Episode 23.13

"<Deploy (Parshoot)>!"

"<Deploy (Parshoot)>!"

The spell resounded at the same time.

<Shield of Wolkan> also emerged concurrently.

Lecan took a step forward.

Zaifad took a step backward.

Lecan swung down his sword overhead, Zaifad blocked it with his shield.

And just when Zaifad was about to swing the sword in his right hand, Lecan recited a spell.

"<Fire Arrow>."

A light emerging from Lecan's chest turned into ten pieces of <Fire Arrows> that flew toward Zaifad's face.

Zaifad quickly lower his head to block the <Fire Arrows> with his helmet.

The <Fire Arrows> got repelled while barely dealing any damage.

(That helmet's got some terrifyingly high magic resistance.)

(Meaning the armor must be too.)

Defense against magic is largely classified into two types, resistance and nullification.

The <Overking Bear> overcoat Lecan wears on him boasts a high resistance to magic and physical damage. And although it can reduce powerful magic attack to a sliver, a portion of the damage as well as the impact produced still gets passed on to the wearer.

On the other hand, nullification erases magic through some sort of mechanism, denying any damage to its wearer. However, the act of erasing magic requires mana. Once the mana supply is no more, so is the nullification.

Hence equipment that nullifies magic will eventually get broken through if you keep flinging magic at it. While equipment with high magic resistance will continue to reduce magic attack no matter how many times, but it has a limit on its durability, eventually damaging the equipment itself after a certain point.

Now then, as Zaifad lowered his head to protect his eyes from Lecan's magic, a moment of opening was created. Lecan isn't one who would overlook that.

He struck Zaifad's lowered head with <Sword of Rusk>.

As it was a swift attack, there was not much strength put into it, however the effect of <Guardian Jewel of Zana>'s attack boost was tremendous. A loud clashing sound echoed, pushing the neck down.

Zaifad's sword came swinging at Lecan from his flank. His dauntlessness to calmly attack while taking a blow himself is quite something.

Lecan blocked it with <Shield of Wolkan>, but the impact generated was shocking, his whole body got pushed back as his feet dragged the sand on the ground.

Zaifad's sword must have some sort of Grace on it as well. A grace that boosts strength, not speed.

Bwosh, Zaifad bashed shield toward Lecan.

Lecan too swung his own shield to the right, clashing with Zaifad's.

"<Fire Arrow>!"

Lecan scraped off a bit of the ground Zaifad's pivot leg, his right leg, stepped on with the <Fire Arrow>.

Simultaneously, Lecan pulled his shield back.

Zaifad lost his balance and fell forward, Lecan struck Zaifad's left shoulder with his sword. However, the attack didn't do much.

Zaifad firmly treaded the ground with his left leg, and thrust his sword upward from below.

Lecan parried Zaifad's sword with the shield on his left hand and jumped backward.

He was going to put Zaifad through the wringer if he recklessly rushed toward him, but Zaifad swiftly regained his balance and shifted into a defensive position instead.

Both his head and left shoulder Lecan struck earlier looked like they barely had any scratches.

(That some terrifying defensive strength his armor's got.)

He might have been better off swinging <Sword of Agost> here. No matter how sturdy or physically defensive an armor is, the human on the inside cannot avoid getting damaged to a degree. Hence, a big heavy sword is effective against them.

Zaifad appears to have figured that he shouldn't make a reckless advance against Lecan, he's making his body look smaller while observing Lecan's every moves.

(If you're gonna focus on defensive.)

(Then I'll just shift gears to offensive.)

(From outside your range, that is.)

Lecan kicked the ground and jumped backward. Zaifad with his armor cannot follow him.

Lecan greatly leaped back once again.

"<Reduction (Pirua)>."

Lecan put <Shield of Wolkan> away.

He knew Zaifad was tightening his body.

Zaifad must think Lecan is attempting to recklessly charge at him.

Lecan held out his left hand forward, his palm turned toward Zaifad.

"<Flame Spear>!"

A red ray of light assaulted Zaifad. His reflexes that allowed him to parry that with <Shield of Wolkan> was superb.

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

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"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

A rapid fire of <Flame Spears> without even a breather.

Zaifad managed to parry the first three spears with his shield, but after that, he couldn't afford to even position his shield to protect against the barrage of rays, he moved his shield into protecting his head and chest while relying on his armor to endure the magic barrage.

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

It's really one highly protective armor.

Even after that many <Flame Spears>, there's no obvious scratches let alone damage on it.

That said, its once beautiful argent luster is turning darker, and you can see small scratches forming here and there.

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

The barrage of magic was relentless, regardless if it hit the armor or the shield.

As Lecan continued to shoot the magic with his left hand, he used his right hand to put away <Sword of Rusk> and fetched <Sword of Agost>. He ended up showing <Storage> in front of many people, but winning this duel took priority.

Zaifad's legs are already staggering.

The heat and impact from <Flame Spears> are quite toilsome. The body inside that armor must be suffering burns and wounds all over.

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

"<Flame Spear>!"

Lecan stopped his magic attack, brandished <Sword of Agost> behind using both his hand and run forward.

Zaifad barely managed to hold up his shield against Lecan who closed the distance at tremendous speed. However, it took all his strength to merely hold the shield up, a far cry from the stance he took during the start of the duel.

"<Wind>!"

A powerful gust was generated behind the shield Zaifad held.

Loosening his grip, the shield slipped off Zaifad's hand.

As he hurriedly caught the shield and tried to regain his posture, Lecan with his sword raised overhead was already right in front of Zaifad.

Despair was reflected in Zaifad's eyes as he inferred the situation.

Yet the tenacity that prompted him to swing the sword in his right hand at Lecan is worthy of praise.

However, long before that blade could reach Lecan, the great sword Lecan swung down flicked <Shield of Wolkan> away, striking Zaifad's helmet cleanly on the side.

The helmet came off and got flung away. If it didn't, his neck bone would have been broken.

Thud, Zaifad fell behind.

"We have a winner! It's Lecan-dono's victory."