Not even a second later, a barrage of attacks rained down on him, catching Sekke off guard with their suddenness.
His grimoire immediately began flipping as his expression hardened. Using his ki and mana sensing, Sekke dodged the first few spells, his movements sharp and efficient. Extase materialized in his hand in a flash, and he began slicing through the incoming magic.
[Time Debuff Magic: Fastforward ×10]
Sekke's body blurred; his sword arm moved so fast it almost vanished from sight as he cut through every approaching attack.
[Law Magic: Spell Down – Condition: Human User]
But suddenly, Sekke's acceleration faltered. The magic sigils on his body flickered out, and the pages of his grimoire lost their color.
"Tch—law magic, huh?" Sekke gritted his teeth, his ki sense locking onto the caster. "Found you."
He raised Extase toward the source and simultaneously formed a non-grimoire bronze shield, intercepting a new barrage of spells.
[Extase: Extend Massacre]
The sword's blade elongated at terrifying speed, impaling the law magic user before she could react. Blood sprayed as the woman staggered backward, gasping for breath, but Extase continued extending — stabbing in and out of her body like a sewing needle until she collapsed lifelessly.
Gasps erupted from the enemy ranks. Seeing one of their captains die, several soldiers froze in terror. Sekke didn't waste a second.
[Memory Magic: Parallel Thinking] + [Beast Debuff Magic: Berserk] + [Time Debuff Magic: Fastforward ×10] + [Bronze Body Logia]
A dark, metallic sheen spread across Sekke's skin as his body grew larger and his hair turned jet black. His presence became monstrous. With a thought, Extase expanded to match his giant frame.
The surviving giants roared in rage and charged together. Sekke roared back, his voice like thunder, and rushed forward.
"There are too many," came Vritra's voice inside his head. 'Use my power as well — keep your mana reserves under control.'
Sekke nodded silently. A wave of malicious mana burst from his body, halting the charge of his enemies mid-step. Fear flickered in their eyes.
Then, his metallic skin began to ripple. Scales emerged. Dark, vein-like markings crawled across his body. His pupils narrowed into dragon-like slits as the transformation completed.
[BERSERKER DRAGON]
With a ground-shaking roar, Sekke leapt back into battle. The grunts surrounded him from every direction, leaving him no time to cast — forcing him into brutal hand-to-hand combat. Every punch sent shockwaves through the ground. Every swing of Extase tore through ranks like paper.
From afar, several captains observed.
"Are you certain this will work, Lord Albert?" Merrick asked, his voice uncertain as he watched Sekke crush their men like insects.
"It will," replied Albert, calm and unreadable. His sharp eyes didn't waver from the raging battlefield. "The fool's power burns too brightly. He's expending his mana faster than he realizes."
"But even if he runs dry—" another captain started.
Albert raised a hand. "Patience. Once he crosses the threshold, he will be left helpless."
Sekke who was busy dealing with the grunts didn't know why the top dogs were not joining the attack, but decided not to raise his question. He didn't want to jinx it.
-----------------
1 Day Later
Sekke ripped through the last of the foot soldiers, panting. His aura flickered.
"HAHA! FINALLY, YOU'RE TIRED, YOU MONST—"
"Speak too much. Die."The berserker's words were broken, his speech slurred by exhaustion. He swung once, cutting the man cleanly in half.
A whole day had passed since the battle began, yet the grunts kept coming. Sekke glared at the captains watching him with mocking smiles and roared at them.
Deciding to finally deal with them, Sekke rushed forward — but suddenly, his body roared in pain, forcing him to his knees.
'Your debuff magic has taken too much of a toll on your body. Release those spells for now,' advised Vritra, his voice laced with concern.
"I was waiting for your mana to run dry," Albert said with a smirk, "but seeing you on your knees, I suppose your own spells are turning against you."
Sekke dispelled his debuff magic and glared at the old man, though a smirk tugged at his lips."How scared are you guys, huh? Watching me cut through your men without even lifting a finger. Guess you can only act once the Dark Lord is powerless."
His grimoire began flipping again, a transparent display forming beside him."Too bad for you," Sekke said, grinning, "the Dark Lord is never powerless before his enemies."
He pulled out a red, pill-shaped fruit from his storage and ate it. Instantly, his mana surged back, and the fatigue vanished from his body. The old man's smirk faded.
[Judgement Magic –]
As Albert began chanting, Sekke's entire body tensed. A crushing weight of mana pressed him into the ground. Black tendrils erupted from the sky, piercing into his body.
[–Killer's Trial]
A dome of oppressive black energy formed around them. Swords and nails of shadow materialized, impaling Sekke's limbs and torso. The Dark Lord screamed in pain.
"Did you know," Albert said calmly as he walked closer, "that in this world of the dead, bringing someone back to life isn't such a big deal?"
Sekke glared up through the pain, saying nothing.
"However," Albert continued, "instead of being thankful, some souls abuse the cycle — killing over and over again, ruining what little peace we have." He reached Sekke and kicked him hard in the face. "For bastards like you who thrive on massacre, my Judgement Magic shows no mercy."
Sekke spat blood and sighed. "Old man, you really didn't need that whole dramatic monologue. You could've just said what your spell does. What a dramatic, senile old man."
"You bastard!" Zoro shouted, raising his sword to cut off Sekke's tongue, but Albert stopped him with a hand gesture.
"My spell," Albert said evenly, "makes you feel the pain of everyone you've ever killed — every scream, every tear, every final heartbeat. I could have used it from the start, but for scum like you I wanted you to keep killing. My soldiers kept coming back to life and kept fighting against you — some even refused to face a being like you again. Yet you kept killing. I can hardly imagine how your frail human body must be drowning in agony."
Sekke smiled weakly. "Meh. Feels more like a massage. Could use a little more pressure, though."
His body trembled, pain coursing through every nerve, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break. Albert's smirk vanished, and the other captains looked at Sekke as if he had grown a second head.
"Tell me, human," Merrick said coldly. "Why go to such lengths? Just surrender the dragon's soul, and we'll send you peacefully to the afterlife."
Sekke tilted his head. "Nice hairstyle, dude. Can't do that, though. Now, my offer: let me go back to my world, and I promise to let you guys live peacefully."
Albert grabbed Sekke's hair and forced his face upward. "You have quite a strong mind for someone in your position," he said, smirking. "Let's see if we can break it."
He dropped Sekke's head onto the ground with a thud."Ow," Sekke muttered flatly.
"Ariel," Albert called, stepping back to let the red-haired woman approach.
"I saw your fight when you were half-naked," Ariel said teasingly. "Gotta say, that body's not bad."
"Thanks," Sekke replied, glancing at her chest. "Though I can't say the same about yours."
A vein popped on Ariel's forehead. Her playful grin twisted into a scowl as she glared daggers at him.
"…He's done for," Merrick muttered, sighing.
[Nightmare Magic: Unreal Dread]
"I'll make sure you suffer so much that your pathetic mind will shatter," Ariel hissed as a red glow gathered in her hand. The energy shot forward and struck Sekke's forehead.
"What the—" was all Sekke managed to say before his consciousness slipped away.
'MY OTHER HALF!' Vritra's voice thundered, but then froze. Sekke's sacred gears appeared, glowing ominously on his body.
"Woman! What did you do to him?!" Vritra roared through Sekke's mouth, startling the captains.
"Ah, it must be the dragon within him," Ryan said, smirking."Worried for your little human? Don't be. We'll rip you out of his soul soon enough," Xander mocked.
"It's not me who should be worried," Vritra growled, feeling the chaotic energy building inside Sekke's body.
Inside Sekke's Mindscape
Sekke blinked in confusion. Just moments ago, he'd been fighting an army of young masters — now he was somewhere completely unfamiliar.
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered."Vritra?" he called out, but there was no response.
He looked around, finding nothing but darkness. Then, out of nowhere, his body grew heavy, and he was forced into a chair that bound his arms, legs, and head.
"What the f*ck is this, some kind of SM play? I'm not into that shit!" Sekke shouted, struggling against the restraints.
"I know, darling~," came a voice — soft, feminine, and chillingly familiar.
"Who's there?" Sekke demanded, trying to turn toward the sound, but the chair wouldn't budge.
"Oh my bad, let me help you," the voice purred.
Footsteps approached. A hand touched the chair — and with a sharp twist, it spun around to reveal his tormentor.
"Long time no see, darling~" she said sweetly. "Happy to see me?"
Sekke froze. His breathing quickened. His skin crawled.
"L-L-Lisa?" he stammered, recognizing the girl who had killed him once before.
Lisa's sweet smile twisted into a deranged grin."Let's have some fun…" she whispered. "Just like old times."