Chapter 654: Alamndos
"Is this really… nothing but a youth?" muttered Jono as he stared at the armored knight. He was once a genius, but he never witnessed such a determination. The eyes behind the mask were unwavering and ready to die.
The greatsword that Oren Silvera held looked different from before. It radiated a gravitating force that pushed him away as if to ward off enemies from what lies ahead.
"You said this is the sword of protection," muttered Jono as he stared at the sword stabbed to the ground. "However, you should be aware that you can protect no one with that strength. I wonder where this confidence comes from?"
"My strength comes from my determination, and that is all I need to win," replied Oren as he pulled the sword out from the ground, and the aura pushed Jono back. "A knight needs nothing but a determined heart to overcome difficulties."
At that moment, a shadow appeared behind Oren. Jono squinted his eyes to see the giant manifesting behind the body. There was a knight with the same appearance as the armor Oren wore, and he was far from being a stranger to Jono.
"You have contracted the Abyssal Spirit, Lancelot!" shouted Jono with surprise as he took a step back. "I have read about him in a book that recorded the most powerful spirits, and this one is of the most cursed!"
There was a slight pause in Oren"s movements before he drew his sword out and placed it above his shoulders. Jono was in awe of how such a small body could carry a giant sword easily, but that was not what surprised him.
"However, Lancelot was only recorded and never truly contracted because anyone who attempted to do it lost their mind. Humans are flexible beings, but you chose the one who turned into an Abyssal Spirit because it refused to bend!"
"If wasting time is what you seek, then I have overestimated your strength," Oren replied without caring about what Jono was saying. Jono gritted his teeth at the idiocy.
"There was only one man who survived a contract with this spirit, and he said this: those who become one with Lancelot are bound to betray everyone they love for their beliefs. You will one day be consumed by unbreakable beliefs, Oren, and humans aren"t as inflexible!"
"I know, Jono," said Oren as he took a stance. The world gathered around the sword as its powers grew in folds. Jono looked surprised at the barely rei-ranker, showcasing a strength far above his level. "I did not have a lot of hope ever since I contracted him. Therefore, I will do what I can with what time I have left."
Jono could feel the pressuring will of a man prepared to die for his beliefs, which scared him. It was the first time Jono met such an opponent, even though he was much weaker. Oren knew he was using a double-edged sword and was willing to bleed for strength.
"A truly unfortunate surprise," said Jono as he raised his hands. "However, determination alone is not enough to win against me. Let me show you the difference between a deme-ranker and the others."
"You can turn into a G.o.d, and I will refuse to let you pa.s.s, Jono. It is no use trying to make me fear you."
"I was not trying to make you fear me but warn you of your death. That is the least I can do to save the world from the rise of another dark knight."
Jono knows that the orders did involve killing the family of the creator. Even though the creator was their enemy in this scenario, he was still known to be the man wanting to save the world, despite how foolish. However, the younger brother of that was different.
"You will bring doom to the world for the sake of your beliefs, Oren, and therefore you have to be killed," glared Jono before raising his hands and bringing them to the ground. "Clouds Domain!"
After his shout, the clouds diffused into the surroundings, and the two of them were transported to a different, artificial s.p.a.ce. Oren and Jono were now standing atop a giant cloud in the middle of infinite s.p.a.ce.
Oren was confused as he looked around, and Jono could not blame him. He was one of the few with a domain in a separate s.p.a.ce in the world, allowing him to create something in his world of clouds.
"In this place, I am invincible."
"There is always a weakness," said Oren as he raised his sword high in the air and used both hands to slash. Then, he jumped and brought down his greatsword. "I will protect my family!"
As he brought the sword down, Jono stared at the scene with apathy. His clouds formed before him to form a wall, blocking the giant slash from the sky. He had to admit that it was a powerful attack, but that was in the realm of rei-rankers.
"You are still far too weak to bring any real harm to me, Oren," said Jono as he took out a handle without a blade. "Let me show you what clouds can condense into!"
The clouds gathered around the handle as Oren fell, condensing to form a blade. Giant clouds turned into that small blade, making it beyond heavy.
"This is the heaviest sword in our kingdom, and I am the only one able to wield it," said Jono as he aimed his sword toward Oren. "However, that is not the only thing it can do."
Oren watched him with caution, but he was still caught with surprise when the white sword stretched to impale him. The youth raised his giant sword to block the attack, but it still managed to send him flying while cracking the body of his weapon.
After soaring through the air, Oren rolled on the clouds before stopping. Jono watched the youngster cough blood through his mask as his sword began to dissipate.
"Is that the extent of your determination?" asked Jono with a frown, slightly disappointed. "I expected more from the spirit who stood against the world."
"Do not be so in haste to die," grinned Oren through the metallic cage covering his face, his body still collapsed to the ground. Jono could see blood dripping from his mouth, making him wonder whether this confidence was fake. "I was the one to release that sword."
"Does that mean you are no longer eager to protect?" glared Jono with a frown.
"It is the opposite. It means there is a stronger feeling inside me that wants to materialize. Of course, I did not use it against your mother, but it seems it is destined to oppose you."
Oren stood up with a shaking body, barely reaching his feet. Jono frowned as he watched the man summon a different sword, and this one was black and covered in green h.e.l.lfire. There was a pulse from within that sword, and it pushed his clouds back.
"Sword of Wrath: Alamndos."
A distant scream rang in Jono"s head as he looked at the sword as if it was the product of horrors beyond humankind"s comprehension. The blade"s surface took in all light and appeared as a crack in s.p.a.ce rather than an object.
"If the creator is the world"s light, and we are the gray, then you are its darkness," muttered Jono as he stared at the sword. "As I have decided earlier: you need to die here."
"You can try," Oren leaned forward while carrying the giant greatsword above his head and bolted forward. Jono was surprised by his speed before he whipped his sword toward him.
Oren brought down his sword to meet the white blade whipping at him, and the two collided. There was a monstrous cry from Alamndos, or Oren himself, as it tore through his cloudy sword.
Jono was not fazed, as the sword was not capable of being broken. There was just a gap that allowed Oren to cross the attack before his cloudy sword rejoined as if nothing had happened. Oren, however, was now several meters away from him.
"You cannot run now."
"I don"t need to run," said Jono as he took a stance and let go of his sword. "A weakling is still weak, even if he wields this world"s greatest weapon."
Jono disappeared, and Oren was sent flying through the air and rolled to the ground. Alamndos fell from his grip and destroyed everything it touched with its h.e.l.lfire, while Jono stood there motionless.
"A single strike is all it took for me to take you down, Oren," said Jono toward the collapsed youth. "We are not in some fairytale where you can win against me with just your desires. This is the real world, where you can die if you challenge someone stronger than you are."
Jono walked toward Oren, who collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily as his armor fell apart. It was time to end this man"s life before he became a threat to the world.