Chapter 292: Well Done, Boy (3)
Chapter 292: Well Done, Boy (3)
"Whew..."
Having dealt with the other two, Patrick took a short, steadying breath and looked at the last man standing, Tatius.
His weapon and fighting style were identical to Antorius’s.
‘Well, I suppose that’s why they’re master and disciple.’
Regardless, the man’s most irritating trait was his ability to see a few seconds into the future.
To break that...
"Dodge this if you can."
"What?"
Ignoring the man’s confusion, Patrick let go of the swords in both hands.
The two blades hovered in mid-air.
Tatius’s eyes widened with interest as he watched them. "Is that the technique you showed back in Arcana?"
Patrick had indeed demonstrated his Sword Flight Art once before in Arcana.
However, while it was a skill he could use, it wasn't exactly his specialty. Except...
"Consider yourself honored."
"For what?"
"I originally developed this technique to deal with a certain calico cat, not you."
"What are you talking about?"
Patrick didn't answer Tatius’s question.
He simply closed his eyes, brought his hands together, and focused his mind.
The Sword Flight Art Patrick usually employed was the Hand-Controlling Sword.
It was the lowest level of the art.
But what he was about to use now was the Wood-Controlling Sword, and beyond even that—the ultimate stage of the art, known as the Heart-Controlling Sword.
To face that massive White Tiger, he had felt the need to deploy a sword style over a vast area, and the result of that necessity was this...
"Here I come."
The moment his eyes snapped open, Patrick’s technique began.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Fourth Form, Modified.
Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine Dragons.
The two swords floating in the air multiplied infinitely, filling the sky.
"Gasp!"
From the perspective of the one facing it, the overwhelming sight was enough to steal the very breath from one's lungs.
Hundreds of Aura Blades, each over three meters long, saturated the space.
In that state, Patrick pointed his index and middle fingers toward Tatius.
"Go!"
"N-No...!"
The moment hundreds of blades rained down upon him, all Tatius felt was despair.
The miracle of the Vision Eye that saw the future?
What use was that now?
What surged before his eyes was a literal landslide of Aura Blades.
When there was no path to escape, what good was seeing the future?
‘It’s over.’
Sensing his impending death, he squeezed his eyes shut. And then...
Rumble! Boom! Crash! Boom! Boom!
A terrifying display of destruction was carried out.
"N-No!"
"Oh, Yupinel!"
"How could this... how..."
Screams and lamentations erupted from the Holy Knights watching the battle.
When the fight first began, it had seemed equal.
In fact, considering the Holy Knights' advantage in a battle of attrition, one could even say they had the upper hand.
But the battle they had been watching with such composure changed the moment Patrick showed his true strength.
After swiftly neutralizing Sirius and Oiros, the display he put on against Tatius left them speechless.
Hundreds of Aura Blades filling the sky.
If he had used such a thing from the start, could they have blocked it? No, could they have even survived?
And those terrifying blades had fallen toward Tatius.
One of the only nine remaining Paladins.
The attack had descended to claim the life of one of the Holy Kingdom’s greatest heroes.
"Urgh... Double Dragooon!"
"I’ll kill you!"
The younger Holy Knights, fueled by rage, drew their swords again, preparing to charge at Patrick. But then...
"Wait!"
"What is it? Why now—"
"Calm down and look over there!"
A high-ranking Holy Knight pointed toward the center of the destruction where Patrick’s attack had landed.
And there...
"Sir Tatius Owen?"
Tatius was standing there, perfectly fine, on his own two feet.
Though he had dropped his sword and shield, there wasn't a single scratch on his body.
"H-How?"
How could he be unharmed amidst such horrific devastation?
The answer to the knights' question came from two Paladins who were approaching, leaning on each other for support.
Sirius Star and Oiros Ryan.
The two approached the dazed Tatius and spoke.
"Sir Tatius."
"..."
"We have lost."
At those words, Tatius bit his lip hard, then let out a deep sigh.
"It would seem so."
It was the moment the Paladins admitted their own defeat.
Sirius, who had been the first to fall among the three, glanced around at the surroundings, sighed, and said, "A monster... there is no other word for him."
"..."
"This wasn't an opponent we could beat from the start. If Double Dragon hadn't gone easy on us, this wouldn't have even been a fight."
Oiros added to Sirius’s words. "The moment my defense reached its limit, Double Dragon withdrew his power after the final strike. He could have killed me whenever he wanted, but he spared me."
Oiros nodded as if in agreement. "It was the same for me. He gave me a warning before the attack landed. And..."
Tatius let out a long sigh. "If he hadn't held back, there wouldn't be a trace of me left."
Everything around him had been pulverized, yet the small space where he stood was the only spot left untouched.
Double Dragon had displayed a divine level of control, wielding such terrifying power with absolute precision.
It was as if he were flaunting the sheer difference in their levels.
And this display completely stripped the three Paladins of any remaining will to fight.
Tatius placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head slightly toward Patrick in a gesture of respect.
"I thank you for your consideration. I think I finally understand why my disciple praised someone as young as you so highly."
Receiving his gratitude, Patrick thought to himself:
‘Damn it, the completion rate is still lacking. Sword Flight Art really isn't my specialty.’
What?
‘Tsk, even so, how did I not hit him even once?’
...Wait, it was a total miss?
* * *
Regardless of how it happened...
The current situation was the best possible outcome for Patrick.
Having pushed his Middle Dantian to its limit, his body was in a state of extreme relaxation—completely drained of strength. If they charged at him with intent to kill now, he really might die.
But since they were so kind as to misunderstand on their own...
"I have no desire for unnecessary bloodshed either."
You? Since when?
"As the victor, I shall make a request of the losers. Please, follow me without question. If you do, I shall continue to show mercy."
The word 'mercy' coming from a guy whose legs were literally trembling.
How could someone be so shameless?
But do you know what the most frustrating part was?
"Whew, it seems we have no choice."
No, you do. You can fight him right now.
"Since we have no chance of winning anyway..."
No, if you fight him now, you'll win!
"Very well. We shall comply with your request, Double Dragon."
These Paladins were truly terrible at reading the room and the timing.
‘Good. It worked.’
Patrick Schneider mentally pumped his fist.
It seemed like everything was going to end well, but...
"This cannot be allowed!"
‘Wait, which bastard is—?’
A high-ranking Holy Knight who had been watching from afar stepped forward with a stern expression.
He led his comrades to naturally surround and confront Patrick.
"Double Dragon has dared to cause a disturbance here in Promise, the Capital of the Holy Kingdom. If we let this slide, the world will mock us."
‘What a sharp, fact-checking little prick.’
Wait, isn't being smart and good a positive thing?
Well, from Patrick’s perspective, this was a massive crisis.
Having exhausted all his strength to deploy an unfamiliar sword style, he’d struggle to take down a regular Holy Knight, let alone a Paladin.
In such a state, the encirclement of the Holy Knight Order was an immense pressure. However...
"Stop."
"Do you not see that it is meaningless?"
The Paladins, unaware of Patrick’s true condition, stepped in to stop the knights.
"How can we just stop here?"
At the knight’s indignant cry, Tatius frowned.
"Then will you try? We shall step aside; will you try to face Double Dragon with your own hands?"
‘No! Don't do that!’
Patrick screamed internally, but the knights flinched at Tatius’s words.
Face that monster themselves?
No matter how they thought about it...
‘It’s impossible.’
‘It’s just suicide.’
‘Forget winning, there’s no point in even fighting.’
That’s how it was.
People don't call someone brave for jumping off a cliff.
They call them reckless and insane.
While there can be glory in challenging a battle with no hope of victory, there are limits.
Tatius spoke to the knights, who had lowered their heads. "If you understand, then everyone stand down. As clergy serving God, you should know the preciousness of life."
‘Right, right. Life is precious. Especially mine. My life is extremely precious.’
Patrick felt relieved as the situation seemed to be resolving itself. But...
"No. I cannot do that."
There’s always one or two who have to go against the grain at times like this.
‘Which bastard... that little—?!’
Patrick turned his head to see a boy with a face that still held a lingering youthfulness, his fists clenched tight.
The boy’s name was...
"I, Perios Shun, cannot forget the betrayal and the wounds inflicted by Double Dragon. Even if it costs me my life, I will make him pay."
It was the monk boy Patrick had been looking after until recently—giving him martial arts tips and buying him drinks.
‘You... you ungrateful brat. I bought you drinks, I bought you food, I even interrogated you—’
Wait, that last one was a bad thing.
Regardless, Perios stepped forward with a face twisted in grief, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I... I trusted that man."
Though they were the words of a mere low-ranking monk, the sincerity in Perios’s voice was impossible to ignore.
Perios continued.
"Even if his words and actions lacked dignity, even if he was a mess and a drunkard who didn't live up to his reputation at all, I believed and followed him, thinking he was truly working for the friendship of our Holy Kingdom."
"Perios..."
"Mmm..."
The bystanders, knowing how much Perios had trusted and followed Double Dragon, couldn't help but groan in sympathy.
Perios went on.
"But it was all a lie. Look! Look at this terrible devastation!"
As Perios pointed around, the other knights squeezed their eyes shut.
Due to Patrick’s battle, the entire area had been thoroughly destroyed.
Buildings that had stood for over a thousand years, countless holy relics, art, and the records of saints—all of it.
In the Holy Capital of Promise, where history was etched into every single pillar, such a tragedy had occurred.
Perios clenched his fists and screamed.
"Double Dragon! Is this the reward for the trust we showed you? Why? Why did it have to be like this?"
"Perios... actually, there’s a reason—"
The moment Patrick opened his mouth to explain...
"I don't want to hear it!"
Perios shouted with a voice full of resentment and charged at Patrick with his fists clenched.
Patrick frowned at the sight.
‘This is why kids are... Huh? Wait, why is no one stopping him?’
None of the other Holy Knights or the Paladin old-timers were stopping Perios.
They simply watched him with expressions of pity and futility.
‘Ah, wait, is it because...?’
Right. A punch thrown by someone like Perios.
There was no way it could be a threat to Patrick.
So, no one felt the need to stop him.
Yes. That made sense.
It was a logical conclusion.
Under normal circumstances, that is.
"Oh, crap..."
THWACK!
It was a clear, resonant sound that echoed through the whole world.