[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 323: The Ashen Barbarians of the White Snowfield (5)
[The blades of shadow surged, tearing my enemies apart.]
The blades of death pierced the earth, consuming the space around them.
This was different from before—an attack purely intended to kill the barbarians.
For this reason, the barbarians grinned brightly.
"That's more like it!"
"Stop hiding like a coward and fight!"
The barbarians planted their feet firmly and charged.
They collided with the blades of shadow.
BOOM!
Power erupted, and an explosion followed.
Shards scattered in all directions, clawing and tearing into the barbarians' bodies.
In an instant, their forms began to deteriorate.
From the beginning, there had always been a clear disparity in power.
While the barbarians were incredibly strong as heroic warriors, Necronovix was one of the four lords of hell—a being who had stood at the forefront of sealing away the oldest entities and played a key role in the War of Gods and Demons.
The fact that the fight even seemed even was merely because Necronovix had been restraining his power, wary of the abilities of the monstrosity.
The barbarians had little chance of victory.
But the barbarians understood this fully.
And that knowledge only made them laugh louder as they charged.
BOOM!
Darkness clashed with axes.
The ground collapsed and crumbled.
Scars so deep they would require redrawing the map were etched into the earth.
BOOM!
The darkness exploded.
The intelligent barbarian, Thomas, lost his left wrist.
Necronovix’s attacks carried the power of death itself—a force that annihilated all it touched.
Of course, the barbarians were beings of anomaly.
They could resist the power of death.
But losing limbs was a different matter entirely.
If part of their body was destroyed by that power, it would never recover.
It would become a permanent handicap.
Even so, Thomas laughed.
BOOM!
Darkness erupted and scattered.
The barbarians' bodies were ravaged, but they did not fall.
They stubbornly inched closer to Necronovix.
Surprised by this unexpected sight, Necronovix frowned.
[They are more resilient than I thought.]
He had assumed he could kill them easily if he truly tried.
But the barbarians twisted their bodies just enough to avoid fatal blows.
Wounds that would have killed ordinary humans several times over were mere inconveniences to them.
[I’ll need to exert more effort.]
Necronovix drew upon even more of his power.
The darkness he wielded grew fiercer.
Yet, despite this, the barbarians pressed forward.
Even as their limbs were severed, they stitched their bodies together with sheer will.
Finally.
“Hah! Hahaha!”
CLANG!
Breaking through all attacks, Thomas reached Necronovix.
He raised his massive axe high.
"I’m here! Die!"
[Congratulations.]
THUMP!
Necronovix grabbed the wrist holding the descending axe.
The axe halted with a dull clunk.
Thomas’s eyes widened.
“Oh?”
[Your strength itself is not particularly threatening. It is the anomaly within it that poses the real threat.]
Necronovix extended his other hand.
A sword of darkness materialized.
STAB.
The blade of darkness pierced Thomas’s heart.
But Necronovix did not stop there.
[Detonate.]
THUD!
Thomas’s body trembled violently.
With the sword still lodged in his heart, Necronovix caused an internal explosion.
Even for a barbarian, this was a fatal wound.
Yet Thomas grinned, even as the sword remained embedded in his chest.
He lunged forward and embraced Necronovix tightly.
“Greta! Anna! Now!”
CLANK!
Having broken through the dark attacks, Greta and Anna charged forward.
“Leave them be.”
[Are you sure? Necronovix is strong. Of course, the barbarians are strong as well, but... it’s dangerous. They might die.]
It was a natural concern.
But Ketal indifferently asked:
“What do you think would happen if you died in this battle?”
“Hmm?”
“What does it matter to us?”
The barbarians tilted their heads, confused.
The Tower Master was momentarily speechless at their attitude.
The northern barbarians also sought glory, unbothered by death.
However, this was different.
Their response suggested that death itself held no meaning to them.
Ketal spoke up.
“You see? You don’t need to worry about it.”
[...I see.]
For this very reason, the Tower Master had hidden himself, waiting for the right moment.
“You filthy sack of bones!”
“Get lost! Don’t defile our battle!”
[Look at that. Even though I saved them, they’re angry.]
[Indeed.]
Necronovix let out a chuckle.
Though his attitude seemed light, his mind was coldly calculating.
‘I’ve been had.’
He knew the Tower Master’s absence meant something was being planned.
He had intended to quickly finish things or abandon his puppet, but he momentarily forgot amidst the barbarians’ struggle.
Kiiiiiiing!
Dozens of layered magic circles drained Necronovix’s strength.
Under normal circumstances, he could easily break them, but he had already expended much of his power fighting the barbarians.
Maintaining his puppet was becoming difficult.
As the puppet collapsed, its body began to disappear.
And that was exactly what the Tower Master had been aiming for.
[Let’s play a game of tag.]
The Tower Master pursued Necronovix’s retreating consciousness.
Necronovix fought back, driving him away with strength and setting traps.
But the Tower Master countered them all—avoiding bait, smashing traps, and chasing relentlessly.
This time, fully prepared, he could track Necronovix.
And at last—
[Here you are.]
The Tower Master set foot on the remote mountain range where Necronovix had manifested his true body.
[So this is your true form. How savage.]
Now within sight, the truth was clear.
It was powerful.
Terrifyingly so.
The energy radiating from the puppet had been child’s play.
The mere presence of the true form seemed capable of annihilating all life.
Its mastery over such immense power was chilling.
[...Tower Master.]
[Sorry, but I don’t intend to give you time for a conversation.]
The Tower Master waved his hand, activating his prepared magic.
[Imperfect Explosion.]
A mushroom cloud erupted, shaking the mountain range violently.
The Tower Master unleashed all the magic he had prepared.
One spell alone could shake the world—a cascade of Ten-Class magic was unleashed.
It distorted space, the world, and even time itself in an attempt to destroy Necronovix.
Yet—
Crash!
Against overwhelming might, it all shattered and crumbled.
The backlash struck the Tower Master, spreading cracks throughout his bones.
Groaning, he stepped back.
[...Even pouring everything into it, the best I can manage is to make him twitch a few fingers.]
Necronovix’s power shattered all of the Tower Master’s attacks with mere gestures.
Victory wasn’t just slim—it was nonexistent.
But that was fine.
The Tower Master’s goal was to delay Necronovix, preventing his escape.
Boom!
With incredible speed, something landed.
The ground rippled under the impact.
[You’ve arrived.]
“Apologies. I rushed over as soon as I got the location, but it was on the other side of the continent. It took a bit of time.”
[No, it’s fine. I’ll leave the rest to you.]
The Tower Master retreated as Necronovix looked at the newcomer with calm eyes.
[...Barbarian.]
“So this is your true form. The appearance is the same, but the power is entirely different.”
Ketal grinned and raised his axe.
“Well then, this time, let’s truly fight to the death.”
And with that, bloodlust exploded.
[Translator - Night]
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