Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Inquisitor's Fall
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“Captain!!”
“The Captain’s here! Fall back!”
“It’s the Captain! Surround that bastard! We’ll just get in the way!”
Their mere arrival boosted morale.
Kallias sneered as he surveyed the frozen dead and mangled bodies, spotting nobles among them that still needed killing.
“Ruen, you good?”
His opponent wielded a sword no different from an illusion blade.
A single swing slowed the body, and the slightest touch froze it solid—a ridiculous power.
Only Kallias and Ruen could even cross blades amid that chill.
“It’ll be tough, but what choice do I have? Gotta do it.”
“Good answer.”
No sooner had he steeled himself than Gide’s frowning sword charged in.
One swing unleashed a storm of frost.
Kwaaa—!
“I’ll break through.”
Tyrant Sword gathered sword aura in the form of the Other Shore Flower.
Hard as dragon scales, the aura coalesced in a single stroke and pierced the cold in one go.
Kwaaaang!!
The Other Shore Flower burst the wave of frost like a crashing tide, and amid it, the Golden Lion shot forward like an arrow, swinging his golden aura.
“As expected of the South’s Golden Lion! But you’re still just a cub!”
Gide’s admiring shout rang out as his sword whipped toward him without pause.
Kwaga!
A lightning-fast downward slash.
Pure white frost-coated sword aura engulfed the Golden Lion.
But right then—
Crack-crack-crack! Kwa-jang-chang!!
The Golden Lion shattered the ice chunks and charged at Gide.
“Golden Armor Sword!”
The Golden Lion’s body was now clad head to toe in armor, as if it had never been otherwise.
Full plate armor.
The Golden Lion’s Golden Armor Sword.
This metal-manipulating technique armored his entire body.
Layered with rippling golden aura like a lion’s mane, his defense defied imagination.
No one was unaware of the Golden Lion’s might as he dominated the battlefield in rigid sword and armor. The moniker wasn’t earned lightly, and even Gide couldn’t hide his surprise.
“No matter how tough you are, once frozen, you’re powerless!”
Crack! It froze.
Starting from his legs, the Golden Lion’s body slowly stiffened.
He shook it off a few times, but the frost’s aftereffect was stronger than expected.
He swung his sword down swiftly, but—
“!”
Even the sword froze at some point.
‘When…?’
“Kekeke! Even the South’s lion is helpless before my masterpiece! Now’s the time! Hand over your neck nicely!”
As the ghost-like figure closed in to cleave down—
Chaeng—!
Kallias blocked Gide’s sword.
“You shouldn’t forget I’m here.”
“Fool!”
Crack-crack! Frost poured out as if to freeze them blade-to-blade.
But in that instant, an explosion erupted.
Boom—!
The light blast dispersed the cold.
Gide’s brow furrowed.
“What did you do?”
“If you’re curious, come at me more.”
Boom! Kwaang!
The Other Shore Flower imbued in his sword.
Its principle blasted the frost itself away.
He’d taken the hit at first, but now that he knew the foe wielded ice-affinity power—
He had no intention of taking it lying down.
Kwaaang!
He swept away the frost once more and thrust his sword, while slipping his left hand into subspace to draw another blade.
The sword emerging from thin air was the Judgment Sword.
He wanted to draw the Thunderclap Sword too, but with so many eyes watching, he had no choice but to stick with Tyrant Sword and Judgment Sword.
One hand gripped Tyrant Sword.
The other, Judgment Sword.
The Thunderclap Sword had overshadowed them, but Tyrant Sword was no slouch.
Nor was Judgment Sword.
“Who’s that behind you?”
“As if!”
“Words say otherwise.”
Contrary to Gide’s claim, the Judgment Sword’s blade darkened to black.
As Tyrant Sword’s slash was repelled, he thrust Judgment Sword in.
Unlike Tyrant Sword, bounced back by the frost, Judgment Sword held firm.
“!”
It sliced through the cold, heading for Gide’s head.
Kikikikik!!
Its sharpness and power surpassed spirit-grade.
The blackened Judgment Sword’s blade rivaled even the illusion sword.
“What sword is this?”
“The one that’ll judge you.”
“Nonsense!”
Frost blasted out in tandem.
He wrapped himself in Other Shore Flower, repelling it with explosive force, then spun body and blade to slash Tyrant Sword from below upward once more.
A single stroke carving from left to right.
Chaang! Gide’s balance crumbled.
Both arms rose skyward, exposing his side.
Kallias ducked low, passed him by, gripped Judgment Sword in reverse, and slashed.
Chwaak!
“Guh!!”
But disappointingly shallow.
Gide had raised his leg to guard his side, grazing only his thigh.
Blood trickled out, then promptly froze, staunching the flow.
“Fine sword, but the wielder’s a worm who can’t use it right.”
“Arrogant…!”
Tyrant Sword’s power was gravity.
The gravity field pressed down on the area. It concentrated weight on the slashed spot.
Kallias had pondered one hypothesis while wielding Tyrant Sword.
‘What if I narrowed the gravity field’s range?’
In a one-on-one, down to about a meter. Or fifty centimeters?
The field centered on himself.
If minimized to the utmost?
Thud—
“Urk! What?!”
Naturally, the gravity intensified.
Sudden weight during a swing could only cause panic.
And in battle, a split-second fluster led straight to death.
“No matter how mighty Growing Swordsmanship is, it’s all the same.”
Kallias didn’t miss the opening.
Chwaak!
“Shallow again. You’re good at dodging.”
“Damn you!”
Side slashed, but shallow.
He still lacked proficiency to maintain Other Shore Flower constantly.
But it didn’t matter.
The more wounds, the slower Gide got.
And he wasn’t alone here.
“Hraaaap!”
Melting the ice, the Golden Lion barreled in like a tank.
Kwaaang! Kaang, chaeng! Kwagagagak!!
Gide faltered against the onslaught from the fully armored foe, unable to unleash his full power.
He spread frost, but far weaker than before.
“It’s nearly over.”
The end was in sight.
Kallias watched for an opening between them, slipped in without greed, and carved Gide’s body.
Stab-stab. The more gashes, the heavier Gide’s frame became.
Like the Golden Lion tanking while Kallias chipped away damage.
The more wounds, the slower his movements, with flaws piling up.
Even his frost output weakened, limits showing.
“Y-You bastards…!”
Gide bellowed in fury, but Golden Lion and Kallias methodically dismantled him.
No matter how mighty the sword, the user’s holy power was finite.
To him, Lament was a pearl around a pig’s neck.
Skek!
“Gaaaaah!!”
Good feedback.
Looking back, Gide’s arm flew through the air, spraying blood.
Yet his judgment was sharp.
Gide leaped up, snatched the severed arm, and reattached it to his stump. Frost from the sword sealed the cut.
Normally, pain would prevent it, but deranged, his decisions were eerily swift.
Perhaps due to the sword he held.
“Tch.”
Then he froze the entire ground and fled sliding away.
Pretty fast.
“I’ll pursue.”
Golden Lion gave chase at once, but Kallias didn’t bother.
He gripped a greatsword from subspace.
Arpen Family heirloom.
Galaxian.
He reversed it and raised it overhead.
Holy power coursed through his body, swelling arm and shoulder muscles.
“Hup…!”
He hurled it spear-like at a single point.
Whiiiirrr—!
“You bastard…!”
Kaaang!
Blocked, but his balance shattered.
A massive shadow loomed over him.
“Huh…!”
Golden Lion charging like a living battering ram.
He gripped his sword two-handed and cleaved from shoulder to hip.
“Gek!”
Chest split, Gide tumbled across the ground, howling in agony. Eyes bloodshot, he raised his head.
“It’s over.”
From above, Kallias’s Galaxian plummeted, cleaving the sky in two, straight for his head.
“You think I’ll go down like this?!”
Barely swinging his arm unleashed frost and sharp ice shards at Kallias.
“No chance.”
Kallias ignored it. His body was already hardened to diamond rigidity by Galaxian.
“Y-You?!”
Frost raged, but the sword didn’t slow.
He took the attack head-on and smashed Galaxian down.
Kwaaang—!!
Barely blocked, but futile.
Kallias infused Galaxian with Other Shore Flower’s principle.
Pinned and detonated.
Crushed his left shoulder with the massive greatsword.
“Gek…!!”
From shoulder up, his upper body tore apart.
Light faded from his eyes.
Black blood spewing from his mouth signaled the end.
“I’ll make sure.”
Kallias watched Gide’s finale calmly when Golden Lion approached to finish it.
Neatly severed the head.
Headless body crumpled to the ground.
“Wooooah!!”
“We believed in you, Captain!!”
“My lord! I believed too!!”
“Shut it, Brans.”
“Captain! Incredible!”
“Any injuries?”
The Sixth Spear and knights had gathered unnoticed, celebrating Kallias and Golden Lion’s victory.
Some spat on the sprawled corpse or hurled curses.
“Whew….”
Tension easing, Kallias and Golden Lion slumped down.
“You were holding back.”
“Sparring and life-or-death are different.”
Not really hiding it.
Though he had grown since then. Perfect timing with new insight into Other Shore Flower’s principle. Fighting Gide honed his control.
Plus, quest complete—got a Physique Draw Ticket as reward…
‘What?’
Intense dissonance surged.
Kallias’s eyes froze.
‘Quest completion…’
Hadn’t triggered yet.
“What’s wrong?”
Rising in disbelief—
“Haha! This unlucky bastard put on quite the show at dawn. I’ll clean up now, so rest easy, Captain!”
“Get away!”
Golden Lion Knights’ Vice-Captain.
A sword protruded from the Vice-Captain’s chest.
“Guhk!! H-How….”
Thud.
The Vice-Captain perished.
“Vice-Captain!!”
Golden Lion’s face hardened.
“Count. This is…”
“Things just got messy.”
Headless and shoulder mangled, yet he rose.
Frost emanated from the body, crackling as it froze solid.
Shoulder wound sealed, whole body turning to armor.
Ice armor.
Just like Ruen’s full plate from Golden Armor Sword.
‘This is bad.’
Rising headless was some phenomenon from the sword’s resident power.
Now mimicking his foe’s techniques.
Implying some intelligence.
Whether the sword’s innate ability or potent grudge, couldn’t leave it be.
Who knew what battle experience it’d accrue later.
Couldn’t let it escape.
Absolutely.
“Whew~ Looks like quite the brawl.”
Chills ran down spines alongside sticky killing intent and a tone mismatched to the dire scene.
It rose from the shadows.
“!!”
—Seruk
A slash black as ink.
Like a brush laden with ink swung wide—it severed the iced-armored arm in one stroke.
Swirl.
Thud.
The shadow clutching the severed arm hit the ground, forming a figure.
The black shadow gained color: red hair, verdant eyes.
“This thing’s too tough. Not even sure if it’s scratched.”
Smiling at Kallias, Helena sheathed her twin blades with a click.
The paladin called Helena.
Top of the Five Saints: Golden Flower Gate Serpent.
Gold Lion.