The Demon magic in Kaine’s body flowed through the circuits, mixing with the magic energy.

The circuits expanded, and the strain on them increased.

“Ugh!”

The pain was unbearable.

Kaine had experienced a lot of pain and even death, but this was the first time he felt such excruciating pain.

Kaine endured the pain and activated the color settings and effect quality.

A blue magic energy was released from his body.

“Haa!”

Dain swallowed dryly as he faced the magic energy head-on.

“Gulp!”

How is this possible?

Usually, people only have one power.

For example, if someone has aura, they wouldn’t have magic energy, divine power, magic power, or ki.

Even if they do have them, these powers would be insignificant compared to the aura.

But the Kaine in front of Dain had both magic power and aura, and not just a small amount, but a significant amount.

Kaine infused his body with the released magic energy.

The physical enhancement and magic power in his body mixed completely, creating an even deeper blue color.

Dain broke out in a cold sweat as he watched this.

“What the…?”

How can he be so calm?

Even with just physical enhancement, the body feels strained.

Of course, some people with exceptional physical abilities may not feel the strain.

However, it’s undeniable that using physical enhancement requires more strength and puts a strain on the body.

In other words, using physical enhancement drains the strength and body of even the strongest individuals.

But Kaine used physical enhancement and then layered it with aura.

And he used a significant amount of it.

The strain on his body was beyond the point of concern.

There would definitely be pain worse than death.

No, his body wouldn’t be able to withstand it at all.

Dain stared blankly for a moment, and Kaine smirked.

“Shut your mouth.”

What?!

Kaine’s figure disappeared.

A chilling sensation ran down Dain’s spine, and he instinctively crouched down.

“Haa!”

I’ll have to use all my strength.

If I was just a second late, my face and body would have been separated.

Dain quickly retreated before Kaine could launch another attack.

Then, he held two daggers and used physical enhancement.

“Haa!”

Hmm, he still has the strength to use that much power.

Kaine narrowed his eyes as he watched Dain.

In truth, Kaine’s calm exterior belied the excruciating pain he was feeling.

He had experienced death and endured pain multiple times, so he could handle it.

In reality, his whole body was screaming, and his bones were creaking.

“Ouch!”

Damn, this hurts.

There’s no time to spare.

I have to finish this quickly.

If I don’t, I’ll collapse before I can kill Dain.

The two stared at each other.

Dain’s cold sweat dripped down his chin and onto the floor.

At the same time, both of them kicked off the ground.

Kaine’s sword and Dain’s two daggers clashed.

“Clang!”

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Kage looked at the fallen Lisa with a worried expression and turned her gaze to Kaine’s clone, who looked exactly like him.

“Hmm… The master’s clone?”

“Just call me clone.”

“Okay. By the way, does Lisa seem okay to you?”

“Don’t worry. Her injuries were severe, but the potions we brought were strong enough to heal her. She’s just unconscious now.”

Just as the clone said, Lisa’s condition had improved significantly from when she was bleeding heavily in the abdomen earlier.

Her breathing was now stable.

Kage sighed in relief at the clone’s words.

“Phew. That’s good. By the way, I never thought the master would become so strong.”

Kage was surprised by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

She knew from fighting Dain that the guy was strong.

It was frustrating that Dain was difficult to defeat even with Lisa’s help.

But Kaine was fighting him alone and holding his own.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

No, it’s not a stalemate.

It may look like one, but Dain was gradually losing ground.

Dain was struggling as he blocked Kaine’s attacks, probably because he had already exhausted a lot of his strength.

As Kage watched the fight, Kaine briefly turned his gaze towards her.

“Hmm? What’s up? Did the master just look at me?”

“I think so.”

“Why did he look at me?”

As Kage asked, the clone narrowed his eyes and looked at Kaine.

“Huff!”

Kaine was hit because he had momentarily turned his attention away.

“The original…”

He must be reaching his limit.

It’s not surprising. Even though the original has experienced death and has a high tolerance for pain, using physical enhancement twice is insane.

In reality, he was probably using more than just that.

He must have maxed out the volume adjustment as well.

It’s no wonder his body is reaching its limit.

Let’s think.

Although Kaine and his clone are separate entities, they think the same way.

So, if he were in Kaine’s situation, why would he signal Kage?

“…”

He was probably signaling her to attack at the right moment.

But Kage usually has no sense of timing.

So, Kaine would have to tell her.

As Kage pondered Kaine’s signal, the clone answered her question.

“Kage, get ready to attack.”

“Huh? Why? If I try to help the master, I’ll just get in his way.”

That’s true.

Kage’s skills wouldn’t be of much use in this fight, and she would only get in Kaine’s way.

Knowing this, Kage didn’t try to help Kaine.

However, that was only if the current situation continued.

Soon, Kaine’s physical enhancement would wear off.

The clone shook his head at Kage’s words.

“That’s not going to happen. The master’s physical enhancement will end soon.”

“What?! Really?”

Kage’s eyes widened at the clone’s words. The clone nodded in response.

“Yes. So, time your attack well. The outcome of this fight depends on what you do.”

“Okay… I understand.”

Kage watched the fight with a tense expression.

.

.

.

As expected of my clone, he’s quick-witted.

To be honest, my body is in such bad shape that I’m not sure how it’s still moving.

The clone noticed this and answered Kage, leaving the rest to her.

Now, I just have to trust Kage.

As I thought this, I muttered quietly so that no one could hear, casting a spell while dodging Dain’s attacks.

Dain, who was also running out of strength, swung his daggers frantically.

“Your reaction tells me you’re reaching your limit.”

“…”

I ignored his words and recited an embarrassing incantation that would make me kick myself later.

Soon, only the skill name remained.

“Hey. People shouldn’t be stereotyped.”

“Huh?”

He tilted his head, not understanding why I suddenly said that during the fight.

I ignored his reaction and whispered the skill name so that no one could hear.

“Magic Power Slash.”

Ugh, so cringy!

The magic was activated despite my cringe.

A slash made of magic power headed towards Dain.

He seemed surprised that I could use magic.

But this Magic Power Slash was only a mid-to-low-level spell.

Even though I had strengthened myself with physical enhancement, the level of my magic hadn’t increased.

So, while it may have been unexpected for Dain, it didn’t mean he couldn’t counter it.

Dain deflected the Magic Power Slash with his daggers, sending it flying to the side.

“Clang!”

It’s okay. I didn’t expect this spell to defeat him anyway.

What I’m aiming for is a momentary opening.

When strong opponents fight, a momentary opening can decide the outcome.

So, I took advantage of that opening and swung my sword at him.

At the same time, my body reached its limit, and the physical enhancement wore off.

“Swoosh!”

“Thud!”

He was slashed diagonally by my attack, and I was stabbed in the abdomen with a dagger.

“Ugh!”

I frowned in pain for a moment, and he said triumphantly,

“Huff! Huff! It seems your body couldn’t handle the strain. Your last attack was weak. You lose.”

I smiled like a villain upon hearing his words.

Then, I grabbed his arm tightly.

“Hey, this is not a one-on-one fight.”

“Huh?”

“Kid, life is a battle.”

He struggled to free his hand, but I held on tighter.

My body was at its limit, but so was he.

And in this moment,

“Thud!”

Kage killed him.

“Cough!”

He coughed up crimson blood onto the floor.

Like a broken robot, he turned his head back.

Behind Dain, Kage had infused her body with ki and pierced his heart with a palm strike.

“At… first… I… was… aiming… for… this…”

Kage ignored Dain’s words and pulled her hand out.

“Thud!”

Dain died with his heart pierced.

“Phew, finally it’s over. Ugh!”

As soon as I confirmed his death, the tension released, and the pain doubled.

At the same time, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

“Thud!”

Damn, this hurts. I need to heal with the Holy Cross quickly.

I had saved the Holy Cross for a situation like this.

My wounds were literally life-threatening.

From the outside, it looked like I was about to die.

And a little kid was watching me up close.

It was none other than Kage.

She looked at me lying on the ground and cried out in a trembling voice,

“B-Clone! Come here with the potion quickly!”

At Kage’s call, the clone slowly approached. Our eyes met.

Even though we only exchanged glances, it felt like we had a conversation.

… This guy was also thinking the same thing as me.

As we communicated with our eyes, Kage said anxiously,

“B-Clone! Why aren’t you healing the master with the potion?”

“Kage, it’s too late. This can’t be healed with a potion.”

“I’m sorry, Kage. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

I said a cringy line, and Kage looked at me with teary eyes.

“Hiccup! Master, don’t die.”

… I feel a bit guilty.

I didn’t expect Kage to cry this much.

To be honest, her face was covered in tears and snot.

The clone looked at me.

His eyes seemed to say, ‘Hey, if you keep this up, Kage will be really upset.’

As I thought he might be right, I was about to use the Holy Cross, but then,

“Hiccup. Master, I’m sorry for eating the limited-edition ice cream and spitting in your coffee. Don’t die…”

“…”

What the hell? Was it you who stole the limited-edition ice cream?! And what? Spitting?

I doubted my ears for a moment, but the clone’s panicked expression made me think that my hearing wasn’t paralyzed due to the volume adjustment.

All my guilt towards Kage disappeared.

I activated the Holy Cross.

“Master, I won’t secretly curse you. Don’t… Huh?! The master is coming back to life?!”

As he saw my body slowly recovering, she stopped crying and smiled brightly.

Then, she ran towards me and hugged me.

“Master! I’m glad you’re alive.”

“Yeah. But, Kage.”

“Huh?”

I called her, and she tilted her head.

From her reaction, it seemed like she didn’t remember what she had said.

Usually, people would pretend not to have heard in this situation,

but I, with my ocean-like heart, couldn’t do that.

“What did you say earlier?”

“Yeah, so… I ate the snacks… No, I’m not the culprit!”

Kage’s face turned pale as she remembered what she had said.

Then, she blamed me for her mistake.

“Ugh! Anyway, Master, why did you pretend to be dead when you had that healing ability?!”

“Shut up, you snack thief! Smack!”

Once again, I smacked Kage on the head.

Then, I shifted my gaze to the treasure chest.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Report chapter

Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter