CHAPTER 80: IN THE ZONE

Luke had two weapons.

One of these weapons was a sword forged by Andromeda Ariadne Hiera in pitch-black flames, resembling the starry night.

It was nearly eighty centimetres long, truly blessed by Nyx herself, and after being forged in pitch-black flames, it had transformed into a sword with white, star-like patterns.

Its hilt bore the emblem of an Ancient Dragon.

This sword was called ’Kessiar’ in the Ancient Dragon Language and ’Starry Night’ in the common tongue.

The second weapon was a shortsword believed to have been forged by the child of Andromeda Ariadne Hiera, though there were no official records of it. It was the shortsword that best conducted and utilised magic throughout the entire empire.

This shortsword was almost like a weeping work of art. It had been forged in pitch-black flames, yet for some unknown reason, it was filled with bright red stains representing pure blood.

This shortsword was even shorter than a normal shortsword, measuring just under forty centimetres in length.

This shortsword was called ’Lihar’ in the Ancient Dragon Language and ’Red Death’ in the common tongue.

Luke held the sword Kessiar tightly in his right hand and the shortsword Lihar in his left.

The sounds grew louder, and soon the first magical monsters appeared.

Luke took a step forward in an instant, and both swords were engulfed in pitch-black flames.

He took a few steps forward and began to run. The area was so large that only half of the 150 dark elf warriors were able to keep up with him.

It was possible to see arrows flying behind them, in front of them, and then hitting the bodies of the magical monsters. Everyone had started the battle in a matter of seconds.

Luke, holding his swords tightly, was constantly stabbing different magical monsters. Goblins, spiny rats, sabre-toothed tigers, shadowfangs, ice dire wolves, and many more.

He was able to kill dozens of different types of magical monsters in a few moves, and the strange thing was that he was not the best warrior in the field.

He truly regretted having abandoned his training in order to improve his political skills.

He knew that once they had cleared this dungeon, at least reducing the pressure waiting inside, he would have to beg Callum for training.

The disgusting sound of swords clashing with the bodies of living magical beasts could be heard. It was a natural sound, but to be honest, Luke wasn’t very used to it.

He had encountered real magical beasts almost four or five times.

He wasn’t afraid, of course, he wasn’t afraid. His anxiety was close to zero. He was just having a little trouble keeping up with the others.

It was said that Andromeda Ariadne Hiera was the strongest and most perfect magician of all time, and that she was as skilled with a sword as a goddess.

Luke, however, was not even at the beginning of this path, and this annoyed him.

He should have been better.

He should have been faster.

He should have made another cut.

He should have plunged his sword into another magical beast.

His clothes were already stained with the blood of magical beasts of different colours.

Despite being unable to see because magical monster blood had gotten into his eyes, he managed to kill every magical monster he attacked.

He had made another cut.

Then he made another one.

Then he made yet another one... until he no longer knew how long he had been swinging his swords.

He really didn’t know how much time had passed. He was just acting on instinct.

"My lord!"

"MY LORD!"

"Lord Hiera!"

After the words and shouts came one after another, Luke opened his eyes despite the magical monster blood on his face.

He looked around suddenly, trying to figure out what or who was calling him.

He could see the dark elves and others around him.

Callum, Kevin, and Else seemed to have returned for some reason.

Luke took deep breaths, trying to bring himself back to himself. It was a very strange feeling. His veins were pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat, as if dancing, and he could feel his brain throbbing.

Adrenaline was at its peak. It might have been one of the greatest adrenaline rushes a person could feel, and it wasn’t even a battle... just a hunt.

The worry on Callum’s and Kevin’s faces was evident. Elsa, however, was looking at Luke with pride, that strange expression on her face.

Luke’s eyes had become incredibly blurry, but as he began to come to his senses by taking deep breaths, his vision returned. When he could look around properly again, the scene before him left him speechless.

There were countless magical monster corpses scattered around. There were truly too many to count. Perhaps ten thousand? Perhaps twenty thousand? These were magical monsters burning in black and white flames, even within thin layers of ice...

How much time had they spent killing so many magical beasts?

Perhaps six, or even seven hours? It was a highly plausible and likely thought.

"Your Majesty... Are you all right?" Kevin asked, not very calmly.

When Luke heard this question, he turned to Kevin and shook his head just once, in a rather awkward manner.

He was trying to say yes, but even that was difficult for his tired brain.

This was the first time Luke had ever really fought and taken multiple lives with his own hands.

Taking a life was not an easy action, after all.

The reason Kevin asked this question was not because he was wondering if Luke was tired. Luke was completely engulfed in flames.

White, black, and yellow flames had covered his body, which explained why he was able to fight for such a long time.

The yellow flames, the flames of light and healing, must have kept him standing.

When Luke’s breathing began to stabilise, he looked at Kevin again, his eyes locked on the old man’s, and asked:

"What happened?"