Return of The Martial King

Chapter 231

Repenhardt delivered a sidekick aimed at the flustered Teslon. The kick itself was formidable, and naturally, magic followed in its wake.

“Flame Cannon!”

The fiery projectile struck Teslon's shoulder just as he twisted to avoid the kick. The explosion disrupted his posture momentarily. Repenhardt, not missing the opening, followed up with a series of foot blade strikes.

“Gastrizen!”

The front kick, imbued with immense destructive force, hit Teslon square in the solar plexus. But that wasn’t all. The spell, Force Cannon, activated simultaneously and intersected perfectly with Gastrizen, amplifying the impact severalfold.

“Urgh!”

The amplified and repeated blows pierced through the Adamandril Suit and delivered their force to Teslon’s body. Staggering several steps backward, Teslon felt blood rise in his throat again. Crimson seeped through the small opening of his helmet, trickling down his lips.

‘Damn it, this won’t do.’

He couldn’t remain a helpless target under relentless magical onslaughts. Forming a seal in the air, Teslon shouted.

“Dispel Magic! View Mana Stream!”

By invoking a dual incantation, Teslon broke the vision-obstructing spell and cast a magic that allowed him to sense mana again. Teslon was also a high-level mage, unmatched by many. However…

“Double Cancellation!”

Repenhardt nullified Teslon’s magic the moment it was cast. Despite both being high-level mages, the disparity between Repenhardt’s and Teslon’s magical expertise was incomparable; Repenhardt had anticipated this move long before.

“You dare use magic in front of me?!”

Roaring confidently, Repenhardt pressed the attack. Punches, kicks, and magic poured down on Teslon like a raging storm.

Though Teslon could defend against the physical strikes, countering the magic attacks proved impossible. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

‘Damn it, all this because my vision is obscured!’

The Barrier of Dark that clouded his vision was merely a 1st-circle spell, something Teslon could easily dispel. However, unlike Repenhardt, Teslon couldn’t wield magic and martial arts simultaneously. With attacks coming relentlessly, he had no chance to focus on casting.

Even so, Teslon refused to fall easily. He forced his way through the attacks, enduring magic and attempting counterattacks.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

Golden aura clashed with red-orange aura, and various magical energies collided, shaking the air. Thunder rumbled endlessly, as if the heavens themselves were furious, and shockwaves erupted into violent gusts.

Exchanging blows, Repenhardt frowned.

‘Tch, that armor is ridiculously sturdy.’

The battle itself was tilting in Repenhardt's favor. For every strike Teslon landed, Repenhardt managed two or three in return. By timing his magic and aura perfectly, he was able to deliver impactful blows.  

Yet, it wasn’t enough to break through the Adamandril Suit. Despite a few moments of carelessness that left Teslon vulnerable to clean hits, he was now fully focused, diverting the impact points and avoiding direct blows, making it impossible for Repenhardt to land a critical hit.  

‘I have to pierce through that armor and deliver damage directly to his body.’  

Relentlessly attacking, Repenhardt gradually closed the distance between himself and Teslon. His flurry of strikes kept Teslon occupied as he pressed closer to his opponent’s chest.  

When the gap between them narrowed to almost nothing, Repenhardt’s fist hovered against the chest plate of the Adamandril Suit. A triumphant grin spread across his face.  

He had closed the distance perfectly! At this range, Teslon couldn’t avoid or deflect the attack!  

A devastating force began to emanate from his fist.  

“Zero Impact!”  

But what Repenhardt didn’t know was that Teslon had not allowed him to close the distance out of ignorance.  

“You’ve fallen for it, Demon King!”  

With a cry of triumph, Teslon also drove his fist into Repenhardt’s chest. Until now, Teslon hadn’t been able to deliver a clean hit due to the relentless magic attacks. But in this close range, no amount of magic could change the outcome.  

“Zero Impact!”  

Boom! Bang!

The sound of impact and a metallic crash resounded simultaneously as shockwaves erupted behind both of them. The two figures, having simultaneously unleashed Zero Impact, were hurled backward like ragdolls.  

Grunts of pain escaped from both sides.  

“Urgh!”  

“Guh-ack!”  

---

Gasping for air, Repenhardt glared at Teslon.  

Despite everything, Teslon still stood firmly on the ground, his feet solidly planted. Though the Adamandril Suit was dented and cracked in places, it retained its imposing form, gleaming menacingly.  

In contrast, Repenhardt’s body was battered and bloodied, wounds oozing crimson from every corner. Pain radiated from his entire body, and his meticulously honed physique bore the marks of the brutal clash.  

A bitter taste filled his mouth.  

‘I’ve trained so hard in martial arts, even developed methods to fuse magic with aura, and yet I’m in this state…’  

The fact that his body, honed through relentless training, had been brought to this condition was infuriating. While Teslon’s skill was remarkable, it was the power of the Adamandril Suit that filled Repenhardt with rage.  

‘Where on earth did that bastard get such a thing?’  

He couldn’t help but miss the days when he wielded the power of the 10th Circle. If he still had access to that level of magic, this struggle would have been unnecessary. There would’ve been no need to hammer away relentlessly at the Adamandril Suit—one blast of A.M.P Shockwave would have effortlessly turned it into a pile of scrap metal.  

On the other hand, Teslon shared a similar bitterness.  

‘Damn it. When I first obtained the Adamandril Suit, I thought it would be more than enough to defeat the Demon King…’  

The two of them were now trapped in a situation where their bodies had been altered, leaving them with similar strengths and weaknesses.  

However, while Teslon relied on the immense power of the ancient artifact, the Adamandril Suit, to stay in the fight, Repenhardt was showcasing his incredible strength using nothing but his own body.  

‘To be in such a humiliating position, even though we’re in the same situation…’  

Teslon clenched his teeth in frustration but soon shook off the humiliation.  

‘No, if I think about it, we’re not in the same situation.’  

In his past life, the Demon King had been a monstrous entity who fought not only against Teslon but also the Sword Saint Cyrus, the Mage of Light Jade, the Saintess Ellin, and the Hero Alex simultaneously. Back then, the Demon King hadn’t seemed human at all.  

‘Compared to that, this isn’t so bad.’  

At that time, he hadn’t even dared to consider facing the Demon King one-on-one. The fact that he could hold his own against him now, even with the help of an artifact, was progress in its own way.  

Teslon smirked faintly. Thanks to landing a clean Zero Impact earlier, the Barrier of Dark obscuring his vision had dissipated. Now, his eyes locked directly onto Repenhardt as he spoke.  

“You’re as incredible as ever, Demon King Repenhardt. Even with the Adamandril Suit, I didn’t expect to struggle this much…”  

Assuming a stance, Teslon’s voice turned icy.  

“I can’t even imagine what kind of monster you’ll become if this drags on. I’ll end you here and now to secure humanity’s future!”  

Repenhardt also readied himself, his aura blazing as he glared at Teslon with fierce determination.  

“I’m sick of your endless talk about humanity’s future! Let’s end this already!”  

With a battle cry, the two charged at each other, clashing violently in mid-air. Every time their massive forms collided, shockwaves rippled out, wreaking havoc on the surrounding city. The western gate of Zeppelin, already reduced to ruins from their previous skirmishes, was struck once again by their aura-driven shockwaves, leaving it in a state so desolate that even weeds would flourish effortlessly in the aftermath.  

Relentlessly, Teslon and Repenhardt continued their assault on each other. With every blow, blood spilled, and groans escaped, yet neither showed any signs of collapsing.

Driving his fist forward, Repenhardt thought to himself.

‘That ridiculously sturdy armor can’t be broken with ordinary techniques.’

Parrying another punch, Teslon had a similar thought.

‘As expected of my body, half-hearted attacks won’t work against it.’

The two shared a single conclusion.

‘Calamity Horn is the only way!’

As they exchanged blows, both began gauging the right moment, carefully watching each other’s moves.

Neither had refrained from using Calamity Horn thus far out of mere hesitation. The technique, the ultimate move of Gym Unbreakable, required a perfect harmony of mind, body, and spirit to unleash its full potential. It wasn’t a skill one could recklessly execute without proper positioning and timing.

Against ordinary aura users of other schools, they could deploy it with relative freedom since their opponents wouldn’t recognize the technique. However, both Teslon and Repenhardt were heirs of Gym Unbreakable. The moment either of them showed even a hint of preparing Calamity Horn, the other would immediately interfere. Attempting it carelessly was far too risky.

“Hah!”

Spinning like a windmill, Repenhardt unleashed a flurry of chain spinning kicks, shouting as he moved.

“Control Object!”

Debris from the shattered buildings around them floated into the air under Repenhardt’s magical command. After forcing Teslon back with his kicks, he immediately hurled the massive pile of debris toward his opponent. A hailstorm of rocks descended upon Teslon.

The term “debris” hardly did them justice—each piece was a boulder weighing several tons. Even for Teslon, it would be difficult to avoid them entirely.

Seizing the opportunity, Repenhardt began preparing Calamity Horn.

Seeing the incoming rocks, Teslon scoffed.

“Pathetic, Repenhardt!”

With that, he charged toward the falling boulders and activated Spiral Guard. Normally, the technique would deflect the rocks but leave a slight delay. However…

“Haaahp!”

This time, Teslon’s Spiral Guard morphed into a sharp, drill-like point that pierced straight through the boulders. He refined the guard into a sharp, focused spiral, transforming his entire body into a drilling weapon.

Emerging from the other side of the shattered rocks, Teslon closed the distance to Repenhardt in an instant. As Repenhardt was in the process of layering his aura waves to execute Calamity Horn, Teslon delivered a precise kick to his knee.

“Ugh!”

The strike targeted the qi-flowing point critical for transmitting aura, shattering Repenhardt’s preparations for Calamity Horn. True to their shared school, Teslon had exploited the precise vulnerability of the technique.

Repenhardt hastily retreated, thrusting his fist forward.  

“Chain Strike Blast!”  

The shockwave surged forward, halting Teslon’s advance and allowing Repenhardt to widen the gap between them. Teslon stopped mid-step, raised one foot with a smirk, and sneered.  

“If it’s Gym Unbreakable...”  

He drove his foot into the wall of a nearby building. Aura rippled through the structure, reverberating with a deafening roar. The partially destroyed building wrenched free from its foundation and floated into the air, supported by Teslon’s sheer force.  

“You’ve got to play big!”  

With a mighty punch, Teslon hurled the airborne building at Repenhardt. The latter gritted his teeth.  

“That reckless bastard! There’s a limit to being over the top! Pulling out an entire building?!”

Repenhardt crossed his arms defensively and activated Spiral Guard. Unlike Teslon, he lacked the ability to freely manipulate the technique, so he focused entirely on reinforcing his defense with intense rotations of his aura.  

Crash! Grind! Smash!

The spinning aura ground the building’s edges into fragments, shattering it entirely. While Repenhardt defended himself, Teslon prepared Calamity Horn.  

Bending his knees slightly, Teslon drew his right fist back to his waist. Aura flowed along his meridians in perfect harmony, forming glowing rings of light.  

Repenhardt’s gaze flickered with unease. It was too late to stop him. His only option now was to meet Calamity Horn head-on with one of his own!  

Whoom!

Golden aura blazed around the two warriors like roaring flames. Rings of light coalesced over their fists, stacking layer upon layer. One fold, two folds, three folds, four folds…  

Repenhardt’s eyes locked onto Teslon. His expression stiffened as he noticed a wild surge of aura rippling over Teslon’s fist.  

“Urgh?”  

Another ring of aura formed on Teslon’s hand. Repenhardt’s eyes widened.  

“No way, five folds?!”  

Laughing victoriously, Teslon lunged forward.  

“This ends now, Demon King Repenhardt!”  

Grinding his teeth, Repenhardt charged to meet him. Two streaks of golden aura cut through the city of Zeppelin, cleaving the ruins in half as they streaked toward each other.  

Both warriors unleashed their ultimate move simultaneously.  

“Calamity Horn!”  

The catastrophic power of their attacks collided with a thunderous explosion. The overwhelming force erupted in both directions like waterfalls, shaking the earth and splitting the sky. Dense storm clouds were torn apart into fragments, scattering chaotically.  

The clash of these titanic strikes, enough to shake heaven and earth, had its victor: Teslon.  

Amidst the unbearable pain of his body being torn apart, Repenhardt let out a bloodcurdling scream.  

“Graaahhh!”