Swordmaster of the Great Wall

While Albrecht warily kept his eyes on the sword of light that Erich had drawn, Erich himself was equally focused on the strange aura wafting behind Albrecht.

Their commonality was that both of them were imbued with divine ritual.

Through experience, Erich knew that techniques involving divine ritual generally possessed a destructive power that could not be underestimated.

At that moment, a distinct aura shimmered around Albrecht.

— Sssss.

The hazy aura took on a human shape soon enough. Frederick, watching this, murmured quietly.

"... Damn it."

Frederick and Barnes wore tense expressions.

Before they knew it, something resembling Albrecht was moving with life right in front of each of them.

Erich glanced at the doppelgängers Albrecht had produced.

'Each one—isn't a fake.'

He had known that Albrecht's ability was a form of illusion.

Yet at this moment, every single illusion Albrecht created was real.

Erich believed this was due to the divine ritual deeply imbued in those illusions.

"......"

Suddenly, something flashed across Erich's mind.

Just earlier, Hrung-ga had, without warning, been sent flying through thin air right before Erich's eyes.

If Albrecht's power was simply illusion, that wouldn't be possible.

'Then, that thing earlier...?'

If Albrecht had truly attacked with actual power, Erich would have noticed.

However, Hrung-ga had unmistakably suffered a 'physical' attack.

But if, at that time, Albrecht had attacked with a materialized illusion using the divine ritual—if a power that should have stopped at mere illusion had instead managed to cause real damage—

'That would explain everything.'

In other words, Albrecht's ability could serve as a means of assault, one that could attack instantly without warning.

'Troublesome.'

While Erich was mulling over Albrecht's ability in this way—

It was Albrecht who moved first. His sword was now even faster than before.

The only thing Erich could perceive of him was the afterimage of the white radiance that flashed in Albrecht's eyes as he moved.

— Clang!

Even so, Erich managed to parry Albrecht's attacks.

Even if he couldn't see them, Erich could predict where Albrecht would strike.

"Impressive."

Albrecht pressed the attack harder. The reason he called Erich impressive was simple.

Unlike before, Albrecht's slashes now came curving from several directions at once.

Even those trajectories Erich thought were just illusions turned out to be real attacks.

With a single swing, Albrecht delivered multiple attacks simultaneously, enough to pressure even Erich.

But—

— Bam!

Erich's left hand slashed through the air.

The sword of light in his hand shattered, sending a powerful wave of fire at Albrecht.

He barely managed to block the attack with his sword, but the blast was so intense that the ground beneath him blackened and burned; it wasn't something that could be easily ignored.

Yet, Albrecht still seemed collected.

Some sort of aura surrounding him had protected Albrecht from Erich's power.

'... That might be a kind of illusion too.'

Albrecht's technique, materializing illusions.

It was a versatile ability that could be used for both offense and defense simultaneously.

Not even Erich could break through Albrecht easily like this, so for Barnes and Frederick, who were facing illusions of Albrecht, it was even more overwhelming.

"Grrk!"

Frederick was being completely overpowered.

Though Albrecht seemed to be rationing his strength in consideration of their abilities, even that was barely manageable for Frederick.

At least Barnes seemed to be exceeding Albrecht's expectations, vigorously battling the doppelgänger using his aura—

However, things were completely different for King.

— Tch tch tch.

King neatly slashed the illusion across the nape and glared at Albrecht.

The beheaded illusion crumbled to dust, scattering in the air.

Albrecht, who had already fought King before, wouldn't have made a mistake in his calculations; it was clear King had improved his skills considerably in a short time.

Yet Albrecht simply gave a subtle smile and summoned another illusion in front of King.

Although not infinite, the fact that new opponents kept appearing after being defeated seemed to disconcert even King.

But for Erich, seeing Albrecht's power led his thoughts elsewhere.

While Erich himself only used divine ritual as a way to supplement his enormous aura expenditure...

Albrecht's utilization of the divine ritual, evolved to another level, was entirely different.

Objectively, compared to Erich, Albrecht made far better use of the divine ritual.

"... Hmph."

Erich exhaled softly. Then Albrecht, shaking ashes off his body, spoke up.

"It's not too late yet. I still retain enough reason not to be enraged by your foolish decisions."

"... You think I made a foolish decision?"

"At the very least, you don't seem to think so."

Erich knew the future ahead.

No matter how much Albrecht overestimated his own plans, those dreams would be thoroughly shattered.

It was already decided to be that way.

Besides, the situation Erich created now put Albrecht at even more of a disadvantage.

'... Because I'm the one who's been breaking his plans all along.'

In this situation, the odds of Albrecht's plan succeeding approached zero.

Never mind the slim chance that he might become even more dangerous than the Lord of the Dead.

Eyeing the others locked in fierce battles with the illusionary doppelgängers, Erich spoke.

"You're overconfident in your plan. But don't forget—the one you're trying to deceive is the very being who ruled the dead for countless ages and drove the Empire to its doom."

"... So what?"

"Your plan was doomed from the start. The one you're trying to use isn't someone to be so easily handled."

Albrecht's brow furrowed. Even without words, they both knew their opinions would never converge.

And at that instant, Albrecht's expression contorted further.

"So, you were stalling for time."

"That's one way to put it."

Beams of light began converging around Erich.

Albrecht apparently thought it was just remnants of the flame and aura he used moments before.

But that too was exactly what Erich had intended.

The slowly gathering aura began taking on a solid form around his body.

Erich needed time.

Time to observe and analyze Albrecht's divine ritual, which was distinct from that of the Lord of the Dead.

No one can deduce ten truths from seeing only one. But if you see two, you can discern a trend.

And in that process, Erich came to believe that Albrecht's power truly suited him.

A deceiving power—illusion.

And even the act of materializing those illusions was, in truth, just another form of deception.

'Such a consistent fellow.'

If one were to utilize the divine ritual, one should at least seek a different direction from Albrecht.

For that, Erich needed to discover the path that suited him best.

Until now, Erich had used his power only to make up for his own insufficient aura.

But when faced with others who also wielded divine rituals, this wasn't enough.

Instead of merely filling in a gap, he needed to be able to create something entirely new.

'The Lord of the Dead used this power to revive the dead.'

That being could bestow an undying, immortal body. That was a kind of 'creation'.

And Albrecht?

He created doppelgängers of himself.

He deceived the world, making others fight as if they were him.

That too was an act close to creation.

So then, in what way could Erich use divine ritual?

It would require a distinct path unique to Erich, even if different from theirs.

In other words, a creation unique to Erich himself.

The golden light that had gathered around Erich's body wrapped tightly around him.

The solid form looked almost like armor encasing Erich.

But this was not a knight's armor.

What Erich created was a projection of his own form, layered atop his body.

— Fwoosh.

Like an avatar made of fire, everything around him began to melt.

The air churned, and the ground he stepped on blazed.

Erich had created another self, superimposing it over his own body.

Since his return, Erich had never tasted defeat.

With the infinite confidence given by this second chance, the resolve never to fail again had propelled him this far.

Throughout that process, Erich never borrowed anyone's strength.

Returning to the past was his own secret. So for Erich, the only thing he trusted was himself.

'So what I've created must also be a reflection of myself.'

Erich slowly twisted his sword to the left. The form he had created mirrored the movement exactly, without delay.

But Albrecht must have already realized as much. What Erich created was not just something that looked impressive.

Each and every ribbon of light was inscribed with the divine ritual, connecting and solidifying into an unbreakable whole.

It seemed Albrecht already understood what Erich had produced. With a faint smile, he voiced his impressions.

"To make your own image... How unbelievably arrogant."

Erich charged swiftly.

The golden form encasing him followed, leaving afterimages. But then Albrecht's eyes flashed white—

— Swaaash!

Albrecht's form appeared on either side of the charging Erich, swinging his sword.

These doppelgängers were exponentially stronger than the ones sent against Frederick, Barnes, and King.

However—

— Crash!

Erich didn't counterattack.

He didn't need to.

Simply by passing through, the most powerful doppelgänger Albrecht had created was shattered to pieces, the fragments burning as they scattered.

Simultaneously, Erich's sword collided with Albrecht. But this time, things were different.

The sword wielded by Erich's slightly slower golden form struck Albrecht's blade again.

— Boom!

Albrecht was caught in a massive explosion that erupted instantaneously.

Emerging from the billowing smoke, Albrecht hastily checked his own body.

— Crackle.

Albrecht's face hardened.

His body, unlike before, was now a wreck.

And yet, the sword of light was surely not much different from earlier.

So then, what had changed?

Albrecht's gaze darted about in disbelief.

"... Are you insane?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine."

Erich quietly smirked. The reason for Albrecht's shock was nothing else.

Why the sword of light had become incomparably more powerful.

And why Albrecht had been unable to block the impact.

It was because Erich had connected his own life force to the form he had made.

The sword of light blazed with even greater intensity, fueled by Erich's life itself.

One who killed others, raised corpses, and grasped immortality.

And one who spent his life on the run, always deceiving others and fleeing from death.

Seeing those two, the conclusion Erich drew was simply: to burn one's life for one's true purpose.