After a moment of exchanging blades, Gilbert agreed to Mordred's request to decide their toe-to-toe fight by unleashing their most powerful card. In addition, they were also subtly agreeing to settle their accounts that had been postponed for years.
Facing one another, both Gilbert and Mordred lowered their hips and took the same stance, implying that they were about to use the same move. For them to execute their attacks effectively, they began casting a certain enhancement upon their own bodies.
""Overdrive!""
Gilbert and Mordred invoked the name of a Level 10 Martial Art technique in unison. They activated the most powerful martial art that humankind had known; a martial art technique of divine level had never been recorded on record yet.
Once they had applied the technique to their bodies, they were now overflowing with fighting spirit. The fighting spirit they had been utilizing was so bountiful that they could suffocate a few weak individuals around them.
Overdrive was a powerful technique that exponentially increased all the stats of the users in a short time. However, as shown on their bodies, the users would experience intense pain as they pushed their bodies to the limits.
As soon as they cast the Overdrive, their bodies started to show some changes. Their veins were bulging, their capillaries ruptured, and their breathing became unsteady. But even though they were in constant suffering, both Gilbert and Mordred endured the pain to make their move successful.
With the buffs they applied, they became much more powerful than ever. They were currently at their highest peak and had surpassed what humans could achieve. Even though Gilbert and Mordred were around Level 600 and 700, respectively, they had long reached the realm of a thousand.
Arguably, each of them could fight decently, if not toe to toe, with a newly evolved High Human. Although a High Human had much higher stats per level, the buffs they received could sometimes bested some.
Now that both of them were drastically buffed, they began preparing to make their move. Holding their swords with the right hand, Gilbert and Mordred glared at each other before one of them opened his mouth.
"I am still hoping that we can go back to the times when we were still together as a team, swinging our swords together against a monster." Gilbert reminisced. "But seeing how resolved you are, it seems impossible, huh?"
"... Nothing can change my mind, Gilbert. Even if I did, I had already dove into the depths of the darkness, and it was impossible to escape from it. Only death could stop me."
"I see."
Hearing that, Gilbert lowered his head and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. By his words alone, Gilbert could sense how serious Mordred was about his resolve. And as his old friend, he decided to acknowledge and respect it.
"If that was your decision, farewell."
As soon as he said that, both of their golden swords glowed a golden hue. Those golden lights actually contained divine energy, an ultimate power that could destroy spiritual essences. The essence of those golden lights means that they had used a Divine Sword Art.
After that, Gilbert used Martial Art Level 6 Dash and lunged forward, and so did Mordred. Due to their buffs, their speed became so fast that a violent gust of wind was created in the process.
Once they reached a certain gap, both Gilbert and Mordred swung their blades with godly speed at the same time. They flung their swords at each other, aiming for their vital parts.
But for a certain reason, a streak of lightning could be seen from them. No matter who owned it, it was the element that would decide the outcome of the fight.
In the middle of it, both of them performed the technique. But perhaps due to the suddenness of the event, only a sharp whistling sound could be heard, and the name of the technique was not uttered.
The technique they used was Flash Strike, a Level 2 Divine Sword Art technique. Flash Strike was the ultimate version of Sword Art Level 6: Fast Sword. It was an ultra-fast slash that could slice through almost everything.
The speed of the strike was so astonishingly fast that it could melt the blade in some instances. But Gilbert and Mordred did not take heed of that; they did not mind sacrificing their beloved weapons as long as they achieved their objectives.
And then—
Splat.
Once they crossed paths and passed through one another, the sound of cleaving flesh rang out. Two men were huffing as they faced their backs. A moment later, one man fell on one of his knees.
"...Even with years of effort..." The fallen man uttered it with blood flowing from his mouth. "Cough... I am even more leveled than you... But still... I still cannot win against you... Gilbert..."
Upon mentioning his name, Gilbert slowly turned around and saw the state of his opponent. A drop of blood dripped from his golden blade, indicating that he was the victor of their duel.
"Even though you are physically more powerful, you seem to forget that I can do magical swordplay."
After he said that, Gilbert fell into his butt and sat on the floor.
"...Damn it...! Cough!"
As their fight ended, the toll of the Overdrive started to take effect on their bodies. Pain and fatigue took over their bodies, which made Gilbert drop on his butt. But as the one who just cleaved the ribs, Mordred suffered a lot and vomited blood.
"Mordred!"
Seeing him lose the fight and suffering in pain, Sabrina rushed herself toward him, passing the tired Gilbert. She gave him an embrace as soon as she reached him before helping him stand.
"You have done so far. Let's get out of her already."
"No! We won't allow you to escape!" Gilbert rejected her idea and glanced in a particular direction. "Michael! Uriel! Stop them!"
"We understand, sir!"
But as Michael and Uriel were about to chase them, an unexpected thing happened. Behind Sabrina and Mordred, an unknown figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which made Michael and Uriel stop their feet from advancing.
"I already told you not to do this, you know?"
"!!! You—!"
Thud.
Mordred and Sabrina recognized the voice behind them—a man—and tried to turn around. But they were chopped on the nape instead, and they immediately lost consciousness.
"..."
"..."
Michael and Uriel stood on their spots and did not move. In an instant, they realized that the man was way more powerful than a monster named Mordred. If they took any foolish action, their lives could end in the blink of an eye. Even Gilbert could not do anything.
"Mordred was just too obsessed with this bitch, to the point that he even disobeyed me." The man said this as he put Mordred on his shoulder. "I don't want to do this, but I have to interrupt. Mordred was an irreplaceable asset of ours, and I am here to retrieve him."
The man then took a glance at Michael and Uriel and gave them an appraisal. He smiled, and then picked up Sabrina's body and carried her by his side.
"I have to bring her as well. Mordred might get mad if I didn't save her, you see. See ya."
As soon as he said that, the man instantly disappeared from his spot with Mordred and Sabrina. Now that Michael and Uriel had thought about it, the Anti-Magic Field had vanished. So the explanation of the man casting Warp to escape was provided.
But more importantly, they discovered something about the man that caught their whole attention. They looked at each other to talk about it, but Gilbert's wry voice disturbed them.
"...What the hell just happened...?" He ponderingly asked.
"I have no idea, Guildmaster." Michael responded.
"Who was that person?" Raising his body from the floor, Gilbert asked.
"I don't know, sir, but he was undoubtedly powerful—much more powerful than any of us." Michael replied. "But you have to check on your condition, sir."
andasnovel.com "Yeah. You are right. Mordred and Sabrina may have escaped, but what's more important is that all of us are safe."
"Thank you for saving our lives, sir."
"No problem." Gilbert nodded and then remembered something from earlier. "But we have many things to talk about, young man. How about getting out of here and getting to our own homes already?"
"Yeah. Let's do that."
Afterwards, the three of them walked their way to exit maximum security. As they walked by, Uriel talked with Michael via Telepathy.
((Isn't that man...?))
((I think so. He had all the descriptions matched.))
((So it is, huh?))
((Yeah. He is undoubtedly a child of Rubina.))
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