Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Chapter 133
VS. The King (2)
Eugene clicked his tongue with regret at Galdran's appearance.
"Couldn't you have come just a little later?"
"......"
"If you had, I could have finished it for sure."
Despite Eugene's sarcasm, Galdran's gaze was directed toward Maria.
'So it's that woman.'
He could tell without even looking at the tattered Britian.
'Five against three...'
Due to Britian's characteristics, his combat power doesn't drop drastically just from being injured.
Zigmund looked somewhat tired, but that didn't mean he was combat-incapacitated either.
Galdran asked Zigmund.
"Zigmund, how long can you keep Eugene occupied?"
The handsome blonde with curly hair smiled and answered.
"If we're not deciding victory or defeat, I could go for days."
While Eugene seemed slightly superior in skill, the difference wasn't severe enough to decide the match instantly.
With that response, Galdran made his decision.
"Britian, Layla, Dugrid—take care of that woman."
The Sword Breaker on his back was quietly drawn from its sheath.
"I'll kill Rudian Belstad as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, keep the enemy occupied somehow."
Layla, who received the instruction, expressed concern.
"But the existence of that battleship..."
"If they could use it, they wouldn't have begged the demons for help…they would have used it then to kill us."
Rudian clicked his tongue.
'Sharp eye.'
But that didn't mean he intended to go down without a fight.
No, rather, Galdran would die here.
If someone with that level of insight, power, and experience was left alive, he would continuously hinder Rudian's party.
'I'm curious though. How much of what I've built up so far will work against that Overlord...'
If he used Diablo's authority, he could certainly win, but Rudian tried to avoid borrowing Diablo's power if possible.
"Will you be alright, Rudian?"
Eugene asked with a subtle smile.
On the surface, he was worried, but the true meaning behind that smile was 'Don't tell me you're scared?'
Rudian replied curtly.
"Just keep Zigmund properly occupied."
"That's exactly what the other side wants too. Anyway, if I deploy my Domain, it'll be quite easy."
The unique domain exclusive to magicians who had reached the supreme realm of 9th Class.
If it was an absolute domain similar to the nightmare barrier that Layla had deployed, keeping Zigmund tied up would be easy.
'Maria should handle three people easily enough.'
Rudian activated his Eye of state.
He had tried to refrain from using it when possible, but against the Overlord of the Seven Arcs, some information gathering was essential.
Fortunately, they didn't possess abilities or artifacts to resist such magic eyes like Archduke Quihiller did.
-Name: Galdran Pendragon
-Race: Human
-Age: 1,742
-Titles: Overlord, Nemesis of Swordsmen, Continental Alliance Leader, [-], [-]
-Strength: 680
-Agility: 770
-Vitality: 950
-Magic: 700
Overall Combat Power: 99,850
A transcendent who had surpassed human lifespan and lived through ages comparable to elves or dragons.
Overlord Galdran was certainly a monster that rivaled Demon King-level power single-handedly.
'Whew...'
Rudian drew up his full power.
Centered around Leviathan's core, a massive amount of magic swirled through his body, infusing it with vitality.
Certainly, Rudian hadn't reached the Grand Master realm yet.
In pure swordsmanship skill alone, he would probably be inferior to Crux.
But the transcendent amount of magic that far exceeded typical Master-level and Adi's support was the perfect combination that made battles with opponents several levels above feasible.
'Let's go, Adi.'
-Yes. Shall we run wild for once!
Adi also seemed excited about the upcoming battle, as his single eye curved into a crescent shape.
WHOOOOSH!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Eugene deployed his Domain, and Maria summoned lightning dragons as the battle began.
In the confrontation between Rudian and Galdran, the first strike came from Galdran.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Galdran's Sword Breaker, which had flown like lightning, immediately caught Diablo's blade.
Nevertheless, Rudian smiled broadly without losing his composure.
"Don't you have the virtue of respecting your elders?"
"For victory, I can throw away pride easily enough."
DING!
Though it was Galdran's sword strike that could even cut through space, unfortunately Diablo wasn't a sword made from materials of this world.
Mocking Galdran's intention to destroy the sword itself head-on, Rudian also forced magic into his blade.
"...It's sturdy!"
"Be careful there. Since you've lived for over a thousand years, if you get injured, your joints will ache even after recovery."
"Hahaha! Your provocations are truly first-rate!"
Though he was laughing heartily, the killing intent emanating from that laughter was growing thicker.
In the evenly matched situation where their swords were locked, Adi made his move.
-I'll go full power from the start. Prepare yourself, Master.
'Good, do it!'
If Adi was warning him in advance, surely a magic beyond imagination would unfold!
And that expectation was met without fail.
-Chaos Domain. Material Elimination.
"...!"
SIZZLE!
Galdran, who had been pushing Rudian back with all his might, momentarily fell into the illusion that Death's scythe was cutting his neck.
And the sharp instincts that had kept Galdran alive until now made him release the handle of the sword he had carried his whole life.
'If I don't let go, I'll die!'
WHOOSH!
As the force blocking Rudian's sword disappeared, the recoil created a long gash across Galdran's torso.
"...Ugh!"
Both Galdran and Rudian were simultaneously shocked.
Galdran because he saw his Sword Breaker made of Eternium disappear instantly as if turning into particles.
Rudian because a much more severe fatigue than expected came over him, making his body sink like waterlogged cotton.
"My weapon...!"
"Damn, suddenly losing strength... Couldn't finish..."
Adi's magic was impressive enough to bring both fighters' battle to a temporary lull.
'Crazy! More than half my magic drained at once?'
Currently, Rudian's magic, thanks to Leviathan's core, was enormous enough to fire multiple 9th Class spells without issue.
The pathetic state from the Tower of Trials where he would struggle with a single 9th Class spell was long gone!
Yet even so... It was taxing.
'10th Class, I wondered about it and sure enough it's no joke.'
Gray from the end of the original story, who used this freely, must be a truly incredible monster.
But no matter how surprised Rudian was, he wasn't as shocked as Galdran.
"Impressive. How can you handle chaos that only Giovanni could use?"
"......"
"You were a far more dangerous fellow than I thought!"
Having lost the magic contained in his sword and suffering serious injury to his torso, Galdran was still standing strong.
Conversely, while Rudian's magic was recovering rapidly, if he started fighting immediately, he would be at a disadvantage.
But fortunately, Galdran also seemed to have suffered greater magic loss than expected, as they continued glaring at each other from a distance.
-If only Eldorado were intact... What a shame.
Seeing that he couldn't deal significant damage to Galdran, Adi waved his tentacles and grumbled.
'I think the same.'
If he could use that Heavenly Magic Dragon Paper again, it would be game over.
-With the countless artifacts stored in Eldorado, I could fire Gate of...
'Hey! Wait!'
-We could use Eldorado... Why, Master?
'No, it's nothing.'
Even if this is the universe, he should avoid the one-in-ten-thousand chance, right.
When the brief recovery time ended...
DING!
Just like Dugrid had done, Galdran also recreated his Sword Breaker with pure aura alone.
"The power will be lower than usual, but failing to kill me with the first strike was your mistake."
"Is that so?"
Rudian twisted his lips with a crooked attitude.
Adi's strike was certainly surprising, but it would be unreasonable to say he had given his all.
'Let's see...'
Rudian raised his head to look at the sky.
Eugene had already deployed his Domain and disappeared with Zigmund, and Maria was, as expected, one-sidedly beating the three opponents.
"If we drag this out here, it seems like we're the ones who'll win?"
"......"
"You're the one in a hurry, not us."
Galdran remained silent.
But anger could be read from his expression.
'Actually, I can't let him escape. If he brings Evan, who knows what will happen.'
So he had to die here.
"Hmph!"
Galdran's silence was brief.
The blade of the Sword Breaker made of aura immediately grew massive and began sweeping away all the surrounding ground.
Galdran's will to sweep everything away without giving any chance to escape was conveyed.
Waves of aura spread in all directions, blocking escape routes.
Rudian's next move here was...
'Approach.'
He knew Overlord Galdran's methods.
When the opponent was a swordsman, he would make his sword huge like that to lure the opponent into close combat, then...
CLANG!
When the opponent approached, he would immediately reduce its size to strike at their blind spot.
"Hah!"
'If I already know the method, it's easy to counter!'
Rudian had already turned his sword face to the right and blocked Galdran's blade that had stabbed from the blind spot.
Then he swung Diablo to slash at his side.
"You bastard!"
Even though his killing blow was blocked and he was counterattacked, Galdran quickly made his next move.
Fitting the title of "Hero of Reversal," Galdran showed incredible fighting spirit, not being pushed back at all even while facing Rudian with Adi's support.
BOOM!
Desperately deflecting Adi's interference, Galdran's blade aimed for Rudian's neck.
"You can't do anything to me with just that!"
"Then I'll just have to go stronger!"
Rudian also laughed like a madman as he charged toward Galdran.
He squeezed the magic filling his entire body to its limit.
-Lightning Destruction.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!
A massive pillar of lightning struck down from the sky.
"Hahaha! Magnificent!"
Even facing Adi's 9th Class magic head-on, Galdran rather laughed heartily and...
Cut through the lightning.
CLANG!
As the light of Lightning Destruction faded instantly, Galdran charged toward Rudian with great momentum.
ZING!
Not only aura but pure 'power' that transcended form gathered in Galdran's sword.
A strike clearly on a different level from the power shown so far.
If a 9th Class great magician could deploy their unique domain, the corresponding Grand Master could unleash strikes that tore through domains.
"You can't use that power that destroyed my sword consecutively. I could clearly see that you were immediately exhausted!"
SPATIAL SLASH!
A strike that cuts through space or bypasses obstacles in front to deliver the blow.
"After crossing swords a few times, I'll know. You haven't reached this realm yet!"
"......"
"Die."
The Overlord's strike penetrated through Diablo's blade to directly hit Rudian's body.
Yes.
If Rudian had been just an ordinary swordsman, he would have offered his neck to this strike.
GRIN!
The eye area of the one-eyed monster in front of Rudian curved into an arc.
-Dimension Blockade.
CRACK!
With the sound of something breaking, Galdran's sword stopped just before reaching Rudian's heart.
A killing blow.
That is an attack that leaves only one of two results: either definitely killing the opponent, or definitely dying oneself.
"This is..."
Galdran smiled bitterly and lowered his head.
While his sword was blocked by something, Rudian's counterattacking Diablo was properly piercing through his heart.
"...I've lost."
"It's over."
SLASH!
As Rudian roughly pulled out Diablo, the match was decided.