Chapter 325 : Chapter 325
Chapter 325. You’re in the Way (5)
Fortunately, April, who arrived at the scene before Sanson and Oliver died, stared intently at the enemy.
Six knights who had stepped into the ultimate realm.
Mentally, they didn't seem to be in a normal state, but the power they possessed could not be ignored.
To confront such powerful enemies, the first thing she did was….
“Sir Oliver A.”
“I will be with you until death.”
“……”
The emotion of 'What is he saying?' appeared on April's face, making Oliver feel awkward.
She pointed the tip of her sword at Sanson, who was lying on one side, and said.
“Please retreat with Sir Kainel and the soldiers.”
“Your Highness, I can still fight.”
“With that arm?”
“One is perfectly fine.”
“……”
April let out a sigh.
Oliver's one arm was broken and dangling, and his whole body was covered in injuries, both large and small.
The only thing that was fine was that mouth of his, which wouldn't shut until he was dead.
April let out a small sigh.
And then….
Clang!
An Aura Blade formed on her twin swords and began to grow larger.
1 meter, 2 meters, 5 meters….
Her figure, holding the Aura Blade that had grown to 10 meters, was like an angel with giant wings spread wide.
“Ugh…”
Oliver, who saw that sight up close, could not open his mouth.
The momentum that was growing stronger, to the point where its limits could not be gauged, was so overwhelming that even Oliver, a fellow 7-Star knight, was rendered speechless.
‘No, we're not the same 7-Star. This is….’
Oliver's jaw dropped.
He knew she was a genius.
He knew, but wasn't this too much?
April was only in her mid-20s, but at that age, could she possibly….
To the astonished Oliver, April said.
“You're in the way.”
“……”
“Go.”
There was a dignity in those words that could not be defied.
Oliver immediately slung the fallen Sanson over his shoulder and ran without looking back.
Then, some of the enemies tried to pursue him, but….
SWOOOOOSH!
Before their slightly bent knees could straighten, a terrifying Aura Blade exploded in front of them.
In front of the chillingly sharp blow of the Aura Blade, they could not move a single step.
Before they knew it, a deep sword mark, its depth unknown, was carved into the earth before them.
“……”
“……”
Why was it?
Even though their emotions were controlled, at this moment, a hint of fear seemed to be revealed in their eyes.
And April said calmly.
“From here on…”
“……”
“No trespassing.”
And she calmly blocked the path of the six superhumans.
* * *
CRRAAAAAASSSHHH!
“It seems to have started.”
Oliver, retreating with Sanson on his back.
He muttered to himself as he heard the explosive sound from behind.
Even though they were a considerable distance away, it was a tremendous clash of power, enough to give him goosebumps.
At that clash of power, Sanson, on Oliver's back, also opened his eyes.
“Oliv…er. What in the world is this….”
“Her Highness is holding them off. And we are running away.”
At the incredibly concise explanation, Sanson's mind cleared up in a flash.
“You crazy bastard… Kugh…. How can you run? We have to fight too.”
Sanson roared.
But Oliver said seriously.
“Big brother, do you know how strong Her Highness is?”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“Come to think of it, we have never seen her true strength.”
That was certainly true.
In battles where April should have shown her true strength, Patrick was usually at the forefront, and she played a supporting role from behind.
So even Sanson and Oliver, who had known her for a long time, did not know the extent of her skills.
They had only vaguely guessed, 'She's a genius, so she must be stronger than me.'
But still.
“No, even so, you're just leaving her alone like this and running away?”
“……”
“Does that make sense? You damn….”
Just then, Sanson also suddenly couldn't continue his words.
What shut his mouth was not Oliver's question, but….
CRASH! KABOOM! THUD!
The aftermath of the massive impact that was exploding behind them.
Sanson, who had been struggling and getting angry on Oliver's back, said blankly.
“Right now… that is….”
To the speechless Sanson, Oliver said.
“If we get involved in that, we will really only be a hindrance.”
“……”
“Let's take care of the soldiers first. Even if we can't join in there, we have to do what we can.”
“…Alright. I understand.”
And so, Sanson and Oliver quickly gathered the soldiers and knights and retreated.
They had to retreat so that April could fight comfortably or withdraw if necessary.
However….
‘What is it? I feel like I've forgotten something important.’
Even while commanding the soldiers, a sense of uneasiness remained in a corner of Oliver's mind.
“What's wrong?”
“No, it's nothing. Hurry! The knightly order will guard the rearmost position, send the soldiers first. Hurry!”
And so, Oliver buried his uneasiness.
In this urgent situation, if he had postponed it, it probably wasn't that important.
He thought to himself.
* * *
“Uh… uh… buh… buh… uh uh….”
Count Danihel Tyrone.
Although Oliver had carried Sanson away, he had been left behind, unconscious.
He regained consciousness right after the terrifying clash of powers occurred in close proximity.
And what he saw when he raised his head was….
“N… no way. What is this….”
A scene from beyond the heavens that he had never even imagined.
April was fighting against six 7-Star knights.
And she was even overwhelming them.
CRASH! CLANG!
Her opponents also attacked her, unleashing jet-black Aura Blades, but it was useless.
Every time April swung her sword once, their jet-black Aura Blades were split apart all too easily.
Every time the enemies blocked April's blow, they couldn't withstand the difference in power and were sent flying back, vomiting blood.
The only reason they were holding on was purely due to their numerical superiority.
“N… no way.”
At the all too unrealistic sight, Count Tyrone was at a loss for words.
This was a different dimension.
The Sword Queen, whom he had barely held out against before ultimately being defeated, was struggling to receive April's blows.
Even when those who had reached the ultimate realm attacked her simultaneously from all sides, they couldn't even catch April's shadow.
Speed, strength, the power of her aura.
Everything was too overwhelming.
‘How can a human become that strong?’
This didn't even evoke jealousy.
It was simply wondrous.
* * *
‘It's a bit harder to maintain than I thought.’
Count Tyrone, who was in awe, didn't know, but April's situation was not so good.
She was now unleashing the realm of the 8th Star to its fullest for the first time.
8th Star.
From here, it was the stage of materializing the martial artist's will into a form.
The Imperial Sword Saint's Absolute.
The Hegemon King's Lord of Sword.
And Patrick's Radiant Dragon's Reign Under Heaven.
It was the stage of realizing the form one desires, the form one aims for, in reality.
And what April had realized was strength itself.
A long time ago, Patrick had asked her.
What she pursued as a swordswoman.
At that time, she had answered like this.
[I want to become strong enough to protect the Young Master.]
[Uh, so, how specifically do you want to become strong?]
[Strong enough to protect the Young Master.]
[No, I mean, there's a direction to that power, right? Like wanting a strong blow, or wanting speed faster than light, or an absolute defense….]
[I just want to become strong enough to protect the Young Master.]
[You're really impossible to talk to.]
At that time, Patrick had sighed and given up.
But April was serious.
Strength to protect Patrick.
There could be no shortage in that strength.
How did she want to become strong?
In the strength she pursued, even the word 'how' was just an impurity.
Strength, speed, destructive power, technique, and so on.
She simply pursued perfect strength in every aspect.
The realization of pure strength that does not limit one's own strength.
This was the 8th-Star realm that April had pioneered.
Unlimited.
In this state, her aura is not consumed at all.
Her strength, speed, and power all increase to an unbelievable degree, just as she envisions.
It was her own realm, reached by purely pursuing strength.
At this moment, her pure destructive power might be on par with, or even surpass, Patrick's.
However, this too was a type of manifestation of the mind's image that consumed one's will.
Meaning, there was a limit to the mental power that could maintain the technique.
‘I should start to pull back.’
The allies had already retreated far enough.
Just as she was about to withdraw….
RUUUUUUMBLE.
She could feel the air trembling against her skin.
At the vibration of the air generated in the process of a huge power condensing, April responded quickly.
Attack rather than defense.
April unleashed a powerful blow in the direction where the power was gathering.
“Hup!”
The condensed Aura Blade flew, drawing a large crescent moon.
There was nothing to fault in its power or speed.
However….
KABOOOOOOOM!
Just before April's attack hit the enemy.
A huge jet-black aura exploded forth.
A violent jet-black Aura Blade, like a raging torrent from a broken dam.
It swallowed April's attack in an instant and tried to sweep away April herself.
Grit.
April gritted her teeth and raised the output of her Aura Blade to its limit.
The Aura Blade emitted an even stronger light.
Like a pair of wings shining alone in the darkness.
In that state, she charged head-on into the huge jet-black torrent before her.
[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Fourth Form: Twin Dragons Wild Dance (Modified Form)
Breaker Sword ]
The Twin Dragons Wild Dance, the representative continuous attack of the Twin Dragon Sect.
A sword of destruction that unleashes the destructive power of that continuous attack to its extreme.
This was April's unique martial art.
The principle of the technique was simple.
To put all one's power into every slash of the Twin Dragons Wild Dance.
That was all.
But executing this simple technique in reality was a different story.
A continuous slash with all one's power?
If that were possible, who wouldn't do it?
Originally, strength and speed could coexist, but they could not be raised to their full potential at the same time.
It was normal for strength to decrease as speed increased, and for speed to decrease as strength increased.
To put it bluntly, even Patrick could not use a technique with this principle.
His specialty, the Flashing Dragon Strike, was a prime example; it maximized speed, and the destructive power was derived from the force generated by that speed to strike the enemy.
But April could do it.
Unlimited.
Because of the cheat-like realm that eliminated the limits of strength and the consumption of aura while it was active.
KABOOM!
Against the huge jet-black torrent, her Aura Blade exploded without rest.
Her attack, which went against the rampaging jet-black torrent, showed terrifying destructive power.
A terrifying clash of destructive power.
The result was….
CRRAAAAAASSSHHH!
It stopped only after April went against the jet-black torrent and struck its source.
“……”
“It was you, after all.”
The opponent did not answer April's question.
But April clearly remembered who the opponent was.
“Hegemon King.”
Her gaze pierced sharply through the Hegemon King.
The Hegemon King, who looked quite haggard compared to before, said nothing, and no emotion was revealed on his face.
However….
‘He's gotten stronger.’
Before, April would have been able to win easily.
But now, she couldn't rashly guarantee victory against the current Hegemon King.
In particular, what bothered her more was not the Hegemon King's strength, but his state.
Like the other six before, the current Hegemon King's face showed no emotion at all.
A completely controlled, doll-like appearance.
On top of that, the suddenly increased power and the jet-black Aura Blade….
April was not foolish enough not to know what this meant.
“Did you finally sell your soul to the black mages?”
“……”
“The Young Master didn't give you a chance for this, you know.”
“……”
The Hegemon King did not answer, but April was just annoyed by this state.
Doesn't this make it seem like saving the Hegemon King back then was the Young Master's mistake?
If she had her way, she wanted to take the Hegemon King's head here and erase the trace of that stain.
However….
‘I'm almost at my limit.’
The time she could maintain Unlimited was nearing its limit.
If she made a mistake, she could be surrounded in the middle of the enemy camp with all her power exhausted.
“It can't be helped.”
She grabbed Count Tyrone, who was standing blankly to one side, and slung him over her shoulder.
“Wh… what are you doing….”
“Be quiet.”
And then she ran back without hesitation.
The Hegemon King once again unleashed a fierce blow at her.
KABOOM!
“Arrrggghhh!”
Count Tyrone was terrified by the huge jet-black Aura Blade sweeping over him.
However….
FWOOSH!
April escaped the range of the Hegemon King's attack just by accelerating once more.
Then, the Hegemon King, who was about to chase her himself, hesitated and sheathed his sword.
April was already far enough away that the Hegemon King could not catch her.