Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 254: The Use of Mystery (2)

After that, Ketal continued his attacks.

He gathered his Mysteries, struck hard, and when he reached his limit, he returned to recover.

Once he was fully restored, he launched another attack.

As a result, Karvaraks became desperate.

He did everything in his power to defend against Ketal’s assaults and prevent him from reaching the fortress walls.

But all of his efforts were in vain.

The cycle of destruction and repair at the hands of Ketal repeated endlessly.

Those watching even began to feel pity for the demon.

And as a result, Ketal became increasingly adept at using Mysteries.

What once took him minutes to condense now took less than ten seconds.

The number of times he could use them increased significantly as well.

Cain murmured in surprise,

“Your proficiency is growing faster than I expected.”

Since Ketal had learned to wield Mysteries, he was rapidly mastering them.

“At this rate, it won’t be long before I have nothing left to teach you.”

“Is there not still something left?”

Ketal's eyes gleamed.

“Your swordsmanship. I want to learn that as well.”

Cain's swordsmanship, which blended illusion and reality, was the first fantasy swordsmanship Ketal had ever seen.

Naturally, he was deeply fascinated by it and wanted to learn it at any cost.

However, Cain’s expression was ambiguous.

“That might be… impossible.”

“Impossible?”

Ketal’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer.

“Why? Is it something you can’t teach others? But you have disciples, don’t you?”

“No, that’s not the issue,”

Cain replied.

“The problem is that you’re too strong.”

“Huh?”

“I developed my swordsmanship right after I reached the superhuman level.”

Those who reach the level of a superhuman can control Mysteries.

By using the Mysteries they control, they can achieve what they desire.

That was what Cain’s swordsmanship was.

In the end, Cain’s swordsmanship was simply his own method of using Mysteries.

It was almost like a form of authority.

Of course, it wasn’t really appropriate to call it authority, given how low Cain’s level was, but the concept was similar.

“But… you’re too strong.”

Ketal was far too powerful.

His strength had reached the level of a hero.

The level of a hero was the materialization of Mysteries.

It was a level where one could impose their will upon the world.

There was no point in someone like him learning Cain’s swordsmanship.

“You may not have realized it yet, but you have your own way of handling Mysteries.”

Mysteries that no one else but Ketal could wield.

His own power.

“Hm.”

Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully.

* * *

Ketal continued to improve his mastery of Mysteries.

Not only could he gather Mysteries to enhance his physical body, but he could also maintain it around his body.

Ketal didn’t stop there—he wanted to further refine his skills.

But it was difficult to drag out more time.

“A revelation has been given to me.”

The archbishop, who had gathered all the superhuman-level warriors, spoke calmly.

A few hours earlier, a revelation from the Earth Mother Goddess had come to him.

“The flower of sin is about to bloom. We must end everything before that happens.”

“The flower of sin… Is it that pink bud?”

“Most likely. I don’t know what it is, but… the Earth Mother Goddess herself issued a direct warning about it.”

Even after the highest-ranking demon had descended, the goddess had remained silent, but she had issued a clear warning about that bud.

They needed to finish things as quickly as possible.

“We will begin tomorrow. Ketal, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll do my best.”

That night, Ketal and Cain had a conversation.

“Tomorrow is the final day.”

“It seems that way. It’s a real shame.”

Ketal smacked his lips as if he was genuinely disappointed.

Once this was over, Cain would leave to care for his own matters, and Ketal would do the same.

After staring at Ketal for a moment, Cain spoke earnestly.

“…Thank you.”

Teaching Mysteries to a hero-level warrior had been overwhelming and burdensome, but in the end, it had greatly benefited his kingdom.

Ketal smiled.

“It helped me a lot too, so it’s fine. It was enjoyable as well.”

Learning Mysteries had been both beneficial and immensely enjoyable for him.

It had been a very fulfilling time.

But there was one thing he was dissatisfied with.

“I’m struggling to materialize Mysteries.”

Materialization.

The level of a first-rate warrior.

Upon reaching this level, one could envelop their weapon with aura.

It was the level often referred to as aura blades or sword energy in fantasy or martial arts.

Ketal wanted to reach that level.

He wanted to draw out his Mysteries with his own power.

But it wasn’t easy.

Of course, the difficulty of the task itself was high, but the biggest problem was the beast of Mysteries within him.

While he could manage to strengthen his body, materializing the Mysteries caused it to go berserk.

“How can I resolve this?”

“You need more Mysteries,”

Cain answered lightly.

“Materialization requires first-rate Mysteries. While you have that level of Mysteries, you can’t fully control it yet.”

Most of it was being used to suppress the beast, leaving him unable to wield all of his Mysteries.

“The more Mysteries you have, the more you’ll be able to draw out while keeping the beast under control.”

“I need to increase it?”

But that was no easy task.

He had only managed to acquire his current Mysteries by devouring a dragon heart.

To obtain more Mysteries than this… he couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of materials he would need.

‘Would I need a shard of a god?’

A fragment of Federica.

Maybe if he used that, he could figure something out.

But it was such an alien material that it was hard to use it immediately.

He didn’t even know if it would work as a catalyst.

It was something for later.

Ketal smacked his lips.

‘I want to handle it right now.’

In the end, the beast of Mysteries within him had to be dealt with.

How could he tame this beast?

Ketal's head reeled with this thought.

In the midst of his contemplation, a realization struck him.

There had been a moment when the beast had willingly raised its head to assist him.

It was during the battle against Federica.

At that time, the beast had risen to help, as if it couldn't bear to see Ketal attacked by Federica.

It was similar to how a gruff hunting dog might become earnest only when aiding its master in a hunt.

‘An enemy,’

Ketal thought.

An enemy strong enough for the beast to consider as such.

Ketal’s eyes glimmered quietly.

And at that very moment, in the sanctuary under the control of Karvaraks, a change was occurring in a flower bud there.

The tightly closed bud was beginning to bloom.

* * *

The next day, fully prepared, they launched their attack.

Ketal was the first to step forward.

He gathered mystic energy into his fist and struck the fortress wall fiercely.

The wall disintegrated into dust.

“Ugh!”

Karvaraks quickly activated his powers.

He attempted to reconstruct the wall, but the archbishop did not simply stand by and watch.

“Papirany 11:45! The land you touch becomes fertile, and that land has not seen a famine for a long time!”

Kiieeeng!

The power of the scriptures clashed with Karvaraks's domain.

The wall that was trying to rise crumbled in an instant.

Karvaraks gritted his teeth.

“Damn dog of the gods!”

Until now, the archbishop had been unable to interfere with Karvaraks's domain.

The difference in their powers was vast, and since the sacred ground of the gods had been swallowed by evil, the divine power had no advantage over the demonic force.

But not anymore.

After Ketal continuously shattered the wall, Karvaraks’s power had significantly diminished, enough to allow the archbishop to intervene.

As a result, the wall wasn’t properly constructed, leaving gaps.

“Everyone! Charge!”

And toward those gaps, the people charged.

[Uooooh!]

[Kaaaah!]

The forces of evil did not simply watch in silence.

Monsters rose up, baring their grotesque maws.

The dark magicians began to cast their spells.

Kwaaagagagagang!

A full-scale battle erupted.

Karvaraks clicked his tongue and abandoned his attempt to restore the fortress.

Instead, he poured all his strength into his attack.

“Die.”

Clang clang clang.

Numerous tools appeared above Karvaraks's head.

From those tools, beams of black light poured out.

Kiiieeeeng!

Each beam of light contained the power to erase the earth literally.

The sky was filled with these beams of light.

People shuddered, sensing that their defenses would be meaningless against those beams.

Karvaraks, the demon of design, was unleashing his full power.

But.

[Hmph.]

Piego scoffed and stomped his foot.

Crimson flames erupted.

Fwoooosh!

Piego was the highest-ranking spirit, holding the primordial fire.

His power was by no means inferior to Karvaraks's.

The rising flames clashed with the beams of black light, canceling them out.

The sky brightened as if fireworks had exploded.

[An insignificant demon like you dares to sully the earth? You have forgotten your place, Karvaraks.]

“You damned beast!”

Karvaraks swung his arm violently.

Dozens of tools appeared simultaneously, and countless beams of light shot through the ground.

Kwaaaaang!

Power collided with power.

Piego began to be pushed back little by little.

This was the sanctuary of evil.

A place where Karvaraks’s power was amplified.

Even though they were of the same rank, Piego was disadvantaged.

Eventually, Piego could only focus on blocking Karvaraks's attack from reaching the people.

But that was all Piego needed to do.

[End it, master.]

Kiiieeeeng!

Piercing through the black light, a figure flew toward Karvaraks.

Karvaraks quickly reacted, focusing his power.

Dozens of beams shot at the figure simultaneously, all hitting their target.

But the figure didn’t stop.

It was as if Karvaraks's attack meant nothing.

The figure leisurely approached.

Crunch.

The figure landed in front of Karvaraks, causing the ground to crumble, sending debris flying.

Karvaraks swung his arm to deflect the debris.

“…So you’ve finally come.”

“You took longer than I expected.”

Ketal smiled faintly.

Karvaraks gritted his teeth.

“You, I thought you were a being of the Forbidden Lands. How on earth are you using mystic power…?”

“That’s not important.”

Ketal looked at the flower behind Karvaraks.

The edges of its petals were beginning to unfold.

“It’s starting to bloom. As much as I’d like to watch it leisurely, I can’t do that given my role. I need to finish this before then.”

“Die!”

Karvaraks spat out harshly.

Kiiieeeeng!

Black light poured toward Ketal.

Karvaraks was a demon of the demon realm, an equal to Rubitra.

Rubitra’s full power had left a red mark on Ketal’s palm and sent his body flying far away.

Each beam of black light now being unleashed was comparable to Rubitra’s full power.

Moreover, Karvaraks was currently synchronized with the sanctuary, wielding even greater power.

He poured out everything he had.

Even if he was destroyed here!

He was determined to stop Ketal at all costs.

But to Karvaraks’s dismay, Ketal had no interest in him now.

“Sorry, but I’ve seen far too many of your kind. It’s no longer entertaining.”

What Ketal was interested in was what Karvaraks was protecting.

Ketal enveloped himself in mystic energy and walked forward effortlessly.

The black light shattered like glass upon hitting Ketal’s body.

Karvaraks's full power couldn’t slow Ketal’s advance in the slightest.

Ketal arrived before Karvaraks.

Karvaraks couldn’t react.

“You…”

“Farewell.”

Ketal gathered his mystic power, grabbed Karvaraks's head, and crushed it.