Ch-121

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"Hold onto it, dammit…!"

The knights who had their hands sheared off belatedly held onto their wrists to stop the bleeding. They wanted to retrieve their hands that had fallen to the floor, but couldn't because if they did, they would lose the remaining one hand as well.

The same went for other escort knights.

Seeing the blood dripping from Neria's sword, they didn't dare put their hands on the hilt.

'No one can react to such precision and speed…'

Unlike the knights of the Kingdom of Prona, which were of lower quality, the knights of the Kingdom of Carta were of high quality. That's why they were able to see Neria's sword attack.

But that was to it.

Even if they and their position had changed, nothing would have changed ultimately.

'This is a Hero's companion…'

Only one explanation to sum up the gap in the skill.

'Can we win if we rank together?'

Knights who had similar notions soon denied the idea. They were not colleagues, not the knights of the same order, but knights from different families.

Even if they fought together, there was no way they could synchronise with each other.

And even if there was an iota chance of defeating her, fighting her alone itself was a problem.

It was not just Neria who was here.

"What are you doing? You want to aggravate the situation?"

Hero Cloud.

And his colleagues filed behind him.

Assuming that they were all on the same level as Neria…

They had no way out.

The nobles and their escort knights made the prompt judgement and twisted their gaze to Lorian.

He was also a Hero, so they wanted him to stand up to Cloud.

Lorian looked down at Cloud with a displeased expression.

"Do you want to impose regardless?"

"Why not? What do you want me to do? Do you want me frightened by your nonsensical pranks and leave the city as it is? Lorian… please don't f*ck with me."

"…I guess I didn't make myself clear enough."

Lorian muttered to himself in a voice that everyone in the hall could hear.

Cloud stood up and trudged toward Lorian. As soon as he moved, the startled nobles and escort knights gave way.

A path that parted into a straight line.

When Cloud arrived in front of Lorian, Lorian's skin and armor were covered in grayish-white stone.

Seeing this, Cloud laughed.

"You're not some kind of gargoyle, come on."

"Looking at you talking nonsense, you don't seem to be nervous yet."

Lorian drew his sword and cut wide in an oblique swing in front of him. As Cloud widened the distance and avoided it, Lorian's companions took advantage of the gap and handed him a shield.

It was a silver shield with a lion's face protruding.

"Time to put you in your right place."

"Sure."

Following the conversation, the two Heroes kicked off at the same time. Caang! Sword and shield clashed. The nobles and escort knights winced at the wind pressure emanating from between the two Heroes.

'Can't see…'

They could only make out blurry apparitions of Cloud and Lorian moving, but couldn't properly grasp them.

Caang! Vish!

Sparks flew with the sound of metal clashing.

Whoo!

Only the fierce and resounding clatters and clangs told them a battle of unimaginable prowess had ensued.

'This is a battle between Heroes…'

Level… No, the realm was different.

When the escort knights felt a sense of helplessness that they hadn't felt since becoming official knights, the two Heroes drifted apart.

"Come to think of it, this is my first time fighting you."

Cloud said as he patted his wrist. At that, Lorian narrowed his brows, then sighed and laughed.

"First time… Have you forgotten what happened that day? Well, from your point of view, it must have been disgraceful… It wouldn't be strange if you possibly forgot it."

In the past, Cloud had been overwhelmingly defeated in a spar against Lorian. Those who saw them sparring said that it was like an adult and a child fighting. At the time, Cloud was very shy whenever anyone brought up the anecdote.

The current Cloud didn't know that.

However, it was possible to make a rough guess based on Lorian's schadenfreude.

"Sages of old tell the important thing is the present, not the past."

"You're trying to win a mental victory regardless. It's ugly."

"It's your face that's ugly."

[All Bless]-!

[All Bless]-!

The stacked blessings greatly amplified Cloud's physical abilities.

He immediately leapt at Lorian.

Lorian hurriedly lifted his shield and tried to defend himself, much faster than before.

[All Curse]-!

[All Curse]-!

The curse, stacked twice, darted and Lorian's abilities efficiency was greatly gnawed. Lorian was shaken by the sudden deterioration of his physical abilities. Cloud, who had reached close range before he knew it, poised his sword.

Lorian quickly regained his composure.

'It's okay to get hit once.'

His defence had been greatly increased with [Turtle's Blessing], and there was also a protective layer in form of [Gargoyle's Skin].

One attack would be acceptable.

While thinking about the next move, Cloud's sword drew a blue trajectory.

Drake-style swordsmanship.

[Tree Sunder]-!

Crack!

The heavy sword strike broke the [Gargoyle's Skin] and crumpled his pauldron.

"Keugh?!"

Lorian's expression contorted at the unexpected pain.

'It wasn't enough to break the gargoyle's skin, he pierced through the shoulder blades and even broke my shoulder blades?'

Unlike past, the current Lorian would not take much damage from Ogres' swings. However, still he was injured by Cloud's blow, it was no wonder he was taken aback.

The problem was that the fight between the two was a battle of zero points, not seconds, and any emotional agitation that occurred in between was fatal.

Retrieving his sword, Cloud once again jammed his sword downward.

This time, with the intention of cutting off his arm altogether.

However, when Lorraine stepped in front of Lorian, he had no choice but to relax his arms.

Kang!

His sword and Lorraine's sword collided.

Taking advantage of that gap, Lorian threw himself against the wall of the inn. Hard. The wooden wall collapsed and he tipped outside.

""

Cloud looked at Lorraine without even looking at her.

"What were you thinking?"

"…you were thinking of killing him?"

"What?"

"You were thinking of killing my brother, right?"

In Lorraine who said that, he couldn't find her characteristic boldness.

"Do not do that…"

"…"

Cloud let out a deep sigh as he looked pitiful like a stray cat in the rain.

"Alright, won't kill him. Hah. Do I look stupid enough to kill a fellow Hero?"

"…"

Lorraine silently shook her head.

Cloud walked past her and headed toward the hole in the far inn wall that Lorian had created.

She didn't stop him either.

It didn't take long for Cloud to find Lorian. In the first place, he didn't barrel out of the inn to escape.

He just needed time to reorganise.

After healing his shoulder blades and status ailments with potions, he had donned a sharp-looking helmet instead of being bare-headed. Behind the helmet, flames like pristine white lion's mane billowed magic.

Cloud knew what the armor was.

"As expected, it is the armor of the Lion King."

"You know?"

Cloud nodded matter-of-factly.

How could he not know?

Lion King's armor.

Lorian's final equipment seen in the game.

As a late-game equipment, it boasts insane performance.

'He's starting from Phase 2?'

Phase 2 starts when he sports a helmet and awakens when you break through the disgustingly tough defense and lose more than half of your HP.

It is an event made undefeatable like the 2nd phase of Gis, and unlike Gis, who has a random pattern, the pattern here is fixed.

Assuming the pattern is fixed, one may think that it would make it easier to counterplan and firmly destroy it.

However, just as stated, the fight against Lorian was an event made to be undefeatable.

In other words, even if you know, you can't stop it.

"I didn't know you knew about this armor… but, well, it doesn't matter. Knowing doesn't change anything."

Lorian snapped his fingers.

White mana fumed from the lion's mane, and it took the form of a pure white lion.

A summoned beast created with the profound magical power of a Hero called the Lion King in the past.

It turned out to be six lions.

"Don't kill him."

Lorian tipped his chin and ordered the summons. The summoned monsters prowled minaciously and began to surround Cloud. Cloud smiled at Lorian without paying attention to them.

"The bastard who hides under his sister's skirt pretends to be arrogant."

"…change of orders. Don't kill him, but I'll let off ripping off an arm or a leg."

The white lions bared their sharp, pointed fangs and charged at Cloud.

* * *

[The 'Fangs of White Flame' evoked by the pride of white lions.]

[Cloud evaded.]

[Cloud evaded.]

.

.

.

[Cloud evaded.]

[Cloud used 'Wolf Buster'.]

[Fatal blow.]

[White Lion 1 suffered 7420 damage.]

[White Lion 1 has fallen.]

[Lorian used the protection of the stone turtle.]

""

[Lorian's defence has increased.]

['White Flames' evoked by the pride of white lions.]

[Cloud used 'Sword Storm'.]

[White Lions' 'White Flame' was blocked by Cloud's 'Sword Storm'.]

[Lorian used 'Gargoyle's Skin'.]

[Lorian's defense has greatly increased.]

[A 1000 DP shield materialized by Lorian.]

[The 'Claws of White Flame' evoked by the pride of white lions.]

[Countered!]

[The White Lion 2 suffered 2600 damage.]

[Cloud used 'Rampant Sword'.]

[The White Lion 2 suffered 4310 damage.]

[The White Lion 3 suffered 4620 damage.]

[The White Lion 4 suffered 4100 damage.]

[The White Lion 5 suffered 4420 damage.]

[White Lion 6 suffered 4330 damage.]

[The White Lions 2 and 3 have fallen.]

[Lorian used the 'Protection of the Shield Hero'.]

[Lorian's defense and guard rate have increased.]

[The pride of white lions fell into fear affiliation.]

[Lorian used 'Lion King's Protection'.]

[Maximum HP of Lorian and the pride of white lions has increased significantly.]

[Lorian and the pride of white lions' HP have been restored.]

[Lorian used the 'Lion King's Roar'.]

""

[The fear affiliation of the pride of white lions has disappeared.]

[The attack power of the pride of white lions has greatly increased.]

[The agility of the pride of white lions has greatly increased.]

[The durability of the pride of white lions has greatly increased.]

* * *

'Summoned beasts that get frightened and cower.'

How the hell do summons fashioned by the Lion King's mana have such blasted debility?

Of course, they became ferocious again with the [Lion King's Roar]. However, it was a nodus that he had to use the skill in the first place.

[Lion King's Roar] was a burdensome skill that ate up a lot of mana.

Lorian clicked his tongue.

'I'll have to reconsider the use of summoned beasts.'

Lorian, who judged that, watched the battle between Cloud and the white lions closely, waiting for Cloud to show a gap, a crevice. And when he finally showed a brief one, he immediately unfolded the scroll he was clutching tight.

"Witch of Constraint. I ask you in exchange for my fate. Constrain my opponent for seconds five."

Witch's Covenant Scroll of Constraints.

A scroll that gives you the conduit to make a contract with the Witch of Constraint, and if the price is right, you can put the desired restrictions on the designated opponent. There stood a tricky condition that the restrictions and cost must be equal, but it was undeniable that it was a great magic item.

Lorian also got this item by chance in a dungeon.

'Honestly, it's a waste to use this in a situation like this…'

Lorian remembered Frillite.

To be precise, Frillite smiling while looking at Cloud.

He gnashed his teeth in anger.

– The price is good, but the demand is not simple. This way, I hardly have anything to eat.

A languid yet somehow alluring voice tickled his ear. She seemed to be thinking, and then she whispered to him once more.

– I'll treat it as a free service this time. Issue a large tip another time, okay?

Of course, this work will be paid for.

The moment the coquettish giggles disappeared, a purple magic circle appeared under Cloud's feet.

– Chow!

Purple thorny vines protruded from the magic circle and bound Cloud's limbs.

Seeing that, Lorian came to his senses and held out his shield.

Embedded in the shield front, the lion's head opened its maw.

Huge magic power gushed out of the shield, assuming the shape of a lion.

Lorian bent on his knees.

The huge lion bent down to hunt.

As he hit the ground, bang! Dirt and dust flew all over the place with a sound.

At the center of the clouding dust was a lion baring its fangs at its prey.

[Lion's Fangs]-!

If the conditions were met, it was the most powerful technique that Lorian could use.

Originally, it was a technique used to finish off opponents, but…

'With a Hero's constitution, he won't die.'

It was time for Lorian to rush in with such a complacent thought when the thorny vines that restrained Cloud released.

Lorian's eyebrows twitched.

'It hasn't even been 3 seconds yet, what service is this?'

Did the Witch of Constraint betray him?

He had heard that witches valued their trust above their life.

Whatever the case, this was embarrassing.

No matter how strong the technique was, if it doesn't hit, every effort is wasted. So he used the scroll to make sure it would hit…

'Hmm?'

Lorian narrowed his eyes.

Even though Cloud was freed, he did not try to avoid Lorian's charge.

'He has so much belief in himself?'

Lorian didn't know, but for this, he was grateful to Cloud.

Lorian grimaced and accelerated his charge.

The lion wreathed in white flames opened its mouth wide.

The fangs of the white lion aimed for Cloud. White Flame's fangs, which even tore apart Ogres, couldn't tear Cloud apart.

The fangs could neither tear flesh nor sink in.

It was because the moment Cloud's outstretched hand touched Lorian's shield, the white flame that aimed at him easily scattered.

"Is this… what…?"

There was a look of bewilderment in Lorian's eyes. Cloud lowered the lion shield and faced Lorian's face.

"You don't know how to use it?"

As he said that, his earrings lost their magical glow and were stained black.

Dragon King's Scale Earrings.

An item that protects the user's body for three seconds by compressing magnificent magical power.

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02