[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 97
Finally, the true enemy appeared.
It was the Red Dragon legion, closely associated with Dirk.
After watching Kane arrive, they began to gather mana.
"Looks like he recognizes us."
"Did we make a name for ourselves in this backwater place?"
"We've never even clashed with Rehinar before."
Kane's lips twisted into a smirk at their reactions.
"Just keep pretending you don't remember. This place will be your grave."
"You crazy bastard."
"He's out of his mind."
"He acts so cocky just because he defeated Marquis Tegelo."
The Red Dragon legion scoffed.
Their prey had appeared before them.
No need to lure him out anymore.
They just wanted to get rid of their prey quickly.
"Let's not drag this out. Let's finish it."
"Yeah, I want to get back home quickly. Being in a foreign country for too long is boring."
They openly dismissed Kane.
The target was one man.
But on their side, there were 150 of them.
And they were all Beginner-tier 5th-class mages.
Moreover, they had consumed the Elixir of Oblivion, making them far stronger than their depicted class.
They were confident there was no way they could lose.
That's why they were so arrogant.
Kane's eyes were filled with murderous intent at their attitude.
How could he make their deaths as painful as possible?
He wanted to see them scream in agony.
These were the ones who had shackled him with the chains of fire.
It was time to pay them back for what they had done.
‘My current level is beginner-tier 5th-class, but after defeating Marquis Tegelo, I've risen to the mid-tier. However, that's just based on the stats displayed on my status screen; my true level surpasses High-Tier 6th class.’
First, he assessed his own strength.
With the combination of the Blood Oath and BloodSky Blade, he could easily take on enemies a class above him.
Even this alone was an immense power, so he thought it would be fine to just maintain it moving forward in the future.
But reality exceeded his expectations.
‘The stronger I become, the more I can kill enemies of higher strength.’
He realized this while fighting Marquis Tegelo.
Not just one class above, he can defeat and kill enemies two classes above.
He realized it too late.
He had already consumed many elixirs.
The ‘Blood Star’ (BloodStone).
The Emperor's Mana.
The Formlessness Poison.
These three were all absorbed into his body.
He also practiced two different breathing techniques.
There were many reasons why he was much stronger than his status screen suggested.
However, he had set a clear limit for himself.
He believed he could only defeat enemies one class higher.
This mindset had weakened him.
‘Once I reach 6th-class, I’ll be able to take on the remaining 6 enforcers of the Sun Clan, The Meyer Family.’
Now, he was certain of his strength.
150 Beginner-Tier 5th-class mages?
He could take them down without much difficulty.
Just stacking 10 Blood stacks would be enough to sweep them all away.
But he couldn’t do that.
He would make them feel the helplessness he had experienced in his past life.
"Stop running your mouths and come at me. How is it that you all act just like that fucking idiot Dirk?"
At the mention of Dirk's name, the Red Dragon legion bristled.
Dirk was their trigger point.
"How dare someone like you mention that name!"
"I'm going to tear that mouth apart!"
"You won't die easily. Don't try to stop me."
The robes of the Red Dragon legion flared.
The surrounding area heated up.
Flames formed in their hands.
Fire mages, trained meticulously by Dirk Hattzfeld.
“I’ll roast you alive!”
Fwoosh! Flames burst from the hands of the Red Dragon legion.
But that wasn’t all.
The vampires who had come to support simply watched the carnage unfold before moving on to another area.
***
There was no fierce battle at the East Gate like there was at the West Gate.
Mikhail and the Blood Tigers had crushed their opponents easily.
But that wasn’t all—Anna Werner, the Ghost of Rehinar, also joined the fray.
The Wind Fox Sword Knights and a thousand soldiers stood against them but were completely slaughtered.
In gaming terms, it was a total stomp, a massacre akin to mowing down helpless peasants.
When the vampires joined the battle, Tegelo's forces were annihilated in an instant.
Mikhail sheathed his spear and began collecting the intact armor from the fallen Tegelo soldiers.
Seeing this, Anna tilted her head in curiosity.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm recovering useful equipment."
"You’re going to strip all of this?"
"It's something we’d have to do eventually, so I’m getting a head start."
"Oh, the Young Master will order it, won't he?"
"Yes."
Anna also sheathed her dual swords and started removing the armor from Tegelo’s troops.
She then turned to the Rehinar soldiers.
"Don’t just stand there—could you lend a hand?"
"W-What?"
"Collect anything useful."
"Understood!"
The soldiers stiffened at her words, having witnessed her prowess firsthand.
To them, she was a godess of the battlefield.
Every time she moved, heads rolled.
Her ghostly movements made it seem as though she was born solely for killing.
Her terrifying presence was etched into the soldiers' minds.
This fear wasn’t just limited to them—the vampires were also terrified of Anna.
While the soldiers only sensed danger on an instinctual level, unaware of just how strong she was, the vampires knew better.
The average combat strength of a vampire was at the Mid-Tier 4th-class level, with the strongest among them being at the Mid-Tier 5th-class level.
The stronger one was, the more they could recognize greater strength in others.
To them, Anna was more of a monster than the red-haired reaper.
The vampires, their faces tense with fear, listened as Anna spoke to them as well.
"Don’t just stand there staring—help us out! With your sharp night vision, you can finish the job much faster, right?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
The vampires were enlisted to gather the armor and weapons as well.
Anna made no distinction between humans and monsters.
***
As the battle neared its end, Kane was caught in the flames of the Red Dragon legion, with fire magic raging all around him.
The place where Kane had been standing was reduced to a wasteland in an instant.
After a prolonged attack, the magic finally ceased.
Billowing clouds of smoke filled the air as the Red Dragon legion sneered.
"Hey, hey, that was overkill. We should've given him a chance to fight back."
"He's so weak; maybe there's nothing left of him."
"Hah, serves him right for acting cocky in front of us."
The Red Dragon legion assumed Kane was dead, as no mana could be sensed from within the smoke.
But they were gravely mistaken.
A flash of violet light suddenly pierced through the smoke, sweeping across the ankles of the Red Dragon legion.
"Huh?"
"What was that light?"
"Yeah, what was it?"
"Hey, why are you tilting to the side?"
"Me? Isn't it you who's tilting?"
"Ugh."
"M-My feet!"
The ankles of the entire Red Dragon legion had been severed—all at once, without exception.
"Ahhh!"
"M-My ankles!"
As the smoke settled, Kane's figure emerged.
Casually dusting himself off, he spoke.
"Didn't I tell you I'd kill you?"
Having fully realized his true power, Kane now displayed a strength unlike anything before.
He had always been strong, but now he was overwhelming.
With a swift movement, the BloodSky blade in his hand turned into two, and stabbed into the thigh of one of the Red Dragon legion members.
"Arghhh!"
The scream echoed through the air.
"Shut the fuck up. You're hurting my ears."
Kane's foot came down on the head of the Red Dragon legion member, crushing it completely.
Blood and brain matter spilled onto the ground.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]