Episode 202: Duel (1)
Thousands? No, it must have been tens of thousands of droplets hurtling toward him.
They moved so fast they seemed to stretch into long shapes, more like arrows than water droplets.
“Pathetic.”
Watching the spectacle, Javier smirked inwardly.
At the high-class level, one could protect their body with magic. And upon reaching the master-class, this skill became even more formidable. People called it the Invincible Shield.
Aura, magic, monsters—none could penetrate this shield. It was truly an impenetrable defense.
But the moment the droplets struck his body, Javier sensed something was wrong.
It felt as if iron balls, not droplets, were slamming into him. The impact made him stagger.
And it wasn’t just one or two; thousands rained down, pushing Javier back.
“What kind of magic is this…?”
Javier shielded his face with his arms, planting his feet firmly into the ground. Only then did his body stop being pushed back, though the relentless sound of droplets striking him continued.
After a moment, the assault ceased.
Javier lowered his arms, and behind him, he heard the sound of something collapsing. Turning around, he saw a shattered cliff and trees with their tops completely gone.
All of it obliterated by a single dark magic spell.
“That stung a bit,” Javier remarked, looking back at Damian.
The unexpected power had caught him off guard, but it changed nothing. The dark magic hadn’t pierced his Invincible Shield.
“What are you? How can a high-class knight wield dark magic on par with a grand dark mage?”
Javier had encountered and fought countless mages. He knew that only a grand dark mage could cast dark magic of this magnitude. No ordinary grand dark mage could wield such power.
A vision.
Damian Haxen must have completed a dark magic vision, reaching a higher realm. Otherwise, he couldn’t have conjured such a massive spell so swiftly.
“Whatever you are… your talent is truly enviable.”
Not only did he possess talent rivaling a swordmaster, but he was also a grand dark mage?
“I said I’d give you three minutes… but I’ve changed my mind.”
There were too many questions. He wanted to bring that talent to his son. Above all, it was too dangerous. A dark mage who had completed a vision was a threat even to a master-class.
Javier tore a necklace from his neck, holding it in his hand. In a flash, a longsword appeared in his grip. It was slightly longer than a typical longsword, with a hollowed center.
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to kill you.”
Javier infused the blade with magic. A green haze emanated, then compressed around the blade, forming a deep green Aurablade.
Javier lowered the blade, and the pebbles it touched crumbled to dust.
“Still, I’ll have to cut off your limbs to keep you from causing trouble.”
“Scary, aren’t you?” Damian Haxen shrugged, showing no sign of fear.
“Looks like I’ll have to resist with everything I’ve got.”
A symbol glowed on the back of Damian’s hand, and a magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
“Not so fast!”
Javier charged at Damian Haxen, releasing magic from his soles as he pushed off the ground. In an instant, Javier vanished, reappearing right in front of Damian.
“Let’s start with your right arm!”
Javier swung his blade at Damian’s shoulder, the Aurablade tracing a green arc. But just before it could bite into muscle, Damian vanished.
”…Huh?”
Looking up, Javier saw Damian standing a short distance away.
“Acceleration?”
Acceleration was a spell that allowed mages to move short distances in the blink of an eye. It was one of the spells developed for mages to counter knights, and its speed was hard for even master-class knights to match.
Though a remarkable spell, most mages didn’t use it due to its difficulty. It was a 10th-tier spell, incredibly challenging to cast in the heat of battle, especially against knights who moved much faster than mages.
“Impressive. But how many times can you dodge my attacks?”
Javier moved again, disappearing and reappearing behind Damian Haxen. He swung at Damian’s forearm, but Damian once again used acceleration to evade.
As Damian vanished, Javier immediately spread his senses to locate him.
“There you are!”
Javier launched himself again. As Damian reappeared, Javier swung his blade. The Aurablade was about to slice into Damian’s shoulder when he vanished once more.
“Let’s see how long you can keep dodging!”
Javier pursued Damian relentlessly. Their afterimages multiplied, filling the clearing. Amidst the fierce chase, Damian cast dark magic to attack Javier. Black flames engulfed Javier, and shadows turned into sharp blades aimed at him.
“Useless!”
But no dark magic could penetrate Javier’s Invincible Shield. He pushed through the dark magic, continuing his pursuit of Damian. Yet, at some point, Javier found himself bewildered.
”…How is he dodging everything?”
Acceleration was a notoriously difficult spell to cast. The magic itself was complex, and using it in battle made it even harder. Even with a grand dark mage’s focus, using it so frequently should have led to a mistake by now.
Yet Damian used acceleration flawlessly, without a single error.
“How is he reacting to my attacks?”
Initially, Javier thought it was luck. But after dozens of times, he had to reconsider.
It was then that he lost track of Damian Haxen’s movements, lost in thought.
Javier quickly spread his senses. He felt something above him and looked up to see Damian standing in mid-air.
Around Damian floated countless black droplets—the same dark magic that had attacked Javier earlier.
Impressive.
Javier twisted his lips. Not only had Damian evaded his attacks, but he was also preparing dark magic.
But there was one thing that puzzled him.
“Do you really think that dark magic will work on me again?”
Before he could finish speaking, the second dark magic activated. Red currents sparked among the black droplets, growing stronger.
In an instant, the smile vanished from Javier’s lips.
“Bring it down.”
Black rain and red lightning fell simultaneously. As the raindrops hit the ground, thunderous booms echoed. Each flash of lightning painted the world red.
Light and sound filled the air.
When the world finally quieted, the ground was charred black.
“Ugh…”
From the midst of it, Javier rose. Astonishingly, red marks were etched across his body.
“Insane magic.”
The dark magic Damian Haxen had prepared couldn’t pierce Javier’s Invincible Shield. But it couldn’t block the shock. Just moments ago, Javier felt as if his entire body had been pummeled.
“Too dangerous… far too dangerous…”
Javier’s eyes darkened. The faint trace of composure vanished completely. In that moment, Javier recognized Damian Haxen as an enemy.
“You’ve surprised me… so it’s only fair I return the favor.”
Javier steadied his breath, suppressing the energy that had been radiating outward. The blazing magic within him was also subdued. No longer did Javier exude a fierce aura; instead, a profound calm enveloped him.
“Just so you know, not many have dodged this.”
Javier Silva assumed a stance.
“So don’t bother trying.”
A distance of over 50 meters lay between Javier and Damian. Yet Javier swung his sword, slicing through the air.
In that instant, blood spurted from Damian’s shoulder.
Just before his body was completely cut, Damian used acceleration. He pulled back, leaving a long gash in the ground where he had stood.
”…You dodged that?”
Javier looked at Damian with a face of disbelief.
Damian rubbed his neck. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, thanks to his quick use of acceleration.
“That was close.”
Thanks to the power of his rage, which heightened his senses and reaction speed, Damian managed to dodge Javier’s attack.
But this time, something was different. As the sword swung, his shoulder was cut.
“Is it… cutting through distance? Or perhaps it can slice through anything, regardless of how far it is?” Damian mused aloud, prompting Javier to form an impressed ‘O’ with his mouth.
“Exactly right. My technique, the ‘Invisible Sword,’ can cut objects from afar,” Javier explained.
The concept of a flying sword technique involved sending a blade’s energy to strike a distant target. But what, then, was a true flying sword?
In his youth, Javier had always pondered this question. Upon reaching the master class, he found his answer.
“You dodged by luck just now… but this time, you won’t stand a chance.”
Javier prepared to strike again, while Damian watched him, deep in thought.
“So, you can cut multiple objects at once, too,” Damian speculated.
Javier froze, his eyes wide. “What are you saying?”
“Your technique. It seems like you could slice through several things with a single swing.”
Damian was right. The Invisible Sword had no limits on distance or frequency. With one swing, Javier could sever every leaf from a tree.
“And not just that. You could change the direction at will, couldn’t you?”
Again, Damian was correct. Javier could swing horizontally and cut vertically. He could even draw intricate patterns on the ground with a single motion.
“Perhaps you intended to slice through this entire area at once, ensuring I couldn’t escape no matter where I ran?”
That, too, was spot on. Javier looked at Damian with trembling eyes. A knight’s mastery was the culmination of a lifetime of honing their skills. Yet, Damian had unraveled it all in mere moments.
“How…?”
“Just by looking,” Damian replied nonchalantly.
In that instant, Javier felt a chill. The figure before him no longer seemed human.
“It doesn’t matter if you’ve figured it out,” Javier said. The Invisible Sword was best kept secret, but even if discovered, it was a technique beyond countering.
Javier assumed his stance. In that moment, the world through his eyes transformed. The entire scene was filled with the trajectory of his sword—a sight only visible to one who had mastered the Invisible Sword.
“Try dodging this,” Javier challenged, swinging his blade.
The world was immediately engulfed in slashes.
The surrounding trees were shredded to pieces, the ground etched with countless cuts. Clouds in the sky were torn apart, and birds flying overhead fell as mere fragments to the earth.
Javier’s ultimate technique, the Invisible Sword, was unleashed to its fullest, cutting through everything around him.
“You…” Javier began, his voice trembling.
Damian Haxen stood right in front of him, completely unscathed.
“How did you avoid it?”
The Invisible Sword could cut through anything, ignoring distance and frequency. Yet, it had one flaw: it couldn’t cut objects too close.
Specifically, anything within the reach of the blade was immune to the Invisible Sword.
Damian had used his acceleration to close the gap with Javier, rendering the ultimate technique ineffective.
“Just by looking,” Damian repeated casually, igniting an indescribable fury in Javier.
“Foolish wretch!”
In truth, it wasn’t a flaw. The blade’s reach was Javier’s domain. Damian had willingly stepped into danger.
“I’ll snap your neck right here!” Javier roared, reaching for Damian’s throat. But Damian was faster, placing his hand on Javier’s chest.
“The dark magic I used at the start wasn’t for attack,” Damian said unexpectedly, causing Javier to pause.
“It wasn’t even a droplet. Just a concentrated mass of curses.”
Curses couldn’t affect a master class. Their magic and vitality could shrug off most curses…
A symbol glowed on the back of Damian’s hand.
Suddenly, black thorns erupted from Javier’s body.