The Heaven Defier (7)
Crazy.
Adelia held her breath as she stared at Gaon.
He was parrying every single drop of the pouring black rain with his sword.
Even his technique of precisely adjusting the tilt of his blade whenever the mana gathered on it threatened to spill over was breathtaking.
How is that even possible...?
Shring!
Like filling a wine glass to the absolute brim without spilling a single drop over the edge.
Gaon's sword held the water droplets even past their limit.
...Such absurd precision.
Adelia had witnessed the swordsmanship of countless master swordsmen since childhood.
Midtemple was home to many excellent paladins.
But the swordsmanship Gaon displayed was on an entirely different level.
In a life-or-death situation where missing even a single drop of mana meant death, he performed his sword dance with utter composure.
How exquisite were his movements?
A technique that controlled hundreds of droplets without letting a single one slip, adjusting the angle of the blade's tip by the millisecond.
Yes.
It was no mere swordsmanship. It was no exaggeration to call it a "miracle" that defied the very laws of the world.
"K-Urgh...!"
The monster let out a groan filled with agony.
Naturally, the battle concluded with Gaon's victory.
Swept up in its own attack, the monster could not avoid sustaining a fatal wound.
"Huh?"
But the joy was short-lived.
"W-We must stop him immediately! If that ritual is completed...!"
The chamber fell into chaos once more.
"...the Heaven Defier will fully recover!"
Adelia flinched.
It felt as if cold water had been poured over her head, snapping her back to reality.
What?
Fully recover?
Hearing Selena Servich's words, Adelia hurriedly turned her gaze.
How is Sir Gaon doing...?
Pant, pant.
Gaon was breathing heavily.
Perhaps due to the absurd swordsmanship he had just displayed, he looked visibly exhausted.
His labored breathing was plain for all to see.
Then again, it would make even less sense if he were perfectly fine after performing such a miraculous sword dance.
...Can he face a monster in peak condition in that state?
She didn't know.
No matter how outstanding of a Sword Master Gaon was, even Adelia couldn't be sure.
After all, that monster was also an incredibly powerful entity.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The rest of the party seemed to realize this as well.
For a moment, despair clouded their eyes.
The Heaven Defier smirked.
Not missing their reaction, the Heaven Defier spoke, driving in the final nail.
"Give up."
"..."
"Because there is no way for you to stop this ritual."
Rumbleee!
The creature continued in a relaxed tone.
The dark red energy swirling around the altar grew stronger by the second.
"What blocks your path is a barrier constructed over hundreds of years. It is composed of a complex formula that even Doricco Shiro could not decipher. And..."
*Snap!*
The Heaven Defier trailed off and snapped his fingers.
With a sharp click echoing through the cavern, the world suddenly fell into a deathly silence, as if time itself had stopped.
"Selena Servich."
"..."
"The moment you handed over the Insignia of the Sacred Assembly, the outcome of this battle was already decided."
Startled, Selena asked back.
"W-What do you mean by that...?"
"Have you still not realized? That the Insignia is not merely an object containing the power of the Assembly?"
"...!"
"The true purpose of that spell is 'binding.' Whosoever bears the Insignia is placed eternally within my grasp."
The Heaven Defier continued.
"The Insignia is a spell that implants a part of me. The ability to issue Absolute Commands to the members was only possible because my authority was at work."
Selena shuddered.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant.
It was something she had been completely unaware of.
To think the Insignia was a spell that absorbed a part of the Heaven Defier.
If that's the case...
...What would happen to Gaon, who had taken the Insignia?
"Foolish creatures."
As if reading Selena's anxious thoughts, the Heaven Defier spoke again.
"Why on earth did you hand the Insignia over to the Sword Master? Did you wish to meet your end at the hands of the savior you relied on so heavily?"
"Kahahahaha!"
The Heaven Defier burst into roaring laughter, unable to contain himself.
A bizarre laughter, sounding like dozens or even hundreds of people laughing in unison, began to fill the cavern.
As if mocking them all, he shouted in an exaggerated, theatrical tone.
"I told you! The 'game' ends here! My screams of pain! My appearance of being in crisis! It was all nothing but an act!"
"T-That can't be..."
"Of course, I didn't expect that bastard's swordsmanship to be so outstanding, but it only made the stage more dramatic! Thank you! It was the most fun I've had in hundreds of years!"
The Heaven Defier's eyes shone with the absolute certainty of victory.
The authority of the Insignia was absolute.
No matter how strong one's will, they had no choice but to kneel before the Absolute Command.
This spell was a shackle that bound the soul itself. Once the Insignia was engraved, whether they were a Sword Master or anything else, no one could escape the Heaven Defier's grasp.
*Whoosh!*
The Heaven Defier waved his hand toward Gaon and bellowed.
"Now, go and kill them all, Sword Master!"
Shring!
Gaon raised his sword high.
As if he had become a puppet obeying the Heaven Defier's command.
His eyes were obscured by his bangs, hidden from view.
As Gaon took a stance as if to strike at any moment, despair began to swirl in the eyes of Selena, Isaac, and Adelia.
...It's over.
Adelia squeezed her eyes shut.
She couldn't help but close her eyes tightly.
If Gaon had truly fallen under the monster's brainwashing, her end was certain.
Knowing Gaon's martial prowess all too well, she couldn't even begin to conceive a way to block his strike.
But wait...
She paused.
It was at that very moment.
A single thought flashed through Adelia's mind.
...Is Sir Gaon really someone who would fall for another's scheme so easily?
No.
At least, the Gaon Adelia knew was absolutely not that kind of person.
From their first meeting in the lawless city of Dawnguard, to the free city of Vertas, the Corpse Exhibition of Camilo von Taribas, and even the sacred trial in Midtemple.
Rather, Gaon was a calculating strategist who constantly turned others' plans against them to reap endless benefits.
Even when everyone else gave up, and even in the face of extreme crises where everyone screamed it was impossible.
He always looked down upon the situation from one step ahead. He set up the stepping stones for a reversal from the very beginning, turning the enemy's traps into his own leverage.
Therefore...
There is no way this situation will end so futilely.
After all, hadn't Sir Gaon threatened the Blood Empress, releasing a terrifying bloodlust just to obtain the Insignia from her?
"To kill the Heaven Defier, I absolutely need the Insignia."
...Sir Gaon definitely has a plan.
Her eyes snapped open.
Adelia opened the eyes she had kept tightly shut.
Her powerful trust in Gaon, and the deep respect she held for him, made her realize one crucial fact.
The sight of the Heaven Defier triumphantly boasting of his victory was undoubtedly part of Gaon's meticulous plan.
Which meant...
I must watch closely.
Adelia's eyes widened.
She focused all her concentration on Gaon's sword.
And I must comprehend.
From the moment they first met until now.
Gaon had always generously bestowed enlightenment upon her.
Now, it was time to step into the next realm through the sword he wielded.
*Swoooosh!*
Gaon's sword sliced through the air. A perfectly clean strike without a single wasted movement.
And then...
*Shatter!*
"...?"
An unexpected sound reached their ears.
Before long, an entirely unanticipated sight began to unfold before their eyes.
This is...
The translucent barrier crumbled, shattering like a pane of glass.
Its fragments sparkled as they scattered across the floor.
Indeed.
Just like in the Sky Ocean Forest, Gaon's sword had shattered the barrier once again.
...Ah.
The strike that instantly demolished a barrier meticulously woven over hundreds of years was truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Cracks spread like flower petals from the line drawn by Gaon's sword, throwing the barrier wide open. The glittering fragments danced in the air.
And...
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Gaon stepped toward the altar without hesitation.
*Step, step.*
One step, then another.
The sound of his footsteps echoed hollowly through the space.
For the first time, genuine panic seeped into the Heaven Defier's voice.
"W-What is this...!"
Breaking free from the Insignia's binding and brainwashing in an instant.
And even bringing down a barrier built over centuries with a single swing of his sword.
Faced with this succession of absurdities, all color began to drain from the Heaven Defier's confident face.
"...I-Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! You bastard! What kind of trick did you pull?!"
Gaon did not answer.
He simply climbed the steps of the altar one by one, looking every bit the victor.
Holding his sword firmly, yet with boundless composure.
*Slide.*
Before long, the Sword Master's shadow loomed over the Heaven Defier.
Terrified, the Heaven Defier shrieked in desperation, his initial overbearing attitude completely gone.
"Y-You bastard! Are you really not going to tell me what you did until the very end...?!"
"Stop barking so loudly."
Shring!
A sharp metallic ring echoed.
Gaon had sheathed his sword.
With a bored expression, he plopped down opposite the Heaven Defier, with the altar between them.
"...?"
"...?"
"...?"
In that moment, everyone stared at Gaon in utter bewilderment.
What on earth was he doing? Sheathing his sword when he should be killing the Heaven Defier this instant?
Regardless of their confusion, Gaon ignored them and shamelessly urged the Heaven Defier.
"Go on. Finish what you were doing."
I fell into a game devoid of both dreams and hope.
But there was no need to despair.
I have a 12-star Mythic-tier skill.
In truth, as long as the skill Soul of the Sword Master existed, no enemy could stand against me.
No matter how strong the foe, I could instantly kill them with a single click of the skill.
In that sense, some might wonder.
Why not just use such a broken skill on the Heaven Defier right away and get it over with?
No.
That was too short-sighted.
What if I hadn't persuaded the Blood Empress and failed to obtain the Insignia?
The 9th-circle mage would have immediately turned into an enemy and attacked.
If she hadn't accompanied us to subjugate the Heaven Defier, she would have run amok at Wintersield Magic Academy. Hundreds of mages would have been slaughtered.
A worst-case scenario where I'd have to face two terrible bosses at once.
It was better to eliminate that risk factor even if it meant consuming Soul of the Sword Master... No, to be precise, it was better to transfer it to me.
After all, I was immune to all forms of brainwashing and mental attacks.
Having already broken through Doricco Shiro's illusions, resisting the Heaven Defier's Absolute Command was a given.
Mental Strength 'MAX' resists the Absolute Command of the Insignia.
It worked.
Sure enough, everything went exactly according to my plan.
Having used Barrier Breaker, I shattered the barrier and invaded the Heaven Defier's domain.
I looked straight ahead.
I stared forward once more.
The Heaven Defier, who had been performing the ritual, was staring at me with a look of genuine confusion.
"...What kind of trick is this?"
At his bewildered question, I replied nonchalantly.
"Why? Didn't you say this was the perfect 'vessel' you found for the first time in hundreds of years?"
"..."
"It would be a shame if you died without even finishing the ritual."
I finished, looking directly at the Heaven Defier.
"So I'm giving you a chance."
Hearing my words, the Heaven Defier's face contorted.
"You've lost your mind."
Did he think I was mocking him? His face began to twist with indescribable rage.
"The moment this ritual is completed, I will fully assimilate with this incredibly talented body. Born anew as a perfect being—an immortal soul combined with the ultimate physical vessel—even your shallow swordsmanship won't be able to stop me."
The bastard shouted, the veins in his neck bulging.
"So stop playing games and kill me already! I don't need your pity—"
"Cut the crap."
I cut him off, speaking in a cold, detached voice.
"You're saying that if you possess that body, you'll become incredibly strong."
"..."
"Stop whining and get on with it."
My dear boy.
Do you still not realize why I've kept you alive until now?
The reason I took the long way around to push the Heaven Defier to the brink of death. The reason I chose to deal with him in such a tedious manner instead of simply using Soul of the Sword Master.
The sole reason for all of it was...
To get our Strawberry Latte an upgrade.
...To exploit the Heaven Defier's ritual for my own ends.