Chapter 544: The Swan Prince (3)
A bizarre statue’s incantation momentarily paralyzed Oliver from using black magic.
Then, a massive fist, forged from hundreds of welded arms, plummeted toward Oliver from above.
The threat struck, exploiting the gap.
With its overwhelming weight, the giant fist compressed the air, pinning everyone below in place, leaving them no option but to stare up at the descending blow.
While everyone stood in shock, Oliver clenched his left fist.
Someone murmured softly, “Could it be…?”
As they feared, it was indeed so; even without black magic, Oliver thrust his clenched left fist skyward.
━━━━━━━━━!!!!!
The clash of fist against fist.
An indescribable roar echoed out, and the impact wave surged outward, mingled with fragments of flesh and shards of bone.
Surprisingly, the flesh and bone fragments scattered in pieces were not Oliver’s.
It was none other than the fist that had descended from the sky, shattered in Oliver’s formidable stance as he stood unharmed amidst the debris of the giant hand.
“…”
Strength, size, mass—no matter how it was considered, the sight before them defied reason, and everyone stared at Oliver in silence.
That a massive fist like that of a giant could be shattered by the bare hand of a thin black magician was beyond belief.
However, no amount of doubt or reconsideration would alter the reality before their eyes.
Despite being unable to use black magic, Oliver stood completely unscathed, while the giant fist alone lay in ruins.
“…”
Everyone stood speechless, struck by shock. This included not only the bystanders but also the Swan Prince, Oliver’s opponent.
Even his characteristic poker face showed signs of wavering.
It was understandable.
They had neutralized Oliver’s greatest weapon, black magic, for a few critical seconds and aimed for a precise, unexpected strike within that window. Yet, he had overcome it with his bare body—a feat beyond logical explanation.
Still, it had undoubtedly happened.
The Swan Prince, flustered, quickly composed himself and commanded the monster bird to attack Oliver.
Obeying its summoner’s command, the monster bird shifted its enormous frame and prepared to rush toward Oliver.
Boom! Boom! The ground trembled with each step. At that moment, Oliver pointed up at the sky.
“...?”
[Black Rods]
As soon as Oliver’s words left his mouth, a massive rod formed from a dense concentration of emotions dropped from above the monster bird.
Boom!!
The mysterious rod was, in fact, the quarterstaff that had been launched into the sky.
Hovering above, the quarterstaff absorbed emotions in its vicinity, swelling in size.
Since the sky was also under the domain of the Sleeping Forest, this was possible.
As the enormous rod struck the monster bird, a circular shockwave erupted, piercing through the monster bird’s body, leaving it shattered as if skewered on a pillar.
The Swan Prince could only stand aghast at the sight.
After all, Oliver had broken the giant fist with his bare hands and even prepared such an unexpected counterattack.
However, it wasn’t over yet.
[Lightning Spear]
As Oliver chanted, lightning slithered like a serpent through the gloomy sky of the Sleeping Forest, emitting an intense light and heat as it struck down upon the Black Rod.
Boom━━!!!
Utilizing the knowledge passed down from the Sleeping Forest’s princess, Oliver exerted control over the forest.
The colossal black lightning bolt struck down, igniting the emotions coiled around the quarterstaff like gunpowder, resulting in a massive explosion.
A torrent of lightning, followed by a grand explosion.
The fierce glow of the lightning was blinding to the naked eye, generating intense heat that charred both the land and the monster bird, which had entered through the massive door, blackening it beyond repair.
The extent of damage was beyond anything repairable.
It was only natural for everyone to assume that the Swan Prince would not emerge unscathed either, as not a trace of him was visible.
As everyone struggled to make sense of the situation, Oliver folded space through his control over the Sleeping Forest, warping closer to the fleeing Swan Prince.
Astonishingly, the Swan Prince had endured even the ferocious lightning strike.
Not only that, but he had assessed the situation coolly, swiftly retreating before the shockwave could fully subside, having decided he couldn’t defeat Oliver with his own strength.
Truly impressive.
However, Oliver, tracking the Swan Prince with the eyes of a black magician, folded the space within the Sleeping Forest to close the distance between them.
“…!”
Everyone, including the Swan Prince himself, was startled by Oliver’s movements.
Alarmed, the Swan Prince swung his flesh blade in an attempt to fend off the rapidly closing Oliver.
While the Swan Prince’s attacks were extremely threatening, they were built on peculiar movements and sheer force rather than refined technique, making them easier to counter than expected.
Preparing black magic with one hand, Oliver dodged all of the Swan Prince’s attacks, closing in and activating a spell within his reach.
[Frozen Bind]
As Oliver chanted, he thrust the crafted black magic into the Swan Prince’s chest.
Icy barnacle-shaped crystals appeared on the Swan Prince’s torso. Confirming their appearance, Oliver swiftly evaded, creating distance.
Once he had withdrawn, the ice shards on the Swan Prince’s body began to spread out, resembling clusters of barnacles, eliciting an expression of confusion on his face.
The ice was indeed cold, but not as powerful as he had anticipated.
Baffled by the inexplicable black magic, the Swan Prince attempted to retreat.
Stumble.
“…?!”
Just as he moved, the Swan Prince sensed something was amiss.
His energy was draining from his body at an alarming rate.
This was the nature of Frozen Bind. Unlike Greedy Flame, which indiscriminately consumes everything to grow uncontrollably, Frozen Bind specifically targets and absorbs only the life force of its subject, in this case, the Swan Prince, freezing it in place.
Designed after the Greedy Flame, which boasts both the advantage and flaw of uncontrollable expansion and immense heat.
Although it wasn’t as powerful as Greedy Flame, it wasn’t without merit.
While it lacked the wide reach and intensity of Greedy Flame, it instead excelled in accuracy and persistence, making it potentially more effective against certain targets.
Such as now, with the Swan Prince, who had depleted his energy and was forced to one knee.
Even though he was supplied with a massive life force through the thistle crown on his head, it evaporated to fuel Frozen Bind before he could even use it.
It was like pouring water into a bottomless tub.
Perhaps because of this, the life force supplied through the thistle crown began to wane.
This implied one of two things: either the resources needed for regeneration had run dry, or the one supporting him had decided to withdraw support.
It wasn’t surprising. Resources for regeneration were not infinite.
The Swan Prince, who had remained calm even under lightning strikes, began to falter under the diminishing support, desperately trying to rid himself of the ice stuck to his body, even as he inflicted self-harm in his efforts.
A frantic, self-destructive struggle. But the barnacle-shaped ice shards regrew just as quickly as they were removed.
This was the result of prioritizing persistence over sheer power, unlike Greedy Flame.
While the Swan Prince was preoccupied with Frozen Bind, Oliver unleashed a barrage of attacks, using flesh, ribs, and skulls as ammunition, mimicking artillery fire upon the Swan Prince.
[Finger Gun]
[Bone Bullet]
[Lip Spear]
[Skull Bomb]
The black magic techniques, inspired by the Puppet he had encountered in the Contaminated Zone, displayed impressive firepower that tore into the Swan Prince, dealing severe damage.
Already, his depleting life force was being whittled away in large chunks.
“…”
With the dwindling support from the thistle crown, the Swan Prince’s life force also began to reach its limit, his once-calm composure now eroded by rising panic and creeping terror.
The clouding of his judgment only fueled his anxiety, and in his desperation, he plunged his flesh blade into the Sleeping Forest.
Thud!
Originally, he had planned to stab the root, the very foundation of the forest, and prevent the Sleeping Princess from escaping by absorbing the forest in one swift move...
The Swan Prince chose to absorb a portion of the Sleeping Forest, regardless of the potential risk of the Sleeping Princess escaping from the damaged area.
If things continued as they were, defeat was inevitable.
He resolved that his only path to victory was to absorb part of the Sleeping Forest’s power and use its overwhelming force to crush Oliver in a single strike.
Yet, as he channeled all his strength to absorb the forest, he sensed something was wrong.
The flesh blade absorbed nothing.
The Swan Prince’s weapon, forged from demonic knowledge, was...
Incomprehensible within the bounds of the Swan Prince’s logic.
In that instant, the Swan Prince looked up and met Oliver’s gaze.
Oliver had pressed his left hand to the ground just as the Swan Prince attempted to stab the Sleeping Forest, acting beyond logic.
The Swan Prince instinctively knew what Oliver was doing.
Just as the Swan Prince had driven the flesh blade in to absorb the Sleeping Forest, Oliver was exerting his influence over the forest, blocking him.
A crack appeared once again on the Swan Prince’s poker face, and he silently questioned Oliver, asking how that could be possible.
Interpreting the Swan Prince’s emotions, Oliver answered,
“…I received the teachings of the Princess in Slumber, allowing me to exert control over the Sleeping Forest.”
It was true. Oliver had learned about the forest while watching the shadow puppet play performed by the Sleeping Princess.
Dropping the enormous Lightning Spear from the sky with no preparation had been possible for the same reason.
As the Swan Prince’s mask fractured further in disbelief, Oliver spoke again.
“Thanks to that, I can do this as well.”
Shifting from defense to offense, Oliver manipulated the spell blocking the flesh blade’s absorption, turning it around to infiltrate it.
The Swan Prince panicked and tried to withdraw the blade but failed, and Oliver, seizing the opportunity, channeled the Sleeping Forest’s influence into the blade itself, invading its core.
Through the Sleeping Forest, Oliver forcibly extracted the souls the flesh blade had absorbed.
Emerging from the flesh now rising from the ground of the Sleeping Forest, the gruesome mass contained individuals like the barely-alive Red Hood.
“…”
The Swan Prince, as though realizing something forbidden had been breached, let out a silent scream, his expression of terror collapsing as he charged toward Oliver.
Yet by now, the Swan Prince had nearly exhausted his life force. Oliver casually launched a shockwave, flinging the Swan Prince far away.
The Swan Prince flew like an empty can.
After pulling out the hundreds of people the flesh blade had absorbed, Oliver stood up slowly.
Those who had been trapped in the demonic blade experienced nausea, dizziness, panic, and fainting, unable to control their bodies.
Only a few, either due to strong will or exceptional ability, managed to retain consciousness, looking at Oliver with astonishment.
Among them were notable figures such as Red Hood, two hulking figures with pig heads who seemed to be apprentices of the Flesh Chef, and a black magician wielding a butcher’s knife.
Briefly meeting their gaze, Oliver turned and walked toward the distant, fallen Swan Prince.
Due to the effects of Frozen Bind, the Swan Prince had weakened considerably, and the barnacle-shaped ice shards on his body seemed to restrict his movement.
It meant that the Swan Prince had nearly exhausted his life force.
‘The black hand above his head is gone. So is the black magic aura from the thistle crown.’
Oliver examined the top of the Swan Prince’s head.
The Swan Princess, the leader of the White Swan Sect, was known to sponsor her chosen princes through the thistle crown, so it seemed she had withdrawn her support.
It seemed she had determined that no further assistance would yield any benefit.
The Swan Prince appeared to realize this as well. His expression now mirrored the despair of a child first brought to the orphanage.
A look like that of a child abandoned by his parents.
Oliver observed him with an impassive gaze, debating whether or not to rip the thistle crown from his head.
Removing it would be the safer option, as the Swan Princess might send aid through the crown in the future. However, doing so would reduce its value as a research specimen.
The black hand hovering above the crown did indeed appear to be connected with the thistle crown in some way.
Oliver stood silently, pondering, while the hundreds of onlookers who had observed the fight, along with the hundreds newly freed from the flesh blade, continued to gaze upon Oliver.
Compelled by his strange and overwhelming presence.
After some time, Oliver made his decision and reached out toward the Swan Prince.
As his hand slowly extended toward the trembling Swan Prince...
Tap.
Someone grabbed Oliver’s hand.
It was Puppet.