Chapter 301: translated
TL/N: Changing Baptismal Sword to Baptism Sword.
I Killed the Demon King. It was a Mistake.
Chapter 301
Caesar raised Gloria's greatsword to the left while speaking.
-Aurora's style is completely opposite to yours.
-What do you mean by opposite?
-You prefer overwhelming attacks that crush the opponent, but Aurora prefers an intelligent play of receiving the opponent's attack and creating an opening to stab.
Raven, who was cracking nuts beside the carriage, said:
-Does that mean Gloria is not intelligent?
-Why would you say it like that? Gloria knows how to use her head too.
Gloria raised her greatsword towards Caesar.
Caesar lightly tapped and pushed away Gloria's greatsword. Then he grabbed her wrist and tripped her with his leg, making her fall.
-... I lost.
-What did you feel this time?
Gloria brushed off the dust from her armor and said:
-It seems I get impatient when you're just defending.
-Do you want to make a big attack because it's frustrating?
-Yes, that's right.
-Aurora will aim for that.
-Aim for my impatience?
-Yes. So you need to learn to attack calmly and with as many diverse patterns as possible.
Caesar raised his axe towards Gloria again.
-Of course, things will change a lot if Aurora raises her shield.
-A shield?
-Yes, Aurora is a master of parrying.
***
Gloria saw a sword flying like lightning.
According to Caesar, the tip of the sword was enchanted with a penetration spell that would pierce through most armor.
'Can Kos withstand it?'
Kos had recovered quite a bit from consuming many magic stones, but the aftermath of the duel with Caesar still remained. If hit directly by such a counter-attack, it would definitely cause significant damage. Gloria made her decision.
Ting!
Gloria tilted her body towards the embedded greatsword. Then the sword flying straight towards her forehead was lodged in her side. Because the armor's side was curved, it didn't fully penetrate and instead slid out with a long scar. She minimized the damage, but it wasn't over.
Aurora, seeing Gloria lose her center of gravity, immediately raised her shield towards Gloria's face. Gloria barely blocked the shield with her arm.
"Cough!"
Gloria couldn't breathe properly from the shock in her side. She looked at her side. Although she had somehow avoided it, Kos' side was deeply torn. Cheers erupted from the spectator seats.
"Aurora hit her!"
"What is that armor?! How can it not be pierced?"
"I'm sure it was a sword with a penetration spell, but to block it..."
"How much Terra is contained in it?"
Aurora did not give Gloria time to recover. Shifting from a defensive style, Aurora began actively attacking. Gloria became disoriented by Aurora's lightning-fast stabs and perfect offensive-defensive sword technique that deflected Gloria's greatsword.
-What if Aurora uses parrying?
-Parrying is a high-difficulty technique. First, you must perfectly understand the opponent's attack pattern to use it, which means you must be significantly more skilled or able to see the future.
-Then how do you counter parrying?
-Aurora's victory pattern with a shield is consistent. She'll try to analyze all your attacks. Once she's somewhat familiar with your attack pattern, she'll bring out her shield, deflect your attacks, and then stab with her sword.
-So the longer the fight goes, the more disadvantageous it becomes for me?
-That's both true and false. The best method would be to end it early. But that's impossible.
-Then what should I do?
Gloria's greatsword was stuck in the ground. As her body twisted, Aurora tried to stab towards Gloria's forehead.
-Make Aurora believe she has seen all of your attack patterns. Then you can create an opening.
Gloria exploded the Blood Moon while the sword was still in the ground. As the ground dampened by morning dew exploded, Aurora's body shook. Eventually, the sword tip wavered and slid off Gloria's armor without a proper hit. Gloria did not miss this opportunity and raised her greatsword.
'Same direction.'
She didn't expect the greatsword to be embedded and exploded, but Aurora was a veteran who had seen everything. She calmly tried to deflect Gloria's greatsword with her shield. But...
Bang!
An explosion occurred beneath her feet just before Gloria's greatsword touched the shield. Aurora's balance was momentarily disrupted, and she couldn't completely deflect the attack, eventually exposing her side.
"Ugh!"
Creak!
Thanks to her armor, she blocked Gloria's greatsword, but it couldn't absorb all the shock. The impact was like being crushed by a giant hammer, and Aurora couldn't breathe properly.
She was flung like a stone in a child's skipping game. Aurora rolled on the ground several times before finally standing upright. She quickly took a defensive stance. Gloria was charging towards her like a panther.
'How on earth?'
Aurora couldn't understand how the explosion occurred at her feet. Wasn't the explosion supposed to only happen with the greatsword? Confused by Gloria's unconventional attack, Aurora could only focus on defense.
Bang!
Another explosion erupted from beneath her feet.
Aurora lost her balance again, but since she had somewhat anticipated it, she could withstand Gloria's downward strike. Aurora and Gloria grappled, each trying to figure out how Gloria could explode the ground instead of using her greatsword.
'Could it be...'
Aurora saw the blood flowing from Gloria's armor. The blood was not just from the gauntlet but also from the greaves. The blood from the greaves thoroughly soaked the morning dew-laden grass and ground.
Aurora pushed Gloria's greatsword with all her might to create distance. When Gloria charged again, Aurora looked at the direction of the blood flowing on the greatsword. The blood touched the greatsword and scattered on the ground, shining a crimson color, and the scattered crimson blood turned the blood on the ground crimson.
Eventually, the blood exploded, turning the ground upside down. Aurora barely received Gloria's subsequent attack and stepped back.
"Have you noticed already?"
"...What a fascinating artifact. An artifact capable of delayed explosions and exploding scattered blood droplets."
Aurora took a deep breath while raising her shield.
"But now that I know, it will be useless."
Aurora charged towards Gloria. Gloria scattered blood in the air, moistening the ground with blood before detonating it.
Explosions erupted from all directions. Aurora had already anticipated the explosion radius and thrust her sword through the hot steam and dust towards Gloria.
Gloria blocked Aurora's sword with her greatsword and attacked with her pauldron. Aurora deflected the pauldron flying towards her face with her shield and then attacked with her elbow.
Aurora stuck to Gloria like a leech, changing to an ultra-close combat approach. She knew that while the blood explosion ability was impressive, it didn't necessarily help Gloria avoid damage.
Both Gloria and Aurora were disoriented by the 3-4 exchanges of attacks per second. As attacks missed and landed, turning into a pure brawl, the audience became heated.
"How is this even possible?"
"Is this kind of fast exchange really possible between classic knights?"
Armor was not just a defensive tool but a weapon. They grabbed each other's sword edges with gauntlets, punching or throwing each other.
Aurora struck Gloria's face with her elbow, and Gloria, in turn, kneed Aurora's previously injured side. Both momentarily lost their senses but simultaneously regained focus and swung their weapons.
Ding!
Aurora's sword was flung high into the sky. Her grip had weakened due to continuous explosions.
Aurora didn't give up and grabbed Gloria's wrist, stomping on her greatsword. Gloria, likewise, had long lost her grip strength after the prolonged exchange and eventually let go.
Aurora and Gloria began fighting with bare hands. They tangled, rolled on the ground, and covered themselves in mud. Gloria used wrestling techniques she learned from Kos and Caesar, but surprisingly, Aurora was also well-versed in wrestling.
Aurora tripped Gloria's ankle and struck down with her shield. Gloria grabbed Aurora's shield and engaged in a test of strength.
"Aaaaaah!"
They were so focused on the duel that they forgot what they were fighting for. They concentrated solely on defeating the knight before them. Gloria barely deflected the shield to the side and headbutted Aurora's nose.
Aurora's pointed nose broke, and blood flowed. Aurora's vision went dark for a moment but didn't stop. She also subdued Gloria's hands and headbutted her.
"Cough!"
Gloria's nose was also smashed, with blood running down her cheeks.
Rumble!
Lightning struck, and rain began to pour from the sky.
Gloria kicked Aurora to the side. Aurora was pushed back but charged again like a mad dog, throwing punches.
The audience was speechless at the duel that had turned into a dogfight. Aurora, praised as the most beautiful female knight in the world, and Gloria, who was not lacking in beauty, fighting with all their might while covered in muddy water was even awe-inspiring.
Count Vex clenched his fists, watching their fierce duel. The picture Vex drew was not like this. It should have been a one-sided, cowardly, and dishonorable duel, not this viscous, tenacious, and intense one.
"Who's going to win?"
"Did Gloria have the skills to wrestle with Aurora like that?"
"Aurora must win..."
"I could accept it even if Gloria wins."
Count Vex watched the two exchange punches without tiring. If Aurora wins this duel, what would Count Vex gain?
Should he be satisfied with just taking Gloria's life in this life-or-death fight? What if Gloria wins?
Count Vex would have to help Caesar's group return to Homigraph safely, staking his own name.
Where else could such humiliation exist?
And if Gloria wins? All the spectators here are Count Vex's people. The greatsword Gloria uses is grotesque enough to be called a demonic weapon. He could even incite and fabricate that Gloria and Caesar received demonic assistance and bury the truth.
'Yes. I'd rather Gloria win...'
"I can tell from your eyes what you're thinking about."
Count Vex turned his head towards the voice coming from beside him. It was Caesar.
Next to him, Raven was blocking the raindrops with a shield spell. The Ascension Knights blocked Caesar's path and spoke.
"Do not come any closer."
"I just came to have a conversation. Well, you seemed anxious, Count Vex."
Count Vex snorted and stood up.
"What? I'm anxious?"
"Do you think I came here knowing nothing? I know everything, what you want, who you're conspiring with, and why you picked a fight with my disciple. Oh, and about the poison you gave to Aurora as well..."
"Shut up!"
"Shut up? Do you think my words are a joke?"
As Count Vex raised his voice, the audience's gazes shifted towards Caesar and Count Vex. Count Vex had no intention of letting Caesar spout nonsense. He sat down and averted his gaze from Caesar.
"Get lost. You're about to spread ridiculous rumors. Causing a commotion during a duel is undignified."
"Then I'll just go back. But aren't you curious about how Aurora received the antidote?"
Count Vex's anger rose to the point where his fists turned a dark purple at Caesar's obvious provocation.
"...Stop talking nonsense."
"You know, I was the one who provided it. So she wouldn't say anything unnecessary while fighting my disciple. So how do you think I found out?"
The Ascension Knights finally couldn't hold back and drew their swords.
"Shut up! How dare you insult Count Vex?"
"Why? When did I say Count Vex gave Dinon's Tears? I'm just saying someone who wants to manipulate the match might have given Aurora poison."
Count Vex's mind raced. Caesar clearly knew that Count Vex had given poison to Aurora. The problem was how and why he knew. What if there was clear evidence that Count Vex had given poison to Aurora?
'No, that's impossible. Aurora drank it in my office. There's no way it was discovered...'
At that moment, Count Vex's eyes fell on Raven. Raven, the world's greatest wizard and hero's companion. What if Raven had captured evidence of Count Vex giving Dinon's Tears to Aurora through some bizarre magic? What would happen then?
Caesar smiled a sinister smile.
"Wouldn't it be better if we discussed this separately? We seem to have a lot to talk about."
Count Vex surveyed his surroundings. Most of the audience was focused on the intense duel, but some spectators were glancing at Caesar and Count Vex.
They had apparently overheard part of the conversation.