Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Clash with the Divine Beast
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crackle!!
Overload detected in the body. Maintaining constant acceleration will cause the body to break down.
The swordsmanship I wield primarily involves explosive acceleration in the instant an enemy attacks, creating the illusion that I'm manipulating time on my own.
There were good reasons for fighting that way.
Because realistically, it's impossible to maintain that speed constantly.
The stronger and tougher I become, the higher that threshold rises—and no matter how strong I get, I can't keep the acceleration up indefinitely.
So the bursts of acceleration I use last from one to two seconds.
Even stretching it, three seconds at most—always quite short.
But right now, I had already kept it going for nearly ten seconds while sprinting down this long, long corridor.
Short time, but the distance covered wasn't short.
Boom!!! Boom boom!!!
And chasing after me like a madman was Barba.
She might have already snapped her neck by now.
She's much slower than the Barba I know...
Has she weakened?
Even if weakened, her base specs wouldn't vanish.
If I were alone, maybe—but carrying Melissa as baggage, my odds were endlessly slim.
The sharp pain shooting through my legs made me grit my teeth, just as I prepared to leap again.
"Leon!! The bastard vanished...?!"
"Tch..."
Boom!!!
In an instant, the blazing claws of light from the one blocking my path slashed through the empty air I'd been aiming for.
Shockingly, the golden flames lingered in the air where the claws had passed, burning fiercely in the perfect shape of claws.
"Ugh?!"
Melissa couldn't see ahead, so she had no idea what was happening.
But somehow, Barba had moved faster than her own speed and cut me off.
I reflexively pulled back, but I couldn't fully escape the impact.
That movement just now wasn't Barba's normal ability.
Related to this space somehow?
Barba alone was dangerous enough, and now special abilities too.
The aura emanating from the rift had been so faint it barely registered Barba's presence—I'd let my guard down because of that.
Even more astonishingly, it was holding Luna Bazilin Raphaelria in its mouth, chains wrapped around her.
Whether unconscious or already dead, she dangled limply without a twitch.
Thanks to the transparent barrier, its teeth hadn't pierced her flesh yet—but even that wouldn't hold out much longer.
Angry over the failed ambush?
It casually flung the girl from its mouth and began powering up.
Just a little further...
That was when it happened.
Clank!!!
Chains of light shot in from all directions, wrapping around Barba.
"Don't just stand there gawking like an idiot—get out of here."
Thanks to the translucent protective barrier, she was still alive. Her eyes were closed, but she stared straight at me.
"Still kicking, huh."
"I couldn't die even if I wanted to. Cough cough."
She spat up a gush of blood, tightening the chains around Barba even more.
"Can't hold it long. Ride that rift entrance out to the surface."
"And you die like that?"
"I've lived long enough."
A resolute answer.
"I called you here and put you in danger. I'll make damn sure you both get out alive."
In a life-or-death situation, she could've been selfish about it.
But in her words, I sensed something strange and fanatical I couldn't quite place.
"Leon."
That was when Melissa spoke up from my arms, her voice tinged with fatigue.
"That thing... can't you kill it?"
The same question as before. But I gave a slightly different answer.
"Looks like it's weakened quite a bit."
"Does that mean it's possible, or not?"
"Possible, but no reason to take on that kind of risk."
She nodded at my explanation.
Then she gazed with a complicated expression at the pink-haired girl collapsed on the floor.
"I get how you feel, but we have to face reality, Melissa."
Her sacrificing herself to buy us escape time was one thing—but this was separate.
"Yeah. Let's go."
I was just about to scoop her up again.
A long trail of blood stretched from where she'd crawled.
"..."
"What's wrong?"
Her legs bore a massive wound, no sacred flames to be seen.
The moment I registered the injury, something snapped inside my head.
"Leon?"
"Gotta change the plan. We're killing that thing here."
I revised on the spot.
"No, what are you... uh..."
Melissa, who'd been flustered at first, took one look at my face and flinched.
Extreme rage clouds judgment...
'Shut up.'
Crackle!
The text floating in the air glitched with noise and shattered, but I ignored it completely. Sword drawn, I advanced on the beast.
At the same time, as a 6th Circle Necromancer, my death mana began surging explosively.
The Divine Beast Barba sensed something from me and crouched low, ready to pounce at any moment.
Step...
And then.
The instant my left foot touched the ground after slowly stepping forward...
Boom!!!
With the sound of air exploding, my figure appeared right in front of it.
Its gaze had lost me for a split second, sluggishly shifting from where I'd been toward me.
"If your judgment's late, you pay the price."
You wouldn't know, but I've fought this Divine Beast Barba to the point of boredom. Of course, back then I was far stronger than now.
[4th Circle Necromancy Magic]
[Deadly Enchant]
The death mana-enchanted pseudo sword aura took one of its eyes.
Leon's movements were mysteriously fluid no matter how many times you saw them.
How could such power and speed emerge from a human body—one that wasn't even a Sword Master?
"Hey, you okay?"
"Foolish beyond belief. That attack was utterly meaningless. I bought you time, and this is what you do?"
Melissa approached the girl collapsed on the floor—Luna Bazilin Raphaelria—still bound tight in chains, and helped her up.
"That was the plan at first, but Leon changed his mind."
"..."
Just moments ago, Leon had been ready to flee. But now, he radiated a cold killing intent that could slice you apart if you so much as brushed him.
On top of that, each time he accelerated, aura poured from his entire body, tracing paths through the air that shimmered sky-blue like his eyes.
"Heck if I know what goes through that guy's head anymore."
Letting out a soft sigh, Melissa did what she could.
Get Luna Bazilin out of there fast without getting in his way.
She hoisted the chained girl onto her back and stood.
Luna's voice came again.
"A big brother who loses it the moment his little sister gets hurt. You two must be closer than I thought."
"Don't make me laugh. Does he strike you as the type?"
She said that, but Melissa's expression was oddly complicated.
Thinking back, ever since Leon changed, he'd grumbled at her nonstop—but the moment she was hurt, he didn't hold back.
When Bishiri Cascadia slapped her, he'd smashed through the door and kicked him flying without a second thought. She'd chalked it up to revenge for the kidnapping.
But with the black mist monster too, and his usual speech patterns... even his complaints dripped with excessive worry for her.
"Ahem. Probably nothing. He only moves if it benefits him. Anyway, anything we can do to help?"
Luna answered Melissa's question firmly.
"We're useless. Go grab some tea and snacks."
"What kind of answer is that? You had those chains earlier—couldn't you use them to bind it or something...?"
"That was the last chance. I have no power left."
"You're more useless than I thought."
As Melissa narrowed her eyes and snarked, Luna's brow twitched.
"This seal drained all my power. I'm not weak."
"Can't you break the seal? Then you could help Leon."
"Of course, if the seal breaks, I could suppress that thing. But I don't recommend it. As you can see, I'm a fallen being."
Wait, you're the one bringing it up? Melissa couldn't help but let out an incredulous laugh.
"Least of all, I don't see someone sacrificing themselves to save people as a bad person."
"More importantly, there's no way to break this seal."
At her words, Melissa tugged at the chains experimentally.
They looked sloppily wrapped, but felt surprisingly solid.
"Argh, this is pissing me off."
She yanked hard on the chains wildly.
"Futile effort. These chains are the sealing ritual itself. Unless the ritual is destroyed from within, it's meaningless..."
Clack.
"Huh. One came loose."
"Why did that come loose?"
Luna Bazilin was shocked even in this situation—but calmly so.
There was no room for complex talk in the fight.
The Divine Beast Barba swung sacred flames that tore and burned even the air itself.
Leon countered with death mana-enchanted pseudo sword aura.
Their clash instantly wreaked havoc across the entire area.
Barba's claws left scars on the floor, in the air, on the ceiling—everywhere—lingering as they burned before slowly fading.
Meanwhile, Leon kept stabbing at its openings with his sword while unleashing unidentified necromancy spells nonstop.
-Grrrrr...
Golden flames flickered from Barba's maw, and Leon gave up dodging or blocking. He explosively drew up his death mana.
The moment the flames came flying, scorching even the air, he vanished and reappeared like spatial jumps—three or four times—exploiting the gaps in its assault.
Shriiing!!!
Of course, Barba knew his speed and swung its claws in retaliation.
Its claws rent the air, leaving massive flame scars.
But they never touched Leon.
As if he'd anticipated it perfectly, he twisted his body aside and plunged his death mana-condensed sword straight into its flesh.
[6th Circle Necromancy Magic]
[Curse Explosion]
Countless curses embedded in the blade ravaged the wound and burrowed deep.
The razor-sharp sword aura sliced through hide and muscle, and the infiltrating magic began resonating with the atmosphere.
In an instant, oxygen was sucked in, and dozens of magic circles materialized around it before detonating curses across its body in a chain of explosions.
Boom boom boom boom boooom!!!!
A heavy shockwave rocked its massive frame.
-Kraaaang!!!!
Leon always prepared two or three moves ahead before striking. It desperately whipped its tail to shake him off, but Barba's huge body couldn't help but stagger.
```