Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 43

Baaang!

Disaster struck in the Valley of Death.

The valley, standing firm for over a century, was now so devastatingly destroyed that its original form was unrecognizable.

The cause was the thunderous roars echoing through the valley.

The owner of the thunderous sound was Zeon and Dyoden.

Swaaah!

Dyoden’s sword cut through the air.

The target was Zeon.

In an instant, as if someone were pulling a string, Zeon’s body moved back.

With a straightened posture, Zeon’s gaze was fixed on Kreion.

What Kreion aimed for was precisely Zeon’s neck.

If there was even a slight gap, Zeon’s head would be severed.

Nevertheless, Zeon did not lose his cool.

Spit!

In the nick of time, Kreion’s blade passed by Zeon’s neck.

Although it didn’t directly cut Zeon, blood trickled down, creating only a superficial wound on his neck.

Though a chilling sensation was felt on his neck, Zeon did not panic and waved his hand.

At that moment, sand rose from the ground, attacking Dyoden.

Attacks akin to live snakes wriggling towards Dyoden.

It was an advanced version of Sand Blaster called Viper.

A deadly skill, hence the name Viper.

Dozens of Vipers targeted Dyoden’s vulnerabilities, but none could land a hit.

Before reaching Dyoden’s body, they were blocked by a faint barrier and vanished.

It was an Aura Shield, the defense method of Awakened from the Martial Arts world.

The Vipers shattered against the Aura Shield, but Zeon was not disappointed.

In fact, he was satisfied merely by drawing out the Aura Shield, Dyoden’s defensive measure.

Dyoden was just that formidable.

In the past ten days, Zeon had not once landed a meaningful blow on Dyoden. Yet, he did not succumb to despair.

Despite being wounded numerous times and teetering on the brink of life and death, Zeon stood up again to face Dyoden.

In this process, he grew frighteningly.

He was more tense than facing any monster, relentlessly searching for solutions.

To survive against the monster named Dyoden, he had no choice but to evolve in real-time.

It was an impossible feat for ordinary people or other Awakened, but for Zeon, it was possible. No, Dyoden had forced it to be possible.

Dyoden had pushed Zeon to his limits, extracting all his latent potential.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Vipers continuously pounded Dyoden.

Despite the Aura Shield blocking them, the power of each blow was by no means light.

So much so that even the great Deioden was being pushed back little by little.

Finally, when Dyoden was pushed to the desired position, Zeon snapped his fingers.

Snap!

Grrrghh!

The sand under Dyoden’s feet spun at a terrifying speed.

Sand Mixer had been activated.

“Heh!”

However, Dyoden snorted and easily left the Sand Mixer.

That’s when nearby soldiers made of sand attacked Dyoden.

It was one of Zeon’s skills, Sand Soldier.

And there were not just two, but a whopping six of them.

He could only control two in the past, but in the meantime, the number had tripled.

The six Sand Soldiers individually attacked Dyoden.

While the Sand Soldiers drew Dyoden’s attention, Zeon prepared Exion.

Exion was unleashed from his pores.

Covered in fine sand, Zeon’s figure looked like a black mist.

Zeon, with Exion on him, directly attacked Dyoden.

Clang!

With a deafening sound, Dyoden’s body was pushed backward. However, he blocked it with Kreion, so there was not a single scratch.

Zeon didn’t expect Dyoden to be injured either.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Vipers continued to pound Dyoden, supported by the Sand Soldiers. Along with Zeon’s Exion-powered attack and the Sand Mixer.

All of those events continued without a moment’s respite.

In an instant, mana was completely depleted.

Zeon used Elura’s Tear to restore his mana and unleashed all his skills once again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With thunderous roars, the cliff made of sand collapsed, and a red dust cloud rose high into the sky.

“Haa! Haa!”

It was when Zeon, having poured everything out, struggled to catch his breath.

Shsssh!

Amidst the red dust, Dyoden emerged.

Even with Zeon’s full-force bombardment, Dyoden didn’t receive a single wound.

“Shit!”

Zeon hurriedly attempted to evade Dyoden’s attack with Sand Strides. But Dyoden didn’t give him any room to dodge and charged forward.

Thud!

“Argh!”

Struck hard by Kreion, Zeon was sent flying far away.

Thanks to Exion protecting his body, he avoided fatal injuries. However, the impact left him breathless with internal organs rattled.

In such a state, Dyoden’s second attack came flying at Zeon.

Baang!

The shock of his entire body disintegrating left Zeon unable to even scream.

He flew for a while and slammed into a wall.

Dyoden looked at Zeon with a contemptuous expression.

“How long are you going to lie there? The enemy won’t wait for you to get up on your own, you idiot!”

“Ugh!”

“Get up. If you can breathe, you can stand.”

“Damn it!”

Zeon rose to his feet with all his might.

Blood was streaming down his face and chest.

Though his life was saved, he had sustained deep wounds that would require days of treatment.

Aiming Kreion at Zeon, Dyoden spoke.

“If you’re going to whine over just those injuries, go back to Neo Seoul right now.”

“Who’s whining? Take this!”

Zeon pushed off the wall and flew towards Dyoden.

As Dyoden’s eyes flashed, he ran at Zeon.

“Heheh! That’s the spirit. It’s more satisfying when there’s that much tenacity.”

He ruthlessly swung Kreion, and Zeon was slammed into the wall again.

Such a situation repeated dozens of times.

***

“Huuh!”

Zeon breathed heavily as he looked ahead.

His whole body was a complete mess.

His face was shattered and torn, blood running all over, and numerous wounds adorned his body.

The robe draped over him was torn, resembling rags, and his disheveled hair gave off a beggarly vibe.

Yet, the gaze visible through the strands of hair remained deeply rooted without a hint of wavering.

His gaze was fixed on Dyoden.

He had lost track of how long he’d been here.

Judging by the fact that most of the jerky he had prepared was gone, it seemed like he had been staying here for several months.

During this time, Zeon had relentlessly fought Dyoden.

The battles with Dyoden were a series of defeats.

He broke, shattered, and kept breaking.

Not once had he landed a meaningful blow on Dyoden and had been repeatedly defeated.

Yet, Zeon didn’t give up.

It seemed that landing a good blow toDyoden’s face was his only wish now.

Until then, giving up was out of the question.

Through the decisive battle with Dyoden, Zeon’s skills had ascended terrifyingly.

Fighting against hundreds of monsters was easier than fighting against just one Dyoden.

As formidable as monsters were, they had limits to their intelligence. But Dyoden’s strength had no limits.

His physical strength, combat sense, and experiences accumulated over a hundred years were balanced perfectly, making him even stronger.

Dyoden refused to acknowledge the situation and relentlessly attacked Zeon.

The reason was to elevate Zeon’s abilities, but more than that, it was to hone his own body and mind.

Currently, his body and mind were at their peak.

Sharp as a razor and relentless, he didn’t tolerate even a speck of variation.

Currently, Dyoden could perfectly control not only himself but also his opponents and the situation around him.

Walking toward Zeon, Dyoden had Kreion lying on the ground.

Although he was simply walking, an incredible force emanated from his entire body.

Just facing him felt suffocating, as if his whole body might collapse.

“Haah!”

Zeon exhaled once again.

It was a situation he had experienced dozens, hundreds of times.

Now he was physically grasping how to break free from this pressure.

Zeon relaxed his muscles throughout his body.

His mind remained calm.

His body was poised to react at any moment.

Seeing and pursuing with the eyes would be too late.

He needed to feel and respond in real-time to everything—airflow, colors, moisture, surrounding scents, and heat—using his skin.

If any of these senses faltered, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Dyoden.

At the peak of Zeon’s heightened sensitivity, the air in the area turned cold.

‘He’s coming.’

Zeon erected a sand barrier in front of him.

Thud!

The sand barrier crumbled weakly as Dyoden emerged. Yet Zeon wasn’t surprised.

It was already within his expectations.

Raising the sand barrier was merely to buy a momentary time.

The instant Dyoden broke through the sand barrier, Zeon vanished into the sand.

Now, moving within the sand was as natural as breathing.

Even within the sand, he could perceive the external situation as if seeing it with his own eyes.

The sand in the area delivered information to him.

Thud!

He sensed Dyoden’s footsteps.

At that moment, the Viper was activated.

Dozens of sand vipers aimed for Dyoden’s torso as they soared toward him.

“Just a nuisance…”

Dyoden swung Kreion, instantly severing the heads of the sand vipers, then slammed Kreion into the ground.

Baang!

With a thunderous roar, the sand on the ground exploded.

An enormous amount of sand surged into the sky, revealing Zeon. Yet Zeon remained unfazed.

He had anticipated this outcome.

Sand Soldiers rose around him.

This time, there were a staggering ten of them.

During the battle with Dyoden, Zeon’s skill had developed, enabling him to control as many as ten Sand Soldiers simultaneously.

Directing so many Sand Soldiers individually burdened Zeon’s brain immensely.

Burst!

Blood vessels in his eyes burst under the immense pressure on his brain.

For an instant, his head spun, but Zeon quickly regained his composure.

He raised both hands as if a conductor.

Instantly, the Viper flew toward Dyoden again, while a sand veil obscured Dyoden’s vision.

During that time, Zeon’s body floated within the sand.

The sand that supported him shot up into the sky like pillars, cushioning Zeon’s descent from a hundred meters above, allowing him to oversee everything.

Sand Soldiers shattered, the Vipers severed, the Sand Mixer ineffective.

Yet Zeon wasn’t disappointed.

Because he hadn’t placed any expectations on these skills to begin with.

His true aim wasn’t these skills.

Tsusss!

Unbeknownst to him, black energy wrapped around his body.

It was Exion being discharged.

The rippling Exion focused on the gauntlet-covered right arm.

The moment Dyoden lifted his head to look at Zeon, their gazes met in mid-air, and Zeon muttered.

“Here I come. You damn old dog!”

He hurtled from a hundred meters above.

Zeon plummeted like a meteor.

His target was Dyoden’s face.

With all the force behind the right fist clad in Exion, he swung.

Baaaang!