Chapter 326: You’re in the Way (5)
Chapter 326: You’re in the Way (5)
Arriving on the scene just before Sanson and Oliver could meet their ends, April stared intently at the enemy.
Six knights who had reached the Supreme Realm.
Though they didn't seem to be in a normal state of mind, the raw power they possessed was not something to be ignored.
To face such formidable foes, the first thing she did was…
“Sir Oliver.”
“I will stay with you until the end.”
“…….”
A look of ‘What are you even saying?’ crossed April’s face, making Oliver feel instantly awkward.
She pointed the tip of her sword toward Sanson, who lay collapsed to one side.
“Take the soldiers and retreat with Sir Kainel.”
“Grand Duchess. I can still fight.”
“With that arm?”
“The other one is perfectly fine.”
“…….”
April let out a sigh.
One of Oliver’s arms was broken and dangling, and his entire body was covered in wounds of various sizes. The only thing "perfectly fine" about him was that mouth of his, which probably wouldn't shut until the day he died.
April exhaled a small breath. And then…
Flash!
Aura Blades manifested on her twin swords, rapidly growing in size.
One meter, two meters, five meters…
Soon, as she held Aura Blades that had expanded to ten meters, she looked like an angel spreading massive wings.
“Ugh…”
Oliver, watching from nearby, found himself unable to speak.
Her momentum, growing so strong that its limits were impossible to gauge, was overwhelming enough to silence even a fellow 7-Star knight like Oliver.
‘No, we’re not the same 7-Star. This is…’
Oliver’s jaw dropped.
He knew she was a genius. He knew, but wasn't this a bit much?
April was only in her mid-twenties. At that age, could she really…
To the stunned Oliver, April spoke.
“You’re in the way.”
“…….”
“Go.”
Her words carried a majesty that brooked no refusal.
Oliver immediately hoisted the fallen Sanson onto his back and ran without looking back.
Some of the enemies tried to pursue him, but…
Slaaaaash!
Before their slightly bent knees could even straighten, a terrifying Aura Blade exploded in front of them.
Faced with a strike of such chilling sharpness, they couldn't move a single step.
Before they knew it, a deep sword scar—so deep its bottom was invisible—was carved into the earth before them.
“…….”
“…….”
Why was it?
Despite their emotions being suppressed, a flicker of fear seemed to appear in their eyes at that moment.
April spoke calmly.
“From here on…”
“…….”
“The road is closed.”
And so, she stood alone, calmly blocking the path of the six superhumans.
* * *
Boom!
“It looks like it’s started.”
Oliver was in the middle of retreating with Sanson on his back.
He muttered softly as he heard the explosive roar echoing from behind.
Even though they were a significant distance away, the clash of power was so immense it made his skin crawl.
The impact of that clash caused Sanson, draped over Oliver’s back, to open his eyes.
“Oli…ver. What on earth is…”
“The Grand Duchess is holding them back. And we’re hauling ass.”
At that perfectly concise explanation, Sanson snapped to his senses.
“You crazy bastard… Urgh… How can we just run? We have to fight too!”
Sanson roared.
But Oliver spoke with total seriousness.
“Brother, do you have any idea how strong the Grand Duchess actually is?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Come to think of it, we’ve never actually seen her true strength.”
That was certainly true.
In most battles where April would have needed to show her true power, Patrick was always at the forefront, and she played a supporting role from behind.
Thus, even Sanson and Oliver, who had known her for a long time, didn't know the full extent of her abilities.
They had vaguely guessed she was stronger than them since she was a genius, but that was it.
“No, but still, we’re just going to leave her there alone?”
“…….”
“Does that make any sense? You damn…”
Suddenly, Sanson found himself unable to continue.
It wasn't Oliver’s question that silenced him, but…
Boom! Crash! Rumble!
It was the aftermath of the massive shockwaves exploding from behind.
Sanson, who had been struggling and shouting on Oliver’s back, said blankly:
“Is that… right now…?”
To the speechless Sanson, Oliver said:
“If we jump in there, we’ll really just be a hindrance.”
“…….”
“Let’s take care of the soldiers first. Even if we can’t join that fight, we have to do what we can.”
“…Fine. I get it.”
With that, Sanson and Oliver quickly gathered the soldiers and knights, pulling the army back.
Only when they were clear could April fight with a light heart or withdraw if necessary.
However…
‘What is it? I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.’
Even while commanding the soldiers, a sense of unease lingered in a corner of Oliver’s mind.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Hurry! The knights will guard the rear; send the soldiers first. Move!”
Oliver pushed the unease aside.
If it was something he’d set aside in such an urgent situation, it probably wasn't that important.
Or so he thought.
* * *
“Uh… buh… wha… uh…”
Count Daniel Tyrone.
Oliver had carried Sanson away, but the Count had been lying unconscious.
He regained consciousness right after a terrifying clash of power occurred in his immediate vicinity.
And when he lifted his head, what he saw was…
“Th-this is impossible. What is this…”
It was a scene from beyond the heavens, something he had never even imagined.
April was fighting against six 7-Star knights.
And she was dominating them.
Boom! Bang!
The opponents unleashed pitch-black Aura Blades to attack her, but it was useless.
Every time April swung her sword, their black Aura Blades were severed with pathetic ease.
Each time the enemies blocked April’s strikes, they couldn't withstand the difference in power and were blown back, coughing up blood.
The only reason they were still holding on was purely due to their numerical advantage.
“It’s… impossible.”
Count Tyrone was lost for words at the surreal sight.
This was on a different dimension.
The Sword Queen, whom he had barely managed to hold out against before eventually losing, was struggling just to receive one of April’s strikes.
Though these masters who had reached the Supreme Realm attacked simultaneously from all sides, they couldn't even catch April’s shadow.
Speed, power, the potency of her aura.
Everything was utterly overwhelming.
‘How can a human become that strong?’
He didn't even feel jealous.
It was simply awe-inspiring.
* * *
‘It’s harder to maintain than I thought.’
Count Tyrone might have been watching in admiration, but April’s situation wasn't exactly ideal.
For the first time, she was fully unleashing the 8-Star realm.
8-Star.
From this stage, a martial artist gives concrete form to their Intent.
The Sword Saint’s Absolute.
The Overlord’s Lord of the Sword.
And Patrick’s Radiant Dragon’s Reign.
It was the stage of manifesting the form one desired, the goal one aimed for, into reality.
And what April manifested was strength itself.
A long time ago, Patrick had asked her:
What do you pursue as a swordsman?
At the time, she had answered:
[I want to be strong enough to protect you, Young Master.]
[Uh, so, specifically, how do you want to be strong?]
[Enough to protect you.]
[No, I mean, there’s a direction to power, right? Like wanting a powerful single strike, or speed faster than light, or absolute defense…]
[I just want to be strong enough to protect you.]
[You really are impossible to talk to.]
Patrick had sighed and given up then.
But April had been sincere.
Strength to protect Patrick.
That strength could have no deficiencies.
How did she want to be strong?
In the strength she pursued, even the word ‘how’ was a mere impurity.
Power, speed, destructive force, technique, and so on.
She simply pursued perfect strength in every aspect.
The manifestation of pure strength that placed no limits on itself.
This was the 8-Star realm April had pioneered.
Unlimited.
In this state, her aura was not consumed at all.
Power, speed, and potency all rose to absurd levels according to the ideal she envisioned.
It was a realm unique to her, reached by the pure pursuit of strength.
The pure destructive power of this moment might have been equal to, or perhaps even greater than, Patrick’s.
However, this was ultimately a type of Mind-Body Manifestation that consumed Intent.
This meant there was a limit to the mental strength required to maintain the technique.
‘I should pull back soon.’
Her allies had already retreated far enough.
Just as she was about to withdraw…
Woooooooom.
She felt the air vibrate against her skin.
April responded quickly to the vibration of the air caused by the condensation of massive power.
Attack rather than defense.
April unleashed a fierce strike toward the direction where the power was gathering.
“Hah!”
The condensed Aura Blade flew out, drawing a massive crescent moon.
Its power and speed were flawless. However…
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Just before April’s attack could hit the enemy, a massive, pitch-black aura erupted.
A violent, black Aura Blade, like a dam bursting and releasing a torrent.
It swallowed April’s attack in an instant and sought to sweep April herself away.
Grit.
April gritted her teeth and pushed the output of her Aura Blade to its limit.
The Aura Blade emitted an even stronger light.
Like a pair of wings shining alone in the darkness.
In that state, she dove headfirst into the massive black torrent before her.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles
Fourth Form
Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance - Adaptive Form
Breaker Sword
The Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance was the signature combo attack of the Twin Dragon Sect.
The Breaker Sword was a sword of destruction performed by pushing the destructive power of that combo to its absolute limit.
This was April’s unique martial art.
The principle of the technique was simple.
Putting full power into every single slash of the Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance.
That was all.
However, executing this simple technique in reality was a different story.
Consecutive slashes with full power?
If that were possible, who wouldn't do it?
Normally, power and speed can coexist, but they cannot both be pushed to their maximum simultaneously.
As speed increases, power tends to decrease, and if power is increased, speed must normally decrease.
To put it bluntly, even Patrick couldn't use techniques with this principle.
His specialty, the Flash Dragon Strike, was the most representative case; it pushed speed to the limit and struck the enemy with the power derived from that speed.
But April could do it.
Because of Unlimited, the cheat-like realm that eliminated the limits of power and the consumption of aura while active.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Against the massive black torrent, her Aura Blade struck incessantly.
Her attacks, surging back up against the rampaging black torrent, displayed terrifying destructive power.
A clash of horrific forces.
The result was…
K-boom!
It only stopped after April had cut through the black torrent and struck its source.
“…….”
“It was you after all.”
The opponent did not answer April’s question.
But April vividly remembered who the opponent was.
“The Overlord.”
Her gaze pierced sharply through the Overlord.
The Overlord, who looked quite haggard compared to before, said nothing, and no emotion showed on his face. However…
‘He’s gotten stronger.’
Before, April could have won comfortably. But now, even she couldn't guarantee a victory against the current Overlord.
In particular, what bothered her more than the Overlord’s power was his state.
Just like the other six earlier, no emotion showed on the Overlord’s face now.
He looked like a perfectly controlled puppet.
Furthermore, the sudden surge in power and the pitch-black Aura Blade…
April was no fool; she knew exactly what this meant.
“Did you finally sell your soul to a Dark Mage?”
“…….”
“The Young Master didn't give you a chance just for this to happen.”
“…….”
The Overlord didn't answer, but April found this situation simply irritating.
Didn't this make it look like the Young Master’s decision to spare the Overlord back then was a mistake?
She felt like taking the Overlord’s head right here to erase the traces of that blemish. However…
‘I’m reaching my limit.’
The time she could maintain Unlimited was nearing its end.
If she wasn't careful, she could end up surrounded in the middle of enemy lines with her strength completely exhausted.
“It can’t be helped.”
She grabbed Count Tyrone, who was staring blankly nearby, and hoisted him onto her shoulder.
“Wh-what are you doing…”
“Be quiet.”
Then, without hesitation, she ran back.
The Overlord unleashed another violent strike toward her.
Rumble!
“Aaaaah!”
Count Tyrone was terrified by the massive black Aura Blade descending upon them. But…
Pop!
By accelerating once more in an instant, April escaped the Overlord’s range of attack.
The Overlord started to pursue her, then hesitated and sheathed his sword.
April was already too far away for him to catch.