"You know I devoured the remains of the Fell God in the Land of Shadow." Nolan parted his lips slightly, gripping his sword in one hand as he took aim at the figure lunging toward him. "Might as well see if I can deal with the Goddess inside your body too."
Every strike from Malenia came as fierce as storm and rain, blade light flashing with overwhelming force.
The Hand of Malenia was astonishingly powerful, but it still seemed far from enough to tear apart the sword net woven by the Promised Claymore.
When Malenia's slashes struck the sword curtain made of invisible flowing light, they only sent up a string of brilliant sparks, like fireworks blooming in the night sky.
Malenia had never expected the Hand of Malenia to cut down Nolan, the Lord in human form, in a single stroke.
Her goal was simply to show the full measure of her strength and sharpness, forcing Nolan to retreat before her.
As long as Nolan showed the slightest intent to fall back, she could follow with a tide of unbroken blade light and leave him with nowhere to run.
But the Nolan standing before her now was no longer that helpless little brat.
The Nolan before her was like a true Lord, clad in silver armor, majestic and imposing.
His presence could not be ignored. It was as if he were the real master of this battlefield.
And Malenia, perhaps not long from now, would become a blade in his hand, cutting through thorns and clearing his path.
This was the first time Malenia had ever felt this way toward anyone other than Miquella and Trina.
It was not merely a threat of status. It was pressure that rose from the depths of her heart.
Nolan's strength made her realize that she might never again be able to defeat this man as easily as before.
Malenia swiftly retreated seven or eight meters, landing firmly like a lioness ready to pounce.
Her posture was still nimble, her movements as elegant as ever, without the slightest trace of fear.
On the battlefield, Malenia seemed to have never known what retreat meant.
This woman was a complete madwoman in battle. Forget sacrificing others. If it meant achieving her goal, she would not even hesitate to sacrifice herself.
She was only a blade, and she understood that clearly. A blade wearing down was nothing unusual, so even if the final result was breaking apart, that too was within expectation.
Malenia glanced at the great tree on the horizon, farther away than even the Haligtree. Its golden light had already begun to dim. Time was rushing forward, and neither sky nor ice knew how many times they had been cut open by the two of them.
Her endurance could no longer support any more probing. She drew a deep breath, slowly bending her knees as if gathering all the strength in her body.
Then, all at once, she burst forward like an arrow loosed from the string, leaping over the ice spikes jutting up from the sea with the lightness of a bird as she charged straight ahead.
Because she was so fast, the immense wind pressure made the great cloak on her back billow like waves swept up by a gale, its surface rippling violently like water.
Hidden beneath that flowing cloak was the deadly Hand of Malenia, like a shark lurking beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to strike.
At the same time, beneath the hem of Malenia's skirt, her legs moved with astonishing speed.
In that instant, the Valkyrie's figure seemed to blur, as if she were no longer a solid body, but a phantom made of foam and shadow.
"Three Thousand Flowing Waters, Rising Like a Tide." This was a sword art created by the ancient blue-robed swordsmen of the age when gods warred.
The Waterfowl Dance Sword Style was not as simple as a single Waterfowl Dance. Its essence lay in unpredictable sword movements and slashes of extreme speed.
Those blue-robed swordsmen wore long blue robes and carried curved swords shaped after flowing water. It was said their swordplay surged like an endless tide, leaving opponents no way to resist.
Their enemies could often only watch as their own blood sprayed like a fountain, finally gathering into a scarlet river.
Malenia's charge was exceptionally fierce, like a surging tide. Beneath that rushing sea, countless grains of sand and broken stones were hidden.
Driven by the undercurrent, they rolled and churned, cutting away everything that dared block their path until it was reduced to debris.
She had to end the battle as quickly as possible. It did not matter if Nolan was hurt. In the past, the two rulers of Elphael had both been in poor health, so that city had the finest physicians and Perfumers in the Lands Between.
But her opponent's stubborn resistance was indeed becoming more and more troublesome.
Malenia's body suddenly lost its balance, as if shoved hard by a powerful force, and she tilted involuntarily to one side.
Under the force of inertia, her body slammed sideways onto the hard ice at high speed, like a kite with its string cut.
That fall left her in a sorry state. Her body rolled across the ground, completely losing its usual grace and dignity.
The Promised Claymore was like an enraged whip, mercilessly lashing against her body with a sharp crack.
She was still a step behind. Even with the Goddess of Rot willing to provide help without asking anything in return, the man who had brought this humiliation upon her was clearly a bastard. This was just bullying.
Nolan pounced at her from the right, swinging the massive weapon he favored. Malenia heard the howl of metal cutting through the air.
He had left her the slightest room. As long as she surrendered without resistance, she would not be hurt. But if she made any move, the Claymore would make her understand just how perfectly her sister's and brother-in-law's powers worked together.
But her sister and brother-in-law were the two people who loved her most.
At that critical moment, Malenia's long blade suddenly shifted aside. Her body spun up swiftly with it, and the edge of the Promised Claymore did not cut into her.
The Hand of Malenia in her grasp rose high, while her other hand lifted as well, like a phoenix about to spread its wings. Then she stood on tiptoe and slid backward.
Water Lotus Dance. This was part of the Waterfowl Dance Sword Style, the essence of its footwork. The motion was graceful, like ripples slipping between jagged stones.
Before meeting Nolan, Malenia's legs had already been eroded by the scarlet color of rot, gradually becoming incomplete.
That power had not only tortured her body, but also prevented her from performing such intricate, dance-like movements.
In only a few seconds, the difference between reality and the game had already become clear. The opponent Nolan's Mercy had created for itself was even stronger than the Valkyrie who had originally awaited the challenge.
The Promised Claymore vanished from sight. Malenia searched her surroundings for the target, but Nolan had already disappeared from before her eyes.
Water Lotus Dance appeared again.
Relying only on her extraordinary hearing, Malenia caught the sound of that strong, powerful heartbeat. It belonged to that man. That heart was like an engine that never stopped, driving that terrifying body to wield its sword.
So, for people like them, skin truly served no purpose. A body was nothing more than a lump of flesh made from bones, blood, and meat. Executioners understood the true nature of the body better than anyone.
Malenia suddenly attacked, swinging her blade into the empty space beside her. Nolan appeared at once. They had been "rivals in love" for far too long, long enough to develop an understanding.
The Promised Claymore in Nolan's hand swiftly met the Hand of Malenia, and dazzling sparks burst out the instant the two blades crossed.
But behind that brilliant display came a suffocating stench of rot.
That rot was like a red, festering wind, rushing straight toward Nolan's face.
Nolan was hit by a foul stench. Malenia's blade had only just been "purified" by the Goddess's power not long ago.
Malenia gave Nolan no chance to breathe. Gripping her long blade tightly in both hands, she used a unique posture and trajectory to cut out a second strike.
This strike was no weaker than the first, landing heavily on the same spot on the Promised Claymore.
Then came the third strike, the fourth... each one faster than the last, slashing at Nolan in an endless stream like a great river flowing into the sea.
Every blow carried tremendous force, making the Promised Claymore tremble violently and forcing Nolan back several steps.
Before the sparks from the previous strike had faded, the sparks from the next burst out like falling stars.
The sparks grew denser and denser, until they were as thick as the sea, as if the whole sky had been covered by them.
The power behind Malenia's chain of slashes could not compare to a Lord like "The Dread" Bayle after unleashing his full strength, but her speed was faster than the latter's wild snapping and clawing. Even Nolan could not help feeling surprised.
When it came to technique, he had never been afraid. But a Demigod's speed, so fast it could not be captured, was naturally not something eyesight alone could make up for.
They had sparred countless times, but this was the first time Nolan had completely seen Malenia's movements.
Malenia had once mocked Nolan as a weak ant. So what if he could lift something hundreds of times heavier than himself?
There was nothing wrong with being weak. But the enemies he had to face were ancient dragons, Lords, and gods, beings countless times stronger than him.
Yet now, this ant had made an ancient dragon bow its head and a Demigod follow him. Even Malenia could not help wanting to cheer for the ant.
Before the praise in her heart could leave her mouth, Malenia felt herself being pushed back by Nolan.