Chapter 137: Duel
Chapter 137: Duel
Veled recalled the battle from that day. The opponent she had faced in a basin within the canyon on the border of Idie and Taentz.
The Hero’s party from the United Kingdom consisted of four members: a well-balanced composition of one vanguard, two mid-guards, and one rear-guard.
"I'll take the lead, as per usual."
A giant of a man charged, his massive frame shielded by an enormous buckler. The sheer mass accelerated into a force that could end a battle in a single blow if one attempted a clumsy block.
However, he wasn't particularly fast. As Veled stepped aside, she saw a flash of a strike aimed at her evasion maneuver. The sharp tip of a rapier grazed her neck, leaving a stinging trail of pain.
The Weapon Master, holding a weapon that shifted according to the situation, stood with feet rooted to the ground like trees. She thrust her rapier, pulled back to her shoulder, at the speed of light.
Clang! Swish. Clang! Veled raised her sword to protect her vitals and leaned back to dodge, but she couldn't block every thrust. Grazing wounds that peeled away skin began to mark her shoulders and thighs.
Immediately after, the giant swung his axe downward with crushing force. Veled pressed a hand to the ground to throw herself out of the way, then swung Gram in a wide arc, blowing back the two attackers who had closed in.
"Now!! Binding! Divine Area...!"
Before the motion of her swing could even finish, the voice of the mage, who had completed her incantation, rang out. Veled’s legs were ensnared by invisible vines of mana, and the narrow area surrounding her was crushed by divine power.
As expected of a spell with such a long casting time, the binding magic was potent. No matter how much Veled strained, her legs wouldn't budge.
"Sword Draw...!"
Then came the Hero's slash. Having gathered fighting spirit while his three companions bought him time, the Holy Sword tore through space as it unleashed a strike. The blade, capable of severing anything it touched, collided with Veled’s instinctively thrust demonic sword.
KABOOM! An explosive sound, far too loud for a mere clash of blades, erupted along with a powerful shockwave. The ground gouged out and thick smoke billowed, swallowing Veled’s silhouette into the dust.
"Not yet..."
The female swordsman, who had swapped her rapier for a longsword, did not relax, sensing that it wasn't over.
Though she took pride in this lethal combination that could finish off almost any demon warrior or monster in one go, she had a feeling her opponent hadn't fallen.
When the smoke finally settled, there was only blood on the ground. There was no corpse, nor anything else.
"Above...! Urgh..."
The Hero shouted as he stepped in front of the mage. With the sun at her back, Veled plunged down like a falling star, her demonic sword met by the Hero’s Holy Sword. CLANG! Another shockwave rippled out from the collision.
Despite being covered in blood, Veled struck down with her sword, her eyes burning with an unyielding fighting spirit.
Creeeak. The ground beneath the Hero’s feet buckled and cratered under the pressure. It was the heaviest strike he had ever received, and he only managed to endure it thanks to his comrades, who realized the situation and immediately threw themselves into the fray.
"Bill!! Are you okay?"
"Thanks, Sein. Aside from my arms being a bit numb, I can manage."
"This strength is absurd... According to the intel, she shouldn't have been this powerful..."
"'Veled of the Ferocious Blade'... She was a formidable opponent when we saw her at the end of the war, but I have no idea how she got this strong in just one year."
Having realigned their broken formation, the party was slightly flustered by a battle that was unfolding entirely differently from their expectations.
According to their information, she should have been on par with Sein. Instead, even with four people coordinating their attacks, she wasn't breaking—in fact, she was actually pushing them back in certain moments.
"We have to treat that woman as if we're fighting Master."
"The Old Man, huh... She certainly is that strong. We won't win unless we give it everything we've got."
For reasons unknown, what was supposed to be a subjugation mission had turned into a life-or-death battle. However, a party with such vast experience was not shaken by a variable of this magnitude.
"Done with your little chat? I haven't had nearly enough fun yet."
Flicking the blood off her forearms, she raised her pitch-black sword. In the past, she would have been dead by now, but now, she was an opponent who could face them as equals.
Veled felt a thrill she never would have known if it weren't for Jaejin. Thinking that she should pamper him to her heart's content when she returned, she glared at the charging giant.
"Please, Mr. Campbell!"
"Leave it to me!!"
The Hero and the swordsman ran close behind the giant. As Veled prepared to respond to their changed pattern, ten fireballs launched by the mage rained down from the sky on varying trajectories.
Confirming a direct hit from the flames, the giant raised his axe to attack 'as per usual,' and at that exact moment, Veled sliced through his flank.
"Aaaargh!!"
"You should have attacked with your shield like at the start, you moron."
Despite her body being scorched black and her armor burnt, Veled endured the pain and didn't miss the opening in the giant's stance.
If it hadn't been for his high-quality armor and his rigorously trained body, that strike would have ended him, but it succeeded in creating an opening behind him.
She immediately lunged at the female swordsman. Instead of swinging her sword, she used a feint and snapped her leg out like a spring, kicking her far away.
Then, she resumed her exchange with the Hero, the Holy Sword and the pitch-black demonic sword clashing repeatedly. A fierce battle of offense and defense unfolded where neither side could afford to retreat even half a step.
If Bill the Hero retreated, Annie the mage would be left defenseless. If Veled retreated, she would be hit by the mage's spell while the Hero's sword carved through her body.
Clang, clang, clang. The ten-second exchange of sparks ended with Veled stepping half a pace forward and shoving the Hero back.
Meeting Veled’s black and red eyes, the mage poured magic toward the charging demon. In the corner of her vision, she saw Sein, the swordsman, rushing in to cover her.
To create just a single moment's opening, Annie landed a freezing spell and immediately began preparing a fire spell. The ice would lower Veled's resistance, making the subsequent fire magic twice as powerful.
If she dodged, Sein would arrive. If she took a direct hit, it would be over. A lose-lose magical bombardment traced a path through the air and blasted into Veled’s body.
"It's not... over!?"
But this tough demon swung her sword despite the burns covering her body. Shatter! The mana shield Annie had deployed as insurance was smashed to pieces, and Veled’s leg struck her abdomen like a purple whip.
"Annie!! Please, please reach... Got he—Aaaaah!"
The swordsman caught the flying mage with desperate momentum, only for the sound of breaking bones to ring out unpleasantly. Veled didn't miss that lukewarm opening and slashed diagonally across the swordsman's back.
Thanks to her small frame being packed with muscle and mana, she survived, but she could no longer move. As she fell, the Hero, who had been protecting the heavily wounded giant before rushing over, exploded in rage.
"Veled Vicenti...! I will be the one to kill you!"
"Ha! You're the ones who let your emotions cloud your judgment. Do it if you can!"
The two clashed again across the grassy field. A battle that started four-on-one had been reduced to one-on-one. However, Veled was already in tatters after taking a full-power slash and two magical bombardments.
In contrast, the Hero, who had only spent his stamina, gradually began to take the lead. The hand holding the pitch-black sword was soaked with blood dripping down her arm.
Even as her clothes, which had been rags since taking the magic hits, tore further into a pathetic state, she couldn't afford to care. She had to swing her sword to block Bill's attacks.
"This is fun... So much fun...!! How long has it been since I've had a fight this exciting!"
However, no matter how great a Hero he was, the physical toll became heavy after the high-stakes exchange surpassed fifty bouts.
Ultimately, because Bill failed to settle the matter while he had the momentum early on, the fight dragged into a war of attrition.
Bill’s fluid movements contrasted with Veled’s persistent, rugged style. It was almost one-sided enough to make the term 'exchange' meaningless, but Bill grew frantic because Veled simply refused to fall.
As his mistakes increased, the sword that should have been driving his enemy into a corner began to miss. Just as Bill acknowledged his impatience and tried to steady his heart for another push, Veled lowered her sword.
"I'm stopping. What's the point of winning like this?"
"What...? Even if you're a demon, I acknowledged your skill, Veled. Do you have no pride in yourself...!"
"Puhaha! Isn't it hilarious for someone who attacked in a pack to talk about pride?"
Bill was momentarily speechless. He knew he couldn't really say such things after ganging up on her, but that was a matter of his own pride; it was different from her seemingly indifferent attitude toward their duel.
"Besides, if we keep going, I'm going to win in a really boring way. Shouldn't you be thanking me for stopping?"
"What? Your body is the one in rags and bleeding, not mine!?"
Veled couldn't hide her scorn at Bill's reaction to her provocation. He wasn't bluffing; he truly didn't realize his own condition. He reminded her exactly of a certain someone.
"I give you a chance to live and you can't even take it. Fine, then. Here are the breasts you haven't been able to take your eyes off of."
"What...!?"
Veled ripped away her tattered top. Her pale purple areolae were revealed in all their beauty as she caught one between her fingers.
"Wh-what kind of vulgar display is this in the middle of a fight!?"
"Well, it's because you've been in heat, staring at my breasts this whole time. You're standing there with an erection bulging in your pants while trying to swing a sword—how could you possibly win?"
Bill fell backward, shocked by the fact that he actually had an erection from the sight of breasts larger than any he had ever seen. He was dating both Sein and Annie at the same time; there was no way he should be getting turned on by a mere female body...
"And let me tell you one more reason for your defeat. I may be of the Jaun tribe, but... a certain damn Demon Lord went and turned me half-Succubus."
She walked toward Bill, the Hero, as he sat slumped on the ground. Thump, thump. Even as she approached with deliberate, slow steps, his gaze flickered between her swaying breasts and the crotch barely covered by a scrap of fabric.
The enemy leader had been charmed by a body exposed during battle. She was the only one who found this ridiculous conclusion absurd; Bill the Hero was huffing through his nose as if he were about to masturbate right there to Veled’s approaching form.
"Well, you're the ones who picked the fight. Just get some sleep."
Thwack. Bill was knocked unconscious, unable to react as Veled reached him. Seeing that his crotch was soaked through and sticky, Veled burst into laughter all alone on the plain where everyone else lay fallen.