The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 109: Madness (1) (Part 2)

—froze his movements.

Adrian’s fist struck again before Ellen could react.

Ellen’s face crumpled from the impact,
blood and shattered teeth spraying from his mouth.

A blow so intense, it nearly knocked him unconscious.

But a position like Vice-Captain of the Royal Knights couldn’t be earned through luck alone.

Ellen’s mind flared like lightning—
his thoughts accelerated.

Adrian wasn’t someone to take lightly.
He was a powerful opponent.

He erased the image of “Mad Dog of the Count’s House” from his mind.

He tightened his core to regain balance,
stabilized his posture, and focused power into his thighs.

Aura flowed through his entire body, concentrating at the tip of his sword.

And then—
with a slash and a burst of speed—
he unleashed the move:

Sword of the Savage King – Form Three: Regal Slash.

Aura exploded from the tip of his sword.
The air around them stilled for a moment—
and then erupted.

But Adrian didn’t dodge.
Instead, as if he had been waiting for this moment,
he raised his fingers like sharpened claws.

‘…Claws?’

Was he really planning to block that with his bare claws?
It wasn’t just foolish—it was outright stupid.

The Sword of the Savage King, passed down through generations of Royal Knights,
was a pinnacle technique refined through centuries of warfare.

Among its forms, Regal Slash was a burst-type technique—
activating the moment the blade was drawn, discharging a blast of Aura.

It wasn’t something you could block.

Only a master-level Aura Blade could hope to match it.

And yet he was trying to counter it with claws?

Even if Adrian wasn’t a mad dog,
he was clearly an amateur with zero battle sense.

A child with no actual experience.

Adrian’s claws sliced through the air—
and clashed with the oncoming blade.

…And yet, the one being pushed back—

was Ellen.

CRAAACK!
The Aura infused in Ellen’s blade was torn apart.

“This is… impossible!!”

Ellen gasped in shock.

How could human fingernails do this?

What kind of claw could shred an Aura Blade?

Was Adrian’s claw… actually an Aura Blade itself?

No—it wasn’t just that.

The reason Adrian could tear through Regal Slash wasn’t mere brute strength.

He had read the sword’s trajectory, the flow of its Aura,
the intent behind the strike—
everything—and responded accordingly.

A finely honed combat instinct.

This wasn’t just “power.”
It was the culmination of countless real battles—
a refined, battlefield-hardened intuition.

They say you only perceive what you understand—

Ellen, as a Vice-Captain of the Royal Knights,
had experienced many missions and many wars.

He had the kind of strength and experience few could rival.

…And yet, even with all that—

He couldn’t see through it.
He couldn’t gauge Adrian’s depth.

How many battles must one fight to reach that level?
How many brushes with death must one overcome to stand there?

“Ghrr…!”

Ellen clenched his teeth.

He reevaluated his stance.

As unbelievable as it was—

‘…A frontal fight won’t work.’

Ellen quickly widened the distance between them.
He adjusted his posture and took a deep breath.

But Adrian wasn’t about to give him that chance.

In the very next moment, he stomped the ground.

The palace floor shattered.
A shockwave rippled out like an earthquake.

The sound, the force—
beyond anything Ellen had imagined.

‘Danger!’

Ellen reflexively raised his sword and swung.

But—

Swish, swish.

Adrian moved with inhuman joints—
his body flowing like water.

It was as if he had no friction,
moving unnaturally fast and flexibly.

‘That movement… is that even possible?’

Yet Adrian did it effortlessly.

He slipped through Ellen’s range with a silky, perfect motion.

And then—

‘Where did he go…?!’

It wasn’t just speed or weird movements.

Adrian had vanished, as if into thin air.

Visually, he was gone.
A death you couldn’t see.

That’s what pierced Ellen’s heart.

BOOM!!

Like a popped rubber ball, Ellen’s body recoiled violently.

“Gahhhk!!”

The difference in level was… staggering.

They weren’t even swimming in the same waters.

Ellen might have been a top-tier warrior within Battenberg—
but what if you widened the scope to the entire continent?

He wouldn’t even make the mid-tier.

The continent was full of geniuses like Ellen.
No—surpassed him, even.

Ellen was just one of countless talents.

But Adrian was something else entirely.

Adrian, with eyes burning in quiet fury,
was staring into the far distance.

If Ellen was like the still water of a well—

Then Adrian was the flowing current of a mighty river.

Even if the current seemed calm now—
even if the stream seemed small—

Rivers flow and flow…
And one day, without fail,
they meet the sea.

‘This… this is…!’

Ellen, standing before that vast ocean,
could only feel how small and powerless he truly was.

The banquet hall where the Royal Social Circle was to be held.

Gilded tables were neatly arranged at the center,
while soft candlelight and a refined fragrance filled every corner of the room, adding to the noble atmosphere.

Palace maids bustled around the hall, attending to their tasks.
Queen Marceline was giving them instructions one by one.

“Move the candlestick a bit more to the left. Keep the lighting from getting too bright.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And don’t overdo the decorations—keep them tasteful. The flowers on the table should enhance elegance, not overwhelm it.”

Just as she was going over the finer details of the hall—

RUMMMMBLE…!!

Suddenly, the entire banquet hall trembled, as if struck by an earthquake.
A loud, crashing sound followed.

Queen Marceline stopped giving orders and turned her head sharply.

“What is happening?”

At her question, a maid standing near the door approached hesitantly, her face pale.

“It seems… there’s been a disturbance in the palace’s central hall.”
“A disturbance?”
“It appears… there was a clash involving Prince Walter…”

Queen Marceline’s expression turned cold and hard.

On the very day the Royal Social Circle was being hosted—
a gathering of the kingdom’s most powerful nobles—
for there to be chaos within the palace…

Any damage to the palace’s order would reflect directly on the authority of the royal family.

And that, in turn, would raise questions about their ability to maintain control.

Whoever the madman was causing havoc in the palace didn’t matter.

They would not be forgiven.

Not under any circumstances.

And if they had dared lay a hand on a prince—
that was a direct challenge to the royal family’s dignity,
and even more reason to mete out severe punishment.

But—

“It… it was the heir of the House of Whitewolf… who struck Sir Ellen, the knight escorting Prince Walter…”

Those next words from the maid…

froze Queen Marceline’s thoughts cold.

Translatin_Otaku

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