-1545- War God's blessing

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...!"

Amidst the sound of breaking, trees were successively cut down and fell to the ground under the blue, wind-like slashes passing through them.

Countless blue slashes enveloped Rozen's direction, as if they were about to slice him into pieces, kicking up dust that danced wildly.

Facing these gale-like blue slashes, Rozen's eyes narrowed slightly.

The battle skill before him was indeed strong, but it posed no real threat to Rozen.

At this moment, Rozen had already activated the spell Kongouriki in conjunction with the ability of Mind's Eye, continuously adjusting the flow and arrangement of all particles within his domain. This incoming attack could not harm him.

However, since he had decided to have a proper duel with Noel, Rozen wasn't planning to simply rely on Kongouriki to crush her.

Otherwise, Rozen could simply rely on Kongouriki to withstand all of Noel's attacks and exhaust her stamina and mana, easily securing victory.

Therefore, Rozen decided to face Noel head-on.

And he would do so in close combat.

Of course, with Rozen's skills in close combat, even with the support of Kongouriki and Mind's Eye, it might not be enough.

Even with an invincible body and flawless vision, Rozen wasn't proficient in manipulating his body for combat—a clear weakness.

Yet, Rozen had already mastered a method more reliable than using telekinesis to control his body.

"————————"

Rozen chanted a mantra filled with fierce aura.

This was the Subjugation Mantra prayed to the war god Bishamonten, a powerful spell that granted the user the god's divine protection.

One of the Twelve Divine Generals, Omnipotent Sword Kogure Zenjirou, was an adept user of this spell, gaining extraordinary physical abilities under the war god's blessing, and allowing his jutsuryoku to skyrocket, resulting in exceptional close combat abilities.

Rozen found that when using this spell, due to the war god's protection, his body would become incredibly agile, allowing for seamless control without any delay.

This was just a trivial characteristic, not even a direct effect of the spell itself, merely an incidental feature. To those proficient in using the war god's blessing for close combat, it was negligible.

However, this insignificant trait perfectly compensated for Rozen's shortcomings in close combat.

With an invincible body, flawless vision, and the war god's protection allowing full control over his movements, what weaknesses could Rozen still have in close combat?

And so...

"Boom!"

As the jutsuryoku around Rozen surged, turning into a violent wind that swept across the surroundings, the figure known as the Mage King completely transformed into a true war god.

Bearing the invincibility of kongouriki, armed with the war god's protection, and with the ability to see through every attack, Rozen finally made his move against the incoming gale-like blue slashes.

"Clang!"

The golden sword, covered in thick jutsuryoku, became a streak of lightning, striking down a blue slash.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...!"

With crisp sounds, every one of the dense blue slashes was forcefully deflected by the jutsuryoku-imbued golden sword, bouncing off into the surroundings.

Rozen swung his sword at an incredible speed and precision, parrying each of the storm-like slashes.

"...!?"

Witnessing this scene, Noel's eyes widened.

But that was a mistake she shouldn't have made.

"Boom!"

With an astonishing explosive sound, Rozen seemed to shatter the atmosphere beneath him, rushing toward Noel at a frightening speed.

In his hand, the sword infused with jutsuryoku gleamed red, thrusting forward.

"Vorpal Strike!"

The one-handed sword's single heavy strike, a sword skill from SAO, reappeared in Rozen's hands.

The sword skill Rozen favored in the past now crashed down toward Noel.

"Boom——!"

In the next instant, a blast resounded.

"Urgh...!"

Noel let out a muffled groan.

At the critical moment, Noel deployed a magical barrier, blocking Rozen's Vorpal Strike.

However, the force of the strike still penetrated the barrier, delivering a shock to Noel.

Her small figure was sent flying backward like a bullet.

Yet, at that very moment, Rozen, refusing to let up, once again stirred the atmosphere, dashing toward the airborne Noel, appearing right in front of her.

"Nova Ascension!"

At that moment, Rozen unleashed a new sword skill.

It was the highest-ranking one-handed sword skill, the strongest among single-handed sword techniques—ten consecutive strikes.

Among the sword skills for one-handed swords, this technique was indeed the strongest. While a single hit might not match the power of Vorpal Strike, its speed was unmatched. Coupled with the ten consecutive strikes, it was capable of dealing the most damage and eliminating the most enemies in the SAO one-handed sword techniques.

Now, Rozen executed the strongest ace in the one-handed sword repertoire, as if being pushed by an unseen force from behind, his golden sword trembled, instantly unleashing ten slashes.

Those ten slashes formed a pattern like ascending stars, cutting through the atmosphere, shredding the wind, and striking Noel's petite frame.

"Boom!"

Amidst the flashing ten slashes, Noel's magical barrier trembled continuously and finally shattered with a loud crack.

Then, under Noel's drastically changing eyes, Rozen's fist clenched tightly, crashing into Noel's abdomen like a meteor.

This was Rozen's long-unused Martial Art skill, the basic one-hit strike — Flash Blow.

"Thud!"

With a heavy collision sound, Noel's petite body was slammed from midair into the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust.

This strike not only employed the technique of the Martial Art skill from SAO but also benefited from the enhancement of Kongouriki and the boost from the war god's protection.

Therefore, taking a direct punch like this from Rozen would render even a beast like an Armored Beetle incapacitated, let alone a small human like Noel. Even though Rozen held back slightly at the last moment, she might not be able to continue fighting.

Unfortunately...

"The feeling's off..."

Hovering in midair, Rozen muttered to himself.

Almost at the same time...

"Whoosh——!"

On the ground below, a gust of mana wind surged, blowing away the dust.

Powerful spiritual energy rose from below, causing Rozen to raise an eyebrow.

Noel reappeared at the center of the spiritual energy, floating in the air while gazing coldly at Rozen.

The mana surging around her had become incomparably powerful and oppressive.

That was...

"Compressed Mana?"

Indeed.

At the last moment, Noel finally managed to refine compressed mana, replacing her usual mana with this force. Using the inscription magic engraved on her protective gear, she had reinforced her body to its limits.

"If I didn't go this far, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Noel's voice was like a cold declaration, though it also sounded like she was talking to herself.

Rozen could only respond...

"Even if you go this far, you still won't beat me."

Rozen smirked.

Once again, the mana around him that had been slightly dissipated began to compress and concentrate.