Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 423 - Dawn Council's Lord (2)

The puppet apostle moved first, swinging its sword at Ethan.

Swish-!

Elegant swordsmanship.

A sword technique as fluid as a fish in water unfolded.

‘That’s a famous sword technique.’

Then, another puppet that had suddenly appeared diagonally slashed its sword as if tearing the air. It was a peculiar sword technique, like threading a needle. Though it appeared graceful, it was extremely precise, and Ethan instinctively judged that he shouldn’t be hit by it.

Ethan swung his sword, altering the path of the attack and perfectly avoiding it. Simultaneously, another sword came crashing down from above. A downward strike. It was a space-cutting technique.

Clang-!

Ethan swung his sword roughly, creating distance. But even in the space he had created, there was another puppet.

Clang-!

Ethan swung his sword fiercely, pushing back the puppets.

‘They’re all at the level of the 4th Apostle.’

It was an astonishingly high level. It was as if there was a 4th Apostle next to another 4th Apostle, and then another 4th Apostle next to that one.

Of course, they didn’t attack with the all-consuming power of the real 4th Apostle he had defeated earlier, but their skill level was remarkably high.

The 4th Apostle-level puppets that had just blocked Ethan’s strike each used different sword techniques.

Ethan had to simultaneously block dozens of sword techniques as if he were receiving lessons from them.

Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!

“Hup!”

The Dawn Council’s lord’s fingers moved faster. The mana emanating from him intensified, adding speed to the puppets’ movements.

“What a monster!”

It was astonishing. These dozens of puppet apostles could be considered the source of the Dawn Council’s lord’s power.

The souls consumed to make these beings into puppets numbered over 100,000, and the territories they had destroyed using them exceeded several dozen.

During their activities in the Demon Empire, they had even used these puppets to overthrow small kingdoms within the empire.

Each time those who had once been ranked among the continent’s strongest fell, the Dawn Council’s lord expanded his collection.

“Not a single one.”

The Dawn Council’s lord had done countless things with these puppet apostles.

He had avoided fighting the Three Gods due to the uncertainty involved, but he had constantly fought against strong opponents other than those Three Gods.

No one had been able to stand against the Dawn Council’s lord, who perfectly controlled the puppet apostles.

Some had endured, but eventually, they all knelt.

Yet Ethan was fighting on equal terms with dozens of puppet apostles.

Clang-! Clang-!

The Dawn Council’s lord pulled back his hand, pushing the puppet apostles back.

As the puppet apostles receded like the ebbing tide, a giant skeleton knight’s strike came crashing down.

Boom-!

It was beyond the range of evasion. Ethan crossed his two swords to block the skeleton knight’s massive blade.

Since it wasn’t a sharp blade but a blunt one, the ground beneath Ethan’s feet gave way.

Crunch-!

As the floor collapsed, Ethan, the Dawn Council’s lord, and the puppet apostles were momentarily airborne.

Ethan didn’t miss this opportunity and pushed the Eye of Horus and Sleeping Dragon’s Sight to their limits.

Bullet Time.

In the slowly flowing time, Ethan saw the fragments of the falling floor.

At the same time, he confirmed the movements of the puppet apostles. They were thinking the same thing as Ethan.

‘Speed is.’

Ethan used ultra-acceleration. It was the first time he had used it together with this Bullet Time, and the synergy between the two was incredible.

In the slowed time, Ethan was the only one moving at a speed far faster than normal.

Ethan accurately stepped on fragment after fragment, approaching the Dawn Council’s lord.

Just as Ethan, who had reached right in front of the Dawn Council’s lord, was about to unleash his 4th form.

The puppet apostles, who had suddenly approached, precisely targeted both sides of Ethan.

This attack wouldn’t harm Ethan. He hadn’t even used a defensive technique yet. But it would disrupt his posture.

Right now, Ethan was moving by stepping on fragments in mid-air, so if his posture was disrupted here, his sword wouldn’t reach the chief priest.

‘Then this advantage becomes meaningless.’

Ethan spun his body, slashing at the puppet apostles approaching from both sides.

Ethan Swordsmanship 2nd Form

Moonforce

Shaaaak-!

Cold energy exploded, knocking down the two puppet apostles.

‘The important one is the Dawn Council’s lord.’

No matter how strong the puppet apostles were, it didn’t matter. The important one was the Dawn Council’s lord controlling these puppet apostles.

The puppet apostles don’t move automatically. They only move when controlled by the Dawn Council’s lord. This meant that no matter how great the potential of the puppet apostles, they couldn’t escape the Dawn Council’s lord’s hands.

Pak-.

Ethan stepped on another fragment once more. And he continued to unfold the Ethan Swordsmanship.

Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!

Although they couldn’t escape the Dawn Council’s lord’s control, the Dawn Council’s lord was a master of puppet arts.

Even in mid-air, he moved the puppet apostles quite calmly.

Among the puppet apostles, there were those who could move freely in the air.

“Moon step.”

The puppets changed directions quickly in the air, blocking Ethan’s path as much as possible.

The movements of the puppet apostles moving at full power were quite fierce.

‘I can see the lifetime movements of the puppet apostles. Especially the swordsmanship. It’s not something to be taken lightly.’

Bullet Time release.

Ethan had been blocking and avoiding the puppets’ attacks continuously, but eventually, he allowed an attack to land.

“Still, you held out for a long time.”

Only after taking down several puppet apostles was one defensive technique used, so he had indeed held out for quite a while.

-The earth shield disappears!

“The power is considerable.”

The earth shield crumbled with just one hit.

Despite it being almost a grazing blow, its power was considerable.

Kuung-!

The lower floor. The puppet apostles that had fallen to another corridor kicked off the ground as soon as they landed.

‘It’s different!’

This incoming attack was somehow different.

The movement of the swordsmanship. The sword path. The power contained within.

‘It’s a secret technique.’

It was a move by the Dawn Council’s lord who had grasped Ethan’s caliber.

Swish-!

-Enemy of Thousands is activated!

-Damage is absorbed!

The activated Enemy of Thousands absorbed the damage right away. But that was only for a moment. Enemy of Thousands quickly reached its limit.

Clang-!

However, Ethan wasn’t one to just take hits. It wasn’t only the puppet apostles who had strong single strikes.

Crunch-!

One of the puppet apostles struck by Ethan’s blow collapsed and was completely neutralized.

“Now I can see a bit better.”

Ethan grinned.

“When they were alive, these must have been truly excellent sword techniques. I’m learning a lot, thanks to them.”

Watching Ethan speak, the Dawn Council’s lord clicked his tongue.

How could he still have the leisure to talk?

“Let’s see how long you can keep up that composure.”

But for some reason, the Dawn Council’s lord felt an uneasiness creeping up.

He had clearly seen Ethan being hit several times.

Yet, he looked completely unharmed, as if he hadn’t allowed a single attack.

Ethan was taking down the puppet apostles looking as pristine as if he hadn’t allowed a single attack.

This was impossible.

At this rate, he had no choice but to push harder.

The Dawn Council’s lord drew out all his strength.

“Bless me, bless me.”

Light descended upon the Dawn Council’s lord.

The Moon Mother had responded immediately to his call, as he was the closest to her.

“I’ll end this quickly.”

***

“Phew.”

As expected, they were strong. Ethan sighed and shook his sword once. These puppet apostles were once mighty beings who had ruled the continent. Now they were moving without thinking of the consequences, having lost their reason and become puppets.

They were endlessly unleashing only what they had been good at in life, so even for Ethan, it wasn’t easy to take down the puppet apostles easily.

He had taken down the first few easily, but among the puppets were several whose swordsmanship skills surpassed Ethan’s.

‘Excellent.’

The more he saw, the more engrossed he became in their swordsmanship. With each swing of their swords, Ethan realized how heavy his own swordsmanship was.

Clang-! Clang-!

Swords clashed against swords.

Ethan observed their swordsmanship without blinking, continuously.

Boom-!

After exchanging attacks once, twice, dozens of times, their swordsmanship began to clearly enter Ethan’s eyes.

‘So this is legendary swordsmanship.’

It truly lived up to the title.

Different styles of swordsmanship were forcibly elevating Ethan’s swordsmanship.

Even though he had thought his swordsmanship was close to perfection…

‘There are so many lacking aspects.’

There were so many lacking points that even Ethan was surprised.

That’s why Ethan corrected his swordsmanship while crossing swords with them.

As Ethan could immediately correct his students’ swordsmanship, correcting his own wasn’t too difficult.

Of course, it wasn’t difficult by Ethan’s standards, but in reality, it was a near-impossible feat.

Clang-! Clang-!

The sword shouldn’t be swung heavily.

‘They’re swinging their swords very lightly. But does that mean the power in their swords is weak? That’s not the case.’

They swing lightly but deliver heavy power.

Swinging lightly and power are different stories.

Ethan was able to realize quite a few lacking points in his swordsmanship thanks to them.

‘To increase power, it should be lighter instead. Fast and intense.’

Swing lightly.

Swish-!

It penetrates deeply.

Clang-!

A puppet apostle cut by Ethan’s sword collapsed.

It was a perfect strike.

After swinging his sword, Ethan smiled without realizing it.

“I hadn’t even thought of this.”

There’s much to gain from fighting strong opponents.

Ethan caught his breath and continued swinging his sword, recalling that sensation. With each swing, lightness imbued his sword, and that mysterious sword energy gradually became Ethan’s.

Swish-!

In the end, he swung his sword in a trance, forgetting even that he was fighting.

Complete immersion.

Ethan Swordsmanship 1st Form

Frost Thunder

Ethan unleashed his swordsmanship from the 1st form to the 3rd in an instant. The sword, much lighter than before, gained speed.

“Moonforce.”

Shaaaak-.

Unlike before, though he was only swinging lightly, the power had completely changed.

The puppet apostles, who seemed to be fighting on equal terms at first, began to fall one by one to Ethan’s swordsmanship.

Each time a puppet apostle fell, the Dawn Council’s lord suffered considerable internal damage.

“Kuk!”

They had clearly been fighting equally, so why was he suddenly being pushed back?

The longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it should be for Ethan. After all, the puppet apostles had no concept of stamina.

They could unleash attacks endlessly without their power weakening or speed slowing due to stamina issues.

That’s why the Dawn Council’s lord couldn’t help but be flustered.

As long as they kept fighting, this side should have held the advantageous position. Yet, Ethan was continuously destroying the puppet apostles.

Boom-! Crack-!

After subduing the last puppet apostle, Ethan turned his eyes to the giant skeleton knight.

And with a powerful leap, he cut down even the skeleton knight.

Kuung-!

As the skeleton knight fell, an enormous amount of blood gushed from the Dawn Council’s lord’s mouth.

“You were hiding your strength? Impossible…!”

“That’s right, where would I have the leisure to hide my strength?”

Ethan said.

At those words, the Dawn Council’s lord gritted his teeth.

“Are you saying you grew through this fight?”

The Dawn Council’s lord exhaled.

But there was still composure left.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up that composure, chief priest.”

Ethan threw back the words the chief priest had said earlier.

And simultaneously, he charged towards the chief priest, piercing through the now fewer puppet apostles.

“Ra Rutas. Moon Mother. Bestow your blessing upon me, look upon me.”

The Dawn Council’s lord prayed, ignoring the rushing Ethan.

There was no need for hands to touch. He just had to raise his head and close his eyes.

That series of actions was faster than Ethan, who was accelerating at superhuman speed.

Shaak-.

Boom-!

The Dawn Council’s lord was in a different league from the other apostles.

Just as Ethan was deeply connected to Moonforce, the Dawn Council’s lord was deeply connected to the Moon Mother.

Clang-!

A shield made of blue aura appeared in front of the Dawn Council’s lord.

“The Moon Mother has given an oracle to certainly kill you. This shield is proof of that.”

The shield that blocked Ethan’s attack went straight into the chief priest’s body. The chief priest shuddered once, feeling elated.

“She also said to settle things with the hypocritical goddess Moonforce. She said it’s unacceptable that a sacrifice that should become a vessel for the goddess is living for Moonforce.”

“Moonforce and Moon Mother, the similarity in names and abilities isn’t a coincidence, right? And the fact that Moonforce became a forgotten god.”

At those words, the Dawn Council’s lord laughed deeply. The composure he had shown until now was even more amplified.

‘It seems like the Moon Mother’s power has entered a bit excessively? It’s like looking at a different person.’

“Just as the Dawn Council and the Rosicrucian Order split off, so did the two gods. The dirty hypocrisy born from the perfect body of the Moon Mother. That’s Moonforce. This world needs cleaning. Humans need education. They need restraint and control. Freedom is a luxury. Humans need a superhuman who transcends humanity, only then can they illuminate the path for humans.”

The Dawn Council’s lord closed his eyes.

“Moonforce valued humans. She said that the more you try to control them, the more they try to deviate from that path, so human nature is essentially freedom.”

Shaak-.

A blue light so bright it hurt the eyes began to emanate from the chief priest’s body.

The power of Moonforce in Ethan’s body stirred accordingly. Of course, Extinction acted up along with it.

-Survival probability decreases.

-Survival probability decreases significantly!

-Reached dangerous levels.

“Descent.”

The Moon Mother descended upon the chief priest’s body.