251
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 251
Primachos gripped the greatsword that Spell eater had been using.
-The weight feels decent.
Then she lightly swung it several times in the air.
-The balance isn't bad either.
Though it's closer to a crude club than a greatsword, it's serviceable enough.
-Gloria can use it for now.
Primachos was confident she would be the victor of this duel. This was natural, as Primachos, though an armor, was a veteran who had fought on various battlefields before that young doppelganger was even born. Though they say he gained quite a reputation under the name 'Barre', such fame usually fades with time.
However, Primachos had already proven her abilities by the fact that her partners' reputations still remained to this day. If her partners hadn't been strong, if their actions hadn't been extraordinary, they wouldn't still be talked about now.
"How shall we determine victory in this duel?"
Primachos wrote with the greatsword.
[When the opponent concedes, that's defeat.]
"So beat them until they concede, huh."
[Correct. Caesar. I'll stop if you beg for your life like a dog.]
Except for being a narcissist and a pervert, her straightforward and spirited attitude is quite admirable. A knight should have that kind of spirit. Ah, she's not a knight but an armor. Whatever she is, that simple, direct personality isn't bad at all. She just needs some training. Raven shook her head with a sigh.
"...You're really spreading the word about being a gargoyle everywhere."
"Do those people think they're gargoyles?"
As Caesar and the headless armor faced each other, soldiers and knights gathered around out of curiosity.
"What is that?"
"Don't know. Isn't that the armor Gloria was wearing?"
"I heard it was magical armor, but I didn't know it had functions like this."
"Wow... That's amazing. Lady Raven must have cast a spell on it."
"From what I know, they call it a Living Armor."
"What? Living Armor actually exists?"
How many people would think of a gargoyle when seeing a living armor? Didn't Caesar also think Primachos was a Living Armor at first? People only think 'It must be magic!' or 'Wow, the demon realm is an amazing place! They have Living Armor!' but don't think of gargoyles at all. Usually, when people think of gargoyles, they think of stone statues.
"My little brother has quite a talent for stirring up strange situations."
Yan watched Caesar and Primachos while yawning.
"What exactly is that headless armor? Raven? Wasn't that the armor Lady Gloria was wearing?"
"It's a gargoyle."
"A gargoyle? There were gargoyles like that?"
"Apparently so. It's my first time seeing one too."
"Then why are the gargoyle and Caesar fighting?"
"They made a bet. The winner gets to take Gloria."
"...I don't understand what's going on at all, but Caesar really fights with anyone, even gargoyles now."
One wonders if there's anyone Caesar won't fight.
Borden stood in the middle of the dueling ground and took out a gold coin.
"When the coin drops, begin. Now, prepare."
Ding!
As the gold coin flew into the air, Primachos and Caesar prepared to charge at each other.
Thud!
And as soon as the coin fell to the ground raising dust, they charged at each other.
BAANG!
When Caesar and Primachos clashed, the soldiers and knights watching from around them staggered. Some soldiers even fainted.
"Everyone step back!"
"Quickly pull back those who fainted!"
"Don't enter within a certain radius, it's dangerous!"
Caesar engaged in a test of strength with Primachos from the start.
"Just how is your body structured?"
It had always been a curious question. From the outside, gargoyles look like inanimate objects.
'Star' and 'Wing' also just look like ordinary sculptures, not living beings.
That means they don't have muscles or bones that can grow, so how can this one withstand Caesar's Thunder?
"Do gargoyles get stronger if they do hardening technique training too?"
-I don't know since I've never tried hardening technique training.
When she answered with psychometry, Caesar decided to respond with psychometry as well. When Caesar's Thunder and Primachos's greatsword collided, Caesar's thoughts flowed into Primachos.
-Then you were that strong from the beginning?
-Yes. I was strong from the start.
Caesar and Primachos pushed each other away simultaneously. And as if they had been waiting, they clashed again.
However, Primachos' response method changed. Primachos didn't block Caesar's Thunder with its greatsword. Primachos received Caesar's Thunder with its shoulder blade.
Clang!
Caesar's Thunder slid down the slippery shoulder blade. It was surprising how natural the movement was, like rainwater sliding down. Targeting that opening, Primachos thrust in its greatsword.
Caesar blocked Primachos' greatsword with Thunder's handle.
Clang!
The greatsword slid down the handle, aiming to cut off Caesar's fingers. Caesar released his left hand while simultaneously kicking Primachos in the stomach.
Clang!
With a sound like hitting an empty can, Primachos stepped back. But her balance wasn't broken. it deliberately let herself be pushed back to create an opening for Caesar.
However, since Caesar was reading Primachos's thoughts, he didn't fall for his trap.
-It's not easy to engage in mind games when fighting a knight who knows how to use psychometry.
The same was true for Caesar. Since they were both reading each other's intentions completely through psychometry, psychological warfare was impossible. Thunder's effect was meaningless to it as well. Although the lightning rising from Thunder electrocuted Primachos, since Primachos was made of steel, being electrocuted had no meaning in the first place.
-If strength is equal and mind games don't work......
Instead, Primachos pressed her body close to return the current flowing through her body back to Caesar.
"This will become a pure battle of technique."
When Caesar blocked the greatsword with Thunder, Primachos immediately thrust her pelvis forward.
Crackle!
The current flowing through Primachos' body flowed into Caesar through his pelvis. A tingling pain struck Caesar's brain.
"Your understanding of classic-type knights is lacking."
"Classic-type knights aren't just about wearing sturdy armor."
"The entire armor becomes a weapon."
"Do you really understand the true meaning of those words?"
Primachos came at him with her whole body, stepping on Caesar's feet or striking his joints with her knees.
-Caesar, I have the technical advantage over you.
-In other words, I have more to teach Gloria.
Primachos grabbed the axe handle and drove her knee straight up toward Caesar's abdomen.
-If you care about Gloria, disappear from her sight.
-Stop pretending to be her master or whatever.
***
Yan watched Primachos' battle carefully and spoke.
"Impressive."
"Who?"
"That gargoyle."
Yan is rather stingy with praise when it comes to swordsmanship. When Yan looks at knights, like a gemologist grading gems, he tends to look for flaws rather than sparkle, so it's rare to see a knight receive praise.
"That's good?"
"She uses her body well and has a high understanding of sword wrestling. In pure one-on-one combat, Caesar is below her."
There are details and meaning hidden in all of Primachos' movements. From the angle of her toes to the position of her pelvis and the placement of her greatsword. At first, it seemed like she was being led by Caesar's power and speed, but at some point, she started guiding the fight into sword wrestling that favored her.
"Swordsmanship is swordsmanship, but what's sword wrestling?"
"It's a martial art used by classic-type knights. When fighting with swords, you close in to extremely close range and either throw or subdue your opponent."
Thud!
Primachos suddenly grabbed and pulled Caesar's axe handle, then tripped and threw him. Primachos tried to stomp on Caesar's head. Caesar barely avoided Primachos's foot and prepared to defend, but Primachos immediately swung her greatsword and forced Caesar to his knees.
Yan's hand twitched for a moment. Watching Caesar being overwhelmed by Primachos, Yan kept running simulations in his head about how he would respond.
'Not easy.'
In a pure sword fight, Yan could beat Primachos. But in sword wrestling, Yan thought it wouldn't be easy even for him to defeat Primachos. That's how skilled Primachos' sword wrestling was.
"Why didn't I know about this?"
"It is a technique that's rare to see nowadays."
"Why?"
"Until about 150 years ago, when technique-type knights had just started branching off from classic-type knights and were developing their own techniques, this was considered the best technique. At that time, in terms of pure one-on-one combat, nothing could match this sword wrestling."
"Not anymore?"
"It's still being passed down in some families. However, as the classic-type itself is becoming obsolete, it's not easy for the technique to continue."
"I think I've heard somewhere that the number of classic-type knights is gradually decreasing. Why is that?"
"It's all about money. To become a classic-type knight, you first need to buy armor, and armor is extremely expensive, right? How much money would a young knight have? In the end, they need to take out a loan, but even that's not easy."
Raven never imagined that a conversation about sword wrestling would drift into an economic discussion.
"However, technique-type knights can focus their funds on swords rather than armor, so it's becoming a popular choice for knights who can't get sponsorship from wealthy patrons. The proliferation of sword academies has also contributed to lowering the entry barrier for technique-type knights."
Primachos drove her elbow into Caesar's side. Based on the dull sound it made, it seemed the strike had landed properly. However, Caesar paid no attention and swung Thunder.
It appeared Caesar's tough skin had properly absorbed Primachos's attack.
"What about tank-type knights like Caesar?"
"Tank-type knights have always been a minority. Who in the world would enjoy taking painful attacks with their body? Since knights who choose this path tend to have strong macho tendencies like Barre and Caesar, they're considered outliers."
"But that doesn't seem like a reason for sword wrestling not to be popular? Even now, Caesar can't keep up. Isn't it an inevitable choice for classic-type knights who mainly engage in duels?"
"Well, the development of artifacts was significant."
"Artifacts?"
"Knights discovered it was far more effective to enchant their armor with magic or purchase accessory-type artifacts for combat. They think it's better to learn how to utilize magic rather than going through the difficult process of learning sword wrestling."
"But that requires a lot of money, doesn't it?"
"That's why currently, classic-type knights can't even attempt it unless they're children of wealthy nobles. Or unless they aimed to become holy knights from the start."
"Hmm"
Raven nodded as if understanding now.
"So in conclusion, Primachos' sword wrestling is just a relic of the past that's difficult to learn but not very effective?"
Flinch!
An ominous energy shot toward Raven, suggesting Primachos had heard the comment.
"...Ah, seems like she heard that."
Primachos began pushing Caesar more aggressively.
Caesar continued fighting, faithfully receiving each of Primachos' intensified attacks. Raven felt sorry for Caesar, who was rolling around on the ground unnecessarily.
"But something seems strange."
"What is it?"
"Why don't I get the feeling Caesar is going to lose?"
Caesar was clearly being dominated by Primachos. However, Caesar's magic fluctuation was remarkably calm. Rather, shouldn't it be described as extremely cool-headed and rational? Instead, it was Primachos who became more excited after being provoked by Raven's words.
"That's because he's letting himself be attacked."
"Letting himself be attacked?"
At that moment, Caesar dodged Primachos' greatsword and drove his knee upward. Caesar's knee dug into Primachos' abdomen.
Thud!
As the bell sound rang out, Primachos' body jerked from the impact.
"Hmm, so that's how it's done?"
***
When Primachos took a hit to the abdomen from Caesar, she didn't feel much impact.
From the start, Primachos couldn't feel pain at all. Whether it was because her body was made of steel or because Diana had made her into armor, she didn't feel any particular pain even when getting scratched or dented in several places. That's why when Primachos proposed the condition to Caesar to ‘fight until you give up,’ it meant fighting until Caesar writhed in fatigue and pain.
If Primachos had a greatest advantage, it was her tireless stamina. But when Caesar precisely drove his knee into Primachos' abdomen, she realized his mistake.
-...He copied my technique?
Actually, Primachos knew from the moment Caesar willingly took her attacks that he intended to copy her experience and techniques. However, Primachos never thought Caesar would be able to steal her techniques so easily. It was similar to the difficulty level of a first-year student trying to copy a legendary painter's work by watching them paint. But the problem was that Caesar achieved it. Caesar drove his shoulder into Primachos's side.
Bang!
Primachos was pushed back by Caesar's attack. The striking technique using the shoulder from a distance of less than 5cm was Primachos' original. But Caesar had successfully managed to perfectly imitate Primachos, from the foot positioning to the timing of applying body weight.
-This bastard...!
Primachos swung her greatsword at Caesar.
Caesar sneered at Primachos' reaction.
-This is what's good about psychometry.
-You can feel in detail what techniques the opponent is using.
Primachos was dumbfounded. What was he talking about? While psychometry is indeed a technique for reading others' thoughts, That doesn't mean you can steal the opponent's techniques. Although you can sense the opponent's intentions, applying them in your own way is a different matter entirely.
-You what...
-Got anything else to show?
Caesar slowly approached Primachos while stretching his body.
-If not, it's time for you to get acquainted with the ground.