Chapter 180: The Night of the Full Moon – Middle (5)

When you think about it, the sword is quite an inconvenient weapon. To be precise, it’s not just the sword—all melee weapons share this flaw.

As she continued to methodically butcher Raizein’s body, Sion spoke in an unwavering voice.

It was as if a master was instructing a disciple, adding various explanations along the way.

“A sword’s trajectory is one-dimensional. No matter how skilled a swordsman is, they can never cut through the entire three-dimensional space at once.

This is an unavoidable limitation, inherent to the nature of melee combat rather than a matter of skill.

Similarly, a sword can only attack the area its blade reaches.

One could theoretically concentrate immense magical power to release sword energy and extend their range, but using such a technique repeatedly would be far too inefficient.

Thus, a sword is, at its core, an extremely inefficient weapon with a very limited attack range. Do you understand so far?”

“Ig… Aaargh…!!”

Raizein’s voice hardly sounded like a response. She was in no state to listen to idle chatter, and Sion knew that all too well.

Even so, Sion continued speaking to her, as if it were her duty to do so.

‘I have to escape! I need to get out of Father’s attack range!’

Even with her overwhelmed mind, Raizein instinctively made the decision to pull herself back as far as possible—anything to escape the reach of the sword.

However, as if anticipating this, Sion formed a seal with her left hand.

“Telekinesis.”

“Huagh?!”

There was no need for an elaborate spell to restrain movement. Pure physical force alone was enough.

Unless one possessed brute strength on par with Dorothy, resisting was impossible.

Unfortunately for Raizein, she wasn’t particularly specialized in raw physical prowess.

With a force that felt like a giant’s grip, Raizein’s retreating body was yanked forward in an instant—right into the path of Sion’s horizontal slash.

Slash!

“Kh… Aaagh!!!”

“The limitations of a sword are obvious… There’s no need for deep contemplation; the logic is self-evident.

However, that also means its advantages are clear.

Within its effective range, it is the most efficient means of destruction with the least magical energy consumption.

That’s why swordsmen throughout history have sought ways to overcome these limitations.

They developed techniques to respond instantly to unexpected situations, footwork to swiftly close the distance, and sword energy to strike down airborne foes.

And some, those with exceptional talent, even turned to magic—just like this.”

As Sion finished speaking, she completed her spell.

“Hellfire Ray.”

Five blazing beams of fire shot through Raizein’s body.

Her head, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg.

“KYAAAAH!!!”

Desperately trying to escape the attack range, Raizein let out a scream as she collapsed to her knees.

Of all times, it had to happen just as she was attempting to leap backward—her knee joints were shattered, leaving her unable to move.

Watching this, Sion smiled and spoke.

“This is the way of the Magus, my dear daughter.

Using magic and swordsmanship separately is meaningless. If that were the case, it would be far more efficient to specialize in just one.

The key is to integrate them, to create a seamless combination.

Magic should be used to set the stage for efficient swordplay. Only then does it become worthwhile to pursue both disciplines.

And as you can see, it makes it impossible for the opponent to escape.”

“Kh… Aaagh!!!”

Slashed and slashed again, Raizein frantically searched for an answer.

She had to escape.

Whether by magic, shadows, or anything else—she needed to break free from her attack range.

If she failed, she would be nothing more than a punching bag until sunrise, destined to be erased.

But how? Was escape even possible?

Teleportation? The moment she attempted it, Father would interfere, twisting her coordinates.

Sion’s mastery of spatial magic was leagues above hers—she had no chance.

Flight? She would simply target her wings with beams and shoot her down before she could even take off.

Darkness? Someone of her caliber could sense her presence regardless. And with the holy sword in her grasp, dispersing darkness would be effortless.

No matter what she tried, it was meaningless. Escape was impossible.

This impenetrable cage—this was why she was called the Demon King.

This was the true power of Sien Astaroth, the strongest Demon King in history.

‘Should I give up and surrender? Should I just beg for my life, saying nothing else matters?’

It was the moment Raizein had such thoughts.

“Cold Ice Str—”

Just as Sion was about to cast an ice spell, she suddenly frowned. Instead of completing the incantation, she canceled it and restrained Raizein with another binding spell.

“Chain of Perdition.”

“Ugh…?!”

In an instant, black chains wrapped tightly around Raizein’s body. However, they were hastily formed and not particularly strong. A bit of effort could break them.

Of course, that didn’t mean she could escape the onslaught. The next spell hit her almost immediately.

“Ice Spears.”

“So? Have you reflected on your actions? Are you ready to beg for your life?”

“Kh… Aaagh!!!”

Impaled from head to toe by spears of ice, bleeding profusely, Raizein thought to herself.

Why? Just now—why did Father stop her spell?

It clearly wasn’t due to a lack of mana. She was still casting spells without issue, mercilessly cutting her down.

Nor was it out of mercy. Anyone witnessing her current state would never think Sion was holding back.

So then… why?

“…..!!”

A spark of realization shot through her mind.

The reason Sion hesitated mid-casting—what was the most likely cause?

And if she was right, she might be able to use it to escape.

With desperate effort, she regenerated her lips and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Marianne! Come here and be my shield! Now!”

“!?”

Sion inhaled sharply, her face betraying a flicker of shock. It was as if she had just confirmed her worst fear.

Marianne, her dull, vacant eyes blinking, gave a slow nod.

“H… As my master commands…”

Without hesitation, she rushed forward—throwing herself into the heart of the battle, where deadly spells and sword strikes flew unchecked.

Completely unarmed. Completely defenseless.

“Tch, resorting to tricks now…!”

Clicking her tongue, Sion pulled back the sword she had been about to strike Raizein with.

Instead, she turned her spell toward the charging Marianne.

“Deep Slumber!”

With a soft thud, Marianne collapsed to the ground, rendered unconscious in a single spell.

But the three seconds it took to deal with her were decisive.

It was just enough time for Raizein to slip out of Sion’s relentless assault.

“Hah… Hah… I… I got out… I’m alive…!”

From a distance, gasping for breath, Raizein watched Sion narrow her eyes in displeasure.

Instead of charging at her immediately, she extended a protective barrier over Marianne’s unconscious body—ensuring she would remain safe from any stray attacks.

Seeing this, Raizein let out a twisted smile.

“Heh… So I was right. You don’t want to harm Marianne, do you?”

Sion exhaled sharply, hoisting her sword onto her shoulder.

“You hesitated because she might get caught in the blast of a wide-range spell, didn’t you?”

“Tch… Damn it. I should have avoided giving you any hints.”

She sighed.

She wasn’t about to call Raizein a coward.

She was, after all, a pureblood demon—one who treated others’ lives like insects.

Even without that, anyone on the brink of death would cling to even the slimmest hope.

The only one to blame was herself, for giving Raizein a clue.

But in the end, it hardly mattered.

“You’ve bought yourself a few more minutes, Raizein. But what difference does it make?”

“You think stalling for time will change the outcome? Do you really?”

Sion sneered, still casually resting her sword on her shoulder.

The battle had lasted a mere ten minutes.

And in those ten minutes, Raizein must have realized it—must have understood that she could not defeat Sion.

This was the true power of a Demon King, unrestricted by limitations.

With mere legion commander-level strength, she stood no chance.

Or at least, that should have been the case.

“Hah… Haha… Ahaha… AHAHAHAHA…!!!”

A manic burst of laughter erupted from Raizein.

Her severed body regenerated before Sion’s eyes, and the blood splattered on her clothes was slowly absorbed back into her skin.

It was an eerie sight—a vivid reminder that she was, indeed, a vampire.

“You’re right,” she admitted, her laughter subsiding. “I underestimated the situation. Even if you’ve weakened since the old days, I could never hope to defeat you with my strength alone.”

“If I wanted victory, I should have committed fully—executed my plan from the very start.”

Sion’s expression darkened.

“Executed? What are you talking about?”

‘Endless regeneration’ was just a phrase. In reality, experiencing death dozens of times per second was nothing short of torture.

A normal person would have lost their will to fight long ago.

And yet, Raizein stood there, laughing.

Confident.

As if she still had a secret weapon left.

But how?

The difference in power was insurmountable. What could she possibly do?

“Hmm… You look curious,” Raizein teased, grinning wickedly.

Straightening her posture, she raised her right hand to her side.

“Unlike you, Father, I am a vampire. A ruler of blood. A sovereign of the night.

And when one hones that power to its very limit—”

She snapped her fingers.

Instantly, the world was bathed in crimson.

The color drained from everything—the passing clouds, the darkened night sky, the trees and the earth.

All of it.

That stolen light funneled upward, converging toward a single point behind Raizein’s head.

A massive, blood-red full moon.

“The night is our domain, and the moon is our sole witness.”

“United with every shadow, we shall dance amidst a storm of blood.”

“The Moonlight Sonata shall echo without end, and so long as our eyes reign over the sky—no life shall escape its bloodstained melody.”

Smiling eerily, she whispered the spell’s name.

“Crimson Operetta.”

And with that, the curtain rose on her stage alone.