Chapter 174 – Discovery

000

The sword, which was completed by receiving the teachings of ‘Sword Saint’ Talcheck, moves like a dance, and each time it collides, there is a big shock and sound. And it bounces off with sparks.

Covered in black blood-like magic all over his body his, Ain, who had taken the form of a monster as if his skin his had been peeled off, had become so hideous that he could no longer be called a swordsman.

Horns grow from her head, and a devil-like tail is visible.

Not all of them were tangible, they were created by that magical power, but there was no doubt that they were moving menacingly.

Also, physical abilities that were extremely amplified by the power of medicine. I don’t know if it’s because the muscles are swollen and the blood vessels are burst, but even those wounds are constantly regenerating.

The difference in height, which was two heads taller than Cleon, has widened even more, and now there is a difference of four or five.

With such overwhelming physical ability, when he wielded a black greatsword that seemed to be integrated with his hand her, Cleon felt pain as if his fingers his were broken every time he struck it.

“Shit…!”

If so, it would have been possible to avoid it, but his greatsword his, which was wielded with enhanced muscle power, was not at a speed that humans could possibly avoid.

The instinctive defense that came from Cleon’s own experience was so far was the only way to block the blow he could not follow with his eyes.

“Cleon!”

“No Quon! If you use recovery magic, this guy will attack you!”

Quon shouts Cleon and prepares recovery and secondary spells, but Cleon raises his voice to stop such Quon.

A little while ago, after Ain turned into a monster, when Quon tried to use magic, he became sensitive to his magical power her and immediately rushed towards Quon.

In the end, if Cleon hadn’t blown his body his to somehow protect Quon and used Iona’s holy magic as bait to make him look at himself again.

Quon would have been split in two on the spot.

Eustes was also unable to get close.

If you get in between them with only your iron sword or this weak equipment, you’ll be shattered right away.

Not just her sword hers, but even her own body hers.

Other than that, even because of the magical pressure flowing from Ain’s body to her, he could n’t approach him at all.

A greatsword aimed at Cleon’s right shoulder his. But Cleon blocks it with a red sword as he pulls his body back.

The reason why he was able to cut through the body covered in black magic was because the sacred magic of the holy sword Chevalier was more effective.

Defend with the red sword and cut with the holy sword.

Of course, it was also a thing for her to feel her pain her, no matter how in the form of a holy sword, if the shock was more than she could bear.

“■■■──!!”

The greatsword once again aims to the right. This time it was the waist.

When he twisted his body her and barely succeeded in flushing it out with the red sword, Cleon had no choice but to squint his eyes her.

“This guy…”

[You’re reading Cleon’s intentions…]

This monster clashed swords with Cleon several times, and concentrated its attack on the right hand holding Iona to the extent of persistence.

Blocking an attack to the right with the weapon on the right is, of course, quick and easy to react.

However, after realizing that Cleon did not use Chevalier for defense and only defended with the red sword in her left hand, the attack was intended to induce more movement than was necessary.

And right again. This time, it was an attack aimed at the eyes – no, the head.

Cleon hurriedly rolled his body to dodge the sword at the surprise thrust, but he felt blood flowing from his cheek to her.

[Cleon! I can endure it a few times…! It’s dangerous, so defend me-!]

“You don’t know how many times it will be…!”

In this situation, for Iona to become incapacitated was the same as abandoning her future victories of her.

Cleon’s eyes moved quickly and scanned his body.

Because she did n’t even dodge Iona’s sword, which she swung as a check, the remnants of her divine magic her remained on the surface, but such a shallow wound did not hinder her movement.

“If I don’t pierce the magical organ, the heart…”

When the magical power is turned on, it is his heart her that constantly heals Ain’s body and spurts out magical power to cover the whole body with magical power.

Cleon’s eyes scan the entire room. All that was there was a stone chair imitating a hideous throne. And he bottles and bloodstains.

I thought about stepping on the bottle and letting it slide, but at that size, even if I stepped on it, the bottle would end up being smashed.

If you don’t come up with something, a way-

“Cleon!”

Eustes, who was observing the situation of Cleon, who was driven to the wall before he knew it, raised his voice.

Cleon clenched his teeth and, instead of blocking any further attacks, struck back to counterattack.

After bending his body down once, use the Chevalier to raise Ain’s body and cut it.

Although, Ain’s greatsword swung at the same time cut his shoulder her again, but luckily it didn’t reach his bones her.

Taking advantage of that momentum, Cleon’s entire body, which floated into the air, was covered with black magic power, just like Ain’s.

Previously, even when dealing with a higher level land spirit, the sword he used while surrendering to rage was a form of magical power like armor.

Originally, I was saving it in preparation for an accident that might happen due to the use of dark magic.

It was a preparation that had no meaning if he did not survive.

Thanks to this, it increases speed by discharging part of the magical power of the strengthened physical ability and magical armor.

Black magic power was sprayed like a rocket, and Cleon’s trajectory moved in an impossible way.

After accelerating one step in the air, Cleon immediately rises to the ceiling, kicks it off, and cuts his body down from behind.

Flashes of black and white flashed through his body at the same time.

“■■■■■■───!!!”

Ain’s painful scream resounded.

No matter how monstrous the body is, if it is cut this deep, it will have no choice but to writhe in pain.

Even on Cleon’s hand, who thought so, Iona’s holy magic and his own black magic his caused a rejection reaction, and he could see that the skin on his hand his was gradually melting.

“Kuh…!”

[Cleon…!]

“It’s still okay… Just a little more-!”

The moment Cleon said that and stepped on the ground.

Key Yiing-!

A deafening sound came from beneath the ground. Anxious foreboding.

“Keugh!”

When he rolled his body quickly, a pillar of fire rose from where Cleon had just been.

It doesn’t stop there, and wherever Cleon moves, a pillar of fire can be seen soaring.

[Weapons of the Imperial Army…! Why, does it only respond to Cleon…!?]

“My magic armor doesn’t stick to my skin like that guy, it’s because I cover my whole body with dark magic. Inevitably, some of it is emitted outside.”

The mana permeated the ground, and the weapon that sensed the mana of Cleon, a tribe that kept its feet on the ground, was attacking Cleon.

“…But, if I use this in reverse…!”

Cleon raises his voice as if he has finally seized the victory, draws Rubera’s sword skill from Iona, and sprints toward Ain with all his might.

A pillar of fire rises from the ground one time later than Cleon, who can even see a black afterimage, moves.

Then, Cleon kicked off the ground once again and jumped into the air.

Without fail, the form that turns around and round is a lethal sword that can be said to be Rubera’s No. 18.

However, floating in the air means giving up evasion. Humans cannot move freely in the sky unless they use flight magic.

Ain tries to swing his greatsword at Cleon, but-

In an instant, Cleon’s body his accelerated in mid-air.

Just like before, the magic of the black armor was sprayed to change the trajectory in the air.

However, this time it was different from before. The result of turning all the mana he was wearing into injection for explosive acceleration.

The black magic was completely removed from Cleon’s body and landed. It fell towards the place where Ain was standing.

And-

Once again, the raspy sound of the magic tools operating.

In the meantime, Cleon kicks the ceiling and swings the Chevalier out of the range of the black magic.

“Heavenly Pillar…!”

Kwajik! With a sound, the black magic that covered Ain’s body was broken, and blood gushed out between them.

Then, a pillar of fire rose from the ground and swallowed Ain.

“■■■■

The monster’s scream returns like a human voice.

Ain cried out in pain as he was engulfed in flames.

Cleon landed lightly, but immediately got down on one knee and grabbed his hand her, where his skin his had completely melted away.

[Cleon…!]

Iona quickly returns to her original form and escapes Cleon’s grasp of her.

If you try to raise your body’s divine magic power and use healing magic toward his wounds her-

“No! Iona! Kuck-!!”

As Cleon quickly pushed Iona away, her fiery hand her flew towards the nape of Cleon’s neck her.

Ain, who was on the verge of dying from being set on fire, grabbed Cleon’s body her and tried to choke him in order to make him his companion her.

“Cleon!!”

Quon’s voice was close to screaming, and Cleon tried to stop it by covering the quickly caught part with magical power, but the sound of something being burned, saying ‘Chi-i-i-i-!’, Did not stop.

Iona tried to free her child from Cleon, but she knew very well that it would be maddening to touch his body her that was on fire, and that her strength her would not be enough to free her child’s hand her. .

Iona is a wise human being. Right away, she comes up with the most optimal number.

“Eustes!”

When Iona’s body her turns into a sword, her Eusteth her unknowingly rushes in and grabs her.

And, through her ability, Eustes inherits Cleon’s swordsmanship-and her memories of her.

“——Yes!”

Eustes is agitated by the sensation of shaking her head for a moment, but then the sound of Iona calling her name her once again moves her body her.

“Haaaaa!!!”

Then, with all his might, he thrust Chevalier into Ain’s back her.

In the end, Ain’s heart was pierced by Eustes’ hand in her.

Although Eustes’ weak muscular strength would have been impossible in the first place.

It was thanks to Iona’s power that assisted it.

Ain screams in pain once again, but soon, the power of divine magic spreading from Chevalier removes the black magic that strengthened the whole body of her.

Thanks to this, the flames that covered the body disappeared, but at the same time, human functions were completely stopped.

When the power of Ain, who was strangling him, weakened, Cleon escaped from him on his own her.

“Kuh… Ha ha…!”

As soon as Quon saw the scene, he approached Cleon and restored his body her with full recovery magic.

Quon, who was almost on the verge of crying.

“It’s okay… Because it’s okay… Quon…”

Cleon pats Quon on the back. Eustes looks at it for a while, then extracts Chevalier from Ain’s dead body.

As soon as Iona was able to move too, she returned to her human form and was to look after Cleon.

Cleon takes a deep breath, and when his body is completely healed by Quon’s recovery magic, he immediately approaches Eustes.

“Thank you. Thanks…”

“Cleon.”

Eustes, who was about to say thanks, met Cleon’s eyes.

In his eyes his, there was confusion and sadness mixed with a self-mocking laugh.

“You-“

“…”

“… No, nothing.”

In the end, why was Eustes turning away without saying anything?

This morning, he looked even weaker than when he was heading here.

In just a few minutes, it was as if she had completely turned into a woman.

“…”

Even as Cleon chased after Eustes, he turned his gaze toward Ain’s corpse.

If she asked if she was close enough to mourn the breakup with Ain, it wasn’t.

But. In that she was an orphan and that she was one of the few peers of her age who treated her without discrimination in her childhood, she was a human being that was stored in a part of her memory.

If you look at him like that, he has fallen to this extent.

Inevitably similar to him, he is reminded of his former comrades who have lost their way in his heart his and fallen away.

“My father said before that Ain… Was sentenced to labor in the North. So originally… He was supposed to be in the North… There would have been.”

“Is it Ishtal’s fault that Ain escaped from prison?”

“Yes. Probably. But, the reason he used the Black Maker before that … Was his own will his.”

Cleon approaches him and checks the Black Makers he has personally.

“…This is a drug that should no longer exist.”

“I agree. And, this eggplant too.”

Cleon nods his head and moves his foot her to the center of his veins her.

A place with a stone chair resembling a crude throne. That place was the center of the spirit vein of the `Wind` attribute.

When Cleon removed the throne, a large number of amulets filled with dark magic were attached to the bottom of the throne and the ground.

Perhaps, this was the reason why he was pouring dark magic into his veins. And even the black magic that comes from using the black maker.

“Quon.”

“Yes. At this level, I can purify it by removing the amulet and using purification magic.”

After silently nodding his head, Quon embeds the magic tool for purification he received from Laila into the center of the spirit vein.

Then, they put their hands on it and prayed to draw out divine magic.

“…I’ll help you too. Mana control may be needed.”

Cleon’s hands overlapped on top of it.

In terms of mana control, Cleon’s might be a bit better, but just feeling Cleon’s touch felt a sense of security.

“…Eustes. Are you really okay?”

In the meantime, Iona approaches Eustes, who shows a strange feeling, but Eustes stays quiet for a while, then turns to Iona with her smiling face her.

“Of course.”

However, that smile was a forced smile mixed with bitterness.

Iona was surprised by Eustes ‘face her, but she could n’t say anything more to him.

001

After the purification of the spirit vein, the group escaped the hideout with the two people left behind in the prison.

On the way, Iona and Cleon pull out the magical power line from the magic tool of the empire that they found.

After confirming that everyone has escaped, pour in magical power and overload all magic tools to collapse the hideout from the inside.

The ground shook several times. The hideout was collapsing as if it were collapsing, creating a huge rumble.

Gishid couldn’t keep his mouth shut as he watched the scene with Sam on his back.

Leaving behind the dusty Horseshoe Mountain, the party returned to the capital.

“Then… I’ll take these two to the monastery. Cleon, heal the wounded body properly.”

“Yeah, yes. Because I have Quon. I’m fine, but… Eustes. You-“

Eustes didn’t look back at Cleon’s words and headed toward the monastery with weak steps.

Cleon, who had been quietly watching his back her, opened her mouth to Iona.

“Eustes… Why are you doing that?”

When Iona shook her head as if she did n’t know, Cleon just looked at Eustes, unable to erase her uneasiness of her.

“Hey! Iona!!”

It was then.

Hearing Iona’s voice her, when the party turned her head, they saw an elderly man in armor running there.

Although the armor was a little unusual, I could tell that it was the armor worn by the knights. That too, from an intelligence agency like Iona.

“I heard! You said you went into Horseshoe Mountain on your own! People said that there was a strange earthquake there earlier! You are no longer an intelligence officer, so don’t act on your own!”

“I’m sorry, senpai…”

“This time, I have to properly reflect on myself! And adventurer over there! You went with Iona too!?”

The man called “Senpai” Turns his arrow towards Cleon as well.

“Ku, Cleon wants to help me…”

“Does it make sense for a civilian to intervene in the affairs of the knights without a formal request! You should come too! There are so many papers to write with Iona!”

“Stand, papers~!? Senior~!”

Seeing that Iona, who likes to write something down in her usual way, does her face her in horror, Cleon sighs.

“…Sorry, Quon. Go home first… I think it’ll take a while.”

“I-I’ll help you too.”

“No. Lila and Sasha will be waiting for you. Don’t worry, go in first.”

Cleon sighs and trudges behind Iona as her cheeks are pulled.

Seeing Cleon like that, Quon let out a sigh as expected.

‘…I wasn’t much of a help to Cleon this time…`

Just like that, she thinks of self-help and clenches her fists, but… She immediately shakes her head.

“No. If you do better next time… Yes.”

She was going home, somehow cheering up.

002

Eustes recalls.

As she grabbed Iona’s sword, she remembered Cleon’s memories flowing from her —

“Cleon. You-“

In that memory, she was wielding her sword beautifully in the dungeon after defeating the Witchbeast with Ruba.

And, admonishing yourself—

“You were… Leona, you were…”

Somewhere, it was a voice that sounded resentful, yet at ease.

It was only now that he could understand why Cleon’s heart her felt tight every time he saw him.

What she was feeling In a instinct.

The fact that Cleon is Leona whom he loves and longs for.

And, its direction. The fact that she had become a woman and that she was headed for Cleon.

“I… What should I do…”

Looking at the moon rising in the sky, I muttered that.

No one knew the answer.