Chapter 280: Killing the Nightmare.

Sarn had lost his physical body in the battle against the Elf in the great canyon, leaving him severely weakened. Ever since, he had been searching for a new body.

Unfortunately, finding a human body that was one hundred percent compatible with him was easier said than done. With no other choice, he had resorted to devouring vast numbers of souls to replenish his strength.

Ordinary human souls, however, were so weak that no matter how many he consumed, they barely made a satisfying snack. So he turned his attention to mages and swordsmen.

Most of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Cecilia were necromancers or Black Knights. Unwilling to prey on his own allies, Sarn had begun targeting mages and swordsmen from other countries, cooperating with Black Knights who were carrying out missions to hunt down wanted fugitives abroad.

He hadn't caught a single victim in a week, and his frustration had been mounting. Then, to his delight, he'd been summoned today, only to discover an entire feast waiting for him.

After all, ever since the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, the Elven King had sealed off the Elven Kingdom and the Faerie Forest. Elves and Fairies had all but vanished from the continent.

Yet somehow, his luck had taken an extraordinary turn lately. Just a few days ago, he'd encountered an Elf of Mage Sovereign rank. Now he'd stumbled upon tender young Fairies and a little dragon.

Thick saliva gathered in Sarn's mouth, and naked greed shone in his eyes.

Oh, and there was something else.

One of the Little Fairies could use dark magic.

He couldn't be more than ten years old, yet he'd already reached the rank of Intermediate Grand Mage. His command of dark magic was remarkably sophisticated, and the confinement spell he'd cast was exceptionally sturdy, executed to near perfection.

Sarn's eyes darted thoughtfully before settling on Shu Li.

"If you agree to become my slave, I'll spare your life."

"Pah!" Shu Li spat contemptuously. "All demons belong in hell!"

Light Binding!

The incantation flashed through his mind. Light elements stored within his body flowed down his arm and into his magic staff, instantly condensing into a rope of light that wrapped around the Nightmare Fiend without warning.

The surrounding light elements had been driven away when the Black Knights arrived. Shu Li could only draw upon the power of light he'd accumulated within himself through his usual meditation.

Physical attacks were largely ineffective against Nightmare Fiends, but magic worked—especially light magic, the natural enemy of all dark demons.

The luminous rope coiled around the Nightmare Fiend like a snake, immobilizing him on the spot.

"Instant casting!" Sarn exclaimed in shock.

How was that possible?

Even the mighty Dark God couldn't instantly cast high-level magic without chanting an incantation.

Yet this Little Fairy had not only accomplished exactly that, he'd managed to restrain Sarn as well. Even more astonishing was the discovery that the boy could wield both light and dark magic.

Seeing how effortlessly their leader had bound the Nightmare Fiend, Dixio grew excited and eagerly joined the fight.

Kumandi, Angel, Budno, and Amanda refused to be outdone and began unleashing their own spells.

Halis seized the opportunity to approach Seriu.

"Your Highness, your hatred has clouded your judgment."

Seriu nodded. "I know."

He had regained his composure the moment Sperien rushed forward.

His resolve still wasn't strong enough. He'd nearly fallen into the Nightmare Fiend's trap and become a puppet of his own hatred.

"Halis, let's send that thing back to hell together!"

Seriu exchanged his sword for his magic staff.

That was the advantage of being a magic swordsman: he could switch between different forms of attack at will.

Eight mages surrounded the Nightmare Fiend and unleashed their spells simultaneously. Thunderous explosions immediately filled the confinement field.

"Will they be all right?" Nasha asked anxiously, clasping her hands together.

The confinement spell had formed a black barrier that prevented anyone outside from seeing what was happening within. All they could hear was the deafening barrage of magical attacks.

"Don't worry. That Nightmare Fiend was injured before, and it's nowhere near as powerful as it used to be."

Falm fluttered his wings, flying back and forth inside the defensive formation.

"Um... aren't you going to help?" Cyndi asked.

She'd thought Falm would join Sperien and the others in battle!

Falm flicked his tail.

"They can handle it. No need for me to get involved."

Even the Elven King was watching the battle without a care in the world. What did Falm have to worry about?

Hector paced back and forth, his face tight with anxiety.

Once they returned, he was going to train harder than ever. Even if Ilio put him through absolute hell, he'd grit his teeth and endure it.

Because being unable to fight alongside his companions, forced to stand on the sidelines and wait, was an unbearable feeling.

Of the four, Ace remained the calmest. He stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the black barrier a short distance away.

Hector looked at him curiously.

"Can you see what's happening inside?"

"No, but..."

"But what?" Hector pressed.

Ace smiled faintly.

"We can use magical perception."

"Magical perception?"

Hector froze for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Oh! How did we forget about that?"

Mage Apprentices had weak magical perception and could only sense things within a limited range. But they weren't far from the black barrier, so they should be able to investigate what was happening inside.

Inspired by his words, Cyndi and Nasha immediately extended their magical perception.

Sure enough, their senses reached the edge of the black barrier and penetrated it with ease.

Inside, the battle had reached a fever pitch. The Nightmare Fiend had nowhere to run and no way to dodge. The others had him completely pinned down under a relentless assault.

Sarn was beside himself with frustration.

Although confinement magic could trap a Nightmare Fiend, it had one major drawback: it expelled the light elements from the surrounding air.

Without those elements, light mages became virtually useless once they'd exhausted the magical power stored within their bodies.

Sarn had been waiting for the Little Fairy who wielded both light and dark magic to run out of power and expose an opening.

What he hadn't expected was that this adventuring party had three light mages!

Their coordination was impeccable. They took turns casting Light Binding, keeping him firmly trapped in place while the other mages bombarded him with spells.

High-level magic of every element rained down on the Nightmare Fiend, inflicting one agonizing blow after another.

Sarn had already been injured. Now his condition was going from bad to worse.

"You think this is enough to kill me?"

His shrill voice pierced the air.

Injured or not, he was still a high-ranking demon who had lived for ten thousand years. He possessed terrifying abilities that were not to be underestimated.

With a furious roar, he unleashed his soul power.

His body suddenly expanded, snapping the ropes of light binding him.

"Watch out!"

Shu Li swiftly recited the incantation for a group Light Shield in his mind, strengthening his teammates' defenses.

Dozens of streams of black flame burst from the Nightmare Fiend's body. They struck the shields of light with a sharp, sizzling hiss.

"He's gotten bigger!" Dixio exclaimed.

"And stronger," Kumandi added with a frown.

"Who cares if he's bigger or stronger? Just keep hitting him!" Budno shouted fearlessly.

"Don't let your guard down," Seriu warned.

As a Sword Saint, he could clearly sense that the Nightmare Fiend's strength had suddenly risen to a level approaching that of a Mage Sovereign.

"We need to finish this quickly," Shu Li said grimly.

Their reserves of light elements were limited. If they couldn't kill the Nightmare Fiend within an hour, they would lose the ability to restrain him with light magic.

He swept his magic staff through the air, sending another Light Binding spell toward the now three-meter-tall Nightmare Fiend. The luminous rope wound around him like a white serpent.

"You think the same trick will work twice?" the Nightmare Fiend sneered.

He flexed his limbs and effortlessly snapped the binding.

Tentacles spilled from his mouth as he stared hungrily at the five Little Fairies and the young dragon.

"I'm going to devour every last one of you, one bite at a time!"

He completely ignored Seriu and Halis.

To a Nightmare Fiend, young Fairies and dragons were exquisite delicacies, while Seriu and Halis were inferior fare. Naturally, he intended to eat the tastiest morsels first.

"In your dreams!"

Amanda chanted a brief incantation and hurled more than a hundred balls of light at him.

Light Orbs were only low-level light magic, but so many striking at once caused the Nightmare Fiend considerable trouble.

It was like being bitten by mosquitoes. One mosquito bite might leave a human with nothing worse than a slight itch, but a hundred mosquitoes biting simultaneously? That was an entirely different kind of misery.

Enraged, Sarn charged toward Amanda.

"I'll devour you first!"

A wall of wind suddenly appeared, blocking his path.

Shu Li seized the opportunity to instantly cast another light spell, °• N ?? v ?? l i g h t •° wrapping the Nightmare Fiend in Light Binding.

"Amanda! Angel! Reinforce the spell!"

"Got it!"

Amanda and Angel immediately began chanting, thickening and strengthening the ropes of light to increase their restraining power.

If one light spell wasn't strong enough, they'd combine three!

Let's see him break free from that!

Sure enough, the Nightmare Fiend was temporarily immobilized.

The others showed no mercy. Wind, water, and fire magic rained down on him as though spells cost nothing at all.

Hector watched the battle through his magical perception, his nerves stretched to the breaking point.

"Isn't there some way to kill him quickly?"

"There is."

A book appeared in Ace's hands. He flipped to a particular page.

"According to this book, the Sword of Carlos is the natural enemy of Nightmare Fiends."

Hector leaned closer to look.

"Really?"

If there was such a convenient solution, why hadn't Ace mentioned it sooner?

Hector cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Seriu! Use the Sword of Carlos!"

He had no idea whether anyone inside the black barrier could hear him.

Although the barrier restricted the Nightmare Fiend's movements, it didn't prevent sound from passing through.

Seriu heard him.

Naturally, so did Sarn.

"The Sword of Carlos?" the Nightmare Fiend mocked. "Where is it? If you've got it, why don't you bring it out and show me?"

The Sword of Carlos had been missing for ten thousand years. They had searched the entire royal capital, turning over every stone and digging deep into the earth, but had found nothing.

When Seriu and Cecile fled the palace all those years ago, they hadn't taken a single sword with them.

The Black Knights had spent years searching everywhere, yet not one clue had surfaced.

Sarn was therefore absolutely certain that Seriu did not possess the Sword of Carlos.

"If you want to see it so badly, then I'll make sure you get a good look!"

Seriu's voice was cold.

He put away his magic staff and, with a thought, awakened the true bloodline of Cecilia flowing within him.

Dazzling light erupted from his body. An immense power of light surged outward, and before everyone's astonished eyes, his human form transformed into a sword.

Clang!

The magical sword emerged, shaking heaven and earth.

Sarn's eyes widened in disbelief.

The overwhelming power of light scorched his soul, while the terrifying pressure radiating from the sword left him too stunned to react.

A magical sword!

The Sword of Carlos, the legendary weapon capable of killing the Dark God!

It was true that Seriu didn't have the Sword of Carlos in his possession.

Because he was the Sword of Carlos!

So that was it!

How could this be?

Sarn couldn't die here!

He had to escape back to the Kingdom of Cecilia and deliver this crucial information to the king!

"ROOOAR!"

The Nightmare Fiend unleashed a thunderous roar, blasting away the mages surrounding him.

Sacrificing a portion of his soul power, he tore free of the Light Binding, rapidly dissolved into a cloud of black mist, and fled.

But at that moment, the confinement spell proved its worth.

The black mist slammed into the barrier and rebounded.

Gathering his strength, Sarn charged again, making the entire black barrier tremble from the impact.

"You're not getting away!"

Shu Li shouted and began chanting rapidly, reinforcing the confinement spell.

At the same time, the Sword of Carlos moved without anyone wielding it.

Like a shooting star, it streaked toward the black mist.

"AAAAAAAH!"

The Sword of Carlos struck with flawless precision, shattering the demonic core at the center of the mist.

The Nightmare Fiend let out an agonized, bloodcurdling scream.

Brilliant light erupted from the Sword of Carlos, instantly vaporizing the demon.

"S-so powerful!"

Budno tilted his head back, staring in amazement.

With the demon destroyed, the Sword of Carlos slowly descended, floating upright until it stopped directly in front of Shu Li. Iridescent light shimmered along its blade.

Shu Li blinked and instinctively reached out to grasp the hilt.

In that instant, he felt his consciousness connect with the magical sword.

A wave of happiness flowed from the sword into his mind.

Then he heard a deep voice singing.

"O warrior chosen by the God of Time and Space,

Come with us into the Kingdom of Light.

I shall grant you mighty power

To drive away the darkness..."

The song was brief, only a handful of lines, but Shu Li heard every word with perfect clarity.

"Is... is that Seriu singing?"