Chapter 191
I stood alongside the grand duke.
The atmosphere of the plaza weighed heavily. Everyone present held their breath, watching intently.
The grand duke looked at me and slowly turned to the left. I also turned left and tore off my cloak. I discarded the greatsword I was holding and drew the one-handed sword strapped to my back.
The grand duke had resistance to lightning. He had mastered swordsmanship of the lightning attribute, just like our family. If the distance widened, he would unleash a powerful technique. The same went for me.
To minimize any openings.
I walked slowly, keeping an eye on the outskirts of the plaza.
There were people hiding on the rooftops of buildings.
Had they set up traps beforehand?
The grand duke's personal guard also kept their right hands concealed within their cloaks. Among them, one radiated a peculiar energy.
"Come. What are you looking at?"
I loosely dangled my sword with one hand.
Such an indifferent attitude.
I couldn't gauge his level.
"You've hidden some cowardly tricks,"
I said.
"I have to win against you," he replied.
He smiled and continued.
"When did you kill the emperor?"
"We're here to catch the emperor's assassin."
"To silence it all, you'll need to kill even all the witnesses."
"They're all traitor forces anyway."
The grand duke started to approach, little by little.
I spoke again.
"What on earth... what are you after?"
The grand duke quietly murmured.
"It's not what I wish to do...."
He kept drawing nearer.
"It's what I wish to become."
In an instant, the grand duke's figure blurred.
It appeared he was coming at me from both left and right simultaneously! In the blink of an eye, he closed in and thrust his sword.
Ting—
I parried his thrust and aimed my left elbow at the grand duke's face. The grand duke did the same!
Crack—
Elbow collided with elbow, and both of us were knocked aside. We immediately closed in again, both of us slashing at each other's waists.
The grand duke responded in kind.
Thud—
Both of us grazed each other as we cut past, slicing the suit of armor of Asgard. Even the dragonbone armor the grand duke wore was sliced by my sword. But it was only the armor that got cut.
We turned slowly once more.
If the cuts were deeper, flesh would be severed.
The grand duke's speed was unlike anything I'd seen before. If I had balanced strength and speed, the grand duke's speed stood out as exceptional. Or perhaps he possessed more magic power than I did.
In boxing, one starts with a jab. The sword's form and movement, the sword's rhythm and irregularity—one needs to see them all before making judgments. Going all out comes after that.
"I'm surprised you're willing to take me on yourself."
Even now, the grand duke appeared indifferent.
"There are many who could succeed me. Even if I take you down and fall myself, it's not a huge loss."
"If a leader falls, the organization collapses. You should have appeared only at the end."
The grand duke's eyes smiled.
"Would it, really!"
Again, his figure blurred, instantly closing the gap. As I tried to counter his incoming sword, he blocked swiftly and pressed a new attack.
Chachachang—Thunk.
The grand duke unleashed rapid swordsmanship with overwhelming force. Even as I tried to counter the swirling assault, he left me no openings.
He really was fast. His footwork and upper body moved in ways I had never seen. His body twisted and contorted in odd ways. His sword path was endlessly unpredictable.
If I leaped back, he immediately followed. His sword sliced from left to right, only to suddenly rise from below to above. If I blocked that, it would again slash from right to left.
If I launched a surprise counter, an elbow or a kick would strike. If I dodged that unorthodox move, his sword would slash at me without fail. If I parried, his sword path twisted yet again.
Cha-chang—Ka-ka-ka-kang—
For an instant, we closed, our swords locked together.
We both pressed forward with our swords.
His strength didn't outmatch mine.
His eyes were smiling.
Did he find this fight worthwhile?
"Go all out," he said.
"I still want to see more,"
I replied.
The grand duke pushed me off with all his might. At the same time, we both struck at each other's chests with our swords. There was a metallic clang as we both hit, but still, no flesh was cut.
Immediately, the grand duke rushed in again.
The tip of his sword, which was thrusting at me, suddenly changed direction and bent. In that split second, I had to choose—dodge or parry.
If I dodged, the sword's path shifted even in that brief moment; if I parried, another attack followed. This was proof he was faster than me. If I let my guard down thinking I was winning, I'd die.
But... one can always adapt to speed.
Instead of attacking, I focused on defense, closely observing the grand duke's style. The more I focused, the more I began to perceive his movements.
Extreme concentration unites body and soul. Reaching a state of selflessness is akin to deep meditation. I poured my entire spirit into this fight.
Ka-kang—Ka-ka-kang.
Our swords clashed.
Sparks flew. Magic power collided.
It started from then.
The grand duke's moves became clearer, and it felt as if his movements were gradually slowing.
I was also moving at his speed.
My mind was advancing ahead of my body's speed. Body and soul were gradually converging.
Thunk—
Both our bodies were knocked back.
We immediately charged at each other again.
The grand duke's sword thrust at me. Dodging it, I lowered my stance and targeted his side again. Was I now faster?
I could see the grand duke flinch ever so slightly. The world's speed seemed to slow even more. My sword cut at the grand duke's side. This time, it was deep!
But the grand duke's sword curved and knocked down my blade. His sword pressed down on mine, instantly running up the edge of my sword, heading for my neck.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga—
The grand duke's sword running up my blade.
Even the grinding sound of the blades slowed.
My sword was pressed down. The grand duke's sword was about to slash my neck in an instant. I couldn't dodge. I couldn't block. I was too late to lift my sword. It all happened in a split second.
Thunk—
As his sword ran up towards my arm, I used my lowered posture to kick hard at his shin. The grand duke pitched forward and his sword path was disrupted.
Thud—
His sword stabbed into my right shoulder. And as his face lowered right before mine, I struck his chin upward with my left elbow.
Bang—
The grand duke flew backward.
I immediately gave chase and thrust my sword.
My blade aimed at the heart of the grand duke as he floated in the air. Just as the sword tip was about to touch, he twisted his body. My sword stabbed his side and his foot kicked me in the solar plexus.
Thunk—
I was knocked back.
The grand duke fell to the ground.
Was it the shock?
The world's speed returned to normal.
Perhaps I had already achieved unity.
Boom—
I rolled once as I landed, then sprang off the ground again. The grand duke stood, his hand clutching his side, ready to counter my attack.
Right then, I summoned lightning-attribute magic power and showered beams of light toward the grand duke with my sword. An ultimate technique that fanned out 12 Sword Lines!
The grand duke hurriedly dodged to the right, but it was already too late. He managed to fend off two of the Sword Lines that crashed into him.
Puff—
The grand duke staggered backward.
I couldn't miss the opportunity.
I charged forward, showering more beams of light. The grand duke soared up into the air. Just as I adjusted my aim to send the beams skyward—
The grand duke, hovering in the air, swiftly fanned his sword, repelling and swirling away all twelve beams of light. And then, to my surprise, he rained Lightning streaks at me.
Swoooosh—
What sort of swordsmanship was this?
Bolts of lightning shot from the grand duke's sword, rushing at me in an instant. Lightning itself was fine, but with magic power imbued, I couldn't afford to be hit.
As I dodged rapidly and attempted to send more beams of light, the grand duke landed and immediately swung his sword at me. Suddenly, something like stars burst from his blade.
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh—
I hurled myself out of the way. They were fragments of lightning. The power was immense—the ground shattered, fragments bursting upward.
Was this derivative of the First Emperor's swordsmanship?
It felt very similar to our family's style.
Swooooosh—
No time for counterattacks. Each time the grand duke swung his sword, innumerable awl-like lightning shards poured in.
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—
While dodging and parrying some, I, too, gathered my magic power. Then, raising my sword high, I unleashed it in one blow.
Swaaaang—
A torrent of light burst from my sword.
It was the Sword of the Star.
Star-like fragments of lightning spread in the air, then instantly converged and shot toward the grand duke. The grand duke responded with the same sword technique.
Two swarms of stars collided in the air.
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—
Did a synergy occur?
A huge explosion hurled me backward.
So it was for the grand duke.
Waves of power rippled everywhere, the plaza floor shattered, debris erupting upward. Moreover, a storm mixed with fragments of lightning swept through.
That wind brought the fighting to a brief halt.
My right shoulder grew sticky. Even the dragonbone armor couldn't completely block the grand duke's sword.
The grand duke stood still beyond the tempest of lightning storm. He, too, had been struck in the side. No blood could be seen—he was wearing entirely blood-red armor.
Yet the grand duke's magic power was overwhelming.
He, too, had taken more than one devil's essence. It was possible both were Demon King-class essences.
This meant there were several devil essences—including Demon King-class—still in the east of Tern, which had become a desert. A place where an incredible war had once taken place.
I walked toward him slowly.
Neither of us had unleashed our full strength yet.
Now was the time for the conclusion.
I looked to Donnie.
He and his team began to approach.
Charging into the storm, they suddenly broke into a run.
"No one is getting out of here!"
Thunk—
I powered off the ground, flying toward the grand duke.
I could see him moving fast, preparing for a counter-attack. Right before he could gather all his magic power!
I poured the power of extreme frost into my sword.
An enormous Sword of Light burst from my sword.
The light of frost!
With the force to sever all, I brought it down on the grand duke. The gigantic Sword of Light crashed down on him. There was no way to dodge!
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—
The power of frost exploded, flooding the area with cold. In an instant, the entire vicinity froze over.
Even the grand duke!
He tried to dodge, but he froze in position. I immediately flew toward him. As the grand duke tried to break free with an explosion of magic, my sword arrived first.
Kerkekeng!
The grand duke, barely twisting his body with a magic explosion, dodged my sword. However, his chest was deeply slashed. Before the frost could thaw, I again slashed at his neck.
Thunk—
I struck at his neck, but my blade failed to cut through the grand duke's armor. He had raised his magic to protect that part at the last moment. At the same time, he swung at me. But—
Kang—Tukerkekeng—
I knocked away his blade and in that blink, cut at him six times—side, leg, shoulder, neck!
The grand duke, hurriedly parrying, backed away. I closed in immediately, slashing repeatedly. He could not defend his entire body—some attacks landed!
Thunk—Suk.
My sword lodged in the grand duke's neck.
As I tried to saw down,
He kicked me in the abdomen.
I was forced back, but I immediately struck again at his neck. At the same time, the grand duke's sword grazed my armor. He could not cut through my armor completely either!
Pukerkek—
Once more, my sword struck deeply into the grand duke's shoulder. He cut my leg and side with a wild swing, but I didn't care.
I relentlessly pressed the attack. The grand duke focused solely on blocking my sword. Just one more strike—if I hit the same spot on the neck again, his head would fall!
I had been saving one final move.
For this critical moment.
Bang—Suk.
Once again, my sword pierced his neck.
Blood spurted out.
Clang.
His sword dropped from his hand. He slumped forward, my sword lodged in his neck.
Whoooosh—
I poured a powerful fire energy into my sword stuck in the grand duke's neck. Even then, the grand duke tried to defend with magic power. But his bleeding only increased.
His magic power was truly immense.
He withstood even this powerful fire.
The armor was almost glowing from heat.
"Hrk—"
Fwooosh—
Finally, the grand duke's body was engulfed in flames. He gave a short groan and fell limp.
It would only end if I decapitated him.
Just as I put my strength into the sword still in the grand duke's neck to sever it, something suddenly came flying from above.
"Sir! Dodge!"
"Lord!"
"Everyone, fall back!"
I had to kill the grand duke first!
Just as I put all my strength into the sword!
Something exploded.
BOOM-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH—
Something tremendous detonated.
My body was hurled through the air.
"Guh!"
Blood splattered from my mouth in midair. I had suffered a severe internal injury. Even as I tumbled through the air, I looked to see the grand duke.
He was gone.
He must've also been thrown by the blast.
What on earth had exploded?
Thunk—Clatter.
I hit the ground and slid for quite a distance. I finally stopped when I crashed into the stairs below.
"Guh."
I spat blood again and looked ahead.
Even the imperial knight order in the plaza had been swept away. The same for my team.
The plaza was swept up in a magic storm, and at its center, there was a massive crater torn open.
So that was what they had prepared.
A magic shell.
Of tremendous power.