Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Transformation

Midi didn’t glance at the old man in the black robe, whose face showed shock.

He didn’t even notice the red rays around him or the looming threat of attacks.

At this moment, all his focus turned inward.

His heart pounded like a war drum, blood roared in his ears like crashing waves, every joint and bone buzzed with energy. His surging blood felt ready to burst through his skin, as if an invisible hammer struck every part of his body, shaking even his organs.

In his past life, even during his awakening, Midi had never felt such tremors within.

He’d only heard rumors: if a Demon Swordman’s body quaked, it meant their demon god was undergoing transformation, reshaping the swordsman’s physical form.

This rarely happened except in life-or-death crises—yet even then, success was rare. Most Demon Swordmen fell to failure or death. Only a handful survived alongside their demon gods, emerging stronger.

Midi had believed his demon god was already unmatched.

Could one that suppressed all others still improve?

Wasn’t it already at its peak?

Besides, his cautious nature and vow to protect Fina and Alice meant he avoided reckless risks. Until now, the only true danger he’d faced was last year’s encounter with the "Wiseman of the Hand of Nightmare," Newton.

That time, he’d grasped the Ultimate Intent.

Yet now, this level-50 Pretender leader had cornered him again.

Even more unexpected: when pushed to the brink, his Ultimate Intent and demon god fused on their own, evolving into something greater!

Though countless thoughts flashed through his mind, mere seconds passed.

When the tremors ceased, silence engulfed him—a stillness so absolute he forgot his own body and surroundings, his consciousness drifting.

How long this lasted, he couldn’t tell. Then, a metallic *clang* rang out as a small sword erupted skyward.

The icy greatsword of his demon god vanished.

The flowing Ultimate Intent disappeared.

In their place hovered a forearm-length crystal blade, glowing like carved ice. It pulsed with razor-sharp power, blazing like a miniature sun at the core of his being, streaking through his inner space like a comet.

As the sword formed, Midi’s strength surged—three levels at once, from 38 to 41. Magic swirled violently into him, leaving a vacuum.

When his magic peaked, the hall shook. A brilliant platinum glow erupted upward, visible to all: Pretenders, adventurers, the Queen of Magic subduing her foe, the Mist Sorceress Alice toying with hers, even the two battling Trees of Life.

The old man in black, standing ten meters away, felt the change most keenly.

The boy he’d dismissed as weak now loomed like an unassailable mountain, flawless and towering. The aura radiating from him—sharp as a blade’s edge—was unlike anything the old man had witnessed or heard of in decades.

*Midi Asreks… what are you?*

*What demon god dwells within you?*

The old man gnashed his teeth, but Midi gave him no time to wonder.

His eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he stepped forward and casually swung his sword.

The old man in black robes suddenly jolted. His arms convulsed, releasing a thick mist that instantly formed a massive swarm of petrified blood-sucking bats, attempting to block Midi’s strike.

Yet the next moment, as the black longsword descended with a howl, the old man realized his bats offered no defense.

Midi’s blade cleaved through the swarm and struck the old man’s body. The tyrannical force sent the withered figure flying backward, smashing against a wall dozens of meters away. A single blow reduced the once-invulnerable body to shattered bones ground to powder!

The Vampire’s healing power frantically reassembled the broken form into human shape. Even so, agony twisted the old man’s features.

How many years had passed since reforging his body with demonic gifts? He’d believed himself beyond pain or injury.

Yet this sharp-eyed youth made him taste humiliation anew.

With an enraged roar, the old man summoned another ocean of bats, desperately seeking Midi’s weak point.

Facing this frenzied assault, Midi remained utterly calm. His sword neither quickened nor aimed for vital spots, falling instead in steady, measured strokes.

His battle strength had undergone a qualitative leap – demon god and Ultimate Intent now fused within him. This level 50 peak opponent was perfect for testing his blade and honing his power.

Midi’s strikes swept left and right, methodically shredding the bat swarms into tattered remnants.

When no more bats remained, his sword found the old man’s flesh. That supposedly impervious body now split open like rotten fruit, blood spraying with each cut.

The old man paled with every wound, unaware Midi deliberately prolonged the fight to test his newfound power. Madness gleamed in his gaze as he unleashed his final bats and transformed into a Crimson Shadow, lunging at Midi in desperate counterattack.

From afar, the Pretender leader’s last charge resembled dying embers rushing toward an inferno – moths drawn to flame.

Midi finally focused, channeling energy from the small sword within him through the Black Sky blade. His strike became an unavoidable storm of annihilation.

The tree mansion trembled as sword-born winds scoured the area clean. Bats vanished. The demon-blooded old man disappeared. Even residual magic waves were erased without trace.

"Impossible! How?"

"The leader… even his Soul is gone?"

The Vampire Duke and Wolf King froze as their mental link with the Pretender leader severed completely.

Their creator – strongest of the Pretenders, source of their infection and secret techniques – had fallen without warning or final words.

Could their enemy be the Iron-Blood Duke himself? But how could that ailing old man defeat their leader?

As they scrambled for answers, the red-haired girl and black-haired girl advanced with fresh troops.

The Vampire Duke immediately fled without ceremony. With their leader dead, victory was impossible – but now none could restrain him.

The Mist Sorceress Alice’s Rose Hound remained formidable, yet her level 38 strength couldn’t fully control it. This battle against peak opponents served as training for commanding the beast. None stopped the Duke’s escape.

The Wolf King hesitated, battle-lust blinding him to the collapsing frontlines. The Queen of Magic’s bombardment engulfed him instantly.

Standing in the tree mansion, Midi watched Hawk Brigade adventurers swarm into Dawn Garden. The battle neared its end.

Time to speak with Queen Skadi.