Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-1. These People Here Are Gifts Prepared for You.
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'Ah, this is a loss.'
He couldn't win. Rashly predicting defeat was laughable, but at this rate, there was no way he could win. Losing due to a lack of stamina and mana was more regrettable than shameful. Knowing his opponent was also nearing the end, he pressed even harder from the start without mercy. Pushed back relentlessly, his back finally hit a withered tree trunk.
Damn it.
Ort threw his body to the ground, rolling across the dirt just to survive, dignity be damned. The greatsword barely grazed past, slicing into the withered trunk. Having dodged the attack by rolling, Ort sprang back up immediately, but he sensed Judah behind him. Turning his head, he saw Judah thrusting forward with both hands gripping the greatsword. It was too late to dodge. He couldn't block it either.
In that case.
'A lost duel anyway...!'
Ort twisted his body. The worn leather armor on his comrades accepted the greatsword very softly and was pierced through his abdomen. The feeling of the blade cutting through bone and flesh as it drove in was utterly vile. Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, he took one step forward. The sword piercing his body dug even deeper.
"!"
Judah's surprised expression flashed as Ort closed in voluntarily. He extended his left hand and gripped the handle and guard of Yakal. In that instant, he felt an inexplicable power flowing from the sword, but oblivious to it, he swung the sword he held with all his might. To delay his death even a moment longer, he poured most of his mana into physical enhancement, so the mana blade enveloping his sword blade could no longer maintain its form and vanished. Yet his sword remained sharp enough to sever a neck.
He ignored the damage to his organs from the blade sunk deep in his body. Even as the muscles in his right arm, enhanced by mana, tore past their limits, he paid it no mind.
Focusing solely on swinging the sword as fast as possible, at a speed his opponent couldn't perceive, he succeeded in taking the neck.
Watching the head fly off with a thud, he thought he would die soon but had won this duel.
That was what he thought... but an unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.
"Are you really a monster...?"
Black energy erupted from Judah's body like flames, and the severed head turned to smoke and regenerated. It was unimaginable. Judah looked momentarily stunned, but soon anger flared. He dropped the greatsword, summoned a dagger, and sliced off Ort's arm. The short blade was plenty sufficient to sever an arm. But the pain was less than expected.
From before becoming a Spirit Sword Owner to after, the arm that had been with him his whole life was gone, yet knowing death was imminent, he felt surprisingly calm. The pain was bearable as his body was dying. His legs gave out, and he collapsed with a thud. Gritting his teeth, he clung to his fading consciousness. The duel had been enjoyable. Yes, a life-or-death duel between fellow Spirit Sword Owners. He hadn't thought it would be his last, believing he would win, but he ended up the loser.
Ort glared at Judah with wide eyes. His vision was darkening, making it hard to see clearly, but he knew he was right in front of him.
"Ha... this is no way to save face. You win... However, as I said earlier. You... can't save the elves. They will... lose this war today... Even if you beat me, you too... won't protect... anything..."
Words like a curse.
Judah judged them unworthy of hearing further and severed his neck.
He hadn't expected that much strength to remain at the end. He had seen the sword swing, but the neck was cut just before activating Shadow Heresy Arts. Without the blessing from the Sixth Monarch, Bell-Terza, he might have restarted from the moment he reunited with Via.
'There's a 30-day penalty, but... it's fine.'
Even if he returned to that moment, Judah couldn't guarantee he wouldn't die by his hand. That final attack had been that fast. He hadn't let his guard down or grown arrogant in victory. The instant Yakal pierced his neck, he had intended to rip it upward. If he hadn't panicked at Ort closing in, that was. He couldn't hide the thought that the guy was somewhat mad, but anyway, he let out a sigh of relief and pulled Yakal from the dead body.
[Your level has increased by 2.]
[Defeating a Spirit Sword Owner superior to you in skill increases Strength and Agility by 2.]
[Part of Spirit Sword Owner Ort's soul is absorbed into Shadow Heresy Arts - 9th Form: Dancing Wraith Knight.]
[He does not possess special swordsmanship like other Spirit Sword Owners. However, he is one faithful to the basics, like a swordsmanship manual. His swordsmanship and traits are bestowed upon the soul-infused Wraith Knight.]
He turned off the automatically updating system messages. Spirit Sword Owner's soul or whatever, beyond the chaotic surroundings, the battle between elves and humans continued. In the forest, elves shot arrows killing soldiers, but outnumbered and captured one by one by the Radiant with special abilities. Just as Ort had said before dying, killing them all here wouldn't decide the war's outcome.
'......'
Judah chewed his lip idly. As the dead Ort had said, even if they died and revived, reversing this situation seemed impossible. The cliff he had trusted as a great shield had been climbed by magic, Via was bound to the Spear Star, and Lucien Ardahan had shown disappointingly underwhelming ability than expected—the situation was only worsening.
At this rate, the elves would lose.
The game's story had already derailed in more ways than one, so a complete defeat in the war was entirely possible. It wouldn't be strange at all.
Hoping they might be holding out well, he minimized the to check the castle nearby, but it looked hopeless.
Red dots were on the walls and in front of the gates. Compared to the roads packed full, the blue dots on the walls were disappearing rapidly. The situation seemed to be heading for the worst.
Can't win.
A desperate situation, but Judah had exactly one way to turn it around.
An entity embodying death.
A powerful being even fellow Monarchs feared.
No one weaker could defeat him, no matter how they tried.
[Sixth Monarch, Bell-Terza.]
Summoning him here could be a ray of light in this despair. When defeating Viscount Jinmu of Calypso, he who shouldn't have been summonable appeared. Later, under the condition of becoming a Monarch and handing over the Fragment Altemia, he gained the favor of summoning him once.
Without needing any sacrifice or conditions, he could summon him unconditionally once. However, the question was whether using an SSS-rank one-time skill was worth it for the elves.
To Judah, this was a form of insurance, a joker card.
Summoning Bell-Terza would let him overcome any dire situation.
Even if empires like Baekje or Byron declared war and sent hundreds of thousands of troops, it didn't matter. Even if a mighty dragon with immense power came to slay him, it didn't matter. Even if the Holy King appeared to kill him, summoning Bell-Terza would ensure survival.
Bell-Terza, wielding the authority of death, was that powerful.
Only the absolute powerhouse Sian could defeat him, while fellow Monarchs or Holy Kings of equal power could at best match him.
He could summon such a Bell-Terza only once.
"......"
Judah activated his [Status Window] and checked the skill list.
「Skills 3/10」
[Shadow Heresy Arts/Sword Arts] - Rank: A
[Mercenary-Style Left-Hand Dagger Arts] - Rank: C
[Descent of the Sixth Monarch, Bellterza] - Rank: SSS
Among the ten slots with only three filled, one stood out with its unparalleled rank.
[Descent of the Sixth Monarch, Bell-Terza] - Rank: SSS / Workmanship: Master
Summons the sixth Monarch of the Demon World, Bell-Terza, once.
The descended one will aid you in any situation.
Activating the skill deletes it.
Listening to the sounds around him, Judah pondered but soon made his decision. Yes, if not now, there was no other use for it.
'Since I'm using it anyway, should I die and revive first?'
Then the elves wouldn't suffer such heavy losses or this despair. But Judah shook his head immediately. Bell-Terza was a being of immense power, the most dreaded and feared by the living.
Summoning such a being outright, even for the elves, wouldn't bring good reactions. If summoning, now was the right time.
For the elves hoping for salvation, like when Lucien Ardahan fell from the sky a century ago.
Whether they would thank or fear Judah was unknown, but to overturn this desperate situation, he summoned Bell-Terza.
[Using Descent of the Sixth Monarch, Bell-Terza will delete the skill afterward.]
[Proceed?]
A warning message appeared in case of accidental use.
[Really proceed?]
It felt like it was saying think again.
'Think what.'
Already resolved, Judah didn't hesitate. The skill activated instantly. The [Status Window] he had open displaying the skill list showed the Bell-Terza Descent skill vanish.
* * *
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「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arshel]
[Title: Spirit Sword Owner (3)]
[Level: 52]
[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revival Count: 25]
[Strength: 56 (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 49 (C) / Potential S]
[Agility: 65 (B) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 46 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 61 (B) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 21 (D) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 22 (D) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 86 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 16]
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========== Afterword ==========
1) Hmm, honestly, seeing comments about it getting loose caught me off guard. Even as the writer, I felt that way last night when I got home from Seoul intending to write and post right away—I thought the progress felt too slow. But suddenly, I couldn't just kill everyone off... Anyway, sorry about that. Consecutive posts might have been better, but as someone said, it's not as easy as willing it. So today, I increased the volume a bit—but since it exceeded 20kb, I split it into two parts fearing it might be hard to read.
2) Someone on Joara asked what gifts I got, and surprisingly, one person listed them exactly.
Got coffee, clock lamp, spring notebook, Bluetooth speaker, keyboard mouse pad.
Ah, there was also a 10,000 won gift certificate from Ridibooks. Among them, the clock lamp—I really like it!