Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Battle Near Nevan (5)
Around the time when Crux was fearlessly charging at Marbas.
The largest-scale battle was actually taking place in the northern outskirts.
"Block them!"
Demons numbering well over a thousand were attacking from the ground, while aerial demons covered the sky, raining down magical artillery.
This area had long been reduced to scorched earth by the demons' wide-area attacks, and the knight orders and magical corps were retreating repeatedly, focused solely on defense.
"Reinforcements will come from Nevan soon!"
"Just hold out until the Sword Saint achieves victory!"
The magicians of the Four Great Magic Towers and the Imperial Knights, desperately holding their ground, felt their pride as the continent's strongest groups being chipped away with each passing moment.
Their most powerful spells were blocked by the demons one after another, and their magic swords that could easily slice through rocks couldn't penetrate the tough, resilient hides of the demonic beasts.
"Damn it! Do those bastards have infinite magic?"
The magicians gritted their teeth at the endless assault of demons pouring down from the sky.
In fact, the demons had also forcibly released their power restrictions, prepared for the backlash, but there was no way the Empire's forces could know this.
CRAAACK!
"Demonic beasts on the ground, demons in the sky... This is maddening, really."
Moreover, certain demonic beasts could burrow underground for surprise attacks, making them quite troublesome.
"Sword Saint, is it not time yet?"
BAAAANG!
In the distance, a massive aura blade capable of easily cleaving mountain peaks was rampaging.
Following it, attack spells of various attributes corresponding to 8th class were devastating the surroundings.
"That side doesn't seem like it'll be decided easily either..."
No matter how hard they fought, the current frontline situation was hopeless against overwhelming numbers.
Without reinforcements, it wouldn't be strange if they were overrun at any moment.
"The demonic beasts are swarming again! Stay sharp!"
The demonic beasts they had just driven back were once again surging like waves from all directions.
Despite the knights and magicians reaching the limits of their fatigue, the reason the frontline was still holding was simple.
"Aaagh! My arm!"
A knight who had allowed a demonic beast to approach screamed as it tore off one of his arms.
CRAAACK!
Just as the demonic beast that had torn off the knight's arm opened its mouth to swallow his head this time.
CRACK!
A sudden invisible wave fired from behind the knight, and the head of the demonic beast—which even magic swords couldn't penetrate—exploded!
The knight noticed the presence of a psychic who had somehow approached behind him.
"Huff, huff! Thank you!"
"Tch, the wound is severe. Get back quickly."
Though the tone was rough with curses mixed in, he wasn't so rude as to complain to his life's savior.
Soon, the psychic who filled the retreating knight's position smashed the heads of endlessly charging demonic beasts while assessing the situation.
"Where is Lady Maria?"
The answer came from a fellow psychic covering the surrounding area.
"She grabbed the enemy's leader and disappeared."
"Then our job is to keep those inadequate fools alive as much as possible until she returns."
"Can't we just sweep them all away?"
He shook his head at his colleague's disgruntled comment.
"No. If we did that, those guys would get swept away too."
"Damn, this is suffocating."
"They said our role is to reduce friendly casualties rather than eliminate enemies."
Others nearby tilted their heads at those words.
"Who said that? Lady Maria never said such a thing."
"There is... That damn brat who dared to seduce her."
"Ah, that bastard?"
Immediately, a chilling murderous intent flowed among the psychics.
Among Psychic Luminous's psychics, Maria was both an idol and a goddess.
Especially after she cast off her previous quiet image and showed bold charisma at this succession ceremony, her popularity had soared even higher.
To them, Rudian—who had somehow always been hovering around Maria—was a hateful eyesore they wanted to pluck out as soon as possible.
CRUSH!
"We should turn that bastard into this state..."
Someone growled more fiercely than the beast itself while smashing a predatory demonic beast's head into the ground.
"Quiet. Focus on the battle. Dealing with that bastard can wait until after this battle ends."
"Ah, right."
"I'm first."
"Shut up, it's me."
Even while knights and magicians were desperately holding on with their lives, the psychics had plenty of room to spare.
This meant their capabilities transcended imagination.
Thanks to their efforts, the Empire's forces managed to hold out somehow until Matheus and Kaitel joined them.
Though a path of unjust hardship was opening for Rudian, who was watching Crux's battle from afar.
***
"Let's see your skills."
Aura gathered on Crux's sword.
But that aura didn't simply wrap around the blade—it enveloped the spine and hilt as well, forming a massive sword in the shape of an inverted cross.
That was definitely the technique famous as Crux's signature move in !
'Cygnus Sword!'
The inverted cross-shaped sword passed down by Archduke Quihiller boasted the ultimate destructive power that surpassed even existing aura blades.
However, that ultimate modifier only applied in the mortal world.
"Not bad!"
Even facing a sword as massive as his own height, Marbas showed no intimidation.
"You dare to receive it without a weapon!"
Crux swung the Cygnus Sword down at Marbas while shouting.
"I'm not that stupid."
It was a statement that would have made other Demon Kings spit blood in protest.
"Hup!"
After letting out a battle cry, Marbas's upper body began turning red and blue, becoming blood-red as if painted with blood.
Then, white aura and red muscles collided.
CRACK!
"...Huh?"
Both the Cygnus Sword and the holy sword's blade.
The moment they struck Marbas's shoulder, the sword broke cleanly in half!
"It's certainly a useful technique."
Marbas reached toward Crux's face as he continued speaking.
"But it lacks power."
CRUNCH!
Just as Marbas's hand was about to grab and crush Crux's face, Crux reflexively kicked Marbas's arm and used the recoil to escape.
Marbas exclaimed at that action.
"Good sense and good fighting spirit."
Crux connected his half-broken blade with aura and boldly shouted.
"If once doesn't work, I'll just strike multiple times!"
"Kuhuh, I quite like that spirit."
But Crux, who seemed like he'd just keep hacking away, chose a different tactic next—not slashing, but thrusting.
And it was a reckless full-power charge toward Marbas's heart area while completely unguarded.
"Uooooh!"
At Crux's seriously reckless act, Rudian's watching expression twisted.
'This crazy bastard! Doesn't he have any backup plan?'
Charging in such an obvious counter-attack stance would naturally make Marbas think what a gift and counter-attack.
Considering that build, whether it's magic or physical enhancement, even a graze would be fatal!
"Kahaha! What an interesting human!"
Naturally, Marbas angled his stance and was fully prepared to counter the thrust.
Just as Marbas threw his punch to match the thrust.
WHOOOM!
With a roar cutting through the air, Crux's form vanished.
"...Hm?"
Confusion appeared on Marbas's expression.
It wasn't that he'd lost sight of him.
What puzzled Marbas was that Crux, who had dodged the punch, suddenly kicked upward and threw away his sword.
"Got you!"
Crux didn't miss that opportunity and immediately drew a dagger from his waist, wrapping it in aura.
"You think I haven't fought big shots like you once or twice?"
Only then did Rudian realize.
From the beginning, Crux had instinctively known that a direct confrontation wouldn't work and had swung his sword with the intention of breaking it from the start.
And what he could gain from that action itself was his opponent's carelessness.
'From the beginning, the target was... Marbas's eye!'
That's not a knight's way.
It's thoroughly the way of a fighter who hungers for victory!
It's such a dirty and persistent act that it's hard to imagine from someone with the greatest talent, praised as a Sword Saint!
DIING!
The Cygnus Sword made from the dagger thrust straight toward Marbas's eye.
But...
Crux's aimed killing blow once again met silence with another familiar refrain.
CRACK!
Along with the thrust, another sound of something hard shattering rang out.
"Kuhuh, not bad."
"...Crazy monster bastard."
Crux grimaced as if disgusted.
His confident thrust was blocked not at Marbas's eye but slightly below it.
Marbas had performed the bizarre feat of catching Crux's strike with his teeth!
"Ptui! This attack was quite sharp."
Perhaps because he'd responded rather hastily, Marbas spat out the dagger and stretched his slightly stiff neck with crackling sounds.
"My tongue got cut a bit, but this is acceptable."
"......"
"Is there nothing more to show?"
"Damn...!"
"Then die."
Marbas had absolutely no intention of letting Crux live.
This type who thoroughly hungers for victory would definitely become a great threat if left alive.
Moreover, since he had talent, if missed here, even if Rudian were killed, he would become a great danger to the demon race in the future.
This time, Marbas approached Crux and threw a punch.
Like when Crux had swung his sword down earlier, this time Marbas jumped slightly and brought his fist down.
BOOOM!
"...Gasp!"
Though he somehow instinctively dodged the attack, seeing the huge crater formed where the punch struck the ground, Crux's face turned pale.
"Do you finally realize you're a day-old puppy that challenged a tiger?"
With such power in just one strike, there was no need to approach—he could finish from afar with just punches.
But Marbas slowly drove Crux into an inescapable corner like a hunting drive.
And just as he was about to deliver his fist to Crux's face to finish it definitively.
SWOOSH!
Rudian grabbed Crux by the scruff of his neck and hurled him in the opposite direction.
"Aah!"
Though Crux retched as his breath was suddenly cut off, what was that compared to saving his life?
Thus, Marbas's concentrated strike passed straight through toward where Crux's head had been, penetrating the forest behind.
BAAAAANG!
"Huff, huff!"
Having returned from death's threshold, Crux finally realized he had narrowly escaped death.
'If that guy hadn't saved me, I would have definitely died!'
And there was a high possibility he wouldn't have even left a proper corpse.
'Did I think I could handle such a monster... Alone? Seriously?'
Even his master, Archduke Quihiller, couldn't win against that.
He didn't know how such a being could maintain a disguised identity, but he realized that if they couldn't kill that monster here and now, the Morian Empire would surely be destroyed.
However, whether Crux had such thoughts or not, Marbas's attention had now shifted away from Crux.
"Mischievous fellow. Waiting until the last moment before death to save him."
"...I never intended to save you originally. I thought you'd at least keep your word."
At Rudian's indifferent words, Crux's cheeks flushed red as he lowered his head.
He thought he'd at least put up a decent fight even if he lost, but he'd been pathetically beaten without landing any significant hits.
'Completely deflated.'
Rudian clicked his tongue while glancing at the head-lowered Crux.
He'd wondered if Crux might show something since he'd reached some level of completion, but as expected, he was far from sufficient against Marbas, who had somewhat released his restrictions.
"Sir Crux."
"Y-yes! Acting Commander."
"Since you know your place, be careful not to get caught up from now on."
"Yes...?"
"I can't properly protect you from here on."
Crux's expression slightly twisted.
It wasn't warm encouragement but mockery that came his way, so it was understandable.
Still, since he'd been wandering without finding worthy opponents due to his talent, he hoped this fight would help him come to his senses.
'It's absolutely not because you ignored my words and showed off. Definitely not!'
—...Who said what?
It was Adi's words, piercing through Rudian's inner thoughts.