69. Where is your Starburst Stream Slash?

The script related to Kephir has appeared, and while I can’t help but marvel at how “the Moon Fairy is indeed one of Kephir’s ‘treasures’,” I also feel a slight sense of relief.

Looking again, at this moment, Kephir’s previous shortcomings have been compensated. With both powers having “evolved” to the eighth tier, although she cannot compare to Ludwig’s strength, which even surpasses the ninth tier of Saintly sealing, at least with the addition of the Moon Fairy, she won’t struggle as much as before!

And all of this was accomplished in a critical moment. After all, in the next instant, the “moonlight” unleashed by Ludwig has already begun to chase after Kephir’s movements, carving deep scars on the ground, trees, flowers, and even the walls of distant houses! And this is still just Ludwig “testing” the power of the Moon Fairy!

The moonlight, coming from all angles without any pattern or warning, possesses a “self-will” to pursue and predict the enemy’s actions, making it impossible to simply evade! Fortunately, this time Kephir finally has a way to counterattack!

[Kephir has harnessed the power of the Moon Fairy!]

Since the opponent’s moonlight can see through the human heart, Kephir can use the same power! There’s no layer of fear with the same strength; when powers collide, it all comes down to individual might!

At this point, hmph! Sword Saint, do you think you can master this incomplete power of the Moon Fairy, which you even snatched away, faster than the “protagonist” in the script!?

In the next moment, finding an opening, Kephir escaped the encirclement of moonlight. With a wave of her hand, rows of familiar moonlight cannons appeared behind her, and the surging moonlight dispersed all the radiance that Ludwig had unleashed! And this was not the end; the icy power of Alsace allowed Kephir to create a springboard right in front of her, leaping onto the night sky on solid ice, while the domineering force of thunder and lightning brought Ludwig crashing down from mid-air!

“Hahaha—Kephir, do you feel it now!? Power knows no distinction!”

“!”

In response to Ludwig, there was only Kephir’s pursuit!

“And I must correct my earlier statement; although I think about men every day, at least the sword can still be sharp sometimes—your grasp of Elisse’s power is impressively swift, truly remarkable… truly remarkable!”

Ludwig gradually… became strange, even excited, but this strangeness was far more than just her attitude; accompanying her excitement was a frenzy in her movements!

“You must understand, power has no limits! What are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven! They are merely the trifles of you humans!”

The force from the dual swords, now unwrapped and transformed, grew stronger and faster, with afterimages surging forth alongside the moonlight. Ludwig seemed to coldly remind us, as she pushed Kephir back: even without the power of the Moon Fairy, she remains a formidable and dangerous “Sword Saint”!

“When you truly understand this, you will no longer hesitate over matters of righteousness and morality, because you simply won’t have the time to deal with such troublesome things—”

The dual swords slashed down, the overwhelming force nearly sent Kephir tumbling, her body sliding backward.

“Kephir, with such a promising future, you better understand quickly! Otherwise, my patience with you will run out bit by bit!”

“Don’t treat me… as if I’m… like you!”

In her final act of resistance, Kephir naturally could not hold on. Even though she withstood Ludwig’s strike, her body still fell toward me and the Queen! At this point, there was no time for me to say: this is Kephir’s escape route! Don’t you find this path very familiar!? I knew all too well: after passing the baton to me, what kind of dangerous BOSS I would be facing.

No, just based on Ludwig’s behavior, which lacks any stance or habitual actions, she might be more like a wild monster than a BOSS in the script.

“Exchange of offense and defense, Sword Saint. My wife has reached the halftime break.”

In place of Kephir, I stepped forward. Immediately, I was met with Ludwig’s lazily dismissive response.

“Eh? You?”

The excitement that had just been on his face vanished, and now Ludwig looked at me as if I were a “big trouble.”

“Forget it, I just have a feeling this will be a hassle. I’m not really interested in you. You’re not thinking of taking the fairies for yourself, are you?”

I felt a bit annoyed, but it didn’t matter; I wasn’t confronting Ludwig to feel annoyed on Kephir’s behalf.

“No, I have no intention of challenging you to a duel. After all, I have my own solutions.”

“……”

Ludwig’s lazy smile faded somewhat, and she glared at me coldly, one of her eyes shining with the brilliance of a crescent moon.

“Though it feels a bit off, but you…”

“I’ve never trusted you from the start. After all, I’m someone who isn’t afraid of trouble at all.”

With a slight smile, I pointed to the queen beside me. I never intended to take credit; after all, even the upcoming arrangements were the result of my request to the queen.

“You might want to use Kephir as a sharpening stone, but unfortunately, I really don’t want to give you that opportunity. Whether you’re a Sword Saint, a Sword Demon, or a Sword Spirit, I, as a weakling, can’t imagine your strength, but at the very least… I can summon support from the Great Yng Empire that can stand against you!”

I steadied my mind and looked at the script.

【Reinforcements from Louis IV are waiting!】

“I had already asked the queen to bring in the big shots when the ‘duel’ started. After all, no one wants to let a threat to the will of the Great Yng Empire run rampant. If you dare to make even the slightest move next, many ‘monsters’ within the Great Yng Empire would love to teach you a lesson for your despicable act of stealing the former queen’s power, Ludwig. You say you’re unwilling to consider anything but strength, so… why not try to kill me?”

I bet on your gun… I bet that in your script, there won’t be, and you wouldn’t dare to have a script about my death! Because someone like you, who disregards everything for power, is the most incompetent, the most cowardly “coward.”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Ludwig averted her gaze. Was she feeling guilty? Or was she too disdainful to bother with me? It didn’t matter; as long as I could drive her away, that was enough!

“Kephir, I await the day you truly understand power and pursue it… After all, opponents should be faced without any distractions.”

Saying this, Ludwig swung her sword, slicing through the void! Among the “monsters” of the Great Yng Empire, it was clear that some did not want Ludwig to escape! But facing the magical net that fell from the sky, Ludwig simply swept her sword a few times, and everything around her that could interfere was gone!

“Ah… right, right, Iris, remember to deposit my maid salary for this month into my Great Yng Empire bank account. I specifically chose to duel during this month’s payday, so don’t make me go through the trouble of complaining about you withholding my wages…”

Finally, after leaving behind such a ridiculous remark, the “Sword Saint” of the Great Yng Empire vanished into the void.

—