Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 428 - Superiority

Everyone fell silent at Ethan’s confident statement.

Giving them a lesson?

Those gathered here were the core strength of the Demon Empire. Only noble families with power comparable to the Holy Empire’s Twelve Families were present.

It was natural for them to be taken aback by such an arrogant statement in front of such individuals.

However, the shock was only momentary.

At first glance, one might think Ethan was just boasting, but the aura emanating from him proved that his words were no mere bluff.

An incredible chill radiated from the Frost Sword Ethan held. Even though Ethan stood still, the cold spread around him, sending shivers down the spines of the gathered nobles.

As a result, no one dared to move carelessly.

“Interesting words.”

But then, someone stepped forward, breaking the atmosphere.

“Oh!”

“It’s… Duke Strickland!”

Among the four great noble families of the Demon Empire, there was one that stood apart from the rest.

The highest among the four great families.

A family said to be unbeatable even if the other three attacked simultaneously. This was the Strickland family, led by Duke Strickland.

Among the four great demonic families, they possessed the most powerful knights, making them the most tyrannical family.

Duke Strickland’s banner was raised high, and behind the flag bearer, a man too large to hide his bulk strode forward with measured steps.

His footsteps alone exuded an aura that revealed his immense strength.

It was an aura like that of a massive mountain.

Anyone present who faced the Duke’s aura head-on would feel as if they were confronting an enormous mountain.

And soon they would realize:

This was not a strength one could hope to oppose.

As Duke Yon Strickland stepped forward, the heads of other noble families and their knights quietly retreated. With the Duke’s arrival, he naturally took control of the gathering.

“I’ve heard about you, Count Ethan Whiskers. There were rumors that the Demon God Spear attended the inter-academy exchange in the Holy Empire recently. I checked, and it turned out to be true.”

“Duke Yon Strickland.”

Ethan interrupted the Duke mid-sentence.

‘I’ll take the initiative first. There’s no need for further talk.’

After all, they came here to fight him. So, he might as well give them what they want.

“You’re the strongest one here, right? If I defeat you, the others won’t have any reason to challenge me. Is that correct?”

In an instant, the Strickland family knights drew their swords. It was an incredibly arrogant statement.

This was an insult not just to Duke Yon Strickland, but to the Demon Empire itself.

“Enough.”

Duke Strickland stopped his knights who looked ready to pounce. Their intense aura was suppressed by the Duke’s own presence.

“Ah, Mr. Ethan…”

Wigen, standing behind, wore a considerably shocked expression.

He could have somehow smoothed things over up to the Dojen family head.

But Duke Strickland was a different story.

Excluding the Demon Emperor, who was the de facto leader of the Demon Empire, Duke Yon Strickland possessed the strongest force.

In his younger years, he was acknowledged by the Demon God Spear as the Demon Empire’s strongest warrior. There was even a precedent where he managed to strike at an opening of the Demon Emperor during a duel, earning recognition as the most trusted and greatest warrior of the Emperor.

As he aged, his tyrannical demeanor diminished, but he was said to have reached his prime, recognized for his strength that was now augmented by calmness and maturity.

Compared to him, Ethan was just a fledgling who had only recently started making a name for himself.

No matter how great his achievements, the difference in experience was too vast.

Wigen thought he should stop Ethan. This was a fight Ethan couldn’t win.

The difference in their levels was too great.

To defeat the strongest person here?

Given how the atmosphere had turned, Duke Yon Strickland would absolutely not go easy on him.

If things continued like this, Ethan would fail to achieve the purpose for which he came to the Demon Empire.

Wigen couldn’t stand by and watch this happen.

Just as Wigen stepped forward, unable to contain himself any longer, Ethan turned back at that very moment.

“Mr. Ethan, no matter how I look at it, this is…”

“Sir Wigen.”

Ethan smiled at him.

“It’s alright. More importantly.”

Then he continued.

“Please prepare to guide the way.”

“…Pardon?”

Ethan said.

“It’ll be over soon.”

***

“Just as the Demon God Spear said.”

The Duke smiled.

“That confidence-filled attitude. This should be interesting.”

Duke Yon Strickland.

The strongest in the Demon Empire was the Demon Emperor. However, the Emperor hadn’t appeared in official settings for quite some time.

As a result, Duke Yon Strickland, the next most capable individual, was considered the de facto strongest in the Demon Empire.

His weapon was a massive staff, with its end curved like a crescent moon.

As massive as it was, it was also considerably thick. It boasted enough power to crush bones with a single swing.

Above all, due to its size, it was impossible for someone lacking strength to even lift it by hand.

However, Yon Strickland effortlessly wielded the staff with the power emanating from his large frame.

Just lifting the weapon was enough to give a strong impact to his opponents.

“Golden Experience.”

That was its name: Golden Experience.

There was a reason why the entire staff shone golden, but more than that, it was named for the experiences he had gained fighting countless strong opponents that were said to be infused within it.

Within the Demon Empire, rumors abounded that when Duke Strickland swung his staff, he could split the earth, mountains, and seas.

There were rumors of him destroying mountains, and tales of him defeating a dragon on the highest peak of the Halla mountain range in the Demon Empire.

Above all, the number of people whose heads had been cracked by that staff exceeded 10,000. The few lucky ones who survived stood as testament to the Duke’s power.

Bwoong-! Bwoong-!

Duke Yon Strickland lightly swung his staff, warming up.

‘The strongest after the Demon Emperor.’

Ethan had expected that many would come to challenge him to test their strength when he came to the Demon Empire.

So he thought he’d have to deal with quite a few troublesome situations.

‘The rumors spread faster than I thought. The final boss came right from the start.’

There was no chance the Demon Emperor would personally intervene, so Duke Yon Strickland could be considered the strongest opponent Ethan could face in the Demon Empire.

‘That’s why I accepted right away.’

Defeating a mediocre opponent would only lead to stronger ones continuously pestering him.

But standing before Ethan now was the strongest man of the four great demonic families.

As Ethan stepped forward, the Duke matched his movement.

Standing in front of Duke Yon Strickland, who was a head taller than Ron, Ethan looked almost childlike.

Seeing this, the nobles of the Demon Empire began to murmur.

“Did he come here believing some strange rumors from the Holy Empire?”

“Those goody-two-shoes from the Holy Empire often see us as barbarians, you know. He must have been taught never to show weakness.”

“Most who came to our empire usually left with their spirits crushed.”

No matter how strong Ethan might be, he couldn’t possibly be stronger than Duke Yon Strickland.

Because of this, they thought Ethan must have received some misleading information from the nobles of the Holy Empire before coming to the Demon Empire.

Don’t let them look down on you. Show strength. That’s how you can move properly in the Demon Empire.

“He went too far.”

“To lend an ear to such preposterous tales.”

Certainly, Ethan’s confidence in his abilities was remarkable, to the point where one might wonder if he was truly from the Demon Empire. Not only that, but the aura he exuded was also considerable.

But that was only when the opponent wasn’t Duke Yon Strickland.

“They say the Three Gods are considered the strongest on the continent, but…”

“That’s an old story. There are rumors that Duke Strickland has already reached that level.”

There had been periodic suggestions that Duke Yon Strickland should be included among the Three Gods, the long-standing strongest on the continent.

The Demon Emperor and the Holy Emperor were essentially stuck in their imperial positions, making it difficult to truly gauge their abilities, and the Demon God Spear was busy searching for a successor rather than engaging in proper battles.

In contrast, Duke Yon Strickland had been swinging his Golden Experience against numerous challengers.

Many had witnessed his true prowess, and everyone thought he was just one step away from that position.

“If he takes down Count Ethan Whiskers, the rising star of the Holy Empire, wouldn’t it be fair to consider him for that position?”

“There are rumors that the Demon God Spear acknowledged Count Ethan Whiskers.”

“Is that why he’s acting like this? Is it confidence from being acknowledged by the Demon God Spear?”

They all murmured, anticipating this fight.

“You won’t have any complaints even if you die, right? Of course, I’ll control my strength.”

Ethan glanced at the Duke.

Then he lightly shook his Frost Sword and gripped it with both hands.

‘Objectively speaking, probably only the Three Gods could stop me right now.’

The Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire, the Demon Emperor of the Demon Empire, and the Demon God Spear.

But after his victory against the Dawn Council’s lord, Ethan realized his physical condition was much better.

‘I might even be able to defeat the Three Gods.’

“Come.”

As the Duke roared, holding up Golden Experience, Ethan moved.

He couldn’t kill the Duke.

What Ethan needed to show here was overwhelming power itself.

He just needed to directly demonstrate the power they were all curious about.

Therefore, Ethan intentionally opened up his power infinitely so that everyone here could see it with their eyes and feel it with their senses.

Sha-a-a-ak-.

Frost spread with Ethan’s footsteps. The ground froze, and white breath escaped from the mouths of all onlookers.

Ethan Swordsmanship Second Form

Moonforce

Ethan started lightly with Moonforce.

With his movement imbued with extreme speed and his swordsmanship as light as a feather, Ethan approached right before the Duke’s eyes, yet Duke Strickland didn’t swing Golden Experience.

But in that instant, he caught Ethan’s movement.

‘Oh ho.’

Bwoong-.

Kwa-a-a-a-ang-!

The Frost Sword and Golden Experience clashed directly.

Kwak-! Kwagagak-!

Golden Experience was a weapon that had never once been pushed back in a contest of strength.

But now, that very Golden Experience was screaming.

Duke Strickland deeply furrowed his brow.

The explosive power coming from that small body and the mighty energy felt from the Frost Sword were chilling his entire body.

“Golden Experience…!”

Golden Experience was being pushed back. And it wasn’t just being pushed back. The power Ethan had infused into his sword filled the interior of Golden Experience with frost.

If he made even the slightest mistake in mana control here, Golden Experience would be destroyed from the inside.

The nobles of the Demon Empire stared, entranced, at the two engaged in a power struggle at the center.

The first clash.

Everyone had thought Ethan challenging Duke Strickland in strength was like an egg hitting a rock.

But it wasn’t like that at all.

“Count Ethan Whiskers is…”

“Dominant.”

An unexpected situation was unfolding.