Barbarian in a Failed Game

# Chapter 286. Blood King (12)

It was an unreal sight.

The ash-gray figure advancing, breaking through the black mass, was incredibly feeble. Born as a transcendent being from the very beginning, facing the demon that had preyed on countless human souls over countless ages. Khan’s ash-gray form seemed precarious, as if it could be devoured at any moment.

But it pushed back.

The feeble will of mere mortals, so feeble, was pushing aside the will of the Transcendent Being that enveloped the will of the world.

It was as surreal as a small human toppling a giant.

[Roooar─!]

Moreover, it was mystical, like admiring a painting.

One of Aukolabes’s arms detached smoothly from his torso and flew through the air. The severed section spurted thick, dark blood like a fountain, and the realization followed belatedly. It was a substantial blow to the essence of the Transcendent Being, rather than a mere token strike.

“What! What is this…!”

It was Aukolabes who was denying reality.

The physical form of a Transcendent Being was not merely a lump made of flesh and blood. To inflict harm on a physical form protected by powers, one must be a Transcendent Being with powers as well. It was because the world itself was protecting the Transcendent Being.

But to not even leave a scratch, and to have his arm severed?

“Did you receive strength from the blind girl at the temple──!!”

Aukolabes reached a conclusion. That wretched being must have received favor from the blind girl at the temple – the pawn of justice had played a trick! The anger of the Transcendent Being began to engulf the world. The black mass seemed to swell as if fueled by emotions.

Before it, the feeble mortal with faint ash-gray light in his eyes twinkled.

Aukolabes had long created a hole in a certain space with his powers. Moving the devil through that hole and properly parrying it with the cunning of a mortal was unreasonable. But now, it was possible. If at this moment – when the sticky black light clung to the very fabric of space -!

Crack──.

As the crack in space opened and the devil’s black face slammed down like a log, piercing the ground, a piercing scream followed. It was the scream unleashed by the devil, which had so far toyed with Khan as if playing a game. An astonished cry of “What–!” brushed Aukolabes’ ear.

“It works…!”At the time when a new greatsword was being forged in the hands of the man, the sound of Khan’s leap, as if transcending space, resonated sharply—producing a frictional noise. The man who had lost one arm due to carelessness spread dark magic around him like a shield.

Crash!
[Inooooh─!!]

Khan’s swift cut, which literally tore apart the dark magic shield, sliced through the air. Augulabesh, who had squeezed his massive body through the opening Khan had created and narrowly avoided the attack, roared with rage as he was hit. The remnants of the man’s other arm, which had been mangled as if recoiled by some force, hung limply.

“Espherus!”
“As I draw out the power of his territory…!”

Forced to extract his abilities from the creature of chaos using the body of a mortal, even if he was the enemy of the archdemon in a past life, it seemed like a taxing task for Khan. Espherus, who warned him of the time limit while drawing out his territory power, seemed to have no room for relaxation. Fortunately or unfortunately, Khan also had no intention of prolonging the fight.

While his territory power suppressed Khan’s abilities, he had to finish him off.

“Even demons jump when they get scared, just like this guy!”

Unlike other transcendents, Khan possessed two colors. Violet and gray—however, he could only freely draw out the latter. Even that capacity was not that spacious. Just taking the first step, he must be considered quite inexperienced, but—!
Swish!

Twisting the space on both sides, Khan crushed Draupnir trying to press his body down. Then, as if chewing on thick flesh, he opened and closed his mouth widely. It was a spatial predation.

Turning the concept of space into a living organism, he thrust it into his mouth. The previous distortion seemed like a mere joke, causing a collapse of space on a scale of a sports field. Disregarding the shackles of the territory, the aftermath of forcefully expanding his abilities, Augulabesh, who was dripping dark magic like blood, was visible.

Literally, this was the man’s outburst.

[Kerakatoo!]

An outburst to buy time until my colleague arrives at this spot!

A deep smile spread across Khan’s lips.

Oooh.
[Th-this terrible thing…!]

Even though Haelwang was already in an unstable state, losing a part of his reckoning power caused him to go completely berserk. If the man had any intelligence left, he would have surely aimed at the mastermind, Espherus, like a madman…”Your friend doesn’t seem to have much leeway either–!”
The guy’s behavior pattern ultimately matched responses at an equal level to the threat level, and Kerekathu, who summoned a part of Frost Territories, was too preoccupied handling the frenzied flailing of the Blood King’s body alone to have any room to spare.
This could be the first and last opportunity to eliminate Aughulabes!
Kugu-gugu-gung!
Just before completely closing its maw, Khan drew ash with his left arm. He dispersed more than half of the available ash and then poured out with all his might…!
Tukwak…….
Jjeejeejeejeok!
Pakang-
A line drawn straight along the trajectory of the extended fist touched the edge of the spatial predator. And it broke. A straight path towards Aughulabes was created. Spreading the remaining ash almost in half over his body, Khan slammed into the ground.
Kwagwang!
At that moment, a system message brushed a corner of his vision. It was a message stating that Leap Mastery was fully achieved.
He ignored it.
He simply shot his body like a cannonball along the path left by the line of ash.
[Vurogiyaaa!!]
That was the moment.
The black light that oozed out from Aughulabes corporal form began to reverse the effect of Esperlus’ realm. Whether the power of the realm suppressed him or not, the anger and humiliation of feeling threatened by a mortal being drove him.
The black light projected forward didn’t stop at just collapsing space. The space itself was torn apart. A phenomenon befitting his ability – akin to the void. Literally, emptiness blocked Khan’s path.
He had a premonition.
The moment his foot stepped into that void, his physical body would not even leave a trace and would become part of the void, disintegrating. That dimension of void was the absolute spear and shield possessed by Aughulabes.
However, despite all this, Khan’s mind remained calm. Acquiring Karan’s eyes naturally led to a missed opportunity for the combat foresight skill that had remained silent. Because he was convinced. The basis? The power of the domain was pressing down on Avoglavess like shackles or perhaps he was intoxicated by the newly acquired power… Neither was true.
“The essence of authority is erosion.”
To overlay the will of the world that fills the entire world with one’s own will is authority. Therefore, the only way to oppose authority is with equal authority, and superiority is determined solely by the level of authority. However.
Khan’s black color is different.
“Expansion.”
Unlike the authority that erodes a part of the world, Khan’s black color does not devour anything. The black color is essentially my own will, and the black color expressed outward is nothing but an extension of myself.
As the essence of the black color is to magnify the presence of Khan in the world, it is expansion.
“So, that Karan guy can only count on his dirty tricks….”
Even if the transcendent authority erodes the will of the world, Khan’s black color pushes the will of the world itself away. Like removing a wedged stone that has rolled in. That’s why he holds absolute superiority over authority.
He gently reached out his hand towards the emptiness blocking his path.
In the end, even the emptiness in front of him is a creation of Avoglavess’s authority. Even though the emptiness, which cannot even be properly recognized with the naked eye, appeared as a dark black hole in Karan’s eyes.
Khan’s fingertips touch that black hole.
Avoglavess’s will, which had eroded the will of the world, fiercely resisted, baring its fangs. It cannot be pushed away like this – I am an existence that cannot be overtaken by mere mortals – the desperate wail of Avoglavess flowed through the black light that touched his hand.
Thwok.
As if complying with Khan’s gentle touch, Avoglavess’s will retreats. Following him, the void fixed in a state of being preyed upon by the bastard is pushed away.
The space that was thus created was naturally filled, and the next moment Khan’s sight was filled with the distorted face of a demon.
Within the whirlpool of emotions that are hard to describe in words, the most intense feeling was still anger. It meant that the anger towards dying at the hands of mere mortals was greater than the fear of sensing his own death. The devil, the transcendent being, was so arrogant.
“Go to hell.”

Of course, he had various excuses to offer.
Whether it was the chains of Esperus, the fatal surprise attack taken advantage of his guard being down, or not being able to properly handle a power of an unprecedented kind. So what? Who cares.
“You lost.”
At Khan’s grim declaration, the man’s face contorted even more horrifically.
“Don’t mock meeee! Mortaaaaal──!”
Forcing his way past the shackles of the domain, the exorbitant price paid for forcing out his abilities was feeding on the man’s body and soul. Despite that, the transcendental power relentlessly sought to corrode the world as if it had no bottom. Each time, the shackles clamping down on the man’s body and soul only pressed harder.
Augeverbes knew the truth.
Continuing to excessively demonstrate his powers would be no different than destroying the foundation he had built with his own hands. Yet, even so, he did not stop.
“I am Augeverbes──! The delegate appointed by the Lord of Hell, a fiend who has swallowed the flames of hell, destined to replace you with my fangs──!! Barely, just barely against the likes of you!!”
The space fluctuated unstably. Cracks opened up, and hellfire spewed forth from the strained body. At that moment, Augeverbes resembled both a devourer of space and an avatar of hellfire. It seemed like he was not the one enveloped in darkness, but darkness was enveloping him. He appeared entirely consumed by the power.
Existences solely relying on power to annihilate those of lower stature.
“And that’s why you lost.”
Rather, the hellfire greatsword and the sword strike tearing through space that he proudly exhibited seemed more menacing.
As Khan muttered under his breath, the remnants of the ashen color gathered around his clenched fist. There were still enemies left to deal with—no matter if something within his mind was shouting or whispering, he poured out every bit of remaining strength.
When the ashen color lingering in his grip flowed into Draupnir, the sensation of the sword vanished, and his arm seemed to elongate as if the sword had become an extension of his hand. It reminded Khan of something a furious martial arts master once said. His thoughts suddenly drifted to that memory, and with a chuckle, his fingertips smoothly pierced through the barrier of hellfire and space—
Swish.
The ashen sword pierced through the core of the power.
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[Level Up!]
[Level: 39.99%]