episode_0092

Black Reinforcement – Full Armament (黑色強化 – 完全武裝)

A spell that condenses dark mana into a solid armor-like form.

It perfectly shields the entire body, A supreme defensive spell that blocks all attacks.

It also sharpens the sword to an extreme degree, A supreme offensive spell that empowers it to cut through anything.

It even strengthens the body to its limits, A supreme enhancement spell that grants overwhelming power to vanquish all enemies.

My ultimate spell.

…Well.

This is the first time I’ve actually used it properly.

‘Ugh…’

The moment I activated it, my head went numb from the sheer mana depletion.

This is the problem.

Though it grants near-invulnerability, The mana drain is so immense that it can’t be sustained for long.

Even if I win, my mana will be completely exhausted, leaving me with no choice but to collapse.

And if I fall unconscious among demons aiming to torment me?

‘Wouldn’t that be a sight.’

I could be violated, Or have my limbs severed.

So I never used it even once.

If it came down to it, I’d rather flee with everything I had.

But.

Right now, I can use it without worry.

Lady Elise is here, And so are her allies.

Even if I collapse, there are people who’ll protect me.

That’s why I used it.

“Whew… To beat that, I’ll have to go all out…”

“Then go all out.”

“…Ria?”

“If you die, I’ll bring you back.”

“Then I can fight with everything I’ve got!”

After exchanging words with the Hero, Lady Elise smiled and removed her ring.

“Marianne.”

“Yes.”

“Come at me ready to kill. It’s fine even if you really do kill me.”

“Huh?”

“If I die, Ria can revive me! So go wild!”

“Revival?! That’s possible?!”

“Of course! She even has the power to resurrect demons! Go all out without fear!”

“Alright.”

I won’t question why the Hero is here, Or how she possesses a resurrection spell.

Right now, all that matters is giving my all.

“Here I come!”

BOOM!

I charged at blinding speed, kicking up a crater as I dashed.

“Rise.”

Ignoring the countless ice spikes Lady Elise summoned, I closed the distance in an instant.

It wouldn’t penetrate anyway.

This armor wouldn’t be breached by such attacks.

Completely disregarding all assaults, I closed in and swung my sword.

Not to subdue—

But to kill.

Since she said she could be revived, This much should be fine.

…That’s what I thought, before cleaving Lady Elise in half.

Schliiick.

As her bisected body crumbled into snow and vanished—

“This is…?”

“A snowman decoy.”

“!!!!!!”

“And this is my ultimate attack.”

Whoooooosh!

“Snowbloom Field (雪花原).”

A blizzard erupted, blanketing the surroundings in white.

A place where snow devours everything. A frozen wasteland.

A place where ice blossoms bloom brilliantly. A garden of frost.

Combining the two—Snowbloom Field.

Lady Elise’s innate magic, constructing a domain of snow and full-bloomed flowers.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but marvel at magic vast enough to alter terrain itself.

But.

A mere snowfield won’t be enough to defeat me.

“Just a snowfield, you say?”

“?”

“Ravage.”

Hwoooooooosh!!!

The furious blizzard roared.

Countless ice shards rained like arrows upon my armor, While a wind colder than bone-chilling frost encased me in ice.

‘Whoa… This is insane…’

Though I took no direct damage thanks to my near-absolute defense, I could feel cracks forming.

The cold was creeping in.

‘Had I not been in Full Armament, I would’ve been finished instantly… Damn… Is this the strength of a Hero’s party?…’

The raging blizzard came from all directions.

An omnidirectional assault, as though the world itself was targeting me.

No place to dodge, No level of defensive magic that could fully withstand it.

Effectively, an insta-kill-level spell.

A spell so overwhelming, it could down the Demon King in one strike.

And the Sword Master who wielded it—

What the hell?

Since when do human swordsmen wield magic of this caliber?

Then what about true Archmages?

What kind of magic do pure spellcasters even use?

‘No wonder they’re called the strongest Hero party in history…’

It’s not just the Hero.

Every member of the party is a historic elite of unmatched strength.

I admired this realization—until.

“Beyond merging body and blade, I now unite with nature itself.”

“Snowbloom Sword Arts (雪花劍術) – Ultimate Strike (窮極技).”

“Annihilation (滅).”

The moment Lady Elise swung her sword—

The world itself seemed to strike alongside her.

The frozen realm became one with her blade, Nature’s mana entwined with the edge, hurtling toward me in a calamitous slash.

A divine judgment in the form of a sword.

“Ugh—!”

I tried blocking with my own sword.

SHATTER!!!

The blade, forged by Full Armament’s power, broke pitifully.

Yet.

The armor held.

“Grrgh—!”

My body felt like it would disintegrate under the crushing force, But the armor endured.

This is my ultimate technique.

The power of Black Reinforcement – Full Armament (黑色強化 – 完全武裝).

My sword was too worn-out to fully embrace the enhancement, But my body wasn’t.

This flesh, forged through blood and sweat.

Hard-trained, Endured every torment to survive.

Because of that—

Its resilience is undeniable, And reinforced with magic, it becomes the ultimate armor capable of withstanding any attack.

“Haaah!!!”

I desperately twisted the icy blade with both hands, diverting the strike.

CRACK-KABOOOM!!!

“Huff…”

The gauntlets encasing my arms shattered completely.

So.

I had to admit it.

My magic wasn’t true “absolute defense.”

But.

That didn’t matter anymore.

“HAAAAAH!!!”

Right now, all I cared about was winning.

Why?

Why was I giving my all?

‘Because I want to be acknowledged.’

Looking back, my life had never earned anyone’s recognition.

No matter how hard I worked, No matter how strong I became,

The demons never acknowledged me— They only despised me.

Even the elderly couple at the ranch never truly accepted me.

I was just a convenient tool.

Not someone whose efforts were recognized.

They used the money I earned for lavish vacations, But never paid me a single wage.

They spent everything before dying, Leaving behind nothing but a run-down ranch and a few cows—

Exploiting my labor without a shred of gratitude, Carefree in their own merry lives.

At the time, I was grateful even for that treatment, But after meeting Lady Elise, I learned I should’ve been furious.

That realization struck me—

I had never been acknowledged by anyone.

But.

Not now.

If I win here, Lady Elise will recognize me.

My efforts, My strength, My resolve—

The life no one ever acknowledged.

That’s why I can’t lose.

I want to win.

I solidified that conviction into a single strike and charged.

Dismissing my tattered armor, I condensed everything into my final sword.

“HRAAAAH!!!”

I lunged, gripping that blade with everything—

“Cain once told me.”

“?”

“The more I empty myself of magic, the stronger my sword becomes.”

“???”

“Empty everything, and I can surpass my limits.”

Lady Elise slowly raised her sword.

But.

It was faster than any blade I’d ever seen.

“Snowbloom Sword Arts (雪花劍術) – Transcendence (超越技).”

“Snowbloom Flash (雪花一閃).”

A sword moving slowly…

Yet.

Faster than anything.

No—

I was the one slowing down.

“!!!!!!”

Time froze.

In the frozen moments, Lady Elise alone moved with deliberate grace.

‘Th-This can’t be real…!’

She had frozen time itself.

Within it, her silent blade bisected me effortlessly.

Shiiing.

Smoothly,

As though slicing empty air, her sword flickered—

And I was cut.

“Ghk—!”

Time resumed.

My halved body crashed to the ground, hurtling toward death.

But.

I refused to end it like this.

“Uuuugh—!”

Forcing my dying limbs into motion, I spread my wings.

My lower half was lifeless, But my upper body could still move—for a few more seconds.

“HAAAAAAAAH!!!”

With one final flap, I hurled myself toward Lady Elise, Sword in hand.

A pitifully clumsy attack.

Any ordinary swordsman could deflect it with ease.

But.

Thuk!

“Ugh—!”

Lady Elise, unable to dodge or block, took it straight through the heart.

That was my final memory.

★★★★★

“Gwah—!”

“Awake?”

“Huh?”

“How’s it feel to be back? Body holding up?”

“Uh… Yeah…”

I checked myself over.

I was unharmed.

No broken parts, No lingering mental haze.

The only issue—

Thud.

I was so exhausted I couldn’t even twitch a finger.

“You too?”

“Even you, Lady Elise?”

“Yeah. That was my limit too.”

Lady Elise chuckled.

It was her first time.

After activating Snowbloom Field (雪花原), She unleashed Snowbloom Sword Arts (雪花劍術) – Ultimate Strike (窮極技).

Annihilation (滅).

Until now, every enemy fell here.

She’d never needed the technique beyond it.

So this was her first time using it—

The swordsmanship that felt like freezing time itself.

Snowbloom Sword Arts (雪花劍術) – Transcendence (超越技).

Snowbloom Flash (雪花一閃).

But.

“Since it pushed past my limits, the recoil was brutal.”

“Ah…”

That’s why she couldn’t dodge my dying stab.

“So… this match is a draw?”

“Huh?…”

“We both died, so it’s a tie.”

“But… In terms of the fight itself… You completely ov—”

“Nah. A battle’s about who dies and who lives, right?”

“Uh… I guess?…”

“Then we both died, so it’s a draw.”

Still lying down, Lady Elise reached out with a grin.

“Good match.”

“……You were incredible, Lady Elise.”

I tried lifting my hand to shake hers.

But.

My body refused to cooperate.

Just as regret crept in—

“Let me help.”

“GYAAAH!”

Ria grabbed my hand and forced it into a shake.

The muscle pain from being forced to move was unbearable.

But.

It felt good.

Because, for the first time—

I was acknowledged.