Chapter 738 The Ture Leader Is Back
Finally, After a few detours, Murkel had arrived. The first place that came to mind the moment he returned to the world of Pagna was the small fishing village he had known. Just like with nearly everything, the village had transformed into quite the town.
The area had been developed with multiple houses and streets where people were trading, resembling a market. The small stream of river now had a large bridge built over it, seemingly connecting another living area on the other side.
Large nets were being used to pull up crawfish from the bottom, which were quickly carted away. Everything operated like a perfectly functioning system.
‘The town looks more developed compared to the others, even the guild building. I can see it’s taller compared to the residential buildings and far bigger than I remembered,’ Murkel thought.
The state of the current Erupting Fist Clan was somewhat the same as before. It was considered a medium-sized clan. It had a long history and continued to exist until today, which was how it managed to grow.
However, it was never able to achieve the same level of strength compared to the larger and more powerful clans.
Wasting no time, just like before, Murkel headed to the clan base. It was a three-tiered building with a broad base, similar to most of the warrior buildings in Pagna.
Upon arrival, Murkel knew he would have to do some explaining at the gate.
“Please gather the current clan head at my request,” Murkel stated. “Inform them that an old member of the Erupting Fist Clan has returned.”
The guards looked at Murkel as if he were mad, making such a request without saying anything else.
“Go play your games with someone else,” the guard waved his hand dismissively.
In an instant, Murkel activated his Dark Condensed Qi. It lingered out of his body, spreading across the ground and making the guards feel instantly sick.
It was clear that this Qi, and the power of its darkness, was not something an ordinary person could produce. Both guards stepped back in fear, but as they tried to jump away, they fell to the ground, trapped by the gravity of the Qi.
Murkel then took a step forward, continuing into the Erupting Fist Clan.
‘All the time I spent away from this place, all the time I spent on my own, in the other dimension, I cultivated with the Dark Qi method, and it grew stronger.’
‘This cultivation, the manifestation of my Qi, is everything I went through—those years of loneliness, everything I lost, and the friends I lost along the way.’
It didn’t take long for Murkel to continue walking forward before he saw a small army of Pagna warriors rushing out. He also saw several men in strange masks covering their faces, and an old man running behind them.
Around thirty men had rushed out of the building, immediately surrounding Murkel but keeping their distance, as they could feel his Qi.
Finally, the oldest member emerged with a cane in hand, staying back among the others. The cane had the symbol of the Erupting Fist Clan on it.
“Great warrior!” The man with the cane said in a loud, booming voice. “Please, state the reason for your visit and why you threaten us with your Qi. Are you perhaps someone who has descended from the Divine Realm? Is there a reason for your visit?”
Given Murkel’s displayed strength and unfamiliar face, they could only assume he was someone from the Divine Realm who had come down.
Murkel looked at the faces around him, unable to recognize any of them. The questions he wanted to ask—why they hadn’t followed him, why no one came to seek him out back then—couldn’t be answered, as none of them existed anymore. So what was he to do now? Murkel placed a hand on his chest, feeling pain at the realization that he might not get the answers he sought. He felt something solid underneath.
“I came here… no, I have returned,” Murkel declared.
The others didn’t understand what this strange man meant, but then Murkel reached into his clothing and pulled out the old medallion. It shone brightly into the elder’s eyes, causing him to fall to his knees.
“The true Clan Head… has returned.”
Hearing those words caused Murkel to withdraw his Qi. He didn’t expect the medallion to have such an effect. When he was around, there was only one of its kind, and it was proof of one’s succession to the Erupting Fist Clan.
During his time away, he wouldn’t blame them if they had made another medallion and selected someone else as the successor. With so much time having passed, he wondered if anyone would even know what the medallion represented. Nevertheless, he decided to give it a shot.
“It seems we both have a lot of questions and explanations to do,” Murkel said.
Things weren’t as Murkel had expected upon returning. Everyone in the clan was courteous to him, respectful, and treated him like a true leader.
Through talking with them, he learned that the story of the medallion had been passed from one head to the next, and there were tales spoken about Murkel and his bravery—mainly from the students he had taught who had risen and grown strong. He also learned what had happened that day with the portal, how it had closed up when he went through.
This wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. When Murkel stepped back into the world of Pagna, he had also witnessed the portal behind him close for some reason.
What he did learn was that the last clan head was also a student of his, who had only passed away around a month ago. If he had managed to return a little earlier, he could have learned more.
The members of the Erupting Fist Clan gave him the option to take charge of the clan or not. Murkel decided to accept the position, and there were no arguments, as they all could feel his strength that day.
He took up the role that the clan heads before him had wished for him to assume, and that was exactly what he did.
A darkness that had been covering his heart from before was slightly dissipating now that he had returned to the clan. As he led them, Murkel was able to best the leaders in friendly battles nearby. He even met someone he cared for deeply.
He cared for her so much that a child was on the way, and that child was soon to be born, named Ricktor. Everything was going well.
“I have a family, a clan, and friends who respect me… but the Dark Faction as a whole is still struggling. We, as a faction, must grow. I should try to find out what happened to Bofan and those who are trying to suppress the Noctis Clan. They couldn’t have just disappeared like that.”
It was during the search for the Noctis Clan that Murkel found out what the current leaders of the factions were doing. How they were the ones responsible for getting rid of the Noctis Clan, and it was quite obvious why. To stay on the top of the Dark Faction. It wasn’t right, and Murkel wanted to stop it, but he had his own family to worry about now, and there was something else, Murkel found strange about himself, when he heard of portals, or the beasts that came from them he found it difficult to kill them. Something had changed in him, and he was worried.
Chapter 739 The Last Of Murkel
Murkel remained the Clan Head of the Erupting Fist Clan and now had his son, Ricktor, to look after. He found joy in his family and clan life. From time to time, he would even teach Ricktor himself. Murkel had a talent for teaching, which was why he was originally an instructor for the future stars of the Erupting Fist Clan. He would praise Ricktor when he did well, not just because he was his son, but because Ricktor was extremely talented.
However, watching his son, despite his skill, Murkel couldn’t shake a thought from the back of his mind:
‘Is my son like me? Is Ricktor like me? I’m no longer completely human. I can tell that from my emotions, how fast my body heals, and how strong it is. I haven’t been able to utilize the hybrid beast power in me, but I know it’s there even if it’s not in my mind. There’s a chance that my son’s talent is not just because of me but because of what I am.’
This thought caused Murkel to view his son in a different light. It was hard to shake the feeling, as two sides within him seemed to conflict. He decided to distract himself with other matters, particularly concerning the Noctis Clan. His search included traveling to other clans and factions to gather information about the Noctis Clan’s last known whereabouts.
During his journeys, Murkel encountered more skirmishes and fights than he had anticipated. Some people clearly knew something, and Murkel had to apply pressure to get answers from them. Others attacked him simply because he was digging too deep.
The grand search for any living members of the Noctis Clan, the arts that existed, or what had happened to them spanned years. From time to time, Murkel would stop by the Erupting Fist Clan to check on his family. Yet, the connection and time spent with Ricktor became less frequent. Murkel wasn’t sure why.
He wasn’t sure if it was fear that he had changed his son or if he simply cared less. It felt that way, and the emotions in his head told his heart that he should be saddened, yet he was not.
During his search for the Noctis Clan, Murkel also made a name for himself. As he traveled, many Clan Heads and powerful members challenged him. He defeated them with ease. Since Murkel didn’t kill the Clan Heads he had beaten, only defeating them, many started to become loyal or at least supportive of the Erupting Fist Clan.
They felt this was the new wave the Dark Faction needed, and the Erupting Fist Clan grew stronger with more supplies and resources.
Murkel didn’t keep his knowledge a secret. He was able to pass down the Erupting Fist Clan’s techniques, and they became as good as those of any top clan.
With enough information gathered about the Noctis Clan, Murkel concluded that they had been wiped out. The four clans responsible were the ones Bofan himself had selected as the heads of the Dark Faction.
It seemed as if he had been betrayed, and if he wasn’t, then his descendants had certainly betrayed the Noctis Clan, eradicating every trace of them.
With this information in hand and after many years of travel, Murkel returned to the Erupting Fist Clan and took his seat as Clan Head. He rubbed his forehead with his hand.
“You have returned from your long journey, but it seems you are more troubled than before,” Arkon, head of the special forces within the Erupting Fist Clan, said. An elder who had served the last two Clan Heads.
“I have always offered to help, as you have done much for the clan and the lives of everyone within. Even if that wasn’t your intended goal. Whatever is troubling you, I’m sure we can help.”
Murkel wondered what help a powerful clan could offer now that the Noctis Clan was gone. There was no way to revive it, and it wasn’t as if Murkel could embark on a journey to assist Bofan, who was most likely dead.
His goal seemed to have come to an end, and he wasn’t even sure it had been a goal to begin with. Bofan was someone he had been chasing, someone from his era who left a great legacy. Murkel had hoped finding him would provide some answers.
“There is no need for you to hold back,” Arkon spoke again. “Whatever your desire, we will help.” Arkon placed his head onto the wooden floor.
“My desire?” Murkel repeated, looking at his fist.
He hardly had time to think before he spoke. “I wish to get rid of the Light Faction, the Demonic Faction, and the Dark Faction. Everything will be under my control, and they will pay for what they have done.”
Murkel was somewhat shocked by his own words, yet he knew the feelings inside him were true. He harbored hatred for the Dark Faction for what they had done, but why would he hate the other factions, other than to protect those he cared about?
It was then he realized that he hadn’t resisted the feeling or the desire of what he said.
Lifting his hand into view again, he closed his fist, and a red solid crystal formed at the top of his hand.
“When did it happen?” Murkel asked himself.
The voice of the Hybrid was lost, possibly forever, but in turn, Murkel had lost himself. The reason the Hybrid’s voice could no longer be heard was that his and the Hybrid’s voices were now the same.
The desires and feelings were shared, and as each day passed, humans began to look like mere insects to him, including his own son.
“Very well, sir. As I said, we will help you with whatever it is you desire!” Arkon stated.
This marked the beginning of how Murkel became the principal of the Dark Faction Academy and eventually the head of the Dark Faction, leading them to where they were today, fighting against Raze in the Martial Arts Tournament.
Chapter 740 Raze A Five Star Mage
Ricar, along with Beatrix and Hannah, saw everything. They had their eyes fixed on Murkel as his body managed to heal itself from the devastating attack that Raze was able to pull off.
When seeing him heal, with a keen eye, Ricar was sure of it; he had seen the red gooey substance. A substance that was used on hybrids, there was no doubt in his mind that this person was a red hybrid.
“Only one has ever appeared in existence before, and now it has appeared again,” Ricar mumbled to himself.
“What should we do?” Beatrix asked. “Should we go in and help them? After what you said about the dangers of the red hybrid, doesn’t that mean once again all of the factions are going to have to come together to defeat that thing?”
Ricar was at a loss. He was wondering if the safest thing for them to do right now was to run away or help out in some way.
“I’m not so sure that we can be of any help, and the rest of the Light Faction wouldn’t be able to come. I think it would be best if the two of you at least ran away,” Ricar explained.
Both Hannah and Beatrix were surprised. Why would the elder tell them to run away and for him to stay behind? The world of Pagna warriors was not like that of regular citizens, where one would save the youngest first.
In the world of Pagna, the strongest was to survive. If the strongest survived, the chance of the clan still being able to exist and prosper was much more likely. The worth of the weaker in the clan was just that—they were worth less.
“I know what you are thinking, but I wish to see this event with my own eyes, as I believe it’s an event that will change the world,” Ricar explained.
Hearing this, Beatrix had also made up her mind.
“If it’s that big of an event, then I will have to stay as well.”
“Don’t say anything,” Hannah interrupted Beatrix before she could say anything else. “I go where you go. It’s decided, and you can’t stop me. If the both of you are being stubborn, then it’s the same for me.”
On the ground floor itself, no one wished to move in further. They were already worn out from heavy fighting in the first place and were surprised to see that Murkel was in perfect condition.
“What’s wrong? Was this not what any of you were expecting?” Murkel replied. “Did you really think it was so easy to take on someone who has the title, as the closest to the Divine realm? All of you need to do better!”
Murkel started to laugh, and Ricktor felt sick to his stomach. He knew he was no longer looking at his father, but what could they do? As they watched Murkel laughing on the spot, sure of his victory, a lightning strike hit his body, lighting him up.
When looking at the stream of lightning, they could see that it was coming out of both of Raze’s hands, flowing out of his fingertips.
“Do you think I’ve run out of options? I have plenty of ways to hurt you!” Raze claimed.
While the tail of lightning was coming out of his fingertips, he was continuing to walk forward toward Murkel. The lightning soon stopped out of his hands, but the shock continued to linger for slightly longer.
Then in both of Raze’s hands were two swords—the ghost blade and another. He started to swing them both in succession, one after the other, along with his wind magic, sending out multiple strikes.
They hit Murkel’s hard body, causing cuts that drew blood but also appeared to somewhat bounce off him and go toward the cursed part of the arena behind him.
Everyone was in awe as they watched the Dark Magus wielding this strange power of his. They clearly weren’t Pagna techniques.
“In situations like this, I need to improvise!” Raze exclaimed as he got rid of both of his swords and gathered wind magic surrounding his feet and the palm of one of his hands. A whirlwind had gathered behind him.
Meanwhile, Dark magic had swirled around his right arm, moving toward his palm.
The wounds on Murkel had healed, and the lightning no longer seemed to have an effect.
“You think attacks like that will hurt me? I can tell, none of you have any weight. None of you have any idea what I have been through to get to where I am right now!” Murkel exclaimed.
“I can say the exact same to you.” Raze then flicked off his feet, pushing himself with his Qi, and sprung out of the tornado of magic from behind. It was a powerful spell that pushed the others back just from the power alone, even though they weren’t close.
It was a high-level Wind magic spell.
‘My specialty in the past before Dark magic was Wind magic after all, and I learned a thing or two about combination magic!’
As Raze was pushed forward, he thrust his fist as if he was punching the air, and a ring of Dark Pulse fired out. It was pinpoint sharp like a laser, the propelling wind mixed with the sharpness of the wind, Qi, and destructive power of his Dark magic.
At that point, a laser shot right through Murkel’s chest. The Dark magic had gone right through him, breaking a complete hole in the arena.
Murkel looked down and could see the hole in his chest. Even he was quite shocked. However, Raze wasn’t done there.
He placed both his hands on the floor, and two ice rocks had formed. He then moved them together, slamming them together, encasing Murkel in the middle of it all.
Raze then stood up, looking ahead. He had used up a lot of magic and a lot of spells, but he still had a lot of fight in him.
“This is the power of a five-star mage,” Raze claimed. “You might feel like you climbed through hell and back, but for me, this is my second time doing it.”
Chapter 741 Your Not The Only One That’s Special
The onlookers in the area were stunned by what they had seen. A large display of magical abilities. Two powerful people were fighting. Perhaps they should have been somewhat afraid of what they had seen; instead, they took in the beauty of magic that day.
The Crimson Crane, along with many others, had seen magic before. They had nearly all gone up against mages and fought against them, so they had an idea of what one with magical powers could do.
However, it was the first time they had witnessed it on such a large scale. The number of spells that had been used, including the large variety of spells as well.
Seeing Raze fight like this, they were getting an inkling of the power he had. Just before, he had used devastating Pagna skills and now had used large-scale magic as well.
“I knew I was right about him,” Alba said. “He is the one that’s going to change the entirety of the Crimson Crane, and the whole world is going to know about it.”
Many seeing Raze thought the same thing, but Ricar, who was watching from above, was deeply concerned.
“From the look on their faces, they’re satisfied by that performance, but that won’t be enough to take out the red Hybrid!” Ricar claimed.
The others didn’t notice it, but Raze did. In the large iceberg that had been created, something was happening. Raze quickly placed both of his hands on the floor.
“Uplifting wind!” Magic swirled out of his palms and spread out to the arena. The next moment, everyone felt themselves being lifted up from the ground.
They were pushed up from the floor and could see the arena floor several meters below.
“Did Raze just use his magic on us?” Simyon asked.
“Just trust him, he wouldn’t have done this for no reason!” Safa called out, still floating in the air.
It was Amir who noticed the cracks that were forming in the giant iceberg.
“No, you fool!” Amir shouted. “Focus on the fight, don’t focus on us!”
The ice had broken apart, and strange hardened red crystal could be seen cracking right through it. From all sides, right through the ice, the red crystal had expanded out like a large spider web going across the arena.
“Great push!” Raze called out, and wind swirled in a particular direction, grabbing all of those in the air. It then pushed them off until the group of people ended up crashing into the stands.
Some of them had ended up in awkward positions, with their heads touching seats, bodies entangled with each other.
“Could have moved us a bit softer,” Tilon said.
As the group started to get up, they quickly realized why Raze had done what he had done. Looking down at the arena floor itself, it was covered in the strange red crystallization.
It really did look like a giant spider web that had managed to wiggle itself into the walls of the arena, stuck in place, piercing through it.
“We would have all been killed on the spot if Raze didn’t do that,” Alba exclaimed.
“But look!” Rayna called out. “Because of us, because we were in the way, look what’s happened!”
She pointed down to the ground, and she could see Raze himself had been pierced in several places by the red crystal. Some of the crystal that had aimed for his head and heart had broken because he had managed to summon his Dark magic in time to protect himself, but blood was still dripping from the crystal that had pierced his thighs and other areas.
‘That attack broke through the barrier of the Blazer… The Blazer did its best to block it, but it’s not so good against physical attacks like this,’ Raze thought.
Amir had already predicted that this was going to happen when he saw Raze make the first move.
“I thought he was someone that didn’t care about others, a person that was determined to accomplish his goal, so why did he go out of his way? Now that he’s injured, his chances of winning this fight have greatly lessened,” Amir said.
Dame stood up next to him, wincing as his body was in great pain, and checked to his side that Mantis had even been taken out of the arena.
“I don’t understand that guy too much myself sometimes, but as you said, I don’t think he’s the type of person who would put himself in a worse position. If he saved us, then he did it for one of two reasons: because he wanted us out of his way so he could focus on the fight or because even with helping us out, he’s still confident he can win this fight!” Dame asked.
Amir could feel the confidence Dame had in his fellow partner, but none of them knew the exact strength of the red Hybrid. The fact was, Raze had managed to pierce a hole right through his heart, and somehow he was still alive.
“Haha!” Murkel laughed, both of his hands open wide. He started to retract the red crystal spread in the arena back to his body, leaving what was in Raze inside of him. As for the hole that was in his chest, it was no longer visible, only a mark on his clothing.
“It took all three factions’ strongest to try and take me out, and they still weren’t able to finish the job,” Murkel said. “Do you really think a single warrior like you can face me?”
Moving his hands, Raze started to gather the Dark magic around himself, in particular, the pierced parts of his body with the red crystal. It disintegrated the crystal, eventually smashing it and causing shards to fall to the floor.
Still, from the wounds on his body, blood was falling onto the floor.
“Didn’t you hear me before?” Raze said. “I’m not a warrior, so stop putting those standards on me.”
“Ah yes, those strange powers of yours. It might be you’re not a being from Pagna after all, maybe from a dimension where civilization still exists, maybe even a lost one, the sole survivor,” Murkel said.
“Close enough,” Raze replied as he stood up strong. Placing his hand out to the side, the Ghost blade appeared in one hand. Then, when Raze went and placed his other hand to the side, a large white glowing sword appeared, shining with power. The Lux Sword had appeared.
As he held it in his hand, the effect of the Lux Sword and Blazer got to work, and the wounds on his body were visibly starting to heal.
“You’re not the only one that can do some bullshit type of healing,” Raze claimed, holding up the Lux Sword.
Chapter 742 I Am The Dark Magus
At one end of the arena, the sword was shining brightly and beaming with power. It was clear that it wasn’t just an ordinary sword but a special one.
“Is that something he created himself?” Alba wondered. She had seen him use it before when the Behemoth Clan had struck, but it was the first time she was paying attention and seeing such strong healing powers.
“I always wondered when he created such special powerful weapons, why he had handed them out to the other members, and he still hadn’t created something for himself. But I guess he does have special weapons of his own after all.”
At times, Raze was even conflicted, especially when he had created the legendary shield. However, the cursed effect was too high-risk for it to be something he wanted to utilize, and most of the weapons he created for others weren’t suitable for his fighting style in the first place.
As for the Lux Sword, it wasn’t even his creation but something he had received before, and a particular person was excited the moment he saw the sword.
“Right, he took that from the Lethal Bite Clan leader,” Bargo said. “I forgot he even had that thing. That leader was almost impossible to kill because of that sword. With that in Raze’s hand, this fight might actually turn around.”
The Lux Sword was meant to be held with a single hand. With his strength, he could have held even a large sword in a single hand anyway.
But the Ghost blade and the Lux Sword could both be held in a single hand, though Raze preferred to have one hand free to cast his magic.
Now he held both swords by his side in his hand.
“Is that mage a dual swordsman?” Zon asked.
“Not that I’ve ever seen,” Liam replied. Maybe if Raze had something like the system, he could copy Alba’s skills and be quite useful, but what could Raze do with both swords in his hands?
Raze stood there as he looked at Murkel and waited for him to make the first move. With the Lux Sword in his hand, his Dark magic was weakened, but he still had many uses of other types of magic.
“Alright, I’ll take the bait. Let’s see what your sword can do!” Murkel raised his hand, and the entirety of it crystallized in a red transparent-like crystal. When it covered his hand, it looked more like that of a giant sword.
Right after, Murkel started to run forward, and putting his hand out, several large shards of red crystal shot toward him.
Seeing this, Raze charged forward as well. He didn’t falter as he swung the Ghost blade along with his Wind magic, sending strikes towards the red crystal. As it hit the red crystal, it didn’t do much other than deflect its path slightly.
The red crystal came towards him, and before it touched him, his special barrier activated. A ball appeared around Raze, hitting the crystals and causing them to fall to the floor.
“Very interesting, that didn’t happen before!” Murkel said as he swung his weapon right at Raze, who lifted his sword and blocked the attack straight ahead with the Lux Sword.
Immediately, as the two of them made contact, Raze could feel his feet and his whole body under great strain.
“You took my hit straight on, what did you forget about the properties of my Qi?” Murkel smiled.
The barrier had activated and was seen slightly around the Lux Sword, but the red crystal then grew from the red crystal sword itself. It spidered out, and several smaller lines of red crystal were going to pierce Raze.
It broke through the barrier and stabbed right through his Blazer, piercing his skin.
Yet Raze didn’t falter as he had the Ghost blade ready by his side.
“The Fourth Formation, Void Pulse Formation!” Lightning was gathering at the back of the sword as Raze thrust it forward.
Seeing this just in time, Murkel, with his other hand, created dark energy, and his visual Qi lingered to the side. The Void Pulse attack was then dragged right toward the dark energy, completely missing Murkel.
However, Raze had somewhat expected that, which was why he had used the lightning magic. The strike lingered to his side and went to hit Murkel.
As the blue sparks went toward him, red substance crystallized on the outside of his body. The lightning just bounced off it, and Murkel was unaffected as he delivered a punch right to Raze’s stomach.
As he did, the red crystal from the fist pierced through his stomach, ripping the clothing and sending Raze flying off in the distance. Raze had a bad wound, but the Lux Sword was doing its job as it was trying to heal him.
Using his Wind magic, he stopped himself from being flung too far from the fight, and he could see Murkel coming at him again.
Raze swung his sword out in succession as he went ahead and used another of the Dark Edge Sword Arts.
‘Third Formation, Nightmare Veil Formation.’
Each time Raze swung his sword, beasts came out, illusions that would have been created with Dark magic, but it was significantly in a weakened state.
As the beasts came out, from Murkel’s body, the red crystal just sprouted out in every direction, destroying them. The Dark magic that was used flickered on Murkel but seemed like it did nothing at all.
Murkel was still charging ahead, and Raze had no choice but to swing his sword again.
“Shadow Bind Formation!”
The Dark magic swirled around his sword and went out, winding around Murkel’s body, restricting him to where he was. Rather than taking this chance to attack while Murkel was restricted, Raze quickly broke the distance between the two of them.
The Shadow Bind Formation had ended, and Murkel just turned to Raze at that point. “That sword, it may be healing you, but it’s nothing special other than that. You are nothing special. You are relying on skills written by a man that has long been gone from this world.”
“Not only that, you can’t even fully utilize all of his skills! When I saw you use the Noctis Clan’s techniques, I had to admit, I thought about keeping you alive, but right now all I see is a poor imitation of Bofan. You will never be him!” Murkel exclaimed, stretching out both of his arms, and now his right and left were crystallized.
While his Dark magic was lingering behind his back, floating in the air like a flame. “I am not trying to be like him!” Raze said, as he placed away the Lux Sword and started to gather his Dark magic around his arm once more. “I am the Dark Magus!”
