Chapter 74: Slaying Ajin
A cloud of poisonous gas shrouded the battlefield, obscuring all sight within. The power of the toxic fog had already been proven by the tragic deaths of unlucky pirate grunts, their blood seeping from every orifice. No one dared approach that deadly wasteland.
All eyes fixed upon the swirling haze, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the decisive clash. The silent terror of the spreading poison crept through the crowd, until—
A beam of light descended from the heavens.
A radiant golden sword pierced the azure dome above, splitting the sky and crashing down in a dazzling instant. In that moment, fear and worry were forgotten; only awe remained.
The light conveyed a sense of justice.
“What is that?”
After a long stunned silence, the crowd erupted in excitement.
“Is this the power of that knight?”
Though the poisonous mist concealed everything, the laborers instinctively associated this magnificent display with the gallant Garen.
Garen’s heroic image gradually ascended in their hearts.
The man at the center of all attention now stood beside Krieg’s corpse, murmuring to himself, “One hundred and fifty percent.”
Krieg, who had enslaved hundreds of thousands of laborers, ruled dozens of islands with iron tyranny, and committed every conceivable atrocity, shattered Garen’s assumptions about the upper limit of extra damage. His evil granted Garen’s ultimate skill, Demacian Justice, a bonus of 150% additional damage.
The so-called “Overlord of the East Sea” was simply the greatest villain acknowledged by its people.
Such a tremendous amplification effect multiplied Garen’s already overwhelming damage, making it even more devastating.
Escape, struggle, defense—every effort had been futile.
When the sword of light fell from above, Krieg’s wicked life reached its end.
Garen did not linger in amazement at the damage boost granted by Krieg, for any further astonishment would mean—
He’d be poisoned to death.
Rather than fleeing the toxic zone in a desperate scramble with Deadly Strike, Garen chose a more spectacular method of purging the poison:
“Judgment!”
Garen spun his greatsword at blinding speed, its broad blade stirring the air and quickly gathering a visible tornado.
As the winds swirled, the pervasive poison was drawn into the whirlwind. The colorless storm was soon tainted by the concentrated venom, turning a menacing purple-black, rendering the tornado even more lethal.
The laborers at the edge saw only a violent storm at the heart of the poison. The deadly haze was sucked away by the purple-black vortex until the battlefield was swept clean.
Compressed and concentrated into a whirling core, the poison intensified the darkness of the storm.
Once the gas had been cleared, Garen stopped spinning his sword and guided the wind with its blade, slashing outward.
Unwilling to waste the attack, Garen maliciously aimed the toxic tornado toward the nearby pirate grunts.
The pirates, panicked, tried to flee, but the roaring black storm crashed into the crowd, ruthlessly harvesting fragile lives.
The poisonous gas perfectly compensated for the tornado's lack of killing power, swiftly creating a vacuum of death among the pirates.
Garen slowly sheathed his sword. His brilliant armor soon attracted countless worshipful and admiring gazes.
At his feet lay the lifeless body of Admiral Krieg, eyes wide in death, and the half-dead Akane, barely clinging to life.
The victor was obvious.
Yet Garen did not rush to declare victory, instead casting a glance at the still-breathing Akane—
His chest and abdomen had been pierced by the greatsword, and he’d absorbed a great quantity of poison, yet through sheer martial prowess, he stubbornly survived.
Garen spoke to Akane with a touch of regret.
“Harsh and unkind, cold and ruthless, selfish and self-serving…”
“Is it worth risking your life for such trash?”
Krieg’s callous act of snatching the gas mask from Akane left Garen shaken—how could such a man have loyal followers?
“Cough… cough…”
Akane coughed blood, barely squeezing words from his ragged throat.
“Lord Krieg showed me kindness.”
Garen regarded Akane with a complex gaze, then said in a deep voice:
“You’re not the same as that man Krieg.”
“Haha…”
Akane’s pain-stricken face relaxed into a smile.
“I know Lord Krieg’s character is flawed, and his deeds are unworthy of praise.”
“But my loyalty to him will never waver.”
With the last of his strength, he turned his head, meeting Garen’s gaze.
“Grant me the honor of dying a loyal man!”
“Kill me!”
“Kill you?”
Garen was momentarily surprised, chuckling.
“Don’t get it wrong…”
“I never said I’d let you live!”
‘You’re not the same as Krieg’—that wasn’t a compliment!”
The mockery faded from Garen’s face, replaced by stern severity.
“Krieg is purely evil; you’re foolishly evil!”
“You knew of Krieg’s crimes, yet neither withdrew nor tried to stop him. Instead, you became his lackey, aiding his wickedness!”
Akane’s smile faltered, blood trickling anew from his lips.
“A man with blood-stained hands, still prattling about ‘loyalty’ at death’s door?!”
Garen stared coldly at Akane, his tone openly contemptuous.
“Your ‘loyalty’ is blind, ignorant devotion!”
“As for ‘honor’…”
“Do you even understand what that word means?”
Without hesitation, Garen turned away, leaving Akane dying on the ground.
“You are not worthy of dying under the name of loyalty and honor, nor fit to even utter those words.”
“In your last moments, reflect on how many crimes you helped Krieg commit!”
Akane was left speechless.
Hearing Garen’s words, he finally recalled those evils he’d always considered justified and ignored.
Even at the end of the road, pure villains like Krieg never regret their crimes, but foolish ones like Akane do—
At last, his eyes held a glimmer of remorse and pain.
Alas, it was too late.
Having said his piece, Garen prepared to leave, letting Akane bleed out where he lay.
For those who tried to whitewash their crimes with a shining persona, Garen never hesitated to deliver the most painful death.
After a few steps, Garen quickly put the dying Akane out of mind.
He glanced at his experience bar—
Still at level six, with an obvious gap to seven.
Much of that experience came from the surplus after slaying Arlong.
Garen couldn’t help but sigh:
These weak pirates really aren’t worth much!
He’d slaughtered over a hundred along the way, claimed the heads of Krieg and officer Palu, yet the experience gained paled in comparison to clearing out the Arlong Pirates.
After all, a fishman grunt was worth ten ordinary pirates, and Arlong himself, as a leader, far surpassed Krieg, whose strength mostly came from his expensive gear.
“Experience, experience…”
Garen muttered, his sharp gaze shifting toward the remaining pirate grunts.
Those who survived his toxic storm trembled as Garen’s eyes fell upon them.
“Wait…”
Garen suddenly noticed something.
“The pirates killed by my storm just now didn’t give me any experience?”
He stopped abruptly, realizing the issue:
Those pirates weren’t killed by the tornado, but poisoned by the venom within it.
“So…”
Garen’s face darkened.
“Krieg, lying dead on the ground, just stole my kills?”
Then another question struck him—
Leaving Akane to die on the ground, would his death count as sword wounds, or poisoned by Krieg’s gas?
“Cough… cough…”
Garen, greatsword in hand, walked back, somewhat embarrassed.
“Upon reflection…”
“For humanitarian reasons, I’ve decided to give you a swift death.”
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PS: Only one chapter today…
I really can’t help it, I need to get my graduation certificate.
Once my thesis defense ends next week, updates will definitely, definitely, definitely… definitely stabilize!!