Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 727- Luminous Judgement

In that case, Simon took a deep breath and allowed his skill [Thousand Sword Mastery] to communicate with the sword. At that moment, the sword became like an extension of his and he could clearly see and feel three distinct skills rested within it, waiting to be harnessed.

Across the battlefield, smoke and sparks erupted from Malgrum, after it fired the second blast and for a second there it looked like its overall power had decreased.

Could it be... A realization dawned upon him. This was the opening he was waiting for. Smoke and sparks erupting from Malgrum was a telltale sign that the creature couldn't unleash that kind of destructive power continuously. Doing so, would render it immobile for a while.

Without wasting a single second, Simon tapped into the power of the sword. Gathering his energy, he charged the sword with the essence of the sun. The blade blazed with radiant energy as he unleashed the first skill, Solar Flare Strike.

<nulli>[Solar Flare Strike]: Unleashes a devastating sword swing that releases a blinding burst of solar energy upon impact, searing and staggering enemies caught in its range.

 Simon gave a resounding battle cry and swung the Sword of Dawn, releasing a blinding burst of solar energy upon impact. The strike cleaved through the air with unparalleled force, searing and scorching Malgrum as it made contact.

<nullb><nulli>GWROAARRRR… The creature gave an agonising cry for the first time since the start of the battle and thrashed around. A deep gash marred its tough hide, revealing the grotesque sight of its internal organs.

Seeing this scene, Simon's eyes shined with excitement. "So powerful!!" The Sword of Dawn was not regarded as a legendary sword for no reason. A single skill from it was powerful enough to violently distort space. What would happen if he used the other two skills?

And this was just the replica, how powerful was the original sword? Simon couldn't help but yearn to possess a sword like this. However, it was too bad that the sword had traces of divine magic bestowed on it.

If not because of the trial, he might not even be able to hold it without being repelled. Putting those thoughts aside, the attack earlier had shown him a way. He could finally see the signs of victory.

Since that was the case, Simon pressed on with newfound fervour, his attacks relentless. He didn't allow the creature a single moment to recover.

The Sword of Dawn blazed with the brilliance of the sun, cleaving through one of Malgrum's limbs after another. The limbs that were cut down, still had the flames of sun and thus couldn't regenerate.

With Veridian Sunblade as his trusted partner, Simon orchestrated a complex choreography of battle. The Sword of Dawn danced across the air, its radiant blade made beautiful arcs across the air, wounding and injuring the creature.

Malgrum's agonising cry echoed like a symphony of suffering and the prelude to victory. However, the battle was far from over. Malgrum's resilience was beyond Simon's wildest dreams, and the extent of its power was something that he had yet to see.

The creature that once struck terror into the hearts of many, a creature from ancient times that had plunged realms into chaos, stood before him in all of its grotesque glory. The very embodiment of fear, whose malevolent presence sent a shiver down one's spine, revealed its ugliest fangs at this moment.

An unsettling atmosphere suddenly engulfed the hall and in front of Simon's astonished eyes, an unusual phenomenon unfolded. The many tumours that protruded from Malgrum's body began to detach, each forming into its own hideous creature.

The sight was akin to a birth of horrors, these newly formed entities swarming the vicinity, lurching and crawling with an ominous energy. The battlefield became a nightmarish scene as they advanced, adding another layer of chaos to the already intense combat.

Simon's heart pounded seeing these horrors being born one after another right before his eyes. He finally understood the extent of devastation and terror it brought to the lands in the ancient times and why numerous civilisations perished under it.

After all, if it could produce offspring like that, it was no wonder it became an embodiment of fear and took the two mighty warriors several days and nights to bring it down.

These tumorous horrors might look tiny but that was only because he was standing on the shoulders of a seventy two feet tall statue. Individually, each of these horrors were around seven to ten meters tall. What's more, they resembled their parent in appearance and were all above level 700.

A realm that was considered a catastrophe in this day and era and the creature produced dozens of them just like that.

"No wonder the trial said that only death awaited me if I got caught by Maglrum. It turned out that even its offspring is this strong, so how powerful it itself was?"

Although the [Appraisal] was unable to display anything about Malgrum due to the level difference, that in itself told much about the creature. What's more shocking was that this was just a remnant, how strong was the actual creature from the ancient times?

"Haha, there was no way I would have stood a chance against this on my own" Simon laughed.

He thought that he had seen the vastness of the world during the Auction and Hexennacht. However, he couldn't be any more wrong. The mighty Demon Dukes who once seemed almost invincible to him before, were just a bunch of children playing kings in the absence of the mighty.

 The actual kings were those lurking in the shadows without bothering to show their faces in the open, the ones that have survived through the ancient times.

Malgrum in front of him was the proof. The ancient creature and the horrors it produced, a lineup like that could no doubt drive even the bravest warriors to madness.

However, in front of such a challenge, Simon laughed as exhilaration coursed through his body. His mind focused on the battle at hand. His blade danced and weaved, each strike aimed at exploiting the vulnerabilities he'd discovered.

He knew that even with the Sword of Dawn's power, victory wasn't guaranteed. Malgrum remained a formidable foe, and its grotesque offspring only added to the complexity of the battle.

Every moment was a struggle, a test of endurance and skill against an ancient terror. And so as the battle raged on, the hall became the battleground from the ancient times. The legends of the two warriors who stood against the terror known as Malgrum, was being re-enacted inside the halls of the fifth trail.

Deep cracks spread like abyss, spread everywhere, space collapsed, laws distorted and huge debris fell down from the ceiling. In front of this titanic clash that unfolded in a crescendo of unparalleled power, the Hall was no longer able to contain their might.

 Soon the walls of the hall disappeared revealing a dark black abyss behind. Anything that fell there would disappear forever or would wander into the unknown. Just a look at it was enough to give one the chills.

Simon made sure not to fall into those cracks.

As Malgrum's attacks became even more fierce, he called upon the second skill resting within the sword [Luminous Parry]. The skill allows the wielder to create a defensive barrier of light with a swing of the sword, effectively nullifying incoming magical attacks and projectiles.

Using the [Luminous Parry], Simon seamlessly defeated the attacks from the main body and counter attacked using his sword skills and [Solar Flare Strike].

As for the tumorous horrors, Gaelen took care of them. Using its Shield of Oath, it diverted almost eight per cent of oncoming attacks on him, becoming an unparalleled shield in this battle of mythos.

All deadly onslaught rained on him yet the shield bearer who carried the portion of the will of the original warrior, remained firm and unyielding.

"Yeah, we can't let Gaelen outshine us" Standing on its shoulder, Simon sensed the emotions coming out of the statue.

Gaelen and Veridian were both mighty warriors, brothers and rivals in their own right. The intensity of their competition was mirrored in the fierce battle that unfolded before Simon's eyes.

 Neither would be content with being outshone by the other, and that sentiment was deeply ingrained in the actions of the statues. As such, responding to the emotions and sentiment coming from the Veridian statue, Simon too gave his best.

 In the heat of the moment, as the clash reached its peak, The statue of Veridian and Simon melded into one as their movements synchronized with an uncanny precision. With each swing of the blade, they cut through the tumorous horrors that assaulted them.

 In tandem, the statue of Gaelen shielded Simon from attacks, becoming an unbreakable bastion against the tide of malevolence.

 And then as if displaying the might of the original wielder of the shield of oath, the statue of Gaelen unleashed a skill that defied the limits of the battle. With unparalleled might, it charged forward like an all powering tidal wave, crashing into Malgrum with a force that echoed through the shattered remnants of the hall.

The collision opened a momentary window of vulnerability in the creature's defences.

NOW!! Seizing this chance, Simon and the statue of Veridian raised their swords high, channelling their combined energy into a single act.

The Sword of Dawn blazed with an ethereal light as they activated the last of its three skills, the most potent of them all — [Luminous Judgment].