Chapter 235: Trampling Down

Nay, they did not explode. To be more accurate, someone on the other side had blown them into pieces with one swing of their sword.

A pile of boxes was pulverized into dust with just that one swing. They were broken into tiny fragments, and rained down on Cortina and Mateus like snow.

“What just—happened!?”

Mateus had lost his words at this unexpected destruction. That said, he immediately leaped back to secure his safety, which was proof of his skill.

As the wood chips rained down, one man appeared from the other side. That man was someone Mateus had been the most vigilant of.

“—Lyell!? Why is he here!” “Well, I broke through the window so flashily. The staff should have gone there to check it. And they would also discover the letter that I left behind. I asked them to call Lyell.” “That’s so uncertain… What made you think they would do as you asked?” “I decided that that inn was ‘reliable’ exactly because I knew that they would do it. Not to mention, if they let me die despite finding my note, it would lead to trust problems for them. If you think a bit, you’d realize that it would be better to do as it said.” “That still doesn’t explain how he found the place I lured you to…” “Ah, right. That’s why I kept firing signaling magic. From below to above, you see?”

Hearing Cortina’s playful words, Mateus moved his gaze overhead—towards the sky. There, he saw a tiny Light spell shining high in the air.

“You mixed Light spell among the offensive magic that you were firing at me?” “I never said everything I was firing was offensive now, have I?”

As Cortina rolled on the ground, the spells she fired were mostly directed upwards. Among them, she mixed in a Light spell that could be used in place of a signal flare.

And Lyell rushed over as he followed that mark.

“The reason I was so chatty with you was to gain time. Thank you for playing along without suspecting anything.” “S̲h̲i̲t̲, I wondered why were you so composed…” “—So, I take it you are Mateus?”

As Mateus was feeling humiliated for falling for Cortina’s tricks, Lyell addressed him for the first time. He was normally a sociable person, but this time, he was talking with a threatening tone. The intimidating air… no, pure dread that he was releasing made Mateus take a step back.

“Agh, s̲h̲i̲t̲. I would like to make my escape now, you know?” “Think I would let you?”

The moment he showed his back would be the moment he would be cut down. Mateus could vividly picture that scene in his mind.

He could not show his back against this opponent. That only left him one choice — to move forward. However, his legs were frozen in place from fear.

“Sorry but I’m going to exterminate any undesirable bugs lurking near my daughter.” “…I’m in deep s̲h̲i̲t̲, huh?”

The cold sweat ticking down his spine made the difference between their skills plainly obvious. With Lyell’s arrival, Cortina heaved a big sigh.

“Lyell, my leg’s injured so I can’t support you. Sorry but deal with him alone.” “Understood. Relax and just watch from there.”

With those words, he raised his dangling sword and directed it towards Mateus. Just that action was enough to have all his hair stand on ends. Even so, he forced his legs to move and step forward. It was because he judged that that was his only way of survival.

He forced himself forward by pure willpower and swung his sword together with a roar. That swing carried all the power that he could muster.

“Uuoooooohhhh!”

He raised a war cry that he only rarely showed, and attacked Lyell with everything he had. Lyell, however, brushed his sword aside as easily as swatting a fly.

Mateus who was the one attacking was pulled along by the momentum of his repelled sword, bending backward greatly. It was a blow even stronger than the one-handed strike of Mateus whose heaviness he so prided.

Still, having two swords, Mateus also prided himself in his ability to unleash similar heavy sword barrages without a stop.

Thus, he used his other sword to follow-up on his previous attack. But again, Lyell stopped even this attack, and this time, with his right arm of all things.

“Wha-!?”

Mateus was confident that he could easily chop off a human arm. However, the feeling that was transmitted from his sword made him feel as if he tried to slice steel instead of an arm.

No, that was not quite right. Unlike steel, it has some elasticity. Yet the blade failed to slice it.

It managed to cut his skin, but not his flesh.

His injury only resulted in a faint, almost insignificant streak of blood. That was the entire damage that Mateus’ full-powered attack managed to deal.

“You…Monster!”

His muscles of overwhelming density stopped his blow. This was proof for Mateus that Lyell was someone outside of common sense. Just what kind of training, what kind of battles one had to experience to gain a body like this?

“Lyell, we need to get Klein’s whereabouts out of him, so don’t kill him.” “Got it.”

He answered curtly, and this time, it was his sword that moved. Mateus crossed his swords and received that attack.

However, even his two hands could not stop his attack completely, and he was flung several meters backward through the alley.

One sword got broken, another got terribly dented. But thanks to them, Mateus managed to hold on to his life.

After rolling on the ground, he raised his face. The fact that he got blown away also meant that the distance between the two had widened now. Mateus wasn’t about to let this chance to escape go, thus he stood up and turned around to flee.

However, the next instant, his shoulder was grasped by a strong hand. As he fearfully looked behind, he found Lyell, who had covered such a big distance in one step.

“Are you kidding me!?”

This was the first time when Mateus had lost all his composure during a battle, raising a scream. A moment later, Lyell swung his arm greatly. Naturally, the same arm that was holding Mateus’ shoulder.

Mateus was flung away like a pebble, crashing into a wall.

“Gahh!”

Yet he still did not let go of his swords, proving that he was an experienced assassin. However, his face was dyed in despair the following instant.

“H-Hey…”

As Mateus lay there against the wall, Lyell went and grabbed his leg. And once again, he easily swung his arm. Mateus’ body floated in the air like a doll played by a child.

And then, he was slammed down into the ground, and this time, he ended up letting go of his swords, all while vomiting blood.

It took his all just to protect his head during the crash, and he could even hear his chest creaking from the shock.

Lyell once again raised his body up.

And slammed him to the ground once again, and again. Each time, Mateus vomited blood as some of his bones broke. The leg Lyell was holding him with had long since broken and was now dangling in the impossible direction.

And yet, Mateus stayed conscious through all that. Nay, the wave of sharp pain spreading through his body did not allow him to lose consciousness.

Then, finally, Lyell slammed his body back to the wall, and his rampage had come to an end.

However, Mateus no longer had a way to counter attack. Alas, he could not even escape.

His legs were broken, his ribs were broken, even his shoulders were broken. At this point, it was easier to count the parts that were still intact.

As Mateus was leaning on the wall, Lyell made a fist and aimed it at him. Being all broken and no way to avoid it, Mateus could only respond with an empty laugh.

“Ha-Haha… What can I do against… A monster like this?” “This is revenge for my daughter. Prepare yourself.” “Hey, Nicole isn’t dead!” “…Daughter?”

Hearing that, Lyell connected all the dots. Nicole had a fighting strength far beyond a girl her age. If her father was Lyell, then her mother would be Maria.

Her parents were the Dragonslayer Six Heroes. The two Heroes’ blood was condensed in her. It was natural that he had such a close fight against her.

“Of course… She would be so strong.”

And Lyell was the successor of the Holy Sword, the strongest among the Six Heroes in personal fights.

Even his utmost was only enough to cut his skin, and after that, he was thrown around like a toy.

The difference in skill was overwhelming. It would be laughable to even compare them. Perhaps it would have been better to admit defeat and beg for mercy the moment Lyell appeared.

He had not tasted such overwhelming defeat ever since losing to the head of the Jend Sect. He intentionally approached the Jend Sect, planning to defeat its head.

However, all of that was irrelevant. The strong always appeared suddenly, rampaged like a storm, and then left after trampling down on everything.

Just like this man before his eyes. Just like the Master of the Jend Sect once did.

Filled with hopelessness, Mateus closed his eyes. For resistance was futile against opponents like these. His expression told that he had accepted his fate.

And thus—Lyell had swung down his fist.