The armies of Sacred Swords and Myth crossed paths. The scale of damage caused by their clashing blades was beyond words. No matter who emerged victorious, Serge or Baldo, it was undeniable that the frontier lands would be reduced to a tragic state.
Amidst the clash of such disasters, Serge transformed the Will she held into a Sacred Bow, shifting it into its bow form. Baldo, in contrast, held the bow he had used earlier in his hands. Thus, the next moment was destined to bring an intense exchange of arrows from both sides. However, neither attack managed to find a breakthrough.
Serge’s arrows hit Baldo with a hundred percent accuracy, but the armor he wore neutralized their power, inflicting almost no damage. Facing a Sacred Bow capable of creating massive craters in the ground with a single shot, this defensive capability could only be described as extraordinary. Even with dozens, hundreds more hits, it seemed unlikely Baldo would be defeated.
On the other hand, Baldo’s arrows had not managed to hit Serge even once. Following his initial shot, the bow’s abilities were inexplicably not manifesting. It was illogical, utterly absurd. No matter how Baldo lamented this, the arrows continued to fly, narrowly missing Serge. Even if he fired dozens, hundreds more, he wouldn’t be able to graze Serge.
Furthermore, these balancing factors in the battle also applied to the surrounding storm of weapons. Baldo, unharmed even when hit, and Serge, whose weapons seemed to actively avoid him, formed a clear dynamic.
“I see. Even a rotten blacksmith is still a blacksmith. I am truly impressed by the catalog specifications of your weaponry,” Baldo remarked.
“You, too, managed to toy with my weapons to this extent. Among the gods I’ve faced before, there were few who were so utterly unreasonable. You can be proud of that. …However!”
As he loosed an arrow, Baldo glared at Serge’s Will.
“I knew this weapon looked familiar! Is it a knock-off of mine?”
“Hmm? A knock-off?”
“Indeed! Its ability to transform into any shape the user desires is exactly like Ridwan, which I created from Divine Iron! I assume some god, after sealing us away, tried to imitate it, but it seems to possess only that level of power! Compared to Ridwan, it’s a mere inferior copy!”
“Hahaha. …I can’t let that slide,” Serge said, her voice deepening slightly. She fired an arrow that struck Baldo squarely in the face. However, the helmet Baldo wore seemed to absorb the attack, weakening it.
“Hahahahaha, no matter how much you struggle, this is the result! My Ridwan is nothing like that failure! It possesses its own will, transcending the boundaries of simple weaponry! It boasts the ultimate hardness, unyielding to any attack! It can undergo countless transformations, unfettered by time! Its quality as a weapon, as a weapon of war, is different, I tell you!”
“Oh, that’s impressive. Indeed, you might possess the pinnacle of skill as a blacksmith. But—”
Serge stamped on the air and charged like the wind. Seeing this, Baldo immediately dispatched weapons he kept in reserve to intercept her. But, as before, they failed to hit Serge.
“—as a wielder, you are mediocre at best.”
“Nngh!?”
Gale and Thunder. Serge transformed Will from a bow to a great hammer, a sacred mace, and struck Baldo with all her might. His full-body armor couldn’t mollify the fierce momentum of the attack, and Baldo was sent crashing from the air to the ground.
“…C-cuck, cuckahahahaha! That’s why I said it’s meaningless! No matter how it changes shape, such a weapon—”
Baldo attempted to rise, nearly untouched. However, before his confident and boastful speech could finish, Serge, having already closed the distance, launched her next attack.
“Sacred Blade.”
Using Will, now transformed into a sword, Serge unleashed a rapid series of Iaijutsu attacks at point-blank range. The secret techniques, reminiscent of the Survivor’s skills, cascaded into the slight openings in Baldo’s full-body armor, such as the joints. While Serge’s Iaijutsu skills might not match the Survivor’s, her overwhelmingly high Status compensated for her technique, elevating her skills to a power and speed almost indistinguishable from his.
“…! It’s useless, utterly useless! You don’t understand! And you got too close!”
Despite this, Serge’s attack had no effect on Baldo’s entire armor. Worse, she suffered a painful counterattack. This was the activation of Baldo’s Authority, ‘Training.’ His ability to decompose substances in his surroundings extended even to Serge. No matter how much Serge benefited from the protagonist’s bonus granted by ‘Absolute Gospel,’ she couldn’t luckily evade this ability, which functioned throughout all of space.
“I can’t remain a gentleman forever! You shall obediently become the material for my creation!”
Serge’s equipment began to rapidly decompose. Celestial Robe Mithos, Divine Hand Iero, Eternal Boots Zarge—all were her chosen companions whom she had cherished for years. However, among them, only Will remained in Serge’s hand, undecomposed.
“My Will is not so weak as to be decomposed by you. Also, watch out above.”
“Huh? Oguuh!?”
A Sacred Greatsword suddenly descended from above, delivering a surprise attack. Serge had seemingly gathered the rampaging Sacred Swords in mid-air to form this massive blade. It clashed violently with Baldo’s armor, aiming to cut him in two. But the armor remained intact. It was just a step short, just one step from a decisive blow. However, on the other hand, Baldo had lost sight of Serge, who had been in front of him moments before. Her form had vanished in the instant his attention was diverted by the surprise attack on the giant sword.
“Tch, a futile struggle…! Then, I shall decompose this dullard first!”
Baldo spread his white wings, their tips branching out like sharp needles. He then thrust them into the greatsword, forcibly initiating its decomposition as if drawing blood with a syringe. He was not satisfied with merely defending. Furthermore, Baldo rained down the weapons he had deployed in the air onto the ground, initiating random attacks.
Even if her position were revealed, somehow the attacks would be deflected. Therefore, it was better to unleash attacks over a wide area. Even if her form was hidden, he had no need to fear the attacks. Besides, keeping weapons close at hand would ensure his safety. …Such thoughts seemed evident. Of course, Serge had also perceived this line of reasoning.
“As I thought, you’re always too leisurely. You’re not suited for the front lines. You prioritize your creative activities over defeating me.”
“Wh-!? Is that it!?”
Reacting to the voice from behind, Baldo reflexively flung the weapon in his hand. However, when he turned around, Serge’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Coffin of Repose.”
Serge’s voice was heard again, this time from behind Baldo. Although, this time the voice was chanting the name of a certain spell.
“This—!?”
A coffin-shaped barrier materialized around Baldo. Before he knew it, the greatsword that had impaled his wings had also disappeared, and Baldo was left alone within the barrier.
“Borrowing the techniques of a former ally to defeat the enemy… Yes, doesn’t it seem like a rather protagonist-like development?”
Furthermore, even when she looked back or scanned her surroundings, Serge’s figure was still nowhere to be found. When she directed her gaze towards the source of the voice, it had already moved to another direction at that very moment.
“Fool! Do you think you can defeat me with such pathetic attacks!? …Ah, I see. I understand your intentions. Since you can’t defeat me, you’ve switched to a strategy of sealing me! Cuck, do you think such a mere barrier can capture me? Just you wait; I’ll destroy this barrier in no time—”
“—Sacred Kill.”
A loud mechanical sound, “Buon buon,” echoed from behind Baldo.
