episode_0022

*****

Wizards, especially ancient magic, basically have strengths in high firepower and wide range. Because the composition of the spell is vague and lacks detail, the efficiency of magical power is high. And one of Raon’s specialties is his combination with Fireman through wide-range fire magic.

As expected, the explosion sound that was heard infrequently was Raon’s magic. The orange-haired girl was swinging a staff as tall as herself and chanting magic with all her might.

Of course, as in training, various magics other than fire magic were poured out non-stop. To stop it, you would have to either suppress it with firepower from above or attack Raon, the battery, directly. However, Raon’s front was solidly blocked by a fire-resistant fire fighter.

A combination that requires more firepower than that of a wizard to break through from a long distance, and if it is blocked by a fireman at close range, you will be swept away by a wide area of flame. The composition of the protagonist and main heroine, which was used countless times in the original work, was definitely strong… .

Unfortunately, this time the opponent was too strong.

Suddenly──,

When it spits out fire, it is blown away by a sword wind and the raised earthen wall is split with a single sword blow. The blades of wind surrounding the area were scattered into pieces by even more brilliant sword techniques.

It cuts from the front without dodging or hiding. It was all done with the sword of an old man dressed in black.

Raon is not weak. That old prosecutor is so strong. Probably to the point where I can’t even compete with him now.

Should we surprise them? I shook my head to shake off the momentary thought. I don’t think the surprise attack would work on someone of that level of skill, and I thought it could also cause damage to Hwa-in, who didn’t realize my appearance.

Tap, tap. When the old man was momentarily away, I deliberately increased my momentum and came down from the top of the building by stepping on the outer wall.

“Ah… , Fafnir! Thank goodness you’re safe.”

“Be careful! Because that person is very strong!”

“Yes, it’s okay. I know someone. ──Sword Demon, you are correct, right?”

“Hoo. The young lady looks quite young… . I haven’t done anything particularly noteworthy these days, but you managed to figure it out.”

Sword Demon, Jin Hao. He is an elderly mercenary who travels the battlefield in search of a fight with the strong and a sword master who is considered one of the top ten swordsmen in the world. He is also famous for his noble swordsmanship full of extreme lethality and his beloved sword called Simmyeonggeom (心鳴劒) that maximizes it.

As the Sword Demon’s Sisan pointed towards me, I felt like ice was falling down my spine. There is no need to even use potential. The Sword Demon’s murder was so blatant that even an outsider would notice.

Still, at this point in my life, half of my goal is success. This old man also tends to move his hands before his mouth. Just ignoring my words and not attacking Hwain at all costs was a great achievement.

“This is true. I never thought that after sending the twins out of the barrier, a strange young lady would appear again. Today is a day full of unexpected joy.”

I wondered why I couldn’t see Hye-ran and Hye-ji. It seems that the two were unable to enter the barrier and were divided.

It was rather fortunate. In any case, it won’t make much of a difference no matter how many students are at the level of Sword Demon Relativity. If there are fewer people to protect, the burden is less on me.

“I’m not sure if I can be the Sword Demon’s opponent.”

“Excessive humility is actually against etiquette. I think knowing fractions is a good thing.

Well, I gave you a penalty, so try your best to survive. If you can hold out until your guardian comes, I will spare your life.”

It’s not like Simmyeonggeom. As if it was a waste to bring up his condolences, what Grandfather Sword Demon took out was a simple magic sword whose shape was created with magical power.

Of course, whether it is a magic sword or a kitchen knife, it is the same as Overkill for us today. I took a step back and approached Raon.

“Raon, can you use debuff magic?”

“D, debuff? Umm, if it’s a debuff… . huh. I learned a thing or two from Quickle in the curse category.”

“Okay. Then use that mainly. If possible, give buffs to me and Surtur. Attack magic… . I think it probably won’t work.”

Anyway, for a swordsman like me, half-baked magic doesn’t have much meaning. It’s like I deflected all of the dragon’s sword of light bombardment with my fist. If it were that old man, he would probably destroy most of the attack magic by splitting it in two.

What magic to use and how to use it. Going into detail takes time, but it is necessary. Only after confirming that Raon was nodding did I rejoin the battle line.

The painter was barely able to block the sword demon’s attack that rushed at the bird for a moment. The sword, which was faithful to the basics, somehow seemed to only protect against fatal wounds. In reality, it is just being played with like a toy.

“Are there any more? Is this really your strength?”

“Ugh, then what should I do… !”

“I don’t think so. I was thinking of refraining from doing this because it might slow down my growth. I have to cut off at least one arm──huh?”

“Kwaaak!?”

Degurrr. The painter, who was trying to block the sword demon’s downward slash, let out an ugly scream and was thrown down.

The culprit is me. Taking advantage of the moment when the painter was not conscious, he grabbed the back of the clothes and yanked it.

“What, suddenly!”

“You fool. What are you going to do if you can’t see the other person’s magical power? Is magic power a decoration?”

I pointed at the tip of the Sword Demon’s sword with my finger at the angry painter who regained his stance.

At first, Hwain’s body stiffened as if he was wondering what was going on. This is because the magic sword, which boasts strength greater than that of steel, was cut cleanly.

If I hadn’t kicked it and blown it away, one arm would have been blown away like the sword demon said.

“You owe me your life for this?”

“… I’ll pay you back soon, so just wait a moment.”

The answer came back quickly. The momentum is good, the momentum is good.

“It’s good to be young. There was a time like that for me too.”

“A person who is so excited──what can he say!”

The Sword Demon’s attacks rained down on me as I overtook the painter. The pressure was so intense that it was incomparable to when I was dealing with Hwain, probably because he guessed my level.

Of course, just as the Sword Demon had reached a certain level, I would never have thought that Kwon Seong was in this body. It mercilessly aims for a vital point and narrowly deflects the incoming sword energy with its magical arms.

Every time I block a move, the wounds on my arm increase, but it doesn’t matter. If your opponent is upgraded to this level, you can win as long as you don’t die.

“Quite a lot! This was a much more precious gem than I thought. So how about this?”

However, the problem was that because he blocked it too well, Lee Chae appeared in the Sword Demon’s eyes. As if to test how far I could go, an attack that was just half a level higher than my previous defense was swung.

Oh, wait, stop! Don’t put more magic into your sword! You won’t be able to let it go!

“Me too… , there is!”

Hwa-in, who seemed to think he couldn’t just watch, also joined in from the side. As if he was remembering the precautions from before, this time he was avoiding attacks that needed to be avoided.

Since it is difficult for me to protect her right now, I hope Hwa-in will work hard and work hard like she is.

Even though the two attacks were passing as much as possible without overlapping, there was not a single shadow on the Sword Demon’s expression. The foolish theory that doubled attacks can be dealt with by doubling the number of slashes is actually being put into practice. Debuff, debuff quickly!

… No, it was already caught. It was hard to see because of the black clothing, but the magic of the black curse was binding the Sword Demon. If you had time to turn your head, you could see Ra-on whining and cursing.

This may be the reason why neither I nor Surtur have been torn in two yet.

“Damn, grandpa, you’re so dirty, strong!”

“Hehe, your mouth has become rough. Is it starting to get difficult?”

Just when I thought I had deflected the slash that came from a diagonal direction, a slash came straight from the opposite direction. I ducked to avoid the stab, but when I rolled to the side with a feeling of pain in my fur, the blow that was supposed to have passed upwards deflected downwards and grazed my shoulder.

Since you are using the same technique on a painter that you might think is possible with just one sword, you are actually doing something that is twice as difficult. Even this may have been overlooked for a while.

Indeed, out of all the people I know, he is one of the top five sword masters.

That’s why I feel uncomfortable. Aside from the sophistication of the sword, if you look at the power of the sword strike, it is clearly in a state of acceptance at the moment. Also, it still takes some more time before Sia comes.

But was he originally a person who enjoyed this type of sparring?

For the sword demons I know, saying ‘I will spare your life if you live until your guardian comes’ is not much different from saying ‘You will never see your guardian, so just repeat that you are dead.’ Being polite is only a matter of appearance, and it is unlikely that the eccentric old man will have changed in just 7 years.

It seems like there is some other purpose… .

… Ah, that spark!

“You lady is amazing. Are you really your age as you appear to be? It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve been able to use a sword like a sword. In contrast, you boy… . Hehe, I guess I need to work harder.”

“Zen, Jang… !”

Ah, no, no, I’m not what I seem, and I’ve seen this old man’s swordsmanship many times before, so I’m stopping him like this, and you’re also quite amazing among your generation! So, don’t just fall for provocation and use that fire!

Now I think I know why he was so hesitant. The Sword Demon was trying to deal with the Fine Man’s special move—the Flame of the End. In the first place, that was the only thing he would be interested in with this member.

I want to tell you in person. They must have sensed that I was about to say something pointless, so the number of swords aimed at me almost doubled. Of course, it’s a waste to even breathe, so there’s no time to open your mouth.

“Sarah… !”

Eventually, the painter, who was cornered, retreated and began to surround his sword with dark red flames. A flame of absolute apocalypse that feels ominous and burns everything it touches.

He was probably hearing about that flame in advance from Genesis. Does it feel like you got what you were aiming for? The sight of the Sword Demon’s calm expression twisted into a smile gave me a sense of madness.

An act of acceptance that is unbecoming of a sword demon. A provocation against Surt. Reaction after seeing the fireworks. The battle-crazy personality of the Sword Demon. By combining these elements, the Sword Demon’s purpose could be roughly figured out.

That old man is really trying to cut down the flames of the apocalypse with his sword!

The flame of the Fine Man is certainly a powerful force. Soul, magic power, even causality or concepts. At least in theory, it is the power of extinction that burns down everything that exists.

However, the current Surtur will not be able to properly bring out its power, and if so, there are many ways to destroy it.

In other words, it is a very dangerous situation… . There is no time to go help over there. As if they weren’t going to let me get in their way, they were also bombarding me with fierce attacks.

“Permafrost──ice prison!”

At that moment, a chant rang out from behind. Attack magic? No, in terms of magical power, it is a binding type. Raon also noticed that something was unusual and pulled out his secret trick.

However, the area around the Sword Demon stopped as if frozen only for a moment. As if the process had been edited, Geomseom instantly rendered Raon’s all-powerful anti-magic spell useless.

It wasn’t meaningless. No, but it’s still not enough. Although the number of sword strikes in this direction had decreased significantly, Surtur was already within a stone’s throw of the Sword Demon.

The posture of the Sword Demon, where the body is crouched slightly backwards. At first glance, it looks like there was a gap created by cutting down the magic just now, but I know this because I’ve seen it a few times. Rather, it draws the other person in deeply. To the point where I couldn’t get out of my way.

What do we do? There is time to talk now. But it was already too late to give a verbal warning.

Should I blow up Surtur like I just did? No, the Sword Demon would definitely be prepared for that as well. What needs to be done now is not Surtur, but the Sword Demon.

There is no time. You have to think a little faster. There is one condition: you must interfere with the Sword Demon’s actions. There is no doubt about the attack power of the flame. If you only interfere with the Sword Demon’s moves for defense, even the Sword Demon will not be safe. We need a way, a way to interfere.

What about the release of magical energy? It’s impossible. It takes time for me to become powerful enough to blow away the Sword Demon and hit the Sword Demon. What do I charge directly? impossible. The momentum will be blocked by the sword strike along the way, so it will be late.

This? Can not be done. What about that? Is it possible? Ah, I don’t have time. The time limit for high-speed accidents is almost running out. There’s something, there’s no way… , me?

[sound]

Just before the high-speed accident ended, I heard a word like advice from beyond my consciousness. It was a simple word, but I intuitively knew what it meant.

There was no hesitation in his actions after the high-speed accident. Because following those instructions—[intuition] was something I was very familiar with.

“──────!!!”

“Ugh, this is intentional… !?”

He roared with all his magical power. Although it was a loud sound, it did not contain any physical shock. Of course, the sword strikes that had already flown hit my body directly without any resistance.

Nevertheless, it brought a different result to the sword spirit in the distance. The moment my roar rang out, the Sword Demon’s body clearly flinched and stiffened.

In the battle of the awakened, that brief gap is like eternity. While the Sword Demon stopped, the fireworks of the Hwain were already swinging right in front of his nose.

“… Tsk!”

It would be impossible for even a sword demon to counterattack at this timing. The flame of the painting gently penetrated into the Sword Demon’s arms as if the Sword Demon’s magic sword did not exist.

The movement he swung was a downward slash that was once taught. A blow that burned even the sound passed through the Sword Demon’s body.

“… … .”

The Sword Demon quietly looked down at his wounds. At first glance, the Sword Demon seemed to be no different from before. The abdomen, which had been burned to pitch black ash, was indistinguishable from the sword demon’s black clothes.

For a moment, I fell into the illusion that the temperature around me had suddenly dropped. An incredible living thing that can be seen with the naked eye. Raon, whose magical powers had fallen, and Hwain, who was tattered from the recoil, fainted just by touching it.

The Sword Demon’s passion, which was so dense that it even caused such a physical phenomenon, was pouring down solely on me.

“… Thank you for disturbing me.”

The leisurely politeness from just a moment ago disappeared without a trace. The sword spirit threw away the magic sword, which was completely burned except for the handle, and pulled out his favorite sword, Simmyeonggeom.

Ah, this is ruined. Even if you want to respond, the damage you received with your body from the roar earlier was quite severe. I somehow managed to raise my arm, but I could see that it was shaking.

Still, I’m glad that attention was drawn to me. Considering the Sword Demon’s personality, Surtur and Raon’s safety is almost guaranteed with this.

I was prepared for this and that, but I focused all my attention on the Sword Demon’s every move in order to save a little more time.

“… ?”

Suddenly, all the deadly force disappeared from the Sword Demon’s whole body and he became confused.

Uh, what is this? Is this a technique to assassinate without any rat or bird knowing, without killing anyone? It’s not. I’m also putting a knife in my hand. … Is it called Baldosul?

“Why are you making such a stupid face? The time limit is just over.”

“Time… , limitation?”

Only then did I realize that the loss of life was an illusion. This place was still full of life. It’s just that it wasn’t aimed at me.

One by one, Xia’s clones began to walk out from the surrounding grass. And all of the clones were emitting a deadly force so strong that the area around the clones looked distorted.

… Sia, are you angry?

“Is that enough for your will? Since you’ve lived a long and needlessly long life, it’s okay to say more about this and that. I’ll wait as long as I can.”

“Wait a minute, Siaya? Joe, wouldn’t it be better to calm down a little?”

“Hehe. Please wait a moment, senior. I will immediately kick the old man with dementia who made him like this and take him to the medical center.”

It seemed like Sia had hit the right switch. What is it that makes me so angry?

… Looking at it again, it looks a bit messy. Maybe it was because I kept getting cut here and there while fending off the Sword Demon’s attacks, but all my new clothes were stained red with blood.

I was able to tolerate it just a moment ago, but looking at the wound made me feel even more agitated.

“Are you the Four Heroes’ maid? It would be fun to fight you, but unfortunately I’m not in good shape right now. I wondered what kind of grandiose name the Flame of the End was, but I never thought it would have this much power just by brushing against it.”

“I called you an elderly person with dementia. Did you really have dementia? Do you think I’ll leave you here?”

“It doesn’t really matter to me whether you, the maid, will let me go or not. See you next time, Dragon Lady.”

Sigh. The moment the Sword Demon drew out his divine sword and lightly slashed it, the Sword Demon’s divine form disappeared.

That’s all I can say in words, but I could clearly see how it actually worked. Even though it was only a single move, a cold sweat ran down my spine at the level of the swordsman I could see there.

“… Shia, the old Sword Demon has now cut down the concept of distance, right? It’s also quite light.”

“Of course. I need to report to the association and adjust the risk level of that damn old man.”

At least the strength of the Sword Demon we knew was not that strong. I can’t believe I’ve reached a new level even at that age. After all, he is a scary grandfather.

Since I missed it anyway, I thought I would at least tidy up my surroundings. Sia removed all of her clones and slowly approached me. Uh, what, what is it?

“Wait a minute, hey. Don’t hug me. I’m covered in blood right now, so if I ask you too-”

“… Thank you, senior.”

“─Laundry, it doesn’t come off well, but, uh… .”

Sia’s voice was calm, but a light tremor was coming from her body as she hugged me.

I was going to make a joke and ask why they were making such a fuss. I wasn’t in the mood for that, so I shyly patted Sia on the back.

In the end, until Sia calmed down and fell, I was left stamping my feet as I looked at my friends who had fainted.

*****