The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 416

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Chapter 416

The world beheld the end of a horrific era.

That dreadful apocalypse where even the stars in the sky were devoured, screaming in agony as they were swallowed whole.

The alien sensation of dying with his heart pierced by the sword of a man with endlessly cold, sky-colored eyes—such a memory was not the kind that could ever be forgotten.

The day he had raised his blade to kill Leon, only to be slain instead.

Garlan flicked the sword in his hand. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The vast hollow transformed into a battlefield.

Leon, answering with his crimson demon sword, wore an expression devoid of emotion, while Garlan’s face was filled with a hatred that swore he would kill him no matter what.

Clang!!! Kaga-gagagak! KANG!!!

Each movement was chilling, as if it had already surpassed the realm of human motion—like a living weapon imbued with overwhelming force.

Every clash of blades produced sparks that carried a strength so immense it was hard to believe such power was possible.

Whenever an opening appeared, black tentacles shot forth, stabbing as if to pierce Leon’s entire body.

Like beams of light reflecting endlessly in countless mirrors, they bounced across the ground, the air, and the walls alike as the exchange continued.

Leon’s sword swung indifferently.

Yet the sheer might contained within it was so ominous that even Garlan felt his heart drop.

KAAANG!!

He raised his sword reflexively to block, but Leon’s blade twisted direction as if it alone moved through a different timeline and collided with his body.

KAAAAAANG!!

An enormous shockwave burst forth—far beyond what could be called mere contact between flesh and steel—yet astonishingly, Garlan received Leon’s strike with his bare body.

And then, he did not miss the opening he had created.

In an instant, eight black tentacle spikes lunged toward Leon.

One would normally panic when one’s attack was blocked and a deadly counterstrike bore down.

But Leon showed no change in expression even as the tentacles flew toward him.

He simply prepared his next move in silence, lowered his stance slightly, spun his body, and drove in a kick.

He had just endured a slash capable of cutting the world itself—and now, only a kick?

Thinking he could take it with his body, Garlan continued his thrust without withdrawing.

It was not a good choice.

Just as Leon’s swordsmanship carried terrifying power, so too did his martial arts.

The moment Leon’s foot drove into Garlan’s abdomen, a massive sonic boom erupted, shattering the surrounding space as dozens of cracks spread outward.

Crack—KWA-AAANG!!!

Like compressed air exploding in an instant, the surrounding land was crushed and broken apart.

Garlan was sent flying, tumbling dozens of times before slamming into a wall and grinding into it.

Krrrk…

If this had been the Garlan of before—if it had been any ordinary lifeform—death from that blow would not have been surprising.

But Garlan rose again.

Spitting out a bizarre, viscous liquid that could hardly be called blood, he twisted his body with cracking sounds.

Then the clash resumed.

As everything around them collapsed, Garlan clenched his fist.

The transcendent body that sustained him now was not complete.

It had been created in haste, its perfection lacking, the result of grinding people into it out of necessity.

All for the single obsession of killing Leon.

Yet, contrary to Garlan’s expectations, Leon showed not the slightest trace of mental collapse.

He had thought it was mere bravado.

That Leon was simply trying not to reveal weakness before his enemy.

But it wasn’t.

No matter how many Shoggoths he had absorbed, Leon remained perfectly fine.

Now Garlan had no choice but to admit it.

The energy of the Shoggoths had no effect on Leon whatsoever.

Facing a change far beyond his expectations, Garlan retrieved his severed arm, reattached it, steadied his breath, and spoke.

“Fine. Complicated thoughts don’t matter. I’ve staked even my life to kill you. I’ll simply act accordingly.”

Just as Isna had given everything in the battle against the Outer Dimension, Garlan too had bet not only his life but everything he had on Leon’s death.

What irritated him was that his cursed nemesis showed no agitation whatsoever.

He wanted to see that damned face twist, even just a little.

As Garlan was driven back by Leon’s attack, he suddenly let out a faint laugh.

“How unfair… this thing called talent.”

Leon’s body flinched slightly at those words.

“Isn’t it? Such achievement at such a young age. Such influence. Power far too great for a mere individual.”

For the first time, Leon’s expression changed.

Outwardly the difference was small, but Garlan knew.

Those words were the perfect taunt to scratch at Leon.

He had always shown anger when told he was talented.

And that expectation hit perfectly.

Leon, who until now had only responded, moved first.

Then Garlan would press further, shaking his rattled mind even more—

Huh?

Slice!!

With a chilling sound, his body was cut in half.

He couldn’t even comprehend when Leon had approached.

All he saw was Leon flicking his sword.

Before his upper and lower halves even hit the ground, Garlan reattached them midair and widened his eyes.

A coincidence?

Impossible.

He must have reacted slowly because of the provocation.

Thinking so, Garlan tried to attack again—

But already, the crimson blade was reflected in front of his eyes.

This bastard… he’s even faster than before—

Slice!!

This time, half of Garlan’s head was cut away.

Though he regenerated instantly, an unknown force interfered with his recovery, causing each cell to necrotize.

The Authority of Death! So that’s it!

At this rate, the number of times he could regenerate would decrease exponentially.

If regeneration chances kept shrinking, he would never seize victory.

Driven into a corner where he had to end it before that happened, he gasped and explosively circulated all the energy within his body.

“Ggh… grrrk!!”

Crack… creaaack!!!

His body twisted beyond human recognition.

A massive red eye formed on his shoulder, one hand turned into a fanged maw, and blade-like tentacles writhed from his back.

“Hardly any trace of humanity left now.”

Leon’s calm evaluation echoed.

For some reason, that single remark enraged Garlan.

“I’ll kill you… at least you, I definitely will!!!”

Garlan activated the core of his transcendent body like a madman, drawing out every ounce of power.

KWA-AAANG!!!

Crushing everything around him, he shot toward Leon at a speed incomparable to before.

The attack that burrowed in sent Leon’s body flying.

Garlan did not stop there, pressing forward and attacking from all directions.

Leon, with minimal movement, deflected his lethal blows as he bounced about.

“Struggle more, you monster! I will kill you no matter what!”

As if burning all his life force, Garlan’s entire body blazed white, fading in color.

The more he burned, the faster and stronger his attacks became.

And in the moment Leon failed to turn around, Garlan flashed behind him and thrust a sharp arm forward to pierce his heart.

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“DIEEEEE!!!”

Puh-ack!!

He felt something being pierced! He had pierced the bastard’s heart!

The certainty came instantly.

Then Leon’s body, which had been struck without reacting, dissolved.

Illusion magic!?

Realizing too late that he had been deceived, Garlan turned his head—

Leon’s sword moved.

As if time itself had stopped, as if only his consciousness remained awake.

In a frozen world, the only things moving were the crimson blade and its trajectory.

Slice!!

With a chilling sound, Leon’s sword cut through empty air.

But even though the blade never directly touched Garlan’s body, it changed nothing.

The instantaneous slash precisely split the transcendent core Garlan had hidden within a dimensional rift inside his body.

“Kh… ghr…”

Watching him collapse in an instant, Leon lightly flicked his sword, spun it, and slid it into the floating scabbard.

Click!

The moment the demon sword was sheathed, the halted time resumed.

Garlan did not understand why he had been defeated.

He had seen it, yet he could not comprehend it.

What he did understand lasted only a fleeting instant.

The moment Leon’s blade touched the transcendent core, an unknown vision slammed into his mind.

It was the trace of a desperate, endless battle.

An image of a single human swinging his sword through unimaginable stretches of death and life surged in, compressed into a moment.

A Grandmaster completes his own world and forcibly applies it to reality.

What Garlan saw was the condensed history contained within Leon’s power.

He would not regenerate.

Not only was the core destroyed, the Authority of Death warned that further regeneration was impossible.

His mind spun, a ringing filled his ears.

As he lay fallen, watching Leon toss the sheathed sword into subspace, Garlan realized it was all over.

He had given everything to kill him.

And still, he had failed.

Leon said nothing.

No grand words about how it had been meaningless, nor any acknowledgment of strength.

He merely looked down at him with an emotionless gaze.

“Leon… cough Leon Cascadia!!!”

Garlan roared through blood and phlegm.

But the sound did not last long as his body collapsed and cut it short.

His consciousness flickered amid choking noises.

Garlan looked back on his life.

Comrades who died by Leon’s hand.

His own life.

His family’s deaths.

The vengeance he had sworn with tears of blood.

Even the things he had failed to see properly back then, drowned in despair.

As if experiencing a final flash of clarity before death, his mind grew lucid.

Then, as he died, he spoke.

“It’s already too late. I swore I’d do anything to kill you.”

A chilling smile rose on Garlan’s lips.

“If I cannot… I will awaken one who can.”

At that moment, a massive ritual circle activated, using the remnants of his body as a sacrifice.

“This is—”

Leon’s expression twisted slightly.

“You insane bastard.”

“I’ll be waiting in hell, Leon Cascadia. Let’s see how much you can endure.”

With those words, Garlan’s consciousness vanished.

But the ritual left behind by his death began to activate rapidly.

It was a summoning ritual.

And realizing what it was, Leon’s expression grew subtly distorted.

The rift tore open, and an enormous number of Shoggoths poured out.

If absorbing a small amount left his mind intact, then he would drown him in a quantity he could not handle.

That was Garlan’s final move.

But—

“A snack just rolled in.”

A terrifying storm of lightning swirled around Leon.

Garlan never realized in the end—

For Leon, who possessed perfect mental defense, absorbing Shoggoths carried no risk at all—only overwhelming return.

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