30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 71

The Demon King's body was pierced all over with harpoons.

It looked as if he’d been turned into a grotesque floral arrangement with harpoons instead of flowers.

All thirteen harpoons had hit their mark.

Such precise targeting—no archer renowned for their skill could have pierced the Demon King so thoroughly.

Drip, drip.

Blood flowed profusely.

His thighs, forearms, even his chest were pierced.

These injuries were severe enough that the footsteps of death should be approaching. Yet, unfortunately, even the dead were too afraid to approach the Demon King.

In the face of his terrifying aura, even the dead would flee.

Above all...

“I... will... kill... you!”

The Demon King was not a being who would die from just these wounds.

Boom!

Though injured, his vitality had not dimmed in the slightest. For any other creature, a pierced chest and severed neck would spell a death sentence, but for the Demon King, these wounds didn’t even qualify as injuries.

“GRAAAA!!”

If anything, they only fueled his rage.

The Demon King’s fist descended toward Ihan.

CRASH!

A thunderous explosion shook the area.

The tremor was strong enough that it felt like an earthquake. Those in the vicinity of the Academy could barely keep their footing, with many falling.

The epicenter of these tremors was, predictably...

Thud, thud...!

The ground itself was crumbling under the force.

This was power on the scale to annihilate a nation.

Such power was proof enough of his existence.

In that moment—

"I’m right here."

“!!?”

At some point, Ihan had climbed onto the Demon King’s shoulder and mercilessly swung his sword. It wasn’t a named technique; it was simply—

Slash, slash!

A relentless assault. freewebnøvel.com

His blade left countless marks as he hacked at the Demon King’s arm. Over ten strikes.

“Di...e!”

Yet, the Demon King's skin wasn’t so easily breached.

Even large harpoons had only barely pierced his flesh; ordinary means could hardly scratch him.

—That is, if he were at full strength.

SPLURT!

“!!”

The Demon King let out a pained roar.

“That’s what happens when you leave them stuck in your body.”

The sheer stupidity of ignoring the embedded harpoons was both frustrating and amusing. Stupid opponents are easier to deal with.

Focusing his attack on the parts where the harpoons had caused cracks, Ihan mercilessly slashed, tearing into the Demon King’s arm.

“Get... away...!”

With a powerful whoosh, the Demon King's fist struck forward.

Despite his massive frame, the blow was fast and accurate. Observers would think it looked like a massive boulder dropping from the sky.

For all his lack of intelligence, his physical prowess was formidable.

Whoosh!

“Hey, you’ve got some impressive physical stats, monster.”

But Ihan dodged the descending fist.

It was his own unique high-speed evasion technique, Gungsintanyeong.

Moving like a shot arrow, it allowed him to become a gust of wind, and each time—

Swish!

He would slice.

Back, legs, shoulders, knees, groin, neck.

He moved like a butterfly, stinging like a bee.

Ihan embodied this strategy, executing flawless hit-and-run tactics. However, despite his speed and precision, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

And for good reason.

“I... hate... it...!”

BOOM!

...Even a single mistake could lead to death.

“Heh, you damned monster....”

Ihan let out a dry laugh, sweat dripping down his face.

With every swing of the Demon King’s arms and legs, a crushing pressure engulfed him, numbing his body.

It felt as if he were being sliced by razor winds and pounded by heavy hammers.

‘How can this be called weakened?’

It was absurd.

This was supposed to be less than 30% of his prime strength. If he were at 100%, Ihan would already be dead.

‘Actually, even if he wasn’t in his prime, if he had more brains, this would be over.’

The Demon King’s mindless reliance on brute force was the only thing keeping Ihan in the fight. If he were even a bit more cunning, if he had decided to flee or attack another location, this battle would be pointless.

His intentional provocation had focused the Demon King’s hatred solely on himself. At least this way, the Demon King would stay here until Ihan was dead.

So...

‘I absolutely can’t die.’

If he died here, every student in the Coliseum and the Academy would be killed.

Whether by fate or duty, Ihan had taken on a burdensome role. With the Demon King adjusting to his movements and preparing a counterattack, Ihan braced himself with renewed determination.

He was resolved not to let his defenses be breached.

FWOOSH!

Stagger!

Swish! Swish!

“!!”

Ihan’s techniques were unpredictable and confounding, evading any set pattern as he bewildered the Demon King. Ihan’s afterimages, created by Gungsintanyeong, disoriented the Demon King’s senses and triggered confusion.

“Increased... speed?”

Phantasmal Eight Trigram Steps (Hwan-yeong Palgye-bo).

Utilizing the principles of the eight trigrams alongside his maximum speed and afterimages created by Gungsintanyeong, Ihan unleashed his incomplete but mystical movement skill.

Snap!

CRUNCH!

“??”

“Why—?”

Baekbo Shinkwon.

When dealing with a monster whose reach was several times greater, Ihan’s use of Baekbo Shinkwon was perfect for overcoming the difference.

So, Baekbo Shinkwon.