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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 48
Crack!!
[Overload detected in the body. Maintaining constant acceleration is physically unsustainable.]
The swordsmanship I use primarily involves creating an explosive burst of speed at the moment of the enemy's attack, making it seem as if I am moving through time differently than everyone else.
There was a reason for this.
Maintaining that speed constantly is simply not feasible in reality.
No matter how much stronger and tougher I become, the threshold rises accordingly, and no matter how powerful I get, I can never sustain acceleration indefinitely.
Thus, the duration of my bursts of acceleration is typically around one to two seconds—at most, three seconds.
But now, I had been maintaining that acceleration for nearly ten seconds as I sprinted down the long corridor.
Though the time was short, the distance covered was far from insignificant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
And chasing after me like a mad beast was Barva.
Perhaps it had already finished off it’s previous opponent and was now relentlessly pursuing me.
It seemed slower than the Barva I knew…
Had it weakened?
Even if that were the case, its basic specs wouldn't have changed.
If I were alone, it might be a different story, but carrying Melissa on my back left my chances of winning almost nonexistent.
A sharp pain spread through my legs, and I clenched my teeth, preparing to leap forward once more.
“Leon!! That thing disappeared…?!”
“Tch…”
KWAANG!!
In an instant, Barva was right in front of me, slashing through the air with blazing golden claws.
Surprisingly, the space its claws had cut through remained burning with golden flames, leaving behind the shape of its talons in midair.
“Ugh?!”
Melissa, unable to see, had no way of knowing what was happening.
But somehow, Barva had moved even faster than its usual speed and intercepted me.
I reflexively pulled back, but I hadn't completely escaped its range of influence.
That kind of movement wasn’t part of Barva’s usual abilities.
Could it be related to this space?
Barva alone was already dangerous enough—now it had a special ability on top of that.
The energy emanating from the rift had felt too weak to contain a being like Barva, which had made me underestimate the situation.
To my surprise, Barva was biting down on Luna Basilin Raphaelia, its mouth wrapped in chains.
Whether unconscious or already dead, she hung limp without any sign of movement.
A transparent barrier was preventing Barva’s teeth from piercing her flesh, but it didn’t look like it would last much longer.
Was it furious that her ambush had failed?
With an irritated flick of its head, Barva tossed the girl aside and raised its energy even further.
Just a little further, and I could escape…
It was then.
Shrrrkkk!
Chains of light shot out from all directions, wrapping tightly around Barva.
“Stop standing there like an idiot and get out of here.”
Despite the barrier keeping her from dying, the girl remained conscious and stared at me with unwavering eyes.
“You’re still alive?”
“I can’t die even if I want to… cough cough.”
She coughed up blood but tightened the chains around Barva even further.
“I won’t last long. Take that rift exit, and you’ll make it outside.”
“And you’re just going to die here?”
“I’ve lived long enough.”
Her response was firm.
“I was the one who called you here and put you in danger. I will make sure you get out alive.”
In a life-threatening situation, most people would act selfishly.
Yet, in her voice, I sensed something eerie—something almost fanatical.
“Leon.”
At that moment, Melissa, slightly weary, asked me a question.
“Can’t you kill it?”
It was the same question as before.
But this time, my answer was a little different.
“…It seems to be a lot weaker than I expected.”
“So, is it possible or not?”
“It’s possible—but there's no reason to take that risk.”
Hearing my explanation, Melissa nodded.
Then, with a conflicted expression, she looked down at the pink-haired girl lying on the floor.
“I understand your feelings, Melissa, but we need to be realistic.”
Even if the girl was sacrificing herself to buy us time to escape, that was a separate issue.
“…Yeah, let’s go.”
As I was about to lift Melissa back up—
I noticed a trail of blood leading from where she had walked.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Looking down at her legs, I saw a large wound, though it wasn’t burning with sacred flames.
The moment I registered her injury, something inside my mind shattered.
“Leon?”
“We need to change the plan. I’m killing that thing right here.”
I immediately altered my approach.
“What are you saying…? Wait…”
Melissa, who had been taken aback, suddenly froze when she looked at my face.
[Extreme rage is impairing judgm—]
‘Shut up.’
Zzzzt!
The floating text in the air distorted into static and shattered, but I paid it no mind.
Drawing my sword, I stepped toward the beast.
At the same time, as a 6th-circle Necromancer, my death mana surged out like an overwhelming tide.
Sensing something from me, the divine beast Barva lowered its stance, preparing to pounce.
Tap…
And then—
The moment my left foot touched the ground—
Boom!!!
With the sound of the air bursting, my figure appeared right next to the enemy.
For a brief moment, it seemed to lose track of me, its gaze still fixated on where I had been standing before sluggishly shifting in my direction.
"If your judgment was slow, you'll have to pay the price."
You wouldn't know, but I've fought the divine beast Barva more times than I can count.
Of course, back then, I was much stronger than I am now.
[4th Circle Necromantic Magic]
[Deadly Enchant]
Necrotic mana infused my blade, and the pseudo sword aura it created claimed one of the beast’s eyes.
* * *
Leon’s movements were always mesmerizing to watch.
How could such speed and power come from a mere human body—especially one who had yet to attain the rank of Sword Master?
"Hey, you okay?"
"Utter foolishness. That attack was completely meaningless. I went out of my way to buy time, and yet what does he do?"
Melissa approached Luna Basilin Raphaelia, the young girl still bound in chains and collapsed on the floor, and helped her up.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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"At first, that was the plan. But Leon changed his mind."
"……."
Just moments ago, Leon had been trying to escape.
But now, he was radiating a chilling bloodlust, sharp enough to slice through anything that dared approach.
Each time he accelerated, his aura spilled from his body, leaving behind afterimages of his sky-blue eyes streaked across the air.
"I seriously have no idea what that guy is thinking anymore."
Melissa let out a sigh and focused on what she could do—getting Luna Basilin out of the battlefield before she became a hindrance to Leon's fight.
As she hoisted the girl, still wrapped in chains, onto her back, Luna’s voice rang out again.
"A brother who goes berserk just because his sister got hurt… Guess the two of you are closer than I thought."
"Don't be ridiculous. Does he look like that kind of person to you?"
Despite her words, Melissa’s expression was strangely complicated.
Looking back, ever since Leon had changed, he had always grumbled at her, yet he never hesitated to step in when she was in danger.
When Vishiri Cascadia had slapped her, Leon had kicked down the door without hesitation and sent him flying.
At the time, she assumed it was just revenge for his own abduction.
But then, there was that incident with the Black Mist creature.
And his usual speech, despite all the grumbling, was laced with concern that seemed excessive even for him.
"Ahem. Must be my imagination. That guy only moves when he sees something in it for himself. Anyway, should we be helping him?"
Melissa's question was met with a firm response from Luna Basilin.
"We’d be useless. Might as well sit down and have some tea."
"What? What about that chain of yours? Can't you use it to restrain that thing’s movements?"
"That was my last chance. I’m out of strength now."
"You’re surprisingly useless, huh?"
Melissa narrowed her eyes, smirking. Luna Basilin’s brow twitched.
"This seal drained all my power. I am not weak."
"Then can’t you just break the seal? If you do that, you’d be able to help Leon."
"If the seal is broken, I could suppress that thing. But I wouldn’t recommend it. As you can see, I am a corrupted being."
Wait, was she really asking her own question like that?
Melissa let out a baffled laugh.
"Funny. I don’t think someone who sacrifices themselves to save others is a bad person."
"Besides, there's no way to break the seal anyway."
At her words, Melissa started yanking at the chains.
At first glance, they looked carelessly wrapped, but they were far more tightly secured than expected.
"Ugh, this is annoying."
She pulled on them with all her strength.
"It’s pointless. These chains are the seal itself. Unless the sealing magic is broken from the inside, there's no way to—"
Clatter.
"Oh, one came loose."
"……Why did that happen?"
Even in this situation, Luna Basilin was utterly deadpan in her disbelief.
* * *
There was no room for unnecessary words in this battle.
Barva, the divine beast, swung his flaming claws, tearing apart not only the air but also the ground and ceiling, leaving deep scorch marks that lingered before slowly fading.
Leon, on the other hand, continuously exploited openings in the beast’s movements while unleashing relentless necromantic magic through his sword.
Grrrrr…
When golden flames flickered within Barva's maw, Leon didn’t try to dodge or block.
Instead, he surged his necrotic mana to its limit.
And the moment the beast's sacred flames scorched through the air toward him, Leon vanished—reappearing and disappearing multiple times in rapid succession, phasing through the attack like a mirage before closing the gap.
Shrrrrk!!!
Of course, Barva was well aware of Leon’s speed.
Its claws lashed out in counterattack, leaving a blazing aftershock in their wake.
But Leon had anticipated this.
Twisting his body at the last second, he drove his sword—now condensed with necrotic mana—deep into the beast’s flesh.
[6th Circle Necromantic Magic]
[Curse Explosion]
A torrent of curses seeped from the blade, burrowing into the wound.
The dark magic spread within, resonating with the air itself.
In an instant, oxygen was sucked in, and numerous magical circles materialized around the beast's body before erupting in simultaneous cursed detonations.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavy explosions rocked Barva's massive frame.
"KRAAAAAHH!!"
For every move the beast made, Leon had already calculated two or three counters in advance.
Barva barely managed to flick his tail in a desperate attempt to shake Leon off, but its colossal form was undeniably staggering.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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