Barbarian's Adventure in a Fantasy World-Chapter 101: Nano (3)

The palace slowly began to vanish. It was a testament to the civilization built by countless human hands hundreds of years ago. Priceless decorations, works of art meticulously crafted by master artisans—every luxury that proved the splendor of the kingdom—lost its meaning and disintegrated into something else entirely.

It wasn’t just the palace. The people who had lived and breathed within its walls were also changing. Servants who had been bustling about in confusion lost their sense of self. The king’s desperate commands faded away. Knights who had steeled themselves for battle disappeared before their resolve could harden. Even a beloved cat, cherished by everyone as it lazed in the palace’s courtyard, ceased to exist.

All living traces of humanity within the palace turned colorless. In the midst of that transformation, the source of the calamity spoke, its voice brimming with anger. “We had no intention of revealing ourselves. We intended to respect your will and grant you freedom.”

“That’s why you tried to stay hidden,” Ketal murmured. Until now, Nano had made every effort to conceal itself. It only showed its true nature when Ketal forcefully dragged it out.

“We offered you mercy so you could live the lives you desired, without fearing death or loss,” Nano continued.

Surprisingly, it spoke with genuine goodwill—at least from its own perspective. It wanted to free humans from their fear of death and grant them all they wished. It was like the Philosopher’s Stone came to life.

However, Ketal only smiled. “It’s meaningless when you’ve replaced everything to begin with.

In truth, every person who had once lived here was dead. What remained were beings that believed themselves to be human, yet were just a collection of alien puppets—like Elene before she realized something was amiss. Unless they questioned their reality, they would never know they were imitations.

“Is it fun to pretend you’re showing mercy while copying the dead?” Ketal asked Nano softly. Though his tone was calm, Nano heard it clearly. The space around them grew heavy with hostility.

“Human,” it hissed, its voice laced with unmistakable malice. “You, above all, will never be replaced. I will erase you from this world.”

“That’s kind of you,” Ketal replied with a bright smile.

At last, Nano made its move. Countless microscopic entities, invisible to the naked eye, rushed Ketal from every direction. They filled the air around him, crushing inward as though binding him with iron chains. Nano was a vast mass of tiny particles, able to occupy space itself and swallow its target completely. It had likely consumed the entire Lutein Kingdom this way—overwhelming it and then replacing everything inside.

Now the atmosphere around Ketal felt unbearably dense, restricting his movements. He shrugged and admitted, “It’s a simple yet powerful approach.”

Raising both hands, he clapped.

Boom!

A shockwave exploded outward, scattering the Nano particles that had been trying to pin him in place. Just one thunderous clap shattered Nano’s attempt to seize control of the space. Ketal brushed off his hands.

“That won’t be enough to kill me,” he said. “You’ll have to think of something else.”

Nano fell silent, calculating. It couldn’t replace this barbarian without first subduing him and analyzing his information. In that case, brute force was the only option.

The Nano particles spread throughout the palace began converging in midair, gathering under a single will. All the material that had replaced the palace merged into a visible mass. Then it started to grow.

A deep thud echoed as it solidified into a single object about the size of a warehouse.

“So, that’s how much there is,” Ketal remarked, taking in the massive blob. “I can’t tell if that’s a lot or too little.”

“Die,” Nano said in a measured, chilling voice.

From the sphere, spikes launched at incredible speed. Ketal dodged by stomping the ground and leaping aside. One spike flew past him and slammed into the Tower Master’s barrier, causing a resounding crash.

Boom!

The barrier trembled as Ketal let out a low whistle. “That’s strong.”

A mass that size had been dense enough to replace the entire palace—meaning it had an extraordinary amount of compressed matter. Fired at extreme velocity, each spike was like a railgun slug. Unsurprisingly, it packed tremendous force.

Nano didn’t wait. Dozens of spikes erupted in succession, forcing Ketal to spring and twist through the air.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Every spike that missed him burrowed deep into the ground, tearing the earth apart as if it were paper. The power behind those spikes was impressive, containing the destructive might of Ashetiaar, the Demon of Oppression.

Still, Ketal managed to evade the onslaught. He bent back to dodge one spike aimed at his upper body, then used the recoil to vault past the barrage.

Nano couldn’t believe what was going on. It had gathered extensive knowledge from humanity, and this attack should have been unstoppable against even a top-tier Transcendent. Yet, Ketal was avoiding every strike without relying on any visible form of magic.

“How long do you think you can dodge this?” Nano snarled.

Several spikes veered wildly off their initial course, warping their trajectories mid-flight to corner Ketal.

He widened his eyes. “You can guide them too? You’re sharper than I thought.”

“Your arrogance ends here,” Nano declared.

Another spike—this one thicker and more powerful than before—soared straight at Ketal. He twisted at the waist and swept an arm aside to evade it, but found himself backed into a corner.

Nano sensed victory. “Now, die.”

A projectile bigger than any previous spike shot from the main mass. It resembled a ballista bolt, each Nano particle accelerating the next until they tore the air asunder. The combined force was enough to pierce a mountain or cleave a sea—pure destructive power. Yet, Ketal didn’t dodge. He clenched his fist and braced himself.

Nano scoffed inwardly, certain Ketal would be skewered. But when his punch met the ballista-like bolt, something felt off.

Ketal’s fist remained intact. In fact, the massive spike began to warp under the pressure, unable to hold its shape. Ketal took another step and put more force into his arm.

Crack!

The ballista bolt was crushed.

Boom!

Compressed Nano particles exploded in all directions, scattering iridescent motes through the air. Part of Nano had died, failing to withstand the impact.

“How is that possible?” Nano demanded.

Ketal shrugged. “It’s not that I couldn’t block your earlier attacks. I just wanted to observe your methods.”

He rolled his shoulders and flexed his fist. “So, it’s all brute force after all. This is getting a bit dull.”

“You—!” Nano roared, livid. Scores of spikes erupted again.

Ketal laughed, planted his feet, and started smashing them aside. He swung his fist, slammed his shoulder, and spikes shattered into fragments that flew in every direction. Then he dashed straight toward Nano.

***

Outside the palace, the Tower Master watched as Nano and Ketal exchanged blows. Each impact sent tremors rippling through the barrier, and he gave a hollow laugh in disbelief.

When Nano had first revealed itself, the Tower Master had been ready to intervene. He had planned to start preparing a spell the moment Ketal bought him some time. Now, however, he had abandoned that idea entirely and canceled his preparations.

What in the world is that? he thought.

He knew Nano had replaced everything in the royal palace, including the people who lived there. By condensing itself into a mass roughly the size of a warehouse, Nano wielded enormous physical power. Yet, Ketal was smashing, crushing, and driving that power back with his bare hands.

In theory, the Tower Master himself could have managed something similar. With sufficient magical knowledge—and the right spells—he might also repel Nano. Through Ketal’s battle, the Tower Master had learned more about Nano’s capabilities.

It’s weaker than I expected, he reflected.

Nano’s unique trait was its ability to replace anything. Its raw strength, however, wasn’t truly overwhelming. Granted, it was powerful, but still within the range that a Hero could handle—if they used Myst or strategic magic.

Yet, what the Tower Master saw before him defied logic.

How is Ketal doing that without using any Myst? he thought.

Every high-level fighter, from Transcendents to Heroes, ultimately, relied on Myst to reach that pinnacle. Overcoming Nano’s physical assaults should have required exploiting those supernatural traits. Pure brute strength alone wouldn’t suffice.

But Ketal wasn’t using any Myst at all. He relied solely on his physical body—and it was working.

This... is absurd, the Tower Master thought, stunned.

It was like a scene from myth or legend, where a mere mortal possessed impossible might. Nano could replace entire kingdoms. Meanwhile, Ketal fought it head-on with nothing but raw muscle.

Which one of them is the real monster here? the Tower Master wondered, unable to decide.

***

Boom!

The battle continued, and this time Ketal took a more aggressive stance against Nano’s attacks.

Another barrage of spikes hurtled toward him. Ketal flicked one away with a light snap of his fingers, then stamped his foot on another. The spike crumbled under his sole.

Crunch!

He stomped again, and colorful motes burst into the air.

“Human!” Nano’s rage reverberated around them. It fired another volley of spikes, but its efforts accomplished little.

Ketal swung his arm, batting aside the missiles so they ricocheted off the Tower Master’s barrier, where they shattered into more iridescent particles. Satisfied by how many motes drifted around him, Ketal gauged their volume with a casual glance.

That’s quite a bit, he mused. I can collect it all later.

It was a strangely carefree thought to have in the midst of a pitched battle—and Nano sensed that as well. Furious at first, Nano quickly forced its emotions aside and assessed the situation calmly.

It was impossible to kill him like this. Attacking by hurling parts of itself at Ketal would never kill him. Nano was only wearing itself down bit by bit.

“You’re strong,” it admitted. It understood now that simply flinging fragments of itself at him was futile.

Then I’ll move as a whole, Nano decided.

Ketal’s power was purely physical. If so, Nano would simply create an even stronger body and crush him outright. Without hesitation, the dense sphere of Nano particles began to compress further.

They pushed together almost to their breaking point, twisting and grinding until they were just shy of self-destruction.

“You can compress yourself that far?” Ketal exclaimed, surprised.

As it condensed more and more, Nano assumed the shape of a human form. Once fully shaped, it dropped to the ground.

Thud!

The entire area shook. All of Nano had coalesced into this single humanoid figure. It was as if the entire Demon Realm known as the Forest of Nothingness had gathered into one body.

“Die,” Nano said. Its newly formed body lunged at Ketal, swinging a fist as massive as the threat it posed.

Ketal met it punch for punch.

Boom!

A huge shockwave rippled through the air, causing the Tower Master’s barrier to wobble precariously.

“Oh?” Ketal remarked, raising his eyebrows. This attack packed a completely different level of force than before.

Grinning in anticipation, he channeled more strength into his arm—just a little more than he had been using.