Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: When Meeting the Dead (6)
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As a member of the Dragon Shadow, she had fought and eliminated many humans.
She also had plenty of experience battling Spirit Order practitioners.
But none of them fought like Azel.
It couldn't be helped. The techniques Azel employed were ones that no ordinary Spirit Order practitioner could even dream of imitating. Only because Azel had once ascended to the ultimate realm could he perform such absurd feats.
'I can't win...'
The certainty of defeat dominated her.
If he had simply overwhelmed her with raw power, it might have been easier to accept. But Azel used refined techniques and deceptions to mislead her, striking at her vulnerabilities. The inexplicable sight of her powerful allies collapsing so pathetically and pointlessly stirred terror in her.
'Should I run?'
But that wasn't an option for Regina. She had to keep Azel pinned down until Nibiris captured the Dragon Demon Princess...
As Regina hesitated and fell back, Azel suddenly appeared before her. The moment he sensed her agitation, he had charged in with Flash Step.
Kaang!
Sparks flew as their swords clashed. As she lost her balance, Azel moved to deliver the finishing blow but paused. The hulking brute had rushed in desperately.
Regina's thrust toward Azel was almost reflexive. With the enemy halting right in front of her and her ally charging from behind, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
But soon, Regina realized she had fallen into a trap.
'This was part of his plan too!'
Azel was smirking coldly.
The instant her attack began, he vanished as if he had been waiting for it. He had prepared Flash Step in advance and activated it at the perfect timing when she couldn't pull back.
Regina's view was blocked by the hulking brute's massive frame. And then...
Kwaaaaa!
Azel, who had circled behind the brute, unleashed a ferocious strike. The flash of light tore the brute's massive body to shreds and engulfed Regina beyond it.
'From start to finish, I was in the palm of his hand. Even a Dragon Demon couldn't stand against someone like this...'
Regina's thoughts, drowned in despair, could no longer continue. The agony wracking her entire body severed her consciousness.
6
Nibiris frowned.
"Truly tenacious."
Before her stood Arietta, covered in dirt and heaving ragged breaths.
Arietta still hadn't so much as scratched Nibiris. She could only focus on defense.
Escaping was impossible too. Nibiris was controlling her movements with exquisite magical linkages, preventing her from leaving a certain area.
However, contrary to appearances, Nibiris wasn't being leisurely at all.
'To think this mission would be so troublesome.'
If she had wanted to kill her, it would have been over already. The problem was that her mission objective was 'to capture Dragon Demon Princess Arietta with as little injury as possible.'
Capturing her in as pristine a condition as possible without inflicting irrecoverable wounds was an exceedingly tricky condition. Arietta's skill was too formidable for simple curses or binding spells, so she had no choice but to whittle down her stamina with half-hearted attacks.
Arietta, gasping for breath, looked at her and smiled.
"Already... done?"
It was obvious to anyone that she was just being stubborn.
Nibiris didn't get angry. Instead, she sighed.
"If only my subordinates were a bit more competent, this would have been easier."
"What...?"
It was the moment Arietta looked puzzled.
Pajijijik!
Blue sparks erupted before Nibiris's eyes. Azel had somehow closed in and swung his sword down.
Nibiris said,
"You're more of a headache than the reports suggested."
As he pressed against her barrier, Azel whistled.
"At least you're not as dumb as your underlings?"
The defense Nibiris had up wasn't something she consciously activated. It was a pre-set defensive spell that triggered based on conditions prepared for ambushes.
Yet from the moment the barrier activated, Nibiris was fluidly altering its mana pattern. She was preemptively blocking the technique that neutralized repulsion through mana synchronization.
Nibiris said,
"You who bear a sinful name..."
"Just call me Azel, won't you? Isn't that long and annoying, Auntie Nibiris?"
"What?"
Her eyebrows shot up at being called 'Auntie.'
Kwagwang!
At the same time, lightning exploded atop the barrier. A blinding flash whitened the surroundings for an instant, followed by thunder that shook the area.
Nibiris had to be shocked simultaneously.
'He's unscathed?!'
Azel, who had taken a mountain-shattering bolt head-on, was looking down at her without a scratch. The moment she saw him smiling coldly, Nibiris felt her heart sink.
"Did you think insulation was a mage's exclusive trick? Thinking lightning works on everything—high mage or not, you can't fool the world forever."
Azel had imbued his mana with insulating properties, enveloping himself to ground the lightning. For someone like Azel, who could convert mana into any attribute, defending against predictable lightning was trivially easy.
And Azel's assault continued.
'Earth Sage!'
It was a bizarre motion, sliding his sword sideways. Yet a faint impact grazed Nibiris's abdomen inside the barrier.
It wasn't enough to cause real damage. But the fact that it penetrated the barrier and affected her shook Nibiris.
'This is...?!'
Before the surprised Nibiris, Azel unleashed another technique.
'Storm Dragon's Claw!'
Azel slightly pulled back his sword before slashing down.
The result was astonishing. It was a motion impossible for the human body to put power into, yet the blade accelerated faster than sound in an instant, shredding the barrier and unleashing a vacuum wave.
Kwaaaang!
The explosion rang out as Nibiris was blasted away.
"Kuh...!"
Just before hitting the ground, she barely altered her trajectory and flew back up, groaning. Her clothes were slightly torn at the chest, and blood trickled from her mouth.
"Impressive. So the bearer of a sinful name isn't all talk..."
As Nibiris spoke defiantly, she paled in shock. Azel had appeared behind her and swung his sword.
Paaaaa!
A pre-set barrier activated by a hair's breadth.
But even that was part of Azel's scheme. The moment his sword clashed with the barrier, generating repulsion, he didn't resist—instead, he spun with it.
Immediately after, Azel vanished. Using the repulsion, he executed Flash Step in midair where there was no footing!
Nibiris's instincts blared a death warning. She shouted desperately.
"Dragon of my blood, awaken!"
Simultaneously, a ferocious shockwave exploded centered on her.
Kwaaaaaang!
Waves of light spread circularly, upheaving dozens of meters in radius.
"Haa, haa..."
Nibiris broke out in cold sweat. Her ragged breathing stemmed less from the sudden mana expenditure and more from the terror of death creeping up her neck. Had she not prepared that trump card, her head would have been severed.
"As expected... you're one who has mastered the forgotten secret arts."
Nibiris said, covering her face with one hand. It wasn't mere conversation—it was a spell to intimidate the opponent.
Azel's voice came from beyond the dust cloud.
"Forgotten secret arts?"
"Indeed. I know of your kind. Ignorant sword-wielders who nonetheless grasp the path to great wisdom. I've witnessed what you did. Impossible for others."
"So you're saying you—or rather, your organization—have preserved that wisdom without forgetting."
Their dialogue was part of the battle itself. They used voices to intimidate, confuse senses, and fiercely probe each other's positions.
"Or..."
Azel continued, his form hidden by the dust, only a faint silhouette visible.
But Nibiris knew. Azel wasn't where the silhouette was.
"...did you steal that wisdom from humanity?"
The voice's origin kept shifting.
The silhouette's position changed in real time.
Though she tracked with detection magic, Azel was no easy mark. He blatantly scattered misleading human-like presences everywhere, preventing pinpointing.
Nibiris even used the voice's echoes for detection. But Azel turned that into another deception.
'He could claim to be a high mage instead of a Spirit Order practitioner, and I'd believe it.'
Nibiris knew well how absurdly powerful high-level Spirit Order practitioners could be. Her own organization housed mighty ones who inherited the forgotten wisdom.
Even to her, Azel was an enigma.
"You who know and performed the Dragon Slaying Ritual."
Nibiris asked quietly.
"Did you truly slay a dragon?"
"...And if I did?"
"Strange. You clearly possess exceptional skill. However..."
Nibiris voiced her bafflement.
"Your mana is too weak. It might kill a high mage, but not a dragon."
A Spirit Order practitioner's realm correlates with mana capacity. Higher proficiency means handling more mana efficiently.
Azel's displayed prowess didn't match his mana at all. There was a limit to how much skill could outpace mana, and Azel's levels were impossible with his reserves.
"Yet the Dragon Slaying Ritual was completed. What trick did you use?"
"Will you let us live if I answer?"
"Possibly."
"If you're gonna lie, make it convincing."
Azel scoffed. Nibiris said,
"I'm serious. I stake my name on sparing your lives."
"So you'll just imprison us."
"Correct."
"Negotiations broken."
"A pity."
Nibiris genuinely regretted it. Mages were notorious for ruining lives over curiosity, and she wasn't immune. She lamented having to kill the enigmatic Azel.
As the dust slowly settled, Nibiris decided on her next move.
Whoooosh!
A gust scattered the dust. Right then, Azel appeared simultaneously before and behind her.
Nibiris dispelling the dust impatiently was exactly the opening Azel sought. Her attention scattered by summoning the wind, she'd focus on the pre-formed clone within.
"Exactly."
The next moment, the one feeling a chill was Azel.