Chapter 156

Crepin Subjugation Battle (7)

– Valid! bang!

The sword rolled on the floor.

Ross Taylor Hall on the 3rd floor of the Ross Taylor mansion annex.

Ed is standing upright amidst all the luxurious decorations. He does not yet have a reliable physique and his behavior is immature.

It hasn’t been long since the baptism ceremony, so it’s still young. Even so, it is admirable that he is trying to control his body and show off his sturdy appearance as a member of the Ross Taylor family.

Ross Taylor Hall, which is used as an event hall and as a practice sparring hall between nobles in peacetime, is also a place where many famous duels took place throughout history.

In this space where many famous warriors held duels, young Arwen and Ed would practice sparring.

As they clashed swords, exchanged swords, and sweated profusely, they were able to shake off the stress of the weight of being the heir.

However, their levels are quite different.

– ‘As expected, you are my sister.’

Ed in the memory smiles sheepishly as he looks at the fallen sword.

Arwen swung her sword in the air once and took it away.

And I tell Ed. I said my skills have improved a lot. I think I’ll be able to get into proper posture in just a little while.

– ‘Well, I don’t think I have any talent for swordsmanship. ‘Magic isn’t that good at all, so I’m in a really mixed mood... and I’m worried a lot.’

Arwen encourages him as he puts his greatsword away.

We still have a lot of time left.

And we were born into the blessed status of being descendants of the Ross Taylor family.

There is fertile nourishment, so if you put in the appropriate effort, you will definitely see results.

When Arwen said those words with a kind face, Ed also picked up the knife and cleaned it up, laughing.

― ‘Thank you for saying that.’

Arwen and Ed look at each other and smile.

Ross Taylor Estate has a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere as if blessed by God.

The warm sunlight seeped into Ross Taylor Hall, an annex to the mansion.

As the warmth of the day settles in, I see Ed deep in thought, swinging his sword around.

Arwen gently closed her eyes and felt the peaceful warmth of early spring for a moment.

Almost all of the exterior walls of Ross Taylor Hall have been blown away, so it can no longer be called a ‘hall’. It’s like a terrace.

Strange flesh is writhing and covering the remains of the building, and the sky is filled with the magic circle of Mebula and Lucy.

The sounds of battle between gremlins and spirits filled the grounds of the mansion, and occasionally the screams of people hit by the gremlin’s blade could be heard.

And Ed Rothtaylor is standing in front of Arwen when she opens her eyes.

A tailcoat covered in blood and a dagger held in reverse. A bat spirit and a lion spirit standing around him. A mana quantity that has become so vast that it cannot be compared to before. A body that has become noticeably more muscular and cool-headed eyes.

The energy flowing from his body was enough for Arwen to realize.

Ed has no intention of going back.

It’s a mountain I’m determined to climb through. Therefore, Arwen also took a fighting stance.

-grasp!

Ed kicked the floor and jumped. The distance was narrowed in a straight line towards Arwen.

Arwen uses close combat using two great swords. Arwen, who did not think that she would close the distance, quickly raised the ‘condemnation’ in her left hand.

However, just before entering the intersection... Ed skidded on the ground and came to an abrupt stop. It was just out of range of the sword.

And then, naturally, she dropped the magic bead she had kept in her bosom onto the floor. Arwen reacted quickly and tried to spread the distance, but the orb was not a means of attack.

– Woe!

‘Magical Engineering?!’

‘Rake hand’.

It was a magical engineering product that could temporarily pull surrounding objects towards itself.

Although there was a limit to its output, it was a good tool to confuse opponents in close combat due to its fast activation speed.

Magical power emanated from the orb, and in an instant, the ‘condemnation’ that Arwen was holding began to be dragged away.

Arwen’s posture collapsed and her body was pulled in Ed’s direction.

However, narrowing the distance was also something Arwen was thankful for. As it is, Arwen’s auxiliary magics begin to exert their power in an instant.

A greatsword the size of his body, ‘Day of Dawn’, was given a lightweight magic. Just like that, Arwen picked up the great sword and, with the inertia of being dragged by the claw hand, struck the sword where Ed was.

―Kwaang!

A level where you can turn light weight magic on and off at will while swinging a great sword. Arwen’s use of magical power had already reached a significant level.

As he canceled the lightweight magic and hit the floor with its weight, dust rose up and momentarily obscured his vision.

However, Arwen, who swung the sword, could tell. Ed was already out of range. He caught the moment he swung and took a big leap backwards.

Then why did you narrow the distance in the first place? The moment that question arose, a dagger stuck in the ground caught my eye through the dust.

It is a ceremonial dagger used at Ross Taylor Mansion. On the surface of the sword that Ed had been using ever since the day he was first kicked out of Ofilis Hall... there was a spirit symbol engraved in neat handwriting.

‘This is...’

―Bang!

Before the spirit formula could be deciphered, a large explosion occurred first.

I succeeded in protecting my body by quickly manifesting the defensive magic imprinted on ‘Day of Dawn’, but...

―Quaang!

Next, the mid-level fire magic ‘one-point explosion’ hit Arwen’s solar plexus.

Arwen, who was hit directly and fell, barely managed to support herself by sticking her great sword into the floor. A stream of fresh blood flowed out.

When the smoke clears, Ed, covered in blood, stands silently beyond it.

“You have become much more skilled...”

Arwen stood up again, supporting the weight of her body with her great sword.

It is suicidal for a wizard to close the distance to a warrior as soon as the battle begins. However, Ed casually narrowed the distance, embarrassed the opponent, brought him back into the area, and then widened the distance again.

He looked like an expert who took the fight at his own pace, completely trampling on the sense of distance that ordinary warriors have.

With just one sum, Arwen recognized that Ed had grown incomparably compared to before.

The Ed of those days of sword sparring at Ross Taylor Hall is no longer there.

-grasp!

This time, Arwen kicked the floor and leapt.

The weight reduction magic that appeared momentarily eliminated the weight of the great sword. Just like that, Arwen kicked the handle of the sword of ‘Condemnation’ and sent it flying into the sky.

We have already come too far to bind him with the ties of blood ties.

Since that day when they parted ways on the terrace, all Ed’s respect for the Ross-Taylor family has burned away.

Now all that’s left is a wizard who is bloodied and goes to catch Crepin.

There is no benefit in dragging it out for a long time. This should be the last sum.

Arwen was so confident that she raised her sword. Ed had already jumped out of his seat and rushed towards me.

The passage of time is slow.

The image of Ed roaring and closing the distance is imprinted in Arwen’s eyes.

The sight reflected in Ed’s eyes is also the same.

There is no longer any hesitation left in Arwen’s appearance as she wields the great sword and makes one final move.

A bat flies behind Ed, who is slowly closing the distance. Before Arwen can react, it bursts into flames.

The slowly flying flames are heading straight for Arwen.

Arwen lowers her posture, avoids the fire, and grants lightweight magic to ‘Day of Dawn’.

However, at that moment, the lioness Lacia snatches Arwen’s sword.

The manifestation of a spirit that was cherished and cherished until the end.

It was a method that had never been used before to catch her off guard.

Arwen’s core weakness is that the moment it is lightened, the sword becomes excessively light.

The sword became so light that it could be bounced off with just a weak physical force, so it only took one kick from Lacia to throw the sword away.

But there is still one bag left.

‘Condemnation’ used by the first swordsman Luden. The sword that was given to him by the imperial family as the glorious successor to Rosstaylor begins to shine.

The sword strike from Arwen’s hand was aimed straight at Ed’s body. If you stab it at the shortest distance, the speed of the attack will be much faster than Ed’s attack.

But Ed knows.

Arwen Rothtaylor... cannot ‘stab’.

Due to her fighting style, which relies on the weight of the sword to draw out destructive power, stabbing, which requires her to withstand the weight of the sword entirely with her own strength, is a technique that cannot be used.

Techniques that only lead to large cuts driven by the weight of the sword are completely neutralized when dug deep.

But Arwen is also not unaware of that fact. Therefore, she unleashes the final magic imprinted on the ‘condemn’ in her hand.

‘Acceleration’ magic. The power that makes the body move instantly faster is not included in Ed’s calculations. This is an ability that Arwen kept hidden until the end.

So fast that it defies the laws of physics. The moment Arwen was about to strike Ed’s chest, she was taken aback by Ed’s response.

-Ed just closed his eyes tightly.

Have you given up everything? Not like that.

At that moment, the wind flowing near Ed’s body swirls around him.

The last move left to each other, but... Ed had slightly more hidden moves during the fight.

‘Blessing of the Storm’ that completely neutralizes attacks beyond recognition.

As the wind rose, Arwen’s sword was thrown away and her body was lifted, leaving Arwen incapacitated.

The moment Ed grabbed the dagger and tried to stab the gap, Arwen also took the optimal action in an instant.

I clenched my teeth as if they were going to break and clenched my hand holding the handle of the great sword tightly.

Using the weight of the great sword with the lightening magic removed, he pulls down the handle and somehow succeeds in blocking Ed’s blow. With this, the final sum that catches each other off guard returns to a completely even state.

Let’s finish now. It feels like that kind of conversation took place.

It was the moment when they struck the final blow against each other in a posture that regained stability in the air.

One-on-one combat.

A variable that destroyed all the major premises struck the two.

―Quaaaaaaaaa!

―Whaaaaaaaa!

The wind blew again.

There is a girl who lands between the two, somehow controlling the unstable wind magic.

The blonde hair fluttering against the background of the night sky is infinitely similar to Arwen’s color, and the sharp eyes are similar to Ed’s.

The girl who landed from the central spire to Rosstaylor Hall, where the ceiling was broken, in one go was a variable that neither Arwen nor Ed could account for.

Tanya’s expression can be seen as time slows down.

It looks like he’s crying, angry, or embarrassed.

Too much information is flooding into the girl’s head.

The Los Taylor estate suddenly went into an uproar. Broken mansion annex. Arwen is alive with a bizarre appearance. Ed climbs the annex after becoming bloodless. And the battle between the two.

Her hand, which appeared between two people exchanging the last word in an urgent situation where they knew nothing and did not know how to judge, still had a slight amount of magic remaining.

Just once, it is possible to create wind magic weakly but reliably.

Arwen and Ed. A single hit from both of them will destroy all defenses.

Between the two, Tanya’s eyes... turn to Arwen, who had always looked after her with kindness.

The image of my older sister, whom I cannot help but love, comes into view.

――I remember the night I was hugged on the terrace.

Tanya just sent Ed, who had been telling him to come this way in the dark, to leave.

I just didn’t know why and was scared, so I cried in Arwen’s arms.

Between the two, Tanya followed Arwen’s path.

So Ed left the terrace and headed to Aken Island, surviving in solitude. Tanya did not stand by his side.

On the day Ed left the mansion, I just hid behind the curtain behind the window and watched the lonely figure from afar.

Tanya Rosstaylor now knows what thorny path he has walked since that day.

―Whaaaaagh!

I don’t know the reason for the situation or the whole story.

In a final agreement where even a hundredth of a second was too precious, Tanya threw wind magic at Arwen’s hand.

―Whaaaaaaaa!

―The

last ‘condemn’ in Arwen’s hand flew out of her hand.

The moment Arwen quickly tried to widen the distance...

-Quaaaak!

Ed dug in and Arwen’s shoulder was pierced with a dagger.