Chapter 108 I'm dead...?
Holy Sword Tournament Arc II
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(POV: Akashic Records)
"...I have a question..." (Lirien)
Isadora and Lumiere both uttered, "Huh?" in unison.
"...You called him your master, what exactly do you mean...?" (Lirien)
"Easy," Isadora smiled mischievously. "He's my master, and the father of my child."
Lirien's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice laced with confusion. "Master? Father of your child?" she repeated, her anger and calm demeanor at odds with each other.
Isadora stood tall, placing her hands on her waist as she looked directly at Lirien. "That's right," she declared, her voice steady. "Lumiere put a baby in me."
Isadora placed a protective hand on her stomach, emphasizing her statement.
The revelation sent shockwaves through Lirien and the others standing behind her. Expressions of disbelief and surprise.
Lirien tried to maintain her composure, but a flicker of shock passed through her eyes before they hardened with determination.
She turned her gaze to Lumiere.
"You've ruined everything," she uttered sharply.
Lumiere's eyebrow raised slightly beneath his mask, maintaining a calm facade. "Hm?"
Before anyone could react, Lirien disappeared in a blur, reappearing in a swift motion with her blade aimed at Isadora and Lumiere.
Lumiere's instincts kicked in, drawing his tsurugi in a flash of steel, his body moving with an almost supernatural speed. With a swift maneuver, he used his signature technique, [Blink Strike], clashing blades with Lirien.
The clash resonated throughout the air, sparks dancing in the wake of their fierce clash.
Kana, the girl in armor, was flabbergasted by Lumiere's instantaneous response.
"His reaction time is extraordinary," she muttered in astonishment.
Gallus remained silent, his eyes fixed on the unfolding battle.
As their blades pressed against each other, Lumiere and Lirien vanished and reappeared in the same instant, their positions unchanged.
Both their [Blink Strikes] were rank A or higher.
Isadora, her concern evident, approached Lumiere cautiously.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." His gaze still locked with Lirien's.
Isadora's expression turned slightly sour, her disappointment lingering.
"This battle may be longer than expected," Drome commented, his grip tightening on his spear.
Kana nodded in agreement, her gaze focused on the dueling figures.
"Don't be so sure," Gallus interjected.
"Hm?" said Drome, a Demon Knight ranked Spearman.
"Never doubt the strength of battle god." (Gallus)
Lirien's long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, as she slowly pulled down her hood.
Her red eyes glared at Lumiere.
"Do you truly believe you can spoil everything without facing the dire consequences?" she taunted, her words laced with malice. "...Prepare to pay with your very life..."
With a swift motion, Lirien brandished her sword, a revered divine artifact known as <<Black Crusader>>, the mere sight of which sent shivers down everyone's spines. The atmosphere around her seemed to shift and darken, as if being tainted by her malevolent presence.
A sudden surge of power enveloped the area, causing gravity to intensify, weighing heavily upon the shoulders of all those present.
"( Is this... her magic power?! )" (Lumiere)
While it felt reminiscent of the overwhelming [Mana Pressure], he knew it was something much more potent and sinister.
Drome and Kana exchanged worried glances, feeling the crushing weight of the intensified gravity.
Kana turned to Drome, her voice trembling with unease.
"Can you feel it? This pressure... it's like a suffocating field of force."
Drome nodded gravely, his expression grim.
"Unfortunately, yeah, I can feel it too. Lirien's magic power is... staggering."
Gallus was calm. "Such intensity in her magic power, it even makes the very coliseum vibrate heavily. As expected from the second seat."
...
Meanwhile, even Velzar and Esta, locked in a fierce duel, couldn't ignore the overwhelming power emanating from Lirien.
"( What the fuck is that? )" (Velzar)
Their clash of swords seemed small and insignificant compared to the magnitude of her magic.
"You can feel it too right?!" (Esta)
The two continued to clash swords, heavy blast waves emanating from their locking swords.
"What're you talking about?" Velzar remained calm.
Esta smashed her sword against him and then used body weight to send him two meters back.
"That's the strength of the second seat!"
While there was no use fighting Velzar, battle gods pursued their love for battle before anything else.
Hence, defeating Velzar would make her eligible for the position of third seat and this would relegate Velzar to fifth seat.
...
"She's using that already?!" Isadora panicked.
She attempted to activate her unique skill, [Relative Barrier], to counter Lirien's magic.
"( I have to stop it! )"
Extending her arms in a protective stance, she prepared to deploy her defensive abilities.
"Not so fast..."
But before Isadora could fully activate her skill, her body froze in place, her eyes widening in terror. Gallus had materialized out of thin air, his hands emerging from the depths of his robe. One hand tightly clenched her neck while the other had its claws fixed to her throat.
"...Take one step, and I'll slit your throat..." Gallus spoke.
"Isadora!" Lumiere's heart pounded in his chest.
He tried desperately to rush towards her, to save her from the clutches of Gallus, but before he could take a single step, a sudden surge of power erupted from the center of the coliseum.
In a whirlwind of energy, a barrier materialized around Lumiere, entrapping him within its range.
Time itself seemed to freeze as Lumiere's movements came to a screeching halt.
Panic washed over him as he struggled against the invisible bindings that held him captive, but it was futile.
"( What's going on...?
I can't move...
I can't react...
I can't do anything... )" (Lumiere)
He could only watch in horror as the unimaginable unfolded before his eyes.
"LUMIEREEEEEEEE!!"
Isadora's scream pierced the silence, her voice filled with anguish and despair. The sound resonated throughout the coliseum, reaching even the farthest corners of the arena.
Kana and Drome turned their heads, their eyes widening in disbelief as they witnessed the gruesome spectacle unfolding before them.
In a split second that felt like an eternity, Lirien moved with lightning speed, her sword <<Black Crusader>> slashing through the air in a deadly arc. Lumiere's body seemed to offer no resistance, his defenses crumbling in the face of Lirien's merciless assault. The blade connected with bone and sinew, slicing through flesh with sickening precision.
"....Goodbye...." said Lirien, coldly.
A horrendous scream tore from Lumiere's lips, his voice drowned out by the sickening sound of flesh tearing apart.
Lumiere was now a broken, mangled mess of blood and gore.
The right half of his upper body lay severed from his body, his lifeless eyes staring out into nothingness.
Blood spurted from the gaping wound, pooling on the ground below in a macabre display. The metallic scent of iron hung heavily in the air, mixing with the acrid stench of death.
"LUMIEREEEEEE!! LUMIERE!!"
Isadora's cries grew louder, her tears flowing freely as she witnessed his demise.
Lirien carefully sheathed her blood-stained sword, its once gleaming surface now hidden beneath a swathe of cloth and secured tightly with belt straps.
The sight of Lumiere's lifeless body still fresh in her mind, she turned to Gallus.
"....Gallus, I need you to watch over Isadora. Keep her safe at all costs," Lirien commanded, her eyes plain.
Gallus, his gaze still fixed on Lumiere's mutilated form, nodded numbly. "I understand. But what're you planning to do?"
"I must find the Archbishop," she declared, her voice steady but filled with purpose. "Only he possesses the power to unseal the Holy Sword, Devaniel. With that, I can retrieve Valtara's heart."
"Noted." (Gallus)
Lirien turned her attention to the stunned figures of Drome and Kana, both still frozen in shock.
"I can sense the magic power of the incoming knights. Drome, Kana, we can't let them reach the coliseum. They'll be a nuisance if they do. Can I count on both of you?"
Drome, the first to regain his composure nodded. "We can do that!"
Kana was still frozen.
Drome shoved her, "I... I can!" said Kana.
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