THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 534: Rage Beyond SS+ (2)

“I’ve been holding back… saving my strength to deal with that damned witch hiding behind you. But I see now this plan will get me nowhere.”

The deadliest enemy on this battlefield was none other than Beatrice. As long as the witch remained, ignoring her was courting disaster—a lesson Maekar had learned the hard way in their last fight, when he fell into her magical trap.

That was why, even while battling both Mergo and Gavid, Maekar’s eyes never once left the witch.

“Lightning Formation: Plasma Burst.”

From within Maekar’s body, electricity poured out in relentless torrents. Compressing it by force until the vast ocean of current was packed into a sphere no larger than his fist, the Emperor moved with terrifying speed.

Holding that sphere, he flicked it with his fingers—

—and it shot straight toward Mergo and Gavid.

Both of them raced against time to evade it. But the baseball-sized projectile swelled into a monstrous sun in the blink of an eye ..then exploded right in their faces.

The scene was apocalyptic—a colossal sphere of lightning engulfed the battlefield, devouring everything in its path.

Mergo instantly teleported away to escape its reach, while Gavid survived only thanks to his Phantom Form.

Even so, their evasion left an opening ..one Maekar exploited without hesitation.

In a flash, he was above Beatrice, the Sunfire Spear poised to strike her head.

The Emperor didn’t hold back. He poured everything into that one blow, determined to erase the cursed witch who had tormented them for so long.

To deal with her amidst so many enemies, speed was the only solution.

That was Maekar’s gamble. Phoenix, despite his strength, couldn’t break past his foe ..but the Emperor could blitz past Mergo and Gavid in an instant.

And so, he finally reached the witch.

Before her, he unleashed the full might of his spear ..a weapon said to rival the sun itself ..seeking to crush her utterly.

“Annihilate! Sunfire!” Maekar roared, unleashing the spear’s wrath.

In the next heartbeat, a deafening explosion shattered the air, shaking even the void itself.

Maekar felt his spear strike something—but the strange sound of shattering glass by his ear made him freeze.

From nowhere, countless unseen serpents crawled over his armor, while something invisible began crushing his body with unstoppable force.

As for Beatrice, the woman he thought he’d struck ..she was still standing before him, untouched.

The witch turned her head slowly toward him, her deep violet eyes locking onto his.

“I’ve been waiting for you… dear Maekar Valerion.”

Drawing her staff, she prepared to cast. Maekar, however, was bound in place by the unseen force ..strong enough to hold him for at least a few seconds.

“Humans are far simpler than they appear—blinded by their emotions, letting their grudges lead them like mindless beasts. You hate me, don’t you… Emperor of Mankind?” Beatrice laughed softly, her body glowing with an ominous crimson light.

“I suppose what I did to you enraged you. That’s why I was certain you’d attack me first—and all I had to do was set the trap.”

The binding spell she had placed on him was the strongest in her arsenal ..more than enough to deal with SS+ opponents.

But it was only the prelude to what was coming.

“Maekar Valerion… do you know why I’ve only been using my weakest, most trivial spells against you so far?”

At that question, both Maekar’s and Phoenix’s expressions darkened as they felt what was about to come.

“The answer is simple… because I’ve been preparing this spell in secret!”

With a laugh as deranged as it was fitting, Beatrice unleashed her attack.

“Kill him for me!”

At her command, four Death Kings materialized from the void, their overwhelming presence pressing down like a collapsing sky.

Each stood over a hundred meters tall, and together they encircled Maekar Valerion, their massive shadows swallowing him whole.

Gripping their colossal swords, the four kings swung without mercy ..seeking to cleave the Emperor of Mankind apart.

“Dodge it!!” Phoenix roared, still locked in his own battle against Baelith.

Taking such a direct hit would have been catastrophic for Maekar ..yet he couldn’t break free from the binding spell Beatrice had placed on him.

It held him for only a few seconds, but a few seconds were all Beatrice needed.

“It took me a while to finish this spell after that beast drained me,” she said with a sly smile, “but the end result isn’t bad at all… don’t you agree?”

The moment she finished speaking, a deafening explosion shook the world. The swords of the Four Kings came crashing down, swallowing Maekar’s body…and everything beneath him ..whole.

Their blades sank deep into the earth, shattering it, and once again that cursed continent wailed under the horrors of the war it had been forced to cradle.

Even with the protection of the Fume Knight’s Armor, taking such a blow was bound to inflict massive damage on the Emperor—and Beatrice had planned it with care.

The sight of the bloodied Emperor would have been a long-awaited delight to her eyes after all that had happened.

But the scene she had anticipated never came. At the very last instant, Maekar Valerion avoided the strike by the width of a hair.

No… he hadn’t avoided it.

He had been saved.

Carrying Maekar in one hand, an old man appeared far beyond the reach of the attack, his body radiating a brilliant light that cut through the night’s darkness.

With an annoyed sigh, he tossed the stunned Emperor aside and stepped forward, gripping two shining swords.

“My bones ache, my body’s grown frail… I can no longer keep up with the younger generation,” he muttered, voice edged with fatigue. “Never in my life did I imagine I’d be the last to arrive.”

At his sudden appearance, Beatrice clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Sir Alon Valerion…”

The Iron Emperor had finally entered the battle, hoping to at least tilt the balance.

That damned old man is fast enough to slip past my senses…

Beatrice cursed inwardly, readying herself to fight an opponent said to strike at the speed of light.

“Father…” Maekar muttered, unable to believe that the old man had just saved him. But the Iron Emperor spared him not even a glance.

“Stop disgracing yourself ..and me. Get ready to fight.”

Releasing his full power, a terrifying surge of Light Aura burst from him, the Iron Emperor targeting Beatrice without hesitation.

“The enemy’s leaders are right in front of us! If we win here, the Ultras are finished!”

Unleashing a concentrated wave of light, Sir Alon illuminated the entire battlefield.

“Frey Starlight has already slain the human devil, Dragoth! The enemy is at its weakest! So fight! Do not hold back … attack with everything you have! This war ends today!”

His words stoked the flames in both Maekar and Phoenix, urging them to fight to their last breath.

Neither of them knew the truth behind Dragoth’s death at Frey’s hands, but that news only deepened their resolve to crush what remained of their foes.

The battle shifted—four against three.

But their enemies were already wounded. In other words… the odds were nearly even.

With that fact in mind, the Empire’s side fought with every ounce of strength they had left, turning the fight into a struggle of life and death.

Seven SS+ rank combatants clashed, unleashing a natural disaster that made the earth weep without pause. The sheer volume of aura they poured out bordered on madness.

Depending on the outcome, this battle could very well end the war today. All the greatest powers of both sides were here.

Knowing that, both sides played their final cards, aiming to erase each other from existence.

History would remember it as one of the fiercest battles ever fought on Earth.