Published: July 4, 2025
CHAPTER TEXT:
Clang!
Clang, clang, clang...
The battle between the mage and the sorcerer began with a fight of swords.
The phantom king, who had taken over the body of Duke Helb, swung down a jumping sword strike.
The mage, Ryo, received it carefully.
The phantom king's consecutive strikes.
Ryo's defense.
It was like a sword fight between two swordsmen, but it didn't end there.
Clang, clang, clang...
The sound of light masses echoed.
Four talismans launched by the phantom king rained down stones on Ryo from every direction.
"All-range attack... Talismans are quite handy, aren't they?"
Ryo murmured.
However, all attacks from the talismans were deflected by a moving ice shield.
It was the [Ice Shield], a spell that had seen little use lately.
A shield the size of a tennis racket made of ice flitted around Ryo, deflecting attacks from the talismans.
Usually, he would deflect with an [Ice Wall], but this time he was receiving an all-range attack in the midst of a sword fight... It was more convenient to care for only the parts being attacked with the shield.
"How annoying!"
The phantom king shouted as the flying talismans increased to eight.
"You're the annoying one!"
Ryo shouted back, increasing the number of [Ice Shields].
"Are you really human?"
"From any angle, I look like a human, right? Do I look like a sardine or something?"
Ryo made a natural joke, but of course, no one pointed it out.
In moments like these, he thought about Abel's greatness.
"If it were Abel, he would always point out my jokes, no matter the situation."
Of course, Abel wasn’t someone who existed solely to respond to Ryo's jokes...
Ryo was joking, and he was perfectly deflecting the phantom king's talismans with his ice shield, but in the sword fight aspect, he was at a disadvantage.
The phantom king's sword strikes were astonishingly fast and strong.
"I've seen someone after having a star-shaped magic circle drawn on his chest gain inhuman power and speed, and it feels similar to that."
Ryo muttered to himself, but it seemed the phantom king facing him could hear.
"Do you perhaps know about [Puppet]?"
"Puppet? Marionette? I've heard the name, but I suppose it has a similar feel. I have the impression that sorcery is full of things like that. I might end up imagining a pure-hearted mage and a corrupted sorcerer. It’s unfortunate for the serious sorcerers."
"Nonsense!"
In response to Ryo's light banter, the phantom king's sword gained even more speed.
Moreover, it was not just strength and speed.
In reality, his technique was quite high as well.
But more than that, Ryo had been concerned about something all along.
That was the sword wielded by the phantom king.
It wasn't glowing red like a magic sword.
Nor was it glowing green like the sword of the demon Argenta.
However, he felt a certain atmosphere that was close to that.
"Could it be the Holy Sword?"
That was completely a guess.
The only two Holy Swords Ryo had seen... probably.
He had memories of seeing several in the Western Nations, but he only clearly remembered two.
The swords of Grand Master Hugh McGrath and Hero Roman.
Both looked like ordinary swords.
But there was something about their presence... something intangible.
Ryo couldn’t explain it well either.
He felt that presence coming from the sword in front of him.
"I felt that from the moment I held it, so that sensation was correct."
The phantom king smirked and continued speaking.
"It seems to be the sword of Duke Atinjo... in that area, it could be the Holy Sword Tati-en."
"Duke Atinjo is bringing in troublesome items..."
"A Holy Sword is always kept close at hand, right?"
"Now that you mention it... If anyone besides the master holds it, it might rebel and take their life..."
Ryo recalled the story he had heard from Hugh McGrath.
"Hmph, you understand."
"Just because it’s a Holy Sword doesn't mean it possesses special abilities!"
"Is that really true?"
"Huh?"
The phantom king retorted in a way that smashed Ryo's confidence head-on.
With that much said, it was natural for Ryo to be surprised.