Chapter 79: Helmut Extermination (4)

One bit of good news was that Arandel had lost much of his strength.

After all, he had spent the entire night swinging his greatsword in battle against the Transcendents. Even a quick count of how many Transcendents he turned into corpses exceeded ten, and among them were five of the Primitive Transcendents.

It was enough that one could call it a remarkable feat for a human.

Because of such intense combat, Arandel’s usual near-limitless momentum had ebbed considerably.

On the flip side, the bad news was that, despite so many restrictions weighing on Arandel, the word “defeat” was nowhere to be found.

Claaaaang!

Once again, Arandel’s greatsword whipped through the air, seizing control of the surroundings.

Before long, everyone had gathered around Rihanna to respond in unison, but it was, in the end, just that—a coordinated response. They couldn’t go beyond that.

Silverna, who was up front alongside Rihanna wielding her spear, demanded in exasperation:

“Does he ever get tired?!”

Normally, Arandel would not have bothered answering such a question. However, because he was under enthrallment, his lips moved on their own.

“Do not count on luck.”

“Ouch!?”

The moment he spoke, his greatsword lashed out again, sending Silverna skyward. She rolled a few times in midair, then landed hastily, dropping her spear.

“Ugh!”

Her hand, which had taken Arandel’s blow, was tingling. Silverna grimaced in disbelief.

“What kind of monster is this—?”

There was no sign they could win—this was true not just for Silverna but also for the other knights.

At some point, they had settled into a standoff at the farthest reach of Arandel’s greatsword. Rather than engaging him directly in what could be called his domain, they fought at a cautious distance, clinging to any scrap of hope.

The only reason they managed to hold themselves together and avoid total collapse was because of one thing:

The presence of the former married couple who refused to retreat even for a single moment.

Claang!

Once more, Rihanna’s greatsword collided with Arandel’s. She was the sole person here who could endure a direct contest of strength against him.

While Rihanna’s greatsword bristled with aura, Arandel’s, in contrast, was conspicuously hollow.

“You no longer have the strength to wield your aura?”

“So it seems.”

Claang! Claang! Claang!

One advantage of fighting a vassalized opponent was the sheer amount of information that came with it. As easily as checking out books from a library, they could glean Arandel’s current state and hidden cards. Ever since Isaac had demonstrated that a few times, the others also made use of it to battle Arandel.

“Your sword technique is catching up, but it’s still rough around the edges.”

“……!”

Beyond that, Arandel even went so far as to provide critiques of his opponents’ swordsmanship. The moment he parried Rihanna’s blade—said to be more brute force than finesse—Isaac, who had been following like a shadow behind her, rushed forward.

His blade swung yet again. It was swift and precise, almost like an assassin’s.

“Ugh!”

Yet Arandel slammed his left forearm against the flat of the weapon, easily deflecting it.

“Predictable!”

He had seen this trick several times already—and, reminding them he wasn’t such a simple opponent, he shoved Isaac backward.

Thud!

“I’ll cover you!”

“Move in! Don’t let up!”

The instant Isaac was knocked away, Heyrad and the other knights lunged at Arandel. In this way, they prevented him from taking an immediate follow-up strike. Everyone covered for one another.

This was the new generation’s proposed solution against the old generation, but—

“Crude!”

Arandel grimaced at their blades, shouting,

Claang!

“Sloppy!”

Bang!

“Weak!”

Not only did Arandel relentlessly bear down on his opponents’ blades with overwhelming force, but he also heaved a sigh of disappointment at every single strike they made.

Had this been an ordinary spar, they certainly would have learned a great deal from it.

****

Just as the knights were pushed back, Rihanna stepped forward once again.

She was filling the gap they had left, yet even Rihanna was gradually growing fatigued.

“Don’t even think of retreating.”

Wielding his sword, Arandel directed his admonition at Rihanna.

“I will not stop.”

“I… understand…!”

Rihanna grits her teeth.

While Heyrad and the other knights were steadying their stances and charging back in—

Silverna approached Isaac.

“Isaac, do you think we can even win this?”

“…….”

“If it weren’t for Rihanna, we would’ve fallen long ago. And now even Rihanna can’t get close enough to swing her sword properly.”

“You’re right.”

“Is there… any way at all?”

At Silverna’s question, Isaac paused, taking a moment to regulate his breathing.

He clenched his fists, gaze dropping to his longsword.

“I think I was… too complacent.”

“Complacent? How so?”

“This is Arandel Helmut we’re dealing with. Even if he’s just waiting around to die—”

After all, he was a man one could call the strongest in the world.

He had to admit it.

Because they believed this fight was already decided—fated for a man who had accepted death—they had fought too passively.

“We should have been prepared to risk our necks from the very start.”

There was a starlike glimmer in Isaac’s eyes as he stepped forward.

It was the same look he had back when he had admired the sword so deeply that he had once put it aside to pick up a pen—during his days as the “Silent Sword.”

****

Claaang!

Defeated in a contest of strength, Rihanna was knocked back a considerable distance.

She tried to catch her breath, her face grim—when Isaac appeared at her side.

“How is it?”

A concise question, but Rihanna immediately understood his intent and answered.

“Just barely able to keep up. My stamina’s wearing thin, and I’m hitting a limit with these power struggles.”

“I disagree.”

Rihanna glanced sidelong at Isaac.

“I can read the sword’s trajectory—I can even anticipate where it’ll land. But… I can’t keep pace with it.”

“You can read Father’s sword?”

“Yes, and… if you trust me—”

“I do.”

Her straightforward reply made Isaac inadvertently meet her gaze.

There wasn’t the slightest hint of doubt. Neither hollow words nor mere pleasantries—just the truth.

“We have to risk our lives going in. One wrong move, and we’re dead.”

“I’ve already answered.”

“…All right.”

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade.

They had to plunge headlong into that raging storm of a greatsword—

Into Arandel Helmut’s domain.

“I can’t explain everything in words. I’m not even sure if there ever was any bond between us… but—”

Isaac turned his gaze forward again, offering a pained smile as he pressed on.

“I’m counting on you, Riha.”

A step behind him, Rihanna hefted her greatsword and nodded.

“Leave it to me.”

Once more, Heyrad and the knights, battered by the fierce onslaught, were thrown back.

As Isaac and Rihanna walked past them toward Arandel, he rested his greatsword on his shoulder and nodded.

“So you’ve finally come prepared to die.”

“Forgive my earlier disrespect.”

“Indeed. Though I said I would let myself die—!”

BOONG!

Raising his greatsword high, Arandel brought it straight down in a vertical arc.

“Don’t think it’ll be so easy to take my life!”

Claaaaang!

His greatsword hammered the ground.

Rihanna grabbed Isaac by the waist and swiftly dodged to the side.

Through the billowing smoke, Isaac’s eyes darted in the opposite direction.

“Right side!”

Isaac swung his longsword in a crossed slash, while beside him, Rihanna angled her greatsword diagonally.

Claang!

Hidden within the hazy smoke kicked up by the first strike, another blow came hurtling from the exact opposite angle.

It was as though a wild beast might leap out from the darkness of the brush at any moment.

That was exactly the sense of danger felt by those who fought within Arandel Helmut’s domain.

They never knew where or how that immense, overpowering greatsword would strike. In the blink of an eye, they could be cut in two.

Gulp.

Rihanna swallowed hard, anxiety mounting. Having come this close, there was no chance to flee now.

The dust raised by his previous blow had just begun to settle. Amid swirling rose petals, Arandel swung his greatsword once more—but…

“……!”

Claang!

He was blocked—by Rihanna. And she did so far earlier than he had predicted.

Because of that, Arandel couldn’t put his full force into the attack, and with Isaac joining the defense, it was far easier to withstand than before.

Arandel offered no words. He swung his sword again, but once more, the pair blocked it in the exact same way.

“Ha.”

He let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Haha.”

Even Arandel, who had spent his entire life wielding a sword, needed a moment to realize what was happening:

Rihanna had started reading Arandel’s movements in advance.

More precisely, she was watching Isaac’s line of sight and predicting where Arandel’s blade would come from.

“A response that hinges on luck.”

But if it worked repeatedly, it could hardly be dismissed as mere chance.

Claang! Claang!

The clash of greatsword against greatsword lacked the raw power it once had. And with Isaac reinforcing Rihanna, the tables had turned: Arandel could no longer break through their defense.

However—

“Blocking alone won’t be enough to take my head.”

Arandel sneered at the former married couple who were defending together against his greatsword. He was somewhat curious how long they could hold out, but since they’d come this far, he had to kill them.

Just as Arandel prepared to swing his greatsword again—

Clang!

A single spear slammed into his sword as he raised it overhead.

His focus, split between the two in front of him, left a momentary gap in his defenses.

Rihanna seized that opportunity and hoisted her greatsword high.

A fleeting opening—

This was entirely different from before, when she hadn’t had so much as a chance to swing her blade.

Crunch!

The strongest strike of her life.

A vision of a river spread before her eyes.

She recalled the day she cleaved that river in two and confessed her love to him. That same sword—now recreated, here and now.

Convinced this was her only chance, Rihanna poured every last ounce of her strength into her greatsword, condensing her aura.

A rose bloomed at the tip of the blade. Even Arandel reeled back at the sight—this was the very pinnacle of Rihanna’s ability in that moment.

“…Ah.”

Yet her arms began to tremble.

She could no longer keep a firm grip on the hilt. With the sword raised high, she lacked the strength to bring it down.

All the fatigue built up from the battle thus far meant that her aura was no longer under her control; it was threatening to crush her.

Just then, a man’s arms circled around her from behind—an all-too-familiar, and dearly missed, presence.

“You can do it.”

Having thrust both of his blades into the ground, Isaac placed his hands atop her greatsword, supporting Rihanna in unison.

The greatsword Rihanna had once used to split a river—

this time—

came crashing down upon the giant who stood before her.

Crimson aura.

A crimson light fanned out in every direction as rose petals scattered brilliantly into the sky.

Recalling that day, steeped in the bittersweet ache of longing—she unleashed the closing flourish of her blade.

Though the red aura roared with crimson aftershock still swirling in its wake, the result was plain to see:

A greatsword snapped in two. Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His waist bent forward, a faint smile on his lips, yet two legs planted firmly beneath him.

Arandel was still standing there.

“Ah.”

Rihanna’s face paled. She no longer had the strength to keep her sword raised; as she faltered, she caught sight of someone stepping forward.

Striding past her, Isaac wrenched free the longsword he had stuck into the ground and pressed forward without hesitation.

“I’m afraid…”

Raising the broken greatsword once more, Arandel turned his gaze on Isaac.

“I’ve let this go on far too long.”

Bit by bit, Arandel’s aura swelled to fill the missing piece of his weapon.

Though a meager remnant, it was nonetheless Arandel’s aura.

“You have not surpassed me.”

The shattered blade, now stained crimson, slashed forth again.

Helmut’s aura re-formed the missing fragment of the broken sword, piecing it back together into one seamless whole.

Aura.

The ultimate wall they had failed to overcome.

They had barely cracked it with the help of Bricalla’s lightning once before—but now, with the lightning gone or spent, not so much as a spark remained.

Still, Isaac charged forward.

[You who chase after stars in vain…]

That was how the Grandmaster had once described him back in the days of Silent Sword.

He used to say Isaac’s gaze was fixed on the night sky’s stars, yet he could never truly reach them.

“Isaac!!”

A scream—close to a sob—rang out behind him, as though trying to hold him back.

Even so, Isaac kept running.

“Hmph!”

With no hint of mercy, Arandel brought the greatsword crashing down on Isaac.

Still, Isaac dashed onward.

Because… he saw a star lying before him—

A star he’d once believed forever beyond his grasp, now shining within arm’s reach.

He swung both swords at the massive greatsword formed of aura.

[Aura?]

But the weapon he aimed for wasn’t the sword itself.

[When you reach the height of mastery—]

The pride of House Helmut.

[Such things become unnecessary.]

In his previous life—

countless hours spent at a desk, devoted to thoughts of the sword.

Many mocked him as a mere scholar, but—

Layer after layer of accumulated time and effort now allowed him to stretch out for a realm he should never have been able to touch.

Thuddd!

Fragments of Arandel’s broken aura scattered everywhere.

The jagged tip of his sundered greatsword grazed Isaac’s cheek as it passed

Yet the two blades, ripping through that crimson aura, struck true—

directly into Arandel.

“Truly—”

No lies, no hollow embellishment.

“Great.”

With that final word—

Thud!

The once-mighty greatsword dropped to the ground with a thud.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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