Turning Chapter 845

Chapter 845

Yuder, without hesitation, thrust his sword toward the exposed center of the charging opponent.

As the tip of the sword buried itself, the expected sensation of piercing flesh and bone was absent. The illusion of the explosively powerful Elpkins ceased silently, blurring like mist before scattering aimlessly and vanishing, much like it had always done.

Then, all was silent.

"Huff, huff..."

Yuder, catching his breath and focusing his eyes, sought Nahan, who had once again concealed his presence amidst the illusion. Invisible to the eye, yet Yuder could distinctly feel his proximity.

'If he's managed to fabricate such an illusion, he's surely surpassed his limits long ago.'

Truly, a tenacious adversary. Among the numerous foes he had faced, this was one aspect Yuder had to acknowledge.

A faint disturbance suddenly caught Yuder's sharp attention near him.

-Clang!

Reacting reflexively with agile swiftness, Yuder, who swung his sword, furrowed his brows upon seeing the new figure, who seemed poised to block his attack.

'Again?'

However, this newly emerged enemy was distinctly different from those before.

Emerging from the shadows, gradually taking on color, was Kishiar, dressed in a formal suit with white gloves. The golden-haired man's outline flickered, blurring and almost disintegrating repeatedly. Yuder's irritation surged, involuntarily tightening his grip on his sword.

"Even in my distracted state, do you think I'd fall for the same illusion twice in one day?"

"At least it didn’t get sliced immediately upon appearance like the others just now. That’s sufficient for now."

These words, not expecting a response, were unexpectedly met by Kishiar’s voice. However, it wasn’t Kishiar's typical soft, deep tone, but a voice rough and reeking of blood.

Yuder, eyes narrowing coldly, addressed the owner of the voice. "Do you still have enough sanity left to pull off such tricks, Nahan?"

Then Kishiar, or rather, Nahan, smiled slightly with his lips.

Undoubtedly Kishiar's face, yet the expression was unmistakably different.

"It’s not about what's left... I've gained the power to break free from the cumbersome limits of the flesh."

"What are you saying?"

"I’ve managed to overlay my existence with an illusion, enabling me to stand before you like this. Do you understand?"

"..."

Nahan, able to move somewhat normally through the illusion, couldn’t change the fact that his physical body was rapidly deteriorating due to the rampage. Yet, he seemed unconcerned.

'It’s not that he doesn't care. It's more like he's lost his mind to the extent that he doesn't think about it anymore.'

Watching Kishiar’s facade calmly utter such words, it became glaringly clear that Nahan was deeply deranged. Whether that was an advantage or not was another matter.

Yuder exhaled deeply, looking ahead.

"I may not fully grasp your current state, Nahan, but you are in a rampage. The power you think you wield is nothing but ashes obtained by burning your life force, and soon, even that will vanish."

"A rampage? Is that what you call this state?"

Nahan asked, tilting his head with a laugh.

"Yes."

"Aha... I see. So that's why I feel such overflowing power. Well, it’s not bad. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this free."

"To die agonizingly in an explosion or at the hands of another, that's the only path left for you."

"I am perfectly fine now, without any pain. If you hadn't obstructed me, I would have already stepped outside and dealt the deserved punishment to those I've finally found - the true targets of my vengeance."

True targets of vengeance, indeed. Nahan must have already accessed Hosanna's memories.

Despite this realization, Yuder casually diverted the conversation.

"True targets of vengeance, you say... The sage has already been captured by us, so give it up."

"Haha. No, that old and arrogant liar doesn't matter to me anymore. What I seek is far more significant, more despicable, and more deserving of death - those worms of the south who have trampled upon countless lives, creating original sin..."

As Nahan's hate-filled speech lengthened and the illusion began to crumble, Yuder swiftly swung his sword, slicing through the illusion's chest like lightning.

He thought it was a perfect strike, but the illusion simply split into two and vanished, only to reappear suddenly behind Yuder. Nahan, still wearing Kishiar's smiling face, laughed.

"Oh... To still have such energy after all that fighting. You're truly remarkable. I admire that ability."

"..."

"Cutting down your opponent without a moment's hesitation, even when they just spoke to you. What would you have done if it was real?"

Instead of responding, Yuder once again used his power. The illusion, consumed by fierce flames, vanished and then reappeared from another direction.

"Now that I think about it, it's always been strange. The thing you feared the most was the Cavalry Commander. Yet, despite that, you were too close to him. Even to the point of having forbidden relationships. What exactly is your relationship? I've seen many fears throughout the years, but yours is the first of its kind. It's incomprehensible."

The illusion was dispersed by a fierce wind.

"But when I looked into the fears of the Cavalry Commander, guess what? You appeared there! Did you know?"

A sharp, ice-like stream of water pierced straight through the chattering illusion's face.

"You're not surprised. Really strange. But the strangest part was just now. Do you know what I’m about to say?"

After saying this, Nahan, despite being scattered and vanishing countless times by Yuder's relentless power, continued to resurrect like a ghost, echoing his voice from everywhere.

-Most of your most difficult-to-face enemies were Awakeners.

-Those with incredible skills unseen and unheard by anyone.

-They all called you the Cavalry Commander.

-Taking for granted names that don’t exist in the present.

-Spewing stories about unfamiliar political situations.

-Beings who existed, yet did not.

-Who exactly were they?

-And who are you, who faced them?

-What is the identity of this Cavalry Commander they fear?

"...Damn you."

Indeed, all this time, Nahan had been conjuring Yuder's past enemies as illusions, gathering information about him. Due to his excessive intelligence, Nahan had aptly picked up information, and with each word he uttered, Yuder couldn't help but feel unsettled.

Even if he didn't want to be disturbed, his heart involuntarily wavered. Each time that happened, his wavering fed into Nahan's illusion, giving it strength. The illusion of Kishiar grew clearer, and their voices began to mix.

-Is the secret to the tremendous power and knowledge that you possess hidden in this mystery? Am I right? What do you think?

-What do you think? What's the answer?

The voice shifted from Nahan's to Kishiar's, and then back to Nahan's again.

The illusion, becoming increasingly gigantic and vivid, swelled up, pressing down on Yuder. He sensed that this moment was Nahan's gambit, the instant he had been waiting to strike at him.

But Yuder hadn't been waiting all this time just to be passively defeated.

The most vulnerable moment for a person is when they abandon defense and launch into an attack.

Therefore, this was precisely the moment when Nahan, and the grotesquely widened range of his illusion due to his rampage, would be at their weakest.

"Shut up!"

Yuder clenched his fist and slammed it towards the ground, unleashing his power. Simultaneously, a massive force of the earth stirred, violently shaking the area around him.

The shadowy curtain that constituted this space began to tremble in response, but Yuder trusted in Kishiar and Gakane.

'Not yet. Just a little more...!'

Before Nahan's illusion could shake Yuder's mind any further, and before the magic power that Kishiar had bestowed ran out, Yuder had to break the illusion and find Nahan's true body first.

Yuder continued to exert his power. The ground, which had absorbed endless amounts of enormous power, shook as if it were about to collapse. He unleashed an attack that left no place for Nahan to hide, regardless of where he was concealed.

How long had he done this? Finally, the incessantly babbling illusion of Kishiar shattered into disarray.

-Ugh, ugh...!

Indeed, if he couldn't directly find him, shaking the entirety was the way. Though Yuder had also exhausted a tremendous amount of power in the process, the disappearance of the irritating illusion was a significant relief.

'Where is he?'

Based on the moment the illusion shattered, Yuder turned his head, making a guess.

In the bloodshot gaze, a corner within the darkness came into view.

"There you are."