78. Chaotic Domain
In this moment, Ludwig was not only severely injured, but even his weapon had been destroyed. On the surface, it seemed that Clefiel had already secured victory. However, faced with Ludwig’s sudden “casual conversation” at such a time, Clefiel did not dare to take another step forward.
It was a sense of crisis that arose from the depths of her heart; perhaps it was more appropriate to call it intuition. As the “Sword Saint,” Ludwig had already demonstrated far too many dangerous abilities. This time… he surely had something hidden as well. Not to mention the content he mentioned, which startled Clefiel.
“The ‘Saint’s’… legend? But in this world, to be canonized as a saint is itself a kind of legend, isn’t it?”
“Do you know, Clefiel, when power reaches a certain level, perhaps what you call ‘canonization’… you will suddenly feel that your strength has grown to the point where it not only affects the strength of your own body, but even… everything around you can be influenced as well…”
“Although such things are clearer when experienced personally, every time it comes to this, the power of the ‘Saint’ in the rumors is already enough to cause some changes in the surroundings.”
“That is what you humans refer to as… the existence of a ‘Domain.'”
The existence of a Domain…
As Ludwig spoke, Clefiel finally recalled this thing that could only be regarded as a “legend.” It was a story she had heard from her parents when she was young. They spoke of the existence of a ‘Domain’—not a power, nor magic, but the pure influence of the “Saint” themselves affecting everything around them. Naturally… such a domain could not be dispelled or broken…
Not magic, nor martial arts; how could such a power exist in the world!? At that time, Clefiel had not paid much attention to this “legend,” but everything happening before her now made her realize that it seemed…
It was not a legend at all.
“Destroying fairies at the behest of the employer is merely a trivial way to pass the time out of boredom. I only wanted to ‘find you’ without too much trouble after learning about your relationship with Nilu.”
“I just wanted to connect with you, to watch you become ‘sharp,’ and then… ah~ Clefiel, the power you possess now is already qualified to enter my ‘collection.’ How long has it been since I have seen a strong person who can make me go all out? Gaining such power from you is… the meaning of my existence~ ugh, ugh, ugh ah ah ah ah ah!”
Accompanied by a roar that sounded nothing like what one would expect from an elf, Ludwig made Kfir’s heart feel as if it were being tightly gripped, a wave of palpitations washing over her!
Aside from the dust that had yet to settle, everything around her remained unchanged! Yet, it felt as if everything had quietly transformed…
The strange and dangerous Ludwig before her, resembling a monster pieced together, showed no signs of change, but… perhaps her current appearance already represented the emergence of the “domain” she spoke of!
No thought of escape crossed Kfir’s mind; she fixed her gaze firmly on Ludwig: “Is this your ‘domain’?”
“Ah~ Talking to a child like you is truly not bothersome at all~ You might have sensed it too; this is my ‘domain.’ When I first arrived in this realm of [Chaos], I felt as if all the powerful beings, monsters, and creatures that had once fallen beneath my sword… had returned before my eyes, and it seemed I could take their power… just like I did with the power of the Moon Fairy—only this is a portable version.”
“Hm? What are you looking at? If it’s my sword you’re staring at, I remember this was once wielded by a so-called ‘Legendary Hero’ from long ago. Don’t say I stole it; spoils belong to the victor, and it’s protected by law~”
“As for the tail… it seems to belong to a fusion monster that once destroyed a nation, even Nilu had a hard time dealing with it… I can’t quite recall. But I do remember the wings and claws belonged to a Dragon King… something like Bahamut~ And the ears, I believe, are from a succubus that claimed to have absorbed energy for over a hundred years… You haven’t forgotten the eyes, right? They belong to the Moon Fairy… Everything else has slipped my mind; anyway, I don’t care what I’ve consumed.”
Ludwig set down the broken sword in her hand and picked up another, resting it on her shoulder. Her words flowed like casual chatter, yet the content was impossible to overlook!
“In my domain, I can freely splice together the powers of the beings I’ve defeated. Although I have no idea what the point of searching for this and that every day is, collecting the strongest powers in my domain is undoubtedly correct~ I seem to exist as ‘Ludwig’ for this very purpose.”
Moreover, Kfir quickly understood why the usually trouble-averse Ludwig was so persistent, even revealing her secrets to share these hard-to-digest truths with her!
“And now, I sincerely invite you, Kfir. What I desire is your very own power. I hope… rather than giving up, you can unleash your full strength, exhaust all your potential and abilities! Show me your true self in my domain!”
“This is what draws me to you. I couldn’t care less about who your enemies are or what you intend to do! I am only willing to wait for this moment without complaint! Kfir, little human girl… either give me your power, or… kill me. Under such fair terms, you won’t bear any burden and can unleash your full strength, right?”
“Just like the last ‘collection’ I encountered, the one truly called ‘Sword Saint Ludwig’!”
With no time to think, the next moment, the blade struck!
What Kfir felt was clearly akin to the fairy power she wielded, except that the power Ludwig used was not derived from any fairy but was a chaotic amalgamation of various strange creatures. Perhaps it was mixed with magic, but its essence was wild, furious, chaotic, and pure “power”!
There was no real “substance,” yet even the mere remnants of legendary creatures’ powers that existed only in books, when combined, became utterly terrifying!
“What I lack… is your ‘power,’ the ‘power’ unrelated to the body. Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me!”
The clash of blades gradually drowned in the roar of the monster before Kfir, a sound that no living being could produce.
——
The color illustrations have been updated; the pit is being dug, it is being dug.
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