Chapter 59. Fortress Assault Operation (4)
Wheeeeing!
As if severing even the darkness of the room, Enoch's mana, glowing dark blue, bloomed on the sword blade.
Beyond the crossed weapons.
Leontos bared his teeth towards Enoch’s dark blue eyes. He deployed a physical enhancement magic circle on his arm, forcefully pushing away the magic gear and knocking the sword down.
Kwagagagak!
Immediately after, their weapons continuously tore through space, aiming for each other's lives.
The sword drew swift and fluid paths, digging in, while the axe countered heavily and strongly against it.
Sirocco, watching this, momentarily widened her eyes.
“Ah…….”
Her lips parted slightly, a blank expression on her face as she watched Enoch charge forward.
The battle unfolded incredibly fast.
Enoch’s sword surged, piercing the darkness of the room.
Leontos stepped back, rotating the axe handle, forcefully pushing the sword away.
However, Enoch used the rebound to launch himself upwards, instantly rotating his body around his waist as an axis.
Piiing─
A halo of sword light revolved around Enoch’s body, aiming for the enemy's neck. But the axe, swung back in a reverse semicircle, blocked the sword's assault, advancing.
The axe, locked with the sword, pushed the sword back.
Instantly, Enoch’s eyes narrowed.
‘Overpowered in strength.’
In a pure strength contest, he was being pushed back by Leontos, who used physical enhancement magic. A head-on confrontation relying on brute force was not the answer.
If so─
Speed must be the answer.
Instantly, Leontos put strength into both arms. The crude axe blade dug towards Enoch’s heart.
Immediately, Enoch rolled on the floor to evade.
Simultaneously, aiming for the enemy's legs, he swiftly swung his sword.
Dark blue light flashed, cutting through the darkness.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
However, Leontos slammed the axe handle down, blocking the sword's path. Just like that, he tried to stomp Enoch, who was rolling on the floor, with one leg.
A kick imbued with full body weight, on top of physical enhancement magic. It was a blow that could be a decisive fatal strike if hit wrongly.
Enoch dodged it by pushing off the ground with his arms and leaping, then turned his body in mid-air and swiftly swung his sword.
Amidst the high-speed back-and-forth exchange, intense sword light and sparks raged around the two.
Sparks flew again from the clash of weapons.
Instantly, their gazes met beyond it.
“Not bad!”
Leontos shouted loudly.
Leontos, having barely deflected Enoch’s driving sword strike, momentarily gripped the axe with both arms.
Whoooong!
Instantly, the heavy axe passed before Enoch’s eyes. A terrifying sound of tearing air brushed past his face.
Enoch, while moving his sword rapidly, tilted his chin back, narrowly evading it.
The axe, missing by a paper-thin margin, not only shattered the empty test tube behind him but also destroyed the fortress wall along with it.
Fragments of the shattered stone wall and glass shards from the test tube exploded like buckshot, scattering into the air.
‘As expected, immense strength.’
Enoch’s eyes narrowed slightly.
This guy Leontos was also a user of physical enhancement type Unique Magic, similar to Sirocco.
True to being a Beast-kin specializing in close combat, allowing even a single blow would obviously be fatal.
‘Besides, it’s not just immense strength.’
Even the speed and skill in handling the weapon derived from that explosive power were outstanding. He wasn't the leader of the exiles for nothing.
However……
Whoong!
Instantly, the axe, imbued with Leontos’s formidable power, cut through the air widely again.
Seeing that, Enoch smiled faintly.
Leontos was certainly fast and strong.
But compared to the Empire's Last Sword Saint?
Instantly, Enoch evaded Leontos’s falling axe with a short side step, immediately turned his body the opposite way, and swiftly slashed upwards with his sword.
Kaaaang!
Leontos tried to block the sword with the axe handle again. However, Enoch immediately slid his sword along it, shifted his body's center of gravity oppositely, and cut him down.
A sharp sword strike grazed deeply across the guy’s waist.
A valid hit.
Instantly, blood splattered into the air.
Perhaps sensing danger for a moment, Leontos swung his magic gear wide, creating distance between them once.
Then, clutching his wounded waist with one hand, he staggered back several steps.
In the brief lull in battle, Leontos looked at Enoch, frowning as if surprised.
“Impressive. Physical enhancement magic of this level.”
Instead of answering, Enoch swung his sword sideways once.
With a chwaak sound, Leontos’s blood droplets drew a red arc on the floor as they scattered.
Seeing that, Leontos tilted his head.
“……You bastard. What’s your identity?”
It was natural for Leontos to harbor suspicion.
‘Originally. Physical enhancement magic greatly boosts the user’s physical reaction speed, agility, and even durability.’
But usually, if enhancement magic exceeded a certain output, the body reached its limit, causing muscles to tear or body tissues to break down.
Precisely why such incredibly high-output physical enhancement magic was typically the domain of Beast-kin, born with innately strong bodies.
Therefore, Leontos asked fiercely towards Enoch, seemingly unable to comprehend.
“With your non-Beast-kin body, enhancing your body with magic of that output should make you unable to withstand the recoil?”
Actually, the answer was simple.
Because it wasn't magic.
Clack.
Enoch lowered his stance, holding the sword near his waist.
Already, more than half his vision was encroached. A sufficiently disadvantageous situation.
The battle couldn't drag on.
? World of Impermanence: Entry completion … 71%
As if severing the white text obscuring his vision, the sword's trajectory cut straight down before Enoch’s eyes.
Leontos raised his axe to defend.
However, Enoch’s sword blade, hitting the axe, instantly changed direction sideways, then slid along the axe handle, accelerating like a runway.
With a sharp metallic grinding sound, kagagagak, the blade slid along Leontos’s axe handle, showering sparks as it rushed towards his hand.
“──!!!”
Instantly.
Leontos twisted his magic gear with animalistic instinct.
He barely managed to knock the sword away before it reached his hand.
However, perhaps feeling threatened by continuing the battle further, Leontos leaped back greatly, creating distance from Enoch.
“……This is getting annoying.”
A shadow fell over his bowed face.
The guy slowly looked towards the test tube beside him. Leontos slowly spoke, laughing self-deprecatingly.
“Didn’t expect to use this here.”
Clang!
Instantly, Leontos punched the nearest test tube, shattering it. Then, he placed his hand, now coated in the green solution that flowed out, onto his wounded waist.
Chiiik!
The next moment, his blood vessels began to glow dark green, bulging prominently all over his body.
Seeing that sight, Enoch momentarily hesitated.
An ominous feeling crept over him.
“……Even though it’s a reagent adjusted for slow encroachment rate, it’s always an utterly unpleasant sensation.”
Leontos muttered, looking at his arm.
“Magical Beastification!”
Saying so lowly, he bent his knees greatly towards the ground.
A threatening posture like a catapult just before launch.
─Dangerous. The moment Enoch instinctively felt a sense of crisis.
Kwaaaaaang!
Leontos leaped fiercely straight towards Enoch, swinging his heavy magic gear wide.
Instantly, an overwhelming sound of tearing air rushed in.
‘…!’
Enoch’s eyes momentarily widened greatly.
A speed impossible to evade. Instinctively, he raised his sword diagonally sideways into a defensive stance.
Kaaaaang!
But the moment the guy’s attack landed, an impact strong enough to crush his body along with the defending sword was applied.
A fierce roar erupted from the clash of axe and sword, the entire top floor of the fortress vibrating from the shock.
“Kuk!”
Along with pain as if his wrist would break, Enoch instantly judged defense impossible. Immediately, he supported his right wrist holding the one-handed sword with his empty left hand.
Kagak-
The sword’s guard blocked the axe’s edge.
He barely managed to prevent his defense from being breached.
Nevertheless, Enoch slid back significantly, dragging long shoe marks, sword still blocking the attack.
With a chaaaak sound, Enoch slid back a considerable distance before his back hit a test tube, stopping him.
‘His strength increased several times over.’
Enoch’s eyes narrowed.
‘Is Magical Beastification used like that too.’
If it were an ordinary sword, it would have shattered the moment it received an axe blow with such destructive power.
But fortunately, the Sword Saint’s sword was undamaged.
However, from the immense shock and vibration of blocking the attack, Enoch’s hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.
This is bad.
? World of Impermanence: Entry completion … 89%
‘Damn it, my vision is almost completely gone…’
Just then.
From outside the window on the top floor of the fortress, the explosive sounds of another battle were heard.
-Kuuuuung!
Leontos lightly ground his teeth at the sounds of battle from inside the fortress and looked out the window.
The black uniforms of Nemesis blocking the fortress rear escape route came into his view.
Leontos eventually clicked his tongue and withdrew his magic gear.
“Since I used the Magical Beastification reagent earlier than expected. I’d like to settle things with you bastards here, but…”
Swish.
Saying so, Leontos took something out from within his clothes.
“No need to do something foolish when the tribe’s future is at stake.”
Inside his hand.
A small detonation device revealed itself.
“I’ll be going now.”
Leontos briefly glanced sideways.
Sirocco, beside him with blank eyes, trembling slightly, seemingly still not recovered from the shock.
Glancing briefly at her, Leontos said.
“You asked earlier why I, who protected the tribe members, am doing this? My answer is simple.”
He looked at the test tube and said.
“Because this is the only path left for us.”
“What…?”
“If you survive here, know this, young heir of the tribe. Soon, Vendetta’s ‘large-scale experiment’ to turn most of the tribe’s Beast-kin into Magical Beasts will proceed.”
Sirocco shouted with a trembling voice.
“Experiment? What is that, exactly…”
“A deal with Vendetta. Betting our future.”
As soon as Leontos finished speaking, he crushed the lever of the detonation device held in his hand.
Kurururu!
Instantly, explosions roared from the fortress ceiling.
Consecutively, large vibrations shook the fortress ceiling. With cracking sounds, large fissures ran across the entire upper part of the old fortress.
Looking up at the ceiling on the verge of collapse.
Leontos spoke in an extremely dark tone.
“Heir of Lycaon. The day will come when you too understand my words.”
Craaaaack!
Just then, huge rocks fell from the ceiling. Eventually, the ceiling began to collapse completely.
Beyond the curtain created by those falling rocks, Leontos slowly turned his back and said.
“Because this is the only future we could choose.”
“……?”
Sirocco stared blankly at him, speechless, as if unable to comprehend the words she just heard.
Just then, along with another louder roar, rock fragments pouring from the high ceiling collapsed even more greatly, immediately overwhelming Enoch and Sirocco.
Suddenly realizing that, Sirocco’s eyes widened.
“N-No!”
Sirocco looked urgently this way.
Amidst the falling fragments of the massive ceiling.
Sirocco was seen desperately running towards him to save him, reaching out her hand.
“Don’t dieeeee!”
But before she could even reach Enoch.
A huge fragment fell between her and Enoch.
Ceiling pieces falling consecutively like a massive curtain completely obscured the sight of Sirocco running towards him, hand outstretched.
Kuuuuuuung!
Before long, Enoch’s vision was completely blocked by the massive fragments falling and piling up right before him. His vision instantly turned pitch black.
And the next moment.
? World of Impermanence: Entry completion … 100%
? Root Memory of Subject: Access successful
? Inheritance of Memory Source: 「Empire's Last Sword Saint」
Above the blackened vision.
Messages quietly floated up.
? Hidden Ability: [Memory Archive] Activated!
? Keyword: [Beast-kin's Magical Beastification Experiment]
? 「Empire's Last Sword Saint」 Memory Source
─ [Beast-kin's Magical Beastification Experiment]: Inheritance Start!