It was the first time she had ever helped him put on his armor. For the first time in what felt like ages,
the two of them were working perfectly in sync.
“You have to win. Understand? You’re the swordsman with the finest skill in all of Karsel. It would make no sense if you couldn’t handle some
undead monster like that. If you win, I’ll pretend what happened earlier
never happened.”
Yuliana’s eyes were filled with anxiety as she tried, by any means possible, to instill strength in Mitchell.
The only hope left to her was Mitchell.
Having finished putting on his armor, Mitchell gripped his sword and rose to his feet. The moment he took up his weapon, his entire body
exuded the bearing of a knight. With a face full of confidence, Mitchell
looked up at Damon.
“The outcome of this duel will determine our fate?”
“That’s right. If my Dullahan wins, you will have no choice but to obey my orders.”
“And if I win……”
Damon answered as though there was nothing to think about.
“I’ll let every one of you go. But that will apply only if you win the duel, of course.”
“Understood.”
Mitchell nodded and tried drawing up the mana within his body. Since he had learned mana cultivation from his father from a young age,
the amount of mana he could wield was considerable. Though it was not yet
complete, he was skilled enough to manifest an Aura Blade. If he put his mind to it,
he could cut through a Kite Shield (one of the oldest types of shields, made by covering wood with leather
and reinforcing its edge with a metal rim) in a single blow. Recalling that fact, Mitchell’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Winslott.
‘An Aura Blade definitely worked on a Dullahan. Knowing that, the odds are
actually in my favor. I’ll watch for an opening, cut through his axe first with my Aura Blade, then split him
in two.’
Because he had once inflicted a fatal wound on Winslott, Mitchell was certain of victory.
Earlier, in his haste, he had not managed to draw much of his Aura Blade into the battle axe.
But if he poured all the mana he possessed into his sword, even the Dullahan’s hardened body
would surely be unable to withstand it. However, there was something Mitchell had not anticipated at all……
The golden battle axe Winslott held looked ordinary on the outside, but in truth, it belonged among the most extraordinary
artifacts. It was a supreme divine weapon capable of withstanding an Aura Blade
without difficulty.
This axe had a history as the personal weapon of Kalbrun, the chieftain of the Truvenian dwarves seven hundred years ago,
and its entire body was made of an exceedingly rare metal called Bernadium.
Bernadium. A metal found only in minute quantities where meteorites had fallen, it was unsurpassed
in hardness. There was a theory that it was iron whose properties had been transformed
by the impact and intense heat of a meteorite’s fall, and it was notorious for being incredibly difficult to refine.
However, because of its unique hardness, if refined properly, it had a strong possibility of being transformed into an incredible weapon.
Refined Bernadium showed a hardness that surpassed even dragon bone or mithril. For that reason,
the dwarves had made countless attempts to process Bernadium.
The weapon born as a result was the battle axe Winslott now held. After Kalbrun, who had long favored axes,
died, the battle axe passed into the hands of a dragon after many twists and turns,
and had to remain buried for ages within Incresia. Only when it came to be held
in the hands of Winslott the Dullahan did it once again see the light of the world.
Having learned the axe’s origins from Reindelph, Damon gave it to Winslott without hesitation.
He did so because he wanted to compensate for Winslott’s particular weakness against Paladins and Sword Masters.
If Winslott used this axe, there would be no reason for him to be inferior to the likes of a Paladin.
If the opponent were a Sword Master, things would be a little difficult, though.
“I am ready.”
As Mitchell raised his shield and took his stance, Winslott let out a roar and charged.
“Kraaaah!”
The golden battle axe flew toward Mitchell’s shield with a tearing sound.
Thwack!
The impact that struck the shield was more than Mitchell had expected, and he lost his balance for a moment.
And that was despite the fact that he had tilted the shield diagonally to divert the force. Thinking about what would have happened
if he had blocked it head-on, Mitchell shook his head.
“My arm bone would have been shattered for sure.”
But he had no time for idle thoughts. The Dullahan was bearing down on Mitchell
with truly terrifying force. As if trying to vent the grudge of having had an axe embedded in his back, Winslott pressed Mitchell
with a murderous air. Even so, Mitchell blocked the attacks with relative ease,
properly diverting Winslott’s terrifying strength as he did. Watching the duel, Damon wore
a surprised expression.
“That fellow is quite something. From his center of gravity to his balance, not a single thing is out of place.
His technique for diverting force is excellent as well. I don’t know who taught him, but he was taught properly
from the beginning.”
Thanks to his experience as a martial artist who had once reached an absolute peak, Damon was able to see through
Mitchell’s condition with relative accuracy. From the superiority of strength and technique to the outcome that could be expected—
all of it. He had already guessed that Mitchell was planning a decisive killing blow at this very moment.
“Judging by the situation, he intends to settle it in one exchange. After gathering his energy, he plans to cut through Winston’s axe
with one stroke and use that momentum to slice his waist apart without mercy. But it’ll be futile.”
Just as Damon expected, Mitchell was diligently gathering mana while blocking the attacks. He intended
to unleash the strongest technique he could use and cut the enemy down together with his weapon.
At last, the moment came. Feeling his entire body brimming with mana, Mitchell concentrated all of it
into his sword.
Tzzzzzz.
Mitchell’s sword began to be dyed a deep blue. This was the so-called Aura Blade. By filling the sword
with energy, he dramatically increased the sword’s hardness while unleashing an advanced technique
that could cut through anything. Since the blue light did not leave the blade, it appeared to be an incomplete Aura Blade
(sword aura), but its color was exceedingly clear and radiant.
It fell slightly short of sword-force (a completed Aura Blade), which ought to surge out from the sword beyond a certain length,
but the sword aura dwelling in Mitchell’s blade possessed the power
to destroy anything it touched. Needless to say, Mitchell was certain of his victory. With blue light
streaming from his sword in strands, Mitchell closed in on his opponent like a thunderbolt,
completely shaking off the defensive stance into which he had been driven until now.
“Haaah!”
A fierce shout. As expected, the Dullahan raised his axe sideways and blocked the sword. It was indeed
the behavior of a mindless undead. Mitchell thought that the instant sword and axe collided,
everything would be over. But that was a miscalculation.
Thwack!
With a resounding crash, Mitchell’s sword was stopped in midair. Contrary to his expectation that it would be cut apart at once,
the axe leisurely blocked the blade. Mitchell’s eyes widened at the unexpected situation.
“W-worlds above…… A mere axe blocked an Aura Blade……”
It was utterly unbelievable. What kind of technique was an Aura Blade? Was it not an invincible skill
capable of cutting through even dragon bone, famed for its hardness, in a single blow? The only thing capable of blocking
an Aura Blade was another Aura Blade of the same kind.
In that case, the outcome would then be decided by the attainment of the swordsmen who had mastered it.
And yet, something like a Dullahan, unable to deploy an Aura Blade, had blocked the invincible technique
he had unleashed…… He simply could not believe it.
“Damn it.”
Enraged, Mitchell poured every last bit of energy in his body into his sword.
Tzzzzzz.
The more he did so, the deeper the blue light dwelling in the blade became. But it was useless. Aside from its faint golden glow,
the Dullahan’s single-edged axe, which looked exceedingly ordinary, did not budge even against the Aura Blade.
For a long while, the two remained motionless with their weapons pressed together, as though competing in strength.
The first to move was Winslott.
“Kraaaah!”
Winslott roared and shoved his axe forward all at once. Because of that, Mitchell had to stagger
backward. Though he regained his stance, Mitchell’s face was clearly ashen.
He looked deeply shocked by the fact that his sure-kill technique had not worked.
“This… this can’t be……”
But he had no time to think for long. His opponent’s offensive was sweeping toward him like a storm……
Mitchell had to immerse himself in the fierce battle without even the leisure to glance elsewhere.
Clang, clang, clang, clang.
It was a terrifyingly intense close engagement. The two exchanged attacks and defenses without pause,
as though they were warriors born to fight. What was astonishing was that the Dullahan’s technique was far beyond imagination.
Because he had been trained by his father since childhood, Mitchell’s swordsmanship surpassed
the level of an ordinary knight. From evasive techniques to feint motions (false moves),
there was not a single flaw to be found in any aspect. But his opponent, the Dullahan, was equally skilled.
Winslott was blocking Mitchell’s attacks without the slightest difficulty. He was stopping every one
of the various techniques Mitchell unleashed without leaving even the smallest opening. It was a level of skill
that could not possibly be seen as belonging to an undead. The fierce battle between the two was, in the truest sense,
a dragon and tiger locked in combat. Since their abilities were nearly equal,
neither side could easily seize the advantage. But in the end, this had to be seen as a fight Winslott would win.
“Where did a monster like this come from?”
Mitchell’s breathing was gradually growing ragged. Of course, while the undead Dullahan had no reason to tire,
Mitchell, a living, breathing human, was inevitably bound to be exhausted. There was a limit
to how long one could fight with a tired body. In the battle between human and undead, who had been exchanging blows wildly
for a full thirty minutes, the goddess of victory finally raised the Dullahan’s hand.
“Keugh.”
The instant sword and axe collided fiercely, the strength left Mitchell’s arm, and in the end he lost his grip on his sword.
He was so exhausted that a bitter, burnt taste filled his mouth. Taking advantage of the moment, Winslott struck away even his shield,
then raised his axe and set it against Mitchell’s neck. It was a gesture telling him not to move an inch.
“Fine. If you’re going to kill me, then kill me.”
Mitchell flopped down on the spot. His entire body, as he panted for breath,
was drenched in sweat. When he turned his head weakly, several pairs of eyes filled with despair
came into view.
“I… I ended up losing after all.”
At some point, the mercenaries had awakened and were watching the fierce battle. Kasim, too, stared blankly
at the Dullahan, his face drained of blood. When he had awakened, it was precisely at the moment Mitchell
launched his killing blow at the Dullahan.
“W-worlds above……”
Seeing the Aura Blade dwelling in Mitchell’s sword, Kasim was startled out of his wits. There was no way
an experienced mercenary like him would fail to recognize an Aura Blade. Since he himself still could not manipulate mana,
Kasim’s astonishment was even greater. He had seen him only as an arrogant, conceited brat,
yet he possessed swordsmanship of such an outstanding level……
“It’s over.”
The instant sword and axe clashed, he regarded the match as decided. Since he had recognized the Aura Blade,
there was no way Kasim did not know what sort of power it possessed.
But the result was unexpected. The Dullahan blocked Mitchell’s blow with astonishing ease,
and in the close battle that followed, he did not lose the advantage at all. Kasim and the other mercenaries
watched the battle that continued for thirty minutes with anxious hearts, and when the outcome was finally decided,
they were seized by despair.
Yuliana’s face, too, had turned deathly pale. She had never dreamed that Mitchell, the finest swordsman in Karsel,
would be defeated. In truth, she did not particularly like Mitchell as a person,
but Yuliana had acknowledged, in her heart, his skill with the sword. For such a Mitchell to suffer defeat……
Into their frozen ears came the voice of the wicked black mage.
“Now your lives are entirely mine. Keep that in mind……”
Looking down below, Damon rose from his chair.
“For now, the night is deep, so sleep there for today. I advise you not to even think
of escaping. As you all know, a Dullahan does not sleep. On top of that,
the passage is filled with magical traps I set up, so if you want to receive another baptism
of Magic Missiles, you may try plotting your escape.”
After freezing every one of them in place with a single simple remark, Damon rose.
Step, step.
He began walking audibly through the air. The party, who had unfortunately become the prisoners
of the wicked black mage, could only stare endlessly at the black mage’s retreating back,
under the flawless watch of the sleepless undead Dullahan……