Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Master (1)

***

The moment Damien activated the Dark Binding, Dominico was drawn to a strange place.

It was a place where darkness covered everything, no matter where he looked.

“Where is this?”

Just as Dominico was feeling confused, someone suddenly appeared in the darkness.

– Dominico, you’re not holding the sword correctly.

He was a middle-aged man with thick brown hair and a kind face.

Adrian.

Dominico’s master and the former Duke was yelling at him.

“Master…?

Dominico’s face became dazed. Soon, tears began to well up in his eyes.

“Master!”

Dominico sobbed and hugged Adrian. But his body simply passed through Adrian.

“W-what is this…”

Dominico looked back at Adrian again. Then Adrian’s figure disappeared like smoke.

A moment later, Adrian’s figure reappeared. This time he was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

– You must never breathe quickly. Slowly, very deeply, you must feel the mana seeping in.

It was something Adrian had said to Dominico in the past.

The moment he remembered that fact, Dominico realized. What he was seeing now was a memory of the past.

No matter how this situation came to be, the memories of his training with his master were being recreated.

“So that’s your master.”

Dominico was startled by the sudden voice and looked to the side.

Damien was now standing next to him.

“How did you get here…”

“There is not much time. This is not the time for such trivial questions.”

So saying, Damien stood still and watched Adrian.

– Dominico, the most important thing when facing an enemy is not to be intimidated by their aura.

– Today, I will have you complete 1000 downward strikes!

– Daminico, didn’t I tell you? You shouldn’t break the rhythm.

In front of Damien’s eyes, Adrian began to display his skills one by one. They were all the same as the ones Dominico had seen in the past.

Dominico looked at Adrian with a wistful look in his eyes.

Like Freize, Dominico also missed Adrian. It was Adrian who had taken in Dominico, who had become an orphan and lived as a beggar since birth.

That’s why he had high expectations when he heard Gathdal’s words that he would resurrect Adrian.

But the result was a terrible price to pay.

“I think I get it.”

At that moment, Damien stepped forward. Adrian’s figure disappeared like smoke.

As Damien reached out into the void, a greatsword appeared. Damien grasped the greatsword and began to wield it.

“It seems you’ve had experience handling a greatsword? Quite skilled, aren’t you?”

Dominico assessed Damien’s swordsmanship as he watched.

But as time passed, Dominico couldn’t help but be astonished. Damien’s swordsmanship became more and more intricate, swiftly reaching a level reminiscent of Adrian.

“H-How…?”

It wasn’t just a superficial resemblance. It was a perfect replication of the awe-inspiring presence and precision Dominico felt from his master.

Could it be his own misconception? Had the day’s shocking events clouded his judgment?

Dominico thought so until Damien swung the greatsword with all his might.

In that moment, a massive shockwave rippled through the world. The ground split open, leaving deep fissures as if gazing into a valley.

“…This can’t be.”

Dominico muttered dumbfoundedly.

What Damien had just demonstrated was Adrian’s technique. It was a technique only the master could perform in this world.

“I haven’t seen your master directly, so I can’t be certain, but it seems to have been something like this.”

Damien said as he plunged the greatsword into the ground.

“From now on, I’ll impart what I’ve learned to you.”

“Impart…? What do you mean…?”

“Remember. What’s happening to you now is temporary. Once the dark magic I’ve used is undone, you’ll forget everything.”

Damien reached out towards Dominico.

“But with your talent… you might gain something.”

He added with a wry smile.

“Though realizing it in a dead body would be of no use anyway.”

With those words, the world collapsed around them.

***

Dominico opened his eyes with a dazzling light.

“Dominico. Are you ready?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Damien’s voice. Dominico asked with a face full of questions.

– …What just happened to me?

“Now is not the time to worry about that.”

Damien pointed forward. Dominico turned his gaze in the direction Damien was pointing.

The first thing he saw was the wreckage of the shattered skeletons. White and red bones were mixed together.

The next thing he saw was Gathdal, and next to him, was the body of his master.

“If you can’t destroy that undead, we’ll all die. You’ll have to take on that guy.”

Dominico looked at Adrian with trembling eyes.

His master, who had been a Master class in his previous life, had been reduced to a plaything of the dark mage.

– …So you weren’t going to revive my master but use him like this.

Dominico suppressed the rising sobs and said.

“You’re not going to give me the nonsense that you can’t fight because it’s your master’s body, are you?”

– Of course not. I just want to give him a quick rest.

Dominico reached out into the air. He moved his mana according to the strange feeling flowing through his body.

– Is this how I use it?

Aura gathered in his palm. The aura compressed itself and created a single greatsword.

Aurablade.

The symbol of the Master Class was manifested in Dominico’s hand.

– To think that the day would come when I would create an Aurablade with my own hands.

Dominico smiled bitterly and looked at the Aurablade.

– But it’s not my own power.

“With your talent, you could have reached the Master’s level someday.”

Damien said with a calm face.

– You don’t have to give me empty comfort. I’m just grateful for now.

Dominico stepped forward, holding the Aurablade.

“Aurablade? Aurablade?”

Gathdal’s expression became distorted as soon as he saw Dominico’s face.

“That Death Knight is… Dominico. That guy must have been High Class originally? But how did he get an Aurablade… No way… It’s impossible… It can’t be….”

Gathdal grabbed his hair with both hands. His neatly combed hairstyle was ruined.

“He created… created it… In that short time… What I’ve worked my whole life to get… You… You bastard…!”

Bloodshot eyes filled Gathdal’s eyes. He clenched his teeth and muttered.

“Unacceptable! You! I! I will never let you live!”

Gathdal stretched his arms forward and shouted.

“Adrian! Kill them all!”

As soon as the order was given, Adrian charged forward. Dominico also ran forward.

The two Master Classes clashed in the air.

***

The greatsword made from reforged evil spears fell towards Dominico’s head.

Overlaying the surface of the greatsword was Aurablade. It was called the strongest weapon in human history.

No metal or monster’s carapace was anything more than a sheet of paper in front of Aurablade.

But the same was true for this side.

Dominico swung his greatsword to counter. The postures of the two were exactly the same. It was as if they were looking in a mirror.

The two Aurablades clashed.

At that moment, the ground shattered as if a volcano had erupted. The clouds that were drifting overhead were torn to shreds.

The two masters stared at each other with their Aurablades drawn.

No, to say they stared would be a misnomer. Unlike Dominico, whose eyes were vividly alive, Adrian’s eyes were hazy.

The two masters simultaneously exerted force on their forearms. Their bodies were pushed back.

Dominico immediately sprang forward. Adrian did the same.

The two masters swung their greatswords to crush each other.

The swordplay was so fast that it couldn’t be followed with the eyes. All that other people could see were afterimages and the occasional flash of sword light.

“To raise a High Class to Master Class! This is the first time I’ve been so surprised in my life!”

Gathdal shouted from beyond Adrian.

“But in the end, the master I created is winning!”

As the battle dragged on, Dominico’s body began to deteriorate little by little. Unable to withstand the impact, fine cracks began to spread throughout his body.

“See! This is the advantage that the time and resources I invested in Adrian are bringing!”

Gathdal’s smug smile appeared. On the other hand, Damien watched the battle with an indifferent face.

“What do you think a Master is?”

Suddenly, Damien opened his mouth. Gathdal curled his lips and said.

“What a question to ask! Isn’t it right in front of your eyes? The master I created!”

“What you’ve created is nothing more than an undead who knows how to use Aurablade.”

“Of course… Aurablade is the symbol of a Master!”

Damien clicked his tongue and shook his head at Gathdal’s cry.

“It’s true that a Master knows how to use Aurablade, but not everyone who knows how to use Aurablade is a Master.”

“You’re just talking nonsense because you’re about to lose! Anyway, you and that Death Knight will die here!”

A thick sneer appeared on Gathdal’s lips.

“Listen carefully.”

Damien spoke slowly to Gathdal.

“A Master is someone who has attained the realm. If you can’t reproduce that, you’re just a shell. I’ll show you the difference right now.”

Damien gave the order to Dominico.

“Dominico. Finish it now.”

***

– Master.

Dominico whispered during his sword fight with Adrian.

– I’m sorry. I failed to protect Freize.

Dominico confessed his sins in a trembling voice.

– I failed to protect the Almond Country from enemies. I failed to protect the citizens of the Almond Country. I failed to protect the honor of the Almond Country.

Adrian didn’t react at all. He just stared at Dominico with his dull eyes.

– …At least I will finish everything with my own hands.

Dominico swung his greatsword with all his might. It was a move as if he was trying to blow it away rather than cut it.

Adrian raised his greatsword to block Dominico’s attack. But he couldn’t withstand the impact and his body was pushed back.

The battle paused as the distance between the two widened.

During that short time, Dominico recalled the knowledge he had received from Damien in the spiritual world.

Adrian was a knight who used a greatsword. Naturally, Adrian came to pursue a one-hit kill with a strong sword.

The state that Adrian obtained when he reached the Master Class was ‘Dignified and Solemn’.

Dignified and Solemn was a state that enhanced the power of the beheading strike.

The simpler the movement, the greater the power and range of the beheading strike.

It was a state that contained Adrian’s single-minded desire to crush his enemies without any need for trickery.

Perhaps this was not the real state. This was because it was only a state that Damien had created after seeing Dominico’s memories.

However, Dominico, who had watched Adrian for a long time, was convinced.

He was sure that Dignified and Solemn was the state that Adrian had obtained as a Master.

Dominico raised his greatsword high into the sky.

It was a stance that clearly showed his intention to strike down with the greatsword.

Reading the intent was a shortcut to defeat. However, that was not the case with ‘Dignified and Solemn’.

Dominico concentrated his mana on the greatsword. The Aurablade, which had been maintaining a fixed form, began to blaze like flames.

“Adrian! Don’t hesitate any longer! Destroy them all!”

Gathdal gave the order again. Adrian roared and ran towards Dominico.

At that moment, Dominico struck down with his greatsword.

The giant beheading strike fell to the world.

***