Magi is a power different from mana, spirit power, or divine power.
It takes root only with the permission of the Demon King, and grows by feeding on negative thoughts and blood.
Thanks to this, any life encountering Magi instinctively feels repulsed.
No, it goes beyond that, it erodes your mental and vital energy.
Especially the Magi emitted by monsters like Gerald is not something many can withstand, even if they strip the continent bare.
Therefore, Gerald paid no attention to the fallen knights. He was convinced they couldn't possibly move.
As long as he roughly dealt with the Heroes blessed by the Saint, his long-planned scheme would come to fruition.
Behind Gerald, who swung his axe with an excited heart, Seo Woojin's shadow loomed.
"...What?"
The black burning 'Aura.'
A technique born from the fusion of the skills 'Black Flame' and 'Aura.'
Van Slaine compared it to the Demon King's strike.
Of course, hearing that, Seo Woojin felt embarrassed, but it also meant the power was formidable.
Grumbling-!
Black flames burned the air and fell towards Gerald.
"How dare you!"
Gerald, who didn't expect Seo Woojin to overcome his Magi and move, was startled and turned his axe.
Kwaang-!
It was different from Baek Siwoo's 'Aura,' which disappeared upon collision.
The black flames, like Magi, clung and crawled up the axe.
Seeing this, Gerald was astonished and threw the axe.
"What the hell are you!"
"Ugh!"
A huge shock hit Seo Woojin.
He barely managed to block the axe, but the blood vessels unable to withstand the pressure burst, and blood streamed down like a waterfall.
Nevertheless, Seo Woojin did not stop the attack.
No, he swung the sword even more fiercely, using 'Acceleration', 'Rampage', and 'Powerful Strike'.
However…
"Space Disruption."
The space between Seo Woojin and Gerald was severed.
The sword couldn't penetrate the disrupted space; it stopped right there.
"Kuehk!"
The shock that began from the hand paralyzed Seo Woojin's entire body.
The bleeding worsened, and strength drained from his hand, eventually causing him to lose the sword.
'Shit…'
His consciousness faded.
'I told you never to let go of the sword.'
No matter how brainwashed he was, even in this situation, the words emphasized by Van Slaine came to mind.
"What the hell are you? How can you move?"
Even in a situation where he could immediately strangle Seo Woojin, Gerald asked a question.
Is it the calmness of the strong?
If not, is it really that important of a question?
It couldn't be known, but this wasn't the time for Gerald to be looking this way.
'Look behind you.'
"You idiot."
Seo Woojin's curse made Gerald's eyebrows twitch.
"If you were trusting those guys right now, it would be foolish."
Once again, the space was severed.
And so in vain, Baek Siwoo's 'Aura' disappeared.
Kim Taejin's 'Inferno,' Park Jinhan's 'Forceful Energy', Lim Taeeun's 'Breath,' and Sung Yura's 'Nemesis' were the same. They all vanished without breaking through the severed space.
"Do you think the attacks of those who haven't properly awakened will work on me?"
Gerald scoffed at them.
Then he opened his palm towards his elite friends.
"Space contraction."
Once again, magic that manipulated space unfolded.
"Magic? Is it really magic?"
No. Rather than magic, it was closer to a power.
'What on earth is that guy…?'
Seo Woojin had the same question as Gerald.
Space began to compress.
Although Sung Yura and Park Jinhan tried their best to endure, their power was useless.
"Argh!"
"Hey, try to do something!"
Baek Siwoo swung his sword.
As expected from 'Sword God', powerful skills poured out.
However, it was still useless.
The space continued to shrink, and in a moment, those guys would become a congealed mass of blood.
'That's it.'
There was no expectation among the elite friends that they could defeat that monster.
But he thought that they could at least distract him.
That was impossible.
'Am I going to die?'
There was no longer any means to resist the creature.
'No, there's one left.'
A skill that had yet to be used even once.
'Hell.'
Because no matter how it was packaged, it couldn't be convincingly called a skill of the "Sword Soldier", so it hadn't been used until now.
But in this situation, hiding it was no longer an option.
'I don't know if it'll work, but I have to try something.'
Seo Woojin looked at Gerald.
Then he opened his mouth toward the face of the guy who was smiling with full of life.
"Hell."
Hell descended.
* * *
Fior hurriedly traversed through the forest, grinding his teeth.
"Gerald!"
Information had come that the most notorious monster among the followers of the Demon King had been found near his kingdom.
Naturally, the kingdom summoned a group of knights and dispatched them.
Honestly, fear took precedence.
Gerald's ability to manipulate space was a nightmare-like power to the knights.
When he waved his hand once, hundreds of soldiers were slaughtered.
As it was covered with demonic energy, a cursed power, it was truly a monster that could not be defeated by anyone other than a superhuman.
But Fior was not worried.
He glanced at the white-haired old man running alongside him.
"How much longer?"
"We're almost there. It should take about 10 more minutes to reach the location where the Heroes are carrying out the subjugation."
Fior nodded with a tense expression.
As the top knight and the leader of a knight order, there weren't many people who could make him look so uneasy.
"Swordmaster, it's an honor to be able to accompany you."
"Honor? Spare me the pleasantries and just guide me well without making unnecessary noise."
The old man called Swordmaster clicked his tongue and quickened his pace.
'I'm glad he's nearby.'
One of the five superhumans proudly boasted by the empire.
Swordmaster Dariel.
He was the closest existence to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Even though there were other superhumans renowned for their swords in other countries, Fior considered Dariel the true king of the sword.
With Dariel by his side, no matter how formidable Gerald might be, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"It's over there."
Based on the information sent by the empire, Fior pointed in the direction where Gerald was expected to appear.
However, Dariel seemed to have a different thought.
"No, it's this way."
He looked exactly in the opposite direction Fior had indicated.
"What? But the information says…"
"Don't you sense the filthy magic here? They've gathered in great numbers."
It wasn't just Gerald.
He could feel the presence of Dark Elves, minions controlled by him.
"This won't be easy."
Dariel prepared himself mentally.
Thirty years ago.
In an era before he earned the title of Swordmaster.
Although it wasn't widely known, Dariel had faced Gerald once.
The situation was similar to the current one.
In a place where they had gone to investigate and exterminate traces of monsters within the imperial territory, he encountered him.
That day, two knight orders from the empire vanished without a trace, and Dariel himself suffered significant injuries.
Fortunately, he managed to thrust a large dagger into the belly of that creature.
A close call.
No, to be honest, Gerald had a slight advantage.
If reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, Dariel might have lost his life on the spot.
Gerald was that formidable.
However, Dariel never thought he would lose.
He had undergone dazzling growth over the past thirty years.
Almost to the point of being called evolution.
The Dariel of that time and the Dariel now were completely different beings.
Gerald, too, must have become stronger than he was back then.
There are numerous monsters and even dark elves, so it won't be any easier.
However, Dariel believed in himself.
This time, he was certain he could finally cut the damn dark elf's throat.
"Tell the knights to prepare themselves mentally."
"Yes, understood."
It was when Dariel spoke to Fior.
Kugugugugu-!
The ground shook.
No, the world screamed.
And a different, alien energy that was fundamentally different from Gerald's magic exploded.
"Magi? No, this is…."
It seemed similar to Magi at first glance, but it was different.
Deeper, darker, and heavier than Magi.
It was fundamentally a different force from Magi.
"I'll go first."
Something beyond his understanding was happening in front of him.
Dariel kicked the ground and soared into the air.
"Wa, wait! Just a moment!"
Fior tried to stop Dariel, but he was already moving towards the place where he felt the energy with all his might.
'Unsettling.'
As Dariel got closer, the strange sensation became stronger.
Discomfort? No.
It didn't feel sticky like Magi.
But it wasn't a comfortable feeling either.
If he had to express what Dariel was feeling in words….
'Oppression.'
He chuckled.
Living for almost a hundred years, he had never felt such a feeling.
Not even when he almost died at the hands of Gerald.
But now, it wasn't even the opponent's sword, just the energy felt from a distance that made him feel so suppressed.
But that's why he became even more curious.
What is the identity of this energy?
And who on earth possesses such a strong power?
His heart raced.
It had been a long time since the image of a Hero was forgotten in his mind.
'Could it be Gerald?'
Just as he had changed, perhaps Gerald had changed too.
If that's the case, he couldn't guarantee the outcome of today's victory or defeat.
'It could be a day with more losses than gains.'
As he approached, the pressure to the body became even stronger.
In the end, Dariel had no choice but to channel mana into his body.
Without doing so, it seemed like he wouldn't be able to move a single step.
Dariel, who began to manipulate mana, pierced through the forest at a dazzling speed.
Obstacles like trees could not block his path.
Kwa-gwak!
Without the need to swing a sword, he simply crushed everything with his bare body as he ran.
And finally, he could feel the presence of energy.
"What is this!"
Hell unfolded before his eyes.
Just as the characters described.