Chapter 48: The First King Established by God (1)
by fnovelpia
“…How?”
Even Albus, who had been watching the duel between Leighton and Aus from the omniscient perspective of the Absolute, was stunned by what he witnessed.
Aus possessed the Infinite Spirit Magic (EX), a power that allowed him to manipulate the space around his body through the spirits of the four elements, making it impossible for any attack to reach him.
This ability was so overwhelming that none of the other powerful contenders in the tournament seemed capable of breaking through it.
But… how did it happen?
No matter how much he scrutinized Leighton’s status window, Albus couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred.
“Guide. Explain what just happened.”
– Player Leighton reverse-engineered and neutralized Player Aus’s Infinite Spirit Magic, delivering a slashing strike that cut through space and inflicted damage.
“Reverse-engineered? Neutralized? Is that something Leighton’s abilities can achieve?”
The difference in their levels was not absolute.
Even if one had a lower level, various factors could turn the tide of battle… but…
‘Could such a feat be possible with a level difference of over 200?’
The gap between Leighton and Aus was so vast that the outcome was hard to accept.
– Player Aus’s spirit magic mana pattern is dynamic and changes in real-time, making it seem impossible. I will analyze the battle log. Please wait a moment.
In this world, which was itself a form of massive illusionary magic shaped like a program, every event was logged in code, allowing the guide to perform its analysis.
– Analysis complete. It appears that Player Leighton’s slashing magic precisely deciphered and countered Player Aus’s spirit magic pattern. There are two possible explanations.
-The first is that the pattern of Leighton’s slashing magic coincidentally matched and nullified Aus’s magic.
“What are the odds of such a coincidence?”
– 6.02×10^-23%.
“Impossible. What’s the second possibility?”
– The second possibility is that Player Aus’s time stopped momentarily. A subtle lag was detected across Rudera’s log during the battle. Leighton may have used the time freeze to reverse-engineer and neutralize Aus’s magic.
“Stop time? Leighton doesn’t possess such an ability.”
Moreover, even in a fantasy world, it was hard to believe that a mere human could possess the power to stop time.
This world isn’t some bugged-out game.
…Wait.
A bug?
At that moment, a thought flashed through Albus’s mind.
“Guide. Analyze all of Rudera’s previous logs and check for any signs of lag.”
If my hunch is correct…
– Three instances of lag have been confirmed.
“What was Leighton doing during those times?”
– During each of those times, a common log was found with Player Leighton. He used the power of his lineage.
As I suspected.
Albus now had a clear understanding of what had happened.
‘A bug that causes the game to stop when a player performs a certain action?’
The world had stopped along with him, so he hadn’t been aware of the bug’s existence.
…How am I supposed to fix this bug?
Before dealing with the player exploiting the bug, Albus didn’t even know where to begin untangling the spaghetti-like code.
After the duel that shocked everyone in the arena, the Round of 32 matches proceeded rapidly.
Thud.
A knight with a gaping hole in his chest collapsed backward.
“Heh. So it’s impossible after all.”
The knight’s body began to fade as he mustered the last of his strength to speak.
“I wanted to witness the true power of someone who united the races and built a nation on solid rock.”
Beyond him, smoke wafted from the gauntlet of Brigand, the Beast King.
“All my power is but the will of the GM.”
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ding!
– Victory! You will be moved to the winner’s waiting room shortly.
‘As long as the GM favors me, nothing will stand in my way.’
“By converting the nature of anti-magic creatures and integrating it into the human body, one can gain control over all surrounding mana—a transcendent magic. It’s like I’m turning into a shrew!”
A massive vortex of mana raged around the tower’s mage.
Crash.
Thud.
The headless body of the mage slumped backward.
Ding!
– Victory! You will be moved to the winner’s waiting room shortly.
‘Shrew. Noisy.’
Executioner Lenya wiped the blood from her hands.
‘Using the characteristics of an anti-magic creature like a shrew to create a domain where one has absolute control over all mana within it is a fascinating magic, but… it’s nothing compared to this.’
The man who took down High Elf Aus, the strongest in the Elven Council and their secret weapon, with a single strike.
Even the dragon’s breath couldn’t penetrate Aus’s spirit shield, but Leighton tore it apart.
‘How did he do it?’
Lenya’s lips curled into a smirk of intrigue.
‘How did he manage to deceive even my eyes?’
The Sword King’s Waiting Room
The Sword King leaned against the wall, cradling his sword, his eyes fixed on the broadcast hologram.
“How dull.”
None of them are worth his time.
He had hoped to face that Jean fellow or the elf, Aus, but they had both been eliminated.
The remaining competitors didn’t seem like they would provide much of a challenge.
Knock, knock.
“…Hmm?”
The Sword King sensed a familiar presence beyond the door.
Bang.
“So, it was you.”
When he opened the door, a familiar woman with strangely warped glasses was smiling at him.
“Hmph. Long time no see, Sword King.”
The Dao Queen Don Quixote.
If the Sword King was the pinnacle of swordsmanship, she was the world’s greatest in handling the Dao.
“I wanted to come in, but it seems I couldn’t without the permission of the room’s owner.”
Normally, she would have entered freely, but the system’s restrictions prevented her from doing so.
“Hmph. Come in.”
“Hmph. Then excuse me.”
She entered leisurely, slumping crookedly into a corner of the sofa.
“I heard you made it to the main tournament. Have you encountered anyone worthy of your attention?”
“No.”
The Sword King recalled the opponents he faced in the preliminaries.
“They were all beneath me. Not worth my time.”
“I figured as much.”
Don Quixote’s lips curled into a smile.
“But your next opponent will be a bit different.”
“My next opponent?”
The Sword King’s eyebrows arched.
“Are you referring to the Empire’s princess?”
The Sword King’s Round of 32 match was the final one, the 16th match, and his opponent was Rebecca, the 1st Princess of the Empire.
“Yes. She’ll be someone you’ll find satisfying.”
“She did show some remarkable skills in the preliminaries… but I didn’t think much of it.”
“Hmph.”
Don Quixote laughed at the Sword King’s words.
“Don’t worry. I trained her myself.”
“You, personally?”
A disciple trained by the Dao Queen herself?
“I’ve never heard of you taking on a disciple.”
“Of course not. Our paths crossed within Rudera. No one knows she’s my disciple.”
‘A disciple of Don Quixote…’
“She’s a genius. She’s still inexperienced, but a duel with you will provide the growth she needs. Although she’s been getting into some strange religion lately…”
“…Did you come here just to tell me that?”
“Hmph. Don’t be so cold. We’ve crossed swords many times. At least think about our history… More precisely, I have a favor to ask of you. It’s not something that would be bad for you either.”
Don Quixote’s glasses glowed red.
– Next up, we have~~~the Round of 32, the final match of the day! Today’s contenders are~~~the continent’s strongest swordsman, the Sword King!
Woosh!
The Sword King appeared between two towering pillars of flame.
– And his opponent~~~the Empire’s 1st Princess~~~Rebecca!
Rumble.
His opponent, the princess, appeared across from him.
“You want me to make sure she doesn’t rely on her class abilities… I see.”
The Sword King chuckled as he gazed at the princess.
“What? So, you think I’ll get a satisfying duel out of this? Ha. To think I’d end up as a nanny for some young girl.”
The Sword King’s massive sword crackled with dense, blood-red energy.
“Nice to meet you, Sword King.”
“You’re much more polite than your master.”
Ding.
– The match is starting.
“Now then. Show me whether you’re worth my time, Princess!”
The Sword King gripped his massive sword in a reverse grip and charged at the princess.
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