episode_0161

161. Steel’s.

Screeeeeech-

A surprise attack right at the start of the match!

Sarah chuckled dryly and swung her longsword. Before she knew it, scarlet sword energy was enveloping the blade.

Clang!

Metal and magic collided, and soon a huge explosion erupted. Sarah endured the heat by surrounding her entire body with magic power.

‘The magic power consumption is too steep…!’

She couldn’t just stand still like this. Sarah quickly kicked off the ground. Her figure soared upwards, evading the flames.

Sarah hovered in the air, looking down to survey her surroundings. And she muttered unconsciously.

“Gone?”

Immediately after, her gaze turned upwards. It was unbelievable, but her senses were screaming. Johan was currently in the sky.

“Fast indeed.”

“……!”

Sarah’s eyes widened. Johan was smiling down at her.

‘How on earth did he…?’

Johan’s face was shadowed by the ceiling lights. Thanks to that, Johan’s even and white teeth were clearly visible.

Johan, holding a fan, waved his right hand grandly. Immediately, a massive gale was fired at her.

“Hmph!”

Sarah quickly struck the air, breaking away from that spot. It was an amazingly swift response.

Johan’s eyes sparkled as if he found it amusing. He held his left hand to his chest, with only his index and middle fingers extended.

“Wind Cutter”

Then, the single gust of wind split into many strands and rushed towards Sarah. One of the spectators watching this scene muttered.

“Crazy! He actually changed the direction!”

“Just how much magic control does he have…?”

If the audience was this impressed, how much more would Sarah be? She smoothly stroked the blade with her left hand. Then, the blade split into thousands of red petals and clung to the gale.

The gales gradually weakened as if they had encountered a headwind. With this, Sarah was able to land comfortably on the ground.

“Now it’s my turn, Johan.”

She grinned fiercely and put strength into her thighs. Johan was definitely floating quite high, but she arrived at Johan in less than a breath.

Before she knew it, she was holding a pure white longsword in her hand. Blood-colored sword energy dripped like blood, aiming for Johan’s neck.

“Tch!”

Johan hastily built up several shields.

Crackle-!

But her blade cut through them smoothly, like cutting an apple peel.

‘I even imbued the shields with attributes!’

Eventually, the blade that had penetrated all the shields struck Johan.

Clang-!

Johan left a faint ripple in the air as he flew into the corner of the arena. Crash- The walls of the arena were shattered miserably.

“Huff, huff…”

Johan, stuck in the wall, panted. He was holding his Twin Blood Fans in both hands. At the moment of impact, Johan barely managed to protect himself with the Twin Blood Fans.

‘If it weren’t for the fan, that would have been really dangerous.’

Just what kind of elixir did you give Sarah, Chief Secretary Shim?

Johan chuckled as he recalled the face of Chief Secretary Shim. He raised his body. Gray dust settled thickly on Johan’s clothes.

“Hey, monster magician. You’re not going to lose, are you? Don’t go easy on her just because she’s your lover.”

“Our compatibility is bad… It’s really bad this time.”

“Should I bet on that swordswoman now…?”

Thanks to being slammed into the outskirts of the arena, the distance to the audience seats became very close. The voices of the audience, which were clearer than before, pierced into his ears.

Johan snorted and stuck the Twin Blood Fans into his waistband. Immediately, his majestic magic power surged like lava. The spectators, who had been chattering until just now, closed their mouths.

Johan’s arms stretched forward. Soon, his magic power began to concentrate on one point.

Whoooooosh-

Horrified by this, Sarah rushed towards Johan.

“What strange thing are you trying to do this time!”

The distance between the two rapidly decreased. But it was too late. Johan twisted his lips and muttered.

“Steel Golem.”

“……What?”

At that, a blond young magician in the audience seats scratched his ear with a dumbfounded expression. The magician then muttered, ‘Did I hear wrong?’

Rumble!

Something round and silver-gray bursts through the ground. Sarah instinctively struck it. Clang- The silver-gray orb was slightly dented.

Sarah’s eyes widened.

‘It only dented?’

She had swung it with the intention of cutting it in half…

A somehow irritating voice came from behind the silver-gray orb.

“I poured so much magic power into it, you’re trying to get through it too easily.”

“Hmph!”

There’s no tree that doesn’t fall after being hit ten times. Just as Sarah was about to unleash another sword strike-

Thwack thwack thwack-

“Hmph!”

The silver-gray orb seemed to writhe, then spat out hundreds of spikes. Sarah swung her sword at a speed that couldn’t even be seen, deflecting them all.

Clang clang clang clang!

This time, the steel’s hardness wasn’t that strong. It seemed like it was made in a hurry.

At that moment, Sarah had a small question. He poured such a massive amount of magic power to show a spell of this level?

It didn’t fit with Johan’s usual behavior. It was too inefficient. Then, she remembered what Johan had muttered while casting the spell just now.

‘Steel… Gol-‘

The thought stopped there. Already, her instincts were controlling her entire body. Sarah stepped back, creating distance in an instant.

Immediately, the silver-gray orb shook violently and soared into the air. No, to be exact, it was being supported.

Rumble!!!

A dark shadow loomed over Sarah’s head. Sarah stretched her head upwards and looked at the source of the shadow. It was so high that her neck hurt.

Swoosh- Clang! Clang! Rumble!

The height and torso circumference were incomparable to the sculpture Alex had shown in the waiting room. The appearance was also much more futuristic.

If Alex’s golem was like a toy made of clay, this was…

“Gundam…”

Sarah nodded unconsciously at someone’s mumbling. Yes, it was that elaborate of a golem.

“No, seriously! How is that even possible! Did he steal my specialty! I’ve never seen such a scammer!”

She shook her head at the shout of a blond magician. Johan wasn’t a scammer. He just had an excellent memory.

Sarah looked up at the Steel Golem and said.

“It’s big. But does it even move? It’s not just big.”

[Of course.]

Johan’s answer was heard from the vicinity of the golem’s head. The sight of the cut-off spikes sticking out was grotesque.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t implement the magic to give the golem autonomy like Alex. So Johan decided to change his thinking. If autonomous control was impossible, he could just control it directly.

Whoosh- The golem’s heavy arms moved, taking a fighting stance. Sarah felt like she was fighting a giant.

[Now, let’s start round 2.]

Johan’s voice echoed.

The next moment, the Steel Golem’s right hook landed with a fierce air pressure. Sarah reflexively swung her longsword.

Clang!

It was stronger than the spikes, but weaker than the head. Sarah smiled thinly as she looked at the fist that was denting badly. But her smile soon stiffened.

Crack, rumble!

Because the golem’s right fist was regenerating quickly as if it had never been destroyed. Johan’s voice, sounding somehow excited, was heard.

[As long as it’s not completely annihilated, recovery is relatively easy compared to other magic. How is it, not as easy as you thought?]

Was he excited to use a new spell?

‘Cute.’

Sarah thought so and kicked off the ground. She climbed the almost-recovered arm like a vine, heading upwards. There was the golem’s head.

‘You think I can’t go because it’s so high?’

Squeak squeak-!

Her sword and the Steel Golem’s surface collided, emitting brilliant sparks. The sparks continued endlessly, and soon arrived near the elbow.

[Where do you think you’re going!]

The golem raised its left hand and slammed down on the elbow area! But Sarah had already passed that point.

Squeak squeak-!

The sparks were getting closer and closer. Sarah had already reached the shoulder area. Despite the urgent situation, Johan didn’t panic.

It was still within his expectations. Johan thought about cutting off his right arm. Then the golem’s right arm broke off from the torso with a snap.

“Gasp!”

Sarah gasped. To think he would throw away his arm, Sarah’s thoughts stopped for a moment at the too-daring decision.

Fortunately, she quickly regained her senses. She kicked off strongly from the falling right arm and soared into the air.

[Haha! Sarah, you were too hasty!]

Johan, who was inside the golem’s head, concentrated. Then, dense spikes popped out from the Steel Golem’s entire body.

Shushushushushuk-!

The golem’s size was hundreds of times that of Sarah’s. How dense would it be if spikes were spewing out from such a large body?

The steel spikes, which instantly occupied all of Sarah’s directions, were fired at her.

[Hwaaa!]

Johan didn’t stop here. He grabbed the right arm that was falling to the ground with his left hand, and transformed it into a giant steel sword.

And he swung it.

Whoooooosh-!

Spikes from all directions, and a steel greatsword falling from above. The shadows created by the countless objects buried her.