“Graaaaaah!”
The devil howls.
At the same time, the dragon that was still fighting against him breathes its
last.
Hrmmm? The devil’s body glowed for just a moment. What was that?
Its wounds are healing?
Their battle must have been unthinkably fierce, for the dragon and devil alike
were covered in deep wounds, but the devil’s injuries have now disappeared in
a flash of light.
Perhaps he has mastered some kind of highly advanced healing magic,
although I have never heard of any so powerful as this.
At any rate, now that the injuries he sustained fighting the dragons have been
healed, I suppose my chances of winning are lower than ever.
I harbored some small hope, but it appears even that was misplaced.
“Nothing goes right in this world, does it?”
Hearing my voice, the devil whirls around and bounds toward me with
another fearsome howl.
“Graaaaaah!”
There will be no conversing with him, then.
Upon seeing his humanoid form, I thought there might be some chance we
could communicate and resolve things with words, but he shows no sign that he
understands speech at all.
Even if he did, there are some battles that one cannot avoid, like that against
the demons.
If anything, knowing that my opponent is so beast-like that he cannot be
reasoned with means that I can fight without hesitation.
“I am Reigar Baint Renxandt, Master of Swordsmanship, and I challenge
thee.”
I doubt that my opponent understands my introduction, but as he is no doubt
about to kill me, I wished for him to hear my name.
I suppose this is another way of accepting death in battle.
Sure enough, the devil ignores my words and swings his swords.
I dodge one and parry the other.
Yes, the devil wields a sword in each hand.
While this allows the wielder more options for attacking, it is difficult to
maintain one’s offensive and defensive power in both hands, so it is a rarely
used style.
The devil’s swords are of unfamiliar make, as well: slender blades, slightly
curved.
They look far more oriented toward offense than defense, in accordance with
his two-sword style.
In fact, it seems as if he has abandoned defense entirely.
Charging recklessly into battle, heedless of whether his own body is injured… I
suppose that is how a devil should be.
If those two offense-oriented swords hit my own sword just right, they could
likely break it.
That’s how much power is behind his first attack.
In fact, any one of his attacks could easily end my life.
As if to prove it, the devil’s parried blade glides right through solid ground
without the least bit of resistance.
From the moment I first laid eyes on the beast, I knew he was stronger than I
was, so I already had my guard up, but this goes far beyond anything I
anticipated.
“Graaaaaah!”
The devil howls again.
Somehow, the sound itself impacts me like a heavy blow.
Pain rushes into my ears, causing me physical agony.
Even without using skills, a mere howl is enough to cause this?
The devil stomps forward and swings his blades again.
I leap backward, dodging almost excessively to one side.
But the devil crosses all that hard-earned distance in a single step, landing in
the space I stood just moments ago.
Purple lightning springs forth in a line from the sword in his left hand.
I knew it. A magic sword.
And quite a powerful sort, at that.
Even after cutting through that dragon, his swords show not a hint of damage.
Despite their thinness, it’s safe to say that these blades are quite sturdy.
So perhaps my assumption that they were not built for defense was false as
well. If I attack without taking that into consideration, it may well be my
undoing.
And though this devil may look to be swinging around on a reckless rampage,
his fighting style is more than just brute strength. Otherwise, he would not be
able to utilize the magic sword’s power.
Though it seems as if he’s lost his senses, the devil is making good use of
highly advanced techniques.
His swordsmanship lacks polish, but he does seem to have a strong grasp of
the basics.
No mindless beast could fight this way.
What a dangerous foe.
If he was simply going on a brute rampage, then he would be far easier to
deal with.
I must stay on my guard.
For all I know, this madness may just be an act. Every possibility needs to be
considered.
His stats are already far higher than mine.
No amount of caution would be too much.
The devil swings his swords.
A clumsy attack, like a child throwing a tantrum.
But if any one of those attacks was to land, that would be the end of me.
And even if his movements are amateurish, the speed of his swings is faster
than any ordinary person could see.
Even I, once known as the world’s greatest swordsman, can barely follow it
with my eyes.
Only by watching the devil’s movements and predicting the trajectory of his
blades can I parry or dodge his blows.
If I let my guard down even for an instant, my life will be forfeit.
“Graaaaaah!”
The devil howls angrily and swings the sword in his right hand.
Flames burst from the blade, covering the devil’s body.
So both of his swords are magic, not just the lightning sword in his left hand.
Still covered in flames, the devil raises his blades and charges.
But while a direct attack might be one thing, a radiant flame that does not
even burn its wielder is mere fodder for my dark-dragon equipment!
As soon as my magic sword touches the flames, the cursed power of the dark
dragon saps its energy, weakening the flames until they disappear.
Taking advantage of the devil’s surprise, I swing my blade and land a single
slash on his body.
But my cut is shallow, and his skin is tough.
Instead of the feeling of blade biting through flesh, I only feel my sword being
deflected by something hard. Far from flesh, my sword did not even pierce his
skin.
However, the dark dragon’s power reached him nonetheless.
Though I cannot see the difference, the dark dragon’s curse has undoubtedly
reduced his stats.
No matter how little the reduction, if I keep cutting him, I may eventually
weaken him to the point where my blade can break through his skin.
I know very well how difficult that will be, of course.
And I have no way of knowing whether I would be able to wound him even if I
could weaken him.
The dark dragon’s curse is powerful, but there is a limit to how much it can
reduce the target’s stats.
If I make it to that point, will I be able to harm him?
And even if I can, I will still have to keep slashing until I manage to reduce his
HP.
My odds of success are next to none.
While I would have to land hundreds or even thousands of attacks to defeat
him, the devil needs to strike me only once.
My sole chance rests on carrying out a long battle in which I cannot let down
my guard for a moment.
Even then, I do not know if I would win at all.
I have never fought such a difficult battle, even when I was sword-king.
But I knew that from the beginning.
The fact that I can see even the most miniscule chance of victory is better
fortune than I expected.
I will buy time, just as I planned.
If my opponent had been an enormous creature like a dragon, I might not
have even been able to do that much.
But the fiend is humanoid and lacking in skill.
If I can buy time against him despite being far inferior in stats, then perhaps
that is the best I could have hoped for.
So I will continue to buy time, all while clinging to the faintest hope of victory.
Even if I have to use every last technique I mastered in my time as the Master
of Swordsmanship.
How much time has gone by?
It feels as if an instant and an eternity have passed all at once.
This devil is by far the strongest opponent I have ever faced.
And this is likely the longest battle I have fought, besides.
How many times has the sun risen and fallen?
Since I have had to put aside all nonessential thoughts, I’ve long since lost
track.