Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Chapter 13: Time of Reckoning (4)
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Dozens of massive water pillars.
Their volume was more than enough to turn the gourmet district into an ocean right then and there.
The fact that Heinz Schwarzenbeck could wield such enormous power with such skill was impressive.
‘In terms of sheer power, he’s above me.’
7th Circle and 8th Circle.
Just one level’s difference, but it could never be ignored.
But Martin wasn’t worried.
‘Because battles aren’t decided by power alone.’
This wasn’t bravado.
For one, his opponent couldn’t fully utilize his 8th Circle power due to his age.
Moreover, even before his regression, he had real experience defeating Heinz.
That was why he had stepped into this fight.
‘Back then, I was 7th Circle too.’
And not just the same level—considering he hadn’t mastered the Arellia swordsmanship yet, he could be seen as even weaker than now.
‘I’ll get the same result this time.’
With that, Martin steeled his resolve.
Watching him, Heinz sneered at his opponent.
“I’ll end this quickly, young master.”
Revealing his confidence, Heinz pointed his sword.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The dozens of water pillars split into countless streams and poured toward Martin.
Each one vibrated intensely, infused with the light of an aura blade.
‘A powerful technique, but...’
Having faced it before, he knew exactly how to counter it.
Martin swung his sword through the air at terrifying speed.
Chwaaak!
With each swing of the blade, golden trajectories shot out, weaving together like a net.
The streams crashed against it, but all lost their original paths and scattered in every direction.
But Heinz didn’t care and pressed the attack.
‘He has more mana than me, but my output is stronger.’
Thanks to the dragon’s curse, Martin had an abnormal amount of mana, but his unique ability was still stuck at 3rd Circle.
In contrast, his own unique ability was 4th Circle.
With a clear advantage there, he had to exploit it fully.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Heinz’s streams grew even fiercer.
Their number increased as well.
Martin swung his sword faster too, but as time passed, signs of him being pushed back became evident.
Proving it, the number of golden trajectories rapidly dwindled.
‘Looks like I’ve won, young master.’
Certain of victory, Heinz leisurely predicted Martin’s next move.
The options left to him were two.
One was teleporting to escape or ambush, the other manipulating the air to disrupt the water flow.
He was confident he could counter either.
As he watched Martin closely,
Wung.
He saw space distort.
‘Teleportation!’
Heinz’s eyes flashed.
At the same time, he flicked his left hand, and hundreds of streams tried to wrap around Martin’s body.
That was when.
His opponent’s face suddenly drew close.
To prevent variables, he had kept over 100 meters between them.
Now the gap had narrowed to within 1 meter.
‘Space compression?!’
Freely manipulating distance was Valdemar von Rustal’s specialty.
It was known as one of the trickiest spatial abilities to handle.
No matter how much Martin’s space dominance was the pinnacle of spatial unique abilities, he had only manifested it a few months ago.
So Heinz hadn’t even imagined it.
That he would master such an advanced technique in that short time.
That small lapse in attention plunged him into grave danger.
‘Damn it!’
Cursing inwardly, Heinz desperately crossed his arms.
Martin’s left fist was already charging toward his face.
Infused with aura blade and Distortion of All Things, Martin’s fist advanced according to the principles of Rotaer body arts.
Kwaang!
The fist struck his left forearm dead-on.
Almost simultaneously, a gruesome sound rang out.
In one blow, the bone in his left arm shattered.
But Heinz had no time to cry out in pain.
‘Battles are decided in an instant.’
Martin, seizing the opening, unleashed a barrage of attacks.
Shieeek!
Martin launched his left foot like a whip toward Heinz’s side.
Kwaaaang!
An explosion erupted, water spraying everywhere.
A shield of water formed and blocked Martin’s kick.
Even so, Heinz couldn’t rejoice.
He had blocked one blow, but the shield—made with all his power—shattered.
Martin smiled with satisfaction.
He had felt it before, but the power was utterly ridiculous.
‘As expected of Rotaer body arts!’
He could confidently say it.
Learning Rotaer body arts was one of the best things he had done since regressing.
“Hap!”
Martin’s left fist sliced through the air toward him.
Dazzling golden light spun fiercely around his left arm, and seeing it, Heinz’s heart sank.
No defense or evasion possible.
Bracing for internal injuries, he desperately activated his unique ability.
In response, water arrows shot sharply toward Martin.
But that was all.
Kwang! Kwa-kwang!
The water arrows changed trajectory just before hitting Martin.
Not only had he manipulated the air with Distortion of All Things, but he twisted space as well.
Compressing it tightly into a barrier.
‘What good is higher output than mine if he can’t gather his power properly anyway?’
The arrows that hit the barrier ended up smashing nearby roads and buildings instead.
In the meantime, Martin closed in on Heinz.
His left fist surged sharply, aiming precisely for Heinz’s jaw.
Heinz swung his sword down in desperation.
Cheeeeng!
The sky-blue aura blade-wrapped sword shattered.
Countless fragments—still glowing with aura blade light—targeted both equally.
But Martin didn’t care at all.
The barrier deflected them all.
Heinz, in horror, leaped backward.
The problem was he couldn’t even retreat a few meters despite giving it his all.
“Martin Adalbert!”
Realizing he had been caught by space compression again.
He crossed his arms desperately, roaring.
Sky-blue aura blade wrapped around his arms, overlaid with a water barrier.
“Uwaaaak!”
A wretched scream burst from Heinz’s mouth.
At first, it seemed to block the fragments, but soon the barrier broke.
In the end, he was swallowed by the attack.
His already broken left arm lost all form.
Flesh and blood poured from where it should have been.
With bloodshot eyes, he screamed desperately.
“I will kill you no matter what!”
Even as he bled profusely, he protected his mana core.
Heinz converted all the water pillars he had maintained into an attack.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
A massive wave formed in the air and came crashing down.
He would be swept up too, but he didn’t care.
Even if he died, he would take Martin with him.
That was his intent, so he clenched his remaining right hand and closed the distance.
To prevent his opponent from teleporting.
But regardless of his resolve, the action was meaningless.
“You made a mistake.”
Even with both arms intact and sword in hand, Heinz couldn’t handle him.
Let alone with one arm.
Martin twisted his body slightly and brought the holy sword Kaizen down from above.
A golden trajectory rushed in, slicing into Heinz’s right shoulder.
It then carved a long gash across his chest.
“Kuaaaak!”
Heinz screamed again.
Unable to withstand the shock, he finally collapsed to his knees.
But he still had one hope left.
Though control was lost, the tsunami poured down by gravity.
When it hit, Martin—with his weaker physical abilities—wouldn’t escape unscathed.
“Pfft. As if I’d fall to a mere water downpour.”
Sneering at his opponent, Martin swung Kaizen.
Countless golden trajectories wove another net, dispersing the tsunami entirely.
That was the moment Heinz’s last hope vanished.
“Heinz Schwarzenbeck. You forgot your position as an elder of the Adventurer’s Guild and operated in the underworld. Not content with that, you ran a slave market—strictly forbidden on the continent—and created countless victims as a result. In clear violation of Alteria Imperial Law, I sentence you to death.”
“You have no authority for that, Martin Adalbert. The Adventurer’s Guild is completely neutral. To deal with one of its members requires discussion between the state and the guild. You have no right to handle it alone...”
“What are you saying.”
Martin casually cut off Heinz’s words.
He then kicked his opponent’s head.
With a short scream, he slammed into the ground.
“You’re just a criminal who broke imperial law. Besides, even if I hand over the information I gathered, you think the Adventurer’s Guild would protect you?”
“As if there’s evidence.”
“Doesn’t matter if there isn’t. I can just make some. It’s easy when you’re dead.”
The sneer on Martin’s lips deepened.
At the unexpected statement, Heinz’s face drained of color.
But he quickly composed himself.
‘It’s not over yet.’
He had one card left.
No matter how much it was Martin, hearing this would force him to spare him at least a little.
Meanwhile, the one he had faithfully followed all his life would come to save him.
“I’m Nicholas von Royce’s sworn brother. If I die, his wrath will fall on you. Do you think the crumbling Adalbert family can withstand the assault of the Royce Marquisate?”
“Phew. How pathetic. A man who even earned the moniker Crimson Reaper from His Majesty the Emperor, and that’s your final play?”
“......”
“And I’ve already killed Nicholas’s grandson and great-grandson. You think I’d hesitate to kill one more sworn brother? If I were really scared of him, I would’ve spared the first two.”
“You will regret this someday.”
“That’s just your empty wish. Would an Adalbert even care about the likes of the Royce Marquisate? Not a chance. They’re beneath notice.”
Martin spat venomous words.
Then he placed the holy sword Kaizen against Heinz’s neck.
“Commit a crime, face the punishment. That’s common sense, right? Moreover, you betrayed the expectations and trust of countless people. Before you die, apologize to those who heard your stories and dreamed.”
“Apologize...”
That was the last thing Heinz said.
With those words, he closed his eyes.
Martin fell silent too and swung Kaizen down with full force.
His head severed, and his body toppled sideways.
“He’s really dead.”
Martin looked up at the sky and let out a long breath.
The aftereffects of going all out left no part of his body unhurt.
Exhausted, his eyes threatened to close any second.
Honestly, even standing was hard.
But the job wasn’t done yet, so he endured.
He pulled out a communication crystal orb from his pocket.
And contacted Lucas Hoffmann.
-I greet you, young master.-
“How’s the slave market?”
-We’ve completely subdued it. We successfully captured all the customers and managers.-
“Did you ransack the Human King’s office?”
-Yes. There were many documents, but nothing linking to the Royce Marquisate. Same for the Human King’s true identity.-
“But we can still expose the Human King’s identity, right?”
-Of course. By the way, what about Mayor Jerome Mechelter? Even for you, young master, touching him right away might be difficult.-
“Lock him in solitary confinement for now. Make sure no one else can approach. I’ll talk to him separately.”
-You had a plan. Then I’ll wrap things up without worry.-
“Take care.”
Even in his fatigue, Martin smiled.
The journey to cleanse the north was nearing its end.
Now he could head to the capital with peace of mind.