Chapter 334: Are You Okay? Are You Still Alive? (3)
Chapter 334: Are You Okay? Are You Still Alive? (3)
BOOM!
"Cough...!"
The Overlord was sent flying, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
He, who was hailed as the strongest on the continent in terms of pure destructive power, had been unable to withstand his opponent's attack and was repelled.
The one who achieved such a feat against the Overlord was a peerless beauty with a slender frame that looked barely half the size of his own.
However, contrary to her delicate appearance, the size and power of the Aura Blades held in her hands were far larger and more potent than the Overlord's trademark King's Sword.
The moment she swung the sword in her other hand to deliver the finishing blow...
K-BOOM!
The Sword King lunged in front of the Overlord, intercepting April’s attack.
Grit.
He had clearly parried using the principle of softness overcoming hardness, yet he couldn't fully deflect the overflowing power.
Though he succeeded in diverting about ninety percent of it, the remaining ten percent was enough to make the Sword King’s entire body creak.
And that wasn't all.
"Hup!"
As April swung the sword in her other hand horizontally, her massive blade swept across the ground, engulfing both the Sword King and the Overlord simultaneously.
Rumble! Crash!
It was truly overwhelming destructive power.
April’s current strike was comparable to the Breath of the Dragon Lord from the past.
"Phew..."
After blowing away the two enemies, April regulated her breathing.
Since she was emitting such colossal power, she felt as though her balance would crumble if she wasn't careful while wielding it.
It’s not easy.
Her current strength was obtained by exhausting and overloading both her life force and her aura.
Because of that, it was difficult to control.
Terrifying aura was erupting from her hands as if a volcano were exploding through them.
Controlling this was no small task.
But I can do it.
This was all according to plan.
Everything, including the fact that she could defeat those two by consuming her own life.
Watching the two of them stagger to their feet, April raised her swords in both hands once more.
And then...
"Here I come!"
With a spirited shout unlike her usual self, she charged forward.
Whenever she swung her swords, it was as if a legendary phoenix was flapping its wings, sweeping away everything in the vicinity.
Boom! Crash!
The overwhelming destruction was so vast and spectacular that it drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
* * *
"No... way."
"The Flash Queen was that strong?"
"No, if she could do that, she should have—"
The speaker abruptly shut their mouth.
The knights of the Schneider Duchy nearby were glaring at him with murderous eyes.
Oliver spoke to Sanson.
"Brother, what’s happening right now is..."
He couldn't put it into words.
However, the god-like martial prowess April was displaying was definitely not a normal state.
Sanson felt it too.
"All units, charge! Clear a path to the Grand Duchess!"
Sanson gave the order without hesitation.
To reach April from here, they had to defeat countless demonic beasts, demons, and even powerful enemy knights. However...
"Hyaaaaah!"
"Let’s goooo!"
Not a single member of the Double Dragon Knights hesitated. They formed a wedge formation and began to tear through the battlefield.
Toward the place where those two massive wings were visible...
* * *
"Hyaaaaaah!"
K-BOOM!
April’s powerful attack swept over the Overlord and the Sword King. Her calculations were correct.
The magnitude of the power currently overflowing from her body was superior to that of the Overlord and the Sword King combined.
However, what she didn't know was the true nature of the Sword King’s martial arts.
The moment her massive sword was about to strike the Overlord, the Sword King stepped forward and drew a large circle with his blade.
Taiji Wisdom Sword.
The essence of the Wudang Sect’s swordsmanship and the ultimate secret technique of absolute defense.
The moment the Taiji Wisdom Sword was deployed, her attack lost the majority of its power.
Boom!
The remaining power that wasn't deflected was still formidable, but it wasn't enough to take those two down.
What on earth is this? This sensation, like cutting through water?
If it had been the Dragon-Chasing Scholar or the Shin Kwon standing here instead of the Sword King, it would have been better.
Against those two, April, who was currently emitting overwhelming power, would have won.
But the compatibility with the Sword King was too poor.
Most of the Wudang Sect's martial arts were based on the principle of softness overcoming hardness, making it inherently difficult to suppress them with a mere difference in power.
Furthermore, the man before her was the Sword King.
In the Jianghu, he was called the Supreme Taiji Sword Emperor.
He was a man who had once held the title of the Wudang Sect's Greatest Sword.
Even though his reason was currently eroded, his swordsmanship was engraved into his very body.
Her attack had only been effective the very first time.
After that, he focused on defense, parrying April’s attacks instead of taking them head-on.
After clashing with the Sword King’s Wisdom Sword several times, April realized something.
This won't work.
She couldn't do it.
Perhaps the Young Master could, but with her skills, she couldn't break through that mysterious swordsmanship.
She had to approach this differently, rather than just increasing the magnitude of her power.
April took a sword stance.
It was a form that was difficult to use while her power was spiraling out of control, but...
If I have to, I will.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
First Form.
Black and White Twin Dragon Dance.
April’s left and right swords began to move in completely different patterns, pressuring the enemy.
Clang! Bang! Boom! Crash!
Among the Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles, this was the form with the most unpredictability.
The left and right swords moved independently, cornering the Sword King.
However, the circular motions of the Taiji Wisdom Sword deployed by the Sword King neutralized the attacks directed at him without wavering, even against such erratic strikes.
He was used to this kind of thing.
A martial artist of the Wudang Sect could use the Yang Energy Divine Art to perform two different martial arts simultaneously.
A mere two different erratic sword styles couldn't break through the defense of the Taiji Wisdom Sword. And...
Of course he’d block it.
April knew this too.
She had attempted it knowing the outcome.
In the midst of her fierce assault on the Sword King...
April’s attack suddenly shifted targets. Her target was the Overlord.
She aimed for the man whose life would be in danger if he allowed even a single strike from her at this moment.
It was a sudden attack aimed at him after forcing the Sword King to focus on defense with her erratic consecutive strikes.
The Overlord raised his sword to counter April’s attack, but...
BOOM!
Under normal circumstances, who knew?
But right now, the difference in their destructive power was greater than that between an adult and a child.
Naturally, the Overlord was sent flying far away, and April lunged toward him to deliver the decisive blow.
"This is the end!"
The Overlord was flying through the air, unable to even steady himself against April’s attack.
April was closing in on him.
Because of this, April’s back was naturally exposed to the Sword King.
"What are you doing? Stop her, quickly!"
Seeing this, Grid shouted urgently.
The Overlord was a figure Jonsa had decided to personally take as a familiar by mortgaging his soul after the Salvation’s Sunset, once Jonsa ascended to the Divine Rank.
If the Overlord were destroyed here, Jonsa would surely hold them accountable.
Upon receiving Grid’s command, the Sword King leaped into the air, aiming for April’s back. And...
Now!
This very moment was the split-second opportunity April had been waiting for.
April didn't have deep knowledge of the Taiji Wisdom Sword, but after facing it a few times, she could tell it was a technique that prioritized defense before counterattacking.
In other words, at this moment when he was lunging to strike her opening, it would be difficult for him to deploy that troublesome defensive form.
Crank. Screeech.
As she twisted her body abruptly, a powerful strain was placed on her frame, enough to misalign her spine.
But in that state, April unleashed the most powerful sword style she could manage.
The Young Master told me not to use this, but...
In her current state, she could do it.
Hadn't she already seen how Patrick used it?
There was no way she couldn't.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Eighth Form: Ultimate Secret Art.
Dragon God Reigns Over All.
A brilliant golden dragon appeared.
No, its appearance was closer to a winged dragon than an oriental one.
A massive Radiant Dragon.
The dragon manifested by April’s mental image charged straight toward the Sword King.
In that instant, the Sword King had to make a choice.
Should he switch his sword style to defense?
Or should he counter with an attack?
The one the Sword King chose was...
Supreme Purity Wind and Thunder Sword.
Among the Wudang Sect’s swordsmanship, this was the one with the strongest domineering color.
From the tip of his sword, a gale like a hurricane and lightning that filled the heavens and earth erupted.
Strength against strength.
A clash of pure power unfolded. And...
Screeeech.
April realized at this moment that she had to pour everything in.
Becoming one with the Radiant Dragon created by the Dragon God Reigns Over All, she dove into the storm and lightning sword qi without hesitation.
K-BOOOOOOM!
Along with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and earth, a terrifying collision swept through the surroundings.
* * *
"April!"
Sanson screamed urgently.
He was so flustered that he blurted out her name instead of her title as the Grand Duchess.
The moment the massive Radiant Dragon collided with the terrifying storm of lightning, a horrific flash exploded, enough to blind anyone watching.
To Sanson, it looked like April’s final radiance.
The only silver lining was...
"Brother! The path is open!"
"What are you doing, you bastards! Run!"
"Uwoooooooh!"
The previous explosion had completely wiped out the enemies in the area.
Thanks to that, a path forward opened for the struggling Double Dragon Knights.
Sanson led the way, swinging his sword to clear the path as he shouted.
"Get out of the way, you bastards!"
"Move if you don't want to die!"
Behind Sanson, his comrades, feeling the same desperation, ran with all their might.
* * *
"This... this is impossible..."
Grid wore a dazed expression.
Before his eyes were the remains of a corpse whose body had been shattered into pieces.
Beside him, Envy and Rasnya, who were carrying out this war together, also looked pale with horror.
"How... how are we supposed to tell Jonsa?"
"Tell him what? How do we tell him we broke the Outer God’s familiar?"
Envy and Rasnya also looked extremely troubled.
Although they were working together to control him, the Sword King was fundamentally a familiar of an Outer God.
He was a familiar the Outer God had lent to Jonsa, and even Jonsa wasn't supposed to destroy him recklessly.
This was because his owner was ultimately the Outer God.
Yet, it wasn't Jonsa, but Jonsa’s direct disciples who had destroyed the Outer God’s familiar during a mission.
There seemed to be no way to atone for this sin.
At this moment, when the Salvation’s Sunset was just around the corner and the path to the Divine Rank was in sight, they had become sinners.
A sense of futility and emptiness.
Extreme despair and frustration.
What snapped them out of their daze was...
"Cough... Ugh..."
It was the voice of April, who lay collapsed on one side, groaning.
Although she had used all her strength to defeat the Sword King, she had exhausted all her power as the price.
Her blonde hair, which had shone more brilliantly than gold, had turned snowy white, and her supple, fair skin had become wrinkled and dull.
She had consumed her very life force and withered away.
"You... you damn bitch!"
Driven into a corner, Grid flew into a rage and rushed toward April. And then...
Thwack!
He kicked April just as she was.
"Ugh..."
Having exhausted all her strength, April couldn't even withstand Grid’s kick and groaned in pain.
Grid, his eyes bloodshot, began to brutally assault April.
Thud! Crack! Thwack!
"You bitch, because of you..."
"Because of you, we... how are we going to pay for this sin?"
"Die! Die! Just die!"
Following Grid, Envy and Rasnya also joined in the assault.
Though they were high-ranking dark mages, at this moment, they chose barbaric violence instead of magic or curses to vent their fury.
As if their resentment could only be soothed by personally inflicting pain and retribution upon April with their own bodies.
April, unable to even resist, thought as she was being unilaterally beaten.
Ah... so this is how I die.
In the distance, she saw her comrades running toward her, shouting.
Sanson, Oliver, and the other knights...
She had no regrets.
Wasn't she fated to have died long ago? Thanks to the Young Master, her life was extended, and after that, she even received more love from him than she deserved.
If she had been even a little help to him by giving her life in the final war, then she had no lingering attachments...
Drip.
Thick tears rolled down her cheeks.
And then April realized her true feelings.
I don't want to die.
I want to see him.
I want to hear his voice one more time.
I want to be held in his arms and feel his warmth once more.
And it was then.
"A—"
A small voice heard from afar.
But April saw it.
A small dot in the high sky was growing larger and larger as it approached her.
"—pril—"
"Ah... Ahhh..."
"—liiiiiiiiiiil!"
BOOM!
The man, who fell like a bolt of lightning, decapitated the three dark mages with a single flash-like slash the moment he hit the ground.
The dark mages, Jonsa’s disciples, always wore high-level defensive spells, but his sword struck their necks as if such barriers didn't even exist.
The man who had fallen from the sky held the collapsed April and shouted.
"Are you okay? Are you still alive?"
"Young... Master."
Patrick Schneider.
The reason for her life, whom she had seen in her dreams, was right before her eyes.