The Star Of Annihilation

The Star of Annihilation

Chapter 43 – Insight (3)

Written by : eleven

* * *

As Roy and Lucius descended the mountains of the Mareot Mountain Range, they started to notice the presence of the beings that had quietly observed them in silence the past two years of their training.

Lucius and Roy both thought about taking care of the unwelcome visitors, but the fact of the matter was that they were the real visitors to the Territory of Demons.

Although Lucius had taken care of the guards of the Serpentine Family a while back, before they arrived, the Demon King of the Serpentine Family had not directly attacked them or tried to gather a force to subjugate them for invading their territory.

Furthermore, Roy had nothing to hide and the Serpentine Family’s guards who were watching from afar, did not find the boy all that interesting at first.

“Are you sure he’s the boy?”

One of the Serpentine Family’s Greater Demons, Asha, asked her partner.

“Yes, our monarch said he is the one that needs to be captured after they start moving.”

“I just don’t understand Hak, why must we wait while they clearly train in our territory for the past two years instead of capturing them first?”

“Let’s not question the Monarch’s orders and just follow them faithfully.”

Hak, the other Greater Demon Guard, responded with a bitter smile.

He too, questioned in his mind why the Monarch of their Great Serpentine Family, told them to wait and observe quietly these past two years.

Their orders were to report if they moved from the mountain and immediately proceed to delaying them and capture if possible.

The Monarch of the Serpentine Family had specific instructions to capture the boy alive.

“If the target is the boy, do you really think we can even delay that man though? As easy as the boy might be, the opponent is not someone we can underestimate.”

“It is a good point.”

Hak with Asha.

Even if they were Greater Demons; a level of Demon that was only second to the Four Royal Guards of the Monarch, taking on a Swordmaster was still a bit too much for them to handle.

“You requested for more reinforcements right?”

“Yes, though numbers won’t work on a man like that.”

“Did the Monarch say anything like the movements of the Royal Guards or…?”

Asha swallowed her saliva as she started to rouse her demonic core.

“He said that if we can delay him and meet up with the other reinforcements soon, we will be able to see him ourselves.”

“The Great Monarch….?!”

Hak couldn’t believe it.

The Monarch, himself, was being mobilized for this boy?

Even Swordmasters of the Empire could not stand a chance against their Monarch in a 1-on-1.

Was the boy behind that man really that important?

“Let’s move.”

Asha muttered under her breath as Hak nodded and they disappeared from their hiding spots and moved towards the targets.

* * *

Alar smiled as he heard the report come in.

His Master, Latras, of the Dragons, had ordered him not to engage with the thieves who stole the corpse of their trial specimen two years ago.

But Alar, the Monarch of the Serpentine Demon Family, watched them from afar by ordering the troops of the family to watch over these pests.

The information he had found was quite interesting.

He knew that his master did not like the humans very much and capturing a Swordmaster was something his master would appreciate very much as a test subject.

However, there was something else that Alar found incredible as he observed Roy and Lucius from afar.

“The boy with such pure Demonic Energy. I have to find out how he did it.”

Roy had tried his best to conceal his demonic energy, but to a high-level Demon King like Alar, it was like child’s play.

Each Family of the Seven Great Families, had their own techniques for amassing demonic energy, yet a human boy had not only found a way to cultivate demonic energy; a type of energy that only those with demonic genes could do, but he had such a pure energy that even made Alar’s demonic energy technique look like a toddler’s.

Alar would have normally reported this to his master, but greed was getting the better of him.

The only hindrance was a Swordmaster of the Empire, but even he could be removed by Alar if he decided to move himself.

Demons were stronger than humans. It was a universal fact at this point that the entire continent knew of.

There were 7 Demon Families that each had a Monarch, and each Monarch was at least capable of taking on 2-3 Swordmasters or Archmages at one time.

A single Swordmaster could not be his opponent… unless it was the First Swordmaster of the Empire.

‘That bastard…!’

Alar grimaced as he touched the scar that was present across his scaly skin.

Trent, the Sword Saint of the Empire, the First Swordmaster.

Alar was not his opponent.

If normal Swordmasters were strong, that man shouldn’t have been called a Swordmaster in the first place.

Trent was the only man to ever take on a Demon Monarch by himself and survive.

The one who had their reputation tarnished was Alar’s father, who was slain single-handedly by Trent and had seriously wounded Alar.

“No…no-no-no-…”

Alar started to repeatedly deny something as his thoughts started to spin.

“Yes…yes- I’ll do that.”

A cruel grin appeared across Alar’s face as he started to plan for how he would make the Empire truly suffer for their plight.

They should have never sent a swordmaster into the jaws of the Demon’s territory. 

For this… they would pay dearly, and Alar was determined to make it so.

* * *

“Hm….”

Lucius rubbed his chin as he stopped his descent from the mountain.

Tat-tat.

Roy quickly arrived right behind him a step later.

“What is it?”

“An opportunity.”

“…?”

Roy tilted his head, not quite sure what his master was getting at.

“You can feel those two presences approaching us, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

Roy responded as he did indeed feel the sharp presences of Demonic Energy approach from afar.

Recently, Roy had just broken through to the strength of his old life.

4-stars.

It was much easier and was even shocking for Roy as he truly did not expect such rapid growth these past few years.

The things he has in this life were able to explain it though.

Reverse flow of mana control which offered explosive growth and cultivation speed, along with the massive amounts of mana in his core that he had recently started to access ever since last year when he turned twelve. 

He was nearing thirteen years of age, but his body was slowly starting to truly develop.

Standing stall at 5 foot’ 5 inches’, Roy’s red eyes glistened as the fat from his cheek bones of adolescence had started to disappear as toned muscles and a sharp jawline replaced it.

His hair was unkempt and reaching his waist and made him look a bit like a true reaper of death as he did not like to tie up his hair.

The biggest change from his power in this life, competitive to his last one, was undoubtedly the addition of his swordsmanship.

Roy was untalented in terms of learning raw swordsmanship, but after reaching an enlightenment at his breakthrough to 3-stars, Roy had been imprinted with his own swordsmanship style.

It did not mean he suddenly gained talent with the sword, but what it did mean, was that he had a path now.

‘It’s still incredible every time I look at him.’

Lucius looked his disciple up and down and grinned.

To reach 4-stars at the mere age of twelve was something unheard of in the history of the Empire.

Not only that, but Roy had just barely reached the realm of First-Rate as a swordsman.

He had finally been able to see ‘flaws’ which was something not many swordsmen could do, and his swordsmanship style was something that made Lucius’ Imperial Swordsmanship look like a broken toy in comparison.

The youngest Swordmaster of the Empire, Mateo Lancer, was eighteen, and named as the Seventh Swordmaster of the Empire. Yet, even he could not compare to Roy’s growth.

In terms of pure swordsmanship, he was leagues above Roy at his age, but Roy was an incredibly talented mage as well. As a mage, Roy’s talent was practically unparalleled.

Lucius admired especially the adaptive nature Roy showed in dire situations.

He kept a level head more often than not, and was likely to walk the path of the next magic swordsman of the Empire to reach the title of a Swordmaster and Archmage.

The only person to date who was able to do that, also happened to be alive and young, and also happened to be a part of the Empire’s forces.

‘The Second Swordmaster of the Empire…’

Just how powerful was the Empire becoming with this new generational surge of talents?

Time would only tell.

“You’re going to fight them.”

Lucius spoke matter-of-factly as he he broke away from his thoughts and ordered his disciple.

“At the same time? Both of them?”

“What? Can’t handle it?”

Lucius teased Roy with a rare smile.

He was growing more and more attached to this boy as he taught him.

If anything, Roy would be something like a son Lucius always wished he had.

“Pft. Just watch me.”

Roy chuckled as he measured the waves of energy from the incoming targets.

They were strong.

In fact most tower mages if the Empire would likely struggle.

But armed with great swordsmanship, great brains and magical ability, and a weapon that even high-ranking nobility would likely covet, Roy was certain of his victory against at least one of them.

It would be difficult against two, but he thought he could manage.

In terms of strength in regards to Imperial standards, the two incoming Demons were the equivalent to a 5-star Wizard and a First-Rate Knighted Swordsman.

‘Well, nothing is truly impossible.’

Roy grinned as he unsheathed Deletus, the adamantium saber.

His mana core started to spin as Demonic Energy and Mana started to pulsate within his internal circuit and he took a stance.

Boom.

Then, the two Greater Demons arrived as they crashed to the ground with forceful pressure and the rugged mountainous terrain was flattened in an instant.

“So you’re the two pests.”

Roy taunted as he grinned at the large bodied demons covered with green and oily skin and long horns.

Asha and Hak, the two Greater Demons that arrived, contorted their expressions at the taunting words of the teenage boy in front of them.

Chapter 43 – Fin

Hope you’re all enjoying the series! Just a brief reminder for those of you not in the discord, that there are approximately 7-8 books/volumes I have planned out already in my mind, and each book/volume will be about 100 chaps each~ish or so. That being said, there will be a lot of adventures you guys probably won’t exactly be anticipating and there’s much more to come ????

– Eleven

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