Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: I, Disciple of the Sword Sovereign
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“Ugh…. There wasn’t supposed to be a monster like that….”
Gray barely steadied his convulsing body, as if struck by lightning. He was already drained from drawing out the power of the stars infused in his battle aura. And on top of that, he’d taken a glancing blow from that strike—his condition was a mess.
Adolf spoke as he eyed Gray.
“…Unexpected. But it’s still our victory. It seems like a high-consumption technique, and the moment your intent to finish me before I arrived fell through, the advantage shifted to us.”
“Urk…. You see me like this and still talk shit, you bastard?”
“Who charged in first?”
“Fuckin’ asshole.”
Gray somehow pulled an intact recovery pill from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. Crunch! As he chewed, the pill was rapidly absorbed. It was similar to the berserk pills mercenaries carried, but its effects weren’t even comparable.
As the pill took effect, the pain quickly subsided, and strength surged through his body. With his mana instantly doubled, his output was actually higher than usual. Sure, he’d suffer later if he burned through it all, but that wasn’t his concern right now.
“Incoming.”
Adolf warned, drawing out his power. The enemy’s technique hadn’t fully dissipated yet. He didn’t underestimate it and pulled out every ounce of his strength.
Whumm—!
Gravity seemed to intensify around them, space warping faintly. It was the authority of the stars he held in his battle aura. An immense weight gathered in his fist.
Mein Kampf
Full power. At the same time, Gray added his own strength.
Silent Death
The dagger swung without a sound or presence. Even watching it up close, it was like a ghost. With such a complex trajectory, it was impossible to track with the eyes alone.
“Die.”
Enoch didn’t even bother with it, shredding the entire space in front of him.
Krrrrrrack──────────!!
He swung his hooked hands forward like claws, and ten strands of battle aura tore through space. Adolf, who prioritized raw power, broke through the net-like assault, but Gray, who favored stealth, could not.
Slash—!
Gray’s left arm was severed clean off. Even that was only because he’d hastily squeezed into the gap Adolf had carved, minimizing the damage.
“Argh…!”
Gray went flying. Adolf gritted his teeth and swung his fist at Enoch, who closed in.
“Like this?”
Mein Kampf, Adolf’s secret technique, unfolded from Enoch’s hand. Recognizing it, Adolf’s fist wavered ever so slightly. In a battle of masters, that was a fatal mistake.
Crack—!
Enoch’s fist exploited the opening and smashed into Adolf’s shoulder. The impact sent blood spraying from Adolf’s mouth as he flew backward.
Boom—!
The building he crashed into collapsed, and Gray on top was caught in the rubble.
“Not impressive.”
Critiquing Adolf’s secret technique, Enoch gathered power into his fist. He planned to crush the entire ruined building.
“What kinda fuckin’ bastards are you…!!”
If not for the sudden explosion of flames in front of him.
Fwoosh────────!!
Enoch swiftly pulled back, glaring coldly at the new opponent. A woman with fiery red hair flickering like flames. She hovered in the air, glaring down at Enoch in fury.
“Who the hell are you, wrecking my city?”
“The lord, huh.”
“Yeah, you fuckin’ right. If you knew, you should’ve greeted me properly.”
Boom! The collapsed building’s debris shattered further, revealing two figures. Adolf and Gray. Gray spat out ragged breaths, grimacing.
“Fuckin’ Gray, you little shit….”
He still had the energy for jokes. The thunder core would burn out in seconds, and his body was wrecked from the Thunder God Incarnation. Growing irritated, Enoch decided to just bind and kill all three, powering up.
Kiiiiiiinnnng──────────!!!
The halo spun wildly. He’d fully analyzed his foes. He could predict Gray and Adolf’s next moves.
Including the wildcard lord, he mapped the optimal path. Enoch’s vision filled with lines.
‘Here.’
The lines converged into one, and the wings behind Enoch flashed.
Flash—! In an instant, Enoch was in front of Adolf, swinging his hand. Adolf, prepared, blocked with his fist. Enoch predicted Adolf’s follow-up: burrow in and punch the gut.
As expected, Adolf’s thigh and shoulder twitched. If he knew it, there was no reason he couldn’t counter. He slid diagonally out of range and swung his hand.
Crack—!
Adolf’s remaining shoulder tore away, his face twisting in pain. One second until the thunder core depleted. Adolf and Gray aligned in a straight line. He could take them both at once…,
“Even after talkin’, still a bastard!”
But the lord interfered. Within expectations. The one thing he hadn’t anticipated was her level. In a flash, four magic circles intertwined, etching laws into four-dimensional space.
Grind—Enoch’s teeth ground ominously. Pull back? But retreating here meant no next move. As he hesitated,
Swoooosh──────!
Over a dozen arrows flew at the lord, each infused with arrow qi. Not lethal, but direct hits would be troublesome.
“Tch!”
The lord dropped her attack to raise a shield. Enoch reacted instantly, pushing through his own internal injuries and unleashing the strike he’d been holding back.
Flash────────────
Like a laser beam, the compressed lightning pierced a narrow path. It was an improved version of Adolf’s Mein Kampf. A hole punched straight through Adolf’s chest; he stared blankly at Enoch.
“H-How….”
“If you show a basic technique twice, of course I can copy it.”
“That’s… impossible…. Ack…!”
Thud—Adolf collapsed, life extinguished. Across from him lay Gray’s corpse, head pierced. Smoke rose from the hole in the center of his face—not a pretty sight.
“Cough….”
Having unleashed the held-back attack, Enoch spat blood from his internal wounds. As Thunder God Incarnation faded, strength drained from his body. The silver lining: the Heavenly Killing Star seemed satisfied, and the madness receded with it.
‘Gonna be rough.’
His condition was abysmal. Enoch moved his stiff body to eye the lord, veins bulging at her temples. Well, she’d work out somehow. Thinking whatever suited him, Enoch raised a thumbs-up to the sky.
“Nice assist, Yonia.”
Flutter—Yonia landed beside him, hood billowing. Her visible lips were tightly pressed, mood clearly sour.
“Shut up.”
Having just cut down all the pursuers herself, Yonia wasn’t in a good mood and snapped back.
“So, what about her? Sounded like she’s the lord here.”
“Dunno? It’ll work out.”
“Won’t you end up as Enoch shish kebab?”
“Hmm… that’d be a problem.”
Frowning, Enoch looked up at the lord. The magic circles earlier, flying in the air—she seemed like a mage. If he charged and smacked her, would she die?
“…Kid. Last chance. Who are you?”
The lord gripped blazing flames in both hands, snarling through gritted teeth.
“Ah.”
Enoch had a great idea.
“I, disciple of the Sword Sovereign.”
Would name-dropping Leone sort this out?
*
Status was little more than a facade ranking people by raw power, but it wasn’t entirely meaningless. Sometimes, even the weak had high status thanks to backing.
The point was, high status meant something behind it.
And Leone was the Millennium Sword Sovereign. Daughter of the Elf Sword God, too. The Elf Sword God held a position like an emperor among humans, making Leone essentially a warlord or king.
So what did that make her disciple Enoch? A disciple was no different from a child. Strictly speaking, he was a prince. One the Sword Sovereign would instantly slaughter anyone for touching.
“…How am I supposed to believe that?”
The lord shot back but subtly dialed down her aggression. If he really was the Sword Sovereign’s disciple, she could be screwed. Come to think of it, there’d been an official notice about some disciple of the Sword Sovereign. And that proclamation echoing from the shattered skies, the Segment Heaven Myriad Announcement incident.
“I’ll prove it.”
At that moment, Yonia removed her hood. Her unmistakably elven features were plain to see. The lord finally sighed.
“Fuck….”
Well, problem solved, more or less? Enoch dragged his heavy body along, stumbling away.
“Hey! Where you going! Even if you’re the Sword Sovereign’s disciple, you gotta explain yourself!”
Ignoring her, Enoch headed for the forest. He passed the gates, climbed a tree, and slumped over a thick branch.
“Cough….”
Yonia rolled her eyes as Enoch passed out instantly. The pissed-off lord fumed, the culprit slept, and thinking about it, the root cause seemed to be Yonia herself….
‘They came for me, huh?’
To reclaim the stolen elven slave. Or to make an example of what happens if you take their stuff. People living rough lives like that couldn’t be underestimated; they had their own sense of honor.
Finishing her thoughts, Yonia spoke up.
“Um…. I’ll come find you once he wakes up. Handle the city repairs, and compensate anyone killed or injured.”
The elf Yonia worried for the citizens—unlike Enoch, who couldn’t care less.
“How can I trust you… hm. Well, you’re an elf.”
Haa…. The lord sighed deeply and turned away.
“Fine, I’ll wait? Goddamn, I’m gonna be swamped.”
“Yes, then.”
Yonia gave a slight bow.