Chapter 71

Gadio, guided by gravity, fell naturally.

He gazed at the massive boulders falling from above and re-evaluated them.

Is human life truly so grand, he wondered.

Prana is the conversion of physical strength—indeed, human life energy—into power.

There are several such martial arts, not limited to knightly swordsmanship.

Whether it's the rules of slaughter or the enforcement of justice—there are others, but they all share a common trait.

They utilize renewable resources.

For example, physical strength, blood, or magic.

All of these can be recovered with rest.

However, Gadio thought.

Perhaps the greatest heat resides in what cannot be recovered once used, what cannot be undone.

The simultaneous use of cores is also like this.

By sacrificing oneself, one draws out power that surpasses limits.

When Gadio, clad in black armor, landed, the ground shook with a thud.

He gripped his sword and looked up.

The gray sky was falling.

With a mass and scale far beyond human capability to handle.

"An overwhelming force, but... a perfect target for a test of strength."

He said this, exhaled, and focused his mind.

He reached into his own body.

He imagined this.

The fullness of his physical strength, and grasping it, generating Prana was easy.

But that wasn't the goal this time.

Deeper—much deeper—reaching into the precious cocoon, he extended his hand to the "fundamental concept."

His fingers pierced the membrane.

From the gap, something warm like blood flowed out.

"Guh..."

Gadio, in pain, furrowed his brow.

Pain was proof of power.

Rather, he continued with joy.

He enveloped the outflowing energy in his hand, converting it into even purer, more powerful Prana.

Humans have limits.

No matter how much they train, no matter how much resolve they accumulate, there is a realm that ordinary humans cannot reach.

With all his might, he might be able to defeat Nect.

But that wouldn't be enough.

His eyes were already set on the other side of the wall standing before him—on the smirking woman in white and the aberrations surrounding her.

At this level.

With this, he couldn't afford to struggle.

"Gah, guh... Ah, aaaaaaaaah!"

Inside the armor, the veins in both arms holding the sword ruptured.

Something inside his body snapped with a tearing sound, his vision turned red, and tears of blood wet his cheeks.

Multiple alarms rang in his brain.

"Use this power at your own risk."

But he was fully aware.

Because it was forbidden, because it was a realm that should not be reached, he had reached out.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

The black sword swung at the falling rock.

Gash!

The iron block struck, creating a massive crater.

At that moment, the Prana filled in the blade spread throughout like a network of veins.

Inside and out, it formed a web, acting as a detonation cord.

When Gadio willed the impact point to explode, the blast spread throughout the rock.

"O... Oh...?"

Bash!

The power of the Prana surge was so great that even Nect, who had lost his human consciousness, was bewildered.

He had intended to connect the fragments of the destroyed structures to Gadio for a follow-up attack.

But his plan was unexpectedly foiled.

It wasn't shattered.

It had "vanished."

Without a trace, leaving only a bit of dust.

"Haa... aah... For a first attempt... it went well."

Despite the success, his body was covered in blood, but it seemed to be within expectations.

He didn't feel much pain.

Not that it was absent, but his pain receptors were temporarily numbed.

If he suffered every time he used it, it would be unusable.

This was a pleasant surprise for Gadio.

If he could use it consecutively, there would be no better outcome.

"Life-risking knightly swordsmanship. With this power, I—"

Filling his legs with Prana, Gadio leaped and escaped from the crater.

He landed, shattering the cobblestones with a calm demeanor.

"Oooooooh!"

Faced with an unexpected power, Nect unleashed his full strength from the start.

He connected—transferring several massive buildings from the warehouse district into the air and launching them at Gadio.

In response, Gadio wrapped his blade in rock, transforming it into a giant sword.

"Ooooooh! Rock Blade, Prana Surge Aaaaaah!"

Sacrificing his life, he swung it, creating a tornado.

The resulting torrent of power shattered everything in the air, including the buildings and any material approaching him.

The intensity was so great that even Nect, who had been trying to touch and assimilate with Gadio, hesitated.

If caught in it, even his hardened body would not survive.

When the storm finally subsided, Nect transferred behind Gadio and reached out.

The distance was just a few dozen centimeters.

Contact would mean certain victory.

However, Gadio's punch was faster.

A backhand strike hit Nect's cheek as he turned around.

"Ooh!?"

Nect's body was blown away, crashing through a building wall and rolling inside.

Gadio immediately pursued him.

His sprinting speed surpassed the flying debris.

Crash!

With a single swing of his sword, half the building was blown away.

But Nect was already gone.

The remaining half and the ground around Gadio connected, enveloping him.

Even if he tried to escape, his feet were already buried in the ground, making movement difficult.

Nect transferred more buildings from above, trying to crush Gadio with overwhelming mass.

"This much! Aaaaaah!"

Sacrificing his life meant sacrificing his lifespan.

He thrust the life-draining blade into the ground, first shattering the objects entangling his feet.

Once free, he leaped high—jumping from one piece of debris to another, escaping into the sky.

"Ooooh—"

Nect immediately used his power.

The falling debris changed direction, converging on Gadio, who was still in the air.

"Huff, haa!"

With invisible sword movements, he released countless Prana blades.

Each one contained far more Prana than usual.

He bisected the rising buildings, piercing through them and leaving deep scars on the ground.

Gadio, who had defended against the torrent of attacks, was now covered by a shadow.

Nect had circled behind him again—so he thought, but what he saw was a massive stone pillar.

It was a condensed mass of buildings, houses, and earth, a sheer display of mass.

From a certain perspective, it looked like Nect was wielding a sword.

"Ugh!"

Gadio tried to block it with his greatsword.

But the impact was too much, and he was blown away.

His armor was heavy.

When he hit the ground, a large crater formed, resembling a meteor impact.

The stone pillar continued to fall, trying to crush Gadio.

He got up and ran out of the way.

The wind pressure from the impact forced him to brace himself.

Nect silently transferred behind him and placed his hand on Gadio's shoulder.

"Ooooh, ooooh..."

"Damn—!"

The flowing power.

The connection began, and Gadio felt a strange sensation in his right arm, where he held his sword.

His flesh and the gauntlet were starting to assimilate.

He immediately turned around and punched Nect.

The attack missed as Nect transferred away, but Gadio took the opportunity to release his sword and pull his hand out of the gauntlet.

Snap!

The skin and flesh that had adhered were torn off, staining his hand with fresh blood.

"Grrr..."

Gadio, grimacing in pain, but knowing that the assimilation would have progressed further if left unchecked, was fortunate to have acted while his right hand was still usable.

He picked up his sword and searched for Nect.

"Tch, hiding, are you?"

Nect had hidden behind cover or transferred from one invisible location to another, making it impossible to sense his presence or hear any sound.

"Smart, but—!"

He held his greatsword low with both hands, twisted his hips, and swung with all his might.

Boom!

After a full 360-degree spin, silence filled the air.

Then, with a delayed explosion, all the surrounding debris was blown away.

Nect, having lost his cover, appeared in the sky.

He connected with Gadio and fell at high speed.

"Yeeeeeaaah!"

Nect approached like a bullet.

Gadio narrowly avoided his punch, which hit the ground and created a crater several meters wide.

"Changing tactics, huh?"

He must have realized that long-range attacks wouldn't finish the job.

With his enhanced physical abilities from the Origin and the acceleration from the connection, Nect unleashed sharp punches and kicks.

Even for the skilled warrior Gadio, it was difficult to completely defend against them, as the connection's interference made Nect's attacks curve and twist.

But if hit, the sheer power of the attacks, combined with the risk of assimilation, made it impossible to take a hit.

"Earth Grave!"

Gadio used magic for the first time.

Three rock spears emerged from the ground, aiming at Nect from behind and the sides.

Nect destroyed them with a roundhouse kick and connected the fragments, shooting them at Gadio.

Gadio tried to erase them with his sword, but Nect disappeared from his sight.

"Ooooh!"

Transferring behind Gadio, Nect's eerie voice echoed in his ear.

"Huff, Earth Pillar!"

This time, a rock pillar emerged from under Gadio's feet.

It launched him into the air, and he flipped to take Nect's back.

A black blade aimed at Nect's neck, but he transferred to avoid it.

Gadio immediately leaped and pursued him.

"Don't think you can keep running!"

Nect caught the sword with his right hand.

The sword, swung with all his might, barely pierced his skin.

"Ooooooh—"

Gadio consumed his physical strength and filled himself with Prana.

The blade tore through flesh but stopped halfway.

"Ooooooh!"

Sacrificing his life, the sharpened Prana finally penetrated Nect's hardened body.

"Ooooh—"

Nect's right arm was severed at the shoulder and fell.

Gadio continued to slash and cut through Nect's body, severing his head, left arm, and legs—every part.

Then, both were pulled by gravity and fell, one landing and the other disintegrating.

Or so it seemed.

But when Gadio turned around, he saw Nect standing upright, fully restored by connecting and healing all his parts.

"Even after all that, you can't be defeated unless the core is extracted, huh?"

Gadio, with a red vision, trembled as he watched Nect check his connections.

Each strike seemed to shorten his lifespan by a year or two, but he hadn't felt the impact yet.

He could die immediately by drawing more power from his life, but he needed to save it for when he faced the Chimera.

For now, he would maintain this output and quickly target the core of the heart.

"Huff!"

He started with a light Prana blade to test Nect.

Nect transferred, appearing not behind but in front of Gadio.

His hand reached for Gadio's head, but Gadio twisted his body to avoid it.

He then spun and slashed at Nect's forearm.

But Nect disappeared and reappeared in the air, delivering a flying kick at Gadio.

Gadio backflipped to avoid it, and Nect's red foot pierced the ground.

Gadio retreated, swept his sword horizontally, and created a Prana blade that hovered in place—this was the Life-risking knightly swordsmanship, Crescent Moon Flash.

Nect, reaching out to Gadio, realized the invisible blade cutting into his palm.

He immediately transferred behind Gadio.

But it was anticipated—

"Clumsy attack!"

Gadio immediately turned around and thrust his sword at Nect's heart with one hand.

Nect, stepping back, caught the blade with his right hand.

The blade made contact and pierced through.

Gadio unleashed a Prana Surge.

The life force surged into the aberration's body, taking root—and then exploded.

"Ooooh—"

Nect's right arm was blown off at the shoulder, and he screamed.

"Ugh, my thrust was too shallow!"

Gadio, who had intended to blow Nect apart, was frustrated.

But the loss of an arm was significant, and a balanced close-quarters battle was no longer possible.

He pressed his attack.

He raised his sword and delivered a straightforward downward strike.

"Ooooh, ooooh—"

But—despite no deviation in the sword's path and no movement from Nect, the strike missed.

"You still have this move left!"

Sssssss!

Gadio's body—or rather, the ground he stood on—was being pulled backward.

He could jump to a different spot, but Nect took advantage of the created time gap and raised his hand to the sky.

The surrounding debris gathered, forming a towering pillar or sword, his most powerful attack.

It seemed neither wanted a prolonged battle.

Nect intended to end it with this.

Gadio, looking up, took a blue crystal from his pocket.

"By the way, I made one just to try it out."

It was given to him by Eterna just before they parted.

"The magic is sealed inside. If used well, it can enhance the power of Gadio's sword techniques."

"Shouldn't you have given it to Flamm or Linus?"

"I didn't make any for bows, and Flamm has 'Reversal,' so I thought he'd be fine. And..."

"Is there another reason?"

"I simply forgot to mention it."

It was a typical way for her to hand it over, but the power of the sealed magic was undeniable.

He had just seen an ice block pierce the capital.

If Nect wanted a direct power struggle, Gadio would accept it.

"Thank you, Eterna."

Facing Nect's towering stone sword, Gadio held his sword with both hands and activated the magic.

Rocks rose from the ground, enveloping the blade.

It transformed into a giant sword.

Next, supporting the blade with his Prana-filled right arm, he tapped the crystal given by Eterna at the base of the sword.

It activated with a small amount of magic, and the ice magic sealed inside further reinforced Gadio's sword.

"Huuuuu..."

Gadio, holding his enlarged sword, exhaled deeply.

"Ooooh—"

On the other side, Nect seemed to be ready as well.

It was no less absurd in size than Gadio's.

Considering the weight, Nect, who was taller, had a significant advantage.

But with his strength, he couldn't wield it.

He could only crush and flatten.

Even that was more than enough power.

"Ooooh—"

As Nect brought his raised hand down, the stone pillar began to tilt.

Rooooo—

The wind howled, shaking the air.

Faced with the approaching, super-heavy violence, Gadio finally—swung his sword.

"Haahhhhh—"

The transparent blade of ice stirred the air, creating a cold wind as it moved.

"Ice-encased Rock Blade—"

Of course, the Prana was at its maximum.

Pouring in his life and power, the blade of hatred faced the divine will.

"Shattering Strike Aaaaaah—"

Clang—

Soul against soul.

The unwillingly gained power and the unwillingly gained circumstances—both were victims and perpetrators.

What they truly desired was something else.

The path they wanted to take was far away, and the chasm they tried to bridge was too wide, long past the point of no return.

Rooooo—

Cracks appeared in the blades of both.

The end was death.

What a futile battle.

Knowing that victory led to death, why did they struggle so desperately to reach it?

Crack, crack, crack, boom!

The blades shattered simultaneously, and ice fragments and gray rubble fell.

But only part of them was broken.

Cracks ran throughout, and the limit was approaching.

But the battle was not over.

It was will, it was pride—this was the curse that bound living humans.

But it was also the proof that they were human.

How much easier it would be to forget.

How much salvation would come from giving up.

Moderate happiness lay at the end of compromise, and everyone understood this.

But what value was there in what one gained by abandoning oneself?

They pursued it.

Even knowing it would not be rewarded, they did not stop, insisting on their own way.

This—was the motivation that drove the two humans standing here.

Crash—

And finally, his entire being, his soul, was shattered into a mess.

The victor, pulling out his sword, unleashed the remaining power in countless blades that attacked the loser.

"Ooooh—"

Nect, his limbs severed again, fell helplessly from the air.

"Haa... haa... haaa—"

Gadio, blood seeping from his clenched teeth, ran toward the impact point.

Nect, reattaching his limbs in mid-air, managed to land on his feet.

But his body lacked the strength it once had.

With sluggish movements, he tried to regain his balance, but Gadio mercilessly thrust his sword into Nect's chest.

Thud!

The blade pierced through to his back, pushing out the core—a black crystal, stained with blood, fell to the ground.

Nect's body began to dissolve, leaving only his mouth and right eye in their original form.

"So, you... are..."

Gadio had no intention of conversing.

He pulled out his sword and raised it again.

"Us... together..."

Before Nect could finish his last words, Gadio brought the sword down on his shoulder.

"Together..."

Nect's body was literally bisected.

Gadio found the core in the cross-section.

He grabbed Nect's face with his right hand and, with his left hand, directly pulled out the core, throwing it away.

He discarded the corpse in the same manner.

Nect's body, scattered among the debris and ice, slowly closed his eyes, his last effort to look at Gadio.

"Together, huh. I'd like to say don't lump us together, but... perhaps it's true."

Muttering this to himself, Gadio collected the fallen core and gauntlet and left the scene.

His body was battered, and the pain was returning, making him feel as if he were burning all over, but he couldn't stop yet.

The area was in ruins from the intense battle, but one warehouse remained intact.

It was obvious.

Nect hadn't thought about what would happen after his death.

No, it wasn't just him.

Mute, Luke, everyone—lived and died doing what they wanted.

Their way of life