Chapter 83

Blades clashed, scattering sparks.

He deflected that one strike, but his counterattack only slashed through the air.

By the time I unleashed my slash, Veyron had already moved to the rear.

It seems this demon excels in mobility.

"Hahaha! What's wrong, human! You're slow, too slow!"

"..."

I avoided Veyron's attack, which had come from behind, by turning my body and swung my blade loosely.

However, despite it being a counterattack in response to his attack, this demon reacted immediately.

It wasn't just that his legs were fast; his reaction speed was also quick.

Indeed, as a demon with a title, he has quite a troublesome nature.

Thinking back, the Geryon I fought before was more of a mage type, and even closer to a researcher.

Since he wasn't a direct combat type, I was able to defeat him so easily.

(To stop or to intercept—when fighting in a group, someone would take the role of stopping the enemy, and then attack in sync with the timing.)

Of course, with me fighting alone, I have fewer options.

I deflected a diagonal slash and avoided his counterattack by taking half a step back, all while analyzing my opponent.

He is indeed fast and troublesome. However, there seems to be some trick to his speed.

Moreover, his sword skills are quite poor. He uses his speed to deal with my counterattacks, but he only charges in and immediately retreats.

While hit-and-run tactics are effective, it would be more troublesome if he could continuously deliver sword strikes using his speed.

"You can't even land a hit! All you do is talk, and you're not much at all!"

"Haa..."

I sighed at Veyron's words as he ran around, kicking up sand and dust.

The secret to his abnormal speed is probably the wind vortex-like magic that appears around his feet.

I can't tell the exact effect, but it clearly kicks up more sand and dust than normal running.

It's highly likely that this increases his running speed.

(Should I cut it with the "Demon-Slaying Sword"? It's not impossible, but... if it's deployed again, it would be the same. In that case—)

I exhaled lightly and raised my left arm as Veyron aimed for my neck.

I rotated my body slightly from my feet, giving my fist centrifugal force like a flail, and met the approaching saber—gripping my fist tightly at the moment of impact.

The technique—Mirror Chaos.

With a loud "Gakin," a slight numbness ran through my fist.

At that moment, the saber was deflected, and Veyron's body was thrown off balance, leaning back from his right arm.

"Wha—"

"—Sword of Life!"

The blade in my right hand was enveloped in a golden glow.

The slash I unleashed was absorbed into Veyron's side, but due to his off-balance stance and quick leap backward, it only managed to tear his abdomen slightly.

I wanted to follow up with another attack, but with a distance of about 10 meters, it was impossible to reach him.

Frowning, I lightly waved my left hand and called out to Veyron, who was still off-balance.

"Are all demons just foolish beings who rely on their abilities? Your attacks and sword handling are... incredibly sloppy."

Indeed, this demon is fast. But that's all he has.

He has no strength and no skill. The fact that he was thrown off balance by my Mirror Chaos is the best evidence.

Even if it were Lumin, she wouldn't have leaned back so much.

Well, he's just a lower-level baron. It's hard to say he's a worthy opponent at this level.

"Lumin seems to be finishing up. Let's end this observation soon."

"Unable to even land a hit—and you bark, human!"

With a roar of anger, Veyron charged.

He is indeed fast, but—his movements are too linear.

It's not much different from a bullet. As long as I can see the start, I can handle it.

The cutting technique—Gentle Form, Flowing Water.

I deflected Veyron's slash and redirected it diagonally backward.

With his balance thrown off by the change in direction, Veyron tumbled to the ground.

I lightly tapped his shoulder with the edge of my blade as he rolled away, and chuckled.

"You seem to only talk. Why don't you show a bit more action?"

"Ugh—human, aaaaaah!"

I deflected another linear charge from Veyron and observed Lumin's situation.

She was engaged in an even battle with the Demon Knight, her golden glow illuminating the battlefield.

Lumin's current movements are solid and grounded in the basics of swordsmanship, effectively dealing with the Demon Knight.

I deflected the opponent's attack with Flowing Water and followed up with a counterattack.

Against a Demon Knight, whose body is armored, this alone wasn't an effective strike.

However, Lumin's sword, enveloped in light, was steadily accumulating damage on the demon.

Lumin, aware of this, maintained her solid offensive, while the Demon Knight gradually became more agitated.

"It won't take much longer. Then—"

The cutting technique—Gentle Form, Muscle Split.

I read Veyron's next charge and placed my blade while dodging.

Unable to react to the narrow margin of my dodge, Veyron leaned back slightly but still managed to graze himself with his own blade.

Though I didn't have time to aim, the wound was sufficient.

"Ugh... What a fool, how can you react so quickly!?"

"Of course, I can see it."

I have traversed battlefields where bullets fly.

Compared to dodging a rain of bullets, this is nothing.

I accurately read Veyron's movements and targeted his legs with Muscle Split.

While I can handle it, his speed is still troublesome. It's best to wear him down as much as possible.

It's difficult to land a decisive blow on such a fast opponent.

"Unbelievable... A human keeping up with my speed is impossible!"

"At least try to hit me first. Here I am."

I spread my arms, taunting Veyron.

Unable to contain his rage, he roared, raised his saber, and charged.

However, due to the wounds from Muscle Split, his movements were slightly slower. The pain from the wounds on his legs was hindering his movements.

From my observations, Veyron's attacks are mostly either downward slashes or thrusts.

Thrusts are easy to dodge but hard to counter. But if it's a diagonal slash—

"—It's time, I've been waiting for this."

The cutting technique—Gentle Form, Flowing Water Reverse Bite.

My slash, timed with Veyron's attack, merged with his and redirected it upward.

Unable to withstand the sudden change in direction, Veyron's saber was flung high into the air.

Stunned by the sudden loss of his weapon, Veyron froze.

And—this was the moment I had been waiting for.

"Oooooooooooh!"

"—!?"

Veyron froze at the killing intent released at close range.

At that moment, I planted my right foot firmly at his feet.

With a sound like an explosion, the ground beneath my foot shattered. The shockwave caused Veyron to lose his balance, and I delivered a powerful slash with all my strength.

The cutting technique—Strong Form, White Radiance.

It is a lightning-fast strike. A decisive, unavoidable slash delivered when the opponent's stance is broken.

Thus, it is one of the strongest techniques in the long-lasting and powerful Kugenshinryu.

The strike, not even allowing a reaction, hit Veyron's shoulder and cleaved him diagonally in two.

"K...!?"

As its name suggests, a strike that is also called a flash. In some schools, it is named "Cloud Shine."

I finished the strike and took a calm afterimage.

Veyron's eyes widened, and green blood gushed from his mouth as he slowly collapsed, his body sliding diagonally.

It seems he is still breathing, but no creature can survive being cut in half.

"You're not worthy of such a technique... but since it's a grand battle, a flashy technique isn't bad."

"K... h...!"

"A quick end, then."

I approached Veyron's upper body, which was cut from shoulder to side, and slashed his neck.

With no resistance, his head was easily severed.

The demon's head, rolling on the ground, disintegrated into black dust before I could grab it.

The same happened to the remaining body, leaving no proof of his defeat.

But—

'Baron-level demon Veyron has been defeated by player [Quon].'

'The demon army within a certain range will be weakened.'

It seems that defeating a commanding demon weakens the surrounding forces.

Although Veyron didn't seem to be giving any commands—this is probably a system rule.

Thanks to the weakening effect, the slowed Demon Knight was quickly cut down by Lumin.

She had some minor injuries but was almost victorious. It's a significant achievement on the battlefield.

Of course, in Kugenshinryu, enemies should be killed with one strike... but the opponent is tough.

I chuckled and raised my blade high, declaring:

"Enemy commander Veyron, defeated by this Quon!"

My voice echoed, confirming the information.

From a distance, cheers from the "Camelot" group could be heard.

Well, if they come for the trophy, that would be good, but the surrounding demons don't seem to be targeting me.

The effect of Ghost Cry is wearing off, but the demons still seem to fear me.

I wonder how they programmed the AI to have such emotions... but if it slows them down, that's convenient.

"Well, Lumin. From here on, it's a mopping-up operation."

"The prey is plentiful, it seems."

"There are no heads worth taking. We just need to hunt them down thoroughly."

It seems Lumin is getting used to the battlefield atmosphere.

I chuckled and placed my blade on my shoulder.

Well, first—

"Let's go greet Altrius. We'll go back the way we came."

"Please let me fight beside you this time, Father. It's not a rush, is it?"

"Hehe. Sure, watch closely."

I nodded happily at Lumin's eager words.

Well, how many opponents can I cut down before the battle ends—let's make it a challenge.

"Aim for four digits, a thousand-to-one. Let's enjoy the rest."

■Avatar Name: Quon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 27

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 24

VIT: 18

INT: 24

MND: 18

AGI: 14

DEX: 14

■Skills

Weapon Skill: [Sword: Lv.27]

Magic Skill: [Enhancement Magic: Lv.19]

Set Skills: [Dead Point Strike: Lv.17]

[MP Auto Recovery: Lv.15]

[Plundering Sword: Lv.14]

[Identification: Lv.15]

[Sword of Life: Lv.16]

[Demon-Slaying Sword: Lv.7]

[Tame: Lv.12]

[HP Auto Recovery: Lv.12]

[Life Force Manipulation: Lv.9]

Sub Skills: [Mining: Lv.8]

Title Skills: [Fairy's Blessing]

■Current SP: 30

■Monster Name: Lumin

■Gender: Female

■Race: Valkyrie

■Level: 1

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 25

VIT: 18

INT: 32

MND: 19

AGI: 21

DEX: 19

■Skills

Weapon Skill: [Sword]

Magic Skill: [Light Magic]

Skills: [Light Attribute Enhancement]

[Light Wings]

[High Magic Resistance]

[Medium Physical Resistance]

[Large MP Auto Recovery]

[Wind Magic]

[Magic Circle]

[Boost]

Title Skills: [Servant of the Spirit King]