Chapter 232
In the battlefield where Charlotte and Sigrid clashed.
Charlotte's sword began to grow sharper.
Along with that, her footwork began to take on a different style than before.
Within the peculiar steps.
Charlotte brushed past the incoming Shadow Pillar as if she were dancing.
However, her movements were incomparably faster than before.
Although it was merely her footwork that changed, she slid forward as if gliding over the ground.
And her direction was none other than Zodiac.
Zodiac, seeing Charlotte catching up at an incomparably faster speed, hastily erected pillars one after another.
However, Charlotte evaded all of them and closed the distance with Zodiac.
Seeing this, Zodiac's eyes widened in shock.
Charlotte's eyes pierced through the flow of Zodiac's aura completely.
The Shadow Pillar ultimately moved according to his intentions.
Knowing this, Charlotte saw through Zodiac's intentions and discerned all the directions the Shadow Pillars would fly.
"What."
When Zodiac noticed this fact and felt as though he was facing an absurd monster.
Heizen blocked Charlotte's path.
Heizen had followed her with the exact same steps as Charlotte.
At that moment, a blue aura flowed vividly from Charlotte's sword.
The aura connected precisely to Heizen's neck, and in an instant, the sword scattered light and extended toward Heizen.
Then, from Heizen's sword, the same blue aura as Charlotte's poured out.
It was because his sword was a perfect replica of Charlotte's Original Secret Technique Peerless Heaven.
While it couldn't harm Charlotte, it could block her with the same power.
Using that advantage, Heizen immediately swung his sword down at Charlotte.
And at the moment Heizen's sword and Charlotte's sword were about to collide.
Thud!
For some reason, Charlotte's sword, which had collided, was pushed back effortlessly.
When Heizen saw this, a question lingered in his eyes.
He realized belatedly that Charlotte had released her grip on the sword handle while maintaining the posture of swinging it.
Charlotte's sword rotated half a turn due to the force of Heizen's sword.
Charlotte struck the sword handle with her right elbow, the same hand that had let go of the sword.
At that moment, the sword, struck by Charlotte's elbow, spun again, and the blade flew toward Heizen's ribs under his armpit.
It was practically a feat akin to acrobatics.
However, that feat was a movement even Heizen, who had activated Exigo, couldn't follow.
The Exigo he activated was merely an imitation of Charlotte's Secret Technique.
It couldn't completely replicate her movements.
So Heizen endured the strain, broke Charlotte's Secret Technique, and returned his sword.
Then, he narrowly blocked Charlotte's blade with the guard of his sword.
However, that was a poor move.
Because Charlotte had already grabbed the spinning sword handle again.
"Crazy."
When Heizen stopped his vulgar laughter and looked dejected.
A blue light connected to Charlotte's sword once more.
By the time Heizen anticipated the power contained within, it was too late.
Crack!
Charlotte's sword, which distorted Heizen's sword guard and blade, swung and sent Heizen flying.
Heizen, launched with absurd force, soared into the sky in an instant.
Seeing this, Zodiac hastily tried to catch him with a Shadow Wall, but Heizen pierced through even that and rolled on the ground.
Crash! Roll-roll-roll.
The twisted sword rolled on the ground and came to a stop.
And beyond that sword lay Heizen, revealing his shattered left arm and ribs, his eyes rolled back.
Charlotte's dark blue hair rippled.
"Ugh!"
Zodiac realized that Charlotte's next target was him, without even having time to check on Heizen.
As he hurriedly slammed his scythe into the ground, shadows writhed and rose to the edge of the Shadow Space.
A massive Shadow Wall that appeared in an instant began to collapse toward Charlotte.
His intention was to crush Charlotte with the Shadow Wall as it was.
"Zodiac, move aside."
At that moment, Zodiac flinched at Sigrid's voice coming from beside him.
Sigrid, who had appeared next to him at some point, was passing by with the White Dragon's aura rippling from the White Dragon's Fang.
"Lady Sigrid."
The moment he called her.
Crack!
A crack appeared in the Shadow Pillar.
Along with the simultaneous cracks, Zodiac saw a blue light soaring.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
A slash that extended through the shattered Shadow Wall split even Zodiac's Shadow Space in half as it flew.
When Zodiac instinctively screamed, Sigrid's sword followed.
Boom!
The white slash and the blue slash collided, devastating the surroundings.
While Zodiac, holding his scythe, rolled on the ground.
Sigrid looked at Charlotte through the smoke.
Sunlight poured into the cracked Shadow Space.
With a single slash of aura focused on the sword, she had cut through the Shadow Space immune to physical attacks.
'A monstrous woman.'
The plan was to exhaust her stamina and buy time with the combination of Heizen and Zodiac.
Yet, unable to hold back, she unleashed her full strength, resulting in this mess.
Sigrid saw the retired Heizen and the dazed Zodiac.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to fulfill their roles anymore.
'That's enough.'
From the beginning, the reason she brought them along was to buy time.
A white aura flowed even more fiercely from her sword.
After clashing with Charlotte's slash earlier, the power had grown stronger.
This power was none other than the legacy and Secret Technique of the former Celestial Four Strongest, the Sword Emperor.
Sword Light.
A Secret Technique unique to the Sword Emperor, continuously embedding the opponent's power into the sword.
The white aura overflowing from her sword was the result of absorbing Charlotte's power through this very Sword Light.
'I wanted to gather more.'
This would suffice.
It was enough to smash Charlotte.
"You're enjoying this too, aren't you?"
She twisted her lips into a smile as she walked toward Charlotte.
"I'm enjoying it too."
Today is the day the Sword Star falls.
* * *
Felray, the Commoner's Hero.
A man who constantly reflects on whether he is truly a hero.
Such a man now stood face-to-face with an individual.
An individual who, at some point, was praised as a hero by all the people of the world, even more than himself.
Kraush Balheim.
The aura emanating from him was enough to make Felray gasp for breath.
Kraush is strong.
Felray had known this fact well since the Martial Arts Tournament of the Empire a long time ago.
That is why, despite his continuous effort and training to grow stronger, Felray never became arrogant.
Every time, he would remind himself that he was still far from reaching Kraush's level and would grip his sword again.
Perhaps because of that.
At this point in time.
Felray had grown strong enough to easily rank among the top in the Martial Arts Department.
He was someone who had always been brimming with the value of raw talent.
Such a person, instead of neglecting his efforts, continued to pile effort upon effort, allowing his talent to fully bloom.
Yet, even so, Felray was not satisfied with his current self.
Facing Kraush right before his eyes, he realized once again.
That he still had a long way to go and needed to put in even more effort.
And that realization was not entirely unpleasant.
"Kraush."
Calling his name, Felray drew his sword.
The surging aura around Felray had now properly taken the form of sword energy, unlike before.
This was proof that he was a Master.
"When will I ever be able to catch up to you?"
Kraush let out a chuckle at Felray's question.
"Just follow me for the rest of your life, you fool."
Those words, filled with mischief, made Felray laugh as well.
Because he knew that Kraush treated him simply as Felray, without regard to his status or fame.
This aspect of Kraush was likely what gathered countless people around him, regardless of their nations or statuses.
"Just don't let me catch up."
With that, Felray responded to Kraush.
At that moment, Felray's figure blurred.
Before anyone realized it, he was already right in front of Kraush.
Kraush barely dodged the blade flying toward his chin by tilting his head back.
Fast.
Felray's Thousand Miles Ten Steps had improved so much that even Kraush, using his Sixth Sense, could barely keep up.
'He's become unrecognizably stronger compared to before.'
Matching Kraush's evasive move, Felray's sword flowed down like water.
The descending sword of Felray displayed a peculiar rhythm.
Countless afterimages followed the tip of his sword, teasing Kraush's eyes.
However, they were not just mere afterimages.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!
The moment Kraush's Blunt Sword reacted to Felray's sword, it felt as if dozens of swords were crashing down on it.
The pounding swords were like a torrential downpour.
Clear Sky Rain Wonder.
Third Form.
Plum Rain.
The afterimages of Felray's sword continued to flow.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!
Each time it clashed with Kraush's Rain Thunder Prime, Kraush's weapon shook violently.
It was hard to endure the impact of receiving dozens of swords at once.
Moreover, Felray's Thousand Miles Ten Steps kept him so close to Kraush that he couldn't create any distance.
Without a moment's rest, Felray relentlessly pressed Kraush.
'So this is a Secret Technique designed to counter my Blunt Sword.'
The Blunt Sword is originally a technique that dominates space with slow movements, leaving the opponent no room to swing their sword.
But the afterimages left by Felray's Secret Technique, Plum Rain, did not allow Kraush to dominate the space.
Even when he thrust Rain Thunder Prime to dominate the space, afterimages remained in its place, obstructing him.
The Blunt Sword could not be fully executed.
[ You've met your match. ]
A giggling voice from Crimson Garden echoed once.
As she said, it seemed Felray had been repeatedly creating Secret Techniques to counter the Blunt Sword ever since he fell victim to it during the last Martial Arts Tournament.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!
Once again, the sound of Felray's sword clashing with Kraush's sword reverberated.
However, Felray likely knew.
This alone would not be enough to defeat Kraush.
Perhaps that is why.
Felray's sword began to take on a different rhythm.
The afterimages created by Felray's extended sword no longer disappeared but remained in place.
Each time Felray moved his sword as if dancing, the number of lingering afterimages increased.
When Kraush finally noticed the glass-like afterimages.
Clang!
The afterimages shattered all at once.
And the shattered fragments poured toward Kraush.
Clear Sky Rain Wonder.
Fourth Form.
Wind Frost Snow Rain.
The fragments, pouring down like snow and rain, engulfed Kraush.
Kraush swung his sword, deflecting the fragments.
Taking advantage of the opening, Felray launched a sudden assault.
Along with the fragments, Felray's afterimage swords joined the attack.
Kraush felt as if he were navigating through a torrential storm.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gang!
The sound of swords rang out, and the fragments surged.
The fragments were so sharp that they shredded the surrounding buildings.
Pfft, pfft-pfft!
There were so many fragments that even Kraush's Blunt Sword could not keep up.
As proof, shallow wounds from the fragments were left on Kraush's body.
'Did he imbue each and every fragment with aura?'
Kraush's body was in an extremely reinforced state, thanks to Durandal's Secret Technique, Disaster Dragon Fall.
Yet Felray had imbued each fragment with aura, leaving marks even on Kraush's reinforced body.
Disaster Dragon Fall prevented any major injuries, but the shallow sword wounds continued to accumulate.
He had grown stronger.
Felray had truly become unrecognizably strong.
Smoke escaped from Kraush's mouth.
He realized that the second stage of Annihilation Erosion would not be enough to defeat Felray.
"Haha."
Amidst it all, a laugh escaped from Kraush's lips for some reason.
Because he knew that Felray had become this strong by chasing after him.
That is why he had to show Felray.
Just how much stronger the one Felray was chasing had become.