards Emilio like a projectile, slashing both blades towards him.

He managed to duck down, narrowly avoiding having his head lobbed off his shoulder as he attempted to counter with a slash across the gut, but the amalgamation of swordsmen simply bounced off an unseen platform again to avoid his blade.

As he looked up around, he found the scenery shifting again as the platform expanded swiftly to a field of boundless, pale-blue grass under a night sky, surrounded by vacant mountains in a lonesome valley.

Sumera and the other two were still there, though noticeably confused.

Alright, they’re still good, he thought.

Though he had to worry about himself as his instincts fired off from his draconic senses, prompting him to jump to the side just as one of the swords wielded by the amalgamate nightmare was thrown like a spear towards him.

Mountain God Style?! He discerned.

It wasn’t just that; the orange-and-black haired inhuman dashed in, catching the tossed blade by the handle right between his teeth while wielding the other sword between the back of one of his knees.

This was the embodiment of the ‘Chaos God Style’; an art of swordplay shunned for its unequivocal absurdity, yet its effectiveness in it.

The user of the fused Divine Styles bobbed his head as he struck with the sword in his mouth, forcing Emilio on the backfoot as he guarded to the best of his ability, though was taken by surprise once the nightmarish swordsman flipped around, leaving a cut on his left leg from the sword wielded between his knees.

“Gah-!” Emilio let out in pain.

As he winced, he pushed through the pain and held his hand out, unleashing a wave of azure flames in the direction of the unorthodox foe, only for the entity to swiftly leap from the reach of the inferno by his mysterious air steps.

He’s too fast now…! He thought.

The dual-wielder of his fears sprung downwards with both blades readied, spinning towards him with a twisted smile.

Just unleash it! He told himself.

In preparation, he unleashed the draconic flames from his position, igniting the heat from the pits of his stomach before unleashing a massive propulsion of the blaze upwards in a bright-blue flash of burning light.

The nearby grass was turned black, burning to cinder from the residual heat before the heat swallowed the midair figure, enveloping him in the draconic flames.

Yes! I got him! He thought.

Though as he felt triumphant for just a moment, his internal fears came to pass as even as the azure glow faded, the figure still descended with more than half of its body burnt to a char, yet still smiling and dual-wielding its swords with strands of black-and-orange hair swaying.

“Show me more of your deepest fears!” The amalgamation of swordsmen yelled.

Just before the figure could descend on him, he swiftly cast a counterspell: “Dragon Hurricane!”

The dragons forged of mystical water sprouted from the air around him, roaring out and closing in on the charred figure.

“Ha-ha-ha!”

The Unending Nightmare laughed as it bounced around on its unseen platforms, now summoning a mystical element of its own as black blood poured from its body, shaping around its blades like a malignant element before slashing through the water dragons.

Still, this is what Emilio had planned as he witnessed the figure close in from above.

It was only when faced with the spitting image of his father, pushed into a corner, that he was able to evolve, refining what was taught and deeply ingrained in him.

He embodied the image of his father, bolstering himself as he raised his beloved sword to the sky before stomping down as hit boot broke through the ground below, unleashing a picture-perfect overhead strike just as the false combination of his father and Rubert came within reach–

“Mountain God Style: The Vale.”

It wasn’t something he’d be able to replicate normally, but with the heightened physical prowess of his Dragonheart System, he was able to mimic the technique as a wind pressure was unleashed from the strength and refinement of the clean strike.

You may be able to mimic him, but you’re not my father, he thought, the Mountain God Style is a way of thinking…You can’t replicate it just by swinging your sword the same way.

Through the soil it carved, burrowing forward before leaving a perfect slice straight down the middle of the entity, splitting it into perfect halves as the essence of the ‘Mountain God Style’ was separated from the ‘Chaos God Style.’

“…I did it…” He exhaled, sweating from the strain.

[Level Up!]

[Level Fifteen Achieved.]

[“Scale Armor” Acquired. “Dragon Strike” Acquired.]

A level up was more than welcome as it recovered a good portion of his lost mana, but still couldn’t completely absolve him of his tired body.

Scale Armor and Dragon Strike, huh? He remarked.

The immaculate bisection caused the entity to fall into two halves behind him as he slowly turned around, expecting a conclusion to this mess.

Though, of course, no such respite was found as the two halves got up separately.

It didn’t stop there.

Cladding itself in pitch-black armor that was unrefined, spiky, and malignant in nature, the Unending Nightmare’s stature increased before it split into more parts.

There were a half dozen of the abyssal-armored knights, wielding massive greatswords that resembled the fangs of great beasts.

The sky went completely black as if ‘shutting off’, leaving the grass to turn to a pale gray as all hope was siphoned from the alternate realm belonging to the entity.

What is this…? You’ve got to be kidding? He thought.

Three of the figures surrounded the exhausted young man while the other three surrounded Sumera, Kintoki, and Melisande.