Volume 1 - CH 9

The Two Holy Swords

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by SoundDestiny

“Aaa, for God’s sake!　You’ve just ruined the good mood I was in!”

With a howl of disgust, Raidorl thrust out the tip of his Dáinsleif. The black blades and flails from the tip of the sword around like a whip and strike at the Celia running down from the hill.

“Cursed sword fighting method 【Scorpion Thrust】!”

“Imperial Style Sacred Sword Art 【Instant Thunder】!”

Just before the black blade reached her body, Celia’s body disappeared with a flash of light.

The next moment, the princess knight wielding a pale sword appears right in front of Raidorl.

“I will defeat the enemies of the Empire!”

“Tch….”

A holy sword clad in lightning strikes Raidorl.

Quickly kicking the ground, Raidorl jumps backwards and dodges the killing blow. However, a thunderbolt that he was unable to dodge struck him on the shoulder, causing severe pain.

“You’ve done a nasty thing with your swiftness movement, haven’t you!　Is that your holy sword’s ability?”

“Don’t call Claíomh Solas nasty!　You, who use such horrifying powers, I don’t want to hear it from you!”

Raidorl and Celia glare at each other from a slight distance.

The two are Excalibur holders, the chosen holder of the Sacred Sword of the Holy Sword. However, the two figures are so different.

A King’s brother and an Imperial princess.

A black sword and a white sword.

A man clad in a dreadful miasma and a woman clad in a pale blue lightning.

The two, who are supposed to be living legends revived in the modern age, are in stark contrast and seem to be incompatible, like water and oil.

“You, the hero chosen by the Holy Sword, why are you doing this! How many people do you think have died because of you!”

Celia shouted as she thrust the tip of her sword at Raidorl.

Celia’s figure,with lightning in the background,  is like a warrior maiden who condemns evil and is as divine as a mythological story.

“Oi,oi,oi what are you talking about?”

On the other side, Raidorl, who was in the position of the demon who had been condemned, slightly narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips.

“In the first place, it was the Empire that invaded the Zain Kingdom, wasn’t it? Did you start the war yourself, and then when you got pushed back, you just licked your chops and played the victim?”

“The Empire is fighting to unite the continent and create a peaceful world! If the Empire unites the continent, everyone will be happy, why can’t you see that?”

“Peace…..happiness……? Ha, you sound like you’ve got a bug in your head!”

Raidorl sniffs mockingly.

The words uttered by the maiden of thunder standing before him are so foul-smelling and purely selfish.

This pure princess does not even doubt that she, the Empire, is just.

She cannot conceive that others might suffer misfortune as a result of the aggression she has brought about under the guise of peace.

“So this is what you get for being the Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder of the Empire. You’re just a kid who doesn’t even know how tough the world is!”

“Wha…..you’re not that much older than me!　Don’t treat me like a child!”

“But I am making fun of you…..!”

Celia’s face turns red like an apple and she slashes at Raidorl.

Raidorl also swiftly counter-attack, and the two holy swords collided head-on.

“Kuu!?”

“Gugu!?”

A small explosion occurs between the clashing swords, and their bodies are blown apart.

Raidorl positions himself in the air and lands on both legs, while Celia rolls on the ground and takes a passive stance.

“【Scorpion Thrust 】!”

Raidorl sent a slash towards Ceilia, who rolled on the ground.

“【Thunder–Tonitrus】!”

Celia rose from the ground and fired lightning towards the oncoming jet-black slash.

The pale lightning broke through Raidorl’s curse slash and struck him back in the opposite direction.

“Tch!”

Raidorl clucked his tongue and flew sideways. However, Celia appeared in the space where he flew.

“【Instant Thunder】! —yah!”

“Khh……! Don’t fuck with me!!”

Raidorl repelled the swinging Claíomh Solas with  his sword.

She also attempted to strike the Dáinsleif with her sword in return, but the attack, launched from an impossible posture, was avoided with a light step and only ended up gouging the ground under Celia’s feet.

“I won’t let you get away!　Spell Sword Fighting 【Stone-Eyed Goddess Medusa】!”

“He…….kyaa!”

Raidorl launches a ranged attack with his sword tip still striking the ground. A black dome with a radius of ten metres appears centred on Raidorl.

It was a cursed space that petrified enemies and had the power to transform creatures taken into it into stone statues in the blink of an eye.

“Uuhyaaa……what was that,Mouu! It’s disgusting!”

When the dome disappeared, Celia appeared, unscatched.

Although Celia is shaking off the black miasma that is entangling her body with a puzzled expression, she does not seem to be noticeably affected by the curse.

“Tch….. this is going to be troublesome. Blessing from the Holy Sword is it?”

Raidorl realised his disadvantage and his face contorted bitterly.

Raidorl and Celia. It is impossible to say which of the two is the superior Excalibur Holder.

However, it seems that the cursed power of the Dáinsleif is less effective against Celia, who has the blessing of the Holy Sword.

It seems that Celia, who possesses a weapon with superior destructive power in the form of lightning, has an overwhelming advantage in terms of compatibility.

“Arere? Is it by any chance, Onii-san?….cornered?”

Looking at Raidorl’s bitter expression, Celia smiled.

Celia too must have realised her advantage. A proud look of triumph flashed across her face.

“If you surrender, shall I spare your life? Onii-san seems strong, and if you submit to the Empire, maybe Papa will hire you? Papa likes strong people.”

“Haha, thank you for your depressing and annoying concern!”

The supercilious words, as if she had already won, were spat out by Raidorl with a spit.

“I hate to break it to you, but I’ve decided I will never stand in anyone else’s shoes again. The idea of entrusting my fate to an emperor I’ve never met makes me want to vomit!”

“Fummnn, I see. Okay then. I think it’s time to end this,am I right?”

“………..!”

Once again, Celia teleports and steps into Raidorl’s space.

Raidorl intercepted her with Dáinsleif, his expression distorted.

“You’re……annoying!”

Although he avoided a direct hit at the very last moment, Raidorl’s body and clothes were covered with burns and scorch marks. Damage is gradually accumulating due to the lightning that he was unable to avoid, and impatience is becoming noticeable on his face.

‘Aa…… this, I think I might have won.’

As Raidorl is cornered, Celia is convinced of her victory. With a smile of satisfaction, she releases more lightning in pursuit.

Normally, a knight shouldn’t smile in the middle of a battle. It leads to carelessness and pride, and is not polite to the enemy.

But even so, Celia can’t stop the muscles in her face from relaxing. The victory over a strong enemy who had never been fought before, a holy sword user of the same rank, had made her heart flutter uncontrollably.

Not more than five minutes have passed in time since the fight between Raidorl and Celia began. Neither of them had sustained any noticeable external injuries, and to anyone other than those involved it would appear that the battle had only just begun.

However, in that short time, Celia had realised the decisive difference in strength between herself and her enemy and was convinced of her superiority.

Raidorl Zain was the first enemy Ce;ia had fought as an enemy, the Holy Sword:Excalibur holder.

This is because, although there are three holy swords in the Arslanian Empire, including Celia’s Claíomh Solas, she has never seriously fought against an ally before.

When she witnessed Raidorl wielding the Holy Sword, Celia would break out in sweat at the rush of his power. His figure that transformed the battlefield by generating a huge black tornado was more like an evil god or demon from mythology than a hero chosen by the Holy Sword.

Its sheer mighty power was even terrifying.

But –

‘It’s really amazing to draw that much power from the Holy Sword……but that’s it. The output alone is not enough to beat me’

Even Celia could not unleash an attack capable of knocking down thousands of soldiers to the ground.

Her father, the Emperor and Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder that wields Durandal, the Holy Sword of Fire, can burn an entire battlefield to the ground and Raidorl’s power would be comparable to that.

And yet – Celia thinks.

She will never be defeated. She is better than Raidorl.

“Ne, Onii-san. You realise that, don’t you? You can’t beat me with that holy sword, can you?”

Celia said in a sympathetic tone and swung her  Claíomh Solas at Raidorl.

“Tsk……!”

Raidorl clicked his tongue and deflected the lightning slash with his Dáinsleif.

Dáinsleif, a holy sword that creates a miasma of curses – a fearsome holy sword that wields abominable power on a scale that can change the terrain, cutting thousands of soldiers into pieces with its cursed slashes and putting them in a state of disrepair. Its power undoubtedly can single-handedly influence the course of battle.

However, in a battle between holy swords, their power is not so frightening.

The Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder has received blessings from the Holy Sword and has gained strong resistance to curses and other abnormal conditions.

‘And my power is lightning. It’s faster and sharper than a cursed slash!’

“Yah!”

With the spirit of a warrior, Celia unleashes a lightning strike.

Raidorl immediately intercepts it by sending out a slash, but the blade of miasma is slashed by the lightning and fizzles away.

“Aaaa, damn it! It doesn’t work after all!”

“Onii-san is very strong, but neither your power nor your speed can reach my lightning. That holy sword is even lower than Claíomh Solas, you know?”

“……You’re telling me, you made a false assumption about my partner!?”

Raidorl retorts with an abhorrent distorted expression, but in Celia’s eyes it is nothing more than the howl of a loser.

The cursed slashes released by Dáinsleif are indeed troublesome, but they are far from the lightning that boasts an overwhelming amount of energy.

No matter how much more power Raidorl could use at once, if they clashed head-on, Celia would always win.

“Onii-san—why don’t you just give up and surrender? If you surrender like an adult and meekly, I won’t do anything bad to you.”

Celia expresses pity and advises Raidorl to surrender.

Defeating Raidorl was no longer a decisive factor in the Imperial Princess’s mind, and he was dropped [not even necessary to kill].

“My papa, you know, he’s very tolerant of strong people.If Onii-san serves the Empire and wields the Holy Sword for the Empire, I’m sure he’d be quite respectful”

“…..That’s a tempting proposition, isn’t it? Totally.”

Realising that he is being underestimated as a lower-ranked man, Raidorl bites his back teeth in frustration.

Even so, the fighting spirit is still burning in his eyes, and Celia tilts her head at Raidorl unbreakable will to fight.

“Onii-san, why are you trying so hard? Is the Kingdom of Zain that important to you?”

“It’s not important, but this country ……!”

Raidorl peeled back his fang, like a beast growling.

“This country has abandoned me. They are using me. They are playing with my life for peace!　I have no attachment to such a country! I hate this country!”

Surrounding him are also soldiers from the kingdom. Even so, Raidorl is unable to suppress his emotions.

“Then why not?”

“That’s……!”

If the Kingdom of Zain is defeated by the Arslanian Empire, His brother,King Granard will be executed.

In contrast, Raidorl may be able to survive, as Celia says, because he is recognised for his use as a Holy Sword:Excalibur holder.

His brother, the object of his revenge, dies and he survives. If he only looks at the outcome, it doesn’t seem so bad.

“But you see, these feelings are mine. It’s mine and mine alone! I will not leave my revenge in someone else’s hands! I’m going to get my revenge with my own hands!”

Raidorl raises his sword at Celia and says decisively.

“And there’s no point in surrendering in a battle I can ……win! I’m going to defeat you, the Empire, and push forward!”

“You’re still saying that….”

Celia opened her mouth as if she were talking to a child who was not listening….and the next moment, both eyes widened to their limits.

“Ehh…..?”

“「「「「「OOOOOooooo！」」」」」”

A loud, angry shout echoed across the battlefield. This was the sound of a battle cry, the voice of an oncoming warrior.

Celia hurriedly turned her neck to find the source of the voice and looked backwards.

“This is a lie…… why is our position being attacked!?”

Celia screamed.

She looked back to see the imperial position built on top of a small hill was being attacked by someone.

“Sorry, this isn’t a one-on-one duel. It’s a war. Princess.”

Raidorl says with the face of a bad boy who has successfully pulled off a well-crafted prank.

Celia doesn’t hear a word of it. She just stood there cowering, looking up at the fire rising from her army’s position.

〇　　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

“It can’t be! Enemy surprise attack!?”

In the middle of the Imperial Army’s position, a mix of rage and chaos, Dallas Safaris screams.

The Imperial Army’s position on the hill was suddenly swamped by the Royal Army. Only about 500 soldiers were charged into his position. Looking at their numbers alone, they are not a foe to be feared by the Imperial Army, which has troops numbering in the tens of thousands.

However, the Imperial Army soldiers were unable to fight back properly against the ambush they did not expect, and they were attacked unilaterally.

“What happened? How could no one have noticed? What were the guards doing?”

The cry from Safaris’s mouth was the cry of his soul. It was a question from the bottom of his heart.

The Royal Army attacked the Imperial positions – that in itself was no surprise.

Striking the enemy’s main camp is a usual tactic in warfare, and of course, Safaris is aware of this.

What was not known was how they had managed to pull off the surprise attack.

“We set up a position on a hill with a good vantage point to avoid being ambushed by the enemy!　So why didn’t anyone notice! How is it possible that we are being attacked?”

“Stop it, Safaris!”

“Ba, General Barzen, ……!”

Placing his hand on his deputy’s shoulder, who is incredulous, Gracos Barzen says in a stern tone.

“There is no point in saying ‘why’. There is only the result in front of you. We must accept the results in front of us and push harder.”

“Aaa……! I am sorry!”

At his superior’s words, Safaris opens his eyes and immediately tries to rally the confused soldiers of the Imperial Army.

With instructions flying, Barzen looked away from his second-in-command’s back as he ran through the ranks, clenched his fists tightly and stared at the enemy’s main blockade.

“You’ve done it……Bazel Garst!”

From a hilltop far from the fortress, it is naturally impossible to see the enemy generals who would be standing there.

But Barzen could clearly see Bazel, who had succeeded in his ruse, with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

Normally, a position built on a hill with good visibility would be unlikely to be taken by surprise by the enemy.

If it were night, it would still be understandable, but the sun is still shining in the sky. A sentry who fails to spot the shadow of the enemy under such a clear sky would have been disposed of by his allies before he is killed by the enemy.

This was made possible by the young man who is now crossing swords with Princess Celia.

“You don’t mean to tell me that you used…..the Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder as a diversion! To divert our attention away from a surprise attack……!?”

The reason the Imperial Army was so successfully caught by surprise was they were blinded by the battle between Raidorl and Celia that was unfolding below.

Raidorl scattering the wind of curses, and Celia unleashing lightning like the wrath of the heavens. The battle between the two holy sword-bearers, Excalibur Holder, looked like a scene out of mythology, and everyone present watched the battle with bated breath.

This is why it was too late to notice the Royal Army’s ambush troops, who were approaching from the opposite direction of the battlefield.

“The Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder is a trump card that rivals an army …… and I never thought you would use it to attract our attention……!”

Barzen’s bearded face contorted in frustration.

No, it is not a mere diversion or decoy. It is not only the gaze of the Barzens that has been fished out, but also that of their princess, Celia.

No matter how they tried, they would not succeed in their assault if the Holy Sword:Excalibur Holder, Celia, remained in the camp. Raidorl’s spectacular outburst with a tornado probably had the purpose of luring Celia, out of the camp.

“You’ve done it, young man……I’ll have to reflect on this later.”

Barzen smacked his blue-streaked forehead and switched his attention back to the situation.

The imperial positions that had been attacked by the enemy were still in chaos, and the imperial soldiers were completely out of control.

Although Safaris is shouting and trying to regroup, it will only be a matter of time before the enemy reaches him.

The general of the Western Invasion Army of the Arslanian Empire is nominally the royal family Celia. However, it is Barzen who is in actual command, and if this old general were to be defeated, the Imperial Army would be torn apart.

“As expected, we have no choice but to concede defeat here. Shall we pull back and regroup?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a bit of a problem—”

“Who!!!?”

A voice from behind him made Barzen turn around in a panic.

He had gone through so many battles, and he didn’t think anyone would be so easy to get behind him—and what caught the eyes of Barzen, who was surprised by such a startling revelation, was a girl dressed in an outfit that is out of place on the battlefield.

“A maid……?”

“Yes, I’m a maid. Furifuriー.”

What kind of joke was this?

Standing behind Barzen was a girl dressed in the kind of clothes worn by female servants.

A dark-haired girl, who looks about the same age as Celia, grabs the hem of her skirt with both hands and waves it frilly and happily, as if to say what’s funny.

“Why is a maid on the battlefield……? Don’t tell me you’re a member of the Royal Army…..?”

“Okay~,I’m sorry, but I don’t have much time, so I’m going to finish my business here–【Shadow Binding】”

“Gunuuh ……!”

A black shadow extends from the girl’s feet and wraps around Barzen’s body like a tentacle.

In the blink of an eye, the old general who has supported the Imperial Army for many years is bound hand and foot, and falls to the ground.

“Nuh-guh ……who the hell are you……!”

“Hmmm, it’s still boring tying up old people! Well, I heard that if I catch you before the Royal Army, then Master will give me a reward. Shall we just leave it at that for the time being?”

“Ma-master……? You are not a Kingdom soldier……?”

“Aaa, that’s close enough– The Imperials are on their way, so let’s get out of here, shall we?”

“Gah…..!”

The girl in the maid’s uniform puts her palms together and instantly, Barzen’s eyes are enveloped in a pitch-black darkness.

‘Your Highness, Princess……please run away……!’

Bersen exclaims in his fading consciousness. The last thing he worries about is the imperial princess, whom he loves like a grandchild.

But the words never left his mouth and disappeared into the darkness along with Barzen’s consciousness.

When his second-in-command, Safaris, returned to Barzen’s side, his respected superior had disappeared without a trace.

〇　　　　　　　　　〇　　　　　　　　　〇

“Granpa! Everyone!”

Celia screamed unbearably as she looked up at her allies’ position under attack by the Royal Army.

She did not know where the Royal Guards who had launched the surprise attack had come from, but she could see from a distance that their position was about to be taken down.

In the camp, there are also her people she loves dearly, –especially Gracos Barzen, whom she respects like her own grandfather.

Celia loses her cool and tries to run towards her camp.

“Your Royal Highness, it’s not safe!”

“…….tsu?!”

A sharp voice called out to her. It belonged to an Imperial soldier who had survived the battle. At the same time, a cold killing spirit caressed the back of her neck.

Celia rushed to look back and saw Raidorl with his sword raised in the air, so close that she was horrified.

“It’s not nice to turn your back, you know? You’re hurting me!”

“Kuuun!!!”

There is no time to intercept. Celia concentrates all her attention on evasion.

She leaps backwards with her legs, which are almost tangled, and she bends her body so far back that her spine is in extreme pain.

“Hmph!”

“Kya……!”

With a short, shrill cry, Raidorl delivers a slash.

A jet-black sword passes right in front of Celia’s face as she evades. If she had avoided it a moment too late, her neck would have been cut in two.

“【Instant Thunder】!”

Celia has to get back to the camp as soon as possible – driven by such impatience, Celia activates the blessing of the Holy Sword.

The body of the imperial princess wearing mithril armour disappears and moves backwards more than ten metres in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll let you win for today! I’ll pay you back for this one day!…..eh?”

“You idiot! You’ll never get away with this!”

Celia retreated out of Raidorl’s surroundings, only to have her eyes widened in astonishment at the unexpected sight.

A black disc is approaching in front of Celia’s eyes.

No, it is not a disc. It was a sword that was flying towards her, spinning at a frightening speed.

Beyond the sword, which was coming at her like the blade of a guillotine, was Raidorl in a position where he had thrown something in the air. There is no holy sword Dáinsleif in his hand.

‘He threw it!!? The Holy Sword!?’

That’s impossible — an irrational scream echoed in the confused Celia’s head.

Where in the world would a fool throw the hidden treasures created by God to punish his enemies?

This man has no respect for legendary weapons.

“Fly awayyyyy!!!”

Raidorl, who had thrown the Dáinsleif without hesitation, bared his sharp canine teeth and shouted.

For him, Excalibur Dáinsleif was the most reliable partner of all, but it was also the root of all the evil in his life. He is capable of throwing it away for the sake of victory without a second thought.

“Hiiguuuuu!!! Yooooouu!!!”

Although she was taken aback by the unexpected attack, she still desperately tried to catch the enemy’s attack.

The instantaneous movement technique – 【Instant Thunder】, once used, cannot be used again without a cool time.

The only means of preventing the blade that is spinning and closing in on her is now the sword in her own hand.

“Kuun!”

Dáinsleif is more than one size larger and thicker in shape than the Claíomh Solas.

The mass of Dáinsleif  as it spins and flies is no different from a lump of iron, and it is not very easy to catch it head-on.

The two holy swords overlapped each other and were sent flying backwards, tangling with each other.

“Haaaaaaah!”

“Ku, Claíomh Solas is…..Kyaaaaaa!?”

A shadow falls over Celia’s face as she loses the Holy Sword. The one who jumped in with the sun at his back was, of course, Raidorl.

Both Raidorl and Celia have lost their holy swords. The means of attack taken by the weaponless Raidorl – was just a flying kick.

The sky-high Raidorl kicked Celia in the abdomen with the same momentum that he had rushed through.

“Kuha……!”

The mithril armour worn by Celia was not broken by the blow, but even so, it could not kill the impact.

The body of Celia  bent into a 『く』 shape and was blown backwards with great force. She bounces repeatedly on the ground like a ball before finally coming to a stop.

She falls limp, not moving a muscle, and is completely out cold.

“Imperial Princess Celia Von Arslanian! The King’s brother Raidorl Zain has strikes her down!!”

“Aaa……”

“That can’t be…… Your Highness……”

The opposing Imperial soldiers shouted in despair and fell to their knees on the ground. With their positions lost and their lord defeated, there was no one in the Imperial Army who wanted to fight any longer.

Around the time the sun set in the western sky, the battle for Fortress Blaine came to an end.

The Kingdom of Zain and the Empire of Arslanian. The battle between the two holy sword-bearers, ended with the victory of the Kingdom’s army.