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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 152
However, the action was never completed.
A flash of light streaked through the air—Ropal’s Aura Blade, aimed straight at Leon’s neck.
Clang!!!
In an instant, Leon pulled his cursed sword from his subspace and blocked the attack with the scabbard in one hand—without even turning around.
"How dare you cause such havoc in the sanctuary of Remilish? You will pay for this with your life."
His solemn voice carried an overwhelming force, radiating a powerful aura.
A Sword Master was not just any ordinary warrior.
They were strategic weapons in their own right.
Naturally, the strength exuded by a single Sword Master was beyond what could be considered human.
In fact, the sheer force of his presence spread in all directions, causing Rebecca and Meryl Dyne’s faces to visibly pale.
But Leon didn’t spare him a single glance.
Instead, with his free hand, he suppressed his trembling and slowly pushed open the lid of the coffin.
Inside lay a young girl, bound in chains, unconscious.
"……."
Leon’s pupils contracted sharply.
Her small body was covered in countless red cracks.
A clear sign that the ritual had already begun.
If left alone, she would be consumed as a sacrifice.
Clang!
At the same time, countless light chains conjured by the mages coiled tightly around Leon and Luna at the center of the ritual circle.
"We have subdued them!"
"Don’t kill them! Just make sure they can’t move a single finger!"
Their goal was restraint, not extermination.
A barrage of debilitating spells rained down, layering onto them.
Ropal, however, remained cautious, watching Leon closely for any unexpected movements.
Moments ago, when he had swung his Aura Blade, Leon had effortlessly blocked it with his sword.
Even if he had held back somewhat, a Sword Master’s attack was not something that could be so easily stopped.
Perhaps it was due to the ominous nature of the sword Leon wielded, but that alone made him a threat.
Their objective had not changed.
The ritual was already underway, and more sacrifices were required.
As long as Leon and Luna remained incapacitated, the ritual could proceed.
Resistance at this stage would be meaningless.
Unless one was an exceptionally powerful warrior, they would be utterly helpless in this situation.
Moreover, the ritual circle continuously drained the life force of its sacrifices, making the situation all the more advantageous for Ropal and the knights of Vania Remilish.
Once completely drained, the sacrificed would crumble into dust, starting from their fingertips.
The magic sealing the coffin belonged to the latter category—it ensured that the victim’s life force was steadily drained.
Leon stared blankly at the girl inside, seemingly unaware of his own predicament.
Whatever mysterious energy had been flowing from him disappeared in an instant.
As if his raging emotions had suddenly been stilled.
At that moment, Leon's entire focus was on Arsha.
"Can you check her condition?"
"She’s still alive. Most of her vitality has been drained, but she’s holding on."
"She’s been drained for quite some time, hasn’t she?"
"She got lucky."
The mages who had bound them flinched at their complete disregard for the situation.
"And healing?"
"Physical wounds are easy to mend, but the ritual must be stopped first. Also…"
Luna paused briefly before continuing.
"Her mind has suffered severe trauma. Likely the work of the Kraken."
She spoke about halting an advanced and complex ritual as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
The ritual involved necromantic magic combined with top-tier elemental spells, forming a multi-layered magical structure of the highest order.
No single person could break such a spell in a short time—let alone just two people.
Ropal turned to Vania and bowed slightly.
"My lady, it would take dozens of expert mages working for days to dispel the ritual magic. I will keep them restrained—please continue the ceremony."
"The ritual must not fail."
It had taken years of preparation to reach this point.
Even the most renowned mages of the Magic Tower had been awed by the complexity of this ritual.
How could these fools possibly disrupt it?
That was the logical conclusion.
Even removing the outermost layer of protection would take hours.
But logic was shattered in an instant.
The moment Leon moved, dozens of protective spells collapsed at once.
Although the core of the ritual circle still held firm, it was no longer a matter of if it would be broken, but when.
"Hmm… Let’s try this, then."
Crack…! Crash!!!
The next moment, twice as many spells were destroyed in an instant.
This time, both necromantic and elemental magics were simultaneously shattered.
This couldn’t be happening.
Sure, they had somehow broken the coffin’s protective magic earlier—but the ritual circle’s defenses were an entirely different matter.
Even the greatest elemental mage couldn’t interfere with magic outside their domain, especially not necromantic magic.
And yet, before their very eyes, the necromantic control was being hijacked, and the fundamental structure of the elemental magic was being unraveled in mere seconds.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Ropal drew his sword and lunged at Leon.
This man was too dangerous.
If they couldn’t use him as a sacrifice, they had to kill him here and now.
As if time itself had accelerated, Ropal closed the distance in an instant, his blade aimed precisely at Leon’s neck.
Even another Sword Master would have struggled to react to such speed, let alone a mage focusing on breaking a ritual.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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There was no way he could defend himself.
And yet—
Leon slowly drew his sword from its scabbard.
Even as the blade neared his throat, he showed no fear of death.
Clang!!!
Instead of the sensation of slicing through flesh, Ropal felt the jarring resistance of an immovable force.
"What…?!"
The next moment, a massive impact sent Ropal flying backward.
A sword enveloped in Aura Blade was deflected this easily?
As that thought crossed his mind, he looked back at Leon—
And his eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
The aura surrounding Leon’s sword—without a doubt, it was the mark of a Sword Master.
In other words… the teenage boy before him, who was presumed to be a mage and was effortlessly destroying magic—
Was standing at the same level as Ropal, a seasoned Sword Master who had surpassed the wall through years of training.
It was absurd.
A Sword Master at such a young age?
What kind of nonsense was that?
It wasn’t as if Sword Masters were household pets!
And yet, not only was the boy wielding his sword at that level, but he was also interfering with magic itself.
Looking at the mana swirling around him, he was clearly a mage.
A highly skilled mage at that.
A mage who was also a Sword Master?
Ropal felt like he had fallen into some kind of waking nightmare.
Even exchanging a single clash with him had provided an overwhelming amount of information.
Leon had already achieved a level of physical enhancement beyond his own, and the completion of his Aura Blade was even more refined.
The world this young boy had built for himself—his mastery—was far sturdier than that of Ropal, who had spent decades on the battlefield and even fought in past wars.
"Ropal! What are you doing?! Stop that brat immediately!!"
Vania Remilish’s hysterical scream rang out, making Ropal grit his teeth.
The magic circle was shattering with every second.
In less than a minute, half the magic had already been destroyed.
If it had been the robed woman destroying the magic while the boy defended against attacks, he could have forced himself to accept it.
"......"
Even as common sense crumbled before his eyes, Ropal could not stop.
He was a knight of the Remilish family.
He was sworn to obey Vania Remilish’s orders.
That thing before him was a monster.
He couldn't think of it as human—he had to consider it something wearing the shape of a human.
Ropal refined his Aura, circulating it with precision to pump every ounce of vitality through his body.
Then, locking his sights on Leon—who still stood there, effortlessly dismantling magic—he launched forward like a flash of lightning.
"You've been getting on my nerves."
What?
Before he could even close the distance—before he could reach Leon—he saw the robed girl standing in his path, her small fist clenching.
Another monster.
Ropal did not let his guard down.
He thrust his sword with deadly accuracy, aiming to pierce her throat.
But—
His blade cut through nothing but air.
It failed to kill her.
‘The difference in skill…’
At that moment, Ropal finally understood.
Just like Leon, this girl was far superior to him—a Sword Master beyond his reach.
‘This world is disgustingly unfair.’
The girl—Luna—dodged effortlessly.
Her small, pale fist struck his solar plexus.
CRAAAAASH!!!
A shattering explosion erupted.
Ropal’s body was sent flying out of the magic formation, crashing into the outer wall that enclosed the ceremonial grounds.
He had heard tales before—stories of martial artists so refined they could shatter space itself with a single punch.
But this was beyond what even a Fist Master should be capable of.
These two were connected to that enslaved girl being offered as a sacrifice.
Who the hell was that slave girl?
Ropal’s body was in ruins.
His right arm had lost all strength, and his ribs were broken in multiple places, screaming in agony.
That single strike had severely damaged some of his internal organs.
Yet, despite the searing pain, he forced himself back to his feet.
"All forces!!! Protect the Lady at all costs!!!"
At once, the knights and mages guarding the ceremony unleashed a barrage of attacks.
At the same time, Rebecca and Meryl drew their weapons to join the fight—
But they couldn’t take a single step forward.
"Both of you—stay out of my way."
The voice was frigid, cutting through the air like the cold of the polar regions.
The two of them were paralyzed on the spot.
And then—
Around Leon—
A countless number of magic circles began to materialize.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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