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Chapter 339: All-Out War (4)
Ketal quietly caressed the handle of his axe.
Caliste watched him intently.
His purpose was defense, so there was no need to engage aggressively.
Ketal, as if finding it curious, asked,
“You rely solely on swordsmanship? No other powers or abilities?”
“None,”
Caliste replied calmly.
“All I have is this sword.”
A sword with the power to sever all things, unbreakable as long as its wielder’s will remained unshaken.
It was undoubtedly extraordinary.
But at the end of the day, it was just a sword.
It could not overturn the heavens, shake the earth, or split the ground.
An average demon wielding it might have been crushed under its power and died a meaningless death.
And yet, Caliste ascended to the throne of a lord.
A nameless demon honed their sword to such perfection that they reached the highest seat of power.
Ketal felt genuine admiration.
“I admit it. Your methods cannot be broken through with my current approach. So, I’ll go back to the basics for the first time in a while.”
Ketal gripped the axe differently this time, one hand near the blade and the other around the middle of the handle.
Caliste’s face showed a flicker of puzzlement.
“...You intend to fight with skill, not strength?”
Holding the axe short like that reduced the leverage for powerful strikes but allowed for more precise movements.
It wasn’t an incorrect judgment.
Indeed, brute strength alone could never breach the techniques Caliste wielded.
Trying another method was the right decision.
But there was one condition.
“You think you can overcome me with skill?”
With only a single sword, Caliste had climbed to the lord’s position.
Could Ketal’s skill surpass that?
To this question, Ketal responded with a grin.
“We’ll see.”
Ketal stepped forward, closing the gap between them with quick strides.
He gripped his axe in both hands and moved with precision.
Ka-ka-ka-kak!
Holding the axe short reduced its range, but it made close-quarters combat even more advantageous than a sword.
Ketal exploited this to apply pressure on Caliste.
Caliste narrowed his eyes.
‘He’s good with his weapon.’
To be honest, it was surprising.
Such mastery of weaponry was rare, even for Caliste.
Excluding raw power, Ketal’s technique alone could easily overwhelm a typical hero-class opponent.
But that was all.
It wasn’t enough to reach him.
Ka-kak!
Caliste subtly twisted his wrist, effortlessly parrying and deflecting all of Ketal’s axe strikes.
The force of the deflection sent Ketal’s arm upward.
Ketal immediately swung his arm down, aiming the butt of the axe handle at Caliste’s head.
Caliste met the attack with his sword, slipping the axe handle into the cross-guard of his sword to redirect its trajectory.
And in that moment—
Ketal abruptly pulled the lower grip of the axe backward as if snapping a spring.
The blade of the axe suddenly rotated, aiming to cleave Caliste’s head.
For the first time, Caliste’s expression shifted.
Swiftly, he reversed his grip on the sword, using the pommel to strike the spinning blade and leveraging the force to retreat backward.
Ketal did not relent.
He held the axe close to his body and charged forward.
Caliste immediately recognized Ketal’s intent.
‘He’s trying to overpower me physically.’
At such close proximity, parrying would be difficult.
Caliste lowered his stance, deflecting the incoming axe upward and sidestepping.
At that moment, Ketal slammed his foot into the ground, halting abruptly and pivoting his entire body toward Caliste in pursuit.
Caliste was not one to remain passive.
He used his sword to scrape the ground, using the rebound to propel himself sideways.
Then Ketal’s left elbow aimed straight for Caliste’s chest.
It was an attack with no preparation, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
Caliste hastily moved his hand.
Thud!
Caliste was knocked back.
He managed to deflect the elbow strike, but not without consequence.
His wrist throbbed, and his eyes betrayed a hint of shock.
“...You anticipated me?”
The elbow strike wasn’t a reaction to Caliste’s movements—it was a prediction of them.
Ketal had acted preemptively, knowing what Caliste would do.
Ketal grinned with delight.
Against Caliste, techniques were more effective than raw power.
Therefore, there was no reason not to use them.
“This is exciting!”
Ketal laughed heartily.
It had been so long since he fought purely with technique.
The thrill made his heart race.
“Let’s keep going!”
Ketal swung his axe.
Caliste twisted his sword to deflect it.
Axes, swords, and bodies clashed.
Ketal’s face was full of laughter, and Caliste too wore a faint smile.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ketal’s body fell to the ground.
Caliste raised his sword to strike at the back of Ketal’s neck.
At that moment, Ketal slammed the butt of his axe handle into the ground.
Boom!
The rebound launched him away.
Caliste’s sword cut through empty air.
Ketal countered by swinging his axe.
Clang!
Caliste barely managed to block it but couldn’t deflect the force.
His body slid backward.
Ketal swiftly closed the gap and slashed upward.
Shhhk!
A wound appeared on Caliste’s shoulder, and blood splattered.
Caliste let out a pained grunt.
It wasn’t a serious injury—barely a scratch on the surface of his skin.
But in a battle like this, where he matched Ketal’s overwhelming strength with pure technique, even a minor wound could slow his response.
Clang!
The axe and sword clashed in a deadlock.
Ketal reached out with his left hand to grab Caliste’s sword.
Caliste smoothly moved to pull it away, but Ketal released it first.
He had only grabbed it to create an opening.
He used that opening to press Caliste further.
He kicked at Caliste’s thigh.
Although Caliste hurriedly pulled back, he couldn’t completely avoid it.
The impact spread through his thigh, slowing his movements.
From then on, Ketal changed his approach.
He exploited Caliste’s reduced mobility, moving swiftly to attack from all directions.
Caliste focused intently to counter, but with one leg impaired, gaps inevitably appeared.
“Ugh...”
Caliste groaned as he retreated.
Unlike before, he couldn’t advance or change direction and was forced to keep backing away.
As a result, his back hit the door.
“......!”
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Caliste’s gaze turned cold.
‘Even if it means my death...’
He resolved to take Ketal down with him.
Abandoning the thought of mere defense, he decided on mutual destruction.
Ketal swung his axe.
Caliste met it with his sword.
Clang!
Their weapons clashed, their movements surpassing comprehension.
Caliste abandoned defending his body and aimed for Ketal’s. K
etal laughed heartily.
“I never planned to win against someone like you without taking a scratch. I’ll gladly give up some flesh!”
Squish.
Caliste’s sword pierced Ketal’s neck.
But it barely missed his carotid artery.
“In exchange, I’m the one who’s going to win!”
Ketal grabbed Caliste’s arm, twisted his wrist, and kicked him.
Caliste’s sword began to fly out of his hand.
“Gah!”
But Caliste wasn’t going down so easily.
He adjusted the angle of his sword as it was about to be flung and caught Ketal’s axe blade.
Both weapons were sent flying.
Now weaponless, Ketal clenched his fist, unfazed.
His punch carried monstrous strength, enhanced by mystical power.
Caliste, refusing to give up, reached out as well.
Boom!
Ketal’s punch shattered Caliste’s arm and slammed into his body, sending him crashing into the Demon King’s castle gate.
The door groaned loudly as it began to break apart.
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