SWNOVELXO Chapter 123
– 1 –
The preliminary battle of the Great Warrior duel is a skirmish conducted between the dungeons, where each side selects five from their ranks.
Our vanguard has been decided to be Xue.
This was due not only to her personal wishes but also to the recommendations of others.
However, to honestly express my feelings about it, I had some concerns.
[Isn’t it difficult for Xue to be fully prepared in one go?]
There was no disagreement that Xue could handle battles well, but I wondered if it was suitable for her to be the vanguard.
[Don’t worry.]
[With this alone…]
However, all three of them presented a solution.
There exists one simple method that can only be executed when enemies that pose no threat appear.
This method is.
“In front of you, there’s an enemy. Cut off their breath. My Puppy.”
… It was me whispering directly to Xue.
They claimed that this alone would put Xue in a state of full readiness…
Boom…!!
– Crroo…
… And, it actually happened.
There’s a difference between “Frenzy” and “Bloodlight.” Unlike “Frenzy,” which strengthens abilities only during battle, “Bloodlight” also reacts to emotions.
‘But… at the same time, it’s not easy.’
How sincere would she have to be for my words to incite such feelings?
It was hard to imagine.
– 2 –
White hair gradually dyed red from the roots, filling the entirety of her hair.
Her two eyes burned a bright red, almost obscuring the whites.
Bloodlight surged from both arms, and her gloves were no longer black but a crimson hue.
“… Come…”
Xue, with Bloodlight fully charged yet unable to stop herself from falling into madness.
She was already in perfect condition.
[“When at maximum, one loses their rationality, but as the battle continues, they regain it.”]
This was contradictory to what Libertus knew about this description, yet also not.
[Your heart is too hot… Please cool your head more, so that you can achieve what you desire even without me.]
If it were an ordinary battle or duel, it would not matter.
It was the Master’s wish that she maintain her composure before the enemy, and at the same time, it was her great challenge.
Moreover, while “Frenzy” had no triggers to regain rationality, “Bloodlight” did.
Therefore, she could be in this state as long as she wanted.
Her Master’s last words, experiences that transcended her traits, and the power of will honed through mental training.
– Crroo…
Bang.
‘Tear it apart… bleed… Ah… must restrain myself…’
Of course, she had released far more mental restrictions than usual.
“Grrk… No deficiency as my enemy…”
In response to Xue, the one stepping up as the vanguard was a Green Skin ogre warrior.
A giant with green or dark green skin.
Just from its presence, one could tell it was a powerful warrior.
This ogre, with a size at least 1.5 times that of Libertus’s skeleton ogres, clearly looked like a mature elite looking down at Xue.
“… Are you my enemy…?”
“Kraah! Yes…! Bring me a thrilling battle…!”
“What battle…”
The standoff resembled David and Goliath.
However, the blood-covered David held not a sling but a much more dangerous weapon of lethal magic.
“Start!”
“Die.”
The battle ended swiftly.
When the signal dropped, in just a few seconds.
– Crrooong!
The red cutting spell that shimmered from Xue’s hands shot toward the ogre’s head with fierce momentum.
“Starting off aggressive…!”
Boom – !!!
He twisted his head in response but didn’t completely evade it.
Bang!
Soon, with a torn forehead, he collapsed from a concussion.
“Was that only enough to knock him out…?”
Pfft!
Ka-ching!! Slurp –
Before anyone could stop her, Xue sliced his neck with a blood-drenched sword and opened her mouth to drink in the blood.
“Recta – !! You wench!!”
Her white outfit stained with blood, but she seemed unfazed, even by Zarkra’s scream-like shout.
Ka-ching.
Just after Xue crushed the ogre warrior’s skull after draining all the blood…
“Hah…”
The crimson aura swirling around her body deepened into an even darker red, and the Bloodlight from her eyes shone even brighter.
It was an obvious sign of her becoming even more powerful.
“Next…! Come out…!!”
Not realizing she was showing too wild a side in front of her beloved Master, Xue extended her finger toward the enemy camp and shouted.
With a growl that remained a primal roar.
“… That fool.”
“Hah.”
Whether Evangeline or Lan sighed or not.
– 3 –
– What happened…? Lady Zarkra.
“I don’t know either! Recta was one of the top vanguards in my ranks!”
On the surface, they had blocked their presence, but the dungeon lords who witnessed the first battle were now in chaos.
Even among adventurers who have reached this caliber, they dream of higher honors by crossing the borders of the Magical Realm.
Even if they remain inland, with just their strength, they can live comfortably for a lifetime by taking commissions while young or selling their strength to rural territories when old.
“Elite” is a very high level, and their battles should not end so simply.
“What’s going to happen to you?! You didn’t tell me that the woman’s subordinate was this strong!”
“You already took the risk and came out, didn’t you?”
As Zarkra reprimanded Quirisia, shame and anger deepened Zarkra’s face.
“That’s true, but… no matter how I look at it… that’s not just some newbie’s mercenary!”
If adventurers are like that, how about monsters?
Monsters that have reached elite level begin to establish their individuality.
In the case of a mercenary from the demon world who was originally human, their inherent traits would be enhanced, and in cases like Evangeline, where one’s ego is strong, their ego manifests.
“At least at the front lines of the Magical Realm…!”
– That’s enough.
However, elite monsters like Xue or Evangeline, who overflow with their persona or traits and manifest beyond ‘legend,’ are certainly different from ordinary elites.
Like Serika, an enemy who can change the dynamics of the frontline.
Just like the difference shown between Xue and the ogre warrior.
And that conversation was.
– Look on the bright side. Lady Zarkra.
“Melzeros…! It’s not your problem!”
– We will take the head and core of that dungeon lord to our Grand Duke. With our growth. That should please him more. After all, that isn’t your best power either.
What they had done in forming an alliance to come to this place was truly the right decision.
Though they would face greater risks, they were ultimately an amalgamation of dungeon lord sets.
It left only the thought that they would gain more benefits in the end.
“… That’s true.”
With Melzeros’ words leading her thoughts to that point, Zarkra calmed down.
It was true that the ogre warrior was a powerful vanguard, but he was not the strongest power of the dungeon she owned, nor an object of affection.
– Indeed. Let’s think of what we will gain first.
“Well, fine… then who’s next?”
At Zarkra’s question, Melzeros’s gaze turned.
To a temporary ally serving another Grand Duke.
– This time… how about Lady Quirisia taking the lead?
“Alright.”
In response to the suggestion, Quirisia stepped forward without a word.
It was clear that they had discussed the order among themselves sufficiently, and opposing it would be meaningless.
“Step forward. Tarchella.”
“Yes!!”
The one stepping forth was a serpent-human monster with two pairs of arms.
However, unlike the Lamia on Libertus’s side, the pair of arms were two distinct sets and stood out with several fins along her head and body in addition to the scales.
She was of the sea-serpent human type, a race that focused primarily on physical combat, unlike the Lamia that mastered magical arts.
“I will bring victory to my Master.”
Proving her racial tendencies.
The red serpent-human monster, known as Tarchella, held a trident of a length equal to that of a spear in her upper pair and a uniquely long-handled curved blade in her lower pair.
She could skillfully maneuver both weapons, differing in shape, length, and purpose.
“It’s not really for you to say, but…”
“Master?”
To her, Quirisia approached, encouragingly placing a hand on her shoulder, then whispered softly enough that others couldn’t hear.
“If you feel like you’re going to lose, surrender.”
Setting forth a new standard for them.
“Why…?”
“Friend or foe may blur, and what we must do in this chaotic battlefield is not victory but to protect ourselves. Keep that in mind.”
“… Understood. My Master.”
With that, Tarchella nodded toward her Master and stepped forward.
At this point, she was filled with the will to carry out her Master’s orders, so she was considering admitting defeat after fighting suitably.
However, that thought was soon shattered.
“That was an impressive performance, Wolfkin warrior.”
“Shut up. You’re nothing but cowards, and you seem to prefer fighting with words… Cowards and blowhards. An excellent combination.”
“You…?!”
Though Xue was collected enough to face a duel, she was so brutal that she couldn’t readily recall the secret pact between Quirisia and Libertus.
The not-quite-insulting taunt infuriated Tarchella to the point of forgetting her Master’s advice.
“Begin!”
Bang!!
That sentiment appeared the instant the battle commenced.
“I will make you pay for your arrogance…!!”
“Arrogance?”
– Crroo…
“You think that a bunch of trash like you can do something to us…”
Tarchella responded to her declaration with a challenge and with a growl, Xue scoffed menacingly.
“… Believing you can do anything to our Master is the true arrogance.”
Bam!!
With a mouth that stretched upward in a sinister smile, her hands filled with blood-red energy shot toward her opponents.
Bang! Bang!! Bang!!
The several shots fired from her clenched fist struck the shield created by the swinging of the trident.
‘This power…!’
Tarchella felt the shock reminiscent of the strength that knocked out the ogre and panicked throughout her body.
A powerful impact strong enough to almost make her drop her trident if she had been holding it with both hands and hadn’t been prepared.
It was the kind of power that evaporated any misunderstanding she had of the ogre being off guard.
‘If I’m not careful, I might die before I can surrender…!’
Grinning.
Casting away all complacency and excessive excitement, Tarchella instead began dodging Xue’s attacks while feeling the thrill of being a warrior.
To seize the moment to activate her traits.
Clang! Clang!! Kaang!!!
With every clash of the two weapons, the magical waves gradually grew stronger.
The trait “Shock Overlap.”
Similar to Evangeline’s “Overlapping Strike,” it had easier conditions but a slightly weaker outcome.
This was a trait Tarchella had activated after devouring a whale monster and was one of her means to counter Xue’s fierce, blood-red magic.
“Hah.”
Seeing the growing waves, Xue smiled faintly, as though finding it amusing, paused her assault, and accelerated her ‘second heart.’
Kiiiiiing – !!
Her entire body trembled.
Close to perfect “Bloodlight.”
Temporary power amplification through the ability known as “Blood Rush.”
On top of that, there was also “Magic Overflow.”
Gathering power that could not be used if the enemy was not in front of her.
Bang!!
With a light stomp on the ground, the surface broke apart into dozens of pieces, revealing her restrained strength.
Crroooo…
The extending blood-red power widened the cracks.
Kiiiiiing!!
As the energy that had been enveloping her body converged into two paths.
One with both feet, and the other with her right hand.
Growling…!
On her right hand, raised vertically to the sky, poured forth a force brimming with intensity.
A momentum strong enough to pierce through anything.
And when that power reached its peak…
“Battlefield”
Boom – !!!
One lightning bolt crossed through the space.
Not vertically, but horizontally.
In red.