Chapter 27: Spatial Manipulation: Durandal Versus Gargantua

“Arrogance… I’m not sure it suits you. You seem rather humble.”

“Haha. Even so, I’d rather not earn the title by killing another Legion Commander.”

Valentina seemed displeased.

She casually slung her beloved greatsword, Gargantua, over her shoulder.

“I’ve replaced every Arrogance before you. Honestly, too many cling to titles.”

To utter such terrifying words so nonchalantly…

Kudos cowered beside her, speechless.

I wondered if Valentina had replaced Envy, too.

“Wait, my friend.”

Thud!

With her free hand, Valentina pierced her own chest. Viscous mana welled up, spilling from the wound.

Rip!

Along with the mana, she pulled out a pulsing blue magic stone.

“I shall now bestow upon you the power of Arrogance. Are you prepared?”

…What?

As I looked at the magic stone, my status window appeared.

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[status window]

[Magic Stone of Arrogance (EX): Upon implantation, nullifies all attacks A+ and below. Increases damage dealt to lower-ranked opponents by fivefold. Replaces blood with mana. Amplifies arrogance.]

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Powerful effects.

Undeniably powerful.

But if I use this now, the Headmaster, with his discerning eyes, will surely notice.

I joined the Demon King’s army to gather intel…I need time to explain.

If I use this and go back to the academy, everything will be ruined.

I frantically waved my hands in refusal.

“Some perceptive individuals have likely already noticed the events transpiring in the midnight sky. If I were to also wield the Stone of Arrogance, my cover would be blown immediately.”

“What does it matter? The Empire’s history spans two millennia. It’s about time it crumbled.”

Rumble…

Valentina casually gathered her mana.

Gargantua continued to grow.

If I don’t stop her, everything will fall apart.

“I joined your ranks to provide intel to the Demon King’s army. I’ll take the stone later.”

“Do you realize the multitude of flaws in your reasoning, Arrogance?”

Valentina wrinkled her nose, feigning disappointment. While Gargantua’s growth ceased, her mood, which should have remained stable, had shifted.

“I could destroy the Empire single-handedly. A few superhuman loyalists are merely delaying the inevitable. If we joined forces, I assure you, the Empire would fall within six seconds.”

“But…”

“Yes, but.”

Valentina interrupted, stepping closer.

Gargantua, suspended in mid-air, followed obediently.

Looking up at me, she smiled.

“As a favor to my friend, I shall allow myself to be deceived.”

“…How should I respond?”

“Act arrogant, my friend.”

Valentina slowly lowered her finger.

Her small, white index finger pointed towards the empire below.

“You dislike being misunderstood by them, yes? There’s a solution.”

“Ah, don’t tell me.”

“Indeed. The superhumans have already sensed our meeting. The most convincing evidence that we’re not allies…”

Rumble…

Gargantua, now held in her hand, shrunk back to its original size.

No longer the size to destroy nations, but the size for individual combat.

“A fight.”

“Precisely.”

Valentina kicked off the air and leaped back.

Kudos, uncertain, flew into the distance.

“Haa…”

Valentina took a breath and raised Gargantua above her head. Immense mana, unlike anything I’d witnessed before, coalesced around the blade.

“If we don’t fight as if our lives depend on it, they won’t believe us, will they?”

I was already planning to.

This was my chance to eliminate Valentina.

I tossed my bag into the air.

The clasp sprang open, and Durandal, along with a dagger, flew towards me. I caught the dagger in a reverse grip with my left hand and Durandal in my right. Even through my glove, Durandal’s cool steel sent a shiver down my spine.

“Indeed. You prefer that as well, Valentina?”

Valentina grinned.

“Of course.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Following the black streaks, everything vanishes.

Valentina dances with her sword, a joyful, terrifying whirlwind.

“Come now! Don’t run!”

Rumble…

Each swing of Gargantua shears through buildings. Clean, straight cuts, as if cleaving through space itself.

Retreat is my only option.

The magic circle for my large-scale spell isn’t ready.

Instinct screams at me to conserve mana.

But…

“Durandal, rend.”

I, too, command the power of spatial manipulation. I can resist.

I raise Durandal high and swing with all my might.

Bang!!!

Crack…

Durandal clashes against Gargantua, halting its consumption of space.

Valentina, seemingly thrilled by the resistance, shouts,

“You command spatial manipulation as well?! Just how impressive are you?!”

Screech…

Gargantua slowly begins to slice through Durandal.

I hadn’t expected it to last, but I hadn’t anticipated this much damage so quickly.

Well, it’s still within acceptable parameters.

The magic circle is complete.

I abandon Durandal.

A blinding light erupts from my right hand.

Even the incantation I typically forgo for the sake of silent casting,

I must utter before her.

“Sever a shard of the sun. Disrupt all. O, extreme heat.”

Whirr…

Holding Durandal suspended with telekinesis, I chant with my empty right hand. Within my thin glove, I feel the power of the stars. An untamed, overwhelming force.

There’s no time to scream at the searing heat of the miniature sun blazing in my palm. It’s a powerful beam, ready to be unleashed.

“Flare.”

Valentina’s eyes widen.

“This level of mana…”

Boom!!!

Valentina’s words are cut short.

Kaboom!!!!

The immense beam of light turns the night sky white.

Contained within the beam is pure, unadulterated energy.

A miniature version of the sun’s fury,

a colossal cosmic disaster, unleashed upon the earth.

The buildings surrounding Valentina crumble, sliced clean through. The falling debris melts into molten slag. Everything in Flare’s path is incinerated, beyond repair.

A reasonable price to pay for repelling a Legion Commander.

I lean against a building, flames licking at its sides, threatening to consume it whole.

Mana exhaustion. I never thought I’d experience this.

“My right hand is rather warm.”

An unsightly mark is seared onto the glove on my left hand.

Just from briefly touching it to my right arm to control the recoil.

The glove on my right is incinerated beyond recognition, useless. Though its mana lingers, maintaining its suppression effect.

“Is it over…?”

Then, a voice from behind.

“What do you mean, my friend?”

I don’t want to turn around.

I refuse to turn around.

But the sheer volume of mana behind me leaves me no choice. It threatens to obliterate me where I stand. The same overwhelming power I’d just witnessed, the power I’d assumed was gone, is back.

“Ah.”

“Indeed. I lost an arm blocking that attack… but it would have been rather unpleasant had I not.”

Compared to Valentina, who speaks as if suffering a great tragedy,

the ashen remains of her arm regenerate with thick, black mana, reforming into a delicate girl’s limb.

That was a tactic I’d been saving. Back to square one.

There’s nothing else I can do.

I have to face this monster head-on.

“Let’s continue.”

With my ungloved right hand, I grip the ravaged Durandal.

I cannot use my right hand’s power.

If I unleash it here, in the heart of the empire, death itself will become contagious.

And with her absurd regenerative abilities… I have a feeling that she could simply reappear, even if completely obliterated. There’s no benefit to this fight, only loss.

My best option is to limit the collateral damage.

I have to draw her into close combat, using only smaller spells.

Yes, the close-quarters combat she excels at…

“Strengthen.”

My blood runs cold.

Muscles coil tight, and heat floods my veins.

I unleash the aura within me, a torrent of power.

Kwaaah!!!

Durandal’s black and white aura merges with my own, creating a massive wave of energy. Focusing intently, I unify the chaotic swirling colors into a single, coherent force.

Valentina raises Gargantua once more, its blade wreathed in a swirling vortex of black and deep yellow aura.

“Ash-grey aura. I haven’t seen that in four millennia.”

“Such a unique aura. It’s a first for me.”

Valentina smiles.

“Thank you. Let us continue our conversation with our blades.”

“Indeed.”

Clang!!!

The first strike, a predictable overhead blow.

But even anticipating the trajectory, blocking Gargantua is a Herculean feat. Its immense weight amplifies even the simplest swing, imbuing it with terrifying momentum. Impossible weight, impossible speed—two unstoppable forces, combined.

If I rely solely on defense, Durandal will shatter.

Under the crushing weight, I barely manage to whisper,

“Durandal, Olivier’s Form.”

Durandal’s aura flares, weaving countless threads that bind it to Gargantua, an unbreakable link. The strain on Gargantua’s blade is palpable.

Screech…

“…!”

At the ominous sound, Valentina instantly recalls her sword.

Just as planned. So far, so good.

I toss Durandal into my bag.

A warrior of her caliber wouldn’t risk further damage to her beloved weapon. Besides, I suspect Gargantua is a construct of her will. Given time, it will regenerate, but if broken, it’s gone for good.

I’ve been waiting for this opening.

I launch myself at Valentina, vulnerable during the recall.

My right fist crackles with nascent spells.

“Smite, Smash, Damage, Blow…”

A litany of physical attacks coalesce within my fist.

Before they fully form, I’ll unleash them all at once.

“Ha! You dare challenge me to hand-to-hand combat?!”

Valentina twists, her small hand reaching back, poised to strike.

I know instinctively—a single blow from that hand will be devastating.

She launches herself at me, a blur of motion. Even without wings, her speed is superhuman.

I can’t track her visually.

I transmute the blades and flames into raw mana, gathering it into a single point. The maximum output I can manage, disregarding the consequences.

And I commune with the constellations.

Constellation magic. A bargain struck with the stars, granting power beyond comprehension. If I use this,

I’ll be out of commission for days.

But I can send her to the other side of the continent.

“O Sagittarius, master of penetration, grant me an arrow that pierces all.”

The mana dissipates, leaving a single, shimmering golden arrow in my hand. I raise it slowly, assuming the stance of an archer. The arrow quivers, mirroring my trembling hand.

As Valentina’s afterimage momentarily materializes,

I still my hand.

And.

Bang!!!

Release.