Ch.243Outer Scripture

The mortally wounded monsters collapsed, splattering rotten blood like paint.

Then, a storm of dark mana erupted from inside the two corpses.

One had its torso butchered from the inside, the other split vertically.

The one whose head I’d completely shattered remained silent as expected, but apparently being cut in half wasn’t enough to prevent an explosion.

As long as I kept my distance…

– Clunk!

The spear tip I was pulling out caught on something.

The impaled monster was firmly gripping the shaft with both hands.

Its insides must be like meat stew by now, yet it can still exert this much strength?

“Grrrr…!”

The creature smiled mockingly.

Impressive, I’ll give you that. Not that it matters much.

If you want my spear that badly, take it.

I released the black iron lance and threw myself into the air.

Unable to withstand the impact of my leap, the ground beneath my feet shattered like glass with a scream.

“Guk?”

The monster left clutching the abandoned spear groaned in confusion, then swelled up and scattered like water droplets.

Two explosions brushed past my legs.

Four enemies remained.

The brilliant light that had covered the entire blade gradually faded, and Durandal now revealed only its blue-silver blade and golden engravings.

I could sense it. I could no longer deliver slashes that cut through everything like before.

Whether it was a time-limited ability or something else, I wasn’t sure.

A bit disappointing… but the easy part ends here.

From now on, I’d have to fight blade against blade.

Not that I expected to lose.

Two flashes of light flew toward me like arrows as I slowly descended.

The monsters who had thrown their halberds like javelins now drew longswords.

I had indeed warned Demian about this. To avoid jumping into the air when possible.

In midair with nowhere to plant your feet, you can’t dodge attacks, and even if you block, your posture becomes severely compromised, risking being shot down by the next attack.

Moreover, the moment you land, you’re inevitably exposed.

…For someone of Demian’s skill level, that is.

I drew two daggers from my waist and threw them, wrapped in Karma of Murder.

With a clear collision sound, two flowers bloomed in the air.

The trajectories of the halberds, entwined with crimson petals, twisted.

The Parashuvalies surrounded me from all directions, aiming to exploit my landing vulnerability.

Four longswords flashed like centipede teeth.

In the past, even I would have had to resign myself to getting stabbed somewhere.

But not anymore.

I poured Karma of Murder into the mark on my right wrist.

Flames forcibly awakened by power blazed with karma as fuel.

Karma Flame.

I wrapped the swirling crimson flames around my legs and plummeted toward the ground like a blazing comet.

With enough force to crush everything beneath my feet.

“Be crushed!”

The creatures frantically threw themselves backward.

My right foot, wrapped in Karma Flame, pierced the earth.

—-

An explosion loud enough to deafen me.

Heat and shockwaves swept in all directions.

Shattered fragments melted as they touched the Karma Flame, scattering like lava.

The heated air twisted as if screaming.

Ash and smoke rose to block the sky, spreading like an inverted waterfall.

It was like being at the center of a bomb blast.

Through the black haze, I glared at the monsters staring blankly in my direction.

The enemies had been reduced from four to three… no, two and a half.

I’d consumed quite a bit of Karma of Murder with this strike, but it was worth it.

One nearby monster had melted without even a scream, and another had only its charred lower body remaining.

“Kieeek!”

The surviving Parashuvalies let out shrill screams.

Yes, you fear fire.

Insects tend to burn well.

“Weak! Is this all? The name ‘witch’ is wasted on you, Isabella!”

She must be listening, right?

I’d be satisfied if my taunt irritated her even a little.

I charged toward the last two monsters with a bold shout.

My extended longsword glowed sky blue, and my clenched left hand blazed crimson.

Two types of karma bared their fangs as if competing.

“Kiaaaak!”

Black energy surged from the monsters’ bodies.

No more hiding, I see. They’re openly confessing to being monsters now.

This wasn’t their own power. Sticky, slimy dark mana was flowing into them, transcending space.

A pungent, rotten smell hit me.

An energy like a prostitute drenched in bodily fluids. Utterly disgusting. This must be Isabella’s own dark mana.

Perhaps she could transmit power from a distance to the monsters she created.

Regardless, I just need to fight. And believe I’ll win.

—-

The longswords danced.

Sky-blue trajectories and pitch-black arcs intertwined, spitting flames like sunset.

Each time blade met blade, the monsters’ swords chipped, spitting fragments.

Indeed, with the golden radiance that had covered the blade gone, Durandal’s sharpness had returned to its normal state.

It was still supplying me with endless vitality, though.

The monsters seemed to have noticed this fact, as their attacks had become more aggressive.

As if determined to tear my flesh even at the cost of getting their bones cut.

Perhaps because Isabella was directly infusing them with power, these two were stronger than the monsters that had already fallen. Their movements were much quicker too.

Violent collision sounds mixed like bell tolls.

The ground crumbled beneath our steps, and shattered dark mana scattered and melted like snow.

“Haaaah!”

Undulating flames burned through the black curtain, intensifying.

The prolonged battle, the gradually widening crack—

– Clang!

—finally shattered completely.

Half a broken blade spun up like a pinwheel. The disarmed monster hesitated for an instant.

The scales of victory tipped to one side.

“Now, time to die!”

The blue longsword swung like lightning.

Was it survival instinct? The disarmed monster fought back with all its might.

It ducked under the Karma Flame whip, deflected Durandal with its broken sword held diagonally.

Then, flipping its wrist, it even counterattacked sharply.

“With a broken sword? How dare you!”

I deflected its strike aimed at my temple with Frosting.

Just as my Karma Flame fist extended like a meteor to crush its head—

– Crack!

The other monster’s longsword struck my wrist, deflecting it.

A stinging pain shot through my wrist.

This much…!

“Kyaah!”

Using the momentum from being deflected, I spun and kicked the insect knight who had attacked my wrist in the side.

With a thunderous sound, the monster with its dented armor flew away.

“Kuh…!”

It burns.

A sensation like rubbing a candle against my waist.

As it was kicked away, the monster’s blade tip had grazed my side.

Despite the impact that vertically folded its body and ruptured all its internal organs, it hadn’t let go of its sword.

Bright red blood flowed from the clearly open wound.

The first effective hit I’d taken since starting this battle.

Though not a deep wound—

“That stings!”

My left arm extended like a shell. The Karma Flame wrapped around it blazed with anger.

– Fwoosh!

The crimson flames melted the armor like snow, pierced through the abdomen, burned through the spine, and emerged from the other side.

Carbonized entrails were tangled around my fingertips.

“Kieeeek.”

The monster impaled by Frosting groaned as if wronged, meeting my eyes.

As if asking why I was taking out my anger on it when the monster sprawled over there was the one who had left a sword mark on my side.

…Do I need to distinguish between you? You’re all the same.

As I kicked it away and pulled out my left hand, flames spread from the donut-like hole in its abdomen.

“Kieeek! Kiek! Gkieek!”

The monster with the pierced stomach writhed as it melted under the Karma Flame covering its entire body.

The one with the burst side couldn’t even get up and just struggled.

A blue arc severed its neck.

—-

“Haaaah…”

I exhaled a heated sigh while looking up at the sky. A breath so hot it could ignite.

The surroundings were in ruins as if bombed, and several unexploded corpses lay like garbage among the dirt piles.

I had won.

Ten Masters. No, ten Parashuvalies completely exterminated.

An impressive achievement even by my own standards.

Defeating ten Masters head-on and cutting them all down, even with the sword’s power.

Moreover, the only injuries I sustained were the sword wound on my side and the throbbing in my left hand.

No one gathered on the plain could speak.

No, they couldn’t even breathe. Yes, it must have been a shocking scene.

Though it seems to have become common lately, the realm of Masters was originally the pinnacle of martial power. They were among the fifty strongest in the Empire.

While unpredictable in the midst of chaotic battles, in duels like this, they were overwhelmingly powerful.

One-fifth of them had all been defeated by a single person here.

Looking at Ernst’s eyes, I could understand their bewilderment.

It wasn’t an expression directed at a person. Nor was it a look reserved for monsters.

The face of someone witnessing something incomprehensible.

That gaze, mixing fear and confusion, admiration and awe, was closer to the look one gives when facing disasters like tsunamis or storms.

With this, the first gamble was successful.

Whether there would be a second, I wasn’t sure.

I wiped my sweat-drenched forehead with the back of my hand, momentarily relaxing my tense muscles.

Now it was time to wait for the enemy’s reaction.

Would they come out, or would they shrink back?

Which will it be?

Werner von Valenstein.