novelraw Chapter 184 : Chapter 184
Chapter 184 : Chapter 184
Chapter 184
“Hoo.”
Serena quietly steadied her breath.
Her muscles felt as if they were paralyzing from the tension.
But it would be trouble to show such a sign in front of a superhuman.
‘Armor engraved with the insignia of the Heinrich Imperial Family.’
She took in the two knights she was confronting.
The high-ranking knights that Aron and Gala had intended to face.
The one holding a spear as tall as himself was a Lance Master, and the one with a longsword had reached the level of a Sword Master.
The question of why those who had been assessed as 6-star possessed the power of superhumans had just been answered.
Saaaaa.
The faint evil energy rising from their bodies resembled that of Mainz Kimbel.
‘They are the Second Prince’s direct superhumans.’
She knew now.
That among the Second Prince’s direct superhumans, there were not a few who had surpassed the wall by studying the power of Grotesquery.
And also that they possessed abilities that deviated from common sense.
‘Hiding their level or presence would be a trivial matter for them.’
It was just a shame that such a thing had worked as a misfortune for the Annihilation Squad.
The two superhumans were conversing in the Imperial language.
There was no sign of tension in their appearance.
It was likely the effect of their judgment that she was not a threat.
Everything reminded her of ‘that time’.
‘Yes. It’s similar to that day.’
The day she lost her father.
Mainz Kimbel and Voltz Kimbel.
The day the Annihilation Squad had suffered devastating damage by suddenly facing two superhumans.
Her heart pounded at the thought of facing two superhumans.
‘Did father feel this way too?’
She had already reached the level of the past Bastian.
An incomplete superhuman.
She could at least channel Haki into her sword until the end of one battle, and she was also capable of stably deploying Carpe Illusion on her own.
All of this was growth that had taken place after returning from Elvenheim.
Killian had said.
“You will overcome the wall when your understanding of mana and the training of your body achieve harmony.”
He had said that moment could come as soon as a week from now, or it might not come even after 10 years.
“What is certain is that as you accumulate battles where you experience the brink of life and death, the probability of that moment arriving also increases.”
Indeed, she had achieved great growth while facing Mainz Kimbel and the God Silvana, so his words were not wrong.
Just then.
The Empire’s superhumans, who had finished talking amongst themselves, spoke in clumsy Eurasian.
“Woman, surrender.”
There was no sense of caution in the way he spoke, brandishing the sword he held.
“If you surrender, we will treat you with the courtesy of a prisoner of war.”
This time, the man with the spear spoke with a serious face.
“Nonsense.”
She quietly raised her sword.
Tapping Aether, she provoked them, addressing no one in particular.
“Come at me.”
“You intend to face us alone?”
“How arrogant for someone who hasn't even crossed the wall.”
As he said, she intended to face them alone.
The Annihilation Squad had lost four members.
‘If Id joins, he can take down the Arch Mage.’
Considering the current situation, she had told them that the survival of the injured and planning for the future was the top priority.
‘It is enough.’
Just as Bastian Constantine had done.
Her role was to buy time so that the others could retreat, and that was sufficient.
It was something she had been prepared for, something that would come one day, since the day she had decided to join the Annihilation Squad.
‘Killian Eurasia.’
The commander she had come to serve with all her heart, succeeding her father.
‘The commander would rebuild the Annihilation Squad.’
He would not be satisfied with just rebuilding it; he would forge it into an organization stronger than before.
The Annihilation Squad would become the secret sword that would make Eurasia leap forward, and it would fulfill its role.
Smirk.
The corners of her lips curled up.
‘The Eurasia Empire.’
A future she could now vividly picture.
It was just a shame that she couldn't see it by his side.
“As if I would be afraid of something like death.”
Tzzzzzz.
Green mana seethed in Aether and her scabbard.
“Carpe.”
The released green mana ensnared the two knights.
They still just watched without responding.
She guaranteed they would regret it.
“Carpe Illusion.”
She brought out the ultimate technique she had completed in the fairy forest.
“Green Zone.”
Sssssssss.
The fairy forest was materialized.
Whoooosh.
A wind blew in the area, now covered by a new forest.
The superhumans opened their hands, which had been grazed by the wind.
“A technique that paralyzes the senses.”
“To have this level of materialization without even crossing the wall. As expected, I must take her to the Prince.”
Conversing in the Imperial language, they who had seen through the nature of Carpe Illusion began to move.
Serena quietly focused on strengthening her Shik.
Twenty paces.
A distance that could be called a knight’s range, yet they showed no particular caution.
‘They won't be off guard forever.’
So, she would have to inflict a fatal wound from the start to buy as much time as possible.
It was when they had entered a ten-pace range.
Tuk.
As Aether touched the ground, branches and vines entangled them.
Fwoong.
The trees of the forest shook from a lightly swung spear.
Koong.
The ground shook from a step taken with force.
Rumble.
“……”
“A swamp?”
The two knights clicked their tongues as they watched the sinking ground.
They were in the middle of confirming their prey's military strength to have their achievements recognized by the Second Prince.
But the resistance was quite fierce.
Carpe Illusion was the materialization of a mental image in a virtual space.
But the female knight before them, despite not even being a complete superhuman, was materializing a more vivid Carpe Illusion than their own.
“This is unpleasant.”
The knight with the sword cloaked his body in mana.
Chiiiiik.
The evil energy combined with mana evaporated the swamp.
“I will deal with this bitch.”
“She is a prize to be offered to His Highness. You must not kill her.”
“Isn't it enough to just suppress her by inducing a reflux? We have to dispel this space anyway.”
His form, which had disappeared after annihilating the swamp, appeared right in front of Serena.
Boom.
An explosive sound rang out as sword met sword.
“As expected, you are cloaked in Haki.”
The man said, confirming the Haki flowing through Aether.
Her Haki was not inferior to his own.
‘Is it talent?’
The female knight before him was just one step away from crossing the wall.
And what about the gaze she was shooting at him?
‘It is the gaze of one who has resolved to die.’
There was no reason for her not to cross the wall.
He, who had reached this realm by selling his soul late in life, was displeased that a nameless knight from a small kingdom, and a woman at that, possessed talent greater than his own.
So, he decided to instill in her a thorough despair so that she could not cross the wall.
‘First, I will teach you the difference in the level of Haki.’
His sword, imbued with Haki, clashed endlessly.
He had thought that at most, ten exchanges would be her limit.
He was wrong.
Clang. Claaang. Clang.
He was quite impressed by her divine skill in receiving his sword endlessly.
The more it happened, the more his anger welled up.
For the Haki of someone who wasn't even a complete superhuman to be not inferior to his own.
On top of that.
Kwajik.
Serena’s sword sent the man’s left shoulder plate flying.
If it had been a little deeper, his entire shoulder would have been gone.
It was something that happened because he was inferior in swordsmanship.
“You……”
The man gritted his teeth.
‘It’s because of this space.’
The Carpe Illusion that clouded his senses had slowed his reactions without him realizing it.
‘It’s not because my swordsmanship is lacking.’
Having finished rationalizing, he brought out his true skill.
Saaaaa.
The evil energy dwelling in the black mana spread to the surroundings.
“……!!”
Serena, who had been clashing swords, stepped back and confirmed that the forest had begun to wither.
“Indeed. You are no normal superhuman either.”
“A wench dares to run her mouth.”
His crude habits, which he had kept hidden, revived, no longer treating her as a fellow knight.
Serena’s eyes sharpened.
‘His swordsmanship is lacking to be called a superhuman.’
Originally, everything should have been in harmony to cross the wall, but because they relied on a trivial power, their swordsmanship was not perfect.
If there was a point to exploit, it would be that.
Chiiii.
The mana and evil energy mixed, making an ominous sound.
As he strengthened his body with mana, the man’s movements became much easier to follow.
In a close-quarters exchange between knights, the gap in skill becomes more apparent.
She, who had deflected the man’s sword, now cleanly cut his shoulder.
Dodging the sword aimed at her neck, she cut his waist, and with a half-turn, she cut his leg.
“……!!”
Ignoring the man’s shouts.
She fell into a state of selflessness.
Her mind was definitely clear, but her body seemed to be moving on its own.
Her senses were being activated.
When she came to her senses, the man’s body was already covered in blood.
Heat was rising from her body.
If she swung her sword just a little more, she felt she would know the identity of the heat.
Swoosh.
“That’s enough.”
The lancer, who had been watching all along, intervened.
The knight shouted something in the Imperial language, but he just shook his head.
“Heal your wounds. Any further disgrace will not be tolerated by His Highness the Prince.”
At the mention of the prince’s name, the knight’s mouth closed.
“First, let’s dispel the domain.”
Thump.
As he struck the ground with his spear, the evil energy combined with black mana scattered around him.
Crackle.
With a spark, the forest began to waver.
Was that all?
“This bitch, I won't go easy on you this time.”
The knight, who had healed his wounds in a short time, approached her with eyes that looked like they would chew her up.
She raised Aether with dry eyes.
“Serena. Sometimes, you must know when to step back.”
“Serena, Serena. I’m telling you, you’re doing well enough.”
Two men who had believed without a doubt that she would ascend to a superhuman came to mind.
“……”
Had she held onto hope just because she had tasted a moment of victory in a fight with no chance of winning?
‘I need to buy a little more time.’
So that Yulian could hunt the Arch Mage.
So that he could pursue the chasers who were after Zodiac and Portran.
Grit.
She bit her lip and scattered the light of her sword.
“I am the 1st Sword of the Annihilation Squad, Serena Constantine.”
She poured out all the mana from Aether and her scabbard to restore the wavering forest.
“Before whom do you flaunt your trivial skills.”
Koong.
The lancer once again disrupted her domain.
Through that gap, the knight’s evil energy flowed in.
“I will induce a reflux and make you a cripple.”
A new mental image began to be superimposed on the Green Zone that was being dispelled.
Drip.
Bloody water flowed from Serena’s mouth due to the surging reflux.
“This bitch, didn't I tell you it was the end.”
The sneering knight.
Step.
The moment he stepped into her domain again.
Tzzzzzzzz.
Her Carpe Illusion began to regain its original form.
“……!!”
The knight screamed in spite of himself at the suddenly strengthened domain.
‘This is…….’
Sensing that something had been added to her domain, she scanned her surroundings.
Her blurred vision did not follow as she wished, but she clearly felt the sensation of someone holding her hand.
A familiar mana was supplementing her power.
About 10 seconds until her vision recovered.
“Two on one seems a bit much.”
“……!!”
When she turned her head, Killian Eurasia was there.
“Commander.”
With his usual gaze, he was looking at the two superhumans.
Shing.
Killian drew his sword.
Not Aether, but a sword she had never seen before.
But the energy emitted from that sword was different from before.
The color of the mana rising from the sword was also green, unlike usual.
‘Don’t tell me, Commander, have you really reached the 8-star…….’
Killian, who met her eyes, gave his characteristic harmless smile.
“I’ll take one of them.”
Serena responded with a gentle smile.
“Gladly.”
Whipping up green mana, Killian swung his sword towards the lancer.
“Carpe Illusion.”