Chapter 31 : [Gehenna Festival] IV

From behind Van's shadow, 50 [Shadow Knights] emerged.

Seeing the [Shadow Knights], Sargan's eyes filled with irritation.

"I truly despise shadow knights," Sargan said coldly, firing a black flame at one of the [Shadow Knights] attacking him.

The [Shadow Knight] immediately lost half of its upper body but quickly regenerated at an astonishing speed.

Sargan then stomped his foot on the ground, and black flames enveloped the arena within a 100-meter radius.

The black flames burned all the [Shadow Knights], but they continued to regenerate as Van kept supplying them with [Mana].

However, Van was also within the 100-meter radius, so he needed to escape the black flames.

"[Roc Bird]!" Van muttered, then leaped into the air.

From his shadow, a giant eagle emerged. Van landed on the back of the [Roc Bird].

The [Shadow Knights] swarmed Sargan, attacking him from all directions.

Yet, Sargan effortlessly dodged all their attacks.

"Is this all you've got?" Sargan taunted.

Despite being attacked from all sides, Sargan still managed to target Van in the sky.

*WHOOSH

*WHOOSH

The [Roc Bird] dodged the black fireballs Sargan shot.

"Try this," Sargan said, snapping his fingers.

A 20-meter-long black flame dragon appeared in the sky, heading straight for the [Roc Bird].

"S*it!" Van muttered, jumping off the [Roc Bird] with Oliver unconscious on his shoulder. The [Roc Bird] returned to Van's shadow.

As Van was about to land, a two-meter [Slime] emerged from his shadow. Van safely landed on the [Slime].

Unbeknownst to Van, the black flame dragon didn't disappear and continued to chase him.

When Van turned around, it was too late to dodge. He was hit by the attack. Fortunately, Van managed to throw Oliver away before being struck.

*BOOM

A black flame explosion occurred within a 50-meter radius. After the explosion faded, Van's body was covered in burns.

The [Shadow Knights] turned into shadows as Van stopped supplying [Mana], returning to his shadow.

Seeing Van lying helpless, Sargan burst into laughter and walked toward him.

"HAHAHA, that's what you get for being arrogant, kid," Sargan mocked.

Sargan then stepped on Van's head and said, "How would the old man react if one of his successors died?"

"Sh*t," Van whispered, barely audible to Sargan.

"What did you say? I can't hear you," Sargan asked, confused.

"I said, die, you b*stard," Van replied.

From behind Sargan, a golden portal appeared.

'[World Treasure: Sun Wukong Jungibang]!' Van thought.

[Sun Wukong Jungibang]: [A spear capable of shrinking and expanding at will]

A two-meter-long aluminum staff emerged from the golden portal. It suddenly extended and struck Sargan's chest.

[Sun Wukong Jungibang] continued to stretch for several kilometers before stopping, but Sargan was still flung dozens of kilometers away.

[Sun Wukong Jungibang] then shrank back to its original size and returned to the [World Treasure].

'[Super Human].'

[Super Human: Utilizes mana to enhance body performance. Consumes 10 mana/second]

As [Super Human] activated, Van felt his [Mana] draining rapidly. However, the burns covering his body healed at an incredible speed.

*TAK

*TAK

The sound of footsteps caught Van's attention. He turned to see Arthur.

Seeing Van's condition, Arthur burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA! Look at your pathetic state!" Arthur laughed, grinning widely.

'So this is what it feels like to have a d*ckhead friend. Laughing first, then helping,' Van thought irritably.

"If I had more [Mana] left, I'd punch your face," Van replied flatly.

"Alright. What should I do?" Arthur asked, helping Van up.

"Do whatever you want. I need to sleep," Van said, immediately losing consciousness.

"That's not sleeping, you id*ot. You passed out," Arthur said, then noticed Oliver unconscious in the distance. "How am I supposed to carry both of them back?"

- - - - -

Van opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar place.

'Ugh. My head hurts,' Van thought, looking around.

The quiet ruins of a medieval city, like a ghost town.

"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT! WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID?"

A frustrated shout echoed across the field.

Van turned and saw a middle-aged man with black hair and eyes, stomping the ground as if venting his anger.

'Ancestor of the Black family? Why am I seeing him?' Van wondered.

Seeing Van's blank expression, the middle-aged man quickly composed himself.

"Relax, kid. You're not dead. This is your subconscious," the man said.

"Who are you?" Van asked, pretending not to recognize him.

"Ahem, I am Alexander Black, the ancestor of the Black family," Alexander said proudly.

"I don't believe you," Van replied flatly.

"Be happy, ki— What did you just say?" Alexander asked, stunned.

"I don't believe you're my ancestor. You're not handsome. Your face is average," Van answered.

"B*STARD! Kids these days have no manners. Is that how your father taught you to respect your elders?" Alexander asked, annoyed.

Van didn't respond and just looked around.

"This kid!" Alexander muttered in frustration.

"Uncle, if you're done, please send me back," Van said.

"Hey, call me ancestor! I haven't even started, you brat," Alexander said, rubbing his head. "Back in the day, kids idolized me, but now they ignore me."

"Relax, Uncle. The other kids in the Black family still idolize you," Van said flatly.

"Really?" Alexander asked, hopeful.

"Yeah," Van said, nodding slightly. He remembered how Oliver burned the portrait of the Black family ancestor in the living room, called him "ugly" when seeing his photo in the library, and dug up his grave for treasure.

"Alright, time to get serious. I'll teach you how to use [101 Shadows] properly," Alexander said. "Be proud, kid. You're being taught by the strongest man in the world throughout history."

Hearing his ancestor's boast, Van just rolled his eyes.

'If I were a naive kid, I might have believed you,' Van thought, recalling how he wrote about the Black family ancestor, Alexander Black.