Chapter 8 Part 44
Translator : PolterGlast
Is there another
besides us?
When confronted with
such a question, she would say, "They are either my subjects or my
challengers."
According to Rugato,
other people are different and more diverse. Parents, siblings, relatives,
friends, associates, lovers, enemies .......
She doesn't really
understand it. Because neither does she have parents, nor does she have a blood
relative. Neither does she have friends, nor does she have anyone whom she
could call an enemy.
However, there was
someone who gave birth to her. But as to whether or not she could call that
person her parent, she does not know.
The person who was in
front of her when she first woke up. The one who wished for her to be
"that way".
But they will never
meet again. Because she killed that person with her own hands.
"You are the
masterpiece and the final goal of our clan. Reign over this land and fight for
the sake of your kin."
That person said so on
the first day they met after she woke up, and challenged her to a fight.
And she easily killed
that person. Without even giving her time to develop emotions.
All that remained was
the castle frozen by her magic and the blizzard that was raging. And only one
of her subjects, who had served her as a retainer, remained.
What was left was her
sitting on the throne, licking the blood of her former parent from her hands.
And that was the
beginning of her long and tedious days.
In a castle closed off
by a blizzard, she drank the blood her subjects brought to her, and
occasionally faced down the challengers who appeared. Only that was repeated.
As to why she repeated
such things, there was no meaning to it. She just didn't have anything else to
do, nor any desire to do anything else.
Just days passed by
with everything stagnant.
The only thing that
she looked forward to in such a situation was the visits of challengers.
The visitors were
always different, but each time they came, she felt indescribably elated.
Rugato said that it
was a feeling of interest ...
It was a feeling that
arose in her whenever a challenger appeared. Even though it would soon fade
away, she would somehow come to look forward to the visit of the strangers.
So when she heard that
Rugato had failed his task, she felt the same "interest" in that
person.
Nozomu Bountis. The
one who had defeated her only subject.
At the time, she had
only the same interest she had in the other challengers, but the story brought
to her by a raven who had come to her castle had aroused her interest.
"Dragon
Slayer"
Hearing this name, how
could one not be elated?
The only person who
has ever hurt her 150 years ago.
At this moment, her
"interest" in him grew into "curiosity".
And when she came to
the city and actually met him, her interest was further intensified. Moreover,
in addition to Nozomu Bountis, she saw many other people who piqued her
"interest".
Is this a human being,
or is this someone who truly defies the odds?
Many others
(challengers), accelerated and amplified emotions.
Combined with the fact
that she drank his blood, her greed, which she thought she did not have, was
aroused, and her heart, which had been frozen and rotten, was reborn anew.
But it was not enough,
it was still not enough.
She wanted to see
more, to feel more, to want more.
(Let more passion,
more seething heat, more feelings, be poured into me)
===================================
The encroaching battle
column. A swarm of thin curtains covering the entire field of vision approached
Nozomu, shattering the rubble of the shattered Francilt mansion.
A magic that was
barely able to compete with his greatest annihilation technique, the [Light of
Extinction]. Multiple of them were attacking in a row.
" ~..."
Faced with these huge,
thin walls that were gradually closing in on him, Nozomu calmly exhaled and
held his katana at the ready.
There was no
impatience in his expression. His pupils narrowed, and he simply looked at the
approaching [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon]s.
(In terms of output,
my opponent has the upper hand. The magic deployment speed is also off the
charts. But...)
The [Soul-Sealing
Chains] that were wrapped around [Mumei] were released, and the five-colored
elements erupted from the blade.
Like a geyser, the
elements overflowed from the blade and raged wildly, but the ring of chains
hovering in the air with them immediately pulled the gushed elements back into
the blade.
[Mumei] blade, which
was covered by the chain, was imbued with the power of destruction and glowed
with five-colored light just like glittering scales.
Then, the Dragon
Sword, which could eradicate all beings, was unleashed.
[One Billionth
Severance]
The extremely thin
blade, flying along the slash line, slashed and burst through Vitora's [Thin
Garment of the Ice Demon].
The elements that
turned into countless blades gouged the thin curtain woven with super-dense
magic power.
The power of Dragon
Slayer unilaterally annihilated even Vitora's magic power, which could be said
to be out of the norm.
Furthermore, Nozomu
turned the blade back and once again performed a [One Billionth Severance] on
the next thin curtain.
"Phew!"
As he continuously
launched [One Billionth Severance], he sliced through the [Thin Garment of the
Ice Demon] one after another.
If the first piece was
slashed down, the second one would be next, and if the second one was
destroyed, the third one would be next.
Despite the fact that
he continuously produced blades that could cut through Vitora's magic, there
was no sign of exhaustion on Nozomu's part.
He is now in a state
of complete control of the seemingly infinite Tiamat's elements. As long as his
concentration persists, he is able to unleash his unceasingly superb
techniques.
"Tch, I guess I
can't slash them all down after all!"
However, despite being
unharmed, his mouth was distorted as if he was enduring frustration.
At the edge of his
field of vision, Nozomu could see the [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon], which he
could not completely cut, crashing into the [City Isolation Barrier]
surrounding the Francilt mansion.
The [Thin Garment of
the Ice Demon] and the [City Isolation Barrier] that collided with each other
dissipated and fizzled apart.
And each time one or
two of the [City Isolation Barrier] shattered, the area within the range was
reduced to ashes.
"Kuh~!"
[Thin Garment of the
Ice Demon] is so powerful magic that it can only be completely canceled out by
Nozomu's greatest annihilation technique, [One Billionth Severance].
However, Nozomu did
not have enough time to do so.
"Come on, come
on, if you don't hurry up, this city will be completely destroyed before you
can defeat me ... Oya?"
Vitora's mouth
contorted into a smile, but the sight that immediately caught her eye caused
her to let out a stupefied cry.
As soon as the third
[City Isolation Barrier] was shattered, the first one, which should have
already been shattered, reappeared.
Vitora tilted her head
with a dubious look on her face, but she looked at her feet and immediately
nodded her head with a satisfied expression.
"I see, so the
elements are drawn directly from the dragon's veins. If that is the case, it
can be reconstructed again and again as long as the function to deploy the
barrier is not destroyed. So it is assumed that it can be destroyed..."
More than its
strength, the [City Isolation Barrier] constructed in Arcazam is characterized
by its superior ability to be reconstructed.
With the physical
walls used in conventional cities, once breached or destroyed, it is hopeless
to restore them.
On the other hand, the
[City Isolation Barrier] can be used to create a wall as many times as
necessary, as long as the barrier's deployment function is not destroyed.
In addition, if the
barrier can be used to break up the invading herd of demonic beasts, it is
possible to eliminate the herd with certainty. It can be used in an extremely
wide range of tactical and strategic applications.
"Then I won't
hold back! I'll give you an extra serving!"
More magic power was
drawn out. The amount of magic power, which can no longer be expressed in such
simple terms as a turbulent stream, was raging within the [City Isolation
Barrier].
The snow that froze
and precipitated from the water created a localized blizzard along with the
raging storm.
"Ha, ha ha... Oi,
you're joking, right?"
"Just how much
magic power does she have?..."
Mars, who was slashing
the waves of the aftermath that were breaking through the barrier, twitched his
cheeks. The same goes for Irisdina.
Even through [City
Isolation Barrier], they could feel the intimidation. Not only Irisdina, but
even Mars, who had become one step stronger, let out a choked cry as he felt as
if he had been pushed into the deep sea.
The battle formations
of the [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon] were produced once again.
Perhaps because
Vitora's magic power had increased even more, the number of newly created [Thin
Garment of the Ice Demon] was greater than before.
"This is my
current full power. What would you do about this- ... Ugh~!"
But before Vitora
could give her command to the [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon]s she had
prepared, something pierced her gut.
It was a thrust by a
thin, sharply sharpened five-colored blade.
The next moment, the
elemental blade that had pierced Vitora's stomach exploded.
[Core Piercing]
The bursting blade of
elements pierced more than ten [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon] and at the same
time made a large hole in Vitora's abdomen. Along with the magic power that was
gushing out, the deployed [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon] dissipated in all
directions.
"I won't let you
get carried away with this forever!..."
Nozomu, who had
unleashed [Core Piercing]. kicked the ground and closed the distance at once
through the hole of the [Thin Garment of the Ice Demon]s.
Then, he thrust his
[Mumei] again into Vitora's belly, which was in the process of regenerating.
"Guh!?"
"Indeed, your
magic is astounding. The power, the effective range, the speed of deployment.
The word "out of the ordinary" doesn't even come close to describing
it."
Vitora's magic is
extraordinary in every aspect.
With a speed on par
with Irisdina's instantaneous deployment, she continuously casts magic that is
more powerful than Tima's.
"What the
...!"
The pain that ran
through her body made her reflexively try to use magic, but the next moment,
Nozomu's fist slammed into her side of her head.
"Gah!?"
The shock to the brain
shook Vitora's consciousness, and the magic she was about to invoke dissipated.
"But even so,
this is 'magic' we're talking about. There is no way to exempt it from its
constituent elements."
There are several
things needed to deploy and maintain magic.
First, there is magic
power. Without it, magic cannot be activated in the first place. And there is
one more thing that is absolutely essential. It is...
"A clear image
and the intention of the caster are essential to the sustenance of magic.
Especially for those origin magics that you use..."
"Ah!"
Nozomu stomped down on
Vitora's foot as she tried to step backward, dazed.
"Guh!?"
"Hmph!"
An elbow strike
slammed into Vitora's stomach, as she stood frozen and stiff due to the pain.
The elbow strike, fired with the right arm that had let go of [Mumei], ruptured
her liver. The body was bent over, and fresh blood leaked from her mouth.
"Gmph~..."
Magic is a practice
that uses the power of the mind. Therefore, the image and intention of the
caster are absolutely necessary components.
And that was the
drawback of Vitora's magic.
Since there is no
"formula" to maintain the magic, it is instantly canceled if her
consciousness, the caster, is disturbed even a little.
"That's why, just
by shaking your consciousness for a moment, your magic will be rendered
powerless."
Vitora's emotions
heighten due to the pain, and before her magic could react, Nozomu's fist hit
Vitora on the jaw, sending her consciousness flying once again.
Concussion. A
disturbance of consciousness caused by a shaking of the brain.
An ordinary blow would
not be able to shake Vitora's head, which was always clad in a high density of
magic power.
However, with the
current Nozomu, who possessed the power of the Dragon of Destruction, it was
possible.
"It seems to be
more effective than slashing or obliterating them."
"Gu, aaah!"
Nozomu uses his
superior physical techniques to keep Vitola's consciousness from functioning
properly, and continued to strike her with one-sided blows.
She is so strong that
she has no equal in the Empire. To begin with, it has been 150 years since she
even felt pain in battle. For that long, no one has been able to inflict even a
single wound on her.
In terms of military
strength alone, she is an extremely rare case in the Empire.
Conversely, she had no
experience in engaging in battle with an equal.
On the other hand,
Nozomu had always been gaining experience in combat with higher-ranked
opponents since the time when his ability was [Ability Suppression].
The difference in
experience was clearly evident in the speed of their actions.
"I won't let you
cast your magic. I won't even let your consciousness come back. I'm going to
block all of your limbs, and I'm going to beat you unilaterally."
Nozomu used every
means at his disposal to mess with Vitora's consciousness.
He smashed her eyes
with his hand to deprive her of vision and induce her to become agitated. He
dislocated her joints to restrict her movements. He crushed her lungs with
blows to slow down her body's reaction time.
Of course, Vitora
heals these injuries immediately with her own magic power and regenerative
abilities. However, pain, loss of sensation, and clouding of consciousness were
inevitable when injured.
Although being
regenerated, Nozomu's physical techniques gradually overwhelm and destroy
Vitora's body. Like poison, slowly, slowly.
She seemed to be
swallowed up by the storm that was unleashed on her, and she seemed to be
swallowed up helplessly.
But ...
"Just like this
... -wha!?"
A chill ran down his
spine and he pulled back his fist, which was about to strike Vitora in the
stomach, as if by reflex.
The next moment,
multiple sharp feathers sprouted from Vitora's belly.
Slashing through the
flesh and creaking the bones, the sharp wings appeared and ripped Nozomu's fist
shallowly.
"These are bat
wings!? Tch, a vampire's mutation!"
He swung his fist at
Vitora's side of the head, trying to make her consciousness fly away.
However, the wing
membrane growing from her shoulder caught Nozomu's blow.
She transforms her own
body into that of a bat. This in itself is a very common ability among
vampires. In fact, her subordinate Rugato also uses the same ability.
However, her
transformation is different. She transforms only a part of her own body.
"Ku, ha~aaaa...
That was painful, you know..."
Nozomu's onslaught
came to a halt, and in a blink of an eye, Vitora's consciousness was restored.
Then, having
recovered, she raised her right hand and enlarged it. She transformed it into a
huge arm with multiple bat wings, and then she came charging at him with a
cleave.
"Kuh!?"
Reflexively, he bent
down to avoid Vitora's cleave, but the wings that sprouted from Vitora's body
attacked him from above in an autonomous movement.
Their wing surfaces
were sharp like steel swords and held a dull shine.
Sliding his body down
to the very edge of the ground, he avoided the approaching group of wings and
grabbed the [Mumei] that was still thrust into Vitora's chest.
"Phew!"
*Slash!* and from her
stomach to her flanks, it was slashed at once.
"Goho~h!
Haaa!"
Even as her internal
organs spill from her ripped belly, Vitora transformed herself even further,
with a look of excitement in her eyes that she could not hide.
Her left arm was also
transformed into a huge arm with multiple bat wings, and from her back she
sprouted two pairs of wings that were particularly large.
Then, countless wings
attacked Nozomu from all directions at once.
"Tch~!"
In the face of
countless wings that turned into blades and approached him, Nozomu reflexively
retreated.
At this rate, the
balance would tilt in favor toward the Vampire Princess in one fell swoop.
Not to let that
happen, Nozomu unleashed his all-out [One Billionth Severance], slashing Vitola's
wings into a thousand pieces and stepping in to close the distance again.
"Haaa!"
Although he slipped
into the gap created by [One Billionth Severance], the swarm of wings he sliced
apart quickly regenerated and again filled Nozomu's field of vision.
Faced with a swarm of
wings like a mountain of swords, Nozomu drew out the power of Tiamat with all
his might and poured it into the blade.
The five-colored blade
shone brightly as it swept through the swarm of wings, but the pressure of the
swarm of winged blades gradually increased.
Vitora's magic power
has already affected the outside world, and now it freezes the air just by
being released, even with physical pressure.
"Ugh!?"
"Good, still not
enough, still not enough!"
It was truly
limitless.
As such a feeling
returned through [Mumei], it became stronger and stronger.
The blade, which was
imbued with the power of the dragon, slashed through Vitora's super-dense magic
as well as her deformed body, but Nozomu clenched his teeth at the resistance
that was gradually increasing.
Even now, he slashed
away Vitora's bloated right arm. However, the blood and magic power that gushed
from the wound immediately connected the right arm that should have been cut
off.
"The hell, how
much magic power do you have!"
"Haha, I don't
know! I've never drawn out my own magic power to this extent before. Not even a
physical transformation! I never thought that trembling with all my might could
be so exciting!"
Vitora swung her right
arm down once more in a large swing.
"Until now, no
one has ever made me serious, rarely even wounded me, everyone immediately
kneels before me, and never appears again!"
The magic power that
was launched along with the transformed gigantic arm blew up the ground and
caused the ground to cave in significantly. The shockwave opened a gap between
the two of them.
"How far can you
go? How far will you go to arouse me? Come on, show me everything you've
got!"
The left arm,
transformed by the enormous amount of magic power poured into it, was thrust
out toward the retreating Nozomu.
"You're in my
way!"
Nozomu closed the gap
again while smashing the huge arm that was thrust out into tiny pieces with
[Core Piercing].
“Shi~i!”
"Haaaaa!"
A blade and winged arm
were swung immediately.
The [One Billionth
Severance] and arm blows collided, and the shockwave blasted away the crushed
pieces of flesh and the surrounding debris.
The battle between the
two, perfectly balanced, became more and more intense, scattering destruction
all around.
Just like a rock
rolling down a steep slope toward catastrophic acceleration.
