Confirmation Kill
Zeus, his divine power blocked, looked at Elodie.
‘Inies!’
Loved by five gods, and not even Olympian gods at that.
Her power was such that even he, a chief god, couldn't help but acknowledge it.
And that wasn't all.
‘One of the combined spells originated from somewhere else. Frondier still has allies!’
Elodie's spellcasting speed was unbelievably fast. Even for her, completing a spell of this scale faster than Zeus's divine power was impossible. She had help from somewhere.
‘But for how long…’
As Zeus turned his gaze to unleash another bolt of lightning,
Aster stood before him.
“!!”
Clang!!
Two weapons clashed. Excalibur and Astrape. A fierce metallic clang and heat rising from the friction.
“Aster, you dare point your blade at me?!”
“This isn’t pointing, it’s called beating you,” Aster retorted.
Cuckooong─!
The power each weapon possessed was equal. But their wielders were not.
Aster, the hope of mankind. On the other hand, Zeus was not in his true form. There was a limit to the power he could exert in that borrowed body.
‘I can win.’
Aster now wielded two Excaliburs. Either one possessed sufficient power.
Clang!
Aster pushed Astrape away.
At the same time, his eyes flashed, and his sword gleamed. Excalibur's blade lunged diagonally toward the opening in Zeus's defense.
Hook─
Crackle!!
“Kaaaack!”
But it was Aster who screamed.
Just before reaching Zeus, his figure suddenly vanished, and Aster was engulfed in a powerful electric shock.
‘Blink!’
Aster looked back. Zeus was there.
He instantly closed the distance in a straight line, scorching anything in between with lightning. Be it a person or anything else.
‘As expected of the God of the Sky. To think he can wield such power even in a borrowed body!’
Aster lightly clenched his hands, still tingling from the residual shock, and rolled his neck from side to side.
Annoyance flickered across Zeus's face.
‘He shrugged off the paralysis with just that much movement?’
Of course, Zeus hadn't used the full extent of his power. Still, Aster shouldn't have been able to withstand it so easily. He'd hoped to at least disarm him of one Excalibur.
Meanwhile, Aster's mind raced after witnessing Zeus's spatial magic.
‘I don't know much about magic, but can he use that Blink whenever he wants?’
If Zeus could use that magic freely…
Then it was hopeless. No matter how skillfully Aster wielded his swords, they wouldn't even graze him.
Moreover, the lightning itself had a paralyzing effect. One wrong move and he really would drop his weapons. If he failed again, Zeus's next attack would surely pierce him.
‘…No, he can’t possibly use it so recklessly.’
Aster observed Zeus's movements.
Except for that instance, Zeus hadn't used that leap again. If it was a power he could use freely, there was no reason for him to conserve it, especially when he needed to reach the capital as soon as possible.
‘It’s invisible to my eyes, but it’s a magic that requires some sort of preparation.’
Aster regained his stance. The two Excaliburs continued to emit their brilliant light.
Zeus's senses tingled at the sight.
‘Iaijutsu.’
Aster was planning to use Iaijutsu.
Iaijutsu, which he could now unleash without assuming a middle stance. He intended to unleash it upon Zeus. Faster than Blink.
‘How arrogant, Aster.’
Zeus's Blink boasted the speed of lightning.
Even if Aster's Iaijutsu was fast, it couldn't surpass lightning. Aster himself knew this.
In other words, Aster wasn't trying to outspeed Blink itself, but rather to strike before Zeus could even activate it.
‘I've already completed the preparations for Blink.’
Now, Blink could be activated literally in the blink of an eye.
Furthermore, the Astrape he would unleash on Aster after Blinking was already crackling with power.
Could he possibly strike faster than this, Aster?
“……Here I come.”
And Aster, foolishly, gave a signal. A self-declaration that he would use Iaijutsu.
Aster, without assuming a middle stance. His hands gripping the swords relaxed, lowering them slightly.
A stance as if he were simply standing still.
Just like that.
Iaijutsu.
In an instant, he reached Zeus.
A relaxed posture that didn't even attempt to gauge the timing.
From stillness to maximum speed in a split second.
However.
Crackle─!!
Zeus, having read even that, unleashed a surge of electricity towards Aster as he Blinked away.
‘You overestimate your own skills, Aster!’
Zeus pulled back the hand holding Astrape. One strike with this and Aster would be finished.
The Excalibur Aster had swung for his Iaijutsu lost its light and dimmed.
And then there was the other Excalibur.
──That sword still shone with its unwavering light.
Iaijutsu.
Kwaaang!!
“!!”
Astrape, which Zeus was about to throw, collided with Aster's blade.
Crack, thud!!
Zeus's unprepared body cried out in pain. The bones in the arm holding Astrape shattered, and the joints were dislocated.
‘Consecutive Iaijutsu…! How is that possible?!’
Zeus followed Aster's movements with his eyes as he passed by.
And Aster,
Slash─!
Sliced off Zeus's arm as he passed by once more.
Even this was only a glancing blow because Zeus had instinctively dodged.
‘Iaijutsu again!’
Three times in a row already.
Aster hadn't been trying to attack before Blink from the beginning.
He was simply aiming for the opening after Zeus Blinked.
“You! What trickery…”
Slash!
This time, it was his leg.
Aster had no time for answers.
Zeus's defeat was clear.
Meanwhile, Zeus's eyes followed Aster's sword.
Defeat in this fight was acceptable. He wasn't in his true form anyway.
But he had to engrave the reason for his defeat in his mind.
‘…The swords are alternating,’
The sword used for Iaijutsu changed each time.
When one lost its light, the other would shine.
‘Don't tell me, he's doing…!’
- Legend of the Stone: Excalibur absorbs the wielder's mana and life force, choosing its rightful owner. The absorbed mana and life force become the power of Excalibur.
- Legend of the Lake: The Lady of the Lake bestowed this sword upon King Arthur, declaring him a true hero. The wielder of this sword shares mana with the lake. As long as the lake does not run dry, the wielder's magical power will never deplete.
The mana needed for Iaijutsu was stored in the sword and amplified by the Legend of the Stone.
As soon as Iaijutsu was unleashed, the mana was replenished by the Legend of the Lake and transferred to the opposite sword along with the amplified mana.
Recharging mana and amplifying mana. The synergy of the two created an infinite loop.
In other words, this technique was not something Aster could normally use.
To use this technique, it absolutely required…
‘Frondier! You!!!’
Among the two swords Aster held, he felt the presence of the black-haired man in one of them.
Slash─!
And finally.
“Gasp…! Gasp…!”
Aster beheaded Zeus.
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Tiers starting at 10$ per month and you can access upto 40 advance chapters! Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Join our discord server for latest release updates and novel discussions. Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!