Ch.450Second

“What is this, the sky…?”

I looked up at the sky spread above the ceiling of the underground prayer room with bewilderment.

The sky in a basement.

Could it be that the entire ceiling had been blown away?

…No. Looking again, that wasn’t it.

Chronologically, sunrise was still hours away, yet the sky above my head wasn’t night sky but bright blue like midday.

Well, above this place was their cathedral, and what madman would start by blowing up his own house just to show off his strength?

He hadn’t destroyed the ceiling but summoned something sky-like above our heads.

Judging by the scale, it certainly seemed like divine power worthy of self-praise, an impressive magic…

“…What’s the point of this?”

For something that consumed such an absurd amount of mana, nothing much had changed except for improved lighting.

I almost wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to direct that mana toward an attack.

Was he planning to bombard me from a height my attacks couldn’t reach?

Well, if it was a magically summoned sky, the actual ceiling would still remain above it.

It didn’t seem possible to increase my flight altitude.

“Don’t you understand? Of course not. What meaning could there be in summoning a clear sky in empty space? How could a lowly swordsman comprehend such things?”

The way this bastard talks.

“Huh.”

I spat out blood-mixed saliva onto the floor and glared at Lübitz floating in the sky.

“You must feel really dirty, huh? Dying by a lowly man’s sword.”

“Thank you for the congratulations. Thanks to you, I won’t have to feel bad.”

Lübitz stretched his right hand toward the sky spread across the ceiling.

With a crackling sound.

A small beam of light shot from his fingertips toward the sky.

“Isn’t that right? As you can see…”

And then.

– BOOM!

Thunder that shook the underground chamber.

As the priests around us simultaneously deployed defensive magic, the blue sky turned pitch black with storm clouds.

Wait, is this…!

“You shall perish here!”

As Lübitz drew his fingertip downward, a storm of lightning struck the ground.

With a power completely different from mages’ lightning magic, truly like nature itself.

—-

My vision flashed white.

A ringing sound filled my ears as warm heat flowed from them.

The ground, swept by dozens of lightning bolts, glowed red, emitting smoke and sparks, with shattered stone statues scattered everywhere.

“What the hell… weather manipulation?!”

I wondered what he was trying to do, and out came a grand magic that only dragons should be able to use.

Surviving the first attack was nothing short of miraculous.

When he struck with lightning, my survival instinct made me throw away Durandal and leap upward with all my might.

I was now clinging to the ceiling above the sky like an insect, attached by Karma of Murder’s tentacles.

I thought the lightning might follow me because of my black iron armor, but fortunately, thanks to whatever Asha had done, the lightning wasn’t drawn to my armor.

I nearly died.

Even I couldn’t withstand lightning strikes falling like that.

I might endure one or two bolts, but how could I block dozens of lightning strikes?

Even Orhan would die if hit by all that.

[ …Impossible sorcery. How can a mere human wield such power…? ]

Hersella also exclaimed in astonishment.

I know. At this level, wasn’t this guy actually the strongest in the Holy State?

His power alone surpassed even Isabella’s.

Though he’d lose to her in a fight due to her thousands of resurrections.

Still… I managed to dodge, so I should be safe.

No matter what, he couldn’t possibly cast such magic repeatedly.

The mana flowing around and the radiance of holy light had decreased to less than half of before, clearly showing he had consumed a significant amount of power with that single strike.

I looked regretfully at Durandal embedded in one wall and drew a dagger from my breast.

There was no time to retrieve my sword. I had to strike now before he launched another attack…

“…You dodged. Indeed, your movements are quick.”

Lübitz turned toward me and sneered.

…I thought I was hiding, but he’d already spotted me!

“You’ve got damn good eyes!”

I kicked off from the ceiling and charged toward him.

I’d said myself that fighting with just a dagger was madness, but when facing a mage rather than a swordsman, a dagger or longsword made little difference.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“Intercept him!”

Of course, my attack never reached Lübitz.

Before I could close the distance, over a hundred spells were flying at me.

“Damn it! Don’t you ever get tired, you bastards!”

I had to stab Karma’s tentacles into the ceiling for an emergency stop, then crawl around like a spider using the tentacles to dodge the barrage of spells.

“Fall!”

Ah.

Goddamn binding magic.

Flashing chains wrapped around my body including the Karma tentacles, and suddenly intensified gravity tore me from the ceiling and hurled me toward the ground.

– BOOM!

The impact of the fall wasn’t severe.

The problem was the magic that followed.

A quick glance revealed more than a dozen spells.

Fire, ice, lightning, and something like a beam—every type of magic was coming at me.

I didn’t have Durandal in my hand, and…

“KYAAAAH!”

Without the True Silver Sword, I had to endure however I could.

I unleashed Frosting to pierce through an ice spear, then stomped the ground to create fragments that blocked the lightning.

Ice shards and stone dust scattered and sparkled everywhere.

– WHOOSH!

The light beam that seemed about to pierce my shoulder fortunately only shattered the black iron scales on my armor.

I felt like giving Asha about half my entire fortune.

– WHOOSH!

The flames I just took with my body.

“Keuuu…!”

Thanks to Rurik’s leather, or perhaps the seal on my wrist.

Despite being magical fire, it fortunately wasn’t unbearably hot.

No, it was certainly hot, but my skin wasn’t burning or anything.

Rather, I felt a slight increase in power.

“…You don’t burn. No, are you absorbing the flames?”

Lübitz stroked his chin and calmly asked, watching me.

This bastard.

After refusing to answer anything, now he’s asking questions…!

“Ha, for all your endless wisdom, you can’t figure it out even when you see it?”

“Hmm… it’s different from mana resistance. Resistance wouldn’t block attack magic in the first place. You handle peculiar flames, so is this an extension of that power…? Worth analyzing.”

Lübitz tilted his head and muttered to himself.

I wanted to shoot back another retort, but there was no time.

The ordinary priests seemed to be reaching their limits as they retreated behind the railings and sat down, but those who appeared to be high priests were still enthusiastically firing spells.

I dodged the saturation of magic and threw whatever I could grab.

Though they were just rocks and ice fragments.

“He’s throwing stones! Defend!”

“Die running like a dog, Elmaine’s dog!”

However, they divided into groups—a third casting defensive magic, the rest attacking and binding spells—and continued to drive me relentlessly.

Having realized fire magic had little effect, the priests attacked with every method except fire.

The full-scale magical display was difficult even for me to withstand.

Rock fragments scattered on the floor rose into the air and flew at me like meteors, while shadows beneath my feet rose to bind my entire body.

The moment my feet stopped, an air projectile with tremendous force struck me head-on.

I tried to counteract it somehow, but there was a limit to what arms, legs, and tentacles could do.

– CRASH!

An impact that felt like every bone in my body was being crushed.

My body flew like it had been hit by a truck and crashed violently into a corner of the prayer room.

“Kaha, ack…!”

Blood spurted from my mouth involuntarily.

An attack I completely failed to block. My left arm, which I had tried to use as a shield, was twisted in a strange direction.

Without Frosting, my arm might have exploded completely.

Even though I sacrificed one arm to endure it, the impact alone was enough to turn my abdomen bluish-purple.

“You, damn bastards…!”

I forcibly bent my twisted left arm back to its original shape, then drove Karma’s energy into it to stabilize the broken bones.

A temporary measure, but at least I could move it somehow.

It wasn’t severed, so it could be called a minor injury, but it was the first real wound I’d sustained since this fight began.

The word “defeat” began to cross my mind.

“…Well, I can find out by capturing and experimenting on you. Even if you die, dissecting your corpse will provide answers.”

Lübitz, uttering these ominous words, began gathering mana again, covering the sky with light.

At an incredibly fast pace.

It was like pumping water from a tank with a high-pressure pump—unstoppable momentum.

—-

“Ha.”

I let out a hollow laugh as I looked up at the ceiling radiating holy light.

It was absurd.

Judging by how the priests had been pouring out magic like rain, the ambient mana must have been nearly depleted long ago, and they must be consuming mana they had accumulated themselves.

Recovering spent internal mana required a considerable amount of time.

Not refilling it instantly like this!

“Crazy, using grand magic like weather manipulation consecutively with just internal mana? Have you been eating magic stones instead of bread?!”

Even recovering mana with magic stones has its limits.

Mana consumption of this scale would require at least a building-sized magic stone.

“You speak as if you know magic well. Aishan-Gioro Haschal. Were you perhaps a mage rather than a warrior? Ah, I see. No wonder your sword couldn’t reach me.”

Blood rushed to my head with frustration.

If only I had two allies who could block magic for me, I would have torn that bastard’s mouth first.

When are Lacy, Demian, and Millia coming?

Hush, you half-black half-demon bastard, you didn’t really run away, did you?

Gritting my teeth, I ran to dodge the magic and finally managed to retrieve Durandal that had caught my eye.

Not that having this one sword back would change much.

This damn sword was only releasing part of its power, meticulously checking conditions while its master’s life hung in the balance!

“You dodged the lightning well. But are thunderstorms the only disaster the heavens can bring? Try dodging this.”

The sky full of dark clouds slowly began to rotate in a circle.

Gaining speed progressively.

I could tell instinctively.

A tornado.

This time he intended to sweep the entire place with a storm, preventing any escape.

…This is bad.

I can’t win this.

‘…I need to escape.’

I never thought I’d say such words, but I needed to flee and regroup with my companions.

Alone, I had no answer.

[ You would turn your back on an enemy before your eyes! Have you no shame! ]

Naturally, Hersella was furious.

Crazy woman.

‘So I should just endure and die like a dog?’

[ A Ka’har warrior does not retreat before an enemy! ]

That might be true for you.

‘But I’m not Ka’har.’

[ Ah. ]

Hersella let out a single groan as if she had forgotten.

[ E-Even so, that body is mine! Not content with taking over my flesh, now you would bring shame to it as well! ]

‘What do you want me to do? Judging by what that bastard said, greater shame awaits if I’m captured.’

I’ve never seen a mage who didn’t conduct breeding experiments.

Priests might be different, but seeing how these ones act, they seem to have discarded clerical ethics entirely.

[ Keu… damn it… ugh…. ]

Hersella, having no rebuttal, could only groan through gritted teeth.

‘Nothing to say, right? So, let’s escape and regroup with Lacy-‘

[ Uuugh… aah… damn it, I didn’t want to use this here…! ]

Hersella let out a passionate sigh.

Not a tone of accepting escape, but suggesting she had some other method.

‘Use what…?’

[ Shut up and give me complete control of the Karma! All of it, even what you’ve been preserving! ]

A command overflowing with irritation.

I handed over control of the Karma to her in bewilderment.

Even the fundamental parts I usually controlled, all of it.

And the next moment.

My consciousness was pulled back as if dragged by something.

Like someone behind me grabbing my shoulders and throwing me backward.

‘You, this…!’

They say when a person is too shocked, even their mouth freezes.

That’s exactly how I felt.

I had only handed over all the Karma, but I lost control of my physical body as well.

My limbs, no, even my eyeballs wouldn’t move according to my will.

I knew she could move my body when I was unconscious, but could she take it over like this while I was awake?

Had she been hiding this fact all along?

[ I’ll explain everything later, so don’t resist and accept it! If you resist, I can’t maintain it for long…! ]

Hersella ignored my questions and moved the freed body toward the enemies.

‘What are you doing? You can’t defeat enemies I couldn’t beat!’

[ Ha, you think so? The fundamental power we seek is different. Just because you failed doesn’t mean I will. ]

With an arrogant yet ecstatic tone, Hersella gripped the dimmed Durandal upside down and thrust it into the ground.

[ Watch carefully…! And never complain to me again! ]

Hersella opened my mouth, drew a deep breath into my lungs, and summoned all the thousands of accumulated Karma to shout:

“This is my Tale of Heros. Field of Mortality—!”

The world turned red.