Chapter 47
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 47. 20th Floor (4)
The left flank of the battle line was in jeopardy.
A beast-type monster encroached by red energy was aiming for the napes of the soldiers over the shield wall.
"Kuaaak!!"
One young soldier lost his balance and fell.
It was the moment the bastards' sharp claws were about to tear the soldier's chest apart.
Along with a cool wind blowing from somewhere, Cassia blocked the soldier's front.
The Rapier held in her hand began to dance.
It was a speed the eyes couldn't follow.
She thrust into the empty air three times in a short moment of less than a second.
Then an unbelievable sight unfolded.
Following the trajectory where the sword passed, light-purple afterimages remained distinctly in the empty air.
They stayed in that place without disappearing, as if a picture was drawn in the empty air with a brush.
Every time she swung the sword, 2, 3, 4 afterimages were created in succession.
Before he knew it, a beautiful curtain made of light-purple light was drawn in front of the soldier.
A beast-type monster, knowing nothing, threw its body trying to break through that curtain.
*—Sizzzzzzle!*
"Yelp!"
As soon as the bastard's body touched the afterimage, its flesh was torn off along with a burning smell.
The trajectory of the sword remaining in the empty air itself became a sharp blade and mercilessly hacked the bastard's hide.
The bastards that touched the afterimages screamed and tumbled around, and taking advantage of that gap, the soldier was able to save his life.
"Your Highness...!"
Leaving behind the soldier's emotion-filled shout, Cassia immediately turned her gaze towards the next target.
There, a giant bastard on a different level from regular monsters was holding out.
It was a mutant humanoid monster boasting a size as big as a house.
The bastard was even wearing bone armor over its thick leather, ignoring the soldiers' attacks and advancing.
"Step aside!"
Cassia shouted and dug into that monster's embrace.
The humanoid monster slammed its giant fist down, but she flexibly bent her body and dodged the attack.
At the same time, her sword pierced the bastard's thigh.
*—Stab!*
"Grrr?"
Perhaps thinking it was just a needle prick, the humanoid monster snorted.
But a bizarre phenomenon occurred at the pierced area.
A light-purple flame flared up from the wound.
A flame containing cool mana instead of hot heat was engraved clearly like a brand on the bastard's flesh.
It was the brand effect of [Double Detonation].
Cassia's eyes shone fiercely.
She didn't step back and aimed for the same spot once again.
The sword tip rushed exactly towards the center of the brand where the purple flame flared.
*—Flash!*
It was the moment the second thrust touched the brand.
The blade dug deep as if sucked into the wound.
And.
*—Booooom!!!*
A roar erupted.
Explosive energy burst out from inside the Ogre's thigh.
A destructive power incomparable to the first attack crushed the bastard's muscles and bones from the inside.
"Kuaaargh!"
The confident monster's scream rang through the battlefield.
The bastard's solid leg ruptured from the inside like a balloon popping, becoming tattered.
The giant body lost its balance and collapsed with a crash.
*—Thud!*
The disadvantageous tide of battle turned advantageous at once with Cassia's intervention.
With Cassia at the vanguard, we marched towards the direction where the Emperor disappeared.
The deeper we went in, the number of attacking monsters increased exponentially, and their ferocity was also incomparable to before.
But all those threats were neutralized in front of just one person.
*—Flash!*
Every time Cassia swung the Rapier, a light-purple trajectory embroidered the empty air, and the monsters that touched that beautiful line fell without even being able to scream.
It was an elegant yet fatal movement, as if she were dancing.
In the middle of the battlefield where monster blood scattered like raindrops, she alone was shining nobly.
*—Slice.*
The neck of the last remaining mutant monster fell.
Cassia sheathed her sword without letting out a single rough breath.
She blankly looked down at the Rapier held in her hand.
Destructive power and speed that was hard to believe was her own strength.
She slowly turned her head and looked at me following behind.
Complicated emotions brushed past her purple eyes.
Gratitude, wonder, and something deeper.
But she didn't say anything.
Knowing that now was not the time to be soaked in sentiment, she silently moved her steps forward again.
It was when Cassia and I were forging a bloody path and advancing like that.
*—Rumble!*
A creepy roar that sounded like the atmosphere was screaming was heard.
I instinctively raised my head.
From the darkness far away, a giant dark-red crescent moon was flying towards us.
It was sword aura launched by the Emperor.
"Dodge!!"
Even before my shout could reach, the sword aura descended upon us.
*—Craaaaash!!*
"Uwaaaak!"
"Kugh!"
The screams of the soldiers following behind burst out.
Dirt and dust rose thickly, blocking our vision.
But the attack was not over.
Piercing through the dust cloud, a second sword aura rushed in.
Cassia was in a state where her posture was broken from cleaning up the swarming monsters just a moment ago.
She couldn't react.
"Damn it!"
I had no choice but to step forward.
I gripped the [Mithril Greatsword of Blast] tightly with both hands and threw my body towards the trajectory of the sword aura.
*—Kaaang!!*
"Kuuugh...!"
The shock battered my entire body.
It was heavy.
It felt like a giant mountain was pressing down on my sword.
It was a pressure on a different level from the monsters I had faced so far.
I held on, gritting my teeth so hard that blood seeped from my gums.
"Hiyah!"
With all my might, I struck the sword aura upwards from below.
The sword aura altered its trajectory and soared into the sky.
But to strike the sword up, both my arms were lifted, and those arms momentarily blocked my vision.
In that fleeting moment.
A spine-chilling killing intent was felt right under my nose.
When I lowered my arms and secured my vision, bloodshot red eyes were already looking down at me right before my eyes.
Having narrowed the distance before I knew it, he was striking his sword down with an expressionless face.
Crazy...!
There was no time to think.
[Skill: Item Summon]
[Activating 'Low-Grade Swordsmanship' of Pale Moon Sword.]
The Pale Moon Sword summoned behind my back hummed and forcibly raised the sensations of my body.
Regardless of my will, my muscles twisted and took a defensive posture.
*—Clash!!!*
The Emperor's sword and my armor collided.
I thought I blocked it, but my body was pushed back by the shock.
*—Ding!*
[Absorbed a powerful shock.]
[Charging: 50%]
"Cough...!"
With just one attack, the energy of the Mithril Armor filled up by half.
I gasped for rough breath and glared at the Emperor.
He is fast and strong.
Perfect swordsmanship without a single superfluous movement and overwhelming physical abilities.
The moment I take my eyes off him, my head will fly off.
I raised the greatsword above my head and took a high stance.
Without letting go of the string of tension, I kept an eye on the Emperor's movements.
It was then.
*—Pop!*
The Emperor's figure blurred, and then he appeared right before my nose again as if skipping through space.
It was a bizarre movement that I couldn't tell if it was ground-shrinking technique or teleportation.
But I won't fall for it twice.
I was predicting the position where the bastard would appear.
"This time it's my turn!"
I struck down the greatsword, which I had been timing, from top to bottom with all my might.
At this distance, he wouldn't be able to dodge.
But the Emperor didn't panic.
Using his right foot extended forward as an axis, he spun his body around like a top.
It was a calm movement like flowing water.
My greatsword brushed past the Emperor's hem and vainly cleaved the ground.
As a momentary gap appeared, the Emperor carried his rotational force as it was and launched a counterattack toward my flank.
*—Thwack!!*
"Keugh!"
A heavy shock battered my flank.
Along with bone-ringing pain, a system message popped up.
[Absorbed the shock.]
[Charging: 100%]
Enduring the pain, I immediately activated the skill.
The energy accumulated in the armor emitted a blue light, finishing its preparation to explode.
[Discharge]
*—Vwoooom!*
A dazzling blue flash erupted from the armor.
I was certain he wouldn't be able to dodge it since it was an explosion detonating at close range.
But at that moment, the Emperor's eyes flashed.
He seemed to have felt a sense of incongruity in the fleeting moment the armor emitted light.
Forcibly twisting his attacking posture, he kicked the ground and shot backward.
*—Craaaaash!!!*
A massive explosion occurred, but the Emperor wasn't there.
The Emperor, who landed just outside the explosion's range, was indifferently looking at me while brushing off dust.
I blankly watched that sight.
"Ha...?"
A hollow laugh burst from my mouth.
He reacted and dodged in that fleeting moment right before it detonated?
Beast-like senses and superhuman reaction speed.
That was something beyond the category of human.
Sweating cold sweat, I gripped the greatsword properly.
This... is going to be much tougher than I thought?
*—Clang!*
Sparks flew.
I gritted my teeth and swung the greatsword.
Horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust.
The 'Low-Grade Swordsmanship' of the Pale Moon Sword floating behind my back was guiding my body, but these three techniques were all I could command.
Awfully simple and linear movements.
That was my limit.
On the other hand, the Emperor's sword was as free as if it were alive.
He was seeing right through my monotonous attack trajectories.
Every time my sword cleaved the empty air, he parried the attacks with very minute movements and dug into the gaps.
It was like a fight between a child and an adult.
And the Emperor wasn't just dodging.
Through the explosion just before and a few bouts of offensive and defensive exchanges, in that short moment, he had seen through the characteristics of my armor.
I couldn't tell if it was instinct or intellect, but the Emperor's attack method changed subtly.
*—Swoosh!*
The Emperor's sword fell from above my head.
I reflexively raised the greatsword to block it.
It was clearly a trajectory striking down from top to bottom.
But at the fleeting moment the swords were about to clash, the Emperor's wrist bent bizarrely.
The blade that was coming down in a straight line curved like a snake and dodged my sword.
The part where the plates of the armor connected—it was the unprotected gap of the joint.
*—Stab!*
"Kugh!"
A cool sensation dug into the gap between my shoulder and forearm.
It wasn't deep, but the pain of flesh tearing was vivid.
I hurriedly stepped back and checked the [Charging] status.
[Charging: 0%]
"......Ha."
As expected.
Because I didn't block it with the armor's durability or defense but was stabbed in the gap, energy wasn't accumulated.
If it's like this, 'Discharge' was as good as sealed.
Blood flowed down and soaked my forearm.
Each individual wound wasn't fatal, but if this accumulated, the result was obvious.
"This won't do."
There is no chance of winning in close combat.
I kicked the ground and widened the distance from the Emperor significantly.
At the same time, I put the [Mithril Greatsword of Blast] held in my hand into the inventory and took out the red staff.
The red core attached to the end of the staff smelled the blood on the battlefield and vibrated unpleasantly.
It was that moment.
"Ugh!"
I grabbed my head.
A sticky and unpleasant voice ringing directly in my head.
'......What? You're really a 'Legend'?'
It was a voice with a distinct ego, on a different level from the system's dry notification sounds.
The voice rummaged through my head as if scanning me.
'Kekeke... Although you're still a greenhorn who's only slick on the outside.'
A voice mixed with ridicule continued.
'Still, you'll be more useful than a 'failure' like that.'
As soon as those words ended, my vision was dyed red.
Something like a black fog swept over my consciousness.
*—Ding!*
[Immune to status effects.]
The red fog that was tightly filling my head cleared like a lie.
My mind cleared as if doused with cold water.
Then a voice clearly showing signs of bewilderment was heard again.
'......Oho?'
The bastard fell silent for a moment as if unable to believe it, then soon muttered in a tone of interest.
'Even if a greenhorn, a legend is a legend, is that it....'
Killing intent was felt in the voice.
But soon the bastard added indifferently as if it lost interest.
'Well, probably no need to bother. Since the goal is already achieved.'
With those words, the voice ringing in my head disappeared like smoke.
"Huff... Huff...."
I gasped for rough breath and wiped off my cold sweat.
What on earth was that just now?
The master of the Red Rift? Or the administrator of the Tower?
What was certain was that it was the main culprit who made the Emperor into that state.
And the bastard called me a 'Legend'.
It recognized my class grade.
My spine chilled, but right now I didn't have the luxury to harbor such questions.
*—Pop!*
The Emperor was narrowing the distance again.
The bastard's eyes were still bloodshot red, glaring with killing intent to kill me.
I shook off distracting thoughts and aimed the staff at the Emperor.
The core blinked red and created dozens of blood drops in the empty air.
*—Shoo-shoosh-shook!*
Red bullets poured down like rain and flew towards the Emperor.
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