In an instant, Hope's arms swelled violently, grotesque muscles bulging, his skin turning into hard indigo-colored keratin, his five fingers becoming savage claws that glinted with a sharp, icy sheen.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as his 'Divine Step' erupted, and Hope's figure shot out like a cannonball.
"Is that... a receiving spell?!"
A flash of surprise reappeared in Elusa's eyes, but battle instinct made her react instantly, switching back to her Celestial Wheel Armor to cover Hope.
Dozens of flying swords streaked toward the Black-armored man like meteors, disrupting his sight and movements.
"Roar!"
The Black-armored man roared, swinging his bloodied greatsword to block the flying blades, unleashing corrosive Dragon‑bane magic that effortlessly rusted several swords.
But that fleeting opening gave Hope a chance to close in.
However, the Black-armored man's combat experience seemed extensive; he reacted lightning‑fast, instantly drawing his blade to parry, with dark‑red corrosive energy coalescing on the edge.
Boom!
Hope's demonic fist slammed into the bloodied greatsword saturated with corrosive Dragon‑bane magic, producing a muffled thunderclap. The clash of two opposing magics generated a ring of dark‑purple shockwave that blew dust and grass away.
The Black-armored man was jolted back several steps, nearly losing his greatsword, and a deep wound was left on Hope's right arm. The potent corrosive force spread from the wound, emitting a whiff of acidic white smoke.
Hearing the sizzle of flesh being corroded, the Black-armored man let out a smug snarl, only to be met with Hope's mocking grin.
On Hope's demonic right arm, the gruesome wound healed at a terrifying, visible speed, as a stronger life force expelled the corrosive Dragon‑bane magic.
Dailiora's almost inhuman regenerative ability was on full display.
The Black-armored man was stunned; he sensed a brazen power emanating from this human.
In that moment of the Black-armored man's hesitation, Hope's demonic fist shot out without hesitation, bearing a wind that tore the air, striking the crack in his chest armor that Elusa had previously slashed.
Feeling the oncoming force like a flood, the Black-armored man snapped back to his senses, flicked his wrist, and swung his greatsword forward with a fierce slash.
Fist met blade, waves of air surged, and though flesh collided with the corrosion‑laden sword, Hope's demonic power proved superior.
The overwhelming force numbed the Black-armored man's arm, and the bloodied greatsword was blasted into the nearby thicket.
Hope grinned, unleashed a second surge, and thrust his left hand sharply into the crack of the Black-armored man's armor.
To the astonishment of Elusa and the archaeologists, he used that single demonic claw to yank the Black-armored man up and then slammed him down hard.
The ground seemed to tremble.
The Black-armored man, dazed from being head‑first slammed, couldn't react; his body was again hoisted high by Hope's demonic claw and hurled forcefully toward the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud... the pounding of the ground made everyone's hearts race, and only after the ninth slam did Hope finally relent.
The Supreme Nine-Combo Throw cosplay concluded.
The surrounding ground was now dented, the Black-armored man lay motionless, the pale blue flame in his eye sockets extinguished, his black armor shattered into fragments, revealing a corpse‑like body.
Elusa kept a vigilant stance, cautiously approached the fallen Black-armored man, prodded his body with her longsword, and said to Hope, "It's taken care of."
Absorbing the demon soul's power drained a lot of magic; Hope gasped as he dispelled the spell, his arms gradually returning to normal, though traces of corrosive magic lingered on his skin, causing intermittent tingling.
Catching his breath, Hope moved to Elusa's side to observe the Black-armored man together.
Undoubtedly human, his withered body should have been long dead, yet in reality he was still lively and even capable of casting magic before being felled.
Suddenly, the word 'puppet' flashed in Hope's mind; the mysterious entity controlling the specter behind it was far more sophisticated than he'd imagined.
Seeing the black figure unable to rise again, Old Buck and the archaeologists, who had retreated, finally relaxed and approached.
"You all are impressive."
"That nine-combo throw was truly spectacular."
"No wonder you're the Fairy Tail; we should entrust any battle to you."
"Miss Elusa, please perform another costume change!"
"..."
Old Buck cleared his throat, cutting off the scholar's stray praise, and examined the Black-armored man's close‑fitting garments.
After about ten minutes, Old Buck rubbed his dry eyes and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this attire belongs to a high‑ranking official of the Doragunov Kingdom."
"So this person betrayed Queen Elin?"
Hope sneered, recalling that, according to the warrior ghost's intel, Queen Elin was back‑stabbed by a cabal of nobles 400 years ago, who then deceived the populace and incited them to assault her.
If the civilian specters haunting Twilight Town at night were merely accomplices, then this Black-armored man was likely one of the principal conspirators.
The mysterious entity in the ruins turned the Black-armored man into a puppet—neither fully human nor fully ghost.
His intuition told Hope that they would soon encounter more such puppets.
Hope turned to Old Buck, "Old man, do you know how many officials of that rank existed in Doragunov?"
Old Buck's face darkened; he suspected the kid was deliberately giving him a hard time.
The Doragunov Kingdom fell centuries ago, and records are scant; only because it was linked to Elin, the 'Mother of Dragon‑bane Mages,' would he bother probing such a minor nation's history.
Three archaeologists strained to retrieve the bloodied greatsword from the nearby thicket, asking Elusa, "Miss, would you like this weapon?"
The bloodied greatsword was razor‑sharp; even Hope's demonic arm, empowered by Dailiora's soul, could be cut by it, and it showed no fear of corrosive Dragon‑bane magic.
Such a premium weapon would be a dream for Elusa, who fights with armor and weapons, yet she felt an inexplicable aversion.
She wondered whether that bloodied greatsword had once been used in secret to stab the queen herself.
"Never mind, I don't need a traitor's weapon."
Elusa's voice was flat, but everyone could tell she found it dirty.
The three eager archaeologists agreed, and simply put the greatsword back on the ground.
A weapon like that is best left to rot with its owner.
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