Chapter 237 – Second (1)
The day after arriving in Sipoto, Theodore had breakfast with Heinrich and said goodbye.
Heinrich couldn"t hide his confusion as he asked if there was a problem, but Theodore just shook his head with a smile. Setting aside their age difference, it was easy for Theodore to talk to Heinrich.
If it wasn"t for Heathcliff"s prophecy, Theodore would"ve stayed for three or four more days.
Heinrich seemed to read this in Theodore"s face and sighed with disappointment. He would"ve enjoyed a conversation with Theodore while reading books all day long, but an old man couldn"t keep the young here.
"Huh, you are only staying one night… If I had known this, I would"ve stayed awake talking last night."
"My heart wanted to, but my body didn"t obey. I"m afraid I"ll have to take a rain check."
Then Heinrich laughed playfully. "Do you want new books?"
Theodore understood that Heinrich was half joking and half serious. "Huh? Ha, hahaha! Sir Heinrich hit the nail on the head. That pa.s.sion would"ve been great if you walked on the path of a magician."
"Hearing such a compliment from the hero of Meltor, this old man"s lungs won"t survive. Hahaha!"
The two people"s hearts met on the same page for a while before they got up.
The servants cleaned up the table, while Heinrich and Theodore walked along the hallway toward the main entrance. This encounter with the young hero who might leave his name in the history books… It was interesting for Heinrich to have met a hero who was interested in knowledge.
They left the mansion and headed outside. Theodore looked at the carriage in front of the main gate before pausing and turning to Heinrich.
"Then Sir Heinrich, take this."
"Hrmm?"
It was an iron piece engraved with two horses. The piece was high-quality iron with few impurities. Obviously, it wasn"t an ordinary iron piece. Heinrich had lived for at least 20 years in Kargas, so he recognized the iron piece at first glance.
"A badge of the Polonell Company."
"Yes, that"s right."
"Why are you giving it to me?"
Theodore nodded and gave a brief explanation, "I know this is something that can"t be traded. But it proves my ident.i.ty. If Viscount Brahms from yesterday or someone else makes a fuss, please go to Bear in the Polonell Company and tell him my name. Then he will help you."
"…You are too mature for your age. Despite my reluctance, I will accept your consideration." The emotions in Heinrich"s eyes deepened as he received the Polonell badge. It was easy to overpower or defeat others with force. However, it was rare to pay attention to the consequences that happened afterward. In this turbulent age, Theodore was truly a hero.
Feeling a slight reverence toward Theodore, Heinrich bowed again and thanked Theodore for his goodwill.
After that, Theodore got on his carriage. "Let"s go."
The knight sitting in the driver"s seat wielded the reins firmly. It wasn"t done with any sophisticated technique, but it was enough to move the horses.
Hiiiing!
The two horses ran forward, and the carriage soon left Heinrich"s residence. The border city had well-maintained roads, so the carriage"s traveling speed wasn"t greatly reduced in the city. Theodore sat in the occasionally shaky carriage and regretted the farewell before starting to worry.
"The unknown enemy… In what way will he come?"
After his numerous combat experiences, Theodore had learned the importance of the first strike. So, he couldn"t help worrying. If he lost control in a situation where he was already lacking, that would be the end.
He wouldn"t be able to make a preemptive strike against an enemy who might appear anywhere, so he had to prepare countermeasures. If the person had great destructive power like Pan h.e.l.liones, Theodore could use ranged attacks. If they were exceptional in surprise attacks like Hyde, then Theodore could use his sensitivity.
He had to think of all the possibilities. As Theodore remained silent, the carriage continued moving northwards beyond the boundaries of Sipoto, drawing tracks through the wilderness. The chill on Theodore"s neck signaled that the threat was getting closer. It was a feeling he had felt several times before, but this time it was terrible.
"…Indeed, it is a sure death."
It was similar to what he"d felt when he had still been immature and faced Pride with Ellenoa behind him. This would be an absolute death which couldn"t be turned on its tables, even if he went beyond his limits.
If victory or defeat was determined with resolve, then even a mouse could kill a lion. However, that didn"t work in reality. Before an overwhelming gap of power, a person"s att.i.tude was worthless. The weak would just be trampled on.
Therefore, Theodore"s condition for victory was to just survive. He needed to leap over the opponent"s overwhelming power. As such, he had already made preparations last night.
"Bring it on at any time."
His blue eyes shone as he prepared to jump over any adversity.
* * *
Despite Theodore"s preparations, the a.s.sailant revealed himself in front of the carriage without trying for an ambush.
Kkiiiiik….
The moment that the driver pulled the reins and the carriage stopped, Theodore quickly jumped out of the carriage. It was because his sensitivity had warned him of the enemy"s appearance in advance.
By the time landed on the ground, his circles were already prepared to fight.
"…This." Nevertheless, Theodore was one beat late.
"Hi," a drowsy voice rang out, "Theodore Miller?"
The a.s.sailant had dark brown hair and half-closed eyes. His patchy beard gave him a shabby appearance. He would"ve looked like a homeless person if it wasn"t for the sword at his waist. His clothes were decent, but that didn"t mean much.
"…If I am, who are you?" Theodore didn"t hide his vigilance as he questioned the man.
"Number 2," an absurd reply was given, "Zest Speitem."
At that moment, Theodore stiffened. If Veronica and Blundell represented Meltor"s power, then the 1st and 2nd Swords represented Andras" power. Most people didn"t know their faces, and there was little known about how they fought because most of their opponents had been killed.
Zest, the person who had overwhelmed Sword Master Randolph with one blow, was now appearing before Theodore.
"Really."
Zest"s appearance didn"t matter. The chill that Theodore felt proved the authenticity of his remark. Even if this man wasn"t truly the 2nd Sword, his skill was comparable.
"Hehe." Sword Demon Zest looked at Theodore with blank eyes. Then he made a strange sound as he looked at the knight next to Theodore. As Zest"s eyes blurred, the pa.s.sing wind stopped like it had been cut by a blade. It was a phenomenon which couldn"t be understood with common sense, but it clearly happened.
"A human stopping the wind with his will…? What a monster." The nervous Theodore"s breathing became rough.
Then Zest suddenly nodded at the knight. "Hey, who is this guy? He gives off a vaguely familiar feeling."
"…Why should I answer?"
"It doesn"t matter. Well, this might be good."
Sururung, the sword Zest drew cried out, and he patted the sword politely. His languid expression disappeared, and Zest Speitem"s voice became clearer, "Thanks to you, I was able to go outside. I am a little sorry to kill you. So―"
Theodore"s breathing quickened as he became tense like a rubber band.
Kaaang!
Suddenly, sparks flew as two swords collided with each other.
"Keok!" Theodore hurriedly retreated backward as the shockwave from the collision of the two swords. .h.i.t him in the chest. He coughed a few times, but he couldn"t hide his astonishment.
"I didn"t see it at all? No, it isn"t in the dimension of fast or slow…"
This was a blow which couldn"t be defined with the concept of speed. Perhaps Randolph had also been beaten by this sword. It was an attacked which surpa.s.sed recognition. Had Zest planned a surprise attack from the front? Theodore"s head would"ve been cut off if it wasn"t for the driver.
"Eh?" Zest tilted his head with sincere confusion. "My sword was stopped? How?"
Of course, Theodore naturally knew the answer. The man, who had been called Lloyd during his life, had the Aura Ability "Pathfinder" engraved on his body after being turned into a machine.
Pathfinder was the ability to read the right "path." However, rather than rejoicing at the enemy"s attack being stopped, Theodore was surprised to realize one fact.
"He blocked the attack, but there was no interval to attack back!"
This was essentially a fight. The winner would be the one who could read ahead to attack or defend. In such an environment, Pathfinder was a very powerful ability. If the actions of the opponent were known one or two beats ahead, then that was enough to make a counter. In fact, Lloyd had taken down several sword masters that way.
Yet he was barely able to block this attack!
On the other hand, Zest was intrigued. "This is a fun toy. How many times can it endure?"
Zest figured out that the opponent wasn"t human and raised his sword.
"I can"t miss it this time!" As Theodore concentrated, the sword disappeared again.
Kakang! The first strike couldn"t be denied. There was no precursor as it cut deep into Gladio"s right wrist. The body of an automaton was different from that of humans, but half of its function was lost when it was damaged.
Jeeeong! The second strike was a piercing blow. Theodore still couldn"t see it at all. Gladio tried to defend but was pushed back by the power behind the sword, which caused serious damage to Gladio"s internal organs.
Kakakang! The stab turned into a slash. The sword was moving at a pace which already surpa.s.sed the domain of human cognition. Even a master level person wouldn"t be able to tell what had happened.
Gladio blocked the sword with his left hand, but half of it was cut off. This was the end. Even an automaton couldn"t maintain its combat ability in this state. The time it took Gladio to be defeated was two seconds. Given that there was no big difference between Lloyd"s power in life and in death, Zest Speitem had shattered one of the Seven Swords in just two seconds.
A sword master"s pure power was high, but this was pure skill.
"Reverse summoning," Theodore called out, and Gladio disappeared into its bracelet. It would take time and a lot of resources to fully recover from that damage. Clearly, it was safe to say he couldn"t use Gladio for a while.
However, thanks to Gladio, Theodore managed to gain some time.
"As long as I can"t recognize it, the power is unbeatable. It is suicide to fight in close proximity."
Theodore"s seven circles rotated as he gathered his strength, while Zest smiled. Zest"s face was relaxed as if he could kill Theodore at any time. "It is a fairly well-made toy, but in the end, it is just entertainment. Will the owner be more than that?"
Theodore gulped down the horror as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You will regret that you didn"t kill me just now."
Current schedule: 6 chapters a week to match the author"s release rate.
Chapter 238 – Second (2)
Unlike his aggressive answer, Theodore was extremely nervous right now. He had expected someone with Veronica-level strength would emerge, but he hadn"t expected that he wouldn"t be able to see the combat capabilities of a sword demon.
If Lee Yoonsung"s memory was correct, this was a sword ring. Despite retreating 30 meters in two seconds, Theodore was convinced that he wasn"t out of the sword"s range. He just noticed it, but he had already stopped breathing.
Theodore realized that he could lose his head if there was even a small gap between his inhale and exhale. He currently had an unprecedentedly extremely sharp sensitivity, but the time he needed to maintain this confrontation was around 20 seconds more. If he lost his concentration for even a moment, he would die.
"I need to catch up with that speed somehow."
Theodore"s breather had only lasted three seconds, but thanks to Gladio"s sacrifice, Theodore managed to get a clue.
Zest"s sword was certainly quick, but the interval between the strikes wasn"t completely zero. It was just such a short gap that it was impossible to catch with human senses. Gladio had been able to respond by reading the orbit of the sword.
If Theodore wanted to catch up with this speed, he needed reflexes at the level of the ancient species, Ulfheðnar, that Superbia had transformed into. How could Theodore reproduce such reflexes?
"… I can do it."
It was possible if he used the same technique he had used against Marquis Fergana but at a higher proficiency. If the electrical signals of the nervous system were accelerated to the extreme, the entire world would seem like it had stopped. He might not be able to overtake Zest"s sword, but he wouldn"t fall behind in speed.
Dozens of tactics and ideas mixed in Theodore"s head as he concentrated till he reached his limit. It had been exactly 17 seconds from the start of the confrontation until the conclusion. The moment that absolute death was three steps away, Theodore Miller stepped forward boldly.
Then the murderer raised his sword like a reaper.
"Be prepared."
Zest"s sword pierced through the air.
Paijijik.
Almost simultaneously, Theodore"s body shone with a blue light. He might not have Gladio"s Aura Ability, but he had Alfred"s extreme sensitivity. His concentration was so extreme that he couldn"t miss the sound of a falling needle.
"It"s coming." The world of his optic nerves was black and white. It was a world where everything stopped. In this slow scenery, Theodore stared at the blade before him. "It isn"t just fast. Omitting the intermediate process… It"s a phenomenon that can"t be understood by common sense. Is his Aura Ability the power to interfere with "s.p.a.ce"?"
Maybe it was "time." A few speculations came to his mind as Theodore observed Zest"s sword, but he didn"t have the time to ponder.
Saack.
Theodore took a step back as the s.p.a.ce in front of his neck was split apart.
"Kuk! This is ridiculously fast!"
In this black and white world, only one sword and Theodore Miller seemed to move freely. The blade pa.s.sed by the side of his neck and suddenly cut down the side, then it tried to split him from his crown to his groin. This was when Theodore finally saw a gap, so he extended his hand out and reached for the four elements.
"Forced Harmonization."
The sword was moving at a terrible speed, so it was likely that Zest"s defense would be just as fast. In this situation, the most appropriate attributes were lightning and light.
"Alfred"s Magic Missile x Melt Downer.
"Melting Complete: Finger of Death."
As these two spells merged, Theodore"s five fingertips glowed with an ominous green light. It was the combination of a destruction magic, which could melt even metal, and Magic Bullet, which contained a quick destructive power. The defensive power of aura wouldn"t be able to block this.
In an instant, the fingers of death aimed at the enemy"s abdomen.
Piiing-
Five rays of destructive energy burned through the air. Then the ionized air turned into a vacuum as the rays aimed for Zest"s abdomen.
[Hoh.]
The moment that the flesh was about to be pierced, Theodore heard it clearly.
[This is quite good?] Zest whispered with an eerie smile.
Kiing! Then the rays were cut off. Theodore couldn"t even see Zest"s movements as he cut all five rays of light with one slash. Zest truly was a sword master of the strongest empire. His aura density could probably withstand even great magics. It was impossible for Theodore to break through that defense. So, when Theodore saw the scene, he was astonished.
"Did he stop the rays in that posture? The magic light is a bit slower than a lightning bolt, but… my magic can"t break through that defense!"
On the other hand, Zest"s lazy expression started to be overtaken by a predator. "It has been a long time since I"ve felt like this. I"m excited."
Zest had always defeated the enemy with one-sided attacks, so he hadn"t struggled for years and could never feel satisfied. His lazy behavior derived from a feeling of boredom, but Zest was actually a beast that was more vicious than any swordsman.
Unfortunately, Theodore"s struggle had woken up that sleeping beast. Zest pointed his sword at Theodore with a strangely twisted smile. "Okay, I"ll play properly."
It wasn"t worth using a lot of effort, but it wasn"t bad to play around. Theodore Miller"s skill caused the s.a.d.i.s.tic nature of the sword demon to boil up. Should he cut off the limbs first? How about cutting off those cheeky fingers?
The monster, Zest Speitem, threw away his mask of laziness.
Chill. Theodore felt a wave of fear and couldn"t help taking half a step back.
Pit…! Zest"s blade narrowly pa.s.sed through cloth and scattered drops of blood. If it had entered a little bit deeper, Theodore"s carotid artery would"ve been cut. Theodore hurriedly moved back while healing his neck. This attack was so quick that the previous strikes seemed like a joke. However, from Zest"s point of view, this was a normal attack.
"d.a.m.n, I have no chance of winning in a melee…!"
Theodore was still faster than lightning. When it came to speed, it was common sense that human speed couldn"t overcome lightning. Even if the opponent had the ability to go beyond s.p.a.ce, how could he stop lightning that went into the sky?
Theodore determined after opening up the distance between them and flying up into the sky.
"Hey, you can"t run away."
…No, Theodore tried to fly up.
"Now let"s have so fun, yes?"
Zest remained on the ground and swung his sword in an empty s.p.a.ce.
Jeeeong! Then there was a roar, and Theodore fell down.
‘… What, this…?"
It wasn"t until Theodore fell 30 meters and landed on the ground that he realized what had happened. He had hit an invisible wall in thin air. It was lucky that he hadn"t released his lightning mode. It was clear that his bones would"ve been shattered if he had received the collision with his human body.
Theodore landed on both legs and barely opened his mouth. "…H-How?"
"Hah, everyone"s reaction is always the same." Zest walked step by step and chuckled. "I cut s.p.a.ce. The s.p.a.ce is cut many times to form a wall. Of course, the world will immediately restore it… It is good for those who are fast like you."
"Cut… s.p.a.ce?"
"It seems like you can"t believe it. Isn"t this swordsmanship?"
It was confidence in his Aura Ability. This was a declaration that Theodore could be killed at any time and that he couldn"t escape. Theodore now understood why the empire had dispatched the 2nd Sword.
…A swordsman who could cut s.p.a.ce? Zest had completely cut off Theodore escape route. Even if Theodore"s body"s condition was perfect, he wouldn"t be able to move through the s.p.a.ce. He felt reluctant to use Umbra because he sensed that the result wouldn"t be good.
"I can"t avoid it with Umbra. I don"t know what effect will happen if he cuts the s.p.a.ce, even if I avoid it by moving to another dimension."
Reality showed that he was absolutely cornered, but Theodore still didn"t give up. His disadvantage wasn"t the only thing he learned from Zest"s answer.
"I found a weakness. The only thing that can be cut from a distance is s.p.a.ce. If he could cut me directly from a distance, I would"ve already died. He is fast because he erases the s.p.a.ce in the gap between us, but if his blade is visible at close range, I can somehow avoid it."
Theodore maintained a barrier of magic power exactly 3 centimeters above his skin. He would only be able to survive by avoiding the death which appeared in front of him. It wasn"t much different from dancing on the blade. However, if he survived the crisis… he could seize the opportunity to reverse this unfavorable situation.
"Huuuu…" Theodore turned into lightning again and lowered his body. The difficulty of his current task was much higher than any difficulties he had faced before.
One mistake could mean death. Zest seemed to like that Theodore didn"t lose his fighting spirit. Then Zest raised his sword with a grin. "Are you hiding something? This time, try to hold on for a while."
He would stab in any gaps that Theodore showed. Theodore couldn"t rely on a gap in the opponent to win, so he spent a lot of points in the Library to ensure victory. Theodore once again became lightning and enhanced his cognition in preparation to meet Zest"s sword.
The magician who transformed into lightning and the sword master who cut the s.p.a.ce… In the wilderness where no one was a spectator, the struggle of two beings who had transcended humans had just begun.
* * *
The exchange between two masters ended in just five minutes.
"Kuheok!" Theodore"s imperfect lightning eventually reached the limit, so he rolled across the ground and coughed up blood. It was rather miraculous that he had managed to maintain it for five minutes with his unstable circles. He hadn"t been able to rest, and now his legs didn"t have the power to rise anymore.
In comparison, Zest looked no different than when he first appeared. Just like a cat playing with a rat, he trampled on the devastated Theodore. Zest pointed his sword as he spoke with satisfaction, "It was really entertaining. For you to be able to avoid my sword up to here, it was beyond my expectations."
"…This is entertainment for you?"
"Of course. It might be different if you are the fire witch or muscles-obsessed magician, but your skills can"t threaten me. Didn"t you focus on running away because you are well-aware of this?"
Theodore couldn"t deny the words. The difference between him and Zest was that big. If they fought a hundred times, Theodore would die a hundred times. If they fought a thousand times, Theodore would die a thousand times.
He was lucky to have been able to run away, but Theodore"s logical thinking couldn"t deny Zest"s answer. Zest, one of the strongest people in the present world, was three stages higher than Theodore Miller in every way.
"It would be the same in Meltor."
The general soldiers or even 100 elite knights wouldn"t be able to overpower a superhuman like Zest. If Theodore confronted him with Baek Jongmyung, both of them would be killed. Veronica and Blundell were the only ones who were an equal match. In the first place, Theodore had no intention of confronting Zest directly.
"Well, you"re not wrong but… But it is a big mistake if you think I only ran away."
"What?" As Zest frowned, Theodore pointed to the ground where the two of them were standing. Zest noticed it the moment he looked down at the ground. "A magic circle? This is… Ah."
It was a super large magic circle which was 50 meters in diameter. Zest thought about when this magic circle had been formed.
Theodore, who had turned into lightning, must"ve drawn it while running away. His movements seemed like he didn"t know martial arts, and had only been occasionally ineffective. It made sense if he had been drawing this magic circle during the fight.
However, Zest didn"t panic when he noticed it. "So, can you beat me with this magic circle?"
"No way." Zest was confused after Theodore denied it. "Attack magic can be avoided, and I can"t bind you since you have the ability to cut s.p.a.ce."
No matter what method Theodore used, he couldn"t win. So, he had thoroughly prepared a strategy based on this premise. Theodore Miller couldn"t defeat Zest Speitem. However. there was a way to call an existence that could beat Zest Speitem. The completed magic circle was summoning magic.
"Today, in this place… it"s all connected."
Theodore"s magic power flowed into the magic circle on the ground, and it flashed red. A summons that could deal with Zest wouldn"t be ordinary. The current condition of Theodore"s body meant he would just self-destruct if he called Fafnir, and other existences wouldn"t be able to deal with a sword master.
So, Theodore had searched the Library last night. It had been to find a catalyst for the summoning magic he had thought about since hearing who the author of h.e.l.lfire was. It was the species that was responsible for the division of this material world, and they had been the main enemies in the great war, with worshipers who still remained today.
"「 Open, blazing gate of h.e.l.l― 」"
An enemy of the world, a demon, was called.
Current schedule: 6 chapters a week to match the author"s release rate.