SSS-Grade Acceleration Talent made me Fastest Lord of Apocalypse-Chapter 47: A fate worse than death

Damien’s eyes widened, but not from fear. Surprise flickered across his face—he had known the Epoch wouldn’t hold up against generals. But this... this wasn’t what he’d expected.

"Die, you little shit..."

Veins bulged on General Felix’s forehead as he roared, swinging his sword with such savage intent that the blade blurred through the air, vanishing from sight—only to reappear a heartbeat later, directly in front of Damien’s throat, gleaming with death.

But Damien’s gaze remained cold, unshaken.

Inside his spiritual space, the Acceleration marble trembled violently, humming as it pushed his Cognition to the edge. A storm of raw data poured into his senses, slowing the world into fractured moments. And just as the sword was inches away—close enough that he could feel its chill kiss the air—he moved.

His body vanished like mist caught in the wind.

One blink, and he was gone.

The next blink, he was behind Felix—silent, seamless, as if he had stepped through space itself.

A chill ran down the general’s spine.

How?

Felix’s sword cut through nothing but air.

"Let’s see how thick your skin really is..."

Damien’s voice was low, carrying a razor-sharp edge of disdain. His fingers tightened around the Epoch Breaker, and in the same breath, a barrage of compressed mana bullets erupted from the muzzle.

The dark courtyard was suddenly alight with pulses of blue.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each round struck Felix’s chest with thunderous force, a percussion of raw energy crashing against hardened flesh. Acrid smoke curled upward, and the bitter stench of burned meat spread in the air.

"Kekeke... quite the interesting weapon you have, little prince."

From the shadows, Decon of the Forbidden Breath cult laughed coldly, his gaze never straying from the weapon in Damien’s hand.

Damien didn’t respond. His thoughts churned, but he kept a composed front. If Decon had joined Felix...

Things could have gone sideways fast.

"You think just because you’ve gotten your hands on a new toy, you’re unstoppable?" Felix spat, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Let me show you how little it means before real power."

Though his skin looked unbroken, the burns were real. Damien’s assault had drawn blood.

Then—

A dreadful glow surged from Felix’s body.

Mana exploded outward, thick and suffocating, like a dam bursting under pressure.

Damien’s eyes narrowed. "Iron Hide..."

He cursed under his breath.

"No... not that skill."

Even before the thought fully formed, he saw it.

Felix’s body warped grotesquely. His shirt tore apart as thorny spikes sprouted from his flesh. His limbs thickened, his chest expanded, and a metallic sheen spread across his skin like armor forged in hellfire.

The Armoured Toad False Path—

A cruel path with few practitioners, and for good reason. It twisted flesh and spirit into a monstrous weapon.

Iron Hide, one of its core skills, turned the user’s body as durable as enchanted steel. Most weapons became little more than sticks when used against it.

But the danger didn’t end there.

Felix’s feet dug into the ground.

"Quake Bound Leap."

The earth groaned—and then ruptured as he launched forward like a cannonball.

Boom!

The sheer force of his movement cracked the stone courtyard. A section of the wall collapsed behind Damien.

"Damn it—"

He barely blinked before Felix’s spiked fist was already in his face.

Boom!

Pain exploded in his ribs like fire. Damien’s world tilted violently. Blood sprayed from his lips as his body crashed through the corridor wall like a ragdoll. He felt several ribs shatter. The shock left his lungs burning.

"Argh..." A groan broke past his lips.

Thud!

Felix landed beside him with a dull crash, the stone floor cracking under his weight. His gaze was ice.

"Only at Stage 2 of Iron... and you dare walk in here alone and act all high and mighty?"

His words were venomous. A slap in the face.

A bitter reminder of Damien’s earlier arrogance.

Damien clenched his fists. Pain flared as he tried to rise. The Acceleration marble buzzed like a wasp hive, healing him hundreds of times faster than natural recovery. His mana surged slowly, steady like a rising tide.

But it still wasn’t enough.

"Ohh? You can still move. Quite stubborn, aren’t you?"

Felix sneered. Without warning, he grabbed Damien by the leg and yanked.

Boom!

The world spun, and the next moment, Damien’s face smashed into the stone.

Crack!

A trickle of blood ran down his chin.

"Keke..."

Decon only giggled, standing aside like a gleeful observer.

"Tell me, crown prince..." Felix’s voice turned into a hiss. He planted a boot on Damien’s chest. "How were you planning to give me a fate worse than death?"

Silence.

Damien didn’t answer.

Even pinned beneath Felix’s boot, he stared up coldly—indifferent, as if the pain didn’t register.

Beep.

[Acceleration Exp +66]

[Acceleration Exp +12]

[Acceleration Exp +54]

His body, though battered, was already regenerating. Each tick of his skill brought him closer to equilibrium.

And then—he chuckled.

A small, almost deranged laugh escaped his throat, catching both men off guard.

Felix’s brows furrowed. "You’ve gone mad?"

But Decon’s expression shifted.

He saw something Felix didn’t.

Damien wasn’t broken. Far from it.

Aside from bruises and blood, his condition was stable. Too stable. Meanwhile, Felix’s breathing had grown heavier, his stance less precise.

The back-to-back skill activation—Iron Hide and Quake Bound Leap—was eating through his mana like wildfire.

Then it happened.

The armor coating Felix’s body began to fade. His movements slowed, muscles trembling beneath the weight of his own exhaustion.

In that instant, Damien’s gaze sharpened like a dagger.

The Acceleration marble inside his spiritual space flared. Reality warped. Time crawled.

Everything moved in sluggish frames—Felix’s mouth wide open in mid-sentence, limbs frozen.

Damien struck.

His legs wrapped around Felix’s neck with snake-like precision, locking him in place.

The Epoch Breaker was rammed into his throat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bluish streaks of compressed mana were pumped into Felix’s body at point-blank range. The force was so intense it felt as though molten metal had been injected straight into his core.

And yet—

Felix didn’t die.

Not immediately.

Silver Rank vitality was monstrous. Their bodies devoured food like furnaces, processed mana like engines. To truly kill one required overwhelming force.

But Damien wasn’t wielding mere bullets.

He was wielding a Divine weapon.

One that ignored convention.

If a hundred shots weren’t enough, he would fire a thousand.

If a thousand weren’t enough, he would burn ten thousand rounds.

And so, he kept firing.

Felix howled as the bullets tore through muscle and bone. He tried to rip Damien off, but the younger man clung like a curse, his legs unrelenting.

"Quake Bound Leap—!"

Felix tried to move—but nothing happened.

No surge of power. No escape.

His mana was gone.

Disbelief filled his face.

How...?

Bang!

The Epoch Breaker was now pressed to his shoulder.

Bang! Bang!

Chunks of flesh exploded, then came the sound of tearing. Blood gushed in a fountain.

One arm was severed—then the other.

White bone gleamed beneath the blood-soaked armor.

Still Damien didn’t stop. His gaze was hollow. Focused. Merciless.

Another round.

Then another.

Until Felix’s body finally slumped.

Pain clouded his vision, and his consciousness began to fray.

He turned to Decon. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

Help me.

But Decon only watched. Cold. Silent.

The laughter from earlier was gone. Now his eyes were distant, calculative.

Felix felt the world begin to fade—

Darkness encroached like a tide swallowing the shore.

But just as he was about to fall into that final sleep—

A voice echoed, low and demonic.

"You are not allowed to die, General Felix..."

A shiver spread through his ruined frame.

"Because you have yet to suffer a fate worse than death."

Then, a faint pulse of silver light shimmered over Felix’s mangled body. His muscles twitched. Torn flesh began to knit together, slowly at first, then faster—until the blood stopped flowing entirely. Cracked bones shifted into place with sickening pops, and scorched skin stretched over wounds like wax melting in reverse.

Accelerated healing.

Damien’s eyes narrowed.

"Ohh my... you can heal as well."

Decon’s voice drifted in, calm and amused. "I wonder... what’s the grade of your talent?"

He chuckled softly, as though watching a play unfold.

Clearly, he had no intention of interfering. Not to help. Not to harm. Just... observe.

Damien didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixed on Felix. The burst of combat had ended, but the echo of tension still coiled around him like a serpent.

He didn’t trust Decon—not yet. There was something eerie about the man. The air around him felt warped, unnatural, like a creature lurking beneath still waters. And while the battle with Felix had been short, it had revealed something crucial:

His own flaws.

His breathing steadied as he stood tall, bruised but cold-eyed.

He had relied too much on the Epoch Breaker. Its overwhelming suppression, its rapid-fire devastation—it was perfect for controlling weaker enemies in numbers.

But not for crushing elites.

Not for killing monsters like Felix.

"I’ll need something more," he muttered under his breath.

Without another word, Damien reached down, grabbed one of Felix’s legs, and began dragging the unconscious general across the cracked courtyard. Dust rose in little clouds as the man’s armored body scraped along the stone, leaving streaks of blood in his wake.

Neither pity nor mercy touched Damien’s face.

Only purpose.

And a promise.

This was just the beginning.