The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 64

“Damn it all! Of all things, he had to have something so bothersome hidden away….”

It was unclear if Jack was angry or annoyed, but his jaw under the mask was visibly trembling.

All the Shadow Mist he had meticulously laid down was blown away in an instant.

Moreover, the golden aura emanating from the novice’s sword was the opposite of his own swordsmanship.

With every clash, the Shadow Mist dissipated, erasing the advantage of concealing his sword aura.

“You bastard! How can you use divine power?!” Jack yelled irritably.

But Raul continued his assault with a calm expression that seemed to question what Jack was even talking about.

‘Divine power, he says?’

It might have looked splendid and sacred from the outside, but it was merely a pure concentration of mana, not mixed with any divine power.

After all, Raul didn’t even have divine power stats to begin with. Still, looking at Jack’s expression made him wonder if he might have been wrong.

‘Perhaps something got mixed in because of the Regnator?’

Regardless, it wasn’t a bad development. It seemed like it would be of great help in future confrontations with the empire’s forces. The real issue was something else.

‘How do I control this?’

Light emitting from his body as if he were a light bulb! And how on earth was he supposed to deal with the halo effect clinging to his sword qi?

Despite its flashy appearance, in practice, its effects were limited to slight anti-magic power and a minor blessing effect.

He was no exhibitionist; continuing to stand out on the battlefield like this was akin to sending an open invitation to enemies!

‘It’s like asking to be targeted. I can’t help it now, but I need to find a way to get rid of this unnecessary halo effect.’

The skill itself had incredible effects. When activated, it granted a wide area with the holy trinity of divine powers: Purification, Blessing, and Cure. Moreover, it continuously maintained blessing and anti-magic effects around the caster and his allies.

Currently, the skill’s mastery was only at intermediate level 1, so the effects were limited to Raul, but in the future, it promised to be a powerful area-wide buff skill that could influence the entire battlefield.

Boom! Bang!!

Despite his complaints, Raul’s radiant effects made the battle incredibly dynamic and spectacular. The fight between Jack, shrouded in dark magic, and Raul, scattering golden radiance, resembled a clash between demons and angels.

However, Raul wasn’t the only one displeased with the situation.

‘I need to capture this guy quickly!’

Jack was becoming increasingly impatient. The battle below the fortress had already tipped in one direction. The demonic cavalry had been annihilated, and tattooed agents and armor users were barely holding on.

He didn’t know when the knights from the other side would intervene.

‘Damn it. I didn’t want to use it if possible!’

The emperor’s emblem etched on his body granted tremendous power, but the aftermath once its duration ended was far from mild. He hadn’t used it once in the past few days of hunting, and now he had to use it against this novice!

Admittedly, it was a blow to his pride, but holding back any longer could lead to a situation where he’d be neither alive nor dead.

“Fine. I’ll erase you from this world, along with that repulsive light!”

People often harbored misconceptions.

– Fire is weak to water.

– Light suppresses darkness.

– Divine power is stronger than black magic.

However, Jack believed these ideas couldn’t be further from the truth. Water evaporates in face of a fierce flame, darkness consumes light. The crux of the matter wasn’t about compatibility or opposition.

“The strong prevail!”

There was only one unchanging truth. And Jack was about to prove that fact.

“Huff.”

Taking a deep breath, Jack’s body began to transform drastically.

Worm-like red tattoos crawled up from below his neck, covering his entire face. With that, his muscles swelled explosively, and a black steam-like aura burst forth from his body.

“Aaargh!”

Cras~~h! Boom bang!

With a ferocious bellow, Jack swung, and although Raul blocked the blow with his bastard sword, he couldn’t withstand the impact and was sent flying back pathetically.

“Aaah! Die already!”

Jack leaped over a distance of more than 10 meters in a single bound, and his greatsword unleashed a crescent-shaped black sword qi that rained down on Raul in an indiscriminate bombardment.

Bang! Smash! Boom!!

Facing the terrifying onslaught, Raul was swept away like a leaf caught in a storm, and the golden aura swirling around him vanished without a trace.

The doping-enhanced strength and speed overwhelmed Raul, the black magic aura devoured the aura of brilliance, and once more enveloped Raul’s power armor.

Raul could hardly counter and struggled just to defend himself against the one-sided assault. Pushed far from the fortress just as Jack intended, the battle seemed to conclude with Jack’s victory.

‘But why does he remain so calm!’

Through the gaps in his helmet, Raul’s eyes were steadfast, and his movements remained unshaken, as if scoffing at Jack’s efforts. Anger surged within Jack.

‘Fine, I’ll finish you off!’

Jack grasped his two-handed sword with both hands and stretched it towards the sky.

Roa~~r!

The energy around the sword began to rush in madly. Initially about a meter long, the black sword qi grew to 2 meters, then 3, and finally extended to 5 meters.

Crack. Zap!

Like a tower, the erected pillar of black energy violently contorted, as if it would tear the atmosphere apart, showcasing its presence.

“This is it, rookie!!”

A colossal pillar of dark sword qi plummeted towards Raul. Faced with the terrifying energy capable of devouring space itself, Raul made an unexpected decision.

Rather than dodging the blade qi, he hurled himself towards Jack and the striking force.

“What? Looking to die, have you lost your mind?”

A smirk twitched at the corner of Jack’s mouth, yet he didn’t ease the force in his hands. Initially, his goal had been to capture the rookie, but now he was so irritated that he didn’t care about the outcome.

Finally, the black demonic blade qi fell to the ground.

‘…?’

However, the expected sound of collision did not follow. That’s because his blade qi never reached the ground. Ridiculously, Jack’s greatsword was firmly grasped in Raul’s right hand, unable to move a bit.

“Good heavens!”

Chills ran down Jack’s entire body.

‘What on earth is that!?’

The golden armor covering Raul’s right shoulder down to his fingertips. It radiated a presence unlike any power armor before, remaining unscratched even as Jack’s greatsword, covered in demonic blade qi, made direct contact.

A power armor above power armor? He had never heard of such a thing.

“Ghah!”

Jack, facing Raul’s cold and serene golden eyes, let out a subdued groan. The prey that had seemed so beneath him now looked like an untouchable monster.

‘Shivering, me?’

“Argh!!”

Gritting his teeth, Jack let out a scream, retracting his greatsword to create some distance.

“No, that can’t be!!”

Refusing to accept it, Jack swung his sword wildly. Every swing launched a sharp crescent of blade qi towards Raul. Yet, none of them fazed Raul. Without moving an inch, Raul effortlessly shattered the blade qi with his greatsword. Desperately unleashing dozens of blade qis, Jack suddenly turned and sprinted towards the fortress.

“Damn it! Any mages listening? Take care of the monster I’ve captured. Clear the gate and retreat! The rest of you, buy time!!”

Through the command communication function built into the power armor, Jack issued orders while hastening his steps and glancing back. Continuing the fight with this monster was pointless.

Considering the remaining energy of the power armor and the duration of the spells, continuing the battle here was a waste of time.

“I haven’t lost. It’s just that the situation is unfavorable, so it’s a strategic retreat. Next time, I’ll come prepared and crush him!”

If he had known the monster’s capabilities from the start, he wouldn’t have fought this way. It was as if he was the only one who had unnecessarily drained his strength. Whether that monster was really 15 was also questionable.

And what right did he have to so arrogantly conceal his power? It was as if he knew what they were planning to do all along.

‘No, could it be? No, that’s impossible… For now, let’s head back and think it over.’

Even as he neared the fortress, the monstrous figure maintained a certain distance, merely following. No matter how much he tried to run, the figure following him nonchalantly, hands clasped behind his back as if on a leisurely walk, was infuriating.

“Tch. Let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogance.”

The thought of the enemy’s bewildered face after suddenly clearing the gate and disappearing brought a slight smile to his lips.

Bang! Splutter!!

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the fortress’s front lines.

“Darn it.”

It seemed the fools hadn’t managed to buy enough time. Except for five armor users, everyone else had fallen, and they were starting to be outnumbered. It seemed like total annihilation was only a matter of time.

“What a miscalculation. I won’t let the intelligence guys off when we get back!”

At that moment, when Emil, the lieutenant, spotted Jack, he greeted him with a bright expression.

“Vice Commander Jack! Please, we need your help!!”

The extent of the damage was evident; hardly any part of his power armor remained intact. His core energy also seemed nearly depleted, with the defensive field flickering weakly.

Considering his opponent was Philip, the strongest of the First Knight Order, it was impressive he had held out this long.

Had Emil not managed to hold his own somehow, the Imperial Hounds’ armor users would have been wiped out long ago.

“What a useless lot! How dare you show your face after sacrificing all those troops!!”

The irritable Jack couldn’t possibly admit such a fact. Yet, seemingly intending to help, he started closing the distance towards Emil.

“Phew, we’re saved now!”

Emil, believing Jack could take on the monstrous knight from the opposing side, was about to breath a sigh of relief when he noticed a peculiar scene.

Jack, running towards them, kept glancing back, and sure enough, the youngster named Raul was following him. But it looked more like Jack was the one being chased.

“Ah, no way… Eek!”

While they were momentarily distracted, the enemy launched another attack. Somehow managing to fend it off, Jack finally reached him and his men.

“Vice Commander Jack! That knight over there….”

“Shut up! You idiots.”

Jack didn’t stop his charge but spat out insults as he brushed past Emil and his men.

Squeak!

In his hand was a red whistle, which he didn’t hesitate to blow fiercely.

A look of horror and disbelief crossed Emil’s face.

“Jack~ You bastard, trying to save only yourself, ugh!”

Enraged and cursing, Emil’s face went pale.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, dark magic flames started to engulf Emil and two other armor users.

The activation of the empire knights’ final self-destruct technique, [Dark Sacrifice], had begun.

Whether it was their will or not, the outcome was the same.

“Kwaargh!!”

Finally, three mad beasts unleashed on the battlefield.

(To be continued)