Chapter 98. What Made You So Confident?
Garibaldi, Casper, Bastarian.
The three subordinates of the Wind King revealed their clear hostility from three directions.
It seemed like they were ready to attack at any moment.
On the other hand, this side was relatively relaxed.
Hwan-wang was shaking his shoulders and chuckling.
Verdian was sighing as if he had expected this.
Velid was yawning as if he had nothing to worry about.
Of course, Sirius maintained a cool expression.
Even with the three confidants of the Wind King who had reached the 8th Circle in front of them… no one felt fear.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about this.”
Garibaldi sighed as he stroked his beard.
“Let’s give up on the negotiations. I was foolish to try to negotiate with a psychopath.”
As he said that, Garibaldi looked at Hwan-wang.
“Your Majesty Hwan-wang, what will you do?”
“What do you mean, what will I do?”
“Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight each other, right?”
Garibaldi spoke slowly.
“Decide how you want to fight. Whether you fight together or come out one at a time, it doesn’t matter to us.”
“…….”
Sirius felt refreshed.
No, it might be more accurate to say he felt nostalgic.
In Murim, there were many people who came out like this, but it was rare to see them in this world.
That also meant how confident those guys were.
“Hmm.”
Hwan-wang stroked his chin and looked at Sirius.
“What should we do?”
“If many of us fight, the damage to the surroundings will be greater.”
Considering Sirok’s whirlwind magic, the damage would be enormous if several people fought.
“Let’s do it one-on-one.”
“Yes, that would be better.”
Garibaldi nodded after hearing the conversation.
“Good. Then who will come out first?”
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Garibaldi looked at Hwan-wang.
Hwan-wang, whose eyes met his, was about to step forward, but Sirius grabbed his shoulder.
“I’ll go first.”
“Why?”
“There’s no need for the number one to go out first, is there?”
“Hmm….”
Hwan-wang obediently stepped back when he was praised as number one.
“I’ll take the lead, old man.”
“I understand. Then I’ll take care of this side……”
Casper, who had been blocking the path on the left, approached without a word.
She had a fearsome expression on her scarred face.
“Casper, can you handle this?”
“That’s a pointless question, Garibaldi.”
Casper spat out in a rough voice.
“Sirius is mine to kill, so you better prepare yourself to deal with the Emperor.”
“Hm, understood.”
Garibaldi nodded and stepped back.
Watching him, Sirius addressed the Emperor.
“Emperor, please deploy an appropriate amount of welcoming magic so that civilians don’t get caught up in this.”
“I’m already doing it. Just wait a little.”
Velled and Verdian stepped back so as not to get in the way.
That left only Sirius and Casper facing each other in the middle of the street.
“…….”
Casper had six swords strapped to her waist.
But no matter how you looked at it, she didn’t have the physique of someone who would normally wield swords.
So why was she carrying six swords?
Sirius could guess the answer well enough.
“……!”
A gust of wind briefly swept through the street, and then Casper moved her hands.
It looked like she was about to draw the swords from her waist.
But that move was a feint.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
All six swords flew up at once.
She had drawn the swords from her waist without touching them and sent them flying towards her opponent.
The six swords shot up in unison and sped through the air.
Their target was Sirius, of course.
Screech!
The sight of six swords slicing through the air at once was spectacular.
It was an incredible sword-flying technique that made the swords attack the opponent while each tracing a different trajectory.
If she wanted to, she could kill six opponents at once, or inflict six fatal wounds on a single opponent simultaneously.
But that’s only if her opponent’s skills were ordinary.
“……?!”
Boom!
With a loud noise, Sirius slammed into the ground.
The net formed by the six swords was nearly perfect, but Sirius had dashed out before the net could completely close in on him.
That’s because he had anticipated that Casper would start with this tactic.
The last time he fought, Shiroque had also used the power of the wind to launch objects as attacks.
If he was not a swordsman who usually wielded a sword, the six swords he was carrying were not meant to be held and swung but to be flown with wind magic.
If this was a proper magic sword, even Sirius would have had a hard time.
However, Casper’s technique was not at that level, and Sirius was able to break through it sufficiently.
“Keugh!”
Swish!
The sword unfolded with blue lightning and pierced Casper’s chest.
The six swords that Casper had suddenly unleashed pierced nothing but the air behind Sirius.
Casper somehow tried to turn the sword and stab Sirius, but Sirius moved the blade and completely cut off his breath.
“Next.”
Sirius raised his head without even glancing at Casper, who was collapsing.
“Next opponent, come out.”
“Ugh…!”
Garbaldi groaned.
He never expected Casper to die so suddenly.
“Bastarian!”
At Garbaldi’s call, a fierce-looking man on the right moved.
He stepped forward with a large greatsword in his hand.
“Crush him.”
“I know even if you don’t tell me.”
Bastarian took a stance while glaring at Sirius.
Sirius asked a question because he had seen that posture before.
“Do you by any chance know a guy named Golgoth? He was the leader of a group of bandits in the East.”
“……”
Bastarian’s eyebrows twitched.
“How do you know Golgoth?”
“Because I killed him.”
Bastarian let out a short sigh.
“He was a guy who used to be in the same group as me. I guess he drifted to the East.”
Golgoth lacked magical power, but his swordsmanship with a greatsword was excellent.
And Bastarian’s stance was almost identical to Golgoth’s.
“Golgoth seemed to be from the Sword Emperor side, but did you move to the Wind King side after being under Sword Emperor?”
“You could say that. There are few who can stay under His Majesty Sword Emperor for long.”
Bastarian made a bitter expression.
“This talk has gone on long enough. I’ll take your neck while avenging Golgoth.”
“Do it if you can.”
Without any signal, they moved simultaneously.
Bastarian swung his heavy greatsword大きく.
The moment Sirius blocked the greatsword with his jagged sword, Bastarian quickly twisted his body and aimed at Sirius’ flank.
Thud!
He managed to block it just in time, but it was an astonishing agility.
Bastarian was drawing upon the magic of the wind to accelerate his speed.
“……!”
Bastarian’s eyes flashed open as he swung his sword.
An incredible force was imbued in each of his attacks, yet his movements themselves were incredibly nimble.
Clang, clang! Thunder rang out each time their blades met.
Bastarian’s fierce attacks, combining both strength and speed, were driving Sirius back.
“S, Sirius!”
Bellid’s eyes opened wide as he watched.
It was the first time he had seen Sirius fail to easily overwhelm his opponent in a sword fight.
“B, Brother, are you alright?”
“Who’s your brother?”
Huanwang replied with a grimace.
“Bastarian’s skill is greater than I had anticipated. He has combined the Heavy Swordsmanship of the Sword Emperor with the Whirlwind Magic of the Wind Emperor, striking a balance between strength and speed.”
“I, isn’t it dangerous? We should help him…….”
“Sirius said he would fight one-on-one, so why would I help him? Would you accept help if you were in that position?”
“Ugh…….”
Huanwang chuckled as he watched Bellid shut his mouth.
“Besides, there’s no need to worry.”
“What?”
“That guy is still in the probing phase.”
“……!”
Just as Huanwang had said, Sirius was still in the midst of probing.
He was continuously analyzing Bastarian’s combat techniques, which combined the Heavy Swordsmanship of the Sword Emperor and the Whirlwind Magic of the Wind Emperor.
While Casper’s Secret Swordsmanship allowed him to see through everything at a glance, Bastarian’s fighting style required more time to observe.
Normally, magic was not well-suited to strengthening the physical body.
For martial artists, it was natural to use internal energy to enhance their physical abilities, but using magic power to do so would ruin the body.
However, Bastarian had overcome that limitation.
He was using Whirlwind Magic to assist his movements, thereby increasing his speed.
Kalstein, who they had fought in the East, had used a similar technique, but Bastarian was far superior.
If Aileon or Bellid were to master this technique, would they become even stronger?
He made a mental note to research it later.
“Hup……!”
Boom!
The greatsword, its muscles bulging, swung towards Sirius’s flank.
However, even this attack was blocked by Sirius.
Bastarian continued his fierce assault, but he was unable to land a single blow on Sirius.
As none of his attacks seemed to be getting through, impatience began to creep into Bastarian’s gaze.
And then, at some point, the initiative in the exchange began to shift.
“Ugh……!”
Clang!
Sirius’s blow landed, and Vastarian grimaced.
Vastarian may have been more physically fit, but Sirius’s attacks were heavier.
Bang, bang, boom!
Heavy blows resounded in succession.
In an instant, the tables had turned, and Vastarian was now the one enduring Sirius’s fierce onslaught.
“You’re great at offense, but your defense is a bit lacking.”
“What the…!?”
Vastarian’s face twisted at Sirius’s soliloquy.
Swordsmanship combined with Gale Magic was certainly effective when launching fierce attacks.
However, it didn’t help much when it came to reliably defending against an opponent’s attacks.
Having confirmed that much, Sirius decided to start wrapping things up.
“Haaah…!”
Vastarian roared and attempted to counterattack.
While spinning his greatsword, he unleashed a wide-range attack.
His intention was to force Sirius to take a step back.
As Sirius took a step back as intended, Vastarian launched an all-out charge.
He concentrated the power of the wind in one direction, intending to crush Sirius by running him over at an incredible speed.
However, Sirius had already anticipated that move.
He concentrated the air pressure of the White Fang beneath his feet. As a result, he was able to move as if he were gliding, as if he were on an ice rink.
In this way, Sirius dodged Vastarian’s charge with minimal movement.
Vastarian’s charge, empowered by the wind, was nullified by Sirius’s exquisite movements, empowered by the cold.
“……!”
The moment Vastarian tried to forcefully turn his body beyond the limits of his skeletal structure.
Sirius’s blade pierced Vastarian’s flank.
Not even caring about his own torn flesh, Vastarian tried to counterattack, but Sirius mercilessly slashed his sword diagonally.
Vastarian collapsed, spewing crimson blood.
“Looks like Big Brother won’t have to step in after all.”
Muttering thus, Sirius turned his gaze to Garibaldi.
Garibaldi’s expression was one of shock after witnessing the consecutive defeats of Casper and Vastarian.
Sirius directed a cold voice at such a Garibaldi.
“If you’re going to lose so one-sidedly to the Number Two, what gave you so much confidence?”
Garibaldi gnashed his teeth at Sirius’s mockery.