The Heibrun Subjugation, Part 4
Ruuuumble!
A dark red energy pouring from the corrupted Jacques's body soared high into the sky.
The overwhelming demonic energy began to warp the surrounding air.
"Urgh...!"
The energy raged in all directions.
Unable to withstand the ferocious pressure, Adelia stumbled backward.
She instinctively realized that her current strength was not enough to face the corrupted Jacques.
"Oh?"
A smirk spread across Pokryong's face.
In contrast, Pokryong stared at Jacques with an intrigued smile.
He looked thrilled, as if he had finally met a worthy opponent after a long time.
"How interesting."
Shring!
In the next instant, the sharp ring of metal echoed through the air.
Pokryong gripped the hilt of his greatsword tightly, taking a stance as if he would charge at any second.
"...To think he could grow this strong just by making a contract with an evil god."
Indeed. Jacques, who had been level 99, had broken through the wall of transcendence through his contract with the evil god.
He had now obtained power that surpassed that of an ordinary Sword Master.
For Pokryong, who found ecstasy in fighting the strong, this was an incredibly exhilarating situation.
"Ah..."
Just then, a sigh escaped Jacques's mouth.
Crackle, snap!
The dark red energy that had been raging wildly in all directions began to settle.
The corruption process was complete, and Jacques's demonic energy was finally stabilizing.
"...Marvelous."
Ruuuumble!
Jacques's voice reverberated throughout the entire space.
Like an echo from the depths of a cavern, his voice carried a supernatural resonance.
As the dark red energy cleared, Jacques's transformed appearance was slowly revealed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
A sudden silence fell over the area.
Adelia, Pokryong, and even Heukgol—all of them stared at the corrupted Jacques with shocked eyes.
Crack, crackle!
It was a form that could no longer be called human.
His body had grown massive. His limbs were nearly twice as long and thick as before.
His blackened, charred skin was covered in patches of chitinous carapace. The paladin's armor, melted by the demonic energy, had fused hideously onto his flesh.
"His right arm..."
Adelia gasped in horror.
Jacques's right arm, which held the executioner's sword, had swollen to an abnormal size.
Veins writhed beneath the skin like living snakes.
Unable to bear the weight of his massive arm, Jacques was supporting his body on all fours, like a beast.
"Why..."
Watching this, Adelia muttered in a trembling voice.
"...Just what did you do this for, to become so hideous, Lord Heibrun?"
His appearance had become utterly repulsive and grotesque.
But Jacques von Heibrun did not care in the slightest.
He merely clenched and unclenched his left hand—the one not holding the executioner's sword—savoring his newfound power.
"Is this... true power?"
Lost in ecstasy, a mad smile spread across Jacques's face.
"To think I could reach the realm I craved my entire life so easily... What on earth was I struggling so hard for all this time?"
A smile stretched across his torn lips. It was a laugh that carried a hint of bitterness.
Grip!
In that moment, Jacques gripped his sword with his massive right arm.
Stained with dark red energy, the executioner's sword began to grow even larger.
This was the first pattern of "Corrupted Heibrun," one of the worst bosses in the original Lost Elder game.
"...Fall back immediately, Adelia."
Whoosh!
The moment my voice rang out, Adelia leaped backward, retreating toward the hill where we stood.
It was in the very next instant that Jacques swung his massive executioner's sword.
"Before me, running is futile."
Boom!
A colossal strike laden with condensed demonic energy flew toward us.
At the same time, something brushed past me.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. It was a movement so swift that even I, who had reacted to Doricco Shiro's Talisman Throw and the Rebel's Black Rain, failed to perceive it in time.
...Ah.
I realized the truth a moment too late.
The thing that had brushed past me was none other than Pokryong.
Crash!
An ear-splitting roar echoed.
A fierce wind pressure whipped my hair and clothes wildly.
Pokryong, having lunged forward in an instant, swung his sword to meet Jacques's sword energy head-on.
"Krrrgh!"
Pokryong furrowed his brow and shook one of his hands in the air.
It seemed his entire hand was numb from the aftermath of the clash.
Yet, instead of pain, a look of pure ecstasy was plastered across his distorted face.
"Huuuu..."
Hiss!
As he exhaled, hot steam escaped the half-dragon's mouth.
Pokryong stared at Jacques with flashing eyes.
The joy of finally meeting an opponent of the caliber he desired seemed to heat up his entire body.
"...This is it."
Creak.
The muscles in Pokryong's lower body began to swell.
Crack, pop!
The ground beneath his feet cracked and sank slightly.
It was proof that explosive power was condensing throughout his body.
"I've finally found you. An opponent I can clash with using pure, raw strength."
Pokryong's voice carried genuine admiration and excitement.
"A primal clash that needs no tricks or techniques... Yes! This is the kind of fight I've been waiting for!"
Creak!
Jacques slowly raised his head.
Crouched on all fours, he looked up at the hill with a gaze filled with beastly madness.
"I, too, have yearned for an equal battle with a seeker."
Grind!
The enlarged executioner's sword was aimed at Pokryong.
Dark red demonic energy flowed down the blade, sizzling as it scorched the ground.
"Come."
"..."
"The greenhorn who was thrilled to receive a single scale from you forty years ago is no more."
Jacques smiled eerily.
"Now, I will take all of those scales along with your hide."
"Bwahahaha!"
Pokryong burst into laughter at Jacques's provocation.
Even before his laughter could fade...
Boom!
...The battle began.
The edge of the hill crumbled with a roar, turning into a cliff. The ground Pokryong had been standing on was completely shattered.
Flying in front of Jacques in the blink of an eye, Pokryong swung Pokyeomdo with all his might.
The moment the two swords clashed, a massive shockwave rippled in all directions.
Jacques's executioner's sword was heavy and ponderous. With every strike, the sound of tearing air echoed like thunder.
Clang!
The recoil was immense. Every time the swords collided, Pokryong's entire body tilted backward.
The attacks were clearly slow. However, that very slowness put even greater pressure on Pokryong.
Because the executioner's sword was so heavy, every single blow carried a tremendous impact. The moment one blocked it, they were too busy trying not to lose their balance to even think about counterattacking.
There is no Sword Master with better physical balance than Pokryong...
...Yet even he could barely parry the corrupted Jacques's strikes.
Clang!
Jacques's onslaught did not stop.
A trajectory designed to be slow yet unstoppable. And the inertia generated by a sword laden with massive weight.
Attacks maximizing these two factors pushed Pokryong to his absolute limit.
"How is it, seeker!"
Jacques brought the executioner's sword down from above. Pokryong raised Pokyeomdo with both hands to block it, but the impact nearly forced his knees to the ground.
"...Damn it, what a brainlessly strong bastard."
Pokryong growled.
Yet, despite his grumbling, a smile was plastered on his face.
Though he cursed under his breath, he was thoroughly enjoying the battle.
"Is this all! Did you dare call yourself the proxy of the great ones with only this much skill!"
Boom! Bam! Crash!
Amidst the continuous clashes, the corrupted Jacques was also falling deeper into the pleasure of battle.
The transcendental power he had craved his entire life.
The fact that he could freely wield his martial might against a Sword Master—someone he once believed he could never surpass—excited him to no end.
"Hmm."
Just then, Heukgol's voice came from beside me.
"I suppose he's had enough fun by now?"
Heukgol scratched his head while fiddling with his blood-stained Zweihander. Seeing this, I asked him:
"Are you going to help Pokryong?"
"Yeah, well... I figure it's about time we wrap this up."
Shrugging, Heukgol looked at me and asked,
"But aren't you going to help?"
"It is not yet time."
"..."
Hearing my firm reply, Heukgol frowned.
"What? You're the one who asked us for help, so why aren't you doing anyt—Ah."
He paused.
Then, Heukgol asked back with a look of realization.
"Is this because of the restriction too?"
"..."
I neither confirmed nor denied it. Sighing as if he understood, Heukgol nodded.
"Sigh. Fine."
"..."
"Just help out when that 'time' you mentioned comes."
He slid forward.
Carrying his Zweihander, Heukgol slowly began to move.
Standing on a shattered stone slab crumbled by Pokryong's stomp, Heukgol took a deep breath and shouted.
"Hey! You've played enough, right? I'm joining in!"
Pokryong did not reply.
However, the way he glanced over even while fiercely trading blows with Jacques showed he understood Heukgol's intention.
Confirming this, Heukgol began to move. He didn't rush in like Pokryong, but walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Looking at Heukgol's back, I spoke.
"Push Jacques out of the city. If the battle intensifies here, the damage will only increase."
"Why state the obvious? I was planning to do that anyway."
Heukgol grumbled in response.
With his Zweihander resting on his shoulder, he stepped onto the battlefield.
Watching Heukgol's receding back, I spoke once more.
"Watch closely, Adelia."
"..."
"You will gain great enlightenment by watching two Sword Masters fight in perfect harmony."
In a one-on-one battle, pure skill and focus were paramount.
On the other hand, a many-on-one situation was different. It required coordination with allies, timing adjustments, and dispersing the opponent's attention and attacks.
There was an essence of swordsmanship that only revealed itself when two or more warriors cooperated.
For Adelia, who possessed a natural genius for swordsmanship, observing masters of higher caliber would allow her to grow exponentially.
Indeed, that was exactly how she had grown up to this point.
"..."
Of course, I, with my MAX swordsmanship talent, couldn't afford to miss this opportunity either.
If I witnessed the cooperative battle of these two Sword Masters, Heukgol and Pokryong, firsthand, I would surely reap a new harvest.
My heart pounded wildly.
The anticipation of growth heated my entire body.
And...
Oh?
Tring, tring, tring, tring!
Sure enough, the moment Heukgol joined the battle in earnest, messages that brought a smile to my face began to flood my vision.