"She's not making a move?"
The King of Swords looked toward Erica with a subtle expression. Clearly, this Godslayer was no stranger to the golden barrier.
"It's not time yet." Erica glanced at the King of Swords, whose hair carried a faint scorched smell. "And who was it that confidently claimed he'd handle this old man alone?"
"No one expected the old geezer to be this troublesome. He can even summon a black dragon—what kind of cheating creature is that?"
"And now? Do you have any way to deal with that black dragon?"
"Of course I do," the King of Swords replied. "But the netherfire wrapped around it is too powerful. I can't get close."
Erica covered her forehead. "You don't have any long-range attacks at all?"
"Uh..." The King of Swords shrugged. "I do, but I'm afraid I might destroy the entire Tokyo district. And then Andrea will nag me to death again!"
"If you don't use it now, he'll be nagging at your funeral instead."
As they spoke, shadows began creeping up along the edges of the surrounding buildings. The darkness rose and gathered into semicircular masses of black fluid before transforming once more into Servants of Death.
"That old man moves fast."
Just as the two prepared to eliminate the group of Servants of Death, one of them—shaped like a Witch—suddenly released a wide-area purification spell.
Both of them froze for a moment.
Purification magic was useless against the living or beings of holy nature—let alone Godslayers, who embodied both.
The ones most restrained by such magic were precisely the undead.
A white halo expanded outward. Wherever it passed, the Servants of Death—already lacking independent will and judgment—were completely purified in an instant.
The only remaining Witch on the field had her eye sockets flare with purple light, which then reflected directly into Erica's eyes.
"Watch out!"
Startled, the King of Swords swung his blade and cut down the witch servant in one stroke.
But Erica had already been struck by that purple light. Her body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
"Erica, are you alright?" the King of Swords asked anxiously.
Erica's mind buzzed violently, as though someone were hammering at her skull with a massive mallet.
A few seconds later, relying on her strong will and a Godslayer's natural recovery ability, she shook her head and pushed herself back to her feet.
"Ugh... I'm fine. And I've figured out how to deal with that black dragon."
"What do I need to do?"
"Hold off Marquis Voban. Buy me time."
—"Hold me off?"
Accompanied by an arrogant voice, Marquis Voban's figure manifested before them.
A cold smile rested on his face as he strolled toward them at an unhurried pace.
Behind him, the massive black dragon hovered in midair, watching the two with the same mocking expression.
"I'm quite curious how you intend to hold me back!"
As those words fell,
Marquis Voban's posture changed once more—from man to werewolf, and finally into a complete wolf.
Transformed into a silver giant wolf, Voban's body began to swell.
Throwing his head back, he let out a long howl before charging toward them at even greater speed.
"Hey, old man—don't ignore me!"
The King of Swords suddenly hurled the golden sword in his hand, sending it flying directly into Voban's path.
Fully transformed, Voban possessed dynamic vision and speed far beyond reason. He immediately dropped to all fours and halted his forward momentum. The golden greatsword embedded itself in the ground less than ten centimeters in front of him.
"Throwing away your weapon—utterly irrational brute behavior."
"Is that so—" A smile appeared on the King of Swords' face as he chanted a Kotodama.
"O sword, shine with brilliance and release your flames!"
With that brief incantation, the earth where the golden sword had pierced suddenly exploded. Heat and impact like a buried landmine detonated at close range, blasting straight toward Marquis Voban.
"That's payback, old man."
Even as he said this, both the King of Swords and Erica knew such an attack could not break a Godslayer's unreasonable resistance to spells.
Sure enough, though caught in the white explosion at close range, the massive wolf's body showed not even a scratch or burn. The surging blast and shockwave were forcibly resisted by his overwhelming physique.
Although Ripping Silver Arm could grant a demonic sword the sharpness to cut through anything, this kind of secondary explosive damage clearly lacked that level of armor-piercing power.
Even so, Marquis Voban's movements were momentarily delayed.
At that instant, Erica stepped back half a pace and activated her strongest authority—Warrior Who Holds the Golden Sword.
"With the art of Kotodama, I reveal the justice of this world! This spell is mighty and eloquent—the sword of wisdom that calls forth victory!"
Her clear voice rang out like a sacred hymn.
Within an atmosphere of incomparable sanctity, a golden sword manifested once more in Erica's hand. Unlike the earlier construct, this blade bore a different arrangement of inscriptions, signifying that it targeted a different authority.
"I already know the secret of the black dragon you summoned!"
Radiant brilliance burst forth, and in an instant the entire earth was bathed in gold.
The sword of words that slays gods flashed with golden light, transforming into countless orbs that shot outward.
"Its old name was Inanna—the Babylonian goddess of nature and harvest. At the same time, she was also the goddess of love, fertility, and war. She once descended alone into the underworld, endured seven trials, defeated her sister Ereshkigal—the Queen of the Underworld—and brought back her husband..."
"But in other legends, she is described as evil and merciless, deliberately killing her husband or lover. The epic Gilgamesh recounts how she once sought the love of the Sumerian king Gilgamesh, only to be rejected..."
"Gilgamesh listed the cruel fates she had inflicted upon her former lovers. She reported this to her father, who granted her a divine beast for revenge—yet in truth, it was the spoils she gained after defeating her sister in the underworld—the Black Dragon of the Underworld."
This was the knowledge the Servant of Death had transmitted to Erica, revealing the black dragon's divine form and true nature.
Armed with this knowledge, Erica continued reciting her Kotodama without pause.
Thousands of golden orbs transformed into golden swords, all pointing toward the massive black dragon behind Voban.
Sensing the threat, vast netherfire erupted from the dragon's body along with a layer of golden barrier.
As a supreme mythological creature, this black dragon could likewise bestow upon itself Divine Protection.
In the next moment, what greeted it was golden sword-light that nearly filled the sky. The golden barrier surrounding it was instantly sliced apart in crisscrossing patterns.
ROOOOOOOOOAR—
A roar of fury and shock echoed across the heavens.
"Kotodama that severs divine power! Is this your trump card?!"
Marquis Voban was equally astonished. He realized the situation had suddenly slipped beyond his control—or perhaps he had never truly controlled it at all.
He attempted to stop Erica from continuing her incantation, but the King of Swords had already stepped in front of him.
The golden sword that had triggered the explosion earlier flew back into his hand. Its surface began to ooze molten silver-like metal, wrapping around the blade and forming an enormous, elongated shape.
The liquefied silver substance solidified at once, ultimately transforming into a gigantic demonic sword.
The enormous blade measured nearly seven or eight meters. Though it had been forged in haste, it unexpectedly possessed the clear form of a true sword.
The blade itself was roughly eight meters long, with another meter for the hilt.
Its width matched its length—broad and solidly built. One could easily hide a child behind it without issue.
Doni stood about 185 centimeters tall, yet this sword towered more than four times his height.
"Boy, it seems you truly have a death wish!"
Marquis Voban, transformed into a gigantic wolf, became a whirlwind as he charged on all fours straight toward the King of Swords, like a wolf king hunting its prey.
"Then let's see which of us dies here today!"
Doni raised the great demonic blade.
Gripping the long hilt with both hands, he aimed the eight-meter blade directly at the Marquis.
The distance between them shrank in an instant to barely fifteen meters.
Boom—
The demonic sword swept forward, unleashing a shockwave to match its size. A crescent-shaped sword aura surged outward, filling nearly one hundred and twenty degrees of space before him.
This strike was clearly reinforced with curse power. The Marquis did not choose to endure it head-on. His body suddenly leapt upward, his silver form brushing past the edge of the blade as he flipped head-down, body-up, pouncing toward the King of Swords.
The King of Swords immediately reversed his grip, swinging the still-advancing blade upward. The second strike was even faster than the first.
The horizontal slash had merely been a feint.
Realizing this midair, the Marquis thrust both forepaws forward. Just before the silver edge reached him, he seized the King of Swords' silver wrist, forcibly halting the upward swing through sheer strength, leaving his opponent with no avenue of escape.
Then he opened his massive jaws toward Doni.
Within that blood-soaked maw, lightning crackled and burst outward.
At the critical moment, Doni freed one hand, clenched his fist, and slammed it into the blade.
Bzzzzzz—
The tremendous force caused the massive silver demonic blade to vibrate at high frequency.
The violent tremor traveled through Doni's silver wrist and into the wolf's body above.
The Marquis' wolf form, suspended in midair with no footing, began vibrating at the same frequency. The nauseating sensation forced him to release the claw gripping Doni's wrist.
The lightning he had been charging was disrupted by the tremors and could only be hastily redirected.
But the King of Swords immediately raised the silver-white blade before him.
Boom—
The erupting lightning was blocked by the broad blade. Using the recoil of the explosion, Marquis Voban flipped agilely through the air, his green pupils locked onto the King of Swords.
The first exchange ended in the blink of an eye. Neither side gained the advantage.
Distance once again opened between them.
This time, however, the King of Swords shifted his stance. Holding the sword in one hand, he raised it above his head—not in a standard overhead posture, but in a stance imbued with elegance.
Suddenly, silver light flashed.
Marquis Voban's pupils shrank. The only thing he could do was lean backward.
His forehead turned icy cold. Blood slid down his face, trickling along his fur. A chill ran through his entire body.
"Ignoring space..." he growled through clenched teeth as he retreated rapidly. "Absurd brat—did you break through in the middle of battle?"
That sword had moved entirely differently from before. Previously, every swing required preparation. In that process, his gaze, shoulders, and posture would reveal his intent.
But once one reached the realm of a Sword Saint, that entire process vanished.
Because the sword could pierce space itself. So long as its length allowed, it could appear from any location.
Just moments ago, the Marquis had nearly lost the upper half of his head.
Yet Doni still stood in the same posture, as though he had never moved.
"Even if it's just a trial experience, this feeling is truly wonderful."
Doni muttered something the Marquis could not understand.
In the next instant, Marquis Voban instinctively leapt sharply to the left—but he was still too slow. Midair, he felt a chill at his left shoulder. Had that unparalleled blade severed it?
Agonizing pain flooded his mind in an instant.
ROOOOOOOAR—
A deafening roar erupted behind him.
It was the black dragon.
It forcibly endured the surrounding golden swords with its resilient body and rushed forward to rescue Marquis Voban.
Against Doni, who had temporarily reached the realm of a Sword Saint, the Marquis had no chance at this range.
The black dragon no longer bore the awe-inspiring majesty it had upon its first appearance. Countless sword wounds crisscrossed its body. The horn on its snout had been broken. One-third of its netherfire-burning horn had been sliced away. Scales across its head and neck had been torn off in large patches, exposing crimson flesh and stark white bone.
And yet—even after such grievous wounds—the black dragon still did not fall.
The glow beneath its throat showed it could still unleash another breath.
And that was precisely what it did.
Roaring, it raised its head, enduring the agony of golden swords carving into its flesh, and released a blast of netherfire toward Marquis Voban's direction. The Marquis timed a backward leap perfectly, flipping onto the dragon's back.
Rumble—
The surging netherfire created a vast burning zone. Even a Sword Saint could not cross that sea of flame to strike Marquis Voban.
"This isn't over!"
Standing atop the dragon's head, Marquis Voban inhaled deeply and opened his jaws toward Doni and Erica.
ROOOOOOOAR—
The breath expelled from the silver wolf became a violent gale, which quickly escalated into a full hurricane.
The storm swept everything around them into the air. Even the ground already burning with netherfire was torn up by the tempest, rolling forward like a tidal wave toward Doni.
"Move!"
Doni had no choice but to abandon his stance. He grabbed Erica—still focused on controlling the Golden Sword authority—and retreated as the netherfire surged toward them like an ocean tide.
"Damn it. That dragon's body is too sturdy. Even after breaking its barrier, I can't kill it immediately."
Maintaining the Golden Sword had consumed a tremendous amount of Erica's curse power. She no longer had the strength to activate Hermes' Boots to fly, and could only allow Doni to carry her by the waist as they retreated rapidly.
"Don't worry. He won't escape today."
Doni's voice carried absolute confidence.
"Why?" Erica looked at him in confusion. "If he rides the dragon and leaves now, we won't be able to stop him."
"Thanks to your friend, I just experienced the realm of a Sword Saint..." Doni said. "And at that moment, I felt this entire space had been completely sealed off by a power, forming an independent domain. Haven't you noticed something strange about the sky?"
Hearing this, Erica looked upward.
Unlike the usual night sky filled with countless stars, the heavens above were pitch-black—like a curtain drawn shut. From it emanated waves of deathly, underworld chill.
It was identical to the aura she had once sensed behind Athena—the starless night—yet its scale was thousands of times greater.
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