Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Duel (1)
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Tens of thousands?
No, droplets numbering easily in the tens of thousands rained down.
Their speed was so great that they stretched out long, looking less like water drops and more like arrows in flight.
"It's the same."
Javier sneered inwardly as he watched the spectacle.
At high-class level, one could protect the body with mana.
And upon reaching master-class, this ability grew even stronger.
People called it Guardian Aura.
Aura, magic, monsters—nothing could pierce it. It was truly worthy of being called an invincible shield.
But the moment the droplets struck his body, Javier sensed something was wrong.
They weren't water drops; they felt like iron balls slamming into him. The impacts made his body stagger.
And it wasn't just one or two—tens of thousands poured down, gradually pushing Javier's body backward.
'What kind of magic is this...!'
Javier shielded his face with both arms. He planted his feet firmly into the ground.
Only then did his torso stop being forced back. The relentless sound of droplets battering his body continued.
A moment later, the assault ended.
Javier lowered his arms from his face. Then, from behind him came the sound of something collapsing.
He turned to see a shattered cliff and trees whose upper halves had vanished entirely.
A single black magic spell had reduced everything to ruin.
"A bit prickly."
Javier said to Demian Haksen.
Though the power exceeded expectations and left him a touch rattled, nothing had changed.
In the end, this black magic hadn't pierced his Guardian Aura.
"Just what are you? How can a high-class knight wield black magic on the level of a grand black mage?"
Javier had encountered and fought countless mages up to now.
That's why he knew. Black magic of this scale could only be cast by a grand black mage.
No, even an ordinary grand black mage couldn't unleash this much power.
A secret art.
Demian Haksen had undoubtedly reached a higher realm by perfecting a long-sought black magic.
Otherwise, there was no way he could manifest black magic of this magnitude in an instant.
"I don't know your true nature, but... what enviable talent."
Talent rivaling a sword saint, and now a grand black mage to boot?
"We agreed to wait three minutes, but... I've changed my mind."
There was so much he wanted to ask. He needed to deliver that talent to his son as soon as possible.
Above all, it was too dangerous.
A black mage who had mastered a secret art was someone even a master-class had to take seriously.
Javier tore off his necklace and gripped it in his hand.
Light flashed, and suddenly a longsword was in his grasp.
It was a blade slightly longer than a standard longsword, with a grooved center.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of killing you."
Javier infused mana into the blade.
Green haze billowed out before compressing back around the edge. Soon, a deep green blade formed.
Aurablade.
Javier swung the blade downward. Pebbles touching the Aurablade shattered into powder and scattered.
"Still, to keep you from any mischief, I'll have to sever all your limbs."
"You're quite frightening."
Demian Haksen shrugged as he spoke. He showed no sign of fear, no matter how one looked at it.
"I suppose I'll have to resist with everything I've got."
A pattern glowed on the back of Demian Haksen’s hand. Immediately after, a magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
"Not so fast!"
Javier charged toward Demian Haksen.
The instant he kicked off the ground, he released mana from his soles.
In that moment, Javier's body vanished. He bypassed the distance and appeared right in front of Demian.
"First, your right arm is mine!"
Javier swung the blade down at Demian’s shoulder.
The Aurablade traced a green arc, slicing toward Demian’s shoulder.
But just before the blade dug into muscle, Demian vanished.
"...Hm?"
Looking up, Javier saw Demian standing a short distance away.
"Acceleration?"
Acceleration was a spell that allowed instantaneous movement over short distances.
One of the spells mages had devised to contend with knights, its speed was so great even master-class fighters struggled to keep up.
It was an impressive spell, yet most mages avoided using it.
The difficulty was simply too high.
Acceleration was a 10th-circle spell. Activating such a demanding spell mid-battle?
Against a knight who moved far faster than any mage?
"Impressive. But I wonder how many times you can dodge my attacks."
Javier moved again.
He seemed to vanish, only to reappear behind Demian Haksen.
Javier swung at Demian’s forearm.
But Demian dodged the attack using Acceleration once more.
The moment Demian began to fade, Javier spread his senses and pinpointed his position.
"There you are!"
Javier kicked off the ground immediately.
The instant Demian reappeared, Javier brought his blade down.
Just as the Aurablade sought to cleave Demian’s shoulder, his body vanished again.
"Let's see how long you can keep dodging!"
Javier pursued Demian once more.
Their afterimages multiplied, soon filling the clearing.
Even amid the intense game of tag, Demian activated black magic to assail Javier.
Black flames engulfed Javier’s body. Shadows sharpened into blades and assailed him.
"Useless!"
But no black magic pierced Javier’s Guardian Aura.
Javier pressed through the black magic in pursuit of Demian. Then, at one point, he couldn't help but be stunned.
'...How is he dodging nonstop?'
Acceleration was an exceedingly difficult spell to cast.
The spell itself was high-difficulty. Using it in combat made it even harder.
No matter how superior a grand black mage’s concentration, using it this frequently was bound to lead to a mistake.
Yet Demian executed Acceleration without the slightest error.
'No, before that—how is he even reacting to my attacks?'
The first couple times, Javier chalked it up to luck.
But after dozens of attempts, he had no choice but to rethink.
It was then.
Lost in thought, he lost track of Demian Haksen’s movements.
Javier quickly spread his senses. Something registered above his head.
Looking up, he saw Demian standing in midair.
Countless black droplets floated around Demian. It was the same black magic that had attacked Javier first.
Impressive footwork.
Javier twisted his lips. Dodging his attacks was one thing, but preparing black magic too?
There was one regrettable flaw, though.
"You know that black magic doesn't work on me—still planning to use it?"
No sooner had he spoken than the second black magic manifested.
Red lightning crackled amid the black droplets. The currents grew stronger and stronger.
In an instant, the smirk vanished from Javier’s lips.
"Strike down."
Black rain and red thunder crashed simultaneously. Explosions boomed wherever droplets hit the ground. Each thunderflash dyed the world red.
Light and noise filled everything.
When the world finally quieted, the ground was charred completely black.
"Grooo..."
From within, Javier rose. Astonishingly, red marks were etched across his entire body.
"Madness of a spell."
The black magic Demian Haksen prepared hadn't pierced Javier’s Guardian Aura.
But it couldn't block the shock entirely. Just now, Javier had endured agony like his whole body was being pummeled.
"Dangerous... far too dangerous..."
Javier’s eyes darkened.
The faint leisure he had clung to vanished completely. In this moment, he recognized Demian Haksen as an enemy.
"You surprised me, so... I'll return the favor to make it fair."
Javier regulated his breathing.
He retracted all the energy extending outward. He quelled the fiercely burning mana.
No longer did Javier emanate wild energy. Instead, only stillness emanated from him.
"I'll warn you ahead—this isn't something many have dodged."
Javier Silva assumed his stance.
"So don't bother trying."
Over fifty meters separated Javier and Demian.
Even so, Javier swung his sword. The longsword cleaved empty air.
In that instant, blood sprayed from Demian’s shoulder.
* * *
Just before his body was fully bisected, Demian used Acceleration.
His body pulled back. The ground split long in his place.
"...Dodged that?"
Javier stared at Demian with a shocked expression.
Demian touched his nape. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep. He'd used Acceleration in time.
"That was close."
Thanks to amplifying his mana and reaction speed with the Authority of Wrath, Demian had evaded Javier’s attack.
But that last strike was different. His shoulder was cut the instant the swing began.
"Ignoring distance... no, it slices things regardless of distance?"
At Demian’s words, Javier rounded his mouth in admiration.
"You saw it perfectly. My realm, 'Formless Sword,' can slice objects at any distance."
Flying Sword referred to sword arts that launched sword qi to cut foes.
Then what was true Flying Sword?
In his youth, Javier had always pondered that question. Upon reaching master-class, he found the answer.
"You got lucky dodging that one... but no chance this time."
Javier prepared another strike. Demian watched him, deep in thought.
"...I see. You can probably slice multiple objects at once too."
At Demian’s words, Javier’s body froze.
"...What did you just say?"
"Your realm. It feels like you could swing once and slice multiple objects simultaneously."
Demian was right.
Formless Sword ignored not just distance, but also the number of targets.
Javier could fell every leaf on a tree with a single swing.
"And not just that. You can probably change directions freely too."
That was correct as well.
Javier could swing horizontally to cut vertically.
And more. With one swing, he could carve multiple shapes into the ground—true mastery.
"You were probably planning to swing and slice this entire area at once? So no matter where I fled, you'd cut me down."
Even that was spot on.
Javier gazed at Demian with trembling eyes.
A realm was the crystallization of a knight's lifelong honing.
To discern it all in such a short time?
"How...?"
"Just."
Demian said nonchalantly.
"You can tell by looking."
In that moment, Javier felt a chill.
The being before him no longer seemed human.
"...Doesn't matter if you figured it out."
Formless Sword was best kept hidden, but even if discovered, it was fine. No one could counter it once known.
Javier assumed his stance.
In this instant, the world reflected in Javier’s eyes changed.
The entire world filled with sword trajectories. A sight only Javier, who had mastered Formless Sword, could behold.
"If you can dodge, then dodge."
Javier swung his blade.
Immediately after, the whole world was dyed in slashes.
* * *
Surrounding trees shattered into fragments. Countless sword strikes scarred the ground.
Clouds floating in the sky tore apart, and birds flying overhead became chunks of meat raining down.
Exerting Formless Sword to its utmost, slicing everything around.
This was Javier’s ultimate technique.
"You..."
Javier slowly opened his mouth. His voice trembled violently.
Demian Haksen stood right before him. Unharmed.
"How did you notice?"
Formless Sword ignored distance and number to slice objects.
An extraordinary realm, but it had one flaw.
It couldn't slice objects too close.
Precisely, objects within the blade's reach couldn't be cut by Formless Sword.
Demian Haksen had survived the ultimate technique by using Acceleration to close in on Javier.
"Just."
Demian said nonchalantly. Javier felt an indescribable rage at those words.
"Fool!"
Truthfully, it wasn't a flaw. The blade's reach was another way of saying Javier’s domain.
Right now, Demian had walked into danger of his own accord.
"I'll snap your neck right here!"
Javier seized Demian’s nape. But faster still, Demian extended his hand and placed it on Javier’s chest.
"That first black magic wasn't actually for offense."
The abrupt words made Javier pause.
"Not even water droplets. Just lumps of condensed curse."
Curses couldn't faze a master-class.
With a master-class's mana and vitality, most curses could be ignored entirely...
A pattern glowed on the back of Demian Haksen’s hand.
Immediately after, black thorns erupted from Javier’s entire body.