173. Festival of the Sword (16)
#173
“···Exam ended.”
Alogin chanted. Only then did Nabirose put the Daetaedo into its sheath. Even though the winner was decided, the arena was still immersed in silence. The remaining smoke was escaping through vents in the walls and ceiling.
-Clap clap clap.
At that time, the sound of applause was heard from somewhere. That was the beginning. The sound of palm touching palm spread like wildfire. Before long, the entire arena became noisy. Those who finally became speechless poured out the words they had been holding back.
“Wow, that’s great. “It’s really amazing…!”
“To be like that even without using Aurors… honestly, I thought he would have regressed after retiring from the front line.”
“Anyway, was that really a torrent sword? “How did you get in?”
Some participants even raised their bodies and clapped their hands. Nabirose calmly responded to the cheers without showing any reaction.
It was a most glorious sight, but some people were unable to look at her directly. Most of them, including Schlieffen, were participants who still retained their integrity.
Having lost much of her clothing due to being caught in the explosion, she was unintentionally showing off her physical superiority. If the problem was that I had no interest in it, then it was a problem. cried Ronan, her inferior, throwing off her own cloak.
“Damn, cover yourself. “What does a grown woman do?”
“No fuss.”
Nabi Rose took the clothes and laughed. The moment she put on her coat, small sighs came from all over her. The difference in physique between the two was so great that they were able to cover their lower thighs with just a coat.
The fallen Nordrek still did not move. The dark red puddle beneath his stomach was slowly widening. The committee members holding the stretcher were running towards Nordrek. Al Login, who was watching this, opened his mouth.
“…I was finally convinced. “I never thought it was really a torrent sword.”
“I can’t believe that such trash has reigned as the Sword Saint for 40 years. “I expected it.”
“I’ve been saying this for a while, but you and Sentai Sword Saint are strangely strong. Anyway, in the end, they subdue everything without bringing it out. “I’m impressed.”
“It is a reasonable result.”
“But… if only the appearance changed, how did they break through our surveillance network?”
Alogin’s wrinkles became deeper. I couldn’t understand at all how a disguised torrent sword could make it to the final test. To prevent such a situation, a large number of magic tools for interrogation were purchased at a high price.
At least while he was an elder, no participant was able to filter out Farzan’s surveillance network. He was in the middle of smoothing his chin. A girl’s voice came from behind.
“It’s probably a memory sealing technique.”
Jaifar and Alogin turned at the same time. A small girl was squatting at Jaifa’s feet. Alogin, seeing her abundant gray hair, recognized her as one of her participants.
“You definitely won by default…”
“hi. “Goodbye to the tiger too.”
Rin greeted me without even turning my head. She was putting all her nerve into holding on to Jaifa’s tail as it moved around. Jaifa said, resting her tail on the top of her head.
“Memory sealing? “What does that mean?”
“Literally. It temporarily locks away the memory of who you are, leaving only your purpose behind. Then, even if you give an answer about yourself that is different from the truth, it will not be a lie, so you can pass through most psychological and emotional magic. “They probably designed the magic so that the seal will be broken the moment they see our princess.”
“···princess?”
Jaifar and Alogin frowned at the same time. Their eyes simultaneously turned to Nabirose, whose face was covered in blood.
Rin explained that it was the only way for the Burgundy Sword to come this far while hiding its identity. After sealing away his savagery and unique temper, only his cunning and rational side was left behind, so the torrent sword was able to play the participant named Nodrek perfectly.
The preconceived notion that it could not possibly be the Tukryu Sword himself also facilitated his infiltration. Al Login nodded his head in understanding.
“···Now that I think about it, I’ve changed as a person since I met Nabirose. “How did you know that?”
“It’s just like a magazine. It’s something you learn naturally when you live a long time. “A long time ago, there was another guy who participated that way.”
“once upon a time?”
Alogin frowned after hearing that he had lived a long time. The girl in front of her only looked to be in her early or mid-teens at most. Lin, who finally caught Zaifa’s tail, muttered quietly.
“It was a waste. “You too.”
“hmm···?”
Jaifa’s ears perked up. It was so small that he was the only one who heard the whisper, but Jaifa didn’t bother to ask what it meant. Rin, who had been fiddling with Jaifa’s tail, turned and walked towards her Ronan. Alogin, who was looking at her back, played with her beard.
“You’re a strange girl… yes, if you investigate, you’ll find something. Soon, the next test…”
“for a moment.”
“Why are you doing that?”
Alogin asked. Jaifa did not answer right away, but looked in the direction his intuition pointed him to. Nodrek, completely injured, was being carried out on a stretcher. His fangs were exposed through his slightly opened muzzle.
“It smells disgusting.”
“What is that…”
Alogin was about to say something. Suddenly, Nodrek, who had been lying down, raised his upper body. Sticky fresh blood burst out from the open wound. The committee members who were escorting him were horrified and shouted.
“Oh my god, I’m awake…!”
“Oh, come on, lie down again. “The wound is serious!”
Nodrek did not answer. His body was as cold as if it had been dipped into ice water. The sensation in his hands and feet was fading. He gritted his teeth when he realized that he didn’t have much time left.
“…Shit.”
“I told you to lie down quickly. First of all, you have to live…”
The medical staff was about to put him down. For a moment, Nodrek’s hand disappeared from sight, and the heads of the members escorting him exploded at the same time. Plop! The sound of his skull being crushed resonated and attracted people’s attention.
“Hey, look over there! “The medical staff!”
“What, were you alive?”
Nabirose, who turned his gaze one step too late, opened his eyes round. Before she knew it, Nordrek, her sword drawn, was slowly walking towards her. Nabirose, seeing the headless corpses, spoke in an angry voice.
“This trash.”
This was because the body was not completely dismembered for interrogation. Nabirose immediately kicked the ground and rushed at Nodrek. At that moment, an enormous amount of mana exploded onto Nodrek’s shoulders. Ronan’s eyes widened. Amidst the surging mana, white flashes were blinking at rapid intervals. It was the sparkle that was the symbol of Nebula Clage.
“at las.”
After exchanging glances with Jaifa, Ronan stood up. Nabirose arrived in front of Nodrek in an instant. Her body rotated sharply as she drew her sword. Her mana tail stretched along her blade. Daetaedo Island, which had turned dark green, seemed as if it could cut down entire mountain ranges and glaciers. The sword body was about to reach Nodrek. Kaaaaang! The Daetaedo, which was blocked by something, bounced and a metallic sound that seemed to tear the eardrums exploded.
“This···!”
“I admit it… it was my fault.”
“What have you done?”
“I should have written it a long time ago…”
Nodrek muttered, coughing up blood. The great sword Ursa was standing still in the air. A strange curtain that fluttered like an oil slick was wrapped around Nodrek’s body.
Nabirose hastily adjusted his stance and struck again with his sword, but it did not even hit the unidentified shield. It was the protection of the stars, one of the giant’s powers. The audience started to get noisy.
“W-what is that?!”
“Defense shield? “Is it magic?”
“No, it’s different. I heard about it because a relative is in the Dawn Corps. “That is definitely from people called Nebula Clazier…”
Suddenly, Nabirose noticed that no blood was flowing from his wound. The stab wound that had torn through his internal organs had already turned into a shallow scratch. Nodrek brushed off his now whiter hair and continued.
“If possible, I tried to deal with it only with my full strength. “I can’t help it.”
“Explosion sword.”
“Let’s all die together.”
The pale complexion had completely returned. Clutching the hilt of her sword with both hands, Nordrek slashed the ground with her sword. Paaaa…! A pure white light began to surge through the cracks in the ground. Nabirose, who sensed a crisis, quickly widened the distance.
‘I get hit. ‘Not just me, but everyone.’
Nabirose took a deep breath. It was not an attack that could be blocked or let go. In the flash that predicted a huge explosion, I could feel the energy like a shield in front of me. This explosion was sure to blow up the entire arena without a trace. My overloaded head was boiling. It was a car she was about to rush into to reduce her damage even a little. One of her familiar young men landed blocking her path.
“Stop.
“you···!”
Nabirose’s eyes widened. In the hands of the tall young man, he held a sword that was completely black from the hilt to the blade. Ronan said, glaring at Nodrek.
“Now you’ve revealed your true colors. “Everyone would have seen this.”
“What are you doing! “You can’t get out of the way right now!”
The veins on Nabirose’s neck rose. Ronan didn’t answer. At that time, the flash of light emitted from Nodrek’s sword dyed the arena pure white. An explosion unlike any he had ever seen before was about to explode around him. Nabirose shouted.
“Ronan!!”
“Try to trust your student.”
Ronan grabbed the hilt of his sword tightly. A rich crimson color colored La Mancha. He made a wide rotation and swung his sword. It was Nabirose’s spinning sword that I tried for the first time in a while. A black line appeared in the middle of the white color that covered my vision. It was the moment Ronan stopped after spinning one wheel. Sigh! The mana that was pulsating as if it was going to burst lost her form and dispersed. Nodrek, who was at the epicenter, appeared. His eyes got so big that they almost popped out.
“What kind of nonsense is this…!”
“What can’t be done?”
Ronan spat on the floor. This was possible because the essence of Aurors was ultimately mana. He immediately spun one more circle and displayed his sword energy. The red crescent moon flew in a straight line and hit directly on the star’s protection. Kwajangchang! The bizarre shield shattered as if it were glass. Nabirose was astonished.
“Ronan, you…!”
“It’s awesome.”
Ronan smiled, raising one corner of his mouth. Nodrek, who had lost even the star’s protection, was embarrassed and hesitated. At that time, a huge shadow jumped up from the stage. The shadow that landed silently in front of Nodrek opened its mouth.
“This is Jaifa Turgen, the vanguard commander of the Dawn Unit.”
“You…!”
“I have something to ask. Nodrek. No, the explosive sword Krogen.”
“what?”
Nodrek raised his eyebrows. His head was so high up that I had to raise my head high. The hand that could pick up a watermelon like an apple was holding a scimitar that resembled a pillar. With butterflies, I frowned at her.
“Why is that cat suddenly…”
“Instructor, wait a minute. “Now it’s that person’s turn.”
“What do you mean?”
Nabi Rose gave an expression that did not understand what was happening. Jaifa, who was quietly looking down at Nodrek, continued speaking.
“It happened on the 11th day of last month. “Did you kill my men?”
“What do I know? “Get out of here, kid!”
Instead of answering Zyfar’s question, Nodrek growled fiercely. As his arm disappeared in a blur, a red line was drawn over Jaifa’s chest. Sigh! Red blood splashed over the sword marks. Ronan and Nabirose’s eyes widened.
“Zaipa?!”
“Damn that ignorant tiger.”
Ronan was disgusted. The new scar was drawn exactly across the scar left by Nabi Rose. Although the wound was deep at first glance, Jaifa did not once show that she was in pain. Nodrek, who tried to deliver a slash, fell into confusion.
“What a body…!”
It felt like cutting rock rather than flesh. The embarrassed Nordrek swung his sword again. Kang! Jaipa raised his scimitar and lightly blocked the attack. Nodrek’s expression brightened. He knew that with just that one match, he was a tough opponent. The corner of his mouth was trembling as he was frozen and unable to move.
“Oh, you didn’t become a sword saint for nothing. It looks quite fun, so I’ll deal with you first. “If you knew what kind of power I received there, you guys would be old.”
It was the moment when the fluttering Nordrek attracted the Aurors. Suddenly, Jaipa raised his arm and struck down the scimitar. Nodrek hurriedly raised his sword and took a defensive stance, but the scimitar broke his sword in two and fell on his head. The black blade pierced the top of his head.
“Okay.”
There was no death. The corpse was split open from the top of the head to the groin and spread out on both sides. Clap. Nodrek, broken in two, was lying on the floor. The intestines that had lost their bowls were spilling out.
“······!”
Silence fell over the once bustling arena. Jaifa rubbed the wound on his chest once with his palm and then removed it. Blood was splattered all over the pitch black flesh. Zaifa, who was muttering something with his eyes closed, clenched his fists again. He slowly turned around to face Ronan and opened his mouth.
“···It’s just as you said. “I’m sure he’s the culprit.”
