A feeling of inferiority was commonplace. There was probably not a single person alive thatâd ever not felt jealous of another. Then there was the all too common feeling of greed associated with it; the âwhat ifâ I was there instead.
Nazaran was all too familiar with these feelings.
A priest of Saruâs caliber would inevitably make those around him feel that way. Saru was just that gifted.
Was it too much to ask for to become Mahakanâs successor? No, it wasnât!
However, Nazaranâs inferiority complex, jealousy, and greed had gone too far, resulting in this tragedy.
The Evil Godâs High Priest, Amak, had implanted a seed within Nazaran, which only intensified and brought those emotions to the surface; so much so that Nazaran was no longer able to repress them!
In the end, Nazaranâs willpower momentarily crumbled, allowing Amak to control him via the Evil Godâs seed.
After that, Nazaran betrayed them all, stealing Nemethâs Skull and escaping the Great Temple of Rakan. However, Nazaran was no traitor.
He slowly put himself back together amidst the Evil God Worshippers, and was able to think logically once more.
All that awaited him was horrific torture, drugging, and magic brainwashing. In the end, they completely destroyed his mind, and he became nothing more than a beast.
But he retained the skills heâd learned under Mahakan. After all, his body remembered the training heâd gone through.
Nazaran had been completely destroyed by Amakâs evil plot.
This horrible tragedy culminated in the meeting of student and master.
Nazaran was no longer capable of human speech. His mind had been completely shattered.
However, he was able to move his fists no problem. Those fists were heading straight for his master, Mahakan.
Mahakan avoided the fist with quick steps. Contrary to his light feet, however, it felt like a heavy rock was weighing down his heart.
âNazaranâŠâ Mahakan saw him up close, and realized that he wasnât in good shape. It was clear, even by just hearing the bestial shrieks he uttered.
There were also signs of torture all over his body, as well as shackles around his wrists and ankles. He was certain that the bronze helmet hid the scars heâd sustained from the torture.
Mahakan could guess what heâd been through. He knew that he was no traitor too.
Nazaran hadnât gone rogue, and he had certainly not joined the Evil God Worshippers either. Heâd acted against his will.
Obviously, Mahakan wanted to save his student.
âNazaran, Nazaran! Come to your senses! Please!â Mahakan yelled desperately.
However, all he got in return was a savage cry and a fist.
Mahakan couldnât bear to attack him. He just kept dodging his blows.
âNazaran, itâs me, Mahakan! Your teacher! Please come to your senses!â Mahakanâs voice was filled with regret. âNazaran! PleaseâŠâ
However, his pleas went unanswered.
Mahakan changed his approach.
His fist struck Nazaranâs stomach.
Nazaranâs body shook. It was only natural. This was a Master Monkâs punch.
Mahakan bit his lip. He didnât want to hit him either, but he needed to shock him. After all, words werenât working.
âNazaran! Get a hold of yourself!â Mahakan yelled. âPlease!â
Faith will move a mountain, or so they say.
For the first time today, Nazaran uttered human speech.
âYeah, itâs me. Nazaran, Iâm your teacher, Mahakan!â
Mahakanâs face brightened. Perhaps⊠there was a chance that heâd be able to save Nazaran.
âMaster⊠what exactly happened⊠Uaaahk!â Nazaran knelt down, lay face down like a dog, and grabbed his head. Then, he began writhing around.
âNazaran!â Mahakan tightly grabbed onto him and yelled strongly. âYou have to stay strong! Youâre my student, the Steel Monk, Nazaran! Donât forget that!â
Nazaranâs fist struck Mahakanâs chest.
âKeheok.â Mahakan stared at Nazaranâs fist and cried out.
It was strange. His body was well trained. There was no way Nazaranâs fist would pierce through his chest, no matter how much heâd let down his guard.
Plus, his body felt as if it were being drained.
Evil energy was spreading through his body via Nazaranâs fist.
âNaâŠzaran?â Mahakan said.
âHehehe.â Nazaran laughed wickedly. On second thought, it wasnât Nazaranâs voice at all.
It was the Evil Godâs High Priest, Amak!
The seed heâd implanted within Nazaranâs body was still there, and Amak could take control of him, especially now that Nazaranâs willpower was broken.
All this time, Amak had been speaking, not Nazaran. He had merely acted as though he were Nazaran.
And once Mahakan approached him, he had launched a fatal attack using the evil energy radiating from the seed.
âGarup, finish him off!â Amak ordered, speaking through Nazaranâs body.
âUnderstood!â Garup, whoâd transformed into a hideous demon, quickly came over.
The brigadeâs soldiers and paladins threw themselves at Garup. However, the Evil God Worshippers and demons prevented them from getting any closer.
The demonized Garup licked his lips with his long tongue. Ordinary people probably wouldnât know this, but people, or human flesh, had certain âgradesâ. The more powerful the prey, the more tasty their flesh was. Thus, Mahakanâs flesh was top-tier to a cannibal like Garup.
Drool fell from his lips.
âItâs been a while since Iâve had a good meal.â
Mahakan was busy preventing the Evil Godâs energy from spreading any further, so he was unable to prevent Garup from biting the back of his neck.
Mahakanâs eyes widened. Veins popped out of his neck and forehead.
Garup attacked with his claws next. His claws were sharper than any ordinary dagger.
His ten claws cut through the flesh in between Mahakanâs ribs. Mahakan felt horrendous pain wash over his entire body. It was like he could see his death approaching.
He didnât mind dying. However, he couldnât die without saving Nazaran first.
âI may not be able to save him, but⊠I can free him from their control, so that he canât be used any further.â
Bright light glowed from his body.
This skill imparted one with power in exchange for their life; power that would allow them to perform a miracle!
Mahakanâs body exploded in a pillar of light.
Twin horns of ice sprouted from his black beast mask!
Kang Oh, whoâd demonized with Ubist and Sarahoff in hand, cut through the demons and Evil God Worshippers. None were able to stop him.
The jet-black blast split into three, resembling a beastâs claw, and scraped through the floor. Meanwhile, a cold beam of energy flew from above.
The two auras either ripped the demons apart or froze them solid.
Kang Oh didnât stop there. He aggressively charged at Umtara.
A demon with an unusually large right arm swung its fist downwards.
His Hyper Intuition had already warned him beforehand, so he dodged the fist, got in close, and then leapt into the air.
He swung his swords with such speed that several sword scars appeared on the demonâs body.
Countless other demons swarmed him too. They would attack with their claws and teeth, of course, while some of them spat sharp needles or poison at him.
However, none could stop him.
The Evil God Worshippers, whoâd turned bronze, unleashed the Evil Godâs energy from their fists.
Wheel of Horrendous Pain!
However, they didnât work. After all, Kang Ohâs curse resistance was extremely high.
Blackish flames, or hellfire, came flying at him too. This was one of the Evil God Worshippersâ spells.
âHmph!â Ubist cleaved right through it, and then promptly absorbed it as a snack.
After that, the Evil God Worshippers continuously bombarded him with spells.
Even Kang Oh couldnât dodge or absorb all of these spells. But he didnât have to. He wasnât alone, after all.
Helenaâs magic, Bartâs fusion skill, Sephiroâs arrow, and Darionâs aura came flying at the Evil God Worshippersâ spells.
It was quite the spectacle.
A true battlefield was rife with misery and despair, but they were within a game right now. And it wasnât just any game; it was a fantasy game. Thus, there was much to see within a battlefield like this one.
This held true for Helenaâs magic and Bartâs skills too, as they were extremely showy.
Lightning fell from the sky, flame pillars erupted from the ground, and countless ice spears and tsunamis came rushing at their enemies!
Bartâs Ice and Fire Giants roamed across the battlefield too.
While his allies guarded him and distracted their enemies, Kang Oh aimed for Umtara.
âYou ridiculous bastard!â Umtara mocked. Becoming a disciple had made him quite arrogant.
A dark blue flame rose from his body. This was the power of Annihilation, which burnt everything in existence!
Kang Ohâs eyes gleamed. âAs I expected.â
He had seen this energy before. During the western race war, the Troll Great Chieftain, Razul, had become a disciple of the Evil God and had been bestowed with the same power.
âI should be careful. But thatâs all.â
Heâd already fought against it before. He knew how powerful it was. Of course, he knew how to deal with it too!
âDie!â Umtara yelled sharply.
Spinning dark blue energy shot at Kang Oh. As expected, however, it wasnât very fast. That was the critical weakness that the power of Annihilation possessed.
âItâs slow!â Kang Oh dodged the spear, and vertically swung Sarahoff.
Although Umtaraâs body was covered with the dark blue flame, it didnât help him.
The tiger, which radiated clear golden light, raised its front paw and pounced on Umtara.
Tempest Tiger hit him dead on. However, it couldnât deal much damage to him.
Due to the power of Annihilation, Tempest Tigerâs damage was weakened considerably. Its auxiliary effect, the raging whirlwind, more than made up for it. The main attack had weakened the power of Annihilation significantly.
Kang Oh briefly withdrew his body, but quickly stood up straight and swung Sarahoff.
Sarahoff was as light as always. Add to thatâŠ
âUheok!â Umtara cried out, feeling pain at the center of his chest.
However, this was only the beginning. Kang Oh quickly swung Ubist upwards.
The flames of Annihilation rose to protect its master like a swarm of ants trying to protect their home.
This time too, the power of Annihilation was weakened by Kang Ohâs primary attack, so he unleashed a secondary attack with Sarahoff.
Kang Oh cut the same area again.
Unwilling to be the recipient of a one-sided beat down, Umtara widened his eyes and unleashed a blast of Annihilation energy.
The Annihilation energy rippled outwards. In exchange for its incredible power, however, it was extremely slow.
Kang Oh leapt backwards and avoided the wave. Then, he stomped on the ground.
Sharp chunks of ice surged from beneath Umtaraâs feet. Because heâd just unleashed the wave of Annihilation, he was completely defenseless.
Yes, it hurt, but the scream was also one of rage, as Kang Oh was beating him so one-sidedly.
But what could he do about it? He was no match for Kang Oh from the start.
Plus, it hasnât been long since heâd become one of the Evil Godâs Disciples, so he wasnât able to use the power of Annihilation to its fullest yet.
âIâll finish him off quickly, and then end this battle.â
Darkness rose from behind him, which consumed his form.
He immediately reappeared behind Umtara.
The dark abyss which consumed everything in its path; the demon sword unleashed a wave of darkness that spread like a wildfire.
Umtara tried to gather as much energy as he could, but Abyss Predator was like a black hole that consumed even the power of Annihilation itself.
It ended in disappointment.
All of a sudden, an oval portal appeared beneath Umtaraâs feet.
Umtara, who was half consumed by the darkness, was sucked into the portal! Of course, the darkness flowed through the portal too. However, the portal closed halfway through the attack, so it wasnât able to show its true power.
âTch.â Kang Oh had a bitter taste in his mouth.
He knew that one of the disciples possessed the ability to teleport. It was Bewitching Sora!
She had shown up all of sudden and had saved her comrade.
âHuh?â Kang Oh rubbed his eyes and stared at her again. âHey, there are two of her.â
There were two witches in front of him, both wearing the same black dress.