Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Bad Blood (2)

***

There are moments when we know we’re dreaming yet dread waking. For Karl Hopper, this was precisely the case.

Karl’s father pointed skyward, his voice laced with excitement.

“Karl! Look at that cloud! It looks just like a wolf!”

With his heart pounding, Karl followed his father’s gaze.

“You’re right! It’s a truly magnificent wolf.”

His father marveled at the formation of clouds while firmly holding Karl’s legs to ensure his safety.

“You’ve lived a long life, Father. You must have seen many incredible clouds.”

“Indeed, I have.”

His father replied with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

“I even recall seeing a cloud that resembled a lion.”

“Wow!”

Karl exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.

Watching the sky with his father as the sun dipped below the horizon was Karl’s favorite pastime.

“Karl.” his father’s voice suddenly turned serious, breaking the tranquil atmosphere. Karl couldn’t help but tense up at the shift in tone.

“You are my son and thus, you are destined to live a long life.”

Karl’s father was a dragon, a creature of immense power, only found in ancient history books and fairytales.

Initially, Karl dismissed his father’s claims. Who in this world would believe that their parent was a dragon?

However, all doubt vanished when his father transformed one arm into a mighty dragon’s limb.

“A long life can wear down emotions and cloud judgment. You will have to overcome your oblivion in the years to come.”

Karl was young, but he listened carefully to what his father had to say.

He understood that his father’s presence was solely for the purpose of imparting this crucial knowledge.

“Expressing your desires is the most effective way to overcome the oblivion. So, acknowledge your desires and strive to fulfill them.”

Karl nodded in agreement. Then, with a playful grin, he asked.

“Since I understand now, can’t you show me your true form just once? I long to see you as a dragon!”

“You rascal! Didn’t I tell you? It’s impossible due to an ancient vow.”

“Can’t you show me for just a moment? Just a glimpse?”

Karl pleaded, his body swaying as he tugged at his father’s arm.

Suddenly, a chill crept up his spine, starting from his toes and spreading upwards. A sense of dread washed over him.

Life-threatening danger!

It felt as if someone was holding a knife to his throat.

The instinct to defend himself surged through him. Karl tensed his muscles, scanning his surroundings with a wary gaze.

“Son? Why are you doing this…?”

His father’s voice faded into the distance in an instant. The fiery sunset that had painted the sky and the field where his father stood moments ago had vanished without a trace.

“Father! Father!”

Karl called out desperately, not wanting to wake from this dream just yet.

But to no avail.

The sense of impending danger jolted Karl’s consciousness back from his dreamlike state. In an instant, he was yanked back to reality.

As he opened his eyes, Karl couldn’t help but be disoriented.

Instead of his familiar tent, he was met with an unfamiliar landscape.

“… I have no idea how this happened.”

Karl Hopper.

The Mercenary King muttered to himself as he rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

“I woke up with an eerie feeling….”

Before him stood a ruined world, with Damien Hexen and two unfamiliar figures, a man and a woman.

“Damien Haksen, what the hell is going on here?”

***

“Why did you have to wake up now?”

Damien couldn’t help but be flustered at the sight of the Mercenary King.

Under the influence of the artifact’s power, he needed something life-threatening to jolt Karl out of his slumber. There weren’t many beings in this world who could pose a threat to the Mercenary King. Even the killing intent of Valentino, a masterclass, failed to awaken him.

So why did the Mercenary King wake up now?

“…It must be because of me.”

Damien quickly realized the cause. Karl must have awakened because of killing intent he had unleashed.

“Damn it.”

Damien cursed under his breath and released his grip on the bracelet.

Now that the Mercenary King was awake, unleashing the dark mana was out of the question. Damien had to hide the fact that he could use dark magic.

“Can’t you see?”

Damien’s voice grew rough with frustration at having his revenge interrupted.

“That woman schemed to kidnap you.”

He pointed at Sla as he spoke. The Mercenary King’s eyebrows raised at the sight of Sla.

“Sla. I didn’t expect to see your face again.”

“It’s been a while since I saw you in the empire, hasn’t it?”

Sla spoke in a friendly tone. It seemed they were both familiar with each other.

“Is this friend of mine telling the truth?”

“Uh… that was the plan, but things got a bit twisted.”

Sla still maintained his smile, but his lips were slightly pursed.

Giant evil Sla.

Succubus of Pandemonium.

These titles meant nothing in the presence of the Mercenary King.

“To dare covet this body. You’re quite bold. Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”

“If I worried about such things, I wouldn’t be able to hone my skills.”

“So, you intended to use this body as a mere experiment for your dark magic?”

The atmosphere turned icy at these words. Sla awkwardly smiled and tried to gauge the Mercenary King’s mood.

“You whore of Pandemonium seemed to overstep her boundaries. Now you’ll pay the price.”

The Mercenary King stepped forward. Valentino, in turn, stepped in front of Sla to protect her.

“Get out of my way, you little brat.”

“Little brat? Those days are long gone.”

Valentino scoffed at the Mercenary King’s insult.

“You’ve just shed your fur and you think you’re the king of the hill? Do you need me to rip off an arm to get your senses back?”

“Oh, scary~ I was just thinking the same thing~ Perfect timing~.”

Valentino spread his arms wide. The chains wrapped around his forearms loosened and clanged to the ground.

“How about you give this junior a chance?”

“Do whatever you want. You’re going to die soon anyway, so why not fulfill one of your little wishes?”

Valentino chuckled at the Mercenary King’s words.

“Oh, this is so heartwarming~? Well, I’ll graciously accept it~.”

In that instant, Valentino vanished.

There were no warning signs, no sound. It was as if he had never been there in the first place.

Even with Damien’s enhanced senses, he couldn’t detect Valentino’s movement. That’s how stealthy and swift it was.

But the Mercenary King was different. He was looking up at the sky, his head tilted back.

Damien followed the Mercenary King’s gaze. High above, Valentino was hovering.

Valentino extended his hand towards the Mercenary King.

And then, the chains split. Hundreds of chains rained down towards the Mercenary King’s location, like a torrential downpour.

‘He’s really gone off the rails.’

Damien exclaimed inwardly.

These were not actual chains that were dropping out of the sky. A single chain would not have divided in this way if they were.

Those were Valentino’s Aura Blades, not chains.

He was conjuring chains that were indistinguishable from real ones using Aura Blades and then unleashing them.

This was the result of combining his immense dark mana with his advanced techniques.

Despite the hundreds of Aura Blades plummeting down, the Mercenary King didn’t seem fazed.

He even took a glance towards Damien and said.

“I thought you’d be terrified… but you’re holding up well.”

The Mercenary King added with a satisfied expression.

“Yes, a man should have that much spirit.”

With those words, the Mercenary King waved his hand towards the sky.

It was a casual gesture, as if he was swatting away a fly. Immediately, a blinding light erupted from the sky.

Lightning illuminated the sky, obliterating every chain Valentino had created.

“…”

Damien’s jaw dropped at the sight.

The Mercenary King assumed that Damien was unfazed by Valentino’s technique because of his courage, but it was actually something else.

Damien trusted the Mercenary King.

Although he was an idiot who almost got himself kidnapped by a woman, his skills were undeniable.

The lightning that had painted the sky faded. And then, something fell from the sky.

It was Valentino, charred to a crisp.

Valentino lay nearly burnt and his life hanging by a thread. It was difficult to determine if he was still alive.

Just then, Sla appeared beside Valentino.

“It seems you’re still no match for Karl.”

Sla observed with a hint of disappointment.

“But at least you’re not dead. Don’t worry, Valentino. I’ll create a stronger body for you.”

Sla reached out to Valentino. Her hand transformed into a gaping maw, engulfing Valentino in one gulp.

Sla possessed the ability to create a subspace within her body to store objects. Apparently, she intended to take Valentino away and heal him.

“Karl, I think it’s not the right time for us to fight yet. Let’s meet again when the opportunity arises.”

“Who said I’d let you run away?”

The Mercenary King spoke in a menacing tone.

Sla chuckled, standing beside him.

“Karl, you may be strong, but if I decide to escape, it won’t be easy to catch me.”

“You impudent wretch. I’ll sever your legs right now.”

In a blink of an eye, the Mercenary King vanished and reappeared right in front of Sla, reaching out to grab her.

At that instant, Sla’s body ballooned in size.

She exploded like a balloon, her flesh scattering in all directions.

The Mercenary King swiftly unleashed a torrent of lightning, incinerating every piece of her flesh. However, some fragments managed to escape the fiery blast.

“I won’t let you get away!”

The Mercenary King unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts, striking the flesh fragments repeatedly, reducing them to ashes.

-Whew, that was close. I almost died for real.

Sla’s voice suddenly echoed from the air.

-See you next time, Karl. Next time will be very different from today.

Despite her body being shattered into countless pieces, Sla’s disciple, Rubia, had managed to regenerate herself by reassembling the fragments.

Similarly, Sla must have gathered the pieces that the Mercenary King had missed and reconstructed her own body.

-Oh, and you’re Damien Haksen, right?

Sla didn’t forget to address Damien as well.

-It’s been a while since I’ve met a man who made my heart race like you. I’ll arrange a meeting soon, so let’s have a proper conversation then.

Damien’s face broke into a smile at her words.

He was frustrated because he couldn’t kill her himself, Damien’s insides were already churning with anger. On top of that, she was coming to find him? He couldn’t be happier.

‘Next time we meet, I’ll truly kill her.’

Damien’s head was full of knowledge about the trick of the Breserker sect. Unlike the Mercenary King, he was confident he could permanently kill Sla.

“Damn it, I missed her.”

The Mercenary King grumbled in a tone that reeked of humiliation.

“Looks like you’re out of luck. You just had to catch Sla’s eye.”

The Mercenary King scowled but spoke.

“Well, at least I owe you one. Thanks to you, I avoided getting captured by that bitch.”

Despite his usual arrogance, the Mercenary King readily thanked Damien.

“But why are you alone? Where’s Athena? What happened to the others?”

It wouldn’t be strange for the Mercenary King to be curious. The Fafnir Mercenary Company was nowhere in sight, and Damien was all by himself.

“This isn’t the time. You need to get back as soon as possible.”

“What’s going on? This is odd. My kids wouldn’t get into trouble easily.”

Damien addressed the puzzled Mercenary King.

“The mercenary company is on the verge of collapse, and Athena is imprisoned.”

The Mercenary King’s eyes widened in disbelief.

***