Chapter 346: If You Can't, You Die (4)
Chapter 346: If You Can't, You Die (4)
“If you won't come at me…”
Patrick’s knees bent slightly. And immediately after…
“Then I’m coming to you.”
In that instant, Patrick’s body turned into a streak of light.
The destination of that flash was none other than…
“Cough…!”
Marius Shuleiman, the man known as the Giant Killer.
This knight of Herculean strength, said to be capable of winning a wrestling match against a giant monster with his bare hands, was sent flying like a scarecrow the moment he was struck by Patrick’s Flash Dragon Strike.
“Huh?”
“When did he…?”
The others were struck with horror.
To their eyes, it looked like nothing more than a single flash of light.
Yet, before they knew it, Marius had been blown far away, tumbling dozens of meters across the ground.
And that was only the beginning.
“Long time no see, Uncle Adolf.”
“Double Dra—”
“Well, goodbye then…”
Immediately after…
Boom!
No one knew exactly how he was hit.
But by the time Adolf Raines regained his senses, he was flying through the air.
Having been launched over ten meters off the ground, Patrick spun his body even before Adolf could land.
“That’s three. Next… shall we go all at once?”
In the very next moment, Patrick’s body seemed to split into three. At least, that was how it appeared to his opponents. And then…
“Four! Five! Six!”
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Three knights were sent flying almost simultaneously.
“Gah…!”
“Aaargh!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Clavin Taerion.
Vector Bridges.
And even Catherina bin Yuzef…
After blowing them all away with single strikes, Patrick’s next target was…
“Oh, nice eyes.”
It was the Sword Queen, who was glaring sharply at him from the side while holding a draw-sword stance.
As expected of someone ranked among the top of the 7-Stars, her posture alone revealed her formidable skill.
Even if she hadn't reached the state of 'Unity of Body and Sword,' she exuded an aura that suggested she was just a step below it.
In that state, she spoke.
“Come.”
The moment the Sword Queen finished her sentence, Patrick’s body turned into a flash again.
It was the same Flash Dragon Strike that had blown Marius away in one hit.
Faced with a technique that far exceeded the speed her kinetic vision could capture, the Sword Queen stopped thinking.
A response of 'No-Mind.'
To think and then make a judgment would be too late.
She simply trusted the sword she had built up over a lifetime and entrusted her body and soul to it.
Clang!
“Hmph!”
Was it thanks to her life-or-death concentration?
The Sword Queen succeeded in blocking Patrick’s Flash Dragon Strike.
Though she couldn't completely offset the impact and was forced to slide back over five meters, she maintained her balance until the end and withstood Patrick’s blade.
“Ho…”
Patrick seemed slightly surprised. And immediately after…
“Black Knight!”
As soon as the Sword Queen’s shout fell, a pitch-black Aura Blade came flying from Patrick’s right.
It was a strike from the Black Knight, Matthias Carvan.
In terms of pure destructive power in a single blow, he was likely the strongest man among them.
Got him.
The Sword Queen’s lips curled into a smile of delight. Even the great Double Dragon wouldn't be able to dodge an attack from the Black Knight coming right after his own full-powered strike had been blocked.
Though it was a result achieved through a group effort, the thought of landing a blow on the Double Dragon was immensely satisfying.
He was that much of a powerhouse. However…
“Heh.”
A smirk played on Patrick’s lips. And just before the Black Knight’s Aura Blade could reach him…
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Seventh Form.
Moonlit Night Phantom Dragon.
Shirr.
Patrick vanished.
The man who had been clashing swords right before her eyes disappeared like a mirage.
“What?!”
The Sword Queen was horrified by this impossible situation.
Patrick had suddenly vanished while they were locked in a contest of strength.
At least, that was how it felt to her.
And the next thing she felt was…
Slice, slice, slice.
The sensation of incredibly sharp slashes lightly but precisely cutting through her vital points.
Moving like a dragon playing secretly and leisurely among the clouds of the night sky, Patrick’s sword left over ten wounds across the Sword Queen’s body.
“……”
Thud.
The Sword Queen collapsed to her knees.
The physical impact wasn't great, but the mental shock of allowing sword strikes to all her vital points made her lose her will to fight.
She was as good as dead already.
“Seven.”
Having neutralized the Sword Queen, Patrick rested his Black and White Twin Dragon Swords over his shoulder and stared intently at the Black Knight.
“Now you’re the only one left.”
“……”
“Give it everything you’ve got.”
“……”
The Black Knight did not speak.
Instead, he answered with his sword.
“Hah!”
Boom!
The powerful step he took forward left a distinct footprint in the ground.
Then, a pitch-black Aura Blade erupted from the tip of the Black Knight’s sword, carrying the full strength of his body.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
It was like facing a torrent of ink.
The torrent of the Aura Blade, which lacked any refinement, was a sword technique aimed solely at absolute destructive power.
Not bad.
In a case like this, grace or sharpness would only get in the way.
The Black Knight’s sword, which focused entirely on exploding overflowing power, could be considered a valid direction of martial arts in its own right.
Patrick could have dodged this attack or parried it. However…
Whenever I see something like this, I just have to break it with raw power.
Having made up his mind, the corners of Patrick’s mouth quirked up.
And his sword moved.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Ninth Form.
Star-Breaking Single Flash.
The White Dragon Sword in his left hand unleashed countless slashes, slamming into the ink-colored torrent.
Clash-clash-clash-clash-clash!
Once, twice, three times… ten times, a hundred times…
Patrick’s White Dragon Sword sprayed countless rays of light, contending with the pitch-black torrent.
In the clash of power against power, Patrick’s slashes eventually overcame the Black Knight’s sword qi and split the ink-colored torrent. And immediately after…
“Open!”
The Black Dragon Sword in his right hand drew a heavy vertical line.
Slaaaaash!
A powerful single flash imbued with a level of might incomparable to the left-hand sword.
It completely split the Black Knight’s torrent in half and reached the Black Knight himself.
K-boom!
“Cough…!”
The Black Knight was struck by Patrick’s attack and sent flying backward.
His armor shattered into pieces, and though he tried to stand up after collapsing to the ground…
“Blegh!”
He vomited blood and collapsed again.
Patrick’s blow had rattled his internal organs.
Unable to even lift his sword, he eventually fell back to his knees.
Having subdued even the Black Knight, Patrick…
“Eight. That’s the end of it.”
He sheathed his swords with a satisfied smile.
Then, he spoke to those who had fallen.
“That wasn't a bad warm-up.”
“…That monster.”
The Sword Queen, Riona Mayvers, barely managed to lift her head to squeeze out a word.
And those words represented the feelings of everyone else present.
How could this be?
The people here were those who had long made a name for themselves as the strongest on the continent.
To take on not one, but nine of them at once and completely toy with them…
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Something was strange.
Everyone looked toward one side as if they had all remembered something at the same time. There…
“Um, I’m still here?”
The faint-presenced Davis Kaikara had been holding a solid, rock-like stance from beginning to end.
Crouched in a defensive posture with a tower shield that could cover his entire body and a short gladius in his hand, he was like a sturdy boulder.
No, it was as if he had assimilated with a rock.
He was so rock-like that people had forgotten he was there; he was the essence of a rock itself.
A literal human rock.
“Ah… right.”
“There was one more, wasn't there?”
“But why did nobody notice?”
And then, the people saw it.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Sixth Form.
Nine Dragons Under Heaven.
Roar-roar-roar-roar-roar!
The physical aura manifested into nine terrifying dragons descended upon the poor Davis Kaikara.
Without even a chance to scream, he was swallowed by the torrent of manifested aura and sent flying into the distance like a twinkling star.
And when everyone’s gaze returned to Patrick…
“Ahem… nine.”
“……”
“Now it’s really over.”
This bastard must have been really embarrassed.
* * *
“Anyway, as a result of testing the n-i-n-e of you.”
Patrick continued speaking, making sure to emphasize the number nine.
“Well, the only ones among you who are usable are the Black Knight, the Sword Queen Auntie, and that… what was your name again, Uncle?”
Grit.
“It’s Marius Shuleiman. And I am not an ‘Uncle.’”
“Got it, Uncle.”
“……”
Got what?
Patrick ignored Marius’s glare and continued.
“Those three are barely, just barely, usable enough for me to compromise….”
In his own way, he was being quite serious with his praise.
“The rest are just… well.”
Daggers of wounded pride stabbed into their hearts.
But there was truly nothing they could do.
Their opponent was a monster who was more than qualified to say such things.
Patrick said to them, “Let me tell you one thing. The battle against the dark mages that happened before was nothing more than a prelude.”
Everyone’s expression turned grave.
That desperate war was just a prelude? Then what kind of hell would unfold when the war truly began?
Unable to hold back, Adolf Raines asked, “Just what exactly are we fighting against?”
“The Outer God Heavenly Demon.”
“…What on earth is that?”
“It’s a long story, but you can think of him as the final mastermind behind the dark mages. One thing is for certain…”
“……”
“Among the followers of the Outer God, there will be plenty of bastards stronger than you lot.”
“……”
Everyone bit their lips hard.
They could feel it instinctively.
That Patrick’s words weren't just a bluff or a threat, but the sincere truth.
Patrick continued, “When the war breaks out, I will likely have to focus only on the Outer God. Therefore, you all must deal with every existence other than the Outer God.”
“Can we do it?”
“If you can't, you die.”
“……”
“Everyone, everything dies.”
Goosebumps broke out over everyone who heard Patrick’s words.
It was the first time the word 'extinction' had felt so real.
Patrick addressed them all.
“Martial prowess doesn't increase that much in a short period anyway. And it’s not like we have much time until the war. So…”
Patrick gripped his swords again and said, “From today on, you must thoroughly learn how to survive and stubbornly hold out against opponents stronger than yourselves.”
“I think I know how we’ll… learn that without you having to say it.”
“Oh, you’re quick on the uptake, Sword Queen Auntie.”
“Dammit.”
The Sword Queen had never despaired over being quick-witted as much as she did today.
Patrick held the Black and White Twin Dragon Swords in his left and right hands and said, “There will only be thorough, practical sparring. I’ll beat you guys to a pulp with all my heart, so just try not to die.”
He made it sound so easy.
So damn easy.
And so, the curtain on the training from hell officially rose.