The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 83: The Law of Betrayal (1)

The being now glaring at Isolde with murderous intent.

Isolde took a slow, steady breath.

‘That man…’

The one secretly ruling over Baoless from the shadows.

A high-ranking executive of the Dark Merchant Guild—Iratum.

Because of the grotesque mask he wore, his face and expression couldn’t be seen.
Yet Isolde could sense the distorted irritation behind that mask.

“So many things to deal with already!!”

It wasn’t just irritation—it was rooted in fury.

FWOOSH!

A moment later, dark crimson smoke erupted from Iratum’s entire body.

Billowing thickly, the smoke enveloped him and began expanding his already massive frame.

And then—stepping out from within the smoke came a giant over 4 meters tall.

His entire body seemed ready to burst from overinflated muscle, and his hands were so large they could easily crush Isolde’s head with just one of them.

Tension immediately tightened in the air.

Isolde gripped her gauntlets—just as it happened.

KWAANG!

Iratum lunged forward.

The ground caved in with his leap.

That wasn’t a charge—it was more accurate to say he was launched.

KWA-KANG!

Iratum’s fist clashed with Isolde’s gauntlets.

She could feel the weight of his strike through the ends of her gloves.

Behind her mask, Isolde’s expression stiffened.

‘He’s strong.’

So strong that she couldn’t even imagine victory.

Isolde bit down hard on her lip.

The massive fist pressing down on her gauntlets felt like it would crush her entirely.

This wasn’t someone she could measure or analyze.

And definitely not someone she could afford to hold back against.

Isolde forced divine power into her gauntlets.

Holy energy condensed and surged violently.

A golden burst of divinity exploded around her gloves.

Divine Martial Fist — Valencia Style.
Radiant Strike.

KWA-KWA-KWANG!!

The properly detonated Radiant Strike forced Iratum’s fist back.

At that moment, his head tilted slightly to the left.

“I was wondering what that strange aura was earlier…”

His mouth suddenly stretched wide.

Twisting into a grotesque smirk.

“A worshipper of Hollow Glory, is it?”

Iratum raised one massive foot and slammed it into the ground.

KWA-AANG!

The earth cracked with a loud rip, dirt erupting upward.

The sudden quake threw Isolde’s balance off.

She pulled back her extended fist and planted strength into her opposite leg to create distance.

“Decent judgment.”

Iratum laughed savagely, extending both arms toward her.

Like a mountain collapsing onto her—such was the pressure.

…There was no escaping it.

In that case.

Isolde poured divine energy into her gauntlets without reservation.

At the same time, she launched a flurry of punches—
Divine Martial Fist — Bianca Style.
Holy Purge Assault.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!

Holy explosions burst forward like bombardments.

But Iratum didn’t dodge.

“Cheap tricks!”

With a loud bellow, Iratum balled his outstretched hands into fists and met every blow head-on.

PFF-PFF-BANG! PFF-PFF-PFF-BANG!

In mere moments, dozens of blows were exchanged.

The shockwaves and thunderous roars shook the very world.

Incredible speed and power.

…But it was she who was being overwhelmed.

With every collision, the sound of bones fracturing echoed from Isolde’s body.

Her muscles, strained to their absolute limit, tore and healed in endless cycles.

CRACK! SNAP!

Pain pounded at her mind like a hammer.

Her consciousness flickered, going in and out.

…He’s strong.

Absurdly strong.

Even while using Divine Ascension, this was the result.

Of course, since it was her second time using it, the potency was slightly lower than the first.

…But would it have mattered?

Even with a fully powered Divine Ascension—
Could she really have matched this speed and strength?

“Guh…!”

A pained groan escaped through clenched lips—

“A woman, huh?”

Iratum’s sneer rang in her ears, almost mocking.

“A female worshipper of Hollow Glory… how fitting.”

His gaze ran up and down her body.

And with a crooked smirk—

“You’re just a ‘plaything of Falsehood,’ aren’t you?”

Iratum’s aura shifted sharply.

Suddenly, his massive fist surged toward her, filling her entire field of view.

There was no technique in the strike.

None was needed.

It was overwhelming power—pure and simple.

Isolde bent her torso backward sharply, narrowly dodging the strike.

Her vision flipped upside down.

Iratum’s fist barely grazed above her eyes—

In that moment, Isolde understood both the identity of Baoless as a No-Go Zone, and its ruler.

FWOOOOM—!!

A beat later, the air itself tore open with a sonic boom.

A massive gust of wind surged, sending Isolde spinning like a top.

Her vision swirled wildly.

Her senses twisted and tangled.

She bit down hard and slammed both hands onto the ground.

Spinning her body with the momentum, she whipped her legs like a lash and detonated divine energy—
Divine Martial Fist — Mallenia Style.
Blossom Pulsus.

PAPAPAPA-PANG!

Harnessing the momentum of her spin, holy petals erupted in a storm-like burst.

But not a single one pierced Iratum.

His skin was coarse and solid like stone.

In fact, it might as well have been stone.

He surpassed humans not only in power—but also in durability.

Even amidst the storm of divine force, Iratum stared at her with indifference.

“That pathetic strength, feeding off hollow faith.”

Iratum’s mocking voice rang through the holy tempest.

And then—

JEEEEEENG—!!

An immense boom rattled Isolde’s senses.

Somehow, Iratum’s fist had landed squarely on her abdomen.

Her body bent violently and was sent flying through the air.

Her mouth flew open from the impact, spewing crimson blood in all directions.

…She couldn’t even react.

If she had been using full Transcendence, could she have?

…She didn’t know. She couldn’t be sure.

KWA-THUD!

Isolde’s body crashed disgracefully into the ground.

The night in Baoless was unusually dark.
Even the moonlight in Baoless’s sky had turned black, unable to cast even the faintest glow—

“Stop them! Do whatever it takes to stop them!!”

Baoless roared with chaos and conflict.

“Kill anyone who gets in the way! Crush all who stand before us!”
“The black market belongs to us!!”

Visters ran wild throughout Baoless.

They were rampaging everywhere to claim dominance over the black market, while those wearing gray masks desperately tried to hold the line.

A perilous balance of power.
Blood splattered in every direction, screams mingled with war cries.

And into the center of the fierce battle leapt a brawny man with rugged features.

“The true master of Baoless is none other than Lord Sarpedon!!”

Sarpedon, the leader of the Black Grasp.
When he swung his blunt weapon, the alley wall crumbled in an instant, unleashing explosive power.

“Damn it! The defensive line is breached!!”
“Call for reinforcements!! Request backup!!”

As cracks formed in the defense, gray-masked acatas hurried to fill the gap—

“Let’s go!!”
“Wipe them all out!!”

The Black Grasp Vister, clad in black gloves, surged forward.

The gloves seemed to be enchanted with powerful magic, granting them monstrous strength that overwhelmed the gray-masked Acatas like steel battering rams.

Curses flew. Screams and shouts filled the air.

Screeeeeeech—!!

Just then, a deafening roar sliced through the air.
It echoed from afar, like the bellow of some enormous beast.

“What was that…?”
“That sound just now…?”

The Visters froze.
As if by unspoken agreement, every blade trembled mid-clash.
No one knew why.
But for some reason, they couldn’t move.

Fwoooosh, whooooosh!

Then a massive flame erupted, as if it were burning the very air itself.
It tore through Baoless’s sinister darkness and revealed its source at last.

“A… dragon…?”

Isolde lay sprawled on the ground in disgrace.
The impact had battered her entire body, blood spilling past clenched lips.

“Khak…!”

She had to get up.
But her body refused to obey.

“He’s not strong enough to cause this kind of commotion… Tch.”

Iratum clicked his tongue as he approached.
With each heavy step, the ground quaked—
A staggering pressure.
It crushed Isolde like a vice.

“Surely… you had help?”

Isolde’s hand trembled as it braced against the ground.
Her legs kept giving out beneath her.
Her vision blurred, and her mind dimmed.

The terror of facing such an overwhelming presence slowly dismantled her reason.

‘No more……’

At last, Isolde’s legs buckled, and she collapsed completely.

And at that moment—
Iratum’s footsteps also ceased.

Even he seemed immobilized, as though weighed down by some unseen force.
But what kind of pressure could suppress even Iratum?

Isolde’s mind, clouded in fear, now brimmed with confusion.
And as if answering her unspoken question—

Screeeeeeeech—!!

A strange roar that tore the air shook her fading consciousness.
Then came a voice from behind Iratum.

“It’s not a helper—”

…Adrian.
Isolde managed to lift her gaze.

And when she identified the voice, and the source of the pressure crushing Iratum—

‘What… is that…?’

Something felt wrong.
The presence she saw with her eyes wasn’t Adrian.
And the pressure on her skin wasn’t him either.

‘That’s…’

The apex predator of all creation—
A dragon.

For some reason, what Isolde saw and felt was not Adrian, but a dragon.
A dragon forged in searing flame, crouching over Adrian’s arms.

But then its fierce eyes flared—
And its enormous, savage maw stretched open—

“I’m the one pulling the strings, you bastard.”

KAAAAAAAAAHHH—!!

The dragon erupted with terrifying liberation, devouring Iratum in a single breath.

While Isolde drew attention and bought time, Adrian had cast [Dragon Rage Explosion] [E].
It was timed perfectly, catching Iratum off-guard and landing a clean strike.

The power of Dragon Rage Explosion [E] was no joke.
It could even damage a Monarch.
Iratum had taken a direct hit—
His entire upper body was blown away.

Once towering at 4 meters tall, Iratum’s frame had been reduced to less than 2 meters—

‘He twisted his body at the last moment?’

But even with the twist, he couldn’t dodge it completely.
And taking a direct hit… there was no way he’d walk away from that.
As expected, his upper body obliterated, Iratum’s lower half collapsed to the ground—

◆ You have defeated Iratum!
◆ You have gained 557,506 Combat EXP!
◆ Your level has increased!
◆ Your level has increased!

A message appeared confirming Iratum’s certain death.
Over 550,000 EXP.

Considering that a Lycanthrope gave around 100,000 EXP, this was an extraordinary amount.

“The first rule of betrayal: the more you trust, the harder the backstab stings.”

The final misdirection had been a complete success.