Chapter 194: Night of Redemption II

"Interesting..."

Marzak muttered, his crimson eyes staring at the struggling girl in his grasp.

"Mmph!!! Mfff!!!"

Aurelia did her best to break free from the demonic worshipper’s hand, but was unable to.

Glancing at the golden statue on the side, the strange man looked at her with a tinge of surprise.

"To think that the curse would evolve in such a manner... His Excellency will surely be pleased with this discovery."

While holding Aurelia, Marzak slowly circled the golden statue, studying it with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Do you know that the Children of the Last Silence is the largest cult that worships Azrabelle, the Devil of Death and Extinction?"

"And now, to think that he would die here of all places..."

Upon noticing the pointed ears of the golden statue, Marzak squinted his eyes.

"I didn’t expect him to be of elven descent like me. Maybe that’s why His Excellency sent me instead of the others?"

He muttered, his fingers unconsciously brushing his ears..

They had once been pointed just like the golden statue’s, but it could be seen that his were cut off.

"Well, that’s enough reminiscing."

Marzak glanced at Aurelia as he noticed the golden shimmer her hand was giving out.

"You can stop trying to turn me into gold. You see, this armor is made with the same material as your gloves, Edipsium. It was a gift from His Excellency."

He pulled Aurelia closer, "I’m excited to see what His Excellency will reward me once I give you to him..."

At this moment, a portal made of shadows manifested before them

With a smile on his face, Marzak tightened his grip on Aurelia before walking towards it.

"Huh?"

However, it was in that instance that he felt something.

An emotion that Marzak thought he had long forgotten: the oppressive sense of impending death.

Although he did not know where it came from, his hundreds of years of experience were not for naught, as he immediately circulated his tainted mana.

A soft glow surrounded his body, followed by ten layers of barriers manifesting around him.

Shuikk—

"Wha—" Marzak had a confused expression as his sight seemed to be falling.

Tap— Tap—

His cheek felt the ground, as he saw his own foot in front of him.

It did not take long for him to realize that he had already been beheaded.

"My barriers and my aura art were penetrated that easily?"

Although he had done everything in a hurry, Marzak was still dumbfounded, ’I, someone at the Early Stage of Five Star Realm, was beheaded helplessly?’

Meanwhile, Aurelia had shock written all over her face as she looked at the familiar face before her.

"R-Regis!?"

The pair of blood-red eyes looked at her with gentleness, "I’m sorry for being late."

At this moment, Regis held her in a princess carry, kneeling on one knee.

"N-No, I’m sorry..."

Aurelia cried with her face in his chest, "I-It must’ve hurt a lot..."

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about it."

One of the reasons why Aurelia was having second thoughts about agreeing to the contract was because of a particular line.

[Party A shall bear the burdens of Party B as deemed necessary by Party A’s discretion, with full rights to assume any damage or harm in place of Party B when deemed appropriate by Party A.]

She did not want to trouble and be the cause of Regis’s face.

Deep inside her heart, she felt that it would be better for her to remain as she was if pursuing her dreams meant that it would cause her friend pain.

Unfortunately, Aurelia had no other choice due to the sudden turn of events.

"What a sweet little guy. I didn’t think human kids find their mate this early..."

Hearing a voice filled with amusement behind them, Regis laid Aurelia down, "Sit still here for a while, okay? This won’t be long."

He then stood up and looked in the direction from which the voice came.

"Oh, it sure is rare finding a devil’s spawn amongst humans. And to think that you’ll be able to cut both my hand and head in an instant..."

At this moment, tendrils of darkness extended from Marzak’s neck and wrist and connected to his severed head and arm.

Afterward, the black tendrils drew the severed body parts back together, as if he had never been harmed at all.

"I thought the strongest in this fortress were the fortress commander and that hermit magician. I didn’t expect another human to achieve this level."

Marzak spoke, his tone full of interest as he cracked his neck and rotated his wrist.

Seeing him fully recover in a second, Regis squinted his eyes, ’He’s strong— really strong.’

He then noticed the young boy’s glare and chuckled, "You already saw what Star Realm I am, and yet, you still want to fight? I don’t know whether you’re foolish or brave."

’He has a sword at his waist, and he circulated energy earlier throughout his body. But he was also able to cast barriers...’

Regis was immersed in his thoughts, not minding the demonic worshipper’s remark.

The ability to utilize both magic spells and aura arts could only be possible if one had two hearts.

At least, that was what he knew at present.

However, the man before him was able to use both despite only having mana stars in his chest.

Marzak spoke again, seeing that the boy before him remained silent, "What are you thinking so hard about? By the way, my name is Marzak, a general of the Demon Lord of Greed’s army. How about you?"

"Why should I tell you?" The boy finally replied.

"Come on, it isn’t common that I meet someone capable of beheading me. Let’s see... if you tell me your name, I’ll answer one question of yours."

"How can I trust you?"

"The fact that I’m speaking to you right now and haven’t yet killed you speaks for itself, doesn’t it?"

At this moment, Marzak was also pondering, ’Just how did he behead me? I didn’t even sense anything... Did he use a strange artifact, perhaps?’

’That’s the only explanation... but I want to be sure, so I’ll talk to him first. If push comes to shove, I can always take the girl and escape.’

At this moment, the boy finally replied, "My name is Regis. About my question..."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that I forbid you from asking anything related to why I want to take the cursed child."

"Then, at least tell me how you’re able to use both aura arts and magic spells. Is it because of your gift?"

Upon hearing the boy’s words, Marzak paused in thought, then began to slowly pace, his movements followed by Regis and Aurelia’s alert eyes.

"Gift? No, we’re not like you humans. As elves, we possess one of the highest mana affinities among the mortal races."

"This unique trait binds our existence closely to the world itself, allowing our life force and mana to coexist in perfect harmony, unlike other races like humans, where their energies often clash. Instead of gifts, we have an ability..."

Marzak then paused, glancing in the direction of the North Gate.

"Hm... it seems like some flies are approaching."

He then looked at Regis, "It seems like we won’t be able to talk for long..."

’It’s a pity that I won’t be able to ask him about the artifact he used to behead me... but I can’t let this drag on.’

Without any warning, Marzak suddenly unsheathed his sword with a chant.

[Swift Night]

Whoosh—

His figure seemed to melt in the darkness of the night sky before appearing behind the boy.

Shuik—

SWISH— ZZISH— SHIIIKKK—-

The sound of countless slashes sounded as Regis’s body was filled to the brim with lacerations.

It felt as if a thousand slashes had been unleashed in the span of a single second.

"Regis!" Aruelia cried out in worry.

Marzak, who was in front of her, smiled, "Don’t worry, he must’ve died before he even felt any pain."

Just as he was about to grab her, the boy’s voice sounded behind him.

"I don’t know about that. This really hurts, you know?"

Marzak instantly distanced himself, his crimson eyes filled with vigilance.

It was Regis who chuckled this time, "What? Is it your first time seeing someone regenerate faster than you?"

"Humans with their so-called gifts really are annoying..." Marzak replied, the interest in his voice was replaced by seriousness.

He unsheathed his sword once again as five stars of tainted mana shone on his chest.

[Swift Night]

Regis immediately brandished the twin daggers he had on his thighs.

His steel swords had been worn down from the fight with the monsters and beasts, so he ditched them and used his backup weapons.

CLANK— CLINK— CLANG— THWANG—!!!

The sounds of steel colliding with each other echoed in the area.

Fwoosh— THUD!!!

Regis’s body flew to a nearby wall of a broken building.

"Shit..."

He cursed under his breath as he saw that his daggers were already on the verge of breaking apart.

Marzak’s surprised voice sounded, "How are you able to block my sword...?"

"I just got used to it." Regis smiled as he weakly stood up.

At this moment, countless thoughts surged through Regis’s mind as he glared at the demonic worshipper, who had already assumed a battle stance once more.