< Apiography 12. Sword Saint (2) >
#A12
“I don’t know how long. “I enjoyed it so much.”
Zaifa said. His pupils were completely vertically narrowed as he let out a chilling laugh. The feeling of death that seemed to be squeezing out his lungs was spreading throughout the arena.
“how···.”
Schlieffen spit out blood and sighed. She couldn’t believe it when she saw it. Jaipa’s injury was not something that could be overcome with tenacity.
Dark red blood was dripping from his tattered body. Her tail, which had been stabbed by a pale rod, was cut off and lying on the floor. Her cut was so clean it looked like she had cut it herself in a whirlwind.
“It’s dangerous.”
Nabirose bit her lip. Without realizing it, she lifted her hand and touched the scar that remained on her collarbone. It was a trace of being hit by Zaipa in the final battle of the Sword Saint. It was Zaifa in that state who defeated him.
“Fuuuu…”
Schlieffen corrected his breathing. The pain that felt like my spine was going to break subsided to some extent over time.
You must remain calm. As long as you don’t rush as long as you land a valid hit, your chances of winning are high. A tense standoff ensued.
“We can still play more. huh?”
After saying that, Jaipa suddenly lowered his body. With both hands on the ground, it was a posture reminiscent of a wild beast before it pounced on its prey. At that moment, Schlieffen, who was about to turn his sword into wind, stopped.
‘Dangerous.’
The intuition that had led him to this point was warning him. You shouldn’t make that choice now. It was the moment when Schlieffen, who had gained Auror, instinctively raised his sword. Kwaaaaang! A sound like an explosion of lightning struck my eardrums. Jaifa suddenly appeared before his eyes and he was amazed.
“That’s amazing. “Did you read this?”
“What, the speed…!”
Schlieffen gritted his teeth. Five claws curved like hooks were engaged with the Pale Rod. His hand grasping the hilt of his sword was vibrating as if it would break at any moment.
The gap that had been more than fifty steps had lost meaning and had narrowed. A spider web-like crack remained on the paving stone where Jaipa was standing. It was a sign of a leap made by pressing down with an enormous iron leg. Since Jaifa had two hands, the next attack came immediately. Sigh! A claw rose diagonally from the bottom left, scratching Schlieffen’s chest.
“Ugh!”
Blood splattered. It wasn’t deep, but it was still painful enough. Schlieffen, who barely survived, swung her sword as if shaking her off. Kaang! Jaipa, who lightly deflected the sword strike, raised her voice and roared.
“Use your remaining talents and attack properly!”
bang! Her sword and claws touched and lightning struck again. Schlieffen twisted his lips in response to the series of attacks. It was hard to believe that he was the enemy who had thrown away his weapon. Jaipa’s attack was actually more dangerous and sharper than when he used the scimitar.
There was no time to turn the sword body into wind. Eventually, he gave up, corrected his posture, and began to respond. Seiffa, with his claws up, was certainly faster, but at his speed even Schlieffen could not be outdone.
Every time the claws collided with the blade, embers bloomed in the air. There were dozens of sword strikes that were difficult for the average person to even perceive. Phew! A fountain of blood splashed onto Jaifa’s shoulder. The corners of his mouth rose strangely.
“Haha, that’s pretty cool!”
“you···!”
Schlieffen’s eyes widened. It was an attack he definitely expected to be blocked. After exchanging words a few more times, he opened his mouth.
“···Sword Saint. Please abstain.”
“Maybe my ears are wrong? “What did you say just now, kid?”
“I urged him to abstain. “Are you planning on dying?”
“You seem to be needlessly quick to notice again.”
Jaifa laughed. Schlieffen’s face hardened. As expected, his physical condition was far from normal.
When I thought about it, there was no way I was fine. What Zaifah was hit with was the tornado that destroyed six of Nebula Clage’s top executives. The wounds inflicted by the harsh wind were eating away at his life in real time.
If the game continued like this, things could have gone really wrong. This was the place where the Imperial Sword was decided, not an illegal gladiatorial arena where murder was committed. However, Jaipa’s meaning seemed to be different.
“It’s none of your business.”
“but···!”
“Shut up! “If you come out like that, I won’t let you think of anything else!”
“Ugh!”
Seiffa kicks Schlieffen. It was the moment he landed after being thrown away by an unexpected blow. Quang! Suddenly, Zaifa, crouched in his crouch, leapt up, kicking his ground. Clearly, the physical capabilities of humans and were tigers were as different as heaven and earth. People were amazed at his leap, which was incomparable to Schlieffen’s.
“Hey, that high…!”
“That’s amazing. “It’s really amazing.”
“Holy shit, how far up does it go?”
Ronan, who had been tilting his head following his trajectory, frowned. He raised the wyvern almost as high as it was when George Dungeon was with him. It was around this time that Jaipa’s shape almost looked like a dot. Seaaaa…! The air around Jaipa began to distort with a sound like a strong wind blowing.
“No way!”
Asher’s face hardened. His keen senses were reading Mana’s unusual movements. Black energy was gathering around Jaipa, which had become a dot.
It was not difficult to predict what would happen next. He shouted with a white face.
“Well, we have to deploy the shield! hurry!”
“Mage Asher? Uh, quickly deploy the shield!”
The waiting wizards were puzzled. They chanted a spell in unison as they heard Asher’s screams. It was a car with dozens of layers of translucent force fields filling the space between the arena and the stands. Sgak! Five black lines were drawn over the arena.
“This···!”
It was a space rift, an auror of Jaipa. The size of the five cracks, which were identical to his claw marks, was so large that it stretched across the arena from end to end. It was the moment when Schlieffen, barely out of range, took a defensive stance. Quaaaaang-! As soon as the black line disappeared, the shattered paving stones bounced in all directions.
“Aaaah!”
“Save people!”
Screams erupted from all over the audience. Force fields that had been directly hit by large and small fragments were being destroyed one after another. Of course, it didn’t reach them because several sheets overlapped, but it was a scary enough sight.
“Sword Saint…!”
Schlieffen was astonished. It was a formidable force. As he swung his sword, the wind blew away the dust. Ronan, who saw the cruel scene, let out a curse.
“Nimi.”
The dumping ground that was revealed again had turned into a soybean field that had been plowed by a plow. It was a facility that was barely restored after being destroyed by Nebula Clazier, but it ended up being even more messed up than before.
The emperor stumbled, holding the back of his neck, but that didn’t matter. Quaaaang! Seifa fell like a black meteor and landed behind Schlieffen.
“this···”
“late!”
Schlieffen quickly turned around, but was one step too late. Jaifa’s right hand skimmed down his side. Phew! As soon as five scars were carved, fresh blood spurted out.
“Huh.”
Schlieffen’s face, which had maintained his composure the whole time, was contorted in pain. A laugh escaped from between Zaifa’s fangs. But Schlieffen was not left alone. He staggered as if he was going to fall, but he straightened up and raised his sword to slash. Sigh! The wind that rose along the sword path swept over Jaipa’s upper body.
“Ugh!”
The pain hit me to the point of losing consciousness. Unfortunately, he was stabbed by Butterfly Rose in the past. The two people, who had retreated for a moment, clashed again. Kagagak! Every time their swords and claws made contact, new blood stains were carved at their feet.
“You have to stop me.”
Iril, who was worse off, got up from his seat. It wouldn’t be surprising if Schlieffen or Seiffa collapsed and died right away. It was the car that made her cry as she tried to find her partner. Ronan, who was sitting right next to her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“sister. no.”
“B-But if it continues like this, the two of you will…!”
“I know what you’re thinking, but it still doesn’t work. “Sit back.”
Iril had tears in his eyes, but Ronan firmly dissuaded him. It really pained her to see her sister sad, but she couldn’t help it this time. Ronan sat her down again and spoke to her.
“Why on earth are you doing that…? “Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“If you’re scared of that, you can’t be a swordsman. “It may be difficult to understand, but just watch… and don’t worry too much.”
“···huh?”
“That Schlieffen bastard has a reason to win.”
Iril tilted his head, but Ronan just smiled without saying a word. He remembered the oath Schlieffen had sworn to him.
said the idiot. Unless you become the strongest swordsman, you have no right to declare that you will protect Miss Lee for the rest of your life. For Schlieffen, that’s what marriage meant. The battle was becoming more intense. Ronan, with his arms crossed, fixed his eyes on the two people and muttered.
“Win. Schlieffen.”
I never thought I would end up rooting for the guy who wanted to take my older sister away. Still, he couldn’t help it. Because it seemed like no one better than that would appear on the continent for the next hundred years.
Now, Schlieffen and Seiffa were swinging their swords and claws at each other. For a moment, Jaifa’s vision became blurry.
“Tsk….”
It was a side effect of losing too much blood. for a moment. His posture, which had been in power for a very short time, was disturbed. It was a moment that it would be a shame to even call it a fleeting moment, but Schlieffen did not miss the opportunity. A cheer burst from his mouth as he grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands.
“Haaaab!”
A sharp stab aimed at Jaifa’s heart. At this rate, the sword would reach faster than the fist. But Jaifa didn’t stop. Phew! As the sword pierced his chest, a huge fist struck Schlieffen directly in the forehead. The sword narrowly missed the heart, but his fist definitely broke the bone. It’s over. Jaipa, who had said that in a whisper, was about to raise the corner of his mouth. Ahhh… Schlieffen’s figure disappeared like ashes blown away by the wind.
“What…!”
Jaifa’s eyes widened. He belatedly noticed that the Pale Lord that had pierced his chest had disappeared. In the first place, Schlieffen was not standing in front of him. It was just a trick using the wind.
‘Then where is it?’
Jaifa’s hair stood on end. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind my back. It was the moment when Jaipa, sensing his crisis, turned his body around. Sgak! The slash that came like a comet cut through his side.
“···Kahahah!”
Blood burst out from Zaifa’s mouth. This blow was fatal. No sound could be heard from the silent audience. Schlieffen, who charged with a sword strike, landed twenty steps away.
“Ugh.”
Schlieffen stumbled. He narrowly avoided falling as he sunk the tip of his sword into the ground. Jaipa remained motionless in the position where his side was cut.
“Blood is the tears shed by the sword.”
After being silent for a moment, he opened his mouth with his back to Schlieffen. Dark red blood was dripping from under his pointed fingernails. It was not clear which of the two it belonged to. A cracked voice asked a question.
“Can you handle those tears?”
It was a word with many meanings. Once a father, a hunter, and the leader of the Northern Beastmen Union, he has now become the sword of the emperor, and the enemies he has cut down so far are literally countless.
The tears of the sword meant death. The Sword Saint is the best sword in the empire. It meant the person who was the strongest and had to shed the most tears.
And no one could say for sure that the current peace would last forever. Jaifa was asking about responsibility. Perhaps about the burden that will have to be carried for eternity. Schlieffen, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth.
“yes.”
It was a voice without hesitation. Schlieffen’s gaze rested on the audience, specifically on Iril and her friends sitting there. No matter how big and heavy a choice we were forced to make, the presence of our loved ones always gave us confidence and courage. He looked back at Jaifa and shook his head.
“If it’s to protect you, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“···joy.”
Jaifa laughed. His slowly leaning body fell to the floor from his back. A dizzyingly bright blue sky stretched out above his head. The cumulonimbus clouds they had torn apart had now turned into dozens of sheep, frolicking in the wind.
It was a sight I would normally pass by without even thinking about it, but today it somehow felt refreshing. The clouds that lost their shape and dispersed arbitrarily looked unusually free.
Schlieffen, who was staggering in front of him, saluted. It was polite to be together, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the strength left to do so. He expressed his regret by gently raising his hand and muttered with his eyes closed.
“I lost. Sword Saint.”
