Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Holy Sword's Trial (3)
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BOOM—!
"Tch."
Heinrich deflected the black beam of light hurtling toward him with Blessing: Radiant Sword, letting out a groan.
The magic blasts shooting down from the sky at irregular intervals were enough to keep him on his toes.
Kieeeek!
SLASH—!
Amid the chaos, he sliced through the undead charging at him with his radiant sword, calmly assessing the situation.
For one thing, whether the trial had at least a shred of conscience or if there was some backstory with that Archlich, there was one piece of great fortune.
No top-tier undead like Death Knights lurked among them.
'If it came to that, it'd mean they've completely abandoned all conscience.'
Even among Archliches, there was a massive gap between this one and the Hans of old.
From the near-infinite black mana supplied by the Fragment of the Immortal King, to abilities like Wicked Wisdom and Forbidden Knowledge.
Of course, this Archlich had steadily evolved through stages and was more seasoned than Hans, but the starting point had been worlds apart from the beginning.
'That doesn't make the opponent a pushover by any means.'
That monstrous black mana and the magical prowess honed over countless ages weren't going anywhere.
This wasn't an enemy he could take down by charging in blindly on his own.
'Can't summon the other avatars either...!'
Even setting aside whether he could summon additional avatars in the trial's virtual space, the Otherworld Teleportation Circle's cooldown hadn't reset yet.
Thanks to the difference in time flow, over a month had passed for Heinrich since entering the trial, but outside, it had barely hit day five.
He had no choice but to push through this trial with his own power alone.
'No, it's not just Heinrich fighting solo.'
The moment he shattered the skulls of oncoming skeletons with elegant swordplay and advanced forward—
A fierce surge of black mana rippled from the Archlich hovering above.
Taking advantage of the opening created by the undead swarming him and tying up his movements, an immense energy wove into a complex structure, swiftly forming a destructive spell...
'Multiple shadow blades. A feint? I can just knock these aside like before.'
The spell hadn't even fully formed before Hans dissected it piece by piece.
'Dark-attribute coordinate activation type—binds and destroys the target... Hell Chains. Dangerous; gotta dodge. Initial coordinates: twenty-one points. 9 o'clock high, 12 o'clock low, 4 o'clock mid-low...'
Once the spell's structure was exposed, it was no longer a mystery.
He kicked away the Dullahan he was clashing with and hurled himself forward.
Grrrooo...!
Clatter clatter—!
Parting the undead reaching for him as he moved, Heinrich swung Blessing: Radiant Sword repeatedly at key points in the air.
Crackle—!
Bzzt crackle!
Every time his sword passed, the incomplete magic coordinates shattered under the opposing energy infused in the blade.
Whoosh—!
Meanwhile, shadow blades erupted from the ground to block his path.
He deflected what he could and barreled through the rest with his body when evasion failed, relentlessly targeting his goal.
Not many coordinates survived until just before activation, but what use was a net full of holes?
In the end, the black iron chains launched from the belatedly completed coordinates failed to achieve their purpose and fizzled out harmlessly.
In this way, Heinrich endured some damage but somehow evaded any truly dangerous attacks.
'...Dodging nimbly like a rat.'
After it happened not once or twice but several times, the Archlich could only seethe with frustration.
At first, it had planned to toy with its prey's struggles for amusement, but even mixing in genuine strikes occasionally failed to land, grating on its nerves.
'Impressive skills indeed. That sword of light too. No wonder it made it here alone.'
The Archlich quickly changed its mindset.
Acknowledging its foe's capabilities, it resolved to crush him with its full power.
The moment it did, the surrounding black mana churned and surged toward it.
'Now!'
And that was—
The very opening Heinrich, who had concealed his abilities while biding his time, had been waiting for.
His holy power skyrocketed via Blessing: Amplification and poured into his sword.
Fueled by it, the radiant sword ballooned explosively in size.
Aiming at the Archlich fully focused skyward, he—
Immediately activated Blessing: Leap straight above its head.
Fwosh—
'Hm?!'
A split-second gap exploited while the Archlich was distracted completing a high-level spell.
Amid the burst of light, Heinrich appeared in midair.
That brief moment was his golden opportunity to close the distance.
'Success!'
Using Leap recklessly would have gotten him intercepted the instant he arrived.
Even with Blessing: Leap's ultra-short activation time, teleporting right into the Archlich's face unprepared was suicide.
Mages always prioritized their own safety, prepared with multiple countermeasures for crises.
And this one could unleash a barrage of spells in an instant.
'No chance!'
Even now, it had canceled its ongoing cast and was simultaneously completing several spells around itself.
'Constant defense barrier, repulsion field burst, radial curse, auto-counter system...'
But it had given Heinrich too much time.
In midair, he ejected holy power from his back and legs, launching himself at the Archlich.
Enduring the radially emitted curses with the holy power cloaking his body, he cleaved through the black flames with his elongated radiant sword.
Then, slicing the bizarre repelling force pushing him back, his sword finally slipped smoothly through the Archlich's defensive barrier.
'...What?!'
This seamless chain wasn't solely the power of Blessing: Radiant Sword, supremely effective against black mana.
While the Archlich toyed with casual spells to test him, Hans had successfully deconstructed and reverse-engineered them.
Heinrich had simply followed Hans's knowledge, using the radiant sword to trace the spells' weak points and mana flows, naturally dismantling their connections.
All executed in a single instant through his sturdy body and masterful swordsmanship.
With all defensive measures neutralized by the flash-like swing of the light sword...
Crunch—!
The radiant sword plunged into the Archlich's shoulder.
'Krrk!'
Split from one shoulder to the chest, it plummeted powerlessly to the ground alongside Heinrich, sword embedded in its torso.
BOOM—!
A cloud of dirt from the impact obscured vision.
"Urgh...!"
Heinrich staggered to his feet amid the dust.
Wiping the blood trickling from his mouth.
'Poured so much holy power into my body, and it still counterattacked in that situation...'
Activated at such close range, he had no choice but to take the hit.
Bounced back by the Archlich in the process, he calmly cut down the surrounding undead and rebuilt his momentum.
'...The real issue is the miss.'
He'd aimed to cleave its head in two, but in that split second, it reacted and deflected the trajectory.
'Grooo...! A mere Holy Knight dares...!'
Of course, the damage to the Archlich was far from light.
The radiant sword brimming with abundant holy power was lethal even to it.
The wound still refused to heal, holy white flames flickering and disrupting its black mana flow.
'Can't delay any longer. Finish it quick.'
He had distanced himself from the main battlefield as much as possible by radiating holy power during the fall, but undead still dotted the area.
If those from the original field joined in, the situation would worsen.
"Hoo..."
Holy flames erupted fiercely from Heinrich's body, burning away curses and mending his flesh.
His superhuman physique recovered swiftly even during that brief breather.
'Here I go!'
Eyes wide, senses sharpened, he hurled himself through surging black mana and cascading black magic.
With the world's top one-shot instructor riding shotgun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ No matter what black magic it unleashed, he discerned it before completion.
And neutralized it by slashing its vulnerabilities with the supremely opposing radiant sword.
His robust body didn't falter easily, even permitting a few hits.
Any wounds healed in seconds through his innate recovery and holy arts synergy.
His vast holy power seemed inexhaustible.
Training-honed efficient movements and fluid swordsmanship felled all obstructing foes.
And finally...
SLASH!
The light sword plunged into the skeleton's crown, blazing intensely and cleaving it from waist to top in two.
Roar—!
As holy flames rose from the severed sections, consuming its body, the Archlich murmured softly.
'...Not bad, Holy Knight of the Church...'
Its body, destroyed beyond regeneration, crumbled slowly into ash.
'That sword of light, and the insight to see through all my spells... The Church raised a fine hunting dog.'
No matter that he'd been caught off guard and struck unexpectedly, Heinrich's prowess was undeniably exceptional.
Accepting it calmly, the Archlich mocked him instead.
'Kuhuhu... But alas for you, I do not die. I merely lose my freedom temporarily.'
As long as its separately extracted core remained intact, the Archlich was an eternal immortal.
'What a shame. Seems you've used every trump card you had hidden. If we meet again... you won't get lucky like this. Kuhahat.'
Battered from battle, Heinrich showed no reaction to the taunts.
He merely panted roughly amid the undead remains, silently watching the Archlich turn to ash.
'Yes, fine entertainment. Pondering what despair to inflict while my body regenerates will pass the time nicely. Already looking forward to our reunion...'
And when it fully scattered into dust...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Third Trial Complete. Proceed to the next stage through the gateway. A brown door stood alone where the Archlich had been.
"...Even without fully destroying it, that's it?"
Since it was merely a qualification test, perhaps complete elimination wasn't required.
The taunting creature had just been a trial construct, like an NPC in a game.
But Heinrich didn't pass through the door right away. Instead, he crossed his arms and pondered.
'Hmm... It's tight, but doable.'
He quickly made up his mind.
If he was doing it, better to do it thoroughly.
'Virtual space or not, leaving it like this feels off. Bugs me.'
First, he touched the gateway.
As in the first trial, surrounding energy surged in, instantly restoring his battered body.
His damaged armor returned to pristine condition as a bonus.
'Good. Effect's solid.'
Satisfied with his sturdier post-trial physique, he closed his eyes, focused his mind, and drew up holy power.
Visualizing one set of coordinates...
And activated Blessing: Leap straight toward it.
Bzzzzt—!
The barrier around the location repelled him, but Heinrich overwhelmed it with sheer holy power via Blessing: Amplification, forcing entry.
"Phew— Close call."
A dim, ominous underground stone chamber thick with a grim atmosphere.
Far from the previous battlefield, it was just at the edge of his upgraded Blessing: Leap's range limit.
'Thin air. Can't stay long.'
No need to anyway.
Scanning the surroundings, he spotted his target, a faint smile playing on his lips as he approached.
The object enshrined on the altar, protected by layers of barriers.
"Hey there? Meet again so soon?"
Humm—
The 'Archlich's Core' vibrated faintly, as if startled.
It probably hadn't anticipated such a swift reunion.
That's why it had blabbered so much before vanishing.
But Heinrich hadn't just watched passively as it turned to ash.
More precisely, Hans had diligently worked through Heinrich's senses from an unseen vantage.
Analyzing the black mana flow as it dispersed, reverse-tracing it to pinpoint the core's coordinates.
Child's play for the Immortal King Hans.
Humm— Hum! Hummm—!
The Archlich's core vibrated violently, spewing black mana.
Even without words, its intent was clear.
Crunch!
But Heinrich had no intention of conversing. He simply swung his radiant sword, cleaving it in two.
"Phew— Now that's satisfying."
Smiling contentedly as it dissolved in holy power.
At that moment.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ···Third Trial Complete. Proceed through the gateway··· to where the holy sword awaits. The trial's message echoed in his mind once more.
But the content had changed.
'Oh? Bonus points?'
And generously so.
Enough to skip an entire trial.
'Feels a bit flustered too.'
Well, it ended well, so good enough.
Chuckling, he strode confidently to the gateway before him and flung the door wide.
Feeling brilliant light envelop his body...
He took one step forward.
Thus, Heinrich successfully completed the trials for the holy sword.
Thanks to the full support of the 'Immortal King'.