Duguen!

The terribly crushed heart started beating again. The contraction and relaxation were faster and more powerful than they had been in the past hundreds of years. The moment his heart contracted, the blood vessels all over his body pulsed in unison. Blood that circulated quickly like a rapid stream was sucked into the heart.

There was a chill from the top of Braham’s head.

The heart that greedily sucked the blood in the body released it again. This time, it was a mixture of magic power and blood. Blood and magic power were integrated.

Strengthening through integration.

The pleasure that he had forgotten for hundreds of years penetrated his brain. His consciousness was awakened to an unprecedented level.

“Hah...” Braham breathed deeply in ecstasy. The focus in the red eyes became blurred for a moment. His two cheeks, which looked whiter in contrast to the blood covering his face, filled with a faint flush. The viewers gulped and swallowed their saliva at the sight.

Braham, who was drunk on pleasure, showed a seductiveness they had never imagined. The anchors from broadcasting stations around the world, who were supposed to show the situation, were blushing with mesmerized expressions. It was regardless of gender or age.

Duguen!

Braham swept back his messy hair and enjoyed the sensation he had craved for hundreds of years. Blood and magic power were integrated every time his heart contracted and relaxed. He savored the strengthened magic power and physical changes that were the result without missing a single thing.

It was the sensation of becoming stronger just by breathing. This was a drug. There was only a positive cycle. It was a privilege gained by strengthening the perfect body and magic power that his mother had given him.

Braham was grateful that he was alive. He was pleased to be able to once again enjoy the valuable results of his research at the expense of many of his own people. Wouldn’t those who died as unwanted experiments find it rewarding to see what he was now? If those useless people were still alive, they would’ve been no help at all. They should be thrilled and delighted to be helpful even in death.

Electric currents swirled over Braham’s head as he was engulfed in an arrogance close to madness. It was the precursor to the large-scale lightning magic, Giga Raiden. However, the electric currents were in a strange state. They weren’t blue or yellow, but red. His magic nature had changed due to mixing the magic that he studied after being deprived of his qualifications and degenerating to a human with the power of a direct descendant that was regained at this moment.

‘If I induce it in this way...’

It was a state of awakened consciousness. Braham’s brain was active like never before. It was an area of transcendence. It was a level where he created new skills in real time by combining his regained power and magic.

Peak Sword, Kyle, the dukes, knights, soldiers, and players—lightning flashed around them as they were isolated on the battlefield while fighting against the soul army and blood sprayed out like paint. Giga Raiden, which had fallen from above, rose in the reverse direction using blood as the medium. It swept over the soul soldiers, turning them into ashes.

“Marie Rose,” Braham, who used an unbelievable move, called out to the woman in the air. He didn’t raise his head to look at her. His gaze was fixed on Gamigin. It wasn’t because he was wary of Gamigin. Currently, he used the flowing mana and blood scattered all over the battlefield as his senses. It was possible to observe Gamigin’s actions without having to see it with his eyes.

Nevertheless, the reason for paying attention to Gamigin instead of Marie Rose was simple. He didn’t want to look up at Marie Rose. It would’ve been the same even if Marie Rose was a god. There were only two people in the world who he could look up to—his mother, who gave birth to him, and Grid, who gave him a new life.

“Get out of here. I will give you credit for your actions today and let you leave.”

Marie Rose was a daughter born from the sacrifice of their mother. From the beginning, she was an object of jealousy and hatred. Additionally, Braham was deprived of all his power and rights by her. Therefore, Braham resented and hated her even more. The same was true even now that he received his power back from her. Braham was convinced that this feeling would never change.

“Don’t be too impertinent.” Marie Rose couldn’t resist her eyelids that gradually fell heavily. The brother who didn’t dare make eye contact with her not long ago was now talking to her in a lively manner. She didn’t find it unpleasant. She was worried Braham would rush recklessly at her despite their mother’s enemy being right in front of them. Fortunately, he wasn’t crazy enough to forget his duty. She felt relieved.

She was about to turn and leave when Braham called out to her, “I overcame the Curse of Sloth as a result of my own willpower and effort.”

His voice was full of pride. It was like he was saying ‘I am better than you.’ Hundreds of years ago, this attitude would be considered ridiculous. Now it seemed quite plausible. It was hard to take it lightly. Therefore—

“It was madness, not effort. It is an achievement at the expense of your blood.” She became somewhat emotional. She somehow stopped the body that wanted to go back and lie down in the coffin right away. Braham was delighted after noticing her change. He realized he might have the upper hand in his relationship with her and pulled out his cards.

“Now that I’ve regained my strength, I can resolve your curse.”

Bow down. Hold onto my trousers and beg me to solve this terrible curse that has eaten at you all your life.

Braham sent her a look with this meaning.

“...I will kill you if you say anything else.” Marie Rose glared. Her expression was cold like her sleepiness had fled. Even killing intent was felt.

“......?” Braham was flustered by the unexpected response. He thought she would think about it for a while but she didn’t consider it at all. He couldn’t understand it. From the moment of her birth until now—Marie Rose had been suffering from the Curse of Sloth all her life. He would want to shake off this curse even if it meant selling his soul. He never thought she would so coldly kick away this chance to escape from the pain that would last forever.

‘You don’t want to be in my hands, even if it means suffering for the rest of your life?’

Braham clicked his tongue.

There was actually a reason Marie Rose responded sensitively to the bait he threw out, but... it was a truth that only Marie Rose knew.

The chain of red lightning was sweeping through the battlefield. By the time Marie Rose scattered into fog and disappeared, all the humans on the battlefield had already been rescued from the crisis. All the soul soldiers who were attacking the humans were burned by the lightning and disappeared. It was a sight worth being called a miracle.

“Gasp... Gasp...?”

Death. I am really going to die. It is okay if I die. The problem is if I die without saving Braham.

Peak Sword, who was trembling in a chaotic state, belatedly came to his senses and looked around. The radius of five meters around him was empty. It was due to the forest of red lightning rising from the ground. Every time the fearless soul soldiers entered the forest, they were scattered into piles of ashes.

“This...?” Was it Kyle?

Peak Sword widened his field of view. Just like himself, there were people everywhere who were being helped by the baptism of unidentified lightning. Kyle was one of them. He followed Kyle’s quivering gaze and saw Braham’s back. Braham stood firmly despite being in tatters. The back that appeared between the torn shirt... it was clean without any damage. Gamigin’s hooves had definitely pierced that back and protruded out...

“Eh...?” Peak Sword couldn’t understand the situation but he straightened his body. The main feature of the Overgeared members was that they adapted well to changes. Perhaps it was because they had been watching Grid transcend their imagination without even trying for a long time.

“Sigh.” His right arm had recovered thanks to taking medicine for the fracture during the battle. His left arm was almost re-attached. Instead, he was on the verge of running out of health, but it wasn’t time to rest.

Gamigin stared at Braham while stomping her hind legs. She was like a bull just before charging, although she was clearly a horse.

Peak Sword thought, ‘I’ll protect him.’

Braham’s magic was different from ordinary magic. He could use long-distance teleportation like it was Blink. Braham could escape as long as there was a short gap. Peak Sword didn’t delay any longer after knowing this. He left the area of lightning and shot forward like an arrow. He jumped into the enemy camp alone. He ignored the spears and blades of the soul soldiers that pierced his armor and cut at his flesh.

His sharp gaze was on Gamigin, who stood in the distance. His hands never left the sheath and hilt.

The 4th Great Demon—the one who surpassed the penalty of the human world and showed off the dignity of one of the world’s strongest existences. Peak Sword didn’t shrink back while rushing at her.

Only once. In order to create that one opportunity, his mind focused only on his fingertips while he gave his flesh and bones to the souls.

‘I can do it.’

The 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom was a position everyone looked up to. It always received attention. Proof of his qualifications was asked anytime and anywhere. Of course, he accepted. It was with a desperate desire so he wasn’t cursed for being in this position.

Peak Sword’s rushing body gradually tilted downward. His jaw was about to sweep over the ground. His unprotected back was stabbed by the souls’ swords and spears and the distance between his stretched out feet was distorted, but he didn’t stop accelerating.

‘Draw Sword, Falling Tiger Bite.’

A flash of light sprang from Peak Sword’s fingertips. There was no sound. The process of pulling out the sword was accelerated by the thumb of the left hand on the crossguard of the sheath and it wasn’t a speed that sound could chase.

“......!” The sudden appearance of ‘Beriache’s daughter’ and Braham whose atmosphere changed because of her. Gamigin had been feeling danger and wariness toward Braham. Now she noticed Peak Sword for the first time. She detected and reacted to the intangible sword energy bearing a tiger’s spirit.

This mishap occurred due to her transcendent senses. Gamigin’s body, which had been gathering driving force to rush at Braham, instead shot at Peak Sword. It was the realm of instinct and Gamigin became flustered.

The moment Gamigin’s body suddenly filled his entire vision, Peak Sword laughed. He wasn’t pleased by the sight of his strike leaving a deep wound on her chest. He was just relieved to see that Braham’s figure on the edge of his vision had disappeared.

‘That’s... fine.’ It was enough if Braham could flee safely. It was a pity that Titan would perish in this way, but... he heard that many people had already fled. They could always recover and get revenge in the future as long as people survived.

Peak Sword was relieved as he faced Gamigin’s hooves that were right before him. He accepted the certain death that he was prepared for from the beginning. This was until Braham’s voice was heard. “How presumptuous.”

Peak Sword was stunned. Braham, who he thought had fled using Teleport, was standing in front of him. Braham was even holding Gamigin’s forelegs with both hands. His hands held each leg tightly and he endured the weight that could explode the ground with just wind pressure.

“Huh?” Peak Sword unknowingly cried out foolishly. He couldn’t accept the situation in front of him. It was natural. Braham was the legendary great magician. His stats were centered around intelligence. Inevitably, his body must be slow and weak. He confessed to himself that he would never win if he fought against a Sword Saint. Yet now he blocked Gamigin’s attack. He used his bare hands to block the 4th Great Demon’s attack, which was not inferior to the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship in terms of pure destructive power.

Braham frowned. “Don’t come out again.”

It was a warning to Peak Sword, not Gamigin. He wasn’t very happy about the situation in which he threw himself to protect others. It was exceedingly awkward.

Braham’s shirt expanded and burst. The veins and beautiful muscles of his forearms appeared to the world as he held Gamigin’s legs. The body of a direct descendant—it was a body inherited from the lineage of Beriache. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it superhuman strength after a great magician's muscle strengthening magic and the body strengthening using blood circulation was added.

“Yoooooooou!!!” The astonished Gamigin’s body floated high into the sky. It was the aftermath of being thrown by Braham and influenced by gravity magic. She was unable to adapt quickly to the gravity that was transmitted differently to each part of her body and floundered helplessly.

Braham’s red eyes flashed. He used his awakened consciousness to control the blood in his body and restore the loss of his mana core. It forcibly restored his temporarily paralyzed magic circuits. This meant that the cooldown time of his previously used magic was artificially eliminated. He got internal injuries from the high cost but he didn’t care. The Duke of Wisdom’s computational ability trusted the resilience of a direct descendant.

“Punishment.”

A red sphere was shot. It was a form of destruction. The lower body of the 4th Great Demon was crushed.