༺ Galatea (2) ༻
It was commonly stated that in battle, weight class is absolute.
However, Vera disagreed with that statement.
Kwang—!
A loud roar resonated through the air as the Demon Sword collided with Galatea’s front legs.
Vera did not buckle under the weight of Galatea, and began weaving his divinity from where he stood.
The ashen colored divinity was forming behind him, sharpening long, thin lances.
Seven lances were constructed, all of which began rotating and producing a buzzing sound.
Vera fired all seven lances at Galatea while simultaneously guarding against him.
Divine Arts [Holy Lance].
All seven lances were aimed for the gaping hole in Galatea’s face and penetrated the inside of his mouth.
Bang—!
The holy lances that had entered Galatea’s mouth and lodged in the inner walls of his mouth exploded.
“Kwoooh!”
Blood spurted out of Galatea’s body. He spat out a mass of flesh, likely what was left of his tongue. The sound as his head collided with the floor resonated through the air.
An opportunity.
With that thought in mind, Vera drew his sword and quickly approached Galatea’s body.
The difference in weight as a measurement of battle prowess was only valid in certain cases. It was only a relevant metric in a battle between two individuals who lacked the ability to channel mana or another power.
Of course, having abilities did not always allow someone to overcome the difference in strength, but Vera was able to.
Vera channeled divinity into his sword. The abundance of divinity coating the blade compressed rather than expanded. In order to penetrate Galatea’s hard flesh, a sharper and fiercer blade was necessary.
The knights called it [Sword Aura].
The divinity-coated blade that was merely an imitation of that technique, sliced through Galatea’s right foreleg.
Kkegikkigi—!
An unpleasant noise akin to the scratching of metals was produced, accompanied by another fountain of blood.
However, the cut wasn’t deep.
Vera gritted his teeth and charged forward once again.
The cut was already regenerating. If he didn’t continue his swift onslaught, he would never be able to win.
As such thoughts crossed Vera’s mind, he made another Sword Aura.
“F-forget…”
A demonic energy emanated from Galatea’s body.
Rumble—
The ground shook and demonic energy rose into the air. A crimson light emerged. The Demon King’s light enveloped the battlefield. Vera recognized it and swiftly leapt away from the source.
Boom—!
The demonic energy that had spread all over the battlefield exploded in an instant.
Vera paused for a moment to catch his breath and thought.
‘If I hadn’t retreated at that moment, I would be dead.’
Everything below my ankles would’ve been blown apart.
Galatea’s left foot filled Vera’s field of vision, prompting him to raise his head to meet its gaze. A chill ran down his spine. Vera pointed his sword forward and began to weave his divinity again.
Divine Arts [Guardian’s Blessing]
A dense white cloak of divinity enveloped Vera’s body as Galatea’s foot descended upon him.
Crash—!
The shockwave sent Vera flying into the air, crashing into the trees in the distance.
Vera, who had been sent flying for some time, stabbed the Demon Sword into the ground, stopping his body with a ‘cthud’.
The first thing he checked was the condition of his sword.
‘It seems to be in good condition.’
Should it be called a masterpiece? Despite being incomplete, the durability was already on a different level from other swords.
Kwaaaaa—
As Vera was about to dash towards Galatea after repairing the Demon Sword…
“Never forget…!”
Galatea’s mouth widened. The lips, which had become swollen to the point of disfiguring his face, began to concentrate a crimson light in front of it.
Vera’s eyes widened while his body moved on instinct, quickly leaping to the right.
Moments after, the converging crimson light materialized where Vera had stood, and the entire area vanished.
There was no warning, not even the faintest of sounds.
The place where Vera stood before was completely gone, as if nothing existed there in the first place.
“Tsk-”
Vera clicked his tongue as he watched, safely out of the demonic energy’s path. He gritted his teeth before charging towards Galatea again.
‘I can’t let him gain any more distance.’
That attack couldn’t be stopped once it had been fired. However, it was possible to interfere with the concentration of energy at a close proximity.
Vera’s expression wrinkled.
‘This will be tricky.’
If Vera went too close, he would have to face those legs there were like iron maces. The demonic energy in close proximity with Galatea may explode, and if he distanced himself to avoid the dangers of close-range combat, Galatea would fire its unstoppable long-ranged attack.
Vera quickly began to weave his divinity again. He wove jet-black divinity under his feet.
Divine Arts [Sky Step]
Vera flew through the air towards Galatea. Galatea lifted his leg in response.
With his first step, he became airborne. With his second, third, and fourth steps, he flew through the air and avoided Galatea’s front leg.
The fifth step.
He approached Galatea’s face.
In an instant, he took a sixth step to change directions and jump into the air to avoid the concentrated blast of demonic energy that was approaching him.
[—–]
After avoiding the incoming attack, he took a seventh step and thrust the sword towards Galatea’s mouth, channeling divinity into its mouth with the sword as a medium.
His favorite technique since leaving the Holy Kingdom.
It was an imitation of the unique skill of the knights [Depth Charge]
The divinity from the Demon Sword permeated into Galatea’s body, followed by an explosion.
Boom—!
The force of the explosion blew Vera backwards. Upon looking up, he saw that Galatea’s lower jaw had vanished.
There was a chance of victory.
With that thought in mind, Vera’s eyes focused on Galatea’s missing jaw. The bones and flesh regenerated in an instant, reforming his jaw.
“Kreuk—”
Droplets of saliva dripped from the tip of the long, protruding tongue.
Vera’s expression twisted in a grotesque manner.
‘You disgusting bastard…’
It was only natural, but Gillie couldn’t compare to Galatea. Gillie was like a child when compared to Galatea’s strength, destructive power, and regenerative abilities.
Vera sighed quietly as his attack utilizing divinity had no effect, but quickly regained his composure.
Fortunately, there was enough divinity. As long as Vera did not give up, the Sanctuary would provide him with endless stamina and divinity, so he wasn’t worried.
It was a stalemate. Neither victory nor defeat were in sight.
If that’s the case, then all he had to do was endure.
Vera channeled his divinity again. It increased his vitality, expanded his muscles, accelerated his blood flow, and sharpened his thoughts and senses, almost as if he had gained a sixth sense.
Once again, Vera charged towards Galatea.
****
Todd writhed in pain as he screamed and flailed his arms.
Words simultaneously flowed out of his mouth.
“F-forget.”
I will never forget. I will never forget those who sacrificed themselves for the cause, for the great unification.
As Todd reflected on his own words, he began to contemplate.
He couldn’t even remember what it was that he was saying he wouldn’t forget. His mind was in disarray, and he was incapable of pinpointing the subject matter. He tried to focus and think about it again.
However, nothing came to mind this time as well.
“Kroo-oo-o—!”
He couldn’t quite distinguish the sound he heard. It was a mix of pain, joy, and confusion.
The strength in his body resurged and overflowed. He could feel a burning sensation in his body.
No matter how hard he tried to dissipate this burning sensation, the heat continued to rise and his frustrations surged.
Kwaaaaaa—!
A loud explosion sounded in the distance. Todd was unsure of the cause of the sound.
He didn’t know why his vision had been obscured. All he felt was an irritating energy and so, he began to follow it. The explosion continued as he advanced.
‘Ah…’
I’m hungry.
I can’t bear this hunger.
‘If I try to eat that substance, maybe my hunger will go away. But why can’t I get my hands on it? It was making this burning sensation even more painful.’
I’m feeling nauseous.
As the burning sensation inside of him grew, Todd thought that he had to vomit it out. He retched without holding back.
The burning sensation congregated. As he belched, it spewed out of his mouth and aimed towards Vera.
Vera approached Galatea, accelerating past the concentrated magic that was fired at him.
He twisted his body, gathered divinity at the tip of the sword, and swung it in a wide arc.
Galatea’s left hind leg was cleanly cut off.
It was only possible since the hind leg lacked the same durability as the front leg.
Vera weaved his [Holy Lance] once more as he watched as Galatea collapsed on their side with a ‘thud’.
As always, his target was Galatea’s mouth.
He had to aim at that mouth, which was especially soft as the flesh was thinner compared to the other parts of the body.
The lance was fired, but Galatea tightly sealed its mouth, as if to prevent a repeat of the last time.
Boom—!
The Holy Lance came in contact with Galatea’s face, but there was no visible damage.
Just as Vera was about to strike again with his sword…
“Forget… I will never forget…”
Galatea’s entire body glowed crimson. The mana that he had previously scattered on the battlefield began to envelop his body.
Vera held his breath.
The battle was already over. His sword was pointed at Galatea’s tightly shut mouth.
At that moment, an explosion occurred.
Kwaang—!
****
White feathers scattered in the wind.
The Divine Arts [Guardian’s Blessing] that Vera had invoked vanished in an instant.
“Cough…!”
Vera coughed and looked at the blood that spewed out of his mouth.
‘I must be internally bleeding.’
Although he protected himself on the outside, the shock must’ve resulted in internal injuries.
Vera scanned his surroundings.
The forest, which had previously been abundant with trees and greenery, was now reduced to a desolate wasteland.
Within the Sanctuary, only Galatea and Vera himself remained.
In the distance, Galatea stood up. The injuries he had sustained just prior due to the explosion he had caused had already begun healing.
Vera scowled at the sight and stood up, using the Demon Sword as his support.
His stomach shook. Every time he would breathe, he could feel the blood flowing down his throat. His nausea was severe, accompanied by a similarly severe headache.
Even so, Vera recalled to himself.
‘Losing…’
…is unacceptable.
The reason I came here alone without letting anyone know is to win, isn’t it?
Because this is the only thing that I can do, the only way for me to chase the light. Isn’t that why I came?
Vera raised the Demon Sword.
Swoosh—!
Every step that Galatea took resulted in an explosion.
Vera stepped forward again.
The Sanctuary was still intact.
As long as he didn’t lose his fighting spirit and didn’t betray his faith, the Sanctuary would stand strong.
Vera could continue to fight until he was victorious.
The hand holding the Demon Sword gained strength as he flexed his arm to bulge his muscles. Vera placed his other hand on the handle of the sword.
An ashen divinity was evoked.
Vera suddenly came to a halt and crouched. He spoke as he prepared to charge and watched Galatea.
“I vow.”
Under the Sanctuary, this time, he swore an oath to himself.
“I won’t fall. I won’t retreat. I won’t be shaken by fear.”
“Never again will I break an oath that I have made for myself. And so, I vowed.”
“That I will be able to drive my sword into the enemy’s heart just this once.”
‘I must win. I have vowed to win, so I must keep my promise.’
As Galatea charged, Vera directed the tip of his sword towards Galatea.
Vera crouched down.
His feet remained firm on the ground.
Galatea’s mouth widened.
At the moment, strength flowed through Vera’s body.
He sprung forward.
Vera passed through the snapped open mouth, as well as Galatea’s chin and neck. He thrust his sword towards Galatea’s exposed chest, and a dazzling golden light shone on the blade.
Whoosh—!
A faint sound could be heard.
The Demon Sword finally pierced Galatea’s chest, which had seemed impossible to cut due to his regenerative capabilities.
Vera channeled his divinity into the Demon Sword.
“Cough…”
The abrupt movement he made caused him to cough up blood once more.
“Never forget…!”
Vera shut his mouth and clamped his teeth tightly, then swallowed the blood in his mouth. He thrust his sword coated in divinity in with a sneer.
“Shut up.”
He said that to the idiot who kept repeating the same word, over and over again.
Hwaaak—!
The divinity that had taken hold of Galatea’s body erupted, flooding the Sanctuary with a radiant, golden light.
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