Book Eater

Chapter 173: Claiomh Solais (4)

Hyde’s eyes were bloodshot, and his taut muscles had withered away. Nevertheless, he was determined to kill Theo. He didn’t care about dying as he lunged toward Theo.

Theo wanted no part of the god-sword as he scrambled backward. He had seen what that thing could do and had no desire to make its acquaintance.

Damn, I wanted to avoid this situation.

Theo cursed inwardly. Hyde was clearly trying to perish with him. Although a change in attitude was hardly enough to turn the tides, he would no longer care about expending vitality to power Claiomh Solais to its fullest potential. His strikes contained the flames of a sword master at full power, much like the ones he’d used to wipe out the warlocks.

Hyde paused for a second, and the light around grew brighter. He had probably burned the last of his vitality. Theo frowned as he wondered if there was any way to interfere.

Piiiii-ik.?

Even Magic Bullet was dissipated ten meters around Hyde. Claiomh Solais truly was magic’s nemesis, as it just attacked the magic power structure until it was thoroughly broken down.

Higher level spells might stay coherent long enough, but Theo didn’t have enough time to cast them and still dodge Hyde’s attacks. In many ways, Claiomh Solais was a very annoying weapon.

Theo sighed, “Hoo. I guess it had to come to this.”

Despite Hyde’s proximity, he closed his eyes.

There’s two methods.

He had to strike, but he could either take the hit or avoid it. He couldn’t dodge the god-sword easily, but Theo had a trump card. The national treasure Umbra could allow him to enter the astral dimension and avoid the god-sword’s divine power.

... No, wait a minute?

A lightning bolt flashed through Theo’s head. “Ah!”

That… should be possible!

A year of accumulated knowledge and the sharp senses of a magician confirmed that he could indeed complete a certain spell.

Theo looked down at Umbra’s pattern on his hand, and felt the swirling magic powers in his body. He didn’t know why, but he raised his two hands. This stance felt like it would be the most effective.

The flames of Muspelheim.

The flames responded to Theo’s call and flowed like lava from his heart. Theo’s blood vessels felt like they were melting, but he didn’t bat an eye. As the magic power accumulated in his hand, it turned a bright crimson.

All the blood vessels it passed by turned hot like they were melting, but Theo didn’t bat a single eyelash. The magic power flowed through his blood vessels and turned his right hand completely red.

Aquilo’s Blood Mark.

Similarly, Aquilo’s ice cold magic power emerged to flow down his left arm. His arm slowly turned numb as the magic power continued to accumulate, and a thin layer of frost formed on his skin, glowing a pale blue.

The red right arm and blue left arm seemed very similar to the Yin and Yang symbol in the Eastern continent.

Wuuuuuu.

As the artificial Yin and Yang formed, a powerful magic storm started to stir in Theo’s hands. This was a combination that shouldn’t exist. It was a miracle which was impossible without the aid of the Artificial Yin and Yang Theo had received from Abe no Seimei’s Art of Onmyōdō.

He knew what he was doing so far, but the next step would be stepping into a new horizon. If this was a balance which couldn’t exist in the material world, he would drag it to another world.

“Dimensional Leave.”

This was the only one of Umbra’s many abilities that Theo could only maintain for ten seconds. It allowed Theo’s hands, and only his hands, to enter an immaterial dimension. Thus, the incomplete spell had reached the next stage.

According to the theory of Yin and Yang, the world was now in Theo’s hands. A perfect red and blue sphere blossomed between his hands. It was like an egg that held a world. A shell that was born to shatter. It was an imperfect world which could only exist for a moment due to Umbra’s Dimensional Leave. However, that was enough. The moment that Theo’s magic was completed, Hyde also struck with the god-sword.

“Burn here, enemy of the Empire!” Hyde roared.

A ray of silver light radiated from the god-sword like a small sun. The power of the god-sword, which had soaked up the last bit of a sword master’s vitality, was incomparably powerful. It was stronger than when he had annihilated the warlocks; this power could possibly even kill a dragon.

Then why did Theo feel calmer than ever? As an unexpected serenity filled his body, Theo decided to name the spell floating in the palm of his hands. He remembered a famous ist who had written about an egg which existed to be broken.

Theo recalled the name from his past and murmured, “Abraxas (ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ).”

As he spoke, the world broke...

And light came into being.

***

It was too magnificent to be called an explosion. But when Claiomh Solais and the great spell, Abraxas met, a cataclysm erupted. The collision of such power normally only seen in the Age of Mythology filled the space made by the god-sword, causing cracks to spread like spider webs. The aftermath was rapidly forcing the space past its limits. If victory leaned to one side, the balance would tilt, and the space would soon collapse.

Meanwhile, the storm of light was pushed in one direction. Then, amidst the light which human eyes couldn’t see through, a sharp scream of metal rang out.

The light which filled the area diminished, and the shockwaves subsided.

“... Is it over?”

The only man left on the battlefield opened his eyes. Fortunately, the color of his eyes was dark blue. It was a color which couldn’t be confused with Hyde’s cream colored eyes. Indeed, Theodore Miller had fought against the god-sword, Claiomh Solais, and won.

He looked around the empty space. “This...”

The sword which had lost its user, Claiomh Solais, had been driven into the ground where Hyde had been standing. Hyde’s body had simply vanished. Theo wondered if Hyde had been blown away by the aftermath of the shock, or if he had turned into ash after having his vitality sucked out. Either way, it was a disastrous end for one of the Empire’s Seven Swords.

Theo narrowed his eyes at the thought.

Hyde and the god-sword…

Theo had a lot of questions regarding Hyde’s master.

Anyone who knows how to use the god-sword wouldn’t have passed the sword on without being aware of the side effects. But even if he did lose an arm, why sacrifice a sword master in this way? Things have gotten complicated.

Who was it? Perhaps Hyde had even known and accepted the price. However, as Theo ruled out the possibilities, he got a bad feeling. A person who could consider sword masters disposable, and who had obtained a treasure from the Age of Mythology, the god sword, Claiomh Solais…

Theo felt like that person would be more troublesome than the Orcus Company.

But as Theo continued to ponder...

Kiiiing...!

The god-sword, which was stuck in the ground, started to tremble and cry out loudly. Theo didn’t know what was happening, so he couldn’t help but take a few steps back.

Then Gluttony yelled out.

- Don’t back off, User! If you let it go, the god-sword will return to its master!

“What?!” Theo exclaimed.

Gluttony explained hurriedly.

- It is the same as a grimoire! The independence of its ego is a bit lower, but the god-sword is equipped with the instinct to go home! You have to make a decision before this space completely collapses!

Currently, the god-sword was trapped in the space, despite having created it. However, now that Hyde was dead, the battlefield would soon disappear, and the sword would return to its unknown master. Theo might’ve won against Hyde, but the risk of the god-sword was too great. It might’ve been hard to win if Hyde hadn’t already burned some energy to annihilate the warlocks.

Theo made his decision and hurriedly asked Gluttony, “What can I do? Perhaps you... Can you eat the god sword?”

- No, I can’t eat it.

“Then what can I do?”

- Think about it. You were in the same situation once before!

Theo’s eyes widened, as he instantly realized what he had to do. When the Elder Lich had assaulted the Miller Barony, how had he sealed the grimoire of necromancy which he couldn’t afford to eat?

“Open Inventory!” Theo cried out.

Gluttony’s tongue moved immediately. A gold light filled the sky at the same time as when Gluttony’s tongue wrapped around the god-sword completely. Would the god-sword be sealed first, or would the space collapse first? Before Theo could witness the result of the struggle which had sprung out of nowhere, Theo returned to the area around Sipoto.

“Eh?”

The landscape was different from the dark sky of the battlefield, so Theo realized that he had returned to the wilderness. In fact, he’d returned to the spot where he had been standing right before Hyde had used the power of the god-sword.

“... Theo? Is that you?” Randolph’s voice entered Theo’s ears.

“Randolph? Have you been waiting here?” Theo asked.

“Of course. I was going to wait at least three more days,” Randolph snorted.

However, Theo understood that Randolph was being sincere. If Hyde had won the duel and returned, he would have been immediately assaulted by the furious Randolph. Theo felt a lump of emotions rise up to his throat and let out a small sigh.

After reuniting with Randolph, Theo finally realized that he had defeated one of the Empire’s Seven Swords. He glanced down at his left hand.

... It’s somewhere in there.

Claiomh Solais, the god-sword which had been about to return to its master, had eventually been captured by Gluttony’s tongue. It occupied a corner of Theo’s inventory, along with Death’s Worship. Theo might not be able to absorb it, but there were many ways in which he could use the god-sword. It could be used as a sacrifice to summon Fafnir or be used against the upper ranks of the empire.

He didn’t know the identity of its former master, but someone was about to feel a sharp pain from losing the god-sword. Theo chuckled at the thought.

Randolph looked at him curiously and asked, “What, do you feel that good about winning?”

“Well... You aren’t entirely wrong. It feels much better than I thought it would.”

The battle had been against one of the Empire’s Seven Swords, the ones who defended the Andras Empire and killed the people of Meltor. So, as a magician filled with national pride, it was natural for him to feel a sense of accomplishment from the victory.

He had acquired the god-sword and won against a sword master. Moreover, Randolph’s words made Theo further aware of himself.

Randolph waited for him to completely calm down before saying, “Then shall we go back to the town? More trackers from the Orcus Company might appear… Well, I can handle them though.”

Theo snorted, “In the East, if everyone else has dropped out, they call this a win by default.”

“Ah, that’s right. There was such a thing!” Randolph clapped as he was reminded of the proverb.

“Then let’s return to town. We will rest quietly before teleporting back to Meltor.”

Theo pretended to be fine, but Abraxas was a magic that had transcended Theo’s limits. Even if it had succeeded perfectly, his 7th Circle was still a little shaken. He had been able to catch a glimpse of the spell from a momentary epiphany, but it was impossible for that to happen again. Theo had used such powerful magic that it was impossible for his body to remain unaffected.

However, Randolph was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you.”

“Huh?”

“This is where we part ways. My destination is the Andras Empire, not the Meltor Kingdom.”

Theo knew Randolph wasn’t going to seek the newly vacated seat of the Empire’s Seven Swords, so he asked, “That… why?”

“My sister is still in that country.”

Theo was startled. “Are you planning to take her away?”

“Yes. I’ve reached master level and grown familiar with my Aura Ability, so I can take care of her. Isn’t it thanks to you? I came along to repay the favor, but my debt keeps growing.”

Unlike his rough appearance, Randolph had a noble character. This was the face of a man who knew grace but didn’t turn away from his duty.

But Theo was speechless as Randolph continued, “Is it okay if we become political exiles in Meltor? At the very least, I should be an earl. How about it?”

Theo suppressed a grin. “... I’ll take care of it.”

“Hey. This is between us, yes?”

Theo’s grin spread across his face at Randolph’s mischievous attitude. They spoke like this, but they both knew the truth... A sword master wouldn’t be below an earl, and that asylum wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Still, the two men bantered until the end. They stayed for three days in Sipoto, before saying goodbye to each other early in the morning.