Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

-----------------

Chapter 296: Obstacles (2)

***

The Fire Spirit King\'s flames swept through the area like a river of fire, generating such intense heat that birds in the sky were reduced to ash and fell to the ground.

Damien extended his hands and started to control the flames using the realm he had copied from the Knight of Red Lotus.

The flames that were racing across the field split apart. He made them flow to the left and right, avoiding Damien and his companions.

Next, he absorbed the flames into his body.

He inhaled and exhaled, drawing the flames into every pore of his body. Damien continued to absorb the flames without stopping.

"Fire Hell Well."

It was the name of the realm that the Knight of Red Lotus had mastered.

He stored flames in his body and used them in battle.

Because of this realm, the Knight of Red Lotus was like a walking volcano. The battlefields where he appeared would instantly become lands filled with lava.

"...Not only can you control the Spirit King\'s flames, but you can also absorb them?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame looked at Damien with an incredulous expression.

"You\'re a dangerous fellow. I can\'t let you live."

The Lord of Eternal Flame raised his fist. The Fire Spirit King closed its mouth. The flames that had been burning the field stopped.

"Karma. Increase the density of the fire. Prevent him from controlling or absorbing the flames."

Karma raised his hands. And flames erupted from the void.

Fire serpents emerged from within, intertwining with each other and soaring high into the sky.

"Let\'s see how you deal with this."

The fire serpents that had soared high into the sky fell towards Damien. It was as if dozens of pillars of fire were falling.

Damien looked back and forth between the fire serpents and the elves.

\'This is going to be a troublesome battle.\'

He had to fight the Lord of Eternal Flame while protecting the elves.

Even for Damien, it was a difficult situation.

But there was no other choice. He couldn\'t let the elves die.

The moment Damien made up his mind, the fire serpents attacked him.

As the Lord of Eternal Flame had said, he couldn\'t control them like before. Damien immediately cut the fire serpent with Dawn.

The serpent\'s long body split open and flames poured out. Because it had lost its center of gravity, Damien could control these flames.

Damien immediately absorbed the flames using Fire Hell Well. It was to prevent the elves from getting hurt.

The fire serpents continued to attack Damien. Damien cut them down with Dawn as they approached.

"It seems you can\'t move properly because you\'re busy protecting the elves. How about this?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame gestured. And fire serpents appeared behind the elves.

"The so-called pillar of Pandemonium is resorting to such a cowardly tactic."

Damien scoffed and the Lord of Eternal Flame chuckled in response.

"I can show such cruelty as a pillar of Pandemonium, can\'t I?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame dismissed Damien\'s taunt casually and commanded.

"Karma, burn them."

The fire serpents lunged towards the elves, causing the elves to scream and shield their faces with their arms.

Damien took a deep breath and drew on his internal mana.

"Second Wheel."

Two wheels formed within Damien\'s body. At that moment, a piercing blue light emanated from both of his eyes.

He gripped the hilt of Dawn with both hands, twisted his waist, and swung it with all his might.

The aurablade spread out like ripples in water. The fire serpents that were about to engulf the elves were all cut down. Massive flames erupted from them and burnt the entire field.

"..."

The Lord of Eternal Flame stared at Damien with a dumbfounded expression.

A Spirit King was the pinnacle of spirits, a transcendent being whose very existence was akin to a disaster.

How could such a transcendent being\'s technique be so easily countered?

He couldn\'t believe what he was seeing, even though he was witnessing it with his own eyes.

"Hey."

At that moment, Damien spoke. The Lord of Eternal Flame finally snapped out of his shock.

"Even a piece of trash like you should have some manners. Targeting those people was too cowardly."

Though his tone was calm, the Lord of Eternal Flame could sense it.

The man in front of him was quite angry.

"I\'ll end your life right now so you can\'t pull any more tricks."

The flames that had been burning the field began to be absorbed into Damien\'s body.

But the range and speed were unusual. All the flames in the entire field were instantly sucked in.

The Lord of Eternal Flame doubted his own eyes for a moment.

The range and speed at which he was controlling the flames had increased significantly compared to before.

"...Are you telling me you were hiding your strength?"

"I have to do some practice."

At those words, the Lord of Eternal Flame frowned.

Practice? What does that mean? Does that mean he\'s grown stronger in the middle of battle?

"You\'re quite a talker. To think you could confuse me like this. You’re courting death"

"Think whatever you want."

With those words, Damien released the absorbed flames.

The flames he had absorbed using Fire Hell Well could be used in various ways besides simply being released.

The flames and mana intertwined, making the fire more fierce and even stronger. The aura emanating from Damien intensified.

"So you haven\'t shown your full potential yet?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame chuckled briefly.

“Excellent. I was looking for someone to push Karma to his limits.”

The Lord of Eternal Flame gave another order. Karma immediately conjured flames.

Crimson flames engulfed the ground where the Lord of Eternal Flame stood.

"Let\'s see who is more beloved by the flames, you or I!"

The Lord of Eternal Flame shouted with excitement.

"Well, Well, Well, What do we have here?"

At that moment, a strange voice echoed.

Both the Lord of Eternal Flame and Damien looked at the center of the field in surprise.

There, a man was already standing.

Pale skin, blood-red eyes.

The moment he saw the man\'s face, the Lord of Eternal Flame shouted in rage.

"...Eos!"

The Imperial Supreme Sword.

Humanity\'s strongest warrior waved to the Lord of Eternal Flame.

"Leo, you\'ve got a pretty cool hairstyle."

***

"...You still have that habit of spouting nonsense."

The Lord of Eternal Flame\'s voice was filled with hatred.

Damien looked back and forth between the Lord of Eternal Flame and the Imperial Supreme Sword.

When he looked at them like this, he could clearly see it. Their faces were identical, as if they were carved out from the same stone.

"The color of your hair is different. Did you dye it?"

"Shut up."

The Imperial Supreme Sword shrugged and turned to Damien.

"Damien, I didn\'t expect to see you here.

"...It\'s been a long time."

"By the way, you don\'t need an umbrella today. It\'s going to be sunny for a while. I just have a feeling."

He continued to spout nonsense.

Damien looked at the Imperial Supreme Sword with an incredulous expression.

He knew this guy was like this, but he still couldn\'t get used to it.

"You found Alfheim. Did you get seasick?"

"We can talk about that later. Deal with that guy over there first. He looks like he\'s about to attack."

Damien pointed at the Lord of Eternal Flame. As Damien had said, a murderous aura was constantly emanating from the Lord of Eternal Flame.

"Leo, let\'s retreat for now. It\'s almost dinner time, isn\'t it?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame nearly coughed a mouthful of blood after hearing that but somehow managed to control his temper and said.

“You talking about retreat? Are you scared?”

The Lord of Eternal Flame said with a smug expression. The Imperial Supreme Sword stared at the Fire Spirit King and asked.

"That must hurt, having those stakes in you."

"Answer my question!"

"Oh, right. Did you ask if I was scared? Not really."

The Imperial Supreme Sword pointed somewhere. Damien looked in that direction.

Then, a familiar energy was sensed. He could see the leader of Pandemonium standing far away.

She was exuding a fierce aura, as if she was about to pounce. The Imperial Supreme Sword waved at her.

"Leo, if you don\'t retreat, you and I will have to fight."

"So what? We\'re confident."

"You wouldn\'t want that."

The Lord of Eternal Flame hesitated at those words.

"I have a feeling about this. You don\'t want to fight me now. And I don\'t want to fight you either. There are too many people here that I need to protect."

The Imperial Supreme Sword glanced at the elves behind Damien.

"Decide. Will you retreat here? Or will we settle this?"

The Lord of Eternal Flame pondered for a moment. Then, he gritted his teeth and dispelled the summoning of the Spirit King.

"...Next time I see you, I\'ll be sure to kill you."

"I understand. Oh, one last thing."

"What is it?"

"Eat less for dinner. That way, you\'ll digest quickly and sleep well."

"I told you to stop talking nonsense!"

The Lord of Eternal Flame shouted angrily and turned into flames and disappeared.

The Imperial Supreme Sword stared at the spot where the Lord of Eternal Flame had disappeared for a long time.

Then he turned back to Damien.

"Damien, welcome to Alfheim. You came at a tough times."

"You\'re not going to ask how I found it?"

"Lady Milene already told me. She said you would visit."

That was probably why the Imperial Supreme Sword wasn\'t surprised to see Damien.

"I have one question. Can you explain to me why your faces and the Lord of Eternal Flame\'s are identical?"

"Were you curious? It\'s nothing special."

The Imperial Supreme Sword said as if it were nothing.

"The Lord of Eternal Flame is my brother."

Damien doubted his ears.

"Your brother? But the Lord of Eternal Flame has pointed ears, while yours are round."

"We are both half-elves."

Damien was speechless.

"I inherited the human characteristics more strongly, while my brother inherited the elven characteristics."

***