Chapter 194 ~ Sulking Sword
<span style="font-weight:400">“...Amazing.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Someone muttered those words, which carried clearly across the silent battlefield.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This… This is beyond mithril or orichalcum… this is the level of heroes… an Adamantite…!”
<span style="font-weight:400">To catch the full swing of an ogre with a single hand, shattering its club, and cleaving it into two parts.
<span style="font-weight:400">This was an impossible feat of arms.
<span style="font-weight:400">A rare few exponents of swordsmanship or those bearing powerful magic weapons might be able to do it. But, it wasmon sense that one wouldn’t be able to use one’s full strength when wielding a two-handed greatsword with one hand, while the other held a giant club in ce against an ogre’s strength.
<span style="font-weight:400">Two-handed weapons were, as the name implied, intended to be wielded with both hands, using the weight of the weapons and the leverage of its length to do damage. They were not intended to be wielded by arm-strength alone.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, from Yuuji’s movements, the possibility existed that his sword might be enchanted with magic beyond anything they’ve ever seen before, or that Yuuji with one hand was stronger than a regr warrior with both arms.
<span style="font-weight:400">Moreover, thatst strike… A sh that could hit targets in a range. It must’ve been a martial art, and an extremely powerful one too.
<span style="font-weight:400">Swordsmen had always been at a disadvantage when fighting against opponents with a longer range. Unless they could shorten the distance somehow, they would unterally be bombarded with arrows or spells.
<span style="font-weight:400">But this martial art allowed him to strike those even outside his range, allowing him to retaliate against archers or magic caster at range.
<span style="font-weight:400">Such martial arts… He’d be practically capable of killing any enemies in his range of sight. His range would not be limited to the length of his sword.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Unbelievable…”
<span style="font-weight:400">That was the only thing Peter could say, while the rest of his party members stood speechless at the silenced battlefield.
<span style="font-weight:400">His words were heard by Aika, Momonga, and Lupu as well, who were also impressed by Yuuji’s disy of power.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, the person in question himself did not notice Peter, or any of the others’ reactions, as his mind was filled with another voice.
<span style="font-weight:400">[Master… You’re such a cheater… Liar… Phnderer… Womanizer… How could you wield another sword when you have Est?]
<span style="font-weight:400">Through their telepathic bond, Est has been grumbling since the moment he touched “Avalon” at the start of the battle for not keeping his word of not using any other sword aside from her.
<span style="font-weight:400">[Est… I’ve exined it to you… I need to use another sword while acting as an adventurer…]
<span style="font-weight:400">To keep his persona as Alexander Kyrielight, the heroic, white-armored Pdin adventurer, and Yuuji, the supreme being of Nazarick,pletely different, he had purposefully used a lower-leveled gear and equipment that he wouldn’t be using otherwise.
<span style="font-weight:400">If he wielded Est as Alexander Kyrielight… Then he wouldn’t be able to wield her again while he was in his true persona.
<span style="font-weight:400">Moreover… She was too powerful to be wielded by a mere adventurer. It’d attract too much unwanted attraction from the unsavory types.
<span style="font-weight:400">[But master is still master… Master’s hand is touching another sword… Master’s magic is flowing through another sword… That’s cheating… Master, you can have many wives, but your only sword is me. You promised…]
<span style="font-weight:400">“...”
<span style="font-weight:400">The tone of her voice was neutral, without any undtion. But he could tell… Est was upset. If she was in her human form, she would’ve been pouting.
<span style="font-weight:400">In the end… Yuuji gave up and tried to appease her.
<span style="font-weight:400">[Alright… I’m sorry for breaking my promise. But, while I am Alexander Kyrielight, I can’t wield you. So in return… I’ll do anything you wish as an apology. And in exchange, you will allow me to use “Ascalon” just while I act as Alexander Kyrielight.]
<span style="font-weight:400">[...]
<span style="font-weight:400">Est thought for a moment. Then, her voice resounded once more in his mind.
<span style="font-weight:400">[Then master… You must allow me to sleep with you every night.]
<span style="font-weight:400">[Eh…? Every night…? But…]
<span style="font-weight:400">[Master… I’ve seen you do adult stuff with Aika-nee and the others… I won’t disturb you…]
<span style="font-weight:400">[...]
<span style="font-weight:400">Yuuji… knew that it’d be impossible to hide everything he was doing with Aika from the spirit who was literally soul-bound to him.
<span style="font-weight:400">But still, faced with the facts, Yuuji still couldn’t believe it…
<span style="font-weight:400">Although Est was technically much older than him, the fact that she still looked like a small child made it difficult for him to ept the situation.
<span style="font-weight:400">[Est… Is it-]
<span style="font-weight:400">[No… Every night… I want to hug master while we sleep so I will still be the sword in contact with master the longest… Or I wille out now…]
<span style="font-weight:400">[...Alright.]
<span style="font-weight:400">[Mm. I love you, master.]
<span style="font-weight:400">Finally satisfied, Est returned to her slumber within Yuuji’s mind and soul, snug andfortable while waiting for night toe so she could be with her master physically, leaving Yuuji sighing helplessly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Meanwhile, having faced a nightmare came reality, primal fear stopped the ogres and goblins from their frenzied charge.
<span style="font-weight:400">Their upper-bodies leaned back, instinctively distancing itself from imminent death. But their legs remained attached to the ground, unable to be moved, causing many to fall to their backs with only a few managing to take a step back at thest second and avoid falling.
<span style="font-weight:400">One by one, the no longer frenzied monster began backing off. And even Peter, along with the rest of the Swords of Darkness, could see the immense fear disyed on their faces, despite it being hideous and retarded.
<span style="font-weight:400">But at that moment, a sudden gust of wind blew. And in an instant, fiery, crimson red chains appeared from within the ground and wrapped around all the remaining ogres and a few goblins.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh~? Where are you going~? We’re not done yet, you know~?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her beautiful, bell-like giggled was apanied by the pained groans and panicked roars of the bound creatures. And once again, the Swords of Darkness could hardly believe what they saw.
<span style="font-weight:400">The spell [Twine nt] that Dyne casted previously was an extremely powerful immobilizing spell capable of sealing the movement of a single creature, even one with a strong physique like the Ogre. It was one of the most useful and important spells that the Swords of Darkness frequently use as the core of many of their strategies.
<span style="font-weight:400">However, the spell wasn’t without its weakness. Being made of nts, it was naturally vulnerable to fire and shing damage, making it not very useful when used against creatures with sharp ws or fiery physical traits except to just buy a few seconds or as a distraction.
<span style="font-weight:400">But the spell Lilith cast was capable of holding multiple ogres as well as goblins, a stark contrast to Dyne’s single target immobilizing spell.
<span style="font-weight:400">Moreover, wreathed in mes, it not only immobilized its targets, but also burned them. They could all see smoke rising from all the creatures bound by the fiery chains as their skin began to ke and char.
<span style="font-weight:400">The chains also seemed to be… almost ethereal. Although the mes obscured their vision, the chains seemed to be slightly transparent.
<span style="font-weight:400">If this was true, then the spell Lilith had cast… was a multi-target immobilizing spell that damages its targets while also being immune to physical attacks.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was undoubtedly a third-tier spell… or perhaps, even beyond. A fourth-tier spell… That was already in the realm of heroes.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Lupu.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes!”
<span style="font-weight:400">At Aika’s word, Lupu dashed towards one of the bound ogres and jumped high. She flipped through the air, and using the momentum of her fall, delivered a devastating ax kick that shattered and caved its head in.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lupu pushed off the ogre’s head and leaped once more into the air as a heavy thud shook the ground below her, and reached behind for her mace.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Here we go~!!!”
<span style="font-weight:400">With both hands holding her mace, Lupu mmed down onto a goblin, instantly pulverizing it into a st of blood and mush and shattering the ground. Then, with her mace still stuck in the ground, she swung up, draggin the earth up, and shattered the ground before her, causing spiked rocks to jut out of the ground that pierced many goblins.
<span style="font-weight:400">Her eyes narrowed in delight as her lips curled into a thin grin as she looked at the devastation before her.
<span style="font-weight:400">The rest of the ogres and goblins continued to run away. It was no longer a retreat, but a chaotic escape for their lives.
<span style="font-weight:400">A spear of lightning pierced through two ogres, thest two, straight through the center of their torso. But they didn’t stop running, even as two heavy thuds shook the ground near them.
<span style="font-weight:400">As long as they reach the forest line, they’d be able to find cover and hide from their pursuers.
<span style="font-weight:400">But just as they were about to reach the tree-lines… A massive wall of earth erupted from the ground, sealing their escape.
<span style="font-weight:400">The goblins looked up in despair and to their sides… It was an extremely tall and wide wall. They knew that before they could climb it or run around it, it would be toote…
<span style="font-weight:400">In the end… They looked back. And thest thing they saw was a beautiful masked woman in the air above them, dropping a ball of crackling thunder that exploded right before their very eyes.
<span style="font-weight:400">--------------------------------X--------------------------------
<span style="font-weight:400">With the battle finished, Yuuji’s party returned to the cart where Nfirea and the rest of the Swords of Darkness were.
<span style="font-weight:400">There was silence. Each and every one of them was still too shocked and astounded to speak.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well then, shall we continue our journey?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yuuji’s voice snapped them all out of their daze, and all of them immediately surrounded him with eyes filled with admiration.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alexander-san! You were so amazing! No… Everyone is so amazing…!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“By the Gods, I’m too shocked… ! I didn’t expect Alexander, Lupu, and everyone is so powerful…!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“L-Lilith-san and Momon-san! Your spells are amazing!!! I-I’m very touched! I can’t believe I could see such incredible works of magic!”<span style="font-weight:400">
<span style="font-weight:400">“Umu! I am astounded! I’m d we could meet such incredible figures!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes… I didn’t expect all of you to be this strong…!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Although adventurers themselves, Peter, Lukrut, Ninya, and Dyne had never seen such an incredible sight, much less Nfirea. The things they saw in this one battle were simply too astounding.
<span style="font-weight:400">They doubted that even the Mithril-ranked adventurer party, Kralga, would be able to imitate what Alexander’s group had done.
<span style="font-weight:400">They were not sure before, but now, they were certain. Alexander and his group were undoubtedly Adamantite-ranked adventurers.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yuuji smiled softly under his helmet.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you. I’m d everyone is safe. But let us save the victory celebration forter. We are still in a dangerous area. We should move on to a safer area before we camp and rest for the night.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah, yes! As you say! Then, we shall resume our journey. Nfirea-san, are you okay to continue?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Y-Yes! I’m fine. Let’s go.”
<span style="font-weight:400">With that, the group continued their travel towards Carne Vige, taking a night’s rest, before continuing early the next day.