The Subjugation of Heibrun (8)
"What in the world is this...?"
Pokryong stared at the scene before him, his face a mask of sheer disbelief.
Jacques's corpse was split cleanly in two. And right behind it stood Gaon, looking back with utter indifference.
None of this made any sense.
"Ha."
A dry laugh escaped Pokryong's lips without him even realizing it.
He hadn't taken his eyes off Gaon for even a fraction of a second.
Yet, he hadn't been able to register when the man had moved.
One moment Gaon was standing far in the distance, and the next, he was already behind Jacques.
It's like a ghost story.
He hadn't sensed the moment the sword was swung, the trajectory of the body, the sound of cutting through the air, or even the slightest hint of bloodlust.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
It was the exact same feeling he had when he first met Gaon in Labyrinth Village.
That bizarre swordsmanship that had blocked his fist felt exactly like this.
The only difference was that back then, Gaon had drawn his sword to defend himself. This time, he had drawn it to kill.
It's absolutely mind-blowing. He can deliver a strike of that caliber without even unleashing his Transcendence?
An absolute, one-strike kill that left the opponent zero time to react. A one-sided judgment with no room for resistance or defense.
Gaon's style of combat was closer to an execution than a fight.
He's a type of swordsman I've never seen in my life.
Thump, thump!
The moment he realized this, Pokryong's heart began to hammer wildly against his ribs.
If this was still a state where his seals were not fully released, then just how powerful was Gaon's true might?
The thrill of facing a powerful foe, the yearning for a fierce clash where life and death hung in the balance—it all began to heat his blood to a boil.
Which makes me want to fight him even more...
Pitter-patter!
It was at that moment that the sound of multiple footsteps and heavy panting echoed from the distance.
"Pant, pant...!"
The paladins who had rushed over in a panic began to appear over the hill one by one.
The councilors followed closely behind.
Their usually dignified faces were now a messy mixture of bewilderment and shock.
Judging by how heavily they were gasping for air, they had run at full speed all the way from the temple.
"*Gasp!*"
"My goodness, what in the world..."
They froze.
The moment they witnessed the battlefield, they all gasped in unison.
The corpse of the monster split cleanly in two. Gaon standing nonchalantly beside it. And the two Sword Masters standing a short distance away, looking completely dazed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Indeed.
The battle was already over, and the outcome had been utterly one-sided.
Whoosh.
The corrupted Jacques was dead. And Gaon, who had faced him, stood in serene silence without a single scratch on him.
Hmm...?
I shifted my gaze toward the hill.
The investigators and paladins led by Sikan Bauer, along with the councilors who had rushed from the temple.
They were all looking down at me, panting heavily. Their eyes held a complex mix of shock, relief, and a hint of fear.
...They came in a massive crowd.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that almost everyone, save for the wounded in the temple and the priests treating them, had gathered here.
Well, it made sense.
In the middle of a sacred trial, the leader of the Orthodox faction and a pillar of Midtemple had suddenly turned into an evil god worshiper.
If I were in their shoes, I would have rushed out in a panic to check the situation too.
"I-it's over..."
Thud.
One of the councilors let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing Jacques's body cleanly halved, he must have assumed the crisis had passed.
At this, several paladins also began to relax, lowering their weapons and standing down from their guard.
The investigators prepared to descend the hill to clean up the scene.
"Do not move."
"...?"
"...?"
They froze.
The moment my low voice echoed across the uncharted territory, everyone went rigid.
Looking up at the hill, I continued in a deep, heavy tone.
"Have you already forgotten what happened in Maryrose, Sikan Bauer?"
"...!"
"You must never jump to conclusions about the end of an evil god worshiper."
The moment I finished speaking, Sikan Bauer's face contorted as if he had realized something, and he shouted to the investigators.
"Everyone, hold your ground!"
Crack, crackle!
In the very next instant, a violent current of energy crackled from Jacques's corpse.
A dark red aura, more ominous than anything before, began to seep from the severed halves of his body.
Creeeeak!
At the same time, the corpse suddenly began to bloat.
A self-destruction skill.
The curse of the evil god that did not end even in death—the final struggle of the corrupted—was about to begin.
...Here it comes.
While everyone else panicked, I calmly watched the situation unfold.
I suddenly recalled the first time I had faced Jacques's final phase.
Back then, I was so focused on the battle itself that I forgot to drive him outside the holy city.
No.
To begin with, I hadn't even known he had a self-destruction pattern.
Naturally, the consequences were catastrophic.
BOOOOOOM!
The city's infrastructure was already half-destroyed from the aftermath of the battle.
Jacques's self-destruction had driven the final nail into the coffin.
...Half of the holy city was vaporized.
Thousands of civilians were reduced to ash in an instant, and Midtemple's primary facilities vanished without a trace.
That playthrough had gone completely down the drain right after that boss fight with the corrupted Jacques.
To be honest, we aren't at a safe distance right now either.
Although we had managed to gain some distance with the help of Pokryong and Heukgol, it was still not enough to guarantee the safety of the holy city.
Moreover, the key figures of Midtemple—including the councilors, paladins, and investigators—were all gathered here.
If the self-destruction went off now, a truly horrific disaster would unfold.
With Midtemple's leadership wiped out in a single moment, the holy city would instantly lose its ability to function.
Rumbleeee!
The demonic energy pouring out of Jacques's corpse grew even denser.
It was now distorting the surrounding air, making space itself look warped.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Sikan Bauer screamed in desperation.
"Now! We must leave this place immediately!"
The paladins hastily supported the councilors and began to flee.
But it was already too late.
Jacques's self-destruction was imminent, and they had nowhere near enough time to reach a safe distance.
"Damn it!"
Perhaps realizing the gravity of the situation from the ominous energy, the two Sword Masters prepared to act.
Pokryong and Heukgol wore grim expressions as they prepared to stop the explosion in their own ways.
"This time, we really have to unleash our Transcendence..."
"No."
"...What?"
"I believe I made myself clear. I do not need your help."
"..."
An absurd silence fell over the area.
Pokryong and Heukgol stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.
"I know well enough that you're strong, but this is one time we have to work together. Can you not feel that energy? There is no way you can handle that explosion alone—"
Shring!
Ignoring Pokryong's words, I drew my sword.
Even I had to admit this was pure, unnecessary bravado. Acting this dramatic made my skin crawl.
But you see...
What was the purpose of this plan in the first place?
Why did I draw so much attention by voluntarily standing as the accused in a sacred trial?
There were many reasons, but...
The main goal was to leave a powerful impression on the two Sword Masters, and by extension, the leadership of Midtemple. To make it absolutely clear that I was no ordinary Sword Master.
To achieve that goal, I had to endure playing this role.
"*Inhale, exhale.*"
I took a deep breath.
Normally, the standard way to handle a self-destruction skill was to have multiple high priests cast top-tier barriers and defensive shields.
But this time was different.
...I can easily block something of this level on my own.
Since I had blocked the Defier's *Black Rain*, Jacques's self-destruction—which possessed the same properties—could easily be handled by my *Ultimate Auto-parrying*.
You have activated the Authority Skill: Ritardando Jin.
Tick, tick, tick!
Time slowed down.
No.
To be precise, my perception speed had accelerated.
I could see the demonic energy erupting from Jacques's corpse expanding in slow motion.
Soon, everything in the vicinity would explode.
Its destructive power would be beyond imagination.
However...
[Active Effect]
Automatically deflects any fatal attack regardless of the user's perception stats.
...I can block it. Easily.
Step.
One step, then another.
Gaon walked toward Jacques's corpse with complete composure.
Pokryong and Heukgol could only watch him with expressions of half-doubt and half-belief.
Alone again...?
They had already seen enough to know that Gaon was an extraordinary swordsman.
But blocking an explosion single-handedly was a matter of an entirely different dimension.
Stopping an energy that expanded in all directions with a single sword was impossible, no matter how outstanding a swordsman was.
After all, a sword was a weapon meant for cutting.
It was not a shield meant for protection.
RUMBLEEEE!
At that moment, an ear-splitting roar resounded.
Flames of annihilation that tore through space and sowed death erupted. The shockwave of destruction originating from Jacques's corpse expanded in all directions.
Right then.
Shring!
The moment Gaon gripped his sword, the very air of the world shifted.
Simultaneously, an invisible current began to vortex around him.
Whoosh!
"What in the...?"
A single trajectory.
Yet, that sword strike transcended the laws of physics.
The arc starting from the tip of his sword fanned out, blocking every direction of the exploding energy simultaneously.
It was a miracle where a single line covered an infinite plane.
A linear trajectory perfectly deflecting an explosion rushing in from all sides...
It was, quite literally, transcendental swordsmanship.
CLANG!
The sword and the explosion collided head-on.
At the point of contact, time and space warped. Light refracted, gravity twisted, and the order of cause and effect was inverted.
Gaon's strike had not simply "cut" the explosion.
He compressed the energy that was trying to expand in all directions into a single straight line, and reflected it in the direction of his choosing.
BOOM!
The reflected explosion swept away in the opposite direction of the holy city.
Crimson flames split the sky. Clouds tore apart, and the earth melted. Traces of destruction stretched far beyond the horizon.
Yet...
The place where Gaon stood remained perfectly peaceful.
Everyone behind him was completely unharmed.
Without even a single speck of soot on them.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Pokryong, Heukgol, and everyone from Midtemple stared at the sight, utterly spellbound.
There were no words in this world that could explain what had just transpired.
Deflecting an explosion with a sword? Was such a thing even possible?
Ah.
At that moment, everyone realized with absolute certainty.
Gaon was on an entirely different level from other Sword Masters.
No.
...Perhaps he was someone who had already surpassed the limits of a Sword Master.