CH 102

Chapter 102 – Heroes and Monsters

It was a nightmare.

Pieces of the jet-black armor flew off.

The jet-black armor that swallowed the morning sun was played with by the monster like it was a broken doll, slamming it onto the floor repeatedly.

The stone bridge crumbled.

“……”

“…such…”

As did the hope of the people.

The stone bridge crumbled and crumbled around the monster.

Those who could not accept reality turned away.

Those who accepted the nightmare fell to their knees.

“Bulooooo!”

“i….i……”

Black hair swayed through the chipped armor on his head. The black knight, writhing hard, couldn’t seem to be able to break through.

The majesty……

The toughness……

The grandeur…..

The man who gave courage to all who saw him……

The monster who had forcefully climbed to great heights because of its hatred for mankind, had defeated the hero.

As the armor of darkness chipped away, everyone’s hearts sank into recognition of their fragility…

“–Oh….. it can’t be helped……”

Such voices could be heard coming out of everywhere.

The knights had resigned themselves to their demise and given up on returning home with their lives.

It was then that the Black Knight’s body was enveloped in a black aura.

Powerful jet-black mana clung to him.

“–”

“Gruaaaah!”

The moment he struck the ground like before, the black mana exploded from his hand on the ground and shot high into the air.

A momentary crack was created in the air.

He flicked the rubble in his grasp with his fingers and aimed at the base of the monster’s arms, which had grabbed onto both his legs, and shot.

“Gaaaah!“

It pierces the reptilian hard skin, broke through the muscles, crushed the joints and passed through, and the monster let go due to the excruciating pain.

It let go.

The freed Black Knight grabbed the monster in an acrobatic move, digging his fingers into both of its shoulders, and…..

“Hmph!!!!”

He head-butted the monster in mid-air, relying solely on the strength of his arms.

“……”

“……”

The knights’ eyes widened.

Alto, Souryu, Lernoa…..

Everyone was stunned.

The monster was headless…..

His armor shattered, but he didn’t care. He head-butted the monster with such force that its head was crushed flat through the shock-absorbing armor.

The Black Knight’s missing head armor, the monster’s intact and high-class magic head armor.

A black knight who may be part of the human race, a monstrous orc which had been enhanced to a higher species.

The difference in strength was supposed to be insurmountable.

“….It’s stronger than I thought…..”

The black knight who was able to land on the ground on his feet for the first time in a long time muttered in an unnaturally calm manner.

It was as if nothing had happened.

He muttered that it was stronger than he had expected, but he defeated it as if he was crushing a bug.

Then he wrapped his entire body in mana, completely restored his armor, and…..

“……”

Holding out one hand, he began to gather mana.

A wave of fear spread throughout the area.

Suddenly, a tremendous amount of mana converged in one place.

The rampaging mana was forcibly forced into gathering into one place, creating a black sphere that looked as if it was filled with darkness.

Darker, darker, even more darker……

The dense mana gathered further into the black knight’s palm….

“Early….”

But the Black Knight abruptly stopped and crouched down to avoid the headless monster’s unstoppable cleaving axe.

“Black Knight!“

Alto came back to himself upon seeing the tyrannical slash that ran through the river being unleashed once again and threw his great sword at the Black Knight.

“Good throw! –!“

“Gaaaahhhh!”

Just the sound of the clash between their weapons was so heavy that one could be sure of the pressure being exerted just by hearing it.

The hero met the great axe swung by an arm the size of a giant tree head-on.

The small man met the mountain-like monster head-on.

The massive sword was swung lightly, like it was just a feather.

They struck their weapons at each other in succession, one, two, three times.

“……”

“……”

Their hearts, frozen in fear, raced.

Their souls, sunk into despair, were enlivened.

Their bodies that had turned cold burned.

Everyone’s heart trembled at the hero’s battle.

“….amazing….”

Souryu, who rarely spoke, muttered.

The people around him were unaware of what he was saying, and not even the person who muttered it noticed what he was saying.

Rather, none of them could take their eyes off, or shift their focus off of the battle between the…. hero and the monster in front of them.

“Gruaaaah!“

“Hoo!”

There was someone who could face that mighty monster fair and square.

He wielded his great sword with his steady back facing the countless men and women behind him, not even taking a single step back.

A ‘hero’, just like the true heroes from the…. stories.

He swatted away the great axe that was causing storms with his brilliant swordsmanship.

Every time the sound of their weapons clashing echoed, a tornado was born, surrounding the hero and the monster.

The stage was set for a duel between the two, and only the two, allowing no one to interfere.

Soon the great sword began to blend in, like it was one of the Black Knight’s limbs.

The trajectory of the sword became more refined.

The sword was large, dynamic, and yet its technique was detailed and skillful.

There was not one reason why it could be inferior to the great axe wielded with reckless abandon.

“Boaah!”

He slipped past the monster’s impetuous swing…

“–”

…and cut through the left knee, the right elbow, and the back of the right knee.

Three slashes that ended in the blink of an eye.

Rather than multiple consecutive and repetitive clean slashes that stacked up in terms of damage, that were normally the results of swords and blades, the Black Knight delivered powerful slashes that cut away in one go.

“Geeeeaaaaaahhh!”

The monster crumbled forward.

“Patience, my friend. This will be the last time.”

He thrust his great sword into the ground, muttering to no one in particular, and once again gathered his dark mana.

A sphere like a black star.

It roared and swirled in his palm, giving off a strange and intimidating feeling that made one’s hair stand on end. It was so powerful that if it were unleashed, the entirety of the surrounding area would be blown away.

“Gah!”

“Leave your anger and hatred here.”

The Black Knight held up a black ball to the angry orc, which regenerated its limbs.

“Goodbye.”

The mass of darkness expanded rapidly, enveloping the orc’s massive body.

The mass of mana that swelled endlessly and tried to annihilate the city was held back by forceful and precise manipulation, leaving only the orc as prey to the destructive darkness.

“Gee! Guiiaaaa….”

In the blink of an eye, the storm of swirling mana whittled away at its body.

It was much faster than the speed of regeneration, leading the flailing, struggling orc to its demise.

Soon, within seconds, the orc’s original form was completely lost in the black star, and…

The Black Knight clenched his hand and pushed the sphere of mana into it.

Gradually, the mana sphere became smaller and smaller, and was crushed in his hand.

The power that had nowhere to go burst out, and the air vibrated once again around the Black Knight.

“……”

A residue of black mana rose from the palm that was opened toward the heavens.

“…Rest in peace, my friend….”

With the silent prayer of the Black Knight, whose words were filled with sorrow, it ascended to heaven……

In the calm silence that remained after the storm had passed, the pale magic power dissipated into the sky, watched by people who were stunned by the one-sidedness of the monster’s defeat.

Translator’s Note:

An oddly short chapter. Maybe the author was tired?