Chapter 146
Chapter 146
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Sawtooth Sword
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At that very moment, only one thought filled my mind.
‘Is he insane?’
There were only two people I felt I could never hope to match.
Sword Emperor Lucas and Black Sand Claude.
Coincidentally, they were my fathers from my past and present lives.
If it were them, could they not make the entire fortress tremble with their presence alone?
Of course, Hol Sivas wasn't on the same level as those supreme superhumans.
It just meant the difference in our levels was so vast that it felt that way for a moment.
‘Similar to the Acting Head, or perhaps a little below?’
Even if he were at the very bottom of the second tier, the pressure would feel the same.
The higher one's skill, the wider the gap between each level.
"Hmm..."
But Hol Sivas's expression was utterly grim.
He seemed displeased with the situation.
‘He infiltrated so well, so why the long face? Ah! Could it be because of me?’
Even with mages from the Gray Tower, digging a tunnel of this size would have been extremely difficult.
While it would result in fewer troop losses than a frontal assault, it would consume other human resources.
But that meticulous plan was now on the verge of being shattered by a single person.
If I could just hold this position, the Third Prince's forces would detect the commotion and send reinforcements soon.
Then, even someone like Hol Sivas would have no choice but to retreat.
"Heh heh! So that's what this is about?"
"What are you talking about?"
I looked at him with a meaningful smile.
But the Vice-Commander's response was quite calm.
It seemed he was pretending not to know, unwilling to reveal his inner thoughts.
"Come on! You don't have to be like that with me. What is there to hide between a master and his student?"
"Weren't you Jerome Klevitz's student? I heard you've been publicly proclaiming it."
"Well..."
"Besides, how are we master and student? I've never properly taught you anything."
"Ahem!"
I felt like I'd been thoroughly beaten down by his irrefutable words.
‘He looks like a bear, so why is he so sharp with his words?’
With an awkward expression, I shrugged and raised my Black Dragon Sword.
I had sensed his energy slowly intensifying.
It was a clear sign he would no longer fall for my stalling tactics.
Soon, Hol Sivas raised the two swords that had been hanging loosely at his sides.
*Clank!*
A greatsword so large it required two hands to wield, and a dagger with a jagged blade.
That short blade was a sword breaker.
Used in place of a shield, its primary function was to trap an opponent's sword in its serrated edge and neutralize it.
However, it was a weapon knights did not use.
‘Because it's completely useless against an opponent who can wield aura.’
How many had trusted in the sword breaker's effectiveness only to be sliced to pieces, weapon and all?
Mercenaries who challenged knights, in particular, often met such a gruesome end.
As a result, it had recently fallen almost completely out of use.
But Hol Sivas had revived the sword breaker in his own unique way.
‘That madman can manifest his aura in the shape of a sawtooth blade.’
Aura was supposed to follow the shape of the weapon.
But overly complex shapes couldn't be replicated exactly.
Besides, this wasn't just any serrated edge; a sword breaker's notches were incredibly deep.
Even if one succeeded in maintaining the shape, it would consume an immense amount of mental energy.
Yet this man was a monster among monsters, capable of fighting effortlessly in that state.
‘It's not for nothing that he's called the Emperor's Sawtooth Sword.’
I watched my opponent with tense eyes.
I never had any intention of beating the Vice-Commander in the first place.
All I had to do was stall for time.
As long as I didn't overdo it, I should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
"I have a strange sense of unease... but judging by your behavior, this isn't a trap."
"Of course not. I was just hungry."
In response to Hol Sivas's remark, I pointed to a table in the corner.
The sandwich was still intact.
Since I had blocked the infiltration route well, the catastrophe of someone unknowingly touching it had been avoided.
‘Mm. It looks just as well-made as I remember.’
As I smiled with satisfaction, the Vice-Commander's blunt voice suddenly cut in.
"Is that strange lump of meat really a meal?"
"What? It's a sandwich. It looks perfectly appetizing."
"The balance is a mess, and it looks like it was just thrown together. You can't even call that food."
For a moment, I saw red.
Honestly, I couldn't help but be furious.
I could tell it wasn't a provocation; he genuinely meant it.
‘Wow! This guy... What does he take my cooking skills for, saying something like that?’
My eyes grew serious.
Now that he had insulted my lovely sandwich, I couldn't let it slide, not even for the Vice-Commander.
"I'm going to wreck you, Hol Sivas."
"Oh? So you've decided to drop all pretense of courtesy?"
"For the honor of my sandwich!"
"What kind of bullsh—"
Hol Sivas stammered with a look of disbelief, but his words were cut short.
Because I had just unleashed the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon at him.
*Swish—!*
Just as the crescent slash, unleashed without warning, was about to take off the Vice-Commander's head.
*Claaaaang!*
With a deafening roar, the grayish-white aura froze in mid-air.
That didn't mean the power of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon had dissipated.
It was simply blocked by something solid, unable to advance.
‘As expected, it didn't work.’
What blocked my sword strike was Hol Sivas's sword breaker.
The sight of him catching the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon in its serrations and stopping it dead was nothing short of marvelous.
The Vice-Commander then twisted his left hand and gave it a light push to the side.
*Thwack—!*
The Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon slammed weakly into the wall.
The aura was still there, but its speed had been killed, robbing it of its power.
‘This isn't easy. He doesn't even look like he just blocked an attack.’
I could clearly feel that he was several levels above Krol Karim.
At least the Butcher of the Abyss had treated the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon seriously.
But this man had simply changed the trajectory of the attack as if brushing something aside.
Even for a defensive technique that utilized the sword breaker's properties, his composure was on another level.
‘It looks like Heaven-Severing Myriad Spirits won't work either. Do I only have two cards left to play?’
Heaven-Severing Extreme Annihilation and Nine-Ring Annihilation.
In terms of power, the former was undeniably the strongest.
But its true potential was only realized when it hit its target or the opponent chose a direct confrontation.
If he deflected its trajectory with the sword breaker, it would be like swinging at empty air.
Nine-Ring Annihilation, on the other hand, had at least a glimmer of hope.
‘Because it would arrive before he could even catch it in the serrations. But...’
Would Hol Sivas just let his greatsword sit idly in his right hand during that time?
If even Nine-Ring Annihilation was blocked, I would have no more cards to play.
Since my goal was to stall, I had to save my trump card for the very last moment.
*Shuffle. Tap.*
I took a stealthy step.
Pretending to move sideways, I inched backward.
My plan was to maintain a distance where his attacks couldn't reach me.
But then I heard Hol Sivas's exasperated voice.
"Hey, how long are you going to keep backing away?"
"Ah! I was just drawn by the delicious smell."
I shrugged with an awkward expression.
I had already moved all the way to the table with the sandwich.
No wonder he looked so dumbfounded.
But even this was a calculated move.
A plan to waste time by acting strangely.
"This won't do."
Just as I thought, despite his bear-like appearance, Hol Sivas quickly saw through my intentions.
He immediately closed in, swinging his enormous greatsword.
*Swoooosh—!*
"Damn it. I heard bears were smart!"
With an ear-splitting tear through the air, a massive aura painted the space.
As the pale blue light spread out in a fan shape and swept through the pantry, furniture shattered and tumbled about noisily.
*Crash! Bang!*
"Whoa!"
I let out a flippant scream and darted about.
Each of his sword strikes carried a tremendous power that I couldn't easily handle.
Krol Karim's were much larger in size, but the density was on a completely different level.
If I touched it recklessly, I felt like I'd immediately be sent flying, coughing up blood.
‘Still, the terrain is on my side.’
The sacks, tables, and shelves filling the pantry were buying me time to escape.
If I had clashed with him on flat ground, it would have been hopeless.
I probably would have tried to flee immediately.
If I got caught, I'd just die.
‘Wait, why aren't they coming?’
Dozens of loud noises had already been made.
But the Third Prince's forces still hadn't responded.
Dodging Hol Sivas's attacks, I glanced at the entrance with a dissatisfied look.
But even after a considerable amount of time had passed, no support arrived.
*Thud!*
"D-Damn it!"
Just then, a fragment of a shattered shelf caught on my trouser cuff, momentarily slowing my movement.
I had been moving so frantically that I hadn't paid attention to what was underfoot.
Ignoring whether my clothes would tear, I tried to leap away, but a terrifying killing intent struck my heart.
Sensing something was wrong, I instinctively turned my head.
And there was Hol Sivas, right in front of me, smiling.
"Got you."
"Man, this guy's smiling face is even scarier."
Perhaps because it was a life-or-death moment, nonsense seemed to spew from my mouth more easily than usual.
The Vice-Commander's harsh face twisted into a grotesque scowl.
"I was going to go easy on you and end this quickly... but it seems I'll have to carve out that mouth of yours."
A chill flickered in Hol Sivas's eyes.
At the same time, the tremendous sound of his greatsword cleaving the air reached my ears.
*Swoooosh—!*
‘Ah! I know that one. It's the Raging Torrent Monstrous Dragon Sword.’
The sword strike flew in, wobbling at a bizarre angle.
A secret technique that few had mastered, as it required wielding that ridiculously heavy weapon with one hand.
Though it was a fairly well-known sword art, it was practically synonymous with Hol Sivas.
In any case, this was no time to be admiring my opponent's swordsmanship.
Now that I was caught, there was only one thing I could do.
‘When you're stepped on, you have to squirm.’
It was time to wriggle like an earthworm.
At such a close range, Heaven-Severing Extreme Annihilation seemed more fitting than Nine-Ring Annihilation.
I immediately focused my fighting spirit into the tip of my sword.
As if sensing my intent, the Demonic Soul was also sending power at its peak.
‘Since he came to me, I have a fighting chance, at least.’
My opponent was one of the empire's strongest swordsmen, but the power of Heaven-Severing Extreme Annihilation could also be called the greatest on the continent.
Of course, that was just my personal opinion.
If it had come down to a sharp battle of wits and techniques, I would have been quickly defeated due to the difference in our abilities.
In a way, this might be the best opportunity I could get.
"Chah!"
*Swish!*
With a sharp cry, I thrust the Black Dragon Sword forward.
Hol Sivas recognized my counterattack but didn't alter the trajectory of his Raging Torrent Monstrous Dragon Sword.
Instead, he extended his sword breaker toward my Heaven-Severing Extreme Annihilation.
It seemed his plan was to block my strike with that and finish me off.
But, just at the moment before we clashed.
*Ruuuumble!*
An immense roar and vibration shook the entire fortress.
It was on a completely different level from the blast of energy the Vice-Commander had released when he appeared.
Hol Sivas and I had no choice but to pause our attacks.
The shockwave that had just occurred felt as if it shook our very souls.
"Th-This is?"
"…!"