The massive broad sword hovered mere centimeters from Artoria's left eye.
Yet, even such a minuscule distance felt like an unbreachable chasm.
Artoria raised her unarmed left hand and firmly caught the steel blade in her grasp.
Behind her, a deep fissure stretched far into the horizon, a stark reminder of the devastating power contained within the strike that had been aimed at her eye.
"A pathetic trick. Did you honestly think such an ambush could harm me? If so, I'd have to question your intelligence."
Standing four meters tall, Marquis Voban loomed over her, but the true wielder of the blade was Siegfried, who had been hurled away earlier. With both hands gripping the hilt of the massive sword, its blade pierced through Voban's body, only to be stopped by Artoria's hand.
"You're free to underestimate me, as long as you're not worried that your arrogance will hand me victory."
"Hmph!"
With a sneer, Artoria unleashed a burst of black energy that distorted the space around her. A column of dark light erupted, consuming both Marquis Voban and Siegfried in its destructive wake.
Yet moments later, Siegfried emerged from the darkness. Though cracks marred his armor, his body remained unscathed. With his two-meter-long broad sword raised high, he struck downward with the force to split mountains.
Clang!
The metallic resonance echoed like a mighty bell, shaking the heavens and earth.
The ground beneath their feet shattered into fragments, with webs of cracks spreading throughout the pit they stood in.
Siegfried suddenly swung a hand toward Artoria's head, forcing her to dodge. She countered immediately, slashing at his side with her reversed holy sword.
The blade tore through his armor and struck his flesh, only to meet resistance as if cutting into solid steel. It left nothing more than a faint scratch.
Siegfried grinned, his expression wild and frenzied.
"This body, tempered in dragon's blood, is invincible! I am the bane of all foul dragons, and the bearer of steel that rejects all malice!"
As he spoke, an immense surge of magical energy condensed behind him, forming the spectral image of a colossal dragon. His presence grew even more oppressive, radiating overwhelming power.
From him, Artoria felt an undeniable sense of threat, as if her very fate was to be slain by this man.
The sensation was nothing short of infuriating.
"You are strong, but it's unfortunate. By appearing before me with the power of dragons and serpents, your fate was sealed the moment we met. That fate… is to be defeated by me!"
Siegfried's confidence bordered on arrogance, his demeanor exuding the certainty of victory as if it were already within his grasp.
"So, will you finally share your name? A warrior as strong as you cannot be an obscure nobody. Though your death is inevitable, I am curious to know the name of the one destined to fall by my sword."
Siegfried watched as Artoria slowly closed her eyes, a gesture that left him puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
After a moment of silence, Artoria chuckled coldly, her tone dripping with disdain.
"Invincible? Victorious? Are you joking?"
When she opened her eyes again, her golden irises gleamed with contempt.
"If you can't even see the disparity between our strength, then my name is far too valuable to give to someone so foolish."
Her arrogance surpassed even Siegfried's, causing his confident smile to gradually fade.
"Then die!"
Siegfried, unable to suppress his growing fury, roared in rage.
The dragon's phantom behind him let out a deafening roar, and his holy sword, [Balmung], cleaved through the ground, unleashing a massive wave of sword energy.
As the attack traveled, it grew larger and larger, eventually slicing an enormous mountain clean in half. The upper section toppled diagonally, shattering into pieces as it crashed down.
Before the debris could settle, a shadow shot toward Siegfried with the speed of a cannonball, slamming into the mountainside with devastating force.
Cracks spidered outward, and the mountain crumbled.
The seemingly indestructible mountain collapsed like foam under the impact of divine power.
Embedded within the mountain, Siegfried tried to regain his footing. Yet, before he could react, Artoria descended like a meteor, delivering a devastating knight's kick straight to his chest.
The unleashed force surged through the mountain, causing it to break apart and disintegrate mid-fall.
Siegfried shot out from the collapsing mountain, his trajectory uninterrupted as if he might pierce through the clouds and continue indefinitely.
However, just as he flew out, a hand gripped his ankle. Artoria yanked him downward, smashing him into a large fragment of rock with immense force.
Without releasing her grip, she leapt again, using the momentum to swing Siegfried into another massive boulder. The rock, spanning at least a hundred meters in diameter, shattered into countless pieces upon impact.
Clearly enjoying herself, Artoria prepared to repeat the move. However, a glint of sword light in the corner of her vision forced her to release him.
A fist appeared before her, rapidly growing larger in her field of view.
Boom!
Artoria crossed her arms just in time to block the punch, but the sheer force sent her flying backward, crashing through multiple falling rocks along the way.
Before she could fully recover, Artoria instinctively slashed her sword in one direction, only to have the blade caught in mid-swing.
The cursed black flames engulfing the sword burned so intensely that Siegfried's gauntlet melted, the molten metal dripping onto his arm. Yet his hand remained unharmed, gripping the blade tightly.
Just how tough is he?!
Gripping Artoria's blade, Siegfried raised [Balmung] with his other hand, aiming a crushing blow at her pale, slender neck.
Her delicate neck appeared so fragile that it seemed as if a mere twist could snap it. Beneath the heavy, massive sword, one might expect her to be cleanly decapitated without resistance.
However—
Boom!
The rushing wind howled past, whipping Artoria's hair wildly and stinging her face.
The blade of Siegfried's sword stopped mere centimeters from her neck, caught firmly in her hand.
Both fighters mirrored each other's actions, gripping their respective blades while glaring at one another with unyielding determination.
Their arms trembled, and their swords quivered under the intense clash of strength, showcasing the sheer ferocity of their struggle.
Throughout it all, the cursed black flames continued to scorch Siegfried's hand. Yet despite the molten remnants of his gauntlet dripping away, the flames couldn't breach his skin.
His impenetrable body remained an unshakable fortress.
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf