I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

Episode 305

I was an optimist, but I tried to suppress that tendency as much as possible in battles where my life was at stake. Nothing was more foolish than making hopeful assumptions in a fight. If anything, I had to assume the worst.

So the question was this: what was the worst outcome in the current situation?

The whole group getting wiped out before Mir arrives? That would be bad, but it was not the worst possibility. The true worst case was that the demon king's descent had already reached an irreversible stage.

If that were true, then regardless of whether we won or lost against this legion commander, the summoning of the demon king was already certain. The demon king would manifest through Ymir's body.

The thought alone exhausted me.

Picture it: a massive being, tall enough to touch the sky, trampling mountains, leaping over frozen lakes, and turning the north into a wasteland. How many casualties would it cause? The map of the north itself would likely change, and the disaster would be recorded as the worst in the empire's history.

But this is just a grim speculation... I couldn't afford to think about stopping the demon king's descent right now. I needed to focus on what I could do.

Maybe Mir wouldn't be able to pick up Mjolnir. Even if she succeeded, she could be too exhausted to break the staff. Reaching the temple through the brutal winter would not be easy for her either.

Then... What I needed to do was also clear. It had to deal more damage to that staff.

"Let's use this," I said, grabbing Feed's spear.

Then Zach asked, "I thought this was an item that chooses its master?"

"Yes, it does. However, it helps to have as many tools as possible right now," I said.

It wasn't as if I could wield the spear with any real skill at my current level. I took it because of Araxad, who was fighting on the front line. My lizardman senior was still holding his ground against the legion commander despite the overwhelming gap in strength. As far as I could tell, he managed it because he carried a wide range of weapons.

Araxad's fighting style was not ideal for mastering a martial art, but it offered far greater advantages for survival and sustained combat.

Even during my hero disciple days, our training focused more on hunting and survival than on martial arts. In that sense, was Araxad not more of a hero than anyone else here?

I slung the spear loosely across my back, wedging it between my clothes. It was not secure, but it would do for now.

The moment I rejoined the battle, I saw the giant warrior trapped in a massive tentacle, thrashing violently.

Was even a giant's strength not enough to tear it apart? If so, cutting it with force would be difficult. I drew the Yin-Yang Dao and swung it down.

The damn thing was incredibly tough. My arms stiffened as if I had cut through a hundred layers of cowhide at once. It was on an entirely different level from the tentacle demon I had cut down before.

For some reason, the Hero Society's promotion trial felt like a lifetime ago.

"T-thank you."

I didn't have the energy to respond to the giant's gratitude, so I gave a rough nod and continued striking the tentacle with the Yin-Yang Dao.

I had noticed it while cutting, but these tentacles seemed to have a will of their own. If that was true, it would be better to inflict sustained pain rather than rely on clean cuts.

Kyaaaaack! A series of shrieks followed, and many of the warriors bound by the tentacles were suddenly freed. As a result, I quickly reached the legion commander.

Several warriors surrounded it, but the moment it sensed my approach, it turned its head.

"Yes. It's good to see you too, you son of a bitch." I couldn't help cursing every time I fought these monsters. Each time, they reacted as if they understood me.

This legion commander was no exception. The flames forming its face bulged and twisted into a ghostly shape. Then it lunged at me with its staff. The staff was its true body. More precisely, the beast skull at its tip was the commander.

So where was the skull's weak spot? After all, the skull was the hardest bone in the human body, a fact I had just confirmed when my blade struck it moments ago. I could crack it with a hundred full-force blows, but the creature would not stand still for that.

If it were the head of a living beast, I would aim for the eyes or the underside of the jaw, but this fellow was nothing but bare bones. My sword would pass straight through.

No. There has to be something. I stared into the skull's eye sockets and saw ghostly flames flickering within the darkness.

In any case, this was a fight where either I died or my opponent did. I thrust forward, using the Internal Heavy Strike Technique.

Sometimes, the body reacted faster than the mind. That was the case now. The moment my palm, filled with Fire Qi, burned the skull, I poured the condensed energy into it.

The legion commander was startled and retreated, as if burned alive. It was the most violent reaction I had seen from it. I laughed.

"So that's your weak spot?" I sneered as I gave chase.

At that moment, the surrounding tentacles shot toward me.

I already knew how tough they were.

Should I abandon the pursuit and create distance? No. I decided to press forward, even if I had to force it. I had a strong feeling that this legion commander wouldn't let me get this close again.

As the tentacles surged toward me, I sheathed the Yin-Yang Dao and pulled out Feed's spear. I wasn't sure if it would work against them, but that didn't matter. I hadn't drawn it to fight them head-on.

I charged straight into the mass of tentacles. They filled my vision, their mottled reddish skin resembling a swarm of plague rats. Either way, I had no desire to touch them.

Just before impact, I drove the spear into the ground and used its long shaft to vault over them. The shaft groaned under the strain, bending like a drawn bow. An ordinary spear would have snapped. This divine relic held firm. That alone proved the material was extraordinary.

Relief steadied me as I bent my body to its limit and let the spear's elasticity launch me forward. My view flipped in an instant, and the writhing mass below vanished from sight.

I vaulted dozens of meters through the air. A cluster of tentacles passed just beneath me.

Did I avoid all of them? My vision suddenly went black. Is there still one left?

It was impossible to dodge since I was in midair.

Should I use Crowtaker? However, my mastery in it wasn't high enough to react in time.

Baaang!

In an instant, something slammed into the tentacle, and my vision cleared.

I turned and saw a mace embedded in its side. Beyond it stood the panting Araxad.

You are cool, Senior. I grinned, flipped in midair, and ran along the tentacle.

How many tricks does this damned legion commander have left? The one beneath my feet may not be the last.

Then, as if on cue, the sound of bells rang out. Dizziness hit me, and I staggered, but I quickly regained my footing. Meanwhile, the legion commander seemed startled that I remained unaffected.

Is it some kind of mind control or confusion spell?

I laughed. "Even a demon king can't mess with my mind. A mere legion commander thinks it can?"

In truth, the situation was far from relaxed, but bravado had its uses. I took advantage of it and taunted, "Isn't this attempt at mind control especially pathetic? I guess the Golden Horn is one of the weaker demon kings."

The commander roared. I had blurted it out without thinking, yet it worked better than expected.

The legion commander slammed its staff against the ground.

Is this seriously its only move? The moment the thought crossed my mind, the Dark Qi around me exploded.

"Agh, it's miasma!"

"Fall back!"

The nearby heroes panicked and retreated, but I held my breath and charged forward. The dense Dark Qi brushed against my skin. It was thick enough to make my skin tingle, even with my resistance after becoming a priest.

However, it wasn't enough to stop me. I closed the distance and struck the bastard's skull with focused palm strikes. My fists tightened. A sharp sting shot through them, as if my skin had split, but I ignored it and drove my internal energy deep into the skull.

Pour it in, but don't explode it. Let it accumulate. By my estimate, ten solid hits would be enough to crack even that unusually hard staff.

The first strike landed with full force, followed by a triple hit. That left six more.

At that moment, the legion commander untied the strange necklace around its neck and hurled it at me. The necklace consisted of stones with an unsettling sheen. As they flew through the air, they distorted it, and multiple pale figures started to emerge.

"Ahhhhh...!"

"Kill, kill, kill, kill!"

"Where? Is it you? This is your fault—!"

Overlapping voices slammed into my ears.

Is it necromancy? Dealing with spirits instead of corpses was a headache. Physical force was useless against them, and I had no equipment that could affect souls.

These souls clung to me like cicadas, whispering curses into my ears. It did not matter much at first, aside from the noise. At least, that was my impression until I started to feel strangely sluggish. It was as if my weight had suddenly increased tenfold.

Baam!

The legion commander approached as if it had been waiting and struck me with its staff. I coughed up blood and was sent flying like someone hit by a club.

I landed two more. I clenched my tingling fists and laughed. Four more blows remained. If I could not move freely, I would counterattack whenever it struck. Besides, with the heroes forming an encirclement around us, the bastard could not ignore me. It had to keep attacking.

However, something felt strange. Instead of approaching again, it stayed where it was and stared at me in silence. Then it started firing tentacles from a distance.

Damn. I slammed my fists into the tentacles, which were as hard as steel. In my current state, I could not avoid them. Flying was not an option either. Weighed down like this, I would only flail in the air like a wet fly.

Then... I had no choice but to risk my life. I gripped Feed's spear once more, held it upright, and ran straight toward the oncoming tentacles.

The moment I used Thunder Stomp Footwork, electricity surged through my entire body and infused the spear with Lightning Qi. With lightning around the spear, I pierced through the tentacles, charging like a runaway bull.

The tentacles that extended in a straight line collapsed as if crushed by an invisible palm. They blocked my vision for a moment, which irritated me, but I could still sense the legion commander even with my eyes closed. Therefore, it didn't matter.

Its position was obvious. The legion commander stood at the end of those tentacles. Once I closed the distance, I made a short leap. I couldn't jump high with the spirits clinging to me, but it did not need to be high.

This should be enough.I aimed at the dented tentacles and focused my energy into my upper arm. My forearm muscles swelled as if they would burst.

Baaang!

Immediately after, the energy-charged spear pierced through the tentacles and embedded itself in the ground. For a brief moment, it resembled an octopus skewered by a harpoon. I stepped forward and faced the legion commander again.

"Long time no see," I said.

The legion commander screamed like it wasn't particularly happy to see me and aimed its staff at me.

This time, I didn't dodge. A cold sensation pierced my flesh between my abdomen and solar plexus. The horns of the skull impaled me.

"Golden Fairy!" I heard Zach shout from far away. I also caught sight of Araxad charging toward us like a madman.

The situation wasn't yet critical, but I had no time to reassure them. I had achieved my goal. I clung to the staff. Even as it pierced me, I hammered my elbow down onto it repeatedly.

I delivered four strikes in rapid succession. That completed the tenth strike, but I clicked my tongue inwardly. The elbow was not ideal for releasing energy, especially for precise techniques like the Internal Heavy Strike Technique. It was too crude.

I need a finishing blow. Everything until now had been preparation, groundwork for a massive explosion. I needed a decisive strike to set it off.

I looked at the skull.

Skull? I realized that I had one as well.

Before I could think further, I drove my forehead into it. My vision blackened, and my consciousness blurred. The Dark Qi surrounding the staff pressed against my mind, as if trying to invade my mind.

Only after the impact did I grasp how reckless that act had been. Even a hero with strong resistance to Dark Qi would have mutated or died from direct contact with this staff, the very source of the Dark Qi.

Then what about me? I had slammed my head, the most vital part of my body, straight into it. Even if I survived, the Dark Qi could still invade my brain and drive me insane.

Still... I chuckled and stared at the skull in front of me.

A black crack finally spread across the white surface.

A moment later, a force hurled me backward. My White Flame state ended the instant I hit the wall.

My entire body lost strength, and the magma energy that had filled my dantian drained away, leaving it empty once more.

Ohhhhhhhhh!

I leaned against the wall and stared at the legion commander, malevolent Dark Qi swirling around it. The vengeful spirits clinging to me also returned to their master, circling it like fallen leaves.

What is it planning now? Frustration tightened in my chest. The legion commander still had tricks left. It seemed ready to unleash a devastating technique to wipe everyone out.

It released an overwhelming aura along with surging Dark Qi. Its tentacles thrashed wildly, and the morale of the surrounding heroes crumbled at the mere sight of them.

Just then, a thunderous crash rang out, and Mir burst through the broken wall.

The legion commander, still gathering its strength, reacted on instinct and thrust out its staff.

That was its fatal mistake. Lightning bolts erupted from Mir's eyes as she gripped the massive hammer, a beastly roar tearing from her throat.

With a single swing, the hammer shattered both the skull and the legion commander's body.