Chapter 574
You Will Become a Legend. (1)
Kwaaaang!
Ghislain raised his sword and blocked Aiden’s attack.
His body was pushed back in a long skid. The impact was so intense that furrows formed where his feet had scraped the ground.
Even as his insides churned from the shock, Ghislain smiled.
"You really are strong."
It was no surprise he was counted among the Seven Strongest on the Continent. His strength and skill had both reached the pinnacle.
Regardless of his personality or actions, his power was undeniable.
"I’ve always wanted to have a proper fight with you."
Not even in his past life had he gotten the chance. That bastard only moved when he was sure of his victory, ensuring the outcome was always in his favor.
That was why Ghislain had made thorough preparations. First, he needed to get rid of the priests as quickly as possible.
Aiden’s face twisted with fury as he spoke.
"You die here, Duke of Fenris."
Kwaaaang!
Their swords clashed at lightning speed, each collision sending shockwaves that overturned the surroundings.
Yet the priests endured the tremors and continued their attacks on Ghislain.
Kwoong!
While blocking Aiden’s sword, Ghislain took a strike to his side from one of the priests. Each time he parried Aiden’s attacks, the priests landed blows all over his body.
Kwaang!
After several more exchanges, Ghislain could no longer withstand Aiden’s assault and was sent tumbling backward.
"Hahaha! No matter how strong you are, do you really think you can win in this situation?"
Aiden let out a triumphant laugh.
If the Duke of Fenris was in danger, the enemy forces would move again. However, if he could just exhaust him before that, there was still a chance to turn the tide.
At least, that’s what he thought.
Kwaaaaaaang!
"What?!"
Aiden instinctively turned around.
Behind him, a pillar of fire erupted into the sky. The enemy mages' barrier had finally been breached.
The Atrodean army’s mages had drawn upon their very life force, their hair turning white in the process. But in the end, they lost all their mana and collapsed one by one.
Once the balance of power tipped, there was no way to reverse it.
"T-this can't be...!"
Aiden couldn’t hide his shock. The mages, who needed to hold on just a little longer, had fallen.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
"Aaargh!"
Flames roared, engulfing the Atrodean mages. Even those who had barely survived after the enemy forces withdrew were now caught in the inferno.
Aiden shouted at them.
"Fall back! Scatter! Get out of there!"
Despite his orders, the Atrodean army failed to properly evade the magical assault. If this continued, they would be wiped out before they could even kill the Duke of Fenris.
And if that happened, he would die as well.
A terrifying blue light flared in Aiden’s eyes.
His sword shot toward Ghislain in an instant.
The only way to survive here was to kill the enemy as quickly as possible.
Kwaaaang!
Aiden’s sword was blocked by something. His face twisted with frustration.
“You… what are you?”
At some point, Vanessa had approached and raised a shield, blocking Aiden’s sword.
“Don’t move.”
Her expression was rigid. She was buying time while Ghislain slaughtered the priests.
Aiden’s lips twisted into a grotesque smirk.
“I see. Judging by your skill, you must be the mage Vanessa. But do you dare, a mere woman, to stand in my way?”
To him, women were nothing more than beings meant to revere and serve the greatest man in existence himself.
Yet, this woman had the audacity to block his sword and hinder him!
Aiden’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. The situation was already critical, and now a transcendent opponent had entered the fray.
While the priests and the Duke of Fenris were occupied fighting, he had to kill the mage before him.
“I’ll show you your place.”
Aiden pressed his sword against the shield.
Drrrrrrr…
His blade, wrapped in blue mana, slowly pierced through the shield.
The shield hadn’t shattered. Shockingly, the sword was cutting through it as if it were slicing through an intangible barrier.
Paaang!
Startled, Vanessa retreated. But Aiden had already closed the distance and swung his sword again.
She conjured another shield, but his sword tore through the magic like paper.
Ka-ka-ka-ka-kak!
“Ugh!”
Vanessa staggered back once more. Her shield was useless. A deep wound had been carved along one of her shoulders.
Seeing Aiden advancing again, Vanessa thrust out her hand.
Kwaaaaaa!
A torrent of flames, condensed with overwhelming magical power, surged forward. The fire did not spread outward but was directed solely at Aiden, demonstrating precise control over her mana.
For the first time, Aiden hesitated, realizing he couldn’t take this lightly.
Thud!
He stomped the ground forcefully and thrust his sword forward.
Paaaaaak!
The flames split apart. The divided fire wavered briefly before vanishing.
His powerful, blue-glowing sword was advancing, devouring the searing flames as if consuming them whole.
Vanessa remained composed, moving her other hand. Following her gestures, magic circles formed in the air.
Focused on cleaving through the flames, Aiden belatedly realized what she was doing, his brow furrowing.
“Multi-casting?”
Not just anyone could perform multi-casting. Even for a transcendent being, it was impossible without innate talent.
Of course, a skilled mage could forcibly cast two or so spells simultaneously. But that was more about splitting spells apart rather than naturally manifesting them.
Moreover, it consumed several times the usual amount of focus and mana.
For that reason, even transcendents rarely fought that way. Instead, they would rapidly cancel one spell and immediately cast another in succession.
But Vanessa’s magic was on a completely different level.
“Five… seven… ten?”
A total of ten spells were cast simultaneously. The space around Aiden was filled with the magic Vanessa had unleashed.
Aiden let out a short, incredulous laugh. He had never seen a mage like this before.
While he was momentarily distracted, Vanessa's spells poured down upon him.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Several bolts of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking above Aiden's head.
Kwaaaang!
Pillars of fire erupted from the ground. Spears of ice shot toward his body. Various other spells were cast in rapid succession.
Drdrdrdr!
In the end, the ground caved in deeply, and massive boulders came crashing down over Aiden.
The spot where Aiden had stood was completely devastated. The concentration of mana in one place had resulted in destruction beyond imagination.
A thick cloud of dust settled over the area, leaving behind an enormous burial mound of stone.
“Haaah…”
Vanessa let out a deep breath.
She had used so much mana that she felt dizzy. Even a seasoned superhuman wouldn’t have been able to withstand such a sudden onslaught.
Recognizing her opponent’s strength, Vanessa had overexerted herself to eliminate him.
Originally, she had intended to stall for time, but if she had managed to kill such a powerful foe, then this outcome was even better—
Kwaaaang!
With an explosive crash, the massive boulders burying the ground shattered apart, and Aiden burst forth from the rubble.
His hair and armor were covered in dust and grime, evidence of the ordeal he had endured.
“You dare… A mere wretch like you dares to challenge me?!”
Aiden's eyes still burned with radiant fury.
Grinding his teeth in rage, he closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword.
Vanessa had begun retreating the moment Aiden emerged, but she was a fraction too late.
Paaak!
A deep gash split across Vanessa’s chest, sending a spray of blood into the air.
“Kuuhk…!”
Coughing up blood, she collapsed onto her knees.
Vanessa had already expended an immense amount of mana and was utterly drained. She had been locked in a continuous battle of magical exchanges, and the little mana she had left had been poured entirely into her assault on Aiden.
Step. Step.
Aiden approached slowly, sword extended. Vanessa gazed up at him with dazed, disbelieving eyes.
‘How can someone be this strong…?’
She was well aware that her close-combat skills were lacking. After all, her role had always been to fight from the rear, unleashing devastating area-of-effect attacks.
However, her destructive power was overwhelming enough that it shouldn’t have mattered who the opponent was. If struck directly, even a superhuman would struggle to endure it.
And yet, Aiden had withstood it all. No ‘withstanding’ wasn’t even the right word. He had emerged from that barrage without so much as a serious injury only slightly fatigued at best.
Vanessa wanted to know why. What was the source of that unbelievable defense?
“Haaah… To think you'd make me use my trump card.”
Aiden muttered in irritation, his eyes narrowing.
“Curious about how a mere mage blocked my attack? Just die wondering.”
Aiden was seething with rage. The magician he had looked down on had put him through quite the ordeal.
He had expended an enormous amount of mana because of her. It was only natural for his anger to boil over.
He was so furious even that he momentarily forgot about the Duke of Fenris, who was still battling the priests.
Though his clash with Vanessa had lasted only a short while, her sheer power had been overwhelming.
“With so many dangerous elements like her around, no wonder we've been losing this war. She wasn’t just some ordinary magician.”
He had known she was skilled, but he hadn’t expected her to be capable of multi-casting.
After all, a magician specialized in rear support was difficult to gauge unless faced directly.
Now, it was time to eliminate this dangerous obstacle.
“Repent your sins and revere me, even in death.”
Aiden raised his sword. The Fenris knights, who had been standing back, rushed forward, but they were too far away.
However, the light in Vanessa’s eyes remained unyielding. She met Aiden’s gaze directly and spoke.
“I would never revere someone like you.”
“They all say that before they die.”
“No, the one who’s dying is you.”
“…What?”
At that moment, Aiden’s sword abruptly changed direction.
Kwaaaang!
The blade soaring toward him shattered into countless fragments.
“My sword?”
Aiden’s face went rigid. A discarded sword from the battlefield had moved on its own and attacked him.
There was only one person who could do such a thing.
Step, step, step.
Ghislain approached, flicking the blood off his sword.
As he drew near, a relaxed smile spread across his face.
“Hey, it’s about time we settle this, just the two of us.”
Aiden could no longer spare any attention for Vanessa, who was retreating. If he so much as attacked her, Ghislain’s sword would immediately strike.
He quickly scanned the battlefield. He had been too focused on Vanessa to notice how the battle was progressing.
His forces were nearly annihilated. In the rear, spells continued to explode sporadically, cutting down the retreating troops.
Most of the enemy’s forces had encircled him. Only a few knights managed to rush over and help Vanessa away.
And…
“You’ve already taken down all the priests?”
The four priests had all been slain, their hearts pierced or their throats slit.
Aiden hadn’t been held up by Vanessa for long. Yet, even priests trained in the Coordinated Strike Technique had already fallen.
And these weren’t just any priests, they were among the Salvation Church’s most skilled.
“Hah…”
Aiden let out a short sigh and bit his lower lip.
Wearing a troubled expression, he soon placed both hands on his waist and took another look around.
"Hmm."
There was no need to rush anymore. He took his time surveying the battlefield.
He considered the possibility of escape, but it didn’t seem easy.
"Thorough, huh?"
Enemy troops were densely packed, sealing off every direction. At the front, men who appeared to be knights stood in formation.
The mages were still standing. The Duke of Fenris was unharmed. If he tried to flee disgracefully, he would only die exhausted and humiliated.
That was unacceptable. If he had to die, he would die gloriously, with dignity.
Running a hand through his hair, Aiden asked,
"So, are you all planning to come at me at once?"
No matter how strong he was, if they all charged in, he wouldn’t stand a chance. However, the response he received was unexpected.
"No. I’m going to kill you myself."
At those words, Aiden covered his mouth with his hand and laughed.
How absurdly foolish.
If his opponent had any sense, they would wear him down with their subordinates first and then finish him off easily. Yet, he insisted on doing it himself?
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. Why else would I go through all this trouble? I set this stage just to kill you myself."
"Hah, hahaha! You’re that confident in your skills? You really think you can beat me?"
Aiden twisted his lips into a grin. That arrogance he wanted to shatter it immediately.
Ghislain nodded lightly.
To him, Aiden was different from any other enemy commander. In a way, they had a special connection.
After all, in his past life, Aiden was the one who had personally severed his head. That was why simply having swarming and killing him wouldn’t be satisfying enough.
And hadn’t he always thought about this, long before he regressed?
Ghislain extended his sword and gave a chilling smile.
"If we fight one-on-one, I’ll win."
In his past life, he hadn’t been able to prove it.
Had he not returned to the past, that so-called noble knight would have gained fame for slaying the King of Mercenaries and risen even higher.
Now, it was time to prove that he was stronger.
Ghislain’s sword moved. Aiden’s sword moved to meet it.
Kwaaaaang!
As their swords clashed, crimson and azure light exploded in all directions.