[Kiba's Side]
"Impossible..."
The clone of Vals wore an expression of absolute disbelief.
Stretched out before his eyes was a desolate, ruined wasteland that looked as though it had been subjected to saturation bombing. The earth was violently gouged open, dirt and debris were scattered everywhere, and thick plumes of dust rose into the air from every direction.
And embedded dead-center in the newly created crater was his own original body, thoroughly thrashed like a tattered rag—the "Gazer" Vals himself.
It was no exaggeration to say that every single one of Asem's subordinates possessed god-class strength. Though their powers were not flashy, their ability to perceive through their opponents, their polished sword techniques, and their overwhelming magic made them exceptionally formidable.
Yet Vals had been so utterly dominated.
And the one who accomplished such a feat was, naturally...
"Now then, do you mind if I join in? I can't be letting my students push themselves past their limits any further, after all."
Declaring this with a fearless, composed aura was the "Sword Saint," Maurice Noah.
The strongest swordsman in the alternate world of Ast Arde.
The clone of Vals looked back and forth between Maurice and his own original body, then threw his head back toward the sky—
"NO! WHY IS THE ORDER ALL WRONG HERE?!!" he screamed, clutching his head in frustration!
The clone stormed over to his original body and grabbed him violently by the collar!
"Why are YOU, my original body, the one who got defeated first?! In a normal story progression, you're supposed to corner Maurice-dono to amp up the tension for these kids! Or the classic, trope-standard flow dictates that I, the clone, get taken down BEFORE you fall!"
We don't need that kind of "classic story progression" here!
Wait... that's the part you're choosing to complain about?!
"I mean, but... that guy is just way too strong..." the real Vals muttered, averting his eyes with an apologetic expression!
Yes, exactly! Maurice is just far too ridiculously strong!
At that response, the clone, still clutching the real Vals by the collar, began shaking him violently back and forth.
"You need to do something about that! This whole scene is completely ruined! What are we going to do with this awkward atmosphere?!"
"Even if you say that... just look over there."
The battered, blood-soaked Vals pointed a trembling finger into the distance—
There lay a sight where the earth, the sky, and space itself had been clean cleaved in two.
The cross-section of the sliced ground was as smooth as if cut by a razor-sharp blade, while the sky above warped unnaturally where the red clouds met the distorted spatial rift, struggling under the world's self-correcting force.
—It felt as though the world itself had been sliced open.
The clone of Vals stood with his mouth agape, completely rendered speechless by the sight.
And then, a few seconds later...
"...Okay, yeah. That's totally understandable."
"...Right?"
Vals gave a dry, raspy laugh, his face stained red with blood.
Apparently, even to the servants of an evil god, the power of the Sword Saint was completely off the charts.
Watching the two of them, Maurice spoke up with a casual shrug.
"Didn't I tell you? There's nothing in existence right now that I can't cut. Be it a Demon Lord or a God, none of that matters to me. If anyone tries to stand in the way of these kids, I'll slice through every last one of them."
Vals chimed in, "...You definitely never said that."
"Oh? My bad." Maurice let out a soft chuckle.
Issei-kun... this man is way too much of a cheat.
How on earth did you manage to make someone like this your subordinate...? I can't even begin to imagine how anyone could ever defeat him...
Yet, I had never seen Maurice sustain injuries this severe before.
His clothes were torn to shreds, his chest completely exposed. Across his torso was a deeply carved cross-shaped wound, the skin around it charred and blistered. He had likely taken a direct hit from one of Vals' signature high-tier flame spells.
The bleeding wouldn't stop, crimson drops continually dripping down onto the scorched earth. It was undeniably a heavy, critical injury.
As if reading my exact thoughts, Maurice parted his lips to speak.
"Enduring the pain of wounds is second nature to anyone who chooses to live on the battlefield. A scratch like this is nothing to sneeze at."
With that, he shed his blood-soaked outer coat, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Things have really taken a turn, haven't they...? Going to an isolated realm along with that monster? Tch. If that was the plan, you could've at least given me a heads-up, Azazel, you bastard. If you disappear, I'll lose one of my drinking buddies, and that's going to be a real pain in the ass. I mean, honestly..."
Maurice let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sure you have people whose future you want to watch over, too. Not being able to see their growth up close... that's a lot lonelier than you think, you know? Well, then all we have to do is wrap everything up here before that isolated barrier carries that monster away. Am I right?"
Hearing Maurice's words, the real Vals spoke up weakly.
"Are you... planning to cut down Trihexa? Do you honestly believe you can defeat that thing?"
"Who knows? To be completely honest with you, I even doubt whether there's anyone in this universe who can kill a monstrosity like that. But we've got no choice but to try."
Maurice's gaze sharpened instantly.
Unable to withstand his suffocating killing intent, a mound of sand near Vals cracked and exploded outward.
Standing leisurely while clutching his dual blades coated in dense, terrifying sword aura, he showed not a single trace of exhaustion.
To emanate this much overwhelming power despite suffering such severe wounds...!
"Shall we get to it then, Mr. Clone? As you can see, I'm pretty banged up... but current me is still stronger than you."
"...!"
Targeted by that suffocating battle spirit, the clone of Vals broke into a cold sweat, forcing himself to raise his sword.
He was terrified.
Terrified of the bottomless, terrifying swordsman standing right in front of him.
Just as the battle between Maurice and the clone of Vals was about to ignite—
"—Wait."
A firm, halting voice called out from behind us.
The voice belonged to Xenovia, who until moments ago had been facing the grueling trial assigned to her by Maurice.
Gripping Durandal and Excalibur tightly in each hand, she stepped forward with heavy, resolute strides.
"Our battle isn't over yet. This is a fight for the three of us."
With those words, the aura of blue flame that had previously extinguished flared back to life around her body.
As the aura resurfaced, Xenovia's hair lengthened, spilling down all the way to her waist.
—The "Slash Princess of Blue Flames."
She had once again assumed that transcendent form.
"It's true that if Maurice steps in, we might win this easily. But... if we just hand things over here, if we let ourselves be protected here, we'll never grow."
In that moment, I felt a strange sense of dissonance from Xenovia's presence.
No, "dissonance" wasn't quite the right word.
—The sensation emanating from Xenovia felt identical to that of a Holy Sword itself.
"Maurice, you told us before... that you believed in our resolve and our potential. If so, then believe in us right now! I—no, we will break through the wall standing before us with our own hands!"
The blue flame aura coating Xenovia began to transform.
Its hue deepened, shifting into an impossibly rich, abyssal blue. Her hair and her eyes darkened as well, taking on a color far deeper, far more mesmerizing.
A deep, suffocating blue—like the absolute depths of the ocean.
Clad in that abyssal aura, Xenovia squared off directly against the clone of Vals.
『Sorry to keep you waiting. This is everything I am.』
Her voice had changed.
It sounded like multiple voices layered over one another, echoing in eerie harmony.
Observing her new form, the real Vals murmured in awe.
"This is... I see. Sword Saint-dono, you really do demand the impossible from your pupils."
Maurice nodded in response to the observation.
"Durandal and Excalibur. These legendary Holy Swords possess wills of their own. That includes the inherent will of the blades themselves, as well as the residual wills of all those who have walked beside these Holy Swords in the past. Xenovia took those wills into herself, truly becoming one with the sword... Though if she isn't careful, her own ego could easily be swallowed up by that tide of lingering consciousness..."
Maurice looked at Xenovia, bathed in that deep abyssal blue, and smiled faintly.
"I believed she could pull it off. That's why I pushed her. Though I'll admit, she really pushed it to the absolute wire."
Xenovia spoke again, her voice echoing with layered weight.
『...I understand now. I can feel the path every past wielder of Durandal and Excalibur has walked. I can comprehend every single emotion and wish embedded within these blades.』
In the very next instant—Xenovia vanished from sight!
The spot where she had been standing collapsed violently, hurling clouds of dirt into the air!
The sharp, high-pitched screech of colliding metal struck my ears.
I whipped my head around to see Xenovia and the clone of Vals already locked in a fierce, blinding clash!
The clone of Vals let out a gasp of utter shock.
"This... This speed and power...!"
『I will slam everything I have directly into you! And I will defeat you! We are going back to Issei! I won't let anyone block our path!』
She swung both Holy Swords with wild, savage intensity!
Every time her blades came down, the ground shattered and space itself screamed in agony! Whenever her weapons collided with her opponent's, her sheer, overwhelming force shoved him back!
The clone of Vals is getting pushed back...! He's being completely overwhelmed by Xenovia's brute power!
Blocking Excalibur with a grimace, the clone of Vals gritted his teeth.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"