Chapter 51: The Final Struggle!
“Not… not moving anymore?”
The wooden sword froze in midair, as if gripped tightly by a pair of iron tongs, unable to budge.
Not only that, but in Muen’s horrified gaze, the rusty blade of the wooden sword seemed to be gradually melting as if it were being forged anew in a furnace.
The melted metal even playfully twisted, resembling the slimes in storybooks.
But this was at room temperature, buddy, nowhere near your melting point. Can we have some science here, please?
“Could it be…”
Muen suddenly raised his head and found that it wasn’t just the wooden sword in his hand that was melting, but also the cabinet doors that had been ravaged earlier, and even the cabinet where he had been hiding just now.
Every metal object was melting into liquid.
The metallic liquids writhed, floating in the air, then converged towards a certain point.
That point was… An’s palm.
“The power of the law… Divine Acolyte!”
Muen’s vision went black.
This slap in the face from destiny almost made his blood pressure shoot straight through the roof.
The darling of the gods, the divine acolyte who enforces the laws.
Just as Selicia wielded the magnificent power of ice and snow, it seemed that An before him had also gained the favor of some deity, acquiring the power to control metal.
With that unreasonable power of the law present, it was no problem for metal to melt at room temperature, let alone morphing into squares one moment, circles the next, or even taking on the appearance of the little bear from Doraemon!
“But… why would An be a divine acolyte?”
The original book never mentioned it, not even the blessing of controlling metal appeared in the original book.
And if An was indeed a divine acolyte, why would she devote herself to being a mere maid?
“Of course… It’s because of love.”
Seeing the look of doubt in Muen’s eyes, An smiled and condensed the metal into sharp blades.
“Fame, power, wealth—all of them are like dirt to me. All I desire is you, young master.”
“So come, young master. I will make you return to my embrace once again. This time, I will cut off your limbs, so you can never… leave me!”
An pointed her finger.
The condensed blades cut through the air, like autumn leaves swirling in the wind, enveloping Muen.
“Shadow Step!”
In this moment of crisis, Muen still resorted to the Shadow Step, despite its significant side effects. He turned into a fleeting shadow and disappeared in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was several meters away. Though his face contorted in pain, and he staggered a bit, he narrowly avoided the blades’ attack.
“Damn it.”
Muen felt the excruciating pain in his legs tearing through his mind, unable to suppress a low curse.
Being a tsundere was terrifying enough, but to possess such dreadful power as well… was there any mercy left in the world?
“If you’re so fed up with me, why not just strike me down with a bolt of lightning and be done with it? Why torture me like this?”
“Huh?”
An furrowed her attractive eyebrows.
“Another unfamiliar move. Just how much have you been hiding from me, young master?”
“Heh, a man’s secrets are like a woman’s age—some things aren’t meant to be casually peeked at,” Muen attempted to muster a smile.
“Is that so? But I’ll still diligently explore yours, not as a man’s secrets, but as… my possessions,” An said, spreading her arms as if embracing the world.
Then Muen heard from deep within the passage behind her, the grating sound of something sharp and abrasive.
In the dim light, a massive creature, glinting with icy coldness, scraped against the walls of the passage, slithering in a serpentine manner.
It appeared as if countless steel rods had been poured together and forcibly twisted into the shape of a body.
Faintly visible were the distorted shadows of familiar shackles and iron doors, now transformed into the monstrous appendages of this creature, crushing the fragile walls and ground as it advanced.
Oh, I almost forgot.
The cage he had just been trapped in was all made of metal.
“Do you have to be so ruthless!”
Without any hesitation, Muen turned and ran.
People always seem to unleash terrifying potential in moments of crisis, and Muen was no exception.
Although the intense pain from his legs still gnawed at his nerves, at this moment, Muen ran at the fastest speed of his life.
The light representing the exit rapidly grew larger before him, engulfing his field of vision, as if shrouding his entire world.
After a brief moment of blurry sight, the world covered in warm daylight returned to his view, and the familiar scenery nearly brought tears to Muen’s eyes.
“Indeed, this is… the back door of the Duke’s mansion!”
No time for rejoicing.
Behind him came a deafening roar. Like a steel centipede, the massive creature burst through the pitiful exit of the basement and lunged at Muen.
Muen hesitated for a moment.
He abandoned the idea of running towards the Duke’s mansion and dashed towards the outside of the mansion instead.
Outside the back door of the mansion, there was a river, sparkling in the sunlight.
“Young master, why run away? If I accidentally damage one of your important parts, I would be heartbroken,” a voice echoed behind him.
An extended her arms towards Muen, as if offering a gentle embrace, emanating a comforting aura akin to that of a caring older sister.
—Except, she was atop a steel monster bristling with countless menacing spikes.
“So, are my limbs not important parts to you?” Muen realized escape was futile. Instead, he pushed his body to its limits, extracting every last ounce of potential.
But at that moment, An’s true intention in summoning the giant monster became clear. In the open space, its speed far surpassed Muen’s!
Muen felt the bright daylight fading, gradually replaced by encroaching shadows.
The overwhelming pressure from behind grew stronger by the moment. Muen couldn’t afford to consider anything else.
“Shadow Step!”
“Shadow Step!”
“Shadow Step!”
Originally a special technique used for evasion and assassination, Muen now employed it for long-distance sprinting.
Not to mention the intense side effects brought on by his insufficient mastery of the technique.
With each use, Muen felt every cell in his feet screaming in agony.
But he still couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he would lose his freedom entirely.
“I want… to live. In this not-so-beautiful world… to live normally.
If possible… I want to live happily.”
So…
Keep running!
“Shadow Step!”
The intense pain tore through his nerves, clouding his consciousness.
But amidst the chaotic mix of pain and determination, as all his strength seemed to wane, there emerged a distinct sensation of burning heat, gradually taking shape.
Born from his dantian and flowing down to his feet.
“This is…”
A hint of wild joy shone in Muen’s eyes.
Qi!
He actually broke through at this moment?
His feet were covered by the scorching flow of energy, and the pain dissipated by half in an instant.
And in the Black Book’s records, his original Shadow Step, Lv2, instantly surged to Lv5!
No, it’s still increasing!
Lv6!
“Shadow Step!”
The threat behind him had not yet dissipated, so Muen activated Shadow Step once again.
This time, he directly crossed a distance of over ten meters.
Moreover, with the boost of Qi, there were no side effects to using Shadow Step.
In other words, as long as his stamina was sufficient, he could use it without any restrictions!
“Young master!”
Seeing Muen’s speed suddenly increase significantly, almost escaping her pursuit, a never-before-seen ferocity appeared on An’s pretty face.
Abandoning the massive steel beast, An stamped forcefully on its head, leaping out and pouncing towards Muen.
“Please don’t run!”
“Sorry, An.”
Muen suddenly turned around, smiling. Behind him, the river reflected the distant sunset, resembling flowing blood. Muen raised his hand, aiming it at the astonished An.
A power he had never used before, magic gathered in his palm, then recklessly poured out.
“Illumination spell! Maximum power!”
In that instant, there was an additional sun in the world.
Brighter than the sunset.
desperation needed to advance !