337th Chapter
“Where…”
Ernst Prislan, the Empire’s Swordmaster.
The undisputed current greatest power of the Empire faced Resina as she inspected the Circle in her heart. During the process of evading pursuit, one of the seven Circles had completely collapsed, and the remaining six were on the verge of collapse. All that remained to Resina were the Artefact Alea and her soul-based avatars.
Though weak against Ernst, Resina held an advantage in information.
Tsuk!
Materialized avatars gripped weapons made of light.
Even within Ernst’s Absolute Domain, the weapons of the avatars shone brightly without losing their luster. These weapons were forged using souls consumed by Alea as their power source—Soul Weapons, a name most fitting for such armaments.
“This will be something new to you.”
The Soul Weapon was closer to a unique series of weapons completed and created by Resina in her later years. Using souls as sacrifices, this weapon was undoubtedly a taboo and one of the results of her obsession with what she had lost.
Even the influence of the Absolute Domain couldn’t control the freely maneuvering Soul Weapons, leaving Ernst with a strong sense of unfamiliarity. Despite feeling cautious… there was no reason for the Empire’s Swordmaster to retreat.
In an instant, the shape of the greatsword Ernst held blurred.
Tearrrr!!!
The body of one avatar struck by the greatsword bent sideways, and its Soul Weapon shattered more than halfway.
Before the first shattered avatar hit the ground, the second and third avatars also consecutively broke apart.
Realizing too late the trajectory of the sword Ernst had drawn, Resina fidgeted her fingers as if deep in thought.
Ernst hadn’t yet revealed his full power. Concerned about potential threats from other adversaries lurking near the Helm family Manor at the rear, he conserved his strength while maintaining divided focus.
Still, Ernst’s might was overwhelming.
“Seems I really can’t match you…”
Resina had anticipated this level of disparity.
She never deluded herself into thinking that her hastily devised new weapon could properly contend with a Swordmaster.
However, since Ernst lacked any knowledge about the Soul Weapons, it might allow her to briefly delay him.
Crack!!
Already, the chest of the sixth avatar had been pierced.
At that moment, the sixth avatar grabbed the greatsword that had pierced through its chest, emitting a faint but incomprehensible pressure.
Simultaneously, the Soul Weapons of already fallen avatars began to collapse, secretly infiltrating the ground.
The technique Resina was now deploying could be defined as a boundary constructed using souls instead of mana.
Since it wasn’t based on mana, even an Absolute Domain-wielding Swordmaster might have difficulty moving for a brief moment.
Tsuk!
If Ernst had stayed just 0.2 seconds longer, Resina would have deployed her boundary.
However, before that happened, a red ring enveloped Ernst’s golden eyes.
The Second Opening occurred, flooding Ernst’s mind with information imperceptible to humans.
Projecting the future beyond his sight, Ernst moved his sword.
Kaga-ga-ga-gak!!!!!
The avatars acting as the core of the boundary Resina attempted to deploy were instantly shattered without a trace.
Without giving Resina time to falter, Ernst charged forward, swinging his sword right before her face.
Watching the descending sword strike, Resina murmured,
“Excellent.”
Swordmaster.
There was no word in the continent to define the next stage beyond this transcendent realm.
Because, aside from Harshia, there had never been anyone who surpassed the category of Swordmaster.
Of course, there were varying degrees of strength even among those who reached the level of Swordmaster.
And Resina was confident that… Ernst Prislan was the most accomplished Swordmaster since Harshia.
His genius lay not only in existing within the Empire but also in completing and systematizing the art of seeing the world’s hidden truths, making it teachable—a feat unmatched among countless talents produced over the past few centuries.
Zeeerrrrng!!!
Resina used the backlash from collapsing an entire Circle to deflect Ernst’s blow.
The redirected attack narrowly missed Resina and changed its trajectory to target her again.
Using one avatar as a shield to evade the attack, Resina playfully grumbled,
“Whew, tough. Why has someone meant to guard the Emperor come all the way here to torment me?”
“…”
Though Ernst didn’t show it, he too was perplexed.
Resina’s use of an unknown force, unseen even in books, irked him.
Not knowing what tricks she might attempt, Ernst decided he must eliminate her quickly to avoid complications.
Ernst condensed mana into his greatsword, preparing to crush Resina in one fell swoop.
Tsu-tzu-tsu-zuk!
Surrounded by fluctuating streams of mana resonating with the Absolute Domain, Ernst accelerated.
Resina abandoned evasion and charged directly at Ernst.
Since deception wouldn’t work against him, her only option was a frontal breakthrough.
Kaga-ga-ga-ga-gak!!!!!
The avatars Resina used as shields were pulverized into pieces.
Ernst swung his sword with full force toward Resina, who had used all her avatars as bait to slip past him.
Anticipating this move, Resina simultaneously collapsed three Circles, hastily constructing a single spell.
Absolute Shield.
One of the top-tier defensive spells.
However, the Absolute Shield cast using the body of a Grand Mage was inferior in performance and couldn’t fully counteract the power of Ernst’s blow.
Pap-pap-pap-pap-pap-pap-pap!!!
Ernst’s sword shattered the Absolute Shield.
It didn’t stop there—it severed Resina’s arm and deeply cut into her waist.
Her internal organs were clearly mangled and flying around, but Resina had achieved her goal before her body was severed in two.
As Ernst prepared to swing his sword again, Resina drove the fully unleashed Artefact Alea straight at him.
Kwa-aaang!!!
The Circle originally belonging to Resina, residing within Alea, entered complete collapse, unleashing immense force that pressed down on Ernst.
Of course, the time bought by this was fleeting, but it was enough for Resina.
Feeling her control over her body loosen as Alea dissipated, Resina plummeted through the Lord Manor’s barrier toward her target.
Kwaang!!!
The moment Resina broke through the wall and entered the room, a tranquil wave of Sword Energy descended upon her head.
To defend against the attack from Jimy, who inherited the techniques of the war hero from 600 years ago, Resina consumed another Circle.
Kooong!!!
“!!”
Unable to withstand the massive repulsive force pushing his body away, Jimy was flung out through the wall.
Had Jimy intended to redirect Resina’s attack, he could have deflected at least half of it.
But fearing that Bella and Lea nearby might get hurt, he ended up absorbing all the impact with his own body.
Having shaken off Jimy, Resina immediately turned her gaze toward Lea, but at that moment, Ernst was already reaching out from directly behind her.
“…!”
Attempting to block Ernst’s grasp, Resina simultaneously scattered a refined stream of mana toward Lea cradled in Bella’s arms.
But Ernst effortlessly tore through the veil Resina had deployed with his glowing sword, grabbing the neck of Lifilim.
While tearing off the head of this strange intruder, Ernst was confident he could also adequately block any attacks aimed at Bella and Lea.
The glowing swords materializing in the air were already poised to protect them.
However.
Ernst didn’t need to expend that much effort.
Plunk…
Lifilim’s severed head rolled across the floor.
The rolling head of Lifilim wore a smile for some inexplicable reason.
Turning his blood-dripping hand to the side, Ernst noticed Bella and Lea had fainted due to the sudden roar and the powerful surge of mana that erupted nearby.
Unconscious, both were unharmed.
The stream of mana Resina scattered in her final moments didn’t harm them at all.
The本能ive manifestation of Hemolysis Flames from Lea, just before she lost consciousness while in Bella’s embrace, had completely incinerated the incoming threat.
“…”
Ernst stood frozen in place, his golden eyes staring at Lea.
A royal who should never have existed was there.
*
Preches desired the annihilation of the expeditionary force.
That’s why he tried to split his forces to collapse the rear bases of the expeditionary army, cutting off their retreat.
He even intended to use the large-scale Warp, which could be used sparingly, to annihilate the main force of the expedition.
This obsession and arrogance became Preches’ downfall.
Had he focused his efforts on stopping the expeditionary army’s striking force instead of resorting to underhanded tactics, there might have been one or two chances to recover even if the main force of the Demonic Realm had collapsed in one go.
However, Preches’ divided forces couldn’t handle the crumbling battlefield.
Some loosely allied factions within the Demonic Realm forces, upon witnessing Ray’s recreation of Harshia’s trajectory, pulled out entirely.
Although demons are beings consumed by evil gods, many still possess a strong survival instinct, making this reaction natural.
With the main force of the Demonic Realm shattered and the original plan seemingly ruined, why should they continue to struggle at the cost of life and soul?
Rather, they decided to preserve their strength for expanding their influence in the Demonic Realm in the future.
The unified malevolence of the Demonic Realm was slowly but surely disintegrating.
“You’ve lost, Preches.”
Standing before the half-destroyed structure bombed by Luna, Ray gazed into the darkness inside.
A voice came from the darkness.
“…So it is.”
Preches also realized his defeat.
Feeling the ancient grudge finally drifting away, Preches began to slowly release the corrupted power flowing within him.
Using the power accumulated to resurrect as a hybrid being to erode the continent was… proof of failure, a grotesque thrashing of someone who failed to achieve their grudge.
Ray asked Preches calmly.
“Must you hold onto hatred until the end?”
“…”
Reading the bitterness on Ray’s face from within the darkness, Preches offered an apology.
“I’m sorry, but this is all I have left.”
“Then, it’s regrettable.”
Ray summoned the Empire’s divine sword from the air.
“Let’s see this through.”
Crossroads (3)
