༺ The Red Devil Who Embraced Stars (6) ༻
The girl regained her senses and looked ahead.
This place was the capital of the Empire, renowned throughout the world.
At some point, her Heavenly Ruin Fist, which had been destroying everything in its path, was repelled by something invisible and bounced off into thin air.
BOOOM-
“….”
Right. The Empire that unified the entire continent could not possibly end with just this.
At the opposite end of a hole hundreds of meters long, dug by the path of her fist, stood the Imperial Palace, adorned with golden hues. And in front of that very palace stood an elderly knight with icy eyes, looking straight at her.
Virdel pulled out the sword that was hanging at Clay’s waist, sheath and all.
[Remaining Power 10.8%]
The previous attack had consumed 2% of the suit’s power in an instant. The girl nodded after checking this.
Step, step-
She walked calmly on the path she had created herself.
The elderly knight holding a sword.
His face seemed familiar for some reason. It wasn’t that she had met him before. It was just that the old knight was so famous in the Empire that she was able to recognize him with just a glance.
One of the Empire’s Swordmasters.
The name of the old knight was most likely Grand Duke Einhardt.
Always residing in the Imperial Palace, he was known as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, the Empire’s Shield, and the Impregnable Sword Saint.
Even from this far distance, the sense of oppression that passed through the suit was unmistakable; there was no doubt it was Einhardt.
The girl slowly approached the old man blocking her path to the Imperial Palace. She held the scabbard she had taken from Clay in her left hand and grasped the hilt with her right.
The grip fit perfectly in her palm. The suit had definitely turned into full-body armor, which should have dulled her sense, but somehow, it felt as if she was holding it in her bare hands without any sort of layer in between.
The girl took a deep breath, feeling the sensation of the grip.
“Hooo….”
She scanned her eyes across the Imperial Palace. In her retina, the movement inside the palace was vividly depicted as if captured by a thermal imaging camera.
The girl lowered her gaze to look at the old knight. His mouth slowly opened.
“Who are you? No, are you even human?”
The situation felt somehow amusing to the girl. Wasn’t she the one who was spat on and pelted with stones by the lower class civilians of the Empire just days before?
But now, such a dignitary, whom she would not have even dared to look at before, was on guard and questioning as to who she was. It felt rather strange.
However, she could not take the old knight’s skills lightly.
The girl stepped forward with her right leg and firmly planted her foot on the ground.
“Hooo.”
Crunchh-
A scream, like metal being crushed, echoed from the tightly gripped scabbard.
‘I will cut.’
The girl wearing blood-red full-body armor drew her sword, slicing through the air like a beam of light. At that moment, Einhardt’s pupils dilated.
Einhardt faced a crisis that demanded all his might.
The space along the trajectory of her sword cracked apart, ripping open.
A gigantic sword strike, incomparable to the previous one, hurled towards the Swordmaster.
Vacuum Slash.
A technique taught by a mysterious master known in the community as ‘Battōist’.
-Battō? There’s no swordsmanship superior to Battōjutsu. The gimmick of converting friction to kinetic energy is more scientific and philosophical than any other sword techn…..
-It is a great technique refined through drawing the sword ten billion times.
-What? You think it’s nonsense? Have you ever swung a sword ten billion times? If not, hold your tongue.
-Do not just think about swinging a blade. Through the determination to cut everything in front of your eyes….
It was the culmination of swinging the sword a whopping ten billion times. The ‘Battōist’, who had generously passed on his technique to her, sadly didn’t even make it to the Unofficial Rankings of Sword Debate.
-With Battōjutsu, I will rip through the space in front of me to counter.
-With Battōjutsu, I will bisect the opponent along with their weapon.
-At the same time I draw the sword, I will cut down the opponent. Of course, this is limited to Battōjutsu.
-I will see the attack with my eyes. I will unleash Battōjutsu. Thus, I will cut down the opponent along with their attack. Why are you saying something this easy is not possible?
He caused outrage in the community by making absurd claims to every opponent he met in a Sword Debate.
-I do not understand.
-The know-how of ten billion times? It’s not just about drawing the sword and swinging it. Through imagery and the mind….
And as she continued to sincerely listen to such words, one day, he suddenly passed on his technique to her.
Now, the Vacuum Slash of the ‘Battōist’ was unfolded from the girl’s fingertips.
Of course, it might not reach the power claimed by the ‘Battōist’. However, the Enhancement Suit named ‘Hydra’ managed to reproduce at least a part of the great Battōjutsu’s ultimate move, the ‘Vacuum Slash’.
A slash that easily exceeded thirty meters tore through space, sweeping away everything in its path.
A Vacuum Slash of 10% Power cut the sky.
***
Could such a thing truly be called sword energy?
Chills ran down Grand Duke Einhardt’s spine as the gigantic slash filled his vision. His sword was already surrounded by an Aura Blade.
However…
‘This is… an attack I must not dare to confront directly!’
It was hard to believe, but this did not hold the qualities seen in Aura or Mana. Just the slash itself was enough to be considered an incarnation of a god of destruction.
Could a mere Aura Blade truly deflect a slash that flew several tens of meters, tearing through space?
Overwhelming violence.
Unfathomable power.
The mere presence of it was enough to take his breath away, cause goosebumps to arise, and ring alarm bells in her mind.
Wasn’t this the true meaning of slicing through space itself?
The Impregnable Sword Saint, Swordmaster Einhardt, threw away any thoughts of daring to block it. He would be fortunate if he could just twist his body as much as possible and avoid a direct hit.
Aura exploded within Einhardt, boiling up immense strength in his body.
“HAAAAAAAAA!”
Einhardt swung his sword with the intent of pouring everything into this one strike.
The Impregnable Sword Saint.
One who could indeed be called the pinnacle of the Empire’s Protective Sword Techniques.
Such an Einhardt flew through the air and barely managed to deflect the very end of the slash with his Aura Blade, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
“Cough! This is insanity.”
Einhardt immediately prepared for the next attack, guarding his torso with his sword.
It was fortunate that, despite the incredible speed of the slash, the attacker seemed inexperienced. As such, avoiding it was not impossible.
Einhardt glared at the unidentifiable enemy, pondering his next move.
“…?”
But wasn’t the attacker lowering their drawn sword right now?
‘What is this? Are they letting down their guard?’
Had the attacker come in for an additional strike, he might have faced a rather difficult battle. After all, momentum and rhythm were weighed heavily in combat importance.
However, the opponent simply stood still, waiting.
Einhardt observed the enemy without even trying to mask his nervousness.
Blackish red full-body armor with a strange sheen like an insect’s carapace. It was sleek yet alien in appearance. However, Einhardt didn’t have the luxury to admire it. After all, from the opponent’s eyes dripped an immense momentum.
“….”
‘What is going on? Are they not able to recklessly use an attack like the one just before? Then, is this my chance?’
Einhardt’s mind began to race, scrambling with complex deductions.
He did not let his gaze leave the opponent as he tried to slowly move.
“….”
‘I just need to drag out the time.’
Because no one would dare attack the Imperial Palace in the very capital of the Empire, he was the only Swordmaster residing there. But to think that was the entirety of their strength would be a mistake.
There were plenty of capable knights, even if they were not Swordmasters. Moreover, that bastard was in the Imperial Palace.
Archmage Pilaf.
Although his conduct was not to his liking, he was still a Mage affiliated with the Imperial Palace. The commotion was not small, so he would definitely arrive soon!
He just needed to hold out until then!
However, Einhardt felt a strange sense of unease as he kept an eye on the enemy. It was an alien feeling, as if the figure hidden behind the helmet was smiling.
What is going on? Why are they so leisurely? Exactly what are they hiding?
Those questions in Einhardt’s mind were quickly answered. And in the worst way possible.
“Grand Duke!! It’s a disaster! The Imperial Palace has…! His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has!!”
Einhardt’s heart sank with a thud. He shouted without taking his eyes off the unidentified opponent.
“What is it that you mean by that!!”
An Imperial Guard under the command of Einhardt cried out with a heart-wrenching voice.
“His Majesty and the Crown Prince, who were in the office… Keheuk! Not only that, but Lord Pilaf and other key retainers have also sustained serious injuries and….”
BOOM!
A powerful energy wave erupted from Einhardt.
“WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE SAYING RIGHT NOW!! WILL YOU NOT SPEAK PROPERLY?!”
“Keheuk. His Imperial Majesty and the Crown Prince have perished from an unidentified attack!! The other key retainers are also in critical condition due to severe injuries!”
“H-How could that…”
Einhardt unwittingly turned his head towards the attacker, clad in red armor and looking ever so serene.
And only then did Einhardt realize.
The slash he had barely avoided was never aimed at him in the first place. The opponent was not the inexperienced novice he thought them to be.
The attack that missed Einhardt had cleaved through the Imperial Palace, completely uprooting the Sun of the Empire.
Despair filled Einhardt’s eyes.
“I-Impossible. It can’t be.”
What am I supposed to do now? Can I even stop the attacker without Pilaf?
No, that wasn’t even the right question to ask. In the first place, in the present where His Majesty had passed away…
At that moment, the red assailant slowly turned around.
Leaving behind just one sentence.
“Just watch from there. It is going to get very interesting.”
Einhardt could not dare to chase after the Red Devil.
***
In a dark secret room…
“Haa….”
William, who was affiliated with the Empire’s Special Task Force, was writing a report with a grave expression. As he penned down the document, the bleak future of the Empire seemed to unfold before his eyes, making his hands and feet tremble.
“What are we to do….”
It wasn’t just the future of the Empire that was the problem; they were in a situation where the immediate present needed to be worried about.
The report he had written contained the following words.
Target : Virdel
Danger Grade : Special-Grade(++)
Estimated Combat Power : Grand Master(-)
