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The power that reaches its peak sometimes doesn’t allow for sensory observation.

The strike that began with a lightly lifted sword erased all sound in the area the moment it revealed itself. The net of a powerful gravitational force at the level of fate, with its gaps leaking extreme light, was enough to blind anyone who saw it.

Without the need for any mysterious techniques or high-level principles, the strike unleashed by the golden Great Demon with the sword was simply that strong and destructive.

“Ugh, this…!”

Conra, who had told his companions to dodge while trying to block the strike with his spear and sword, knew it too.

This can’t be blocked.

Even if he tried to apply the principles of Samjaebonbon he had just realized, the sheer power was insufficient to counter that destructive strike.

The essence of the Heart Sword lies in manifesting reality by gathering countless imaginary numbers through willpower, but that requires a strong and stable mental image and the foundation to fully manifest it in reality.

The essence of Wu Xin Dong lies in realizing answers before subjective intervention by aligning with the principles of heaven and earth, but that also requires the ability to contain the laws of heaven and earth and the opponent’s power.

If the enemy’s mental image is stronger, or if the power they can unleash surpasses what you can currently output.

If the enemy exists beyond the constant laws of heaven and earth, or if the techniques you possess are insufficient to contain the enemy’s output.

Then, neither the possibilities manifested by the Heart Sword nor the principles and methods found through Wu Xin Dong can counter the enemy.

‘Then, what should I do?’

In a situation where the world seemed to darken as the speed of consciousness accelerated through the song of the Harp Pale Note, Conra desperately sought an answer. In a situation he had never experienced before, where pure strength was lacking, Conra’s pupils scanned the surroundings in an instant.

Unfortunately, no help could be expected. At this moment, Conra was the only one who could even attempt to resist.

If anyone else interfered clumsily, they would only end up dead alongside him. Conra didn’t want that.

Then, he had to buy time.

Fortunately, the strike that seemed about to engulf all the Hiberians in the area was delayed slightly due to Conra’s efforts. Even more fortunately, the opponent seemed content to just watch, not unleashing a second strike but merely observing with interest.

If he could somehow alter the trajectory of the attack and evacuate the remaining people…!

Though Conra tried to fuel his hope, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t go well. The reason was purely a lack of strength. Even slightly altering the attack’s trajectory and buying a little time to evacuate people was beyond the boy’s capabilities.

‘If Master were here, this much would be…!’

Conra thought of Sophia, but unfortunately, she wasn’t present at this moment.

Just as the boy was about to despair, it happened.

“By the authority of the crown, as the Duke of Asturias and the next High King of Hiberia, I now command. Knight, you shall not fall! The Duchy shall not perish! Hiberia, you shall resist the invaders!”

With a resonant voice, someone approached Conra. He didn’t need to look to know who it was. It was the voice, body warmth, and presence of the one who had been with him since that day in Valencia.

‘Maria…!’

Feeling the familiar scent from the person beside him, Conra felt joy, worry, gratitude, and reproach all at once.

“I told you to dodge, why did you come…?”

“Stop talking and focus, senior.”

With a tone that seemed to scold, Maria’s reply made Conra force a smile.

‘Thanks to her, the possibility has slightly increased.’

The enemy’s strike was now right in front of them. But Conra wasn’t worried.

With Maria’s royal authority adding to Conra’s spear and sword, their movements gained more power and subtlety. Maria, now wielding a sword imbued with royal light, also responded to Conra’s movements by unfolding her sword techniques according to the insights of Wu Xin Dong.

In addition…,

Bam bam bam!

Rune Stones scattered around rapidly grew in size, forming a stone formation reminiscent of the Phantom Stone Clusters in Conra’s homeland. The stone formation, changing several times in an instant, began to assist Conra and Maria while applying pressure on the enemy.

A technique that wouldn’t have been of much help due to the significant gap in power. But Conra sensed a familiar presence in the movements of the Rune Stones—specifically, the presence of the Heart Sword.

‘Karl is helping Brantley.’

At this moment, the movements of the Rune Stones, constantly changing, clearly reflected the essence of the Heart Sword. A movement that reached the realm of law, something not found in mere telekinesis.

As the harmony of spells and the flow of power through the Rune Stones were assisted, the resulting force exhibited a level of functionality far beyond the original.

Brantley’s Qi Men Dun Jia, which revealed the relationship between domains, phenomena, power, and spells, was now combined with the Heart Sword’s insight of gathering infinite possibilities close to zero to manifest one.

The resulting force, enhanced by the insight of will, was truly dramatic.

It boosted the overall strength of allies by three times and reduced the enemy’s power output by one-third.

It illuminated vision, clarified judgment, and allowed power to flow smoothly inside and outside the meridians. It removed pressure and obstacles hindering movement. Furthermore, it repelled calamities and evil, guiding the flow of luck and fortune related to battlefield achievements in the most favorable direction.

With the effects of Maria’s royal authority, the power Conra and Maria could unleash at this moment was five times their normal capacity.

Conversely, all the opposing forces were applied to the enemy, reducing the golden Great Demon’s strike by two-fifths.

Barely, they had succeeded in bringing the enemy’s strike into a realm they could understand and handle.

“Hyah―――!”

“Haa―――!”

The divine sword and spear wielded by the boy, and the royal sword held by the girl, began to exert force to block and divert the impending disaster.

Indeed, the enemy’s attack was still heavy. Although they had barely brought the incomprehensible, unmanageable torrent of power into a realm they could understand and handle, even that reduced result was shockingly powerful.

The golden slash, seemingly just a downward strike with a sword, was surrounded by a torrent of power that was no laughing matter if fully understood.

On one side of the slash was extreme heat that activated and destroyed all things, and on the other was extreme cold that froze and disintegrated them. At the intersection of the slash, forces that endlessly pulled in and repelled, collapsed and combined, intertwined with light and lightning, forming a cross.

The contradiction of activity and stillness, destruction and disintegration, attraction and repulsion, collapse and combination existing simultaneously at one point. If the energy level weren’t so high, this contradiction would have been corrected by the world’s restorative power. But due to the overwhelming force, the ‘law’ couldn’t withstand it and vanished, manifesting as violence.

In the space where the laws, including spacetime, had vanished, a void imperceptible to physical senses was exposed like a scar. If caught in such an attack, death would be the least concern—the soul would be torn to shreds.

Observing this with heightened perception, Conra understood why his best efforts were as light as a feather in blocking it.

‘Even after reducing the power and level by one stage, this attack is still monstrous. What would the original attack have been like?’

Cold sweat ran down his spine. Fortunately, the exposed void was slowly recovering due to the world’s restorative power. But it was clear that an indelible scar would remain. It wouldn’t be surprising if a new dungeon formed here in the distant future.

Another fortunate thing was that, despite everything, the attack before them was still within a realm Conra and Maria could handle.

Though it was impossible to block it head-on, if they could fully exert their skills and strength, they could somehow divert its trajectory.

Doing so wouldn’t save everyone. From the moment Rupifer lifted his sword to unleash the slash until now, only a single breath had passed.

Even now, many were struggling to evacuate people, but the time Conra and Maria could buy and the angle they could divert the trajectory were insufficient to save everyone.

‘Then, we must save as many as possible…’

Facing disaster, deciding who to save and who to abandon is too heavy a burden for anyone with a sound mind. Even with ample time to ponder and reflect, it would be difficult, let alone when forced to make such choices in the face of imminent catastrophe.

‘Where? How much do we need to divert?’

Gulp. The sound of swallowing saliva felt unnaturally prolonged.

There’s no time to hesitate. Any more delay, and it’s total annihilation. So, what decision should he make…?

“Young hero, and Grand Duchess! Do not hesitate!”

Suddenly, a shout pierced through all the tension and reached Conra and Maria’s ears.

In an instant, a group of people entered Conra and Maria’s perception.

Rodrigo Diaz, the great knight of Galicia, who had shown his spirit before the people earlier, Kihano, the shield knight of Navarre, an elderly spellcaster, and other brave and noble warriors were there.

They had been assisting in evacuating civilians and young people since the slash was unleashed, and some had been helping Karl and Brantley combine Qi Men Dun Jia with the northern-style three-moon military formation to create a force that would make it easier for Conra and Maria to counter the enemy’s strike.

Those who had been assisting in the evacuation also joined the formation as soon as their responsibilities were fulfilled, adding their strength.

They all spoke with shining eyes.

We’ve evacuated everyone we could.

Those remaining here are all volunteers who wish to fulfill their duty. We’ve lived enough lives. We have no interest in cowardly survival.

Don’t worry. We may look ridiculous, but we’re also heroes in our own right. We have no confidence in surviving against that, but we’ll try to dodge and live.

“So, think of the greater good!”

The old warriors’ shout pushed the young boy and girl forward.

Fine. Who to save and who to abandon, what nonsense is that? We’ll do what we can. If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.

Feeling lighter, Conra and Maria’s movements with their spears and swords gained more strength.

Occupying the three realms of heaven, earth, and man, and weaving strength from the central point, the light of the boy and girl’s spears and swords began to push the golden slash, which seemed ready to bring about the end, from a diagonal angle.

In martial arts, defense means suppressing the opponent’s force by aligning with its direction and flow.

The principle of defending against a slash is essentially the same.

Grrrrrr―――.

The slash, slowly advancing while pushing against Conra and Maria’s techniques, began to curve to the side at some point.

‘Still… not enough.’

‘The point where we can release our strength is later than now!’

Conra and Maria’s consciousness seemed to merge as one, their breathing synchronized. The trajectories of their spears and swords, previously aligned through skill alone, now flowed with a unified mental current.

As a result, the golden slash began to curve more and more.

‘A little more, just a little more…!!!’

Step by step. As the golden slash curved, Conra and Maria’s steps moved, and the trajectory of the slash shifted accordingly.

And at some point.

““Got it……!!!””

Finally confident that the slash’s path would follow their calculated ideal trajectory, Maria and Conra released the slash they had been holding back.

The wild horse that had been restrained began to gallop.

+++++

“Truly terrifying.”

Watching the golden torrent pass by with a pale face, Brantley Somz wiped his cold sweat.

Despite the protective barrier of the结界, the ominous and threatening pressure was enough to erase any sense of reality about what they had just accomplished.

‘To think that was with its power reduced…’

Extreme heat and extreme cold, immense attraction and repulsion. Each was a phenomenon close to disaster, unseen in the current world. Spells capable of handling such things had never been devised in history, and it was clear they wouldn’t appear anytime soon.

‘If it weren’t for the Heart Sword practitioners and the royal authority practitioners, we wouldn’t have dared to try blocking it.’

The Heart Sword, finding possibilities in fragments of impossibility, and this power, using willpower to judge material and physical phenomena—without these, even Brantley wouldn’t have dreamed of attempting such a feat.

In addition, the land refusing to perish and the people’s collective will to avoid disaster, conveyed through royal authority.

‘What spellcaster could have known that the will of a mere swordsman, the territory of a nation without intelligence, and the hearts of the people like wild grass could wield such power?’

Perhaps the spellcaster who first designed the royal authority system had foreseen this far.

Anyway, they barely survived.

The devastating golden slash, fortunately, didn’t take any lives and passed them by.

Though the golden Great Demon still stood before them, surely it wouldn’t unleash another attack like that…

{Hoh… You survived? Truly impressive.}

The golden Great Demon, lifting its sword again. Surely not? Brantley felt an inexplicable urge to smack his own head.

Kwaaaaa――――!!!!!

Another golden slash surged forth.

The people who had just relaxed tensed up again.

“Damn it, if we blocked it once, we can block it twice! Everyone, assist me!!!”

Having blocked it once, Conra snorted. Though his hand trembled slightly, Maria pretended not to notice and raised her sword, reinforcing the royal authority of Asturias and Hiberia.

Ultimately, they managed to barely deflect the second slash as well, but…

{To block this, you are truly remarkable. Then…}

And so, the sword was readied again.

Before it, Conra’s group and the Hiberians lay exhausted, having poured out all their strength. Despite the impending doom of the sword being readied again, they couldn’t even react.

They were completely drained from expending too much strength and will.

A critical moment.

“Is this the end…?”

“No, it can’t be…”

“Glory to the highest…”

In voices on the verge of breaking, they uttered what might be their last words. Before them, the sword was mercilessly swung down, and the golden slash of destruction surged toward them.

Just then.

Crack!

“[You all held out well. Leave the rest to this nun knight.]”

A blue flash crossed space from a distant place.

 

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