Chapter 272
Chapter 272
Translation: Godtl
The combination of magic and aura.
Anyone would have imagined it at some point. The idea itself isn't difficult to conceive. Far too many across this continent have romanticized that power.
Yet until now, no one had ever actually achieved it.
Mana and aura originate from the same substance, but that doesn't mean they can be simultaneously controlled.
Magic—which drags the unreal into reality through formulas, incantations, and complex mana circuits—requires a substantial amount of mana to execute. Mages train repeatedly to accumulate mana within their bodies.
On the other hand, aura is designed to amplify the user's strength, accelerate their movements, and turn their very energy into a blade directed at the enemy.
Thus, for aura, high-speed circulation of energy between the exterior and interior is more crucial than accumulation.
If mana is a fuel tank, then aura is an engine.
Using both simultaneously is, in simple terms, like praying that a fuel tank won't explode while operating it like an engine.
That's why, originally, the term "spellblade" on the Palind Continent referred to versatile individuals who could wield aura while also separately mastering magic.
A prime example is Hector, son of Ludwig. His strength lies in his flexibility—possessing both a fuel tank and an engine, he knows how to activate each appropriately depending on the situation.
Hector can even go further, using mana from the fuel tank to amplify his aura and accelerate his engine even more.
But no one would ever wish for a fuel tank to operate like an engine, nor would they try to extract fuel from within an engine.
Controlling that isn't within the realm of mana manipulation.
No—it isn't even within the realm of "control" anymore.
"......"
Cohen stared blankly at the sight before him.
A sword wrapped in aura blazed with flames. Despite such an impossible method of operation, Sybil's expression remained utterly composed—as if she weren't someone who should have long since been crippled.
"How long do you plan to keep standing there?"
Instead, it was Sybil who spoke first.
"You said you'd kill me, even if it meant earning the Gods' hatred."
"......Ghk!"
Cohen tightened his grip on his sword. Sybil was right. No matter what she did, Cohen had to kill her. There was no other choice—for Manggot's sake, and for his own path as a swordsman.
Yet his feet refused to move readily.
One of the Manggot soldiers watching from the side shouted.
"Sir Cohen! It's just a sword set on fire! There's no substance to such a cheap trick!"
But Cohen remained silent. Normally, he would have retorted, but now he just glared at Sybil like a mute who had eaten honey.
The Manggot soldiers exchanged glances.
From their perspective, Cohen was being excessively wary of Sybil's power. Understandable, since this was the first time he'd seen such an ability. Cohen was usually cautious to the point where his sarcastic remarks were actually feints meant to provoke his opponent. And as a Shepherd, he was responsible for leading Manggot's forces.
Being overly cautious against an unknown power was only natural.
The soldiers nodded. Their decision was swift.
Thud!
"We'll take care of her!"
Once again, the Manggot soldiers rushed at her from all directions.
Only one thing was different this time.
"Ah, no! Stop!!"
The fact that Cohen shouted to stop them.
Meanwhile, Sybil raised her rapier to shoulder height.
"Just a sword set on fire."
She repeated the soldier's words verbatim.
"Slightly different, but whatever."
As she spoke, she drew a horizontal semicircle with her sword toward the enemies charging at her. Flames spread along its trajectory.
"Hmph!"
As if they had anticipated this much, most of the soldiers wrapped their swords in aura and raised them defensively.
The flames Sybil unleashed struck their blades.
Whoosh—
In an instant, their entire bodies were engulfed in flames.
"Ghh—GAAAAAH!!"
Their raised swords offered no defense whatsoever—they had merely become moths leaping into a pit of fire.
"Aaah, aaaah, gwaaah!!"
Screams erupted from all directions. The blades began to melt, and the auras that had protected their bodies had long since dissipated.
Those screams didn't last more than a few seconds before dying down, and all those who had rushed at Sybil now lay charred and blackened, smoke rising from their bodies.
"Th-these idiots..."
Cohen gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected his subordinates to charge ahead. The terror he felt was something they couldn't comprehend.
Manggot had no understanding whatsoever of the level Sybil was demonstrating right now.
"It's not the swords burning... It's their auras that are ablaze..."
Cohen let out a belated lament as he stared at the corpses of his subordinates, now reduced to charred remains.
"And what will you do?"
Sybil asked Cohen. The implication was obvious. Would he fight, or would he flee?
"Huh, huhuh."
Cohen let out an inexplicable laugh.
"Manggot is Karma Fire. It burns—literally."
"......Very well."
Thud!
Cohen's foot finally moved. But instead of charging straight at Sybil, he darted to her left.
His speed was so great that it became difficult to track him with the naked eye.
If he couldn't block Sybil's sword, then he would completely evade its range and strike from behind. That was Cohen's judgment.
'This woman, her swordsmanship is still unrefined. If I exploit that gap, I can still—!'
Just as Cohen thought, Sybil's swordsmanship still fell short compared to his. Her control of spacing between weapons, her footwork to steal sightlines, her reactions after defending or dodging—all of it was lacking.
As long as he didn't touch that sword or its flames, Cohen still had a chance to win.
Crack!
Sybil's eyes, tracking Cohen's movement, froze for an instant as he abruptly changed direction. For a split second, she lost sight of him.
'Got her!'
The moment Cohen lunged at Sybil with absolute certainty—
Sybil Forte Original
Aura-Mana Fusion
Petal
White
The flames enveloping Sybil's sword vanished in an instant.
Zzt—CRACKLE!!
The blade wrapped itself in lightning, tearing through the ground and the air alike, shredding the void like paper.
Cohen, who had aimed for Sybil's back, saw her gleaming eyes staring straight at him from beyond her own shoulder.
'This woman... no way...'
Sybil's swordsmanship was still unrefined. And Sybil herself knew that better than anyone.
She had known Cohen would target the most vulnerable spot.
Had she used Petal from the start, the fight would have been far more advantageous.
But Sybil had deliberately shown Cohen the gaps in her swordsmanship.
Sybil did not believe in fate.
Not in the sense that she denied its influence, but rather that she had simply decided not to care.
No matter how much fate aided her,
no matter how much it shaped her future.
'That must be why Frondier said what he did.'
At this moment,
fate truly lay beneath Sybil's feet.
And before the outcome was even decided, Cohen realized his defeat.
'......From the very beginning, the one who entrusted himself to luck—'
—was me.
ZZZRRRIIIP—!
Just as the crimson petals set auras ablaze,
the white petals shattered them.
"Guh..."
Cohen's body was pierced through by lightning, like a lightning rod.
Thud.
He collapsed forward as if knocked unconscious.
Unlike his subordinates, he didn't scream, nor did his body show any fatal wounds.
But his unconsciousness would never be broken.
"......Kkh!"
Sybil released Petal and staggered.
She had acted unfazed, but the strain on her body was no small matter.
"......I killed someone."
Sybil wrapped her trembling arms around her shoulders.
She didn't yet know whether that trembling came from the recoil of using Petal or the guilt of taking a life.
"......This is."
However, there was one thing Sybil knew for certain.
"This is war, isn't it."
Her gaze looked beyond the barrier.
Though she had killed the Shepherd of Manggot and defeated his subordinates,
the Monsters still surged forward like waves.
She didn't know whether Medart of the Zodiac was dead or unconscious, but he was undoubtedly incapacitated. Sybil, too, had nearly exhausted her strength from the recent battle.
The knights and soldiers atop the barrier were still desperately holding the line.
Sybil's victory was undoubtedly a monumental achievement, yet the war continued to darken and weigh heavily beneath her feet.
"......Hurry."
Hurry, Frondier.
The countdown is drawing near.
While everyone at the Empire's barrier fought desperately to hold the line,
"......Finally."
Frondier stood atop a mountain ridge.
Going further from here would take him to the western edge.
There, one could see a vast horizon—literally reaching the sea. It was something the people of the Empire, confined within the walls, might never see in their entire lives.
Manggot was nestled in a cave beneath that cliff.
"Mother. How's the situation?"
Frondier spoke into the phone.
[......We're barely holding on.]
"Has any of Manggot breached the barrier yet?"
[The situation is chaotic, so I can't see everything, but it doesn't seem so. Even if they had, unless they dealt a critical blow, I doubt they'd use teleportation immediately.]
Currently, the Empire was protected by a dual surveillance system.
One was Malia's sensory sharing. She synchronized the vision of key personnel, gathering all information from the barrier's various fronts. Malia relayed the situation instantly to the Imperial Palace and Frondier, allowing the palace to devise detailed strategies accordingly.
The other was the Magic Circle led by Osprey and his mages. Though Osprey couldn't perceive everything simultaneously like Malia, his mastery of spatial magic allowed him to endlessly scan the interior of the Magic Circle.
While this significantly reduced the barrier's combat strength, unlike the barrier—whose collapse could be roughly predicted—Manggot's incursions could happen in an instant. Among the mages maintaining this Magic Circle was Lunia Fricell.
"Where is May right now?"
[May? Hmm, I think she's at the northwestern barrier.]
Hearing this, Frondier nodded. Of course, Malia couldn't see it, so it was more of an affirmation to himself.
"Understood. I'll contact you again."
[......Frondier. It's hard to say this, but the barrier is reaching its limit.]
"Yes, it's surprising it's held out this long."
[You have a plan, don't you?]
"I do."
A firm, concise reply.
As if that was enough, Malia told him to be careful and ended the call.
Frondier's gaze stretched into the distance.
"Should be within range now."
He still had a bit farther to walk to infiltrate Manggot, but—
"Menosorpo."
For some reason, Frondier activated the Magic Circle right where he stood.
His enormous Magic Circle summoned a massive anomaly within its domain. Manggot would undoubtedly notice.
That's right.
From the very beginning, Frondier had no intention of "infiltrating" Manggot.
Fabrication
Grade - Protagonist God Rank
Mjolnir
Fabrication
Grade - Legendary
Excalibur
He held a sword and hammer in each hand.
Contrary to the Empire's knowledge—and Belphegor's assumptions—
Frondier knew the "exact location" of Manggot.
"I have no intention of fighting on enemy territory."
With those words—
Aura Release, Sword Energy
Frondier Original
Sword Essence
Craa—aa—aash—!!
Frondier struck the pommel of Excalibur with Mjolnir.
Excalibur, saturated with Frondier's mana, unleashed a Sword Energy that retained the form of the blade.
Kwaaaa—aaang!!!
Excalibur's Sword Energy obliterated the cliff where Manggot was hiding below, sending up a massive cloud of dust.
A single strike like this wouldn't bring down Manggot, but it was more than enough to shake them to their core.
"Come out."
Frondier's eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he spoke, his quiet voice carrying absolute certainty.
"I've wanted to kill you for a very, very long time."