I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 332. It Was Winter (8)

The snow stings, and the pungent smell vibrates in the air.

The survivors gasp for breath, their hearts pounding as if they might burst from tension. They grip their weapons tightly, refusing to believe it’s over.

Keter, too, surveys the battlefield without pulling out the curved blade piercing his chest.

‘It hit. That much is certain.’

Keter had struck Eslow three times, twisting the attacks.

The falling rain of destruction seemed like the real attack—when the fog obscured his vision, Keter even deliberately allowed Eslow’s blade to pierce his chest.

Finally, Keter didn’t actively use the Five Elements Divine Artifact, Toban. As if he couldn’t wield it well in battle.

Originally, these were the only three moves, but Henya also lent a hand. Whether real or fake, she pretended to flee, distracting Eslow’s mind.

‘Nice assist, Henya.’

It was a strike meant for self-destruction, but thanks to Henya, it landed squarely on Eslow.

‘I can’t see him, nor sense his presence.’

Eslow is nowhere to be seen.

The explosion of destruction distorted even space itself. A force that even a Prime wouldn’t survive unscathed. It would be comforting to think he’s dead, but that’s wishful thinking.

He’s definitely alive. But with no sight or trace of him, Keter tenses up, every nerve on edge. The enemy is most terrifying when unseen, not when visible.

The world feels frozen. Everyone stands still, as if time has stopped, holding their breath and not blinking.

Everyone knows even the slightest movement or a moment of distraction could lead to death.

Of course, this could all be a delusion. Eslow, severely injured by Keter’s destruction, might have fled.

Thirty seconds have passed. But for those in extreme concentration, each second feels like ten minutes.

Could he really be dead or have fled? The transcendent sense warning ‘don’t move’ might just be a delusion.

Just as doubt creeps in—

Chirring.

One of Eslow’s swords, embedded in the ground, moves ever so slightly. Without even a breeze.

In that instant, everyone instinctively jumps, but Keter alone lowers his body.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Severed legs fly through the air. They belong to martial artists. Keter’s right arm also flies, landing on the ground.

Then, Eslow, who had appeared out of nowhere, launches a barrage of attacks at Keter. His appearance is abnormal. Though in human form, his entire body is charred black.

Keter, having lost his right arm, blocks and deflects the attacks with the Demon Bow Amaranth in his left hand, as if he never had a right arm to begin with.

Moreover, losing an arm is no issue for Keter. Arrows, materialized by his will, rain down in all directions.

Eslow wields dual swordsmanship. But there aren’t just two swords.

Two swords in his hands, six swords controlled by his Heart Sword—eight swords in total target Keter, each imbued with extreme subtlety.

Extreme Joy, Extreme Strength, Extreme Illusion, Extreme Change.

Extreme Center, Extreme Flow, Extreme Defeat, Extreme Stupor.

Protecting only vital points is meaningless. The moment even one attack lands, it’s over. Non-vital areas are turned into vital ones.

Head, face, neck, shoulders… distinguishing body parts is pointless. Eslow’s swords target every part.

Keter was originally a swordsman. He’s confident in close combat, but not as much as in archery.

Moreover, his opponent is Eslow. A master of all weapon arts. Would the crude martial arts learned in the Lawless City work on him?

‘They will. Even if just once.’

Using it just once won’t be seen through. That was Keter’s calculation.

He takes a deep breath. Recalls their techniques. Vivid memories give him confidence.

‘Borrowing for a moment.’

Butcher Hans’ ‘Leg Hook’.

Weapon Thief Aman’s ‘Finger Cutting’.

Ayrus-style ‘Back Kick’.

Jairo’s Refreshing Sword ultimate technique, ‘Sky Piercing Path’.

Sword Demon Walt’s ‘False Sword Draw’.

Chain Scythe Jenny’s ‘Falling Leaves’.

Kwa-dddddk!

In an instant, Keter pushes Eslow back.

Eslow, faced with Keter’s barrage of new techniques, abandons analysis and increases his strength and speed.

Keter’s arrows and Eslow’s swords cross paths.

Swoosh!

They clearly crossed, but only one sound of flesh being cut was heard.

It was Keter’s.

Keter’s right ear was severed. Eslow’s chest should have been hit by an arrow, but somehow, Eslow appeared behind Keter.

It wasn’t a matter of speed. It was as if he teleported, as if he was always there.

But Keter isn’t a fool to fall for the same trick twice.

‘Teleportation through weapons. So, besides creating weapons, he has additional abilities.’

Eslow can ‘teleport’ using the weapons he creates.

But that’s not all.

‘If it were just teleportation, his complete disappearance wouldn’t be explained.’

Eslow can also enter inside his weapons. That was Keter’s speculation. To summarize, Eslow’s Authority of Weaponization has these abilities:

He can turn anything he touches into a weapon—

He can teleport using the weapons he creates, with a speed so fast there’s no margin of error.

Additionally, he can hide inside weapons, completely erasing his presence.

‘What a ridiculous ability.’

Right before the battle began, Eslow had scattered hundreds of weapons.

The weapons themselves can be destroyed, but each has the strength of Orichalcon. They can’t be broken like twigs.

Many weapons were lost in the destruction—

‘At least 50 weapons are still visible.’

Many weapons remain.

And the real problem isn’t the weapons.

‘He’s fully recovered.’

Eslow has completely restored himself to his original form. The wounds on his chest and shoulders are gone.

Meanwhile, Keter has lost his right arm, and though he’s holding his own in close combat, it’s only a matter of time.

No matter how many techniques Keter has mastered, his proficiency is limited. Keter gauges the time he has left.

‘Just one minute.’

The last time granted to Keter.

‘A life-or-death moment.’

Smirk.

In moments of crisis, the more dire the situation, the wider Keter’s smile becomes.

Henya grits her teeth. As planned, she pretended to flee, drawing Eslow’s attention.

Keter succeeded in landing a devastating blow, but Eslow didn’t die. Instead, he revived, stronger than ever, pushing Keter back.

‘Should I flee again?’

Henya shakes her head violently. It’s pointless. The Empire isn’t involved in this trap. And escaping Eslow without someone’s help is impossible.

‘But staying idle won’t help either.’

Henya turns to Lyze, her last resort.

“Lyze. Give me your mana.”

“My mana? That’s…”

“I don’t have time to convince you. Now, quickly.”

“…Alright.”

Lyze, with his Extreme Mana Stagnation, possesses infinite mana. However, his talent for magic is average, only capable of casting up to 4th-circle spells.

4th-circle magic can’t even touch a hair on Eslow. So, it’s better to infuse that infinite mana into Henya.

Kwaaaaaa!

Lyze places his palm on Henya’s back and begins infusing mana.

Of course, this is madness. Henya already has Aura in her body and isn’t familiar with mana. The incoming mana will clash with her Aura, leading to her death.

Drip.

Dark red blood flows from Henya’s mouth and nose. But she grits her teeth and endures.

She knows Aura alone can’t match Eslow. Even with mana, it’s unlikely.

‘But it might buy us some time.’

If she makes the slightest mistake, the mana inside her will explode, but Henya has already dismissed death from her mind.

Kwaaaaang!

With one leap, she covers hundreds of meters, striking Eslow with a powerful blow.

Kwaaaaang!

Eslow, seeing Henya suddenly intervene, raises an eyebrow slightly before attaching four Heart Swords to her.

Clang-clang-clang! Bang!

Henya wanted to pull Eslow away from Keter, but it was impossible. The four Heart Swords alone were overwhelming.

But the pressure on Keter definitely lessened.

Eslow, of course, had no intention of closing the distance with Keter. In archery alone, Keter surpasses Eslow.

“We’re still alive!”

At that moment, the surviving martial artists charge at Eslow.

They’re not in good shape. At least one leg is severed, or they’ve suffered fatal injuries. Yet, they charge at Eslow.

Eslow can’t completely ignore them. He has to send at least one Heart Sword.

“Tsk.”

He clicks his tongue. That’s the extent of his reaction. Short as one second, long as seven. For a Grandmaster’s end, it’s too brief.

Each of them trained for at least 30 years to become Grandmasters. They gained countless insights, but before Eslow, they’re like fallen leaves. If they could block even one of Eslow’s strikes, it would be considered remarkable.

The Grandmasters throw themselves to create distance. Thanks to them, Keter manages to create some space.

“Futile efforts.”

Whoosh.*

Whether unfortunate or intentional, Eslow’s spear is embedded in the direction Keter retreats.

Teleporting through the spear, the distance the Grandmasters bought with their lives is instantly closed.

But that was exactly Keter’s plan.

Sephira’s Celestial Infinity Technique, First Form: Big Bang.

The strike that shattered Kwonhwang’s iron wall explodes toward Eslow.

But Eslow doesn’t take it. Moving from weapon to weapon has no restrictions. He easily avoids it by teleporting to another weapon. Keter’s carefully aimed strike misses, embarrassingly simple.

Henya, watching from afar, is devastated. No matter how hard she tries to suppress it, one word blooms in her heart.

Defeat.

There’s no way to win. Even after successfully ambushing Eslow and dealing significant damage… he revives as if nothing happened, even stronger.

Now, his movements are faster, not slower.

‘So this is the strength of a Lord.’

All circumstances are against Eslow.

Yet, Eslow doesn’t flee or negotiate despite the disadvantage. He simply crushes everything.

The dignity of a Lord. Why he’s called a Lord is fully demonstrated.

‘Now, the only answer is to flee. Not everyone needs to die.’

Of course, Henya has no intention of surviving.

But she desperately wants Keter to live. So, she looks at Keter, wishing for him to flee. At least Eslow would want her more than Keter.

At that moment, Henya doubts her ears.

“This is fun. But it’s time to end it.”

These aren’t words that should come from Keter, whose allies are all dead or incapacitated, his arm severed, and his body drenched in blood.

‘Is he really insane?’

Eslow, too, seems baffled, pausing his attack to glance around. Checking if Keter has any other allies.

But of course, there are none. If there were, Eslow would have noticed.

To evade the senses of Eslow, who has transcended to a Demigod, one would need to be a Demigod themselves.

“You’re still bluffing even in death.”

That’s Eslow’s conclusion, and Keter shrugs, saying,

“Come and see for yourself.”

The moment Keter finishes speaking, Eslow’s blade is already at his throat.

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