Volume 7 Chapter 57 Platinum Sword Adventurer, 'Oath'
The first clash of our swords was exactly the same.
A loud, metallic sound echoed across the dawn-lit plain. Durandal and the old sword's swords collided, scattering sparks. Our faces, inches apart, wore fierce grins, baring our teeth.
We exchanged blows at the same timing, then retreated. Ah, I'm getting emotional. It's like I'm fighting my mirror image. Our movements are that similar.
But the difference starts here. We're not just swordsmen, but magicians. We can't start without using magic.
I firmly planted my feet on the ground and unleashed a series of gravity magic on Durandal.
"[Weight Reduce][Weight Increase][Repulsion] Boost your power to the limit and――stretch out, Durandal!"
One flash, limitless, and long-range attack struck 'Oath'. But 'Oath' was unfazed.
"It's times like these that you shouldn't hesitate in your judgment. ——The protection of the willow wind."
'Oath' lightly received the attack, which would have dealt damage even to Sieg. Geas is incredible, I thought again. But that's not a reason to stop.
I repeated the limitless flash, trying to knock down the approaching 'Oath'. But 'Oath' deflected all of them.
Finally, 'Oath' reached me with his old sword. The words he spoke were a Geas to kill me.
"We swear. To deny healing. We seek compensation with faster feet."
Anahata's Chakra forbade healing. Ah, he's a formidable foe, indeed.
'Oath' suddenly accelerated his speed and slashed my flank, dodging my arm. I reflexively raised my arm and shouted, "Ah, no! My right arm was about to get cut off again!"
"Hahaha 'Slow' You're too careless! You don't even mention your slashed flank!"
"It's not like I haven't been minced to pieces multiple times before! This level of pain is nothing to me!"
I'm changing my strategy. The strength of gravity magic lies in its ability to directly affect the enemy. So, I'll use "Oath" along with my curse spell.
"Object - Point Shift."
"Ah, sorry to say, but that won't work."
Gravity magic grabs onto "Oath" and neutralizes it. "Oath" laughs mockingly and readies its sword.
"I have the 'Protection of the magic'. That kind of direct magic can be neutralized, you see."
"Ah, I forgot about that one..."
"Well, then."
'Oath' takes a forward stance again.
"This time, I'll be the one to corner you."
'Oath' flips and leaps out. So fast. I think about defense and remember that I was forbidden from using Roman.
Then, it's time to attack. I stretch out my arm to grab "Oath" and change my fingers.
"Deep Gravity."
"!?"
'Oath' loses his balance. His 'Protection of Magic' crumbles. I grip my fist tightly and say.
"Object - Point Shift."
Now, let's get started.
I grab 'Oath' with gravity and swing him down to the ground with all my might. His body floats up and gets slammed into the ground, floating up and getting slammed down again.
"And now, the finishing blow Create Chain!"
I slam 'Oath' into the ground multiple times, then release him upwards. I entangle him with chains and jump up.
In an instant, his body gets hurt. But I won't end it there. I swing the chains and slam him into the ground again.
"'Slow', you're merciless, aren't you?"
"It's mutual, don't you think?"
'Oath' gets slammed into the ground, and his body finally shatters. The sound of his flesh bag bursting, along with his body scattering everywhere.
But he revives. The wind blows, and his flesh particles dance like dust, reforming his body in the whirlwind.
I say.
"That's cheating. You're really annoying with your immortality."
"'Slow', have you never looked in a mirror?"
I shattered the prohibition on healing, and my body was restored through the Anahata Chakra. I burst out laughing, "What's with that? Are you kidding me?" 'Oath' also laughed with a "kukuku".
My second eye, the Ajna Chakra, was watching 'Oath's' "Immortal Protection" crumble further with each attack. The more I killed, the more it broke.
On the other hand, I was being forced into a position that was the complete opposite of Sieg's. I, who could revive no matter how many times I died, was fragile, while Sieg, who couldn't revive, was strong.
Now, I was unable to heal until 'Oath' died, and I could only revive a limited number of times. This kind of battle was also pretty thrilling. The tension was a spice that made the fight enjoyable.
I tossed Durandal into the air, using gravity magic to make it hover, and prepared to ambush. Instead, I readied my gauntlets on both arms. Seeing that, 'Oath' thought, "This is interesting."
"Then, let's do it. I'm no good at close combat, so I'll take the defensive stance."
'Oath' sheathed his broken straight sword, took a deep breath, and assumed a stance, like a drawn sword. No, it was probably a drawn sword.
"Heal prohibition."
Once again, I was bound by 'Oath's' Geas, and my Anahata Chakra was restricted. In other words, it was a rematch. I carefully readied my fists, gazing at 'Oath' from between them.
"There's a 'protection of accuracy' in my Geas."
'Oath' said.
"It's a Geas that makes all attacks unavoidable, instead of using projectiles. It's a Geas that hunts those who try to dodge my attacks."
"There's also a 'defense hunting' Geas, right?"
"That's the 'protection of shield breaking'. It means I'll kill anyone who tries to defend against my attacks, no matter how slightly. Whether they defend or dodge, I'll cut them down."
Hehe, 'Oath' smiled.
"On that point, you were perfect. You didn't dodge or defend, and just attacked head-on. That kind of reckless bravery is what I love."
"Ugh, just get to the point already."
While being praised didn't bother me, hearing a long lecture like this was making my blood boil.
'Oath' said, "You're really something, listening to what an old man says." Then, 'Oath' slowly gathered power in his right arm.
"The protection of accuracy forbids projectiles. Bows, throwing stones, and things like that are not allowed for me. However, projectiles that occur as a result are forgiven with a generous heart."
'Oath's sword glinted in the morning light.
I stood up straight, and with a swift motion, I punched the air with my gauntlet. The impact was immense. Durandal let out a high-pitched metallic sound.
"Not bad, you've got some skill."
I understood 'Oath's laughter.
"You think you can deflect my sword skills with brute force? That's rich."
"Well said. Now, let's end this explanation, Oath. Come, let's exchange blows."
'Oath's arm moved. I charged forward, aiming for the invisible slash.
Using Ajna Chakra, I detected the slash and precisely punched it away. But 'Oath's counterattack didn't stop. He kept releasing slashes, trying to cut me down.
At first, it was fine. The slashes were numerous, but they all came at me. I could handle that much.
But 'Oath' started playing around midway.
"What about this?"
'Oath's slash flew in the direction of the morning sun. I wondered what he was doing, and while thinking, I advanced further, then turned around a beat late.
The slash was a vibration in the air. It wasn't physical. So, I was slow to realize that the slash would come back like a boomerang.
I thrust my fist out and smashed it. I turned around. A torrent of slashes was coming at me from the front as well.
I kept thrusting my fist out, smashing the slashes. My field of vision was filled with invisible slashes, as if shown by Ajna Chakra.
But then a sound of flesh tearing echoed.
A slash ran across my shoulder. My flesh easily tore, and blood spurted out. It was a slash from behind. Damn, I gritted my teeth in a fierce grin.
"Finally, one hit. You're a tough enemy, aren't you?"
While saying that, 'Oath' didn't stop his counterattack. I realized that my current situation was dire.
The saturation of my vision due to the visible slashes. The slashes that defied physical laws and attacked me from behind. Of course, there were countless ones coming from the front as well.
I foresaw that my thinking resources would be stolen. But I had 2 countermeasures against that.
One was to secure my thinking resources with the second brain, Sahasrara Chakra, and slowly close in.
The other was to shut down even the Ajna Chakra, get hurt, and quickly dive into the 'Oath' at high speed.
I laughed ferociously and chose the latter.
My second eye, the Ajna Chakra, closed. I used my intuition to deflect the frontal slash and stepped forward.
"Hahahah! You're the owner of an incredible amount of guts!"
'Oath' was astonished. I said, "I'm confident in my guts, at least!" while using gravity magic, my second heart, Anahata Chakra, and the acceleration rune of Durandal to accelerate.
My speed was so fast that it left even shadows behind. My body got hurt from the slash, but it was no big deal.
My shoulder was torn, my thigh had a gash, blood spilled from my abdomen, and my right thumb flew off―――Still, I dove into the 'Oath'.
The incoming attack was 'Oath's' crude straight sword. This distance was 'Oath's' territory. But even so, I didn't flinch. I didn't stop.
With a punch.
Durandal's gauntlet struck the side of 'Oath's' crude straight sword. The combination of gravity magic and Durandal's weight-changing ability gave my fist an unbelievable power, rivaling Sieg's.
It was something that could easily crush even 'Oath's' crude straight sword.
The fragments scattered. 'Oath's' crude straight sword broke into 3 pieces, as far as I knew. What was left was the defenseless 'Oath'.
If I could overcome the sword's distance, I'd reach the 'Oath's' bosom. In other words, it was no longer a sword's distance, but a fist's distance. It was my territory.
"'Oath'."
I laughed, showing my teeth.
"Come, eat this."
My fist, fueled by rage, pummeled 'Oath'.
It was like the fist that killed Sick, or the sword of the Roman god that sliced 'Oath' into pieces.
I kept punching, punching, punching, punching, punching, and punching. My punches wouldn't stop. I'd settle this here and now, and I'd crush 'Oath' with my fist.
'Oath' couldn't defend himself anymore. The 'Immortal Protection' was broken, crumbling under the conceptual pressure, and spilled its fragments.
In an instant, 'Oath' died, and my [Deep Gravity] crushed the 'Immortal Protection.' The 'Oath's' blood, flesh, and bones approached true death.
But I was dissatisfied with that.
"Is this the end?"
I asked 'Oath.'
"You can still do it, can't you? I can still do it. Are you trying to make me go berserk, 'Oath'?"
'Oath' was dying every second from my punches, unable to resist.
"If you don't have a sword, it's all over. Why are you using such a crappy sword? You're going to fix it, right? You're not going to use such a pathetic sword for a big deal like this! If I don't break the sword, you can still do it!"
The 'Immortal Protection' shattered. I stopped punching and grabbed 'Oath's' collar, holding up his battered body.
"You can still do it! You must have something left Answer me, 'Oath'! You can't just lose your immortality and break your sword and expect me to think that's the end of you!"
'Oath' remained silent. I waited, believing. The morning sun shone beautifully, illuminating the plain.
There, 'Oath' opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry. I was just waiting. I had a feeling it was coming."
'Oath's' body, having lost his protection, began to recover. The battered straight sword, which had never been let go even when beaten to death, was restored, and its battered surface peeled off, revealing a radiant glow from within.
"I had a final Geas. Everything was for this. I've been using this straight sword for a hundred years to seek a protection that could even pierce the 'Immortal Protection,' a divine protection. That's what I was searching for."
I couldn't help but let go of my hand due to the heat emanating from the sword. 'Oath' landed on the ground, corrected his posture, and swung his battered straight sword.
The rust was scraped off.
What was revealed was a sword shining pure white. I clearly understood that this sword was a renowned sword, rivaling Durandal.
"The Holy Sword Excalibur."
'Oath' said.
"God made a promise to me. If I wield this sword for a hundred years, I'll be able to defeat any enemy a hundred years from now, and I'll be granted the sword of promised victory. I'll be given a sword that surpasses even The Cursed Thirteen Blades of Victory."
'Oath' removed the bandage that covered his eyes. The 'Protection of Willow Wind' that had been protecting him from everything was lost. The bandage was swept away by the wind.
And then 'Oath' opened his eyes.
They were a bright, piercing blue, like the morning sun. With the sun behind him, 'Oath' said,
"'Slow' Wade. No, from now on, Wade. Once again, I'll introduce myself."
He placed his hand on his chest and said,
"I am Arthur, the 'Oath's Sword' Arthur. What you've been searching for, my true self, is right here. This is the real me, with all my heart and soul."
I trembled at that. The atmosphere that had been suppressed until now was finally released. With the protection of the 'Willow Wind' gone, the full-powered 'Oath' ―― Arthur ―― stood before me.
Arthur readied his sword.
"Wade, let's begin our final battle."
Morning arrived. A new day began. The real battle began.
All restraints were removed. Arthur, a magnificent swordsman, stood before me.
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