Book Eater

Chapter 227: Great Battle (3)

Theo could feel both powers fluctuating in his veins. His left hand felt like it was burning, while right hand felt like it had frozen solid. Like Yin and Yang, they both responded and resisted each other. Indeed, Abraxas’ recoil, the spell which transcended circles, wasn’t comparable to other spells. If Theo lost concentration for even a moment, it would self-destruct with a repulsive force that would tear him apart.

Still, I can do it.

He was nervous, but he was not afraid. The magic had once succeeded in imperfect conditions, so he was confident that he could pull it off now. Theo kept his mind sharp. Rather than waves eroding away at rocks, his nerves were like light misty rain onto rocks.

He refined his spirit and gathered it at one point. Casting the spell was like threading a needle, but Theo’s highly trained concentration made it possible.

The two unstable forces circulated and started to reveal the shape of a sphere.

Wuuuuuu.

It emitted a calm buzzing. There was no magic storm like before. There wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation as he maintained the contradictory existences. Theo stood at the boundary of Yin and Yang and looked down at the laws of the world.

“Forced Harmonization.”

There was no need to use Umbra’s Fluidization. Thanks to his awakened Sorcery, he had surpassed the limit of impossible phenomena. The chaos of heat and cold from the rules of thermodynamics that ruled the world, didn’t prevail any longer. A magician who had reached the pinnacle deviated from the world. The great magic, Abraxas, was a clue to the 8th Circle.

At that moment, the nucleus of Theo’s world was born.

“... Umm.”

Pan Helliones was not as calm as Theo. He was a warrior who had gone through many battlefields and was one step away from the borders of this world. If he couldn’t gauge the nature of the phenomenon in front of him, he would probably bite his tongue off and die of shame.

“This will determine victory or defeat. Will you fight me with strength?” Determination and admiration boiled in Pan Helliones’ voice.

A red aura blasted into the sky as he raised his greatsword. The ground cracked underneath him as it gave way in front of his aura. His legs sank down until the ground had reached his knees.

Theo’s instincts realized what Helliones’ stance meant.

This is it.

Pan Helliones had drawn his attention after his battle with Marquis Fergana with an explosion that looked like a volcanic eruption. That destructive power had been equivalent to 7th Circle magic.

It seemed that Pan Helliones was going to use that attack again. Aura was visibly shimmering around his greatsword, showing his determination to kill Theo.

Neither was wondering who would win. They were both supremely confident and threw everything they had into their blow.

The impossible spell, Abraxas (ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ): First Phase - Water and Fire...

And the Super Heavy Sword, Pan Helliones’ Zeroth Technique, World Break.

Coincidentally, these two techniques were each other’s antithesis. The one that wanted to create and the one that wanted to destroy... The World’s Egg met the Sword of Extinction. A bead which contained indescribable power was up against a sword that could erase a mountain.

―――――――――!!

There was no conception of sound and light as the two attacks collided with an impact that overwhelmed human senses. Only the two masters were able to keep themselves alive as the ground melted like butter and the atmosphere turned into a vacuum.

Pan Helliones could feel the two powers struggling to overcome each other.

Indeed... What an extraordinary blow. I didn’t think I would be pushed into a power showdown.

His World Break was extremely difficult to deal with, despite taking too long to execute. It had once diverted a flooding river and wiped out an orc village hiding on a mountain. Yet this unknown spell from Theodore Miller could match it in power. Pan Hellions gripped his greatsword firmly.

It might be surprising, but it won’t kill me.

He might be the loser, but that didn’t mean he lacked power. His special move couldn’t be blocked so easily. It was a destructive power which had its own durability. If he could just survive this attack—

... However, the very moment that he thought this...

[No.]

A voice echoed in a place he couldn’t hear.

[It’s over.]

Beyond the light and noise of the two attacks colliding, Theodore Miller was declaring his own victory.

Pan Helliones would never hear him, nor realize it, but Theo had prepared a second blow.

Abraxas (ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ): Second Collapse - Wind and Earth.

He had more than one pair of opposing attributes to use, earth and wind. The perfect form of Abraxas used all four attributes.

Let’s name it Elemental Burst!

The storm swallowed Pan Helliones.

***

Chaaeng!

The paladin with the golden shield rolled across the ground. It wasn’t difficult to defend against the swordmaster’s blow, but a shock in the right place was enough to break his balance. When he was thrown off balance, he would be greeted by a shower of attacks. One blow accurately pierced through his defenses, aiming precisely for the paladin’s head. If it landed, his brains would be splattered all over the ground.

“D-Dammit!”

Cornered, Ruben was forced to use a move he’d been carefully saving. Unlike magic, which was a resource that existed in one’s body, divine power was finite and needed to be recharged. One could theoretically accumulate a huge amount in his body, and further increase the limit by carrying relics that could hold divine power.

In Ruben’s case, his sword and shield were both relics. In a pinch, he could draw from the well of divine power they held to save his life. When he did so, the surface of the round shield flashed brightly and a wave of divine power burst outward, pushing the two masters away.

“Umm, this is annoying in many ways.”

“Don’t be in a hurry. It is almost over.”

They had just missed an opportunity to win, but Baek Jongmyung and Orta were still calm. This was not the first time Ruben had resorted to some kind of trick to save his life.

Now that Baek Jongmyung and Orta were fighting together, they could attack as well as defend. All they had to do was exhaust the divine power stored in the relics, and they could suppress Ruben once and for all.

However, this didn’t mean the battle was easy.

“Sun God Lairon! Hopefully your servant-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Orta closed his fist before divine power could be generated by the prayer.

The light radiating from Ruben snapped like a string, and the flow of divine power was broken. Fear and horror, feelings he had never experienced before, filled the eyes of the paladin.

“N-No! How was my prayer…?”

“You don’t need to know.” There was no reason to teach his enemy anything.

Orta’s fingers sliced through space.

“Kuack!” Ruben scrabbled to the side, but the spatial cut left a line of blood down his face. If he had been even a shade slower, it would’ve cut through his skull.

As a shadow who once ran up and down the continent performing missions for Meltor, Orta already knew how to deal with paladins and priests. He knew every trick to drain a relic’s powers and how to disrupt prayers in battle

It was not for nothing that it was said that knowing one’s opponent was the key to winning wars. Ruben’s weaknesses were ruthlessly exploited by Orta. The unsuspecting paladin, bereft of his usual advantages, was always too slow to react to attacks.

It meant he wasn’t a threat anymore. Orta pretended to make a mistake by stepping closer to Ruben, who glared and swung his sword while yelling, “Youuu!”

A magician dares to rashly enter the range of a sword? Then I will punish that arrogance in the name of God!

The golden blade struck out with such determination, yet—

“Fool.”

... It slashed through empty space. Orta’s dodge had been so precise, he only lost a few strands of hair. Orta’s claw-like hand pierced through Ruben’s arms. Strangely, it left no injuries.

“You require more training in the sword,” Orta ridiculed Ruben as his other hand descended, clad in a spell that cut through space.

Before Ruben could dodge, Orta’s fingertips dragged down Ruben’s body. It looked like he had been bisected.

“Eh?”

Ruben didn’t feel pain, nor did he see blood splashing. Elation appeared on his face. He didn’t know what mistake Orta made, but he had wasted a perfect opportunity. Now Ruben could run away. He transferred all his remaining divine power into his legs—

Kwatang.

The world tilted as he fell on his butt. Panic raced through his mind. Why had he tripped in such a dangerous situation?! This was a ridiculously basic mistake! However, it soon dawned on him that he couldn’t feel anything from his legs. It was like they had disappeared from his senses!

“W-What?”

“I cut some of your spinal nerves,” Orta’s voice was so casual; it was as if he was talking about the bread he’d eaten that morning. “Your cockroach-like vitality can’t restore wounds that it can’t sense. From a medical standpoint, your power is highly inefficient.”

Orta looked down at the fallen Ruben with scornful eyes. Ruben’s eyes turned bloodshot at the naked contempt.

Puk!

Baek Jongmyung’s sword pierced through Ruben’s back, penetrating his heart and pinning him to the ground.

“Kuheok... Keok, kuheok...!”

Nevertheless, Ruben didn’t die.

Baek Jongmyung glanced at Ruben with cold eyes and clicked his tongue. “Hah, you don’t even die from this.”

“It isn’t enough to penetrate the heart.”

“Then?”

Instead of answering the question, Orta snapped his fingers, and Ruben’s legs flew into the air.

“Keooook!”

“Don’t make a fuss. Your spinal nerves are cut, so you can’t feel any pain.”

It might seem cruel, but Baek Jongmyung didn’t say anything.

Ruben had shown enough regenerative ability that there was a good chance he would survive the serious injury. He would struggle even if both his legs had been cut off and his heart had been stabbed. If Baek Jongmyung pulled out his sword, then Ruben would recover quickly.

Peok!

Orta roughly kicked Ruben’s chin to stop his squealing.

“I’m sick of these cockroach-like paladins.” Orta acted like he was remembering a bad memory, before recovering Ruben’s sword and shield.

Relics naturally depended on divine power, but it was better than leaving them behind. Orta placed the relics in his dimensional pocket and took out restraints that they had once used to bind Mujak. He tossed them to Baek Jongmyung.

Baek Jongmyung caught the restraints and sighed, “Sigh, we did it. Thank you for your help, Lord Orta.”

“It is natural to respect the will of the alliance. I know what the crown prince is concerned about.”

Only Prince Elsid or Duke Cornwall could win this civil war. Meltor and Andras would return home after this war was over, so they had nothing to fear from the faraway Lairon Kingdom. However Lairon was close to Soldun. Thus, Elsid wanted the crusader defeated but alive.

Orta didn’t refuse this favor. This fight would’ve ended thirty minutes sooner if he had aimed to kill instead of subdue. Baek Jongmyung expressed his gratitude for Orta’s consideration.

At that moment...

―――――――――!!

A few kilometers away from the two of them, a massive explosion rocked the earth and sky. A mushroom cloud bloomed in the distance as the ground cratered. Both masters could feel the heat and pressure radiating outward from the battle.

Orta realized it first and muttered, “It seems like the fight is over.”

One of the two strong presences had faded away. Even with Orta’s skills, it was impossible to tell from this distance who had won or lost. He sighed as his brows furrowed beneath the mask.

“Didn’t I remind you not to forget to report, Sir Theo?”

This was the first time White Tower Master Orta realized that his head could hurt from having an overly competent junior.