Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Duel (1)

***

Venom sect, one of the sects of dark mages, that made and used poisons.

As the saying goes, poison and medicine are only the thickness of a sheet of paper apart. The Venom sect also had excellent abilities in making potions.

The problem was that the potions they made were all abnormal.

The same was true for the ‘Quelling Corps’ that Claire Fowler handed out.

The effect of the Quelling Corps was as Claire Fowler said. Just by eating it, your mana would increase and your muscle mass would also increase.

Even an ordinary person who had never exercised in their life could have a beautifully toned body in an instant by eating this.

The problem was what happened next.

After taking the Quelling Corps, the person became emotional even over trivial matters. It was as if all their patience had disappeared.

And then, at some point, when their emotions crossed the line, madness with violence would manifest.

From then on, they could not suppress their emotions with their own will. Even if their physical strength ran out and their body was damaged, they would not stop until they died.

The only way to stop the madness caused by the Quelling Corps was to die.

‘She intends to use me as a sacrifice to kill Athena.’

Claire Fowler’s intention in giving this item to Damien was clear.

She wanted the madness to manifest during the battle with Athena.

‘The Quelling Corps is not something that can be obtained easily.’

The Quelling Corps not only required a lot of precious materials, but the manufacturing process was also very complicated.

Even the highest-level dark mages of the Venom sect did not have a very high success rate in manufacturing it.

The fact that she had such an item meant that Claire Fowler had to be closely connected to the dark mages.

“Thank you for your help, but…”

Damien said, pushing the elixir back to Claire Fowler.

“This is not something I need.”

Claire’s expression hardened instantly at Damien’s refusal.

Not only that, but her eyes started to shake violently. Somehow, her reaction was too much.

‘Is there a reason why I have to eat the Quelling Corps?’

Just then, Claire Fowler, who had recovered from her agitation, spoke to Damien.

“Are you perhaps saying that this elixir is not good enough? The effect of this elixir is real. There’s no way someone of your caliber, wouldn’t feel it.”

I can feel it. The pure mana that the elixir contains.

In fact, the same materials used to make the highest quality potions were used to make the Quelling Corps.

However, all of this was just a disguise to make people swallow the poison.

‘But I can absorb only the mana.’

Even so, he didn’t feel like taking this elixir.

This is because he knew very well how the elixirs made by the dark mages were made through a horrible process.

“I can defeat Athena without the help of potions.”

“Oh, I know. But there’s always a chance in this world, isn’t there? So…”

“Don’t worry. I will win without any exceptions.”

Damien said firmly. Claire looked at Damien with a dumbfounded face.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Just as Damien was about to get up from his seat, the door of the tent was opened and someone entered.

“Claire, I came to play~.”

She was a woman with an incredibly beautiful appearance. For a moment, it felt like the inside of the tent had brightened.

To be sure, she was more beautiful than any beauty Damien had ever seen.

Damien couldn’t help but be surprised when he saw the woman.

Was it because she was so beautiful? That wasn’t it.

‘……What is the disciple of the Succubus doing here?’

The disciple of the giant evil that represented Pandemonium was right before his eyes.

***

Pandemonium was the largest and most powerful organization of dark mages in history.

Being large and having a long history, it included many powerful dark mages. And among them, there were particularly dangerous beings.

The Giant Evils.

Dark mages who were so dangerous that the Empire and the Church put them at the top of their assassination list.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had killed hundreds of thousands of people during their rise to power.

Succubus Sla was one of these giant evils.

A beautiful woman who drove both men and women crazy.

The extent to which she did this was so severe that it could only be described as brainwashing.

‘This woman’s name was definitely… Rubia.’

Rubia was a disciple of Succubus Sla and was a figure in her own right as a great dark mage.

Although not as much as her master, Rubia was also a dangerous woman. No wonder Damien remembered her.

‘I never thought she would be here.’

In his previous life, Succubus Sla had never mentioned the Fafnir Mercenary Company. So Damien didn’t expect to see Rubia here.

“Oh my… There’s another gentleman here.”

As soon as Rubia saw Damien, she was surprised and went back outside. Then she poked her head out and looked at Damien.

‘She’s disgusting even though she’s old and used up.’

The disciples of Succubus Sla all used their appearance and bodies to throw the world into chaos. All of that behavior was just an act.

As Damien looked at Rubia with a disgusted face.

“Sir Damien, no matter how beautiful Rubia is, you shouldn’t stare at her like that. She’s the one Carl loves the most.”

As soon as he heard those words, Damien sighed inwardly.

The Mercenary King was a man who was bewitched by women, so he would not have been able to resist Rubia.

‘Maybe he’s already become her puppet.’

Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

“Rubia, tell Sir Damien. I was going to give him a gift, but he refused.”

“Oh, really?”

Rubia came into the tent quickly. She stared at the Quelling Corps on the table and handed it to Damien.

“This is something that Lady Claire prepared with great difficulty… Shouldn’t you accept it?”

At that moment, a sweet smell spread throughout the tent.

The expressions of everyone inside the tent changed to a daze. Even Claire Fowler was no exception.

The disciples of the Succubus had all mastered dark magic that allowed them to release their pheromones strongly.

Because of these pheromones, men and women alike were helpless to fall for the disciples of the Succubus.

Of course, Damien was an exception.

Ordinary dark magic had no effect on Damien.

It was because of the power he possessed.

The seven authorities that Dorugo had planted in Damien in his previous life.

One of them, the Power of Greed, had the ability to disintegrate other powers and absorb their strength. Even the Giants were no exception.

“I don’t need it.”

Damien threw the pouch that Rubia handed him onto the table.

Rubia’s eyes widened slightly at that action. It seemed that she was surprised that Damien was not affected by the dark magic.

“I’ll be going now.”

Damien greeted Claire Fowler and walked out of the tent.

He could feel gazes on his back until he left the tent.

‘It seems she’s quite surprised.’

They had good reason to be. After all, the pheromones that had even captivated the Mercenary King had no effect on Damien.

‘If my opponent is a disciple of the giant evil… It won’t be easy for me to deal with them either.’

It was just his speculation, but he didn’t think it would be just Rubia.

After all, even a disciple of the Succubus would not be able to bring down the Fafnir Mercenary Group alone.

‘I’ll have to think about it a bit.’

With that, Damien returned to the tent.

***

And then, it was evening.

Damien came out to the open space for his duel with Athena Hopper.

“Wow! Sir Damien! Sir Damien is here!”

“Damien! Damien!”

The open space was packed with people. It seemed that all the mercenaries of the mercenary group were gathered here.

Damien pushed his way through the mercenaries and stepped forward. Then, the Mercenary King appeared before Damien.

“This is my last offer. Even now…”

“Yes, yes. I’ll do my best.”

Damien lightly ignored the Mercenary King’s words and walked out into the open space.

Athena had already arrived. She was dressed in simple clothes and was stretching.

“You’re a little late?”

Athena, who was stretching her arms wide, said to Damien.

“That’s impressive.”

Before he could ask what, Athena pulled out the spear she had stuck in the ground.

It was a spear made entirely of metal, from the shaft to the blade.

‘Yes, I remember.’

At that sight, Damien recalled his past memories.

She used that spear when she became the 2nd Mercenary King in her previous life.

‘It was a spear made of an alloy created by the dwarves.’

It was a spear that the Mercenary King had specially made for Athena. That must have been why. When she used that spear, Athena’s abilities were multiplied several times over.

It had taken even Damien three days to subdue her.

– You dirty bastards.

Even when she was captured by Damien and brought before the dark mages, her attitude did not change.

– I should have killed more of you!

– If it hadn’t been for that Death Knight, you would all have died by my hand!

– You incompetent bastards who like to hide behind others!

Even though she was covered in wounds, Athena was not discouraged in the least.

The dark mage who was facing Athena at the time was Rubia.

She showed her something special to break Athena’s spirit.

It was an undead made from the corpse of the Mercenary King, Kal Hopper.

Athena became quiet as soon as she saw her father’s corpse. She muttered just one word with a face like she was about to cry.

– You guys are… not human…

She did not die easily.

She was subjected to all sorts of indignities by Rubia.

Her dignity as a woman was dragged down to the bottom. Her dignity as a human being was rolled around in the dirt.

She was not allowed to die until she was reduced to a state worse than garbage crawling on the ground.

And even after she died, she could not rest in peace. Her soul was captured by Rubia and used until it was destroyed.

“……”

His heart sank as he recalled the past. Damien took a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?”

Athena asked, tilting her head. Damien shook his head and said.

“It’s nothing.”

“Is that so? Then shall we begin?”

Athena raised her mana. The mana she raised was released to the outside and turned into white lightning.

White currents covered her body. It was a sight that was both mysterious and terrifying.

The blood flowing through the Mercenary King’s body was that of the dragon.

The dragon that could summon storms and lightning and that power was passed down to its bloodline.

“Keep your mind straight. Otherwise, I’ll be disappointed again and deduct your points.”

“What on earth are you going to deduct points for…”

Athena crouched slightly. Her body turned into lightning.

White currents ran across the ground. In an instant, Athena appeared behind Damien.

Athena swung her spear down without hesitation. The lightning contained in the shaft exploded.

Lightning struck the spot where Damien had been standing.

***

Before she swung the spear down, Athena couldn’t help but be disappointed.

‘He doesn’t even notice this?’

Even though Athena had circled behind him, Damien was still facing forward.

‘Was I just mistaken?’

She was as angry as she was disappointed. Athena swung the shaft down with all her might.

Just then, Damien turned his body and drew his sword at the same time, swinging it upwards.

The blade and the shaft collided. At that moment, the trajectory of the spear changed.

At the same time, the lightning also missed Damien.

“…Huh?”

The moment Athena was surprised, Damien moved. He slashed Athena’s neck with his sword, who was now defenseless.

***