287th Chapter
The barrier that had been severing the space began to peel away.
The antimatter that had been stored within the barrier was now exposed to the atmosphere.
The majority of atmospheric components were particles capable of reacting with antimatter.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Before Benedict could react, annihilation occurred as particles and antiparticles met, causing their mass to vanish.
The vanished mass was entirely converted into energy.
Energy radiated in the form of gamma rays, covering the area in a flash of light.
A brilliant white sphere momentarily formed, burning the air before unleashing a shockwave.
The sea temporarily caved in, turning the surrounding area into a vacuum.
Moments later, the displaced air rushed back into the vacuumed space, creating a massive mushroom-shaped cloud that soared high enough to be seen from afar.
“…”
Luna, standing behind the barrier that mostly shielded her from the explosion’s aftermath, moved her lips.
“Ray.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go back. I’ll be fine on my own.”
With his artifact armor fully deployed around his body, Ray had already approached Luna.
Luna continued speaking while still gazing at the mushroom cloud.
“Karen got injured. Go back and help Karen.”
Though she had managed to stop the bleeding from Karen’s major wounds before leaving, neglecting them for too long would still be dangerous.
Originally, according to Luna’s plan, the battle should have ended before Ray arrived or before Karen’s condition worsened.
However, Benedict’s persistent resistance disrupted the plan.
Luna believed mentioning Karen would persuade Ray to leave.
But once again, her prediction proved wrong.
“I checked on the way here. Karen is being treated right now. You saved her, thank you.”
“…”
For a moment, Luna remained silent, frowning.
Ray scanned Luna to ensure she was unharmed before looking back at the mushroom cloud.
“The opponent? Was it the owner of the Command Blade?”
“…Yes, he was wielding the Command Blade.”
“So it must be that guy, Benedict. I thought he was in the Rubia Kingdom…”
“…”
“Was this explosion… the one you mentioned earlier… involving antimatter?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Indeed, the energy released from the annihilation phenomenon was closer to pure light energy without any mana component.
Even if the antimatter’s mass amounted to just 0.5g, it boasted power equivalent to what was called a ‘nuclear weapon’ in Ray’s previous life.
However, the destructive force of nuclear weapons wasn’t as overwhelmingly powerful as often assumed.
There were numerous experimental records showing that even after detonating a decently potent nuclear weapon, a tank located about 200 meters away neither vaporized nor suffered significant damage to its armor.
Since these weapons couldn’t focus their energy in a single direction, they lacked penetration compared to cheap small rocket weapons.
Moreover, beings in this world who manipulated mana possessed considerable resistance against simple physical forces.
Given that Benedict’s defensive capabilities might surpass even those of a battleship against purely physical attacks, this wouldn’t be surprising.
Of course, had the annihilation happened right in front of him, death would have been inevitable.
Yet Ray, who had directly witnessed the Command Blade’s ability to restore flesh, was confident that Benedict still clung to life.
Luna did not refute Ray’s assumption.
Zak!
Ray drew his sword and stepped forward.
Benedict needed to be decisively eliminated here.
To ensure Benedict’s demise, his body had to be thoroughly sliced apart—a task too perilous to entrust solely to Luna.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“…Ray, I can handle it alone.”
“I know, but it’s still dangerous. And… we can’t afford to let him escape.”
Furthermore, if the fight dragged on too long, others would surely arrive.
Ray preferred keeping Luna’s true strength concealed for now.
Reassuring Luna not to worry, Ray lightly tapped her shoulder before flying forward using the thrust from his armor.
Luna frowned, realizing Ray wouldn’t change his mind.
“…Ray.”
“It’s really okay, so relax your expression.”
Saying that, Ray entered the mushroom cloud.
Although the air was still searing hot, it wasn’t enough to penetrate his armor’s defenses.
Naturally, visibility was severely impaired.
Nevertheless, Ray easily pinpointed Benedict’s location due to the overwhelming and chilling aura he exuded.
Instantly switching the armor’s power source to thrust mode, Ray accelerated toward Benedict.
Benedict reacted to Ray’s approach.
Kwaang!!!
Their sword strikes collided, sending shockwaves that instantly dispersed the surrounding steam.
Regaining clear sight, Ray saw Benedict’s state and smirked.
“You look terrible. Can you even hear me?”
Benedict’s body was half-turned into ash, scattering and falling apart.
His jaw was burned off, and his tongue was incinerated, leaving only a rasping scream akin to metal scraping against metal.
Had Benedict’s equipment been intact, he might have endured Luna’s antimatter attack by consuming his armor—perhaps just once.
However, Benedict had already expended far too much during his battle with Luna.
Having lost most of his gear except for the Command Blade, he failed to protect his body at all.
“Kaugh…!!”
The nearly charred corpse that was Benedict swung the Command Blade desperately.
As Ray blocked the blade, he felt an unsettling twist in his gut.
The Absolute Domain, a hallmark of Swordmasters, was manifesting around Benedict.
Though it paled in comparison to Ernst’s version and barely deserved the title of Absolute Domain,
it was still threatening.
Mana in the vicinity began swirling chaotically around Benedict, as if he were transcending into his own realm within his human body.
The sword energy enveloping Ray’s blade flickered momentarily.
The artifact Ray wore also experienced a drop in thrust due to irregularities in its power supply.
“Hah…”
Despite groaning slightly, Ray managed a wry smile.
If it weren’t for Luna’s efforts, he’d have had a much harder time.
He could have possibly defeated a half-baked Swordmaster like Benedict, but it would have required risking his life and pushing himself to the limit.
Now, however, Benedict’s body was almost completely disintegrated, sputtering and groaning.
This opportunity was thanks to Luna.
Benedict had to be finished off before he could recover.
“Or else Luna will scold me again.”
Muttering to himself, Ray crossed his two swords and swung them.
Using the remaining senses in his blurred vision, Benedict keenly tracked Ray’s blade trajectory.
Thanks to his faint touch of transcendence, he managed to perceive and read the path of Ray’s sword despite losing his normal senses.
Karddeok!!!
Five rapid exchanges of sword strikes clashed in an instant.
Despite his ash-covered body, Benedict somehow managed to counter Ray’s attacks.
As time passed, the situation favored Benedict more.
He was trying to hold out until his body could regenerate.
However, at that very moment…
The “sword body” disappeared from Ray’s swing.
Benedict, sensing a sudden chill, swung the Command Blade with full force toward the trajectory Ray had drawn.
But nothing caught on the Command Blade.
Omega Series.
The hidden function embedded in Zeppelin’s masterpiece came to fruition.
The sword body made of Harcon alloy momentarily entered A-Space.
Unable to withstand dimensional repulsion upon entering A-Space, the sword body twisted, and the energy generated from the damage was instantly converted into thrust.
Uddeok!!
The distorted space revealed the Omega Series’ sword body once more.
The ultra-accelerated sword strike descended toward Benedict’s upper torso.
A raw strike composed solely of brute force and speed.
With his body already crumbling, Benedict had no means to withstand this blow.
Benedict’s upper body split apart.
Instead of blood, ash scattered toward Ray.
“Sorry for fighting dirty. My body hasn’t been feeling great lately, so I had to rely on some equipment.”
Saying that, Ray immediately swung the opposite sword, severing the wrist holding the Command Blade.
Subsequently, Ray grabbed the floating Command Blade with his own hand.
Ttddeok!!!
A tremendous backlash erupted in Ray’s grip.
But Ray poured mana from his core to silence the Command Blade.
Once silenced, Ray quickly retreated using the armor’s thrust.
The moment Ray withdrew, Luna unleashed a torrent of high-powered magic spells toward Benedict.
With his body bisected and the Command Blade taken away, Benedict could no longer resist the attacks.
—
In the midst of flashes of light, Benedict’s body dissolved.
No one knew what regrets or passions he screamed in his final moments.
Watching the fiery mass illuminate the horizon, Ray sighed briefly.
Fortunately, he had managed to conclude the battle without overexerting himself, as promised to Luna.
*
Ray returned to the coastline with Luna.
Due to the shockwave caused by the antimatter annihilation, even the distant shoreline had been battered by waves and left in poor condition.
Still, there was no one who would have died from being swept by the waves.
Perhaps a few bodies might have washed away.
First, Ray looked for Karen and Lea.
Upon spotting Ray approaching, Lea burst into tears again, rushing toward him but slipping heavily.
Ray quickly caught the slipping Lea and carried her toward the healer.
“Is Karen alright?”
“Ah, y-yes, she’s safe. She hasn’t woken up yet, though…”
At least, she was alive and well.
Relief washed over Ray as he exhaled.
Uueeeeng, Hik Hik.
Only after confirming that Karen was breathing peacefully did Ray notice Lea’s cries more clearly.
Patting Lea’s back, Ray felt a complex mix of emotions.
It was pitiful how this child, born under such an unfortunate fate, struggled to survive, yet his heart was also stirred by a restless frustration with nowhere to go.
Sighing again, Ray embraced Lea tightly today, truly acting as an older brother, gently wiping away her tears.
Lea, finding comfort in Ray’s warmth, cried even louder.
Luna watched the scene quietly from a distance.
She couldn’t turn away from Karen and Ray’s choices, and thus couldn’t ignore the threats looming in the future.
To ensure this choice didn’t come at too great a cost, Luna had to work harder.
“…Ray.”
“Yeah… Alright, let’s stop moving.”
Holding Lea, Ray turned his head toward the direction of the manor.
Since the main forces stationed in the Osiris Countdom were gathered there, Ray wasn’t overly worried, but a quick check was necessary.
Soon, Karga flew with Ray’s group toward the manor.
(End of Chapter)
