Chapter 70: Breathing

“Are you aware that even among the Primitive Transcendents, they’re divided among themselves?”

Even though the question came from the Grandmaster, Isaac didn’t have the leeway to turn his head toward her.

Though the enemy stood so far away that it seemed barely the size of a fingertip, he felt a dire sense of danger—like his head would be lopped off the moment he looked away.

“Yes. That’s what I’ve heard.”

He didn’t know the specifics, but he did know that not all Primitive Transcendents were the same.

By way of analogy, they were like high-ranking nobles. Just as the Kingdom of Albion had multiple noble houses—Helmut, Caldias, and Blackthorn—each Primitive effectively possessed its own domain, akin to a noble territory.

“That one over there is one of those they call the Sword Demon among the Primitives.”

“What a name...”

A stinging bitterness prickled his tongue. The name “Sword Demon” was truly fitting, given the vicious aura the creature exuded.

“To be perfectly honest, we should retreat from here—”

“But it won’t let us retreat, will it.”

“Right. Besides, is there any way to bring more forces than we have right now?”

There wasn’t.

Isaac answered firmly.

Even though Arandel was out of the picture, they still had knights from Helmut.

They also had Silverna of Caldias and other noble knights gathered here.

Retreating at this point would effectively mean the kingdom had no way to stand against the Primitives.

“In fact, this is the perfect moment to kill it.”

“...Are you confident?”

Though the Grandmaster addressed Isaac, his gaze was fixed on the knights standing at the front.

“These are the kingdom’s finest knights. I know your concerns, but I still judge that the advantage is ours.”

“...”

“Have you ever seen Helmut’s knights in action?”

The Grandmaster gave no answer.

In response, a smile tugged at Isaac’s lips.

“We can do this. Humanity isn’t that weak.”

They all knew that their opponent was a colossal threat.

Yet, on this side stood knights lauded as ‘great’ in their own right.

Isaac was certain that, no matter how massive the creature’s blade, it couldn’t possibly cut down everyone in a single sweep.

After mulling it over, the Grandmaster nodded calmly.

“Yes, that’s true.”

The Grandmaster backed Isaac’s opinion. The enemy’s entrance had been striking, yet in truth, it should be the Transcendent who feared having to flee. She reminded herself of that fact once again.

Arrows had been loosed but fell harmlessly to the ground, so at some point, they stopped firing altogether.

With eyes like a snake, the creature surveyed the knights entering the manor.

Without a word, it slowly drew its massive blade behind its back, ready to unsheathe in an instant—faster than anyone had expected.

“Gah!?”

Claaaaang!

A thunderous roar erupted, nothing like the sound of swords clashing.

Lohengrin widened his eyes. Feeling the heavy impact reverberate through the greatsword he’d raised diagonally, he swallowed hard.

He knew this well.

Through his sparring with Isaac, he’d learned that a sword still in its sheath was at its most dangerous.

Though he hadn’t been able to track the blade with his eyes, his experience had effectively saved his life.

“Hm.”

The Sword Demon let out a low murmur.

It seemed mildly disappointed that its intended one-strike kill had been countered so smoothly, but it wasn’t so fixated or alarmed as to let that throw it off.

“Form up with your greatswords! Build a wall and advance!”

Just from that single exchange, Lohengrin grasped that this was no foe he could defeat simply by charging headlong.

Though the realization unsettled him, it was a form of growth—being repeatedly beaten by Isaac, whom he once looked down upon, had already bruised his pride considerably.

Thud Thud Thud!

The red knights of Helmut formed up and slammed their greatswords into the ground.

They became a gigantic wall, pressing down on the Primitive Transcendent.

“Their response is better than I expected.”

“They really are handling this well.”

The Grandmaster and Silverna mumbled in unison. For a brief moment, they exchanged glances—until Isaac hastily pushed the Grandmaster’s head down.

“Ugh?! What are you—!?”

“They’re doing a good job, though. Who would’ve thought Lohengrin had a talent for this?”

At Isaac’s casual remark, Silverna shrugged it off and continued.

“Indeed. Honestly, I was worried, but it’s working out well.”

The Grandmaster shot them a disgruntled sidelong look, but Isaac pretended not to notice—better that than revealing the Grandmaster’s presence to Silverna.

At any rate, their performance was good enough to make one wonder if Clarice had worried too much.

“The real problem now is aura, I suppose.”

Each and every one of them had a faint hue of Red aura.

They must have exhausted all their strength in that single, all-or-nothing strike as they broke in.

Although one couldn’t say it was a poor decision at the time, it was hard to deny that it had turned into a regrettable call in the end.

“Still, it’ll be fine.”

Helmut would stand firm as a wall at the front while the others thrust in to finish the job.

Resting his hand on his longsword, Isaac followed behind the other knights.

From here on, his plan was to move more like an assassin than a swordsman—slipping through the ranks of knights and piercing the fiend like a slender needle. But—

“Put your strength into it!”

A roar burst from the Grandmaster behind them. Hearing her voice, the knights of Helmut instantly tensed, steeling their bodies.

Baam!

A stroke of dusky-black power shattered the knights’ greatswords as it carved through them.

The red aura proved useless; the wall formed by the Helmut knights was split in half.

In the Sword Demon’s ghastly glare, a crimson evil energy flickered.

“Hoo...”

Its stance thrown off by that powerful swing, the Sword Demon rolled its shoulders as if to reset its posture.

More than half of the greatswords lay broken.

Some knights had lost their lives, though they had been spared from total annihilation.

“How is this even—!?”

In that nightmarish scene, Lohengrin knelt on one knee, eyes wide.

It was partly thanks to Lohengrin’s famed blade that the Sword Demon’s slash had not completed its full arc.

The knights of Helmut had been obliterated so thoroughly it was almost pitiful.

No matter how fearsome the Primitive Transcendent was, this kind of strength defied all reason.

Had Arandel been here, could he have stopped it?

The question was inevitable—it was that overwhelming.

“It’s ritual.”

Gritting his teeth, Isaac dashed forward. The Grandmaster followed close behind, nodding vigorously.

“Indeed. Just as you said.”

Alongside the blood-red aura coursing through the Sword Demon’s body, a dark energy emanated from its massive blade.

That dusky power imbued in the blade was a ritual.

It had grown fat on the lifeforce of hundreds of citizens in Blackthorn—consuming their vitality to fuel itself.

“A demonic sword in every sense.”

A Primitive Transcendent empowered by large-scale ritual—no wonder it possessed such monstrous strength.

Running alongside Isaac, Silverna gripped her spear tightly and asked:

“Isaac! Are you sure about this?!”

Having just witnessed that devastating slash, rushing in like this seemed tantamount to suicide.

But Isaac only pressed harder with his toes, closing the distance.

“This is our chance! There’s no way it can just recklessly unleash that ridiculous power again and again!”

Ritual could grant absurd power, but it exacted a steep price in return.

After one such swing, it wouldn’t be able to pour out another blow so easily.

While the rest hesitated, Isaac lunged past them, drawing his blade.

Compared to the quick-draw strike the creature had shown before, Isaac’s slash might have looked small and unimpressive.

The Sword Demon tilted its huge blade, as if sneering, and effortlessly blocked Isaac’s sword.

Clang!

Isaac’s blade, failing to withstand the force of the massive sword, bounced away uselessly, slicing nothing but air.

At that very moment—when the Sword Demon nearly scoffed at how feeble Isaac’s grip seemed—

“Huuup!”

Thud!

Isaac’s opposite foot stomped forward, and he drew a second blade from his belt.

The resulting strike was faster and sharper than before.

Realizing it had been tricked by Isaac’s feigned slip of the blade, the Sword Demon reversed the angle of its huge blade to parry the new slash.

Claaang!

The resonance was far clearer this time than the last.

“Tsk, not bad.”

Just as Isaac and the Sword Demon locked eyes, a voice rang out from above them.

“Your timing is good, isn’t it?”

Hurtling down toward the Sword Demon was the Grandmaster, who had snatched the blade Isaac had dropped earlier.

Her descending strike whistled through the air:

Swish!

“...!”

Forced to leap back in a hurry to gain distance, the Sword Demon let out a pained hiss.

Blood poured from the wound slashed deep across its shoulder, spattering the ground.

“Either my strength has waned... or there’s some curse—I’ve been trying to cut through the shoulder since yesterday, yet still failed.”

She was referring to yesterday’s battle with Arandel, when she’d also gone for its shoulder but hadn’t managed to land a fatal hit.

“T’was a fleeting moment bought with the blood of my kin.”

The Sword Demon’s forked tongue quivered. Gripping its massive sword tightly, its voice seethed with hatred and resentment.

“At the tomb meant for Arandel… Why must it be filled with the bodies of others, and not his own?”

Clutching its face with one hand, the Sword Demon let tears pool in its eyes.

Those tears rolled down its reddened cheeks, dripping with genuine lament.

“Where has he gone? The one whose blade would match mine… Where has he vanished to?”

It was a trap laid to kill Arandel.

A demonic sword born from the lifeforce of Blackthorn’s citizens and the sacrifice of the Sword Demon’s own kin.

Still grasping that weapon, the Sword Demon shook its head from side to side.

“Ah, what a tragedy.”

Never taking his eyes off the grieving creature, Isaac addressed Silverna, who had come up behind him:

“Cover me with your spear. If I move in too close, I won’t be able to track its slashes with my eyes.”

“So you want me to back you up from a distance? That’s a tall order.”

Even so, Silverna channeled a brilliant white aura into her spear—signaling she was ready to strike at any moment.

While listening, the Grandmaster held Isaac’s sword and made a suggestion.

“Do what you did just now. I’ll try to land a blow.”

“Let’s switch places. I’ll be the one to land it.”

“Hmm? Think you can manage that?”

The Grandmaster cast a sidelong glance at Isaac. At her question, Isaac flashed a slight grin.

He had watched the Grandmaster’s swordsmanship for years.

“Of course.”

He was confident enough.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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