Book Eater

Chapter 133: Duel Bid (3)

Kururung...!

A shockwave expanded from the point of collision. If the destructive power from the swords had been redirected, they would’ve vaporized the audience like a frog crushed by a stone. The lithe body of the lightning fast swordsman, Randolph, leaped back.

The Black Knight clearly had the advantage in power.

No, it can’t be helped.

Theo watched the duel with narrowed eyes. It was different if it were a low ranked undead, however, the Black Knight that Randolph was facing now was a senior undead, the death knight. They had several times the physical ability of a living person and didn’t feel any pain. In a simple struggle of strength, it could compete against a cyclops. It was also possible for the Black Knight to destroy a wall with his bare hands.

Randolph realized this as well after that clash.

“Huuuu...”

Confronting the opponent in a competition of strength was pure suicide. Randolph had to accept that his opponent had the advantage in power.

In the first place, dual swordsmanship wasn’t a technique designed to compete with strength. The advantages of having two swords was the ability to use multiple combinations of sword techniques freely.

Randolph took a deep breath, and his body blurred.

“What!?”

“He d-Disappeared...!”

Randolph hadn’t disappeared. He had just accelerated to the point that his movements had surpassed the eyesight of the audience. The speed of acceleration was so extreme that it made Theo’s eyes hurt!

The aura overflowing from Randolph’s blades left blue comet trails in the air as he launched a ferocious offensive that smashed into the Black Knight from all sides.

Kakang!

As sparks flew, Randolph’s falchions scratched the Black Knight’s arm and peeled off the surface of the Black Knight’s shoulder like it was potato skin.

Kakang! Kakiing!

Randolph attacked again. His next stab scratched the edge of the Black Knight’s kneecap. Even the solid armor couldn’t endure the sharp aura and started to fragment under the strain. However, it didn’t end with just one or two strikes. Ten times, twenty times, a hundred, a thousand...

Huuung!

But the Black Knight was tough too. His sword arced around him in sweeping blows as he endured Randolph’s encirclement. A single blow would kill Randolph if it connected. But Randolph had pursued the peak of speed, and he danced gloriously on the edge of the reaper’s scythe as he tried to cut through the Black Knight’s defenses.

“This is amazing...!”

The audience let out murmurs of admiration. They had expected some casual entertainment and a one-sided slaughter, but the fight surpassed their imagination. Confrontations between swordsmen were usually dry. Iron and iron would clash noisily until one side ran out of energy and fell to a blow. It was rare to see a proper fight between aura users.

No, rather than rare, it was more accurate to say it couldn’t be done.

Fools. If I hadn’t been here, don’t you know that you would’ve died five times over already?

Theo sighed as he looked around while fending off the shock waves. He could tell because he had encountered master level people many times. Right now, both existences in front of him were touching the boundary of a master. Neither was a complete master, but they were still dangerous to ordinary people.

Shock waves that were strong enough to turn rocks to dust continued to occur as the fighters’ auras collided with each other. This wasn’t a phenomenon which the weak could watch. Theo wanted to release the protective shield and just focus on watching the duel bid, but a catastrophe would happen if he did that.

In such circumstances, Theo was forced to endure patiently.

“Hah, such a great ability...! Employer, where did you find that swordsman?”

On the other hand, Gibra was stunned by the abilities of the shabby-looking mercenary. He’d thought his employer had just hired a random acquaintance, but the mercenary was actually on par with the Black Knight!

Gibra was a powerhouse in his own right in Sipoto, but he could never win against the Black Knight or Randolph. The even more shocking thing was that he had failed to assess Randolph correctly despite meeting him.

Theo was blunt. “I won’t tell you.”

“W-What?”

“Just keep watching.”

Theo turned away from Gibra’s bitter expression and continued watching the duel. A death knight was something only high-level necromancers could create with black magic. Randolph’s expression was grim as he faced the disadvantageous odds. The flow of the match seemed to be in Randolph’s favor, but Theo had already noticed a few oddities.

He isn’t at the master level yet. If Randolph had awakened Aura Ability, this fight would already be over.

Aura Ability was a miracle exclusive to sword masters that could even transcend magic. Somebody could cut through space, another could control gravity, and somebody else could remove one’s spirit. If there were a thousand sword masters, there were a thousand different abilities. A person would be judged as a sword master based on whether they awakened this ability or not.

If Randolph was a complete sword master, this fight wouldn’t have dragged out for so long. The Black Knight would’ve lost his head and collapsed onto the floor ten minutes ago. However, the death knight wasn’t in optimum condition either.

If I didn’t see it, then I might be eager to run out and interfere... but I don’t think this bastard will be a help to Isaac.

Theo laughed inwardly as he looked at the Black Knight. The Orcus Company would become the target of the entire continent if it came out that they were mixed up with black magic. It was why three of the death knight’s advantages were sealed: the undead’s immortal resistance; the white aura which symbolized death; and the black magic that senior level undead naturally had.

Since his opponent was working under such a huge penalty, Randolph’s incomplete power was enough to win the battle!

“... Please, Captain Randolph.”

Randolph had the advantage, but it would be best to win this duel in the cleanest way possible.

This way, Theo could obtain Charlotte’s Necklace and block the Orcus Company. Theo, who didn’t like his burden being carried by another person, formed a fist as responsibility and impatience intertwined together.

Ten minutes later, the winner of the duel bid was decided.

***

Kakang!

Randolph’s tactic was extremely simple. He would accumulate small amounts of damage with high speed attacks. However, those attacks weren’t fatal. The danger was that if he committed to a fatal blow with his falchions, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the Black Knight’s greatsword counterattack.

As a result, the Black Knight’s armor was gradually crumbling away. However, when asked if the offensive was effective against the Black Knight...

“Stupid, you’re the one wearing yourself out,” Isaac muttered with a smile.

Unlike a human, the Black Knight didn’t have the concept of fatigue. Accumulated damage was of no use to an undead because the Black Knight didn’t bleed. Any damage the armor couldn’t block would simply be regenerated. The only places where the regenerative power was restrained were the parts which couldn’t be hidden, like the arms and legs.

So, it wasn’t unreasonable that Isaac would have a ridiculing expression on his face. However, Isaac’s relaxed face distorted when he noticed an unexpected situation.

Woojik!

A glancing blow by Randolph’s falchions had stretched the Black Knight’s breastplate beyond its limits as it broke off and fell to the ground. Of course, the Black Knight's flesh was fine, but that wasn’t the problem.

“N-No. This can’t continue...!” Isaac paled as he noticed the situation one step late.

Obviously, the death knight was an undead. Everyone would recognize the alabaster skin of a corpse beneath the armor. What would happen if Randolph shattered all the armor? What if the helm broke? Rumors that the Orcus Company was associated with a warlock would spread everywhere.

It was a situation which he needed to stop no matter what.

[God of Death, knight who serves Thanatos!]

Isaac hurriedly sent a message to the Black Knight. He wanted to entrust it with autonomous action as much as possible, but the death knight couldn’t be revealed to the public.

[Kill him as soon as possible!]

In Isaac’s eyes, Randolph was a swordsman who had no talent except for running away, so he believed the death knight would be able to cut him down without difficulty if it exerted its full ability. However, Isaac was merely a warlock, not a trained fighter, and he had overlooked a crucial detail. If the death knight’s ego was still intact, he would’ve snarled at the foolish command.

Unfortunately, the death knight was an undead who followed commands, and Isaac was its master. The Black Knight switched from a defensive stance to an offensive stance, raising his greatsword above his head. The air became heavier as the death knight’s pressure grew more intense.

“... Indeed, just a tin can.” Randolph laughed at the foolish judgment.

Kakiing.

Randolph’s arms blurred as he struck. He couldn’t have used this skill if the Black Knight had continued to defend perfectly. Randolph took advantage of the mistake that Isaac, not the Black Knight, had committed. And that fatal gap was all he needed.

“-Rain Sword.”

It was the name of the pair of swords Randolph had obtained from the Elder Lich’s dungeon, which had originally belonged to his ancestor, Adolf of the Clovis family. Randolph now reproduced the technique which had been lost for two centuries.

Thunder Strikes.

The first strike was a straight thrust with the left falchion, aimed at the fatal points like the brain and heart, even if the fatal points were blurred for a death knight.

Chaaeng!

The Black Knight responded by reflexively lowering the greatsword, but the falchion had accomplished its purpose of drawing the opponent’s defenses and retreated.

The second strike was a twin diagonal slash.

The most powerful blow from a blade had always been a diagonal slash. However, it was simple enough to anticipate, and it always left a gap for a counter attack. So, it was hard to use unless one was sure they could hit the target.

The falchions struck like blue lightning at the Black Knight’s neck.

Kwakak! Kwaduduk...!

Even so, the Black Knight’s defensive prowess was incredible. The greatsword in his right hand blocked the left sword, while his left hand blocked the sword aiming at his neck.

Of course, there was a horrendous price paid. Randolph’s falchion sheared right through the death knight’s forearm and buried itself in its shoulder. The aura on the blade shredded the Black Knight’s flesh, but it was clear that the Black Knight could still fight.

But Randolph grinned. “It’s not over.”

It was a technique that was only ever possible for a dual wielding swordsman. But a third consecutive attack, after blocking the enemy’s weapon with one sword while striking at the weak point with the other, didn’t exist in normal swordsmanship.

The third strike was a horizontal slash.

The left sword, which had finished with its role drawing the greatsword away, accelerated yet again. The big sword was too far away to possibly block another blow, and the Black Knight didn’t have another arm to sacrifice.

As a result, Randolph’s third strike bit deep into the defenseless sides of the Black Knight. The unstoppable blow completely bisected the body of the Black Knight as Randolph roared in exultant victory.