Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Palace Assault (3)
The appearance of the sacred artifact that symbolized the Emperor and the history of the Morian Empire left the Imperial Guard knights momentarily confused.
"You idiots! There's no way that's really the Ascension Sword! Charge immediately!"
"B-but Captain, no matter how I look at it, that's the real thing...!"
"Would the traitors who attacked the imperial palace have the genuine article? That's a fake!"
Pruna screamed and gave the charge order, but the Imperial Guard knights hesitantly assumed their positions, unable to either kneel or charge.
No matter what, their eyes weren't knotholes either.
While the Imperial Guard knights were in confusion, Rudian stepped forward and pointed the Ascension Sword at Pruna.
"Pruna Silent, traitor who intimidated His Imperial Majesty and sold the country to the demons! In the name of the Emperor of the Morian Empire, Rausa Wilhelm von Morian, I shall execute you."
"Wh-what nonsense!"
"Ah, if you feel wronged, shall we go to His Imperial Majesty and settle the dispute? I don't mind at all. If His Majesty declares you innocent, I'll gladly offer my neck on a knight's honor."
Not only the Imperial Guard knights but also the Glory Knights behind them were greatly surprised by Rudian's words.
"Is that really true?"
"This is definitely...!"
Unrest began to grow among the Imperial Guard knights.
Waging one's life and the Emperor's name without even fighting properly was impossible without considerable confidence.
Everyone's gaze turned to Pruna, but she only kept her mouth tightly shut and trembled with rage.
'Damn it! Damn it!'
If a few stepped forward to charge, she could ride the momentum and force the battle to proceed, but unfortunately, all the knights she brought now were ones she hadn't recruited.
All her people had been left behind to monitor the Emperor, and who knew it would come back to bite her like this!
'How? How exactly did they break through that surveillance and make contact with the Emperor?'
There was no longer any need to question the authenticity of that sword.
The Emperor had commissioned that person to eliminate her.
'Can I escape? No, even if I escape, can I abandon all the foundation I've built over decades?'
The answer came immediately.
'I can't give up! Absolutely not! How did I climb this far!'
Even if she fled here, her position within the organization would only plummet.
Her value lay not only in her skills but also in her position as Imperial Guard Captain who could pressure the Emperor right beside him!
'If it comes to it, I'll kill them all!'
She doubted whether it was possible, but she had to do it anyway.
Having made up her mind, Pruna raised her voice loudly and shouted.
"Don't be swayed by nonsense! This is an outrageous slander to approach His Imperial Majesty and assassinate His Majesty!"
"B-but...!"
"You must only remember the single mission of Imperial Guard knights to protect His Majesty! I will handle that person! I will definitely bring that person's head to His Majesty and prove my innocence!"
At Pruna's cry, Rudian smiled with satisfaction.
"That sounds good."
Rudian's original purpose was to exclude the Imperial Guard knights.
Since the situation was flowing toward a captain's duel rather than a group battle, the Imperial Guard knights would now have no choice but to watch the situation unfold, whether willingly or not.
"Die!"
Pruna fired dozens of aura blades from long range, targeting Rudian.
"Would you die obediently if I told you to?"
The Ascension Sword borrowed from the Emperor, not Diablo, shone with brilliant light.
Rudian charged through the wave of aura toward Pruna.
At this performance impossible at the Expert level, knights on both sides clenched their fists.
"Ooh!"
"A truly rare duel between Sword Masters!"
"He looks young, almost childlike, did he really reach Master at that age?"
Rudian lightly penetrated to Pruna's close range and swung his sword.
CLANG!
"...Ugh!"
The heavy sword directly stripped away Pruna's guard, exposing her upper body.
Just as Rudian was about to slice down her upper body.
"Don't think you can claim victory so easily!"
Pruna, also Master-level, gracefully swung her sword again to deflect Rudian's attack.
The battle pattern became mainly Rudian pursuing Pruna, who tried to maintain distance and harass from long range.
'This is manageable!'
Pruna gained confidence in Rudian's skill, which wasn't as strong as she'd thought.
'For someone my lord was so wary of, there's not much difference in skill between us!'
Her assessment was accurate.
'My lord said that transcendents like him impose strange restrictions on themselves, so this one must be the same!'
Of course, her subsequent speculation was completely wrong.
'There's definitely a chance of victory.'
Feeling somewhat manageable, the word ‘retreat’ was gradually being erased from Pruna's mind.
Her attacks became more aggressive, and her movements that had aimed for long-range combat now didn't shy away from close combat.
Targeting the neck, targeting the heart, targeting the shoulder...
Swinging, dodging, stabbing, blocking...
Deceiving, deceiving, deceiving, deceiving...
Within a short distance of less than 1-2 meters, they unleashed countless techniques in a lightning-fast exchange.
The afterimages of passing swords dazzled each other's eyes, while simultaneously hidden fangs aimed for fatal strikes.
To outside observers, it would appear as if the afterimages themselves were moving and fighting.
"Hahaha! Your skill isn't as impressive as I thought!"
Perhaps feeling more at ease, Pruna's speech returned to formal language.
Rudian smiled broadly and responded with his swordwork.
CLANG!
A heavy strike pushed Pruna back.
'She's definitely strong.'
The claim that she was on par with Kaitel was certainly no lie.
Rudian glanced briefly at the knights.
'I could easily end this using magic with Adi's assistance, but...'
Look at those knights watching the match with eyes shining like children.
If he did such a thing, that heartfelt admiration would turn into betrayal and come back to him.
"I guess I have no choice but to end this with swordplay."
"Hahaha! You dare face me with swordplay alone! Against me, who possesses the finest technique in the Empire?"
"The finest technique... Well, we'll see about that."
Rudian deployed a strange technique that differed from conventional Imperial swordplay.
FLINCH!
A thrusting motion close to a high stance.
Pruna's eyes twitched slightly at the strange posture she'd never seen before.
"What kind of bizarre...!"
"Experience it... And you'll know!"
Rudian charged with the thrusting motion, and Pruna sneered as she traced afterimages with her blade.
And the result was...
SLASH!
Pruna's shoulder was deeply cut!
"H-how?"
It was clearly a thrusting motion, how could her shoulder be cut?
As her thoughts showed on her face, Rudian charged at Pruna again.
It was a swift assault that wouldn't give her time to think.
As she continuously engaged in close combat with bizarre swordplay she'd never seen before, injured Pruna gradually realized her responses were slowing down.
'Entangle and kill!'
Not counter-attacking, but an aggressive offensive technique to entangle and kill the enemy.
For this, one must clearly know the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent's swordplay, and also be able to conduct meticulous tactical battles to create openings.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Ugh! What kind of bizarre movement is this?"
And Rudian was a disciple who had learned that method directly from the demon Kimaris in the Tower of Trials.
Not simple sparring or training, but techniques acquired through experiencing death hundreds of times.
No matter how many decades of difference there was in training between Rudian and Pruna, she would never have experienced training of such intensity.
Pruna screamed, unable to properly respond to Rudian's attack that had approached within arm's reach.
"N-no!"
Her throbbing shoulder and slightly dulled right arm wouldn't obey her.
That brief stiffness was enough to decide the match.
SWOOSH!
Rudian's sword swept diagonally in a large arc, and Pruna's struck body bent backward and curved greatly!
"Aaaaah!"
With the pain of bones and organs throughout her body being torn, Pruna spat blood and screamed.
Also, the aura blade that had been shining in her hand lost its light helplessly like an extinguished torch.
"Woooooh!"
"Long live Count Rudian Belstad!"
Seeing the clearly decided victory, the Glory Knights raised their swords and roared in triumph.
"Amazing!"
"This is the first fight in my life that made my heart so magnificent!"
Conversely, the atmosphere of the Imperial Guard was at its worst.
"Th-this...!"
"The Captain was defeated, what should we do now?"
Normally, even if their captain was defeated, they should have thrown away their lives to complete their received orders.
That was chivalry, that was duty and honor, but...
Before they could think otherwise, Rudian shouted strongly.
"Your captain rejected my honorable proposal and chose to struggle disgracefully. What choice will you make? Will you follow His Imperial Majesty's command, or will you carry on that traitor's will and fight us again?"
"......"
With the match already decided and the justification in the opponent's hands, the Imperial Guard knights began throwing their swords to the ground one by one.
It was effectively a declaration of surrender.
'Good.'
With Pruna fallen, the objective was practically achieved.
He had sent 'that person' to Godran Hans Valentine, the Imperial Guard Vice-Captain and another Sword Master, so at least buying time would be sufficient.
Then Rudian heard a noisy spirit speech in his ear.
—Hey, kid.
'Hmm? Why?'
—It's not over yet.
'Ah, I know. Pruna's life is still hanging by a thread.'
She had suffered fatal injuries and collapsed, but she was still somehow alive, crawling on the ground and writhing.
But Diablo's words weren't finished.
—That's not it. The second round is about to begin, so stay alert.
'Second round? Don't tell me...!'
WHOOOOSH!
Rudian urgently tried to swing his sword to strike Pruna's neck, but the explosion of pitch-black demonic energy from Pruna's entire body was faster.
"...Ugh!"
Rudian wasn't injured by the explosion, but the impact sent him tumbling over 10 meters away.
The other knights were the same.
"Wh-what is this evil energy!"
"Th-the Captain's body is floating!"
"Could that be... Demonic energy?"
Pruna's body, now floating in mid-air, showed no trace of the wounds Rudian had inflicted, they had healed completely.
Pruna, who had been floating limply in the sky, suddenly raised her head and began screaming with malice.
"My master! I offer my soul! So please make me your vassal! Grant me the power to slaughter all these cursed humans!"
And responding to that cry, the sword Pruna held began to glow ominously.
Diablo, recognizing the true nature of that power, issued a warning.
—It's Marbas's power. A formal vassal contract is being established.
'Damn, the power's fluctuation is enormous.'
—You'd better handle this well. One wrong move and every living being in this imperial palace will be completely annihilated.
Diablo's warning was by no means unrealistic advice.
The vassals Rudian had encountered so far were at most the level of Alec Hyuma, who couldn't even enter a knight order, or Gude Belstad, who had been groveling at 6th Class for over ten years.
Even such people wielded tremendous power when they became vassals, but...
'Just how strong does a Sword Master become when they become a vassal?'
Cases of Sword Masters becoming demon vassals were extremely rare in history.
You'd have to look back to chaotic times like the First Heaven-Demon Great War ten thousand years ago to find them.
"This might really be on the level of Caslay Lichmond."
The 9th Class Great Magician, Dark Lord Caslay Lichmond, who had been futilely defeated and annihilated by Rudian.
The momentum Pruna Silent was now emanating could definitely be compared to that great evil who had served as vanguard commander in the early days of , even when the Demon Gate opened and countless Demon Kings were present.