Ch.261Chapter 261: Robbery (1)

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An immense fighting spirit was condensing in the demon sword held by Imperfectio.

It was crimson black.

It was a fighting aura imbued with a color that held such impurity that anything it touched would instantly lose its original form.

It was filled with such intense energy that even ordinary people would sense an ominous feeling just by looking at it.

Yet ironically, even though such ordinary people might be consumed by the ominous aura emanating from it.

One might find themselves unconsciously uttering the word “beautiful” at the sight of that obsidian-like crimson black light.

And on the opposite side, facing this demon sword, an equally immense fighting spirit was condensing in the holy sword held by Lilianshiz.

It was a fighting aura with a clear, elegant color tinged with golden light, possessing a beauty that would not be inferior to anything else in the world.

It could rightfully be called a warmth that, by merely existing, gave strength to all beings and completely dispelled any impure energy that threatened existence.

Yet despite wielding swords with such contrasting auras, the expressions on the faces of the holy sword and demon sword’s owners were surprisingly identical, without a single contrasting element.

Lilianshiz’s expression was more serious than any she had shown since grasping her sword.

And across from her, Imperfectio, despite wearing a helmet that revealed nothing but his mouth.

“…”

His tightly closed lips forming a straight line revealed his equally serious state.

Both of them sensed it intuitively.

Though the duel hadn’t been particularly long.

This clash, where they had drawn out everything they possessed, would be decided by this single strike.

That’s why they were cautious.

*Krrk-!!*

They were searching for the slightest opening in their opponent to find the optimal timing to deliver this final blow.

Compared to their fierce exchange of sword strikes just moments ago, this near-motionless standoff might seem boring to some.

“…Whoever moves first loses.”

But the sole spectator of this scene understood well what this seemingly tedious confrontation meant.

“You can do it, Shiz.”

He simply offered a calm prayer for his lover’s victory.

Given the considerable distance, his words wouldn’t reach the ears of the two combatants engrossed in their duel.

“…Yes.”

Having heard her lover’s encouragement from afar, Lilianshiz maintained her gaze while uttering a tiny whisper to herself.

Though her expression remained unchanged due to the serious nature of the confrontation, anyone close enough to hear her voice would surely have described her current mood as pleased.

“…”

And Imperfectio, having heard Lilianshiz’s whisper, kept his mouth tightly closed in seriousness…

“I envy you.”

…or rather, he suddenly expressed a brief envy directed at Lilianshiz.

“…?”

At Imperfectio’s brief whisper, Lilianshiz’s expression was tinged with doubt for just a moment.

Her gaze, which had remained fixed forward despite her lover’s encouragement.

In that moment of hesitation caused by the sudden words, Imperfectio’s mouth.

“I truly envy you.”

After emphasizing his previous statement, his form disappeared like dispersing mist.

“…!!”

Lilianshiz’s pupils, already moderately dilated, expanded further.

When they had been fighting, she hadn’t paid much attention to sensing his presence since he was right before her eyes.

But now, having barely felt any trace of the demon god’s agent she had been facing.

Finding an opponent who had concealed himself this way was extremely difficult, so she naturally expanded all her senses and spiritual perception to locate him.

Unfortunately, despite her efforts, before Lilianshiz could detect Imperfectio’s presence.

The mist-like dispersed form of Imperfectio instantly materialized behind Lilianshiz.

Before she could even turn around after noticing Imperfectio suddenly behind her.

“I envy you enough to kill you!”

With a cry that was almost a scream.

*Bwoong-!!*

The demon sword, wrapped in a dizzying crimson-black fighting aura, slashed down with enough force to bisect Lilianshiz.

The demon sword descended.

The momentum of the demon sword, infamous for greedily devouring everything its blade cut, was ferocity incarnate.

And Lilianshiz, in the path of that blade, was clearly in a situation where not only counterattacking but even blocking would be difficult.

One might expect her expression to falter when facing such mortal danger.

But even in this perilous situation, Lilianshiz was still a hero of this era chosen by the holy sword.

“…”

With eyes as calm as an undisturbed lake surface, Lilianshiz precisely observed the approaching demon sword.

And her hand holding the holy sword, even more composed, as if preparing to receive the trajectory of the approaching demon sword was cumbersome.

*Whisk-!!*

She simply extended the holy sword with perfect naturalness to intercept the approaching demon sword.

Up to this point, one might consider this a replay of scenes commonly witnessed during the two’s sword exchanges until just tens of minutes ago.

But the light and darkness fighting auras of unimaginable density with opposing attributes that had seeped into the two swords in their hands.

*Krrrng-!!*

With the thunderous sound that erupted as the swords met, they created a scene quite different from what had been seen just moments before.

“Ugh!!”

Lilianshiz, having barely received the demon sword, let out a brief groan expressing the pain she felt as a force greater than she had anticipated overwhelmed her.

“…!!”

Across from her, Imperfectio didn’t vocalize his pain like Lilianshiz, but judging by how he bit his lower lip, he too was clearly experiencing a certain level of pain.

While the two sword wielders writhed in pain from the sudden shockwave that enveloped their bodies.

“So… the match is decided.”

As Cal observed from a suitable distance.

This time, the weapons in the hands of the two showed reactions contrary to their owners.

The golden fighting aura imbued in the holy sword in Lilianshiz’s hand, far from losing its light when confronting such powerful negativity, was actually becoming more radiant, to the point where “dazzling” would be an appropriate description.

And the crimson-black fighting aura imbued in the demon sword in Imperfectio’s hand was losing its characteristic malice upon contact with the golden aura, disappearing like it was dissolving into the night sky.

“Tsk…”

Witnessing this with his own eyes, Imperfectio clicked his tongue with a tone close to lamentation, even while suppressing his pain.

It was just a single clash.

But it was a clash that decided everything.

“Haa… haa…”

After briefly catching her breath with moderate pain from the terrifying residual aura covering her body.

Seeing the impurity imbued in the demon sword in Imperfectio’s hand rapidly disappearing, Lilianshiz turned her gaze to the holy sword in her own hand.

As soon as she saw that the golden fighting aura imbued in her holy sword still hadn’t lost its light.

“Haaah!!”

Lilianshiz let out a battle cry infusing all her remaining strength and swung down diagonally with full force at Imperfectio, who was still reeling from the shock of their clash.

Throughout their sword exchange, whenever one’s sword was swung, the other’s would block it without fail.

“…”

But even though the holy sword had already penetrated to a trajectory where he couldn’t block it, there was no particular reaction from Imperfectio.

At this rate, for the first time since the duel began, a proper effective and fatal blow would be carved into Imperfectio’s body.

This was so certain that both the holy sword-wielding Lilianshiz and.

“…It’s done.”

Cal, who had been wearing an expression of indescribable tension, uttered a word of certainty.

But caught up in this certainty, neither of them properly saw.

*Siiik-*

The sight of Imperfectio, who, despite having a holy sword imbued with golden fighting aura flying toward him, quietly smiled without changing his expression.

Eventually, the holy sword drawing a brilliant trajectory touched Imperfectio’s body.

And at that moment, Lilianshiz saw it.

The demon god’s agent, touched by the holy sword that had the power to envelop everything tainted with demonic impurity in light and return it to nothingness.

“I told you. It wouldn’t work.”

After making such a declaration with confidence.

The scene of him accepting the light of the holy sword that had come to cut his body, instantly restoring his body exhausted from the fierce battle and healing the lightly carved wounds.

This alone was a sight shocking enough to make one fall over in surprise.

But knowing well that this was not a situation where mere surprise would suffice, Lilianshiz gripped her holy sword with her right hand, refusing to let go of the demon god’s agent caught in her sword’s path.

She didn’t know what magic he was using to accept the light imbued in the holy sword to recover his wounds and stamina.

But judging that if he was a being made of impurity, he might not be able to prevent being cut by the holy sword itself rather than its aura, she was exerting all her remaining strength in a desperate effort.

Unfortunately, before Lilianshiz’s desperate effort could bear fruit.

“How regrettable…”

Imperfectio, who had already recovered from the accumulated wounds and depleted stamina from the fierce battle, uttered words tinged with a strange sentiment toward the holy sword wielder who had fought him as an equal until just moments ago.

*Krrk-!!*

And with his left hand, which wasn’t holding the demon sword, he gripped the blade of the holy sword, bringing the battle to a futile end.

A being tainted with demonic energy, who would perish on the spot if cut.

Gripping the holy sword with his own hand, not by the handle but by the blade.

*Drip drip*

Despite blood as red as his own dripping onto the wasteland floor.

“If it had been Mother here instead of me, you would have undoubtedly won…”

Having completely set aside the excess emotion he had shown earlier, Imperfectio made a brief assessment of the already determined outcome in a calm tone, certain of his victory.

“…It won’t move.”

He was certain of his victory over the holy sword wielder who, despite holding her sword, couldn’t properly control it due to being overwhelmed by his strength.

*Wooooo-!!*

As if to reinforce Imperfectio’s certainty, an eerie wailing sound echoed from the blade of Devastator, which had been overwhelmed by the light fighting aura emitted from the holy sword.

*Plop-!! Plop-!!*

A drop or two of rain fell from the thick dark clouds brought by the unstable atmospheric flow that had persisted since the duel began.

It was a cold raindrop, cold enough to make one spontaneously say that it chilled to the bone.

“…”

For Lilianshiz, whose expression showed clear disbelief at what was unfolding before her eyes, and.

“Haha… hahahaha.”

For Imperfectio, who burst into dry laughter from his modulated voice, the temperature of the raindrops they felt would surely be contrasting.