Chapter 129: Ouroboros (3) |
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: none
Illustrations: none
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Perhaps it was because the situation was beyond anyone's expectation.
Crack!
In the silence where even the noise of battle had vanished, only the sound of Sharin May's head smashing into the ground echoed in all directions.
Simultaneously, a darkness that had burst through the floor began to coalesce, revealing the owner of the pale hand that had grasped Sharin's head.
At that moment, the expressions of Liushina and Diral sharply diverged.
Joy was evident on the witch's face,
"How could..."
while shock painted the demon's.
"How are you here!"
Diral began to retreat step by step.
He knew the identity of the man who had emerged from the fierce darkness.
Zion Agnes.
One of the royals who had subdued two of the seven calamities, slaughtered the Third Prince Enoch, and even acquired the strongest sword family, the Ascalon, bringing him closest to the next throne.
All of this accomplished in just over half a year was incredible, but Diral was shocked for another reason.
'Welcome troops, the Grand Magic Tower, the Red Fort, the Angeloosh territory, etc.'
He had demolished all plans of evil magic in those places, and even annihilated one of the demon lords, the Death King himself.
Truly, he was an archenemy of evil.
'How in the world is he here?'
And what relationship did they have for that monstrous woman to call him master?
'Could all of this be...!'
Just then, as Diral noticed something else, his eyes filled with horror once again.
"Aaaaah!"
A scream almost like defiance erupted from Sharin, who Zion had slammed head-first into the ground, followed by a massive surge of energy that spread out, destroying everything it touched.
The power unleashed was immense, evidently containing the same force Sharin had intended to pour onto Liushina just moments before.
This resulted in an accelerated collapse of the floor and a cloud of thick dust rising.
Then, in an instant, Diral, who had been observing, vanished from the spot.
He had decided there was no chance of winning in the current situation and chose to flee immediately.
Even when facing just Liushina, he and Sharin May had barely managed to gain the upper hand by joining forces.
With Zion Agnes, who had also killed the Death King, added to the equation, there was no chance of victory.
After all, Diral had no particular attachment to this place, nor did he have any loyalty to Sharin May, making his decision swift.
"Master!"
Noticing that Diral had disappeared, Liushina urgently called out to Zion, who had retreated to avoid Sharin's surge of energy.
She could not tolerate letting the same prey escape more than once and was determined to tear the demon apart by any means necessary this time.
Her body was inevitably tense with anticipation.
"Do as you please."
Zion, without taking his eyes off the spreading dust, responded.
'It was definitely Diral just now.'
Had he been hiding here since the death of the Third Prince Enoch?
Considering he had persistently survived in the chronicles and tormented the hero's party, it seemed like a good opportunity to eliminate him.
Advice for acting on his own could wait until later.
"Kyaha! Thank you, Master!"
With those words cheerfully shouted at Zion, Liushina's figure was instantly enveloped in a bloody aura and then vanished without a trace.
A brief silence followed.
"......"
In that silence, Zion, still focused on the dust, suddenly raised a hand.
Swoosh-
As Eclaxia was grasped in his hand, forming a perfect blade, a flash cut straight through the center of the dust, colliding with the extinction sword and creating a massive explosion.
The secondary aftermath that burst forth caused the already pulverized walls and floor to shatter and collapse once more.
Along with it, a figure emerged from beyond the settling dust.
"...You!!"
It was Sharin May, covered in blood.
Facing Zion with her sword, her face was contorted in anger like a vengeful spirit.
That anger was perhaps justified.
After all, she had just experienced the humiliating ordeal of being slammed face-first into the ground.
And the very person who had done that was none other than Zion, standing before her, which only intensified her rage.
"It seems you've been desperately searching for me."
Zion said with a slight smile towards Sharin in front of him.
"You damned thieving bastard!"
With that, Sharin, her anger boiling over, gritted her teeth in response, exerting force on their clashing swords.
The friction sparked flames.
She had realized from the moment she first saw him that the man in front of her was the 'target' she had been so eagerly seeking.
His hair and eye colors were different, and his face was unfamiliar, but the voice and the unique aura were exactly the same as before.
'To think he was actually royalty.'
It had seemed unlikely, but she had never truly considered the possibility.
The likelihood had seemed too slim.
Knowing now that he was of royal blood, identifying which one he was had been straightforward.
'Zion Agnes.'
The most prominent candidate for the next emperor, constantly achieving unbelievable feats and currently at the peak of his popularity.
Only now did she begin to understand why her shadowy pursuits had been so perfectly thwarted.
Why would a direct descendant of the Agnes lineage participate in an underground auction and take an interest in their affairs?
Though the scale was far larger than anticipated, Sharin had no intention of backing down here and now.
'It's worth a try.'
Despite her immense anger, she was somewhat coldly assessing the situation.
That monstrous woman had chased after the fleeing Diral, leaving Zion Agnes here alone.
Zion Agnes's strength was reputed to be formidable, but Sharin's own power was by no means inferior.
The earlier incident where her head was smashed into the ground by Zion was a result of a completely unexpected ambush.
'I don't sense the same overwhelming strength as that woman.'
Moreover, it was an opportunity to acquire all the fragments of the Frost Queen's power she had been desperately seeking. Backing down would have been absurd.
The disadvantage of facing royalty was negligible in comparison.
'I'll finish this before that woman returns.'
With that thought, Sharin finally made her decision and slightly twisted her sword.
The shift in balance caused Zion's sword to slide off hers and drift sideways.
Sharin didn't hesitate to exploit the revealed gap, thrusting her sword forward.
"I'll start by making a hole in your neck."
The moment Sharin's sword tip reached right in front of Zion's neck,
"It seems that will be difficult for you."
Clang!
With the sound of metal clashing, Sharin's sword twisted, narrowly missing Zion's neck.
Zion had twisted the angle of his sliding sword once more, precisely striking the force point of her incoming blade.
At a skill level unattemptable without innate talent, Sharin's eyebrows twitched, and then, with a burst,
Zion's Eclaxia shot straight towards the gap now exposed on her, forming a black streak that naturally condensed and split the air around it.
Perhaps underestimating the power emanating from it,
Sharin retrieved her sword and tilted her body sideways to dodge the incoming blade's trajectory.
But in that moment, Snap!
As if anticipating her movement, the tip of Zion's sword coiled like a snake, following her neck closely.
"......!"
Eventually, Sharin, unable to properly regain her posture, hurriedly swung her sword to block Zion's strike.
Clash!
Their swords collided, sending out a massive shockwave that propelled Sharin backwards.
Seizing the moment to gain the upper hand, Zion swiftly advanced towards the retreating Sharin.
Watching Zion approach, Sharin corrected her posture mid-air and swung her sword horizontally with great force.
In that instant, Whish!
Her sword blade elongated, bending like a whip and advancing towards Zion.
The Soft Sword.
This was the true form of Sharin's sword, not utilized during the fight with Liushina due to its inefficiency then.
Crack!
As Sharin's sword moved forward, its tip wobbled erratically, creating countless afterimages.
The space was instantly covered with these afterimages, giving the illusion of thousands of swords forming a wall and advancing all at once.
'Break through.'
Zion, with cold eyes, sped up towards the wave of swords coming at him.
Whining!
The blade of Eclaxia, drawn to its maximum, vibrated intensely with a concentrated black radiance, ready to explode.
Although the wave of swords was massive and overwhelming, Zion didn't need to split them all.
He just needed to clear enough space for himself to pass through.
Partial Eclipse, Absolute Night.
-------------!
A momentary, immensely amplified black streak followed the swing of the extinction sword, cutting through all afterimages it touched.
Rather than splitting, it was more fitting to say the scene was erased.
Zion pushed his body through the created gap without hesitation.
In his sight, he saw Sharin looking back at him with eyes shaken by unexpected force.
Tatatat!
The Soft Sword was more suited for mid-range rather than close combat.
Sharin attempted to create distance to generate countless sword shadows again, but,
"Not twice."
Zion was much faster.
Whoosh!
Incorporating the Partial Eclipse into a current, Zion's figure folded space, appearing right in front of Sharin.
With a sonic boom following from behind, Eclaxia swung at a frenzied pace, leading to an unimaginable collision.
Crash!
In less than a second, sparks flew dozens of times, with the sound of impact following a beat later.
This caused countless shockwaves to erupt.
Dozens of trajectories wavered, creating numerous afterimages.
Black lines drawn in the air as if etched into space itself split all those afterimages.
Movements within a single breath split into numerous instances.
Even within those movements, a frantic battle for control ensued.
It was a duel of such profound complexity that even the finest knights of the royal family couldn't grasp the entirety of the principles behind their sword strikes, merely watching in stupefaction.
However,
'What the... What is this!'
Sharin, clashing with Zion, found her eyes filling with dismay.
Sharin May.
She was a prodigy.
In terms of swordsmanship, she was an overwhelming genius, unparalleled by anyone.
Thus, she had always prided herself on being above even the captains of the Agnes Knights in pure swordsmanship, if nothing else.
But why?
She couldn't understand why she was being outmatched in swordsmanship right now.
Crack!
Zion Agnes's swordsmanship was simple.
It was also crude.
A sword that moved purely on instinct, without any proper form.
Yet, the trajectories of Sharin's sword were being utterly destroyed by Zion's blade.
Her speed sword, which could slice through lightning before it could even manifest, was being blocked before it could strike, and her illusion sword, which could deceive the world, was being pierced through with a single swing.
'How can this be...'
If she had been overpowered by sheer strength or another ability, she could have accepted it.
But being outmatched in pure swordsmanship was something she could not tolerate.
And with that, the tide of battle slowly began to turn.
The losing side, naturally, was Sharin, who was becoming increasingly unsettled.
Soon, the confusion in her eyes transformed into rage.
'Me? Outmatched in a sword fight?'
She couldn't accept it.
No, she refused to accept it.
Whoosh!
The energy within Sharin's clashing sword transformed into a transparent sword fire, erupting explosively.
"With your petty skills!"
Her sword then extended in an instant, soaring upwards.
Then, the tip of her sword split into thousands, creating countless afterimages that all began pouring down towards Zion.
Sky-Filling Sword Rain.
This technique, one of Sharin's ultimate moves, encapsulated the essence of her illusion sword to its limits.
It was the technique that had slain a senior member of Ouroboros and elevated her to her current status as one of her strongest techniques.
Was it said that at the peak of falsehood lies truth?
At this moment, among the thousands of swords Sharin conjured, there was no illusion.
Everything seen was both an illusion and reality.
The power contained within each of these realities was immense, capable of splitting the entire headquarters asunder.
"......"
Zion silently observed the rain of swords pouring down towards him with tranquil eyes.
There was nowhere to escape.
The method of piercing through a single point, as before, was futile.
'In that case...'
There was only one option left.
Among them, Zion's Eclaxia extended upwards, right through the cascade of white swords descending upon him.
"I'll tear you to shreds so that not even your shape remains!"
Elation began to swirl in Sharin's eyes as she watched.
Thoughts of the fragments of the Frost Queen's power had vanished from her mind.
Her only intent with this attack was to prove her sword's superiority over that damned royal.
And just as her elation peaked,
The rain of swords was about to pierce Zion's entire body.
Slowly.
Swoosh-
Eclaxia reached upwards.
An ordinary thrust, seemingly without any force behind it.
Was it resignation in the face of an overwhelming difference in power?
Just as the extinction sword, with its blade vanished, and the sky-filled swords were about to meet,
That moment.
Partial Eclipse Abyss.
Sharin could see it.
A tiny black dot emerging from the tip of Zion's half-gone sword.
Through that dot, whoosh!
She witnessed thousands of sword shadows engulfing the world, all being sucked in.
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