Chapter 176

Gulp.

In the middle of an abrupt situation, the sound of someone’s dry saliva silently reverberated from a corner of the crowd.

“So this is it.”

Akshuler nodded after hearing Iceline’s brief mutter.

“According to my judgment, Joshua will triumph in this battle.”

“Yes?”

Iceline murmured for a time as if she had misunderstood what had been spoken.

“Until yesterday, he said he had no idea what this battle would entail—”

“Yes, words may become seeds, therefore you must be mindful of what you say to aid him in these circumstances!”

“…”

Iceline, who had a perplexed look on her face in response to Akshuler’s low yell, promptly stifled her voice.

“I have everything riding on this fight, and Joshua will win without question.”

“Your everything? Wait a second, Mister—”

Concerned, Iceline abruptly said the last of her remarks.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime gamble, since the stakes are 12 times as high.”

“…!”

Iceline opened her mouth blankly as Akshuler continued speaking, as if her mouth was used to catch bugs.

Iceline knew that he liked gambling, but she couldn’t believe that he’ll wager totally everything in this kind of gamble.

Stop.

Iceline, who was head-shaking, froze for a second as if she heard a lie.

Because she sensed something hitting her nerves via Akshuler’s comments.

“Twelvefold?”

“Yes?”

Akshuler nodded with a look of indifference upon seeing Iceline’s frown on her gorgeous face.

“Right. By the way, the stake for Prince Ulabis is at most doubled, and even that is conceivable since the organizers used their own money to ensure the stakes were not overly prejudiced.”

“…”

“If you are a genuine gambler, you should wager more confidently and aggressively on these major games—”

Before Akschler could continue saying, Iceline put both hands on her waist as if she didn’t like anything.

“The individuals assembled here lack a genuine concern for other individuals.”

“…?”

The eyes of Akshuler broadened as he regarded her.

“Is it still possible to make this wager?”

“Oh? That… what are you—”

Iceline stood up after seeing Akshuler stammer while responding positively.

“Please guide me.”

“Don’t… Don’t tell me. You too?”

“It’s a game with a certain result, but if you can’t even eat the meal you provide, you must be an idiot, right?”

“…”

Iceline talks aggressively to Akshuler, who was stunned by his opponent’s unexpected response, as her eyes light up.

“Betting… I’ll do it too.”

“Unless you’re as hooked as I am… it’s not a terrible thing to try it once for pleasure.”

The volume of Akshuler’s voice steadily decreased as he kept speaking.

It was due to the finding of Iceline’s eyes that they remained steady.

Akshuler, who felt a glimmer of concern, inquired with caution.

“So, what’s at stake—”

“If you’re a genuine gambler, don’t you believe you should wager with greater audacity and aggression in this situation?”

Iceline concluded her remark with a self-assured tone as she firmly extended her adorable fist.

“All-in with Joshua.”

* * *

Heartbeats.

The muscles of the whole body contract pleasurably with mild strain.

In the not-too-distant future, the name of the guy standing in front of him will attain the brightness of nine stars.

All fighters possess a spirit of benevolence.

After a very long time, Joshua’s arteries were filled with a waterfall-like flood of that heated blood.

Crack. Crackle.

Joshua was surrounded by sparks caused by a clean white electric current.

Bronto was responding well inside his body.

It was probably because of Primordial Stone Magma.

As if to react to the energy of Bronto.

A crimson haze emerged from the whole of Ulabis’s body, which was followed by a red blaze that engulfed the sky.

The worldwide annihilation inferno that burns everything.

Reinhardt once again showed the horrors of hell.

In short order, the two auras that had been calling for a considerable amount of time manifested.

A lightning bolt that tore through everything in its path and a fire that destroyed all that existed furiously clashed at last.

Paah!

They approach each other regardless of who arrives first. (race towards each other)

Joshua’s figure was as brilliant as lightning, illuminating the sky.

Before he realized it, Lugia, which he was holding, cut forward like a jet.

The spear’s expulsion produces a multitude of afterimages with a single spark.

Magic Spear Arts 3rd level, Sura’s Path.

If the opponent looked at this as it was, he would lose everything.

Now that Joshua has achieved the ideal level of five, there is no fear left.

Because each one of them had the power of death, there were hundreds of spears images.

It is similar to sending out hundreds of lightning simultaneously.

Over and over again, sparks were emitted when the irons clashed.

Once again, Ulabis, the Knight of the Red Flame, was distinct from his predecessors.

The benefit provided by the spear’s distance.

While hitting a single strike with exceptional accuracy and force, he was always searching for openings to enter the absolute gap.

Ulabis did not retreat at all despite the fact that many who face the spear for the first time prefer to retreat unknowingly due to its enormous force.

Joshua trembled momentarily in response to the blinding red blaze.

The disadvantage of the gap is engulfed in molten flames.

A momentary pause is a signpost for a counterattack.

If the individual has a genius equivalent to that of Ulabis, there is nothing left to say.

Instantaneously through the gap, Urabis’s blade penetrated the man’s side.

Joshua, opting to evade the situation, swiftly twisted.

However, despite these attacks and defenses, Ulabis’s attitude was in fact one of adoration.

“…!”

The advancing blades went from the right to the left of Ulabis.

It is physically impossible considering the force of inertia.

Ulabis, who commanded the sword with his will, lifted it diagonally and hit the target as it was.

Its pace was, indeed, like a jet.

Joshua felt a strong jolt in his hands at the same moment he heard a mild ringing sound.

“Ack—”

The trouble, however, was that Ulabis’s teeth, not Joshua’s, were emitting the little groan.

One step back.

Joshua, who deflected the sword with the precise moves required, sent Lugia crashing to the ground.

Whik!

Ulabis did not attempt to oppose the next attack, which was exerted from above.

Contrarily, the repulsive force caused him a significant rotation to his right.

Joshua’s spear connected with the sword of Ulabis, who was surrounded by Aura.

“At this speed, using a weapon like a spear—”

Urabis took three steps back and let out a low chuckle, as if he found the situation hilarious.

Unconcealable happiness was apparent in that grin.

It would be a declaration of the fact that he met the love of his life.

Because Ulabis was also a celestial warrior before he became a king.

“Hooh—”

After taking a brief, deep breath, Ulabis elevated his blade in a horizontal position.

Bitterly smiling, he assumed a rapier-like attacking stance with an ordinary longsword whose blade was only wider than typical.

“I wish Joshua Sanders success.”

“…”

“I shall do my best going forward.”

Ulabis slapped the ground violently after concluding his speech.

A speed that much surpasses the prior speed.

A new persona of Ulabis is seen racing through the high wind.

‘While Ulabis was still alive, he was well-known for using a weapon as unique as his might.’

The eyes of Joshua, who was quietly gazing at him, briefly glowed.

Although it was not inside the sword’s range, Ulabis furiously extended the blade forward while bending his arm back.

The blade was spread out like a whip, and everyone wondered whether it was emitting a peculiar sound.

Inside, however, is a cavalry with wires connecting the sword’s sections.

This sword, also known as a simple sword, was referred to as a whip sword on the Eastern Continent.

Joshua strikes the sword, which bends at a sharp angle toward the critical place.

Soon afterwards, a hollow earth was excavated, and an explosion reverberated across the heavens and the earth.

A crimson flame erupted from the fracture.

‘It grows, fades, and vanishes. Do not be tricked by such slick manipulations.’

Ulabis was a hellish reaper in Joshua’s past life, and he never wanted to see him on the battlefield again.

The Absolute who holds a flaming whip while being consumed by enormous flames.

The adversaries did not dare approach, and their whole bodies were ripped to bits and reduced to ash.

However…

‘No one has ever defeated me in my first life.’

Joshua grasped Lugia firmly in his fingers, tightly coiled up.

A fighter without a loss.

Even if his opponent were the reaper of hell, he wouldn’t bow down to him.

“Primordial Stone, Bronto.”

Stop.

The sound of Urabis’ voice reaching Joshua’s ear caused him to pause for a second.

“In any case, you must have seized that thing as well, right?”

Ulabis closed his eyes and kept speaking as if he didn’t anticipate a response.

“Did you realize that the power of the primordial stone extends beyond that of attributes?”

“…”

“The Primordial Stone, also known as God’s treasure. You can increase its capacity to the fullest, and when you do that, you’ll be confronted with yet another transformation. Mine was Magma’s awakening.”

Ulabis rose his mana like an explosion as he regarded Joshua, who remained mute while keeping his lips shut.

“From now on, I’ll demonstrate the might of that deity you don’t know.”

Joshua quickly shielded his eyes as a sudden conflagration swept in front of him.

After a time,

“…”

Joshua sees a solitary human figure in front of him.

‘Is this the appearance of Ifrit, the King of the Fire Spirits?’

Ulabis’s visage surrounded in a massive flame was, in a word, the flame itself. (I PROUDLY PRESENT, ULABIS’S FINAL FORM:

The Reaper of Hell who fits Joshua’s recollection of him while he was alive in his first life.

Urabis, who was gazing at the brilliant red bead close to his heart, speaks slowly, as if he had moved a little sun floating in the sky.

“Be cautious. I, too, am not yet able to control this strength.”

Jerk.

As Ulabis took one stride, the ground he stepped on fractured and split.

Even the heat-resistant flooring began to slowly melt due to the extreme heat.

“You are arrogant.”

“What?”

Joshua, who had been standing immobile up until this point, finally opened his lips in an instant.

“Did you say God’s power that I don’t know?”

Slowly, an electrical storm started to whirl around Joshua’s low mutter.

“No way—”

Joshua blasts his mana as he observes Ulabis babbling incoherently.

“Who said I lacked knowledge?”

“…!”

As soon as Joshua finished speaking, a brilliant white light blinded his vision and engulfed the sky.