Chapter 273: Difficulties
“And you, you damn guy, you’re just a crystal, and you haven’t beaten this young lady, so don’t act like an old man who’s been through a lot! I’ve met many humans stronger than you!”
Verafia’s angry voice echoed in the air, which was filled with explosive sounds as sword qi cut through the air. She swung her sword heavily, and her blade, condensed with golden flames, struck the dark greatsword that the opponent had grabbed for defense, emitting a powerful ripple that leveled the surrounding several meters of dirt and rocks.
“Bang!”
The black swordsman blocked the attack with his greatsword held in front of him, his steps retreating to dissipate the impact. Although his body was still surging with dense demonic power, he appeared slightly dishevelled. Clearly, while dealing with Ophi’s spear thrust earlier, he had taken Verafia’s attack head-on with his body, which was extremely taxing even for him.
As the swordsman was repelled by Verafia, Ophi and Fran, who had been forced to retreat, rushed forward. The frost-ice dragon spear, flowing with intense demonic power, and the sword, which was like a frozen longsword with bright red blood flowing from its pure white skin, simultaneously launched a full-powered attack at the black swordsman.
“Frost Piercing Cold Blade!”
“Blood Condensation Sword Technique: Break!”
The two attacks tore through the black swordsman’s defenses. Ice and blood-red sword qi impacted his body, causing him to grunt. The powerful force made the distorted force field collapse, and his armor, entirely composed of dark demonic power, showed signs of damage, revealing his true body.
“That’s it! Little Fran and you idiot ice dragon, beat this guy with all your might for this young lady!”
Verafia shouted joyfully, seemingly very happy to see the guy who had just bullied her getting into trouble. The maiden’s pure white sword edge, upon which flowing blazing flames transformed into a beautiful golden stream of light, sliced vertically into the shattered darkness beside the swordsman.
Although the swordsman in the darkness had clearly suppressed the two maidens, Fran and Ophi, before, under Verafia’s renewed attack, even though the dark greatsword desperately blocked the attacks, the situation quickly turned to a disadvantage under the siege of several maidens, becoming precarious.
Within just a few breaths, the dark greatsword, the frost-ice dragon spear, the cold-edged sword, and Verafia’s condensed flame longsword blades clashed more than a thousand times. The released ripples violently collided in the air, shattering the surrounding ground and the remaining damaged houses into dust, and then grinding them into the most basic particles!
A hundred meters away, Dofiraia, holding her staff, supported a defensive spell of an ice wall. As the impact of the battle’s aftermath hit, the diffused pure cold air spread through the already cracked ice wall, which, unable to bear the load, collapsed with a loud crash.
Dofiraia quickly raised her staff to shape another defense, shielding herself and Ig. Her beautiful eyes still held an expression of disbelief, still unable to believe the sight of the several maidens fiercely clashing with the black swordsman in the battlefield where distinctly different elemental colors erupted.
Even though Dofiraia was considered a talented maiden, and even looking across the entire Peka Kingdom, she was only slightly inferior to Elishia. However, she was still shocked by the combat power displayed by Verafia and the other maidens.
“Miss Verafia, and Ophi, they’ve actually become so strong!”
Dofiraia couldn’t help but let out a clear voice, full of shock.
“After all, she is the young lady. It’s not surprising that she has such power.”
Ig’s gaze fell on the scene of the maidens fighting. If it weren’t for Dofiraia’s released defense, even a single ripple of the battle’s aftermath would have been enough to shatter him completely.
“The young lady is so strong… if only I could be by her side, then…”
Ig’s lowered gaze fell upon the End Sword Blade he tightly grasped in his hand. The flowing stream of light on the surface of the legendary sword blade, which had been passed down for a hundred years, reflected his face.
This is the legendary sword of former days, and for me… it’s already good luck to reach Silver.
He clenched his palm tightly.
Ig couldn’t help but recall the scene he faced Verafia in a month ago, after the Dead Silence Abyss collapsed, and his heart was filled with bitterness once again.
Verafia, this noble and magnificent, yet not lacking in cuteness Miss Phoenix, in her heart, am I just someone she uses to vent her curiosity and idle about in the world?
However, Ig soon shook his head, his palm tightly gripping the End, even as he felt a slight pain. The black-haired young man’s gaze, looking at the maiden in the gorgeous golden flames, became resolute.
“No matter what, I have to become stronger. At least, I can’t always stay behind her… Young lady, you can’t look down on me.”
Dofiraia seemed to sense the change in Ig’s emotions, turned her head to look, and her eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
Soon, the maiden with ice-lotus-like long hair turned her gaze back to the battlefield, where intense and magnificent demonic powers collided repeatedly, and nodded in agreement with Ig’s words.
“You’re right, Ig. Miss Verafia’s power is truly too great.”
Although the swordsman’s demonic power level was also only at the crystal level, the power he displayed far surpassed any crystal Ophi had ever seen.
But even so, under the blazing flames, the black swordsman was still suppressed by Verafia and the other maidens.
Dofiraia gently clasped her frosty staff. She couldn’t help but recall the scene of her battle with Verafia a few months ago. At that time, the Phoenix maiden was superior, but the gap was not obvious, and the gap in their control over frost was also comparable.
But if it were now, Dofiraia doubted if she could withstand even a casual blast of flame released by Verafia.
“However, only by reaching the level of Miss Verafia and the others can I complete the teacher’s trial… I must reach the crystal level as soon as possible.”
Ophi clenched her fist tightly and said seriously. A resolute expression also appeared on her snow-lotus-like face.
Just then, in the boundless night sky outside the battlefield where the maidens and the black swordsman were fiercely clashing, the sound of knights’ horseshoes appeared, and a sacred light aura, exceptionally conspicuous like light in the dark night.
“This is… people from the Church…?”
“Yes, and this is the main church in Lorinc’s city. Perhaps they are also here for the matters of this village. Wait, that nun in the silver robe, I am somewhat familiar with her…”
Ig also turned his gaze to the bright white light that appeared in the night sky, and the conspicuously raised cross sword banners. However, the boy’s gaze suddenly shifted, as if he had seen something unbelievable, and he exclaimed in surprise:
“Could it be Sister Chrisis? Why is she here too!”
