Chapter 419 Chapter420-Mutual Destruction
Soma, though on the defensive, maintained an offensive posture within his guard, not missing any potential flaw in Howard's movements, continuously applying pressure and forcing him to increase the intensity of his attacks.
Mana condensed into a dagger in his left hand, while his right-hand's straight sword blade was coated with a layer of sharp blade aura, enhancing the blade's lethality while protecting it.
Although Soma was not as proficient in both enhancement and sculpting magic as Howard, he could still apply some basic techniques of a sculpting magus.
Taking three steps as if they were two, Soma ascended to the eaves, positioning both blades in front of him and slashing down towards Howard's approach.
Leveraging the eaves for support not only made the initial attack more forceful and precise but also laid the groundwork for subsequent maneuvers.
Though lacking Howard's fierceness, this move added an element of unpredictability to Soma's actions, increasing the danger instead of diminishing it.
Seeing Soma employ a technique he himself had used, Howard's expression remained unchanged, but his steps quickened.
No one knew the flaws of his own moves better than he did.
Although Soma's variation seemed to address these flaws, he had not grasped the true weakness of the move.
The so-called leveraging of force is about using lesser strength against greater, but it's never something for nothing.
Without a solid foundation, it's impossible to layer the force of the attack progressively.
Soma initially managed to counter the move by leveraging Howard's own force.
Now, even though Soma tried to use the eaves to accelerate and evade this aspect, it was in vain.
Howard's footsteps abruptly changed as he suddenly shifted direction.
As he retracted the mana-infused long sword in his left hand, his wrist glided over the reverse-gripped sword in his right hand with a faint "click" sound.
Suddenly, Howard had an additional straight sword in hand.
From the beginning, he was armed with dual swords, though he had never used both.
If one sword couldn't leverage Soma's force, then two would.
Blades crossed, Howard actively met Soma's oncoming edge.
With a twist of his wrists, Howard pulled Soma down before he could accelerate.
Though it was just an addition of one more sword to the single blade, the effect of dual wielding was far from a simple sum of one plus one.
The coordination of both hands meant a complementarity in the offensive, doubling the density of attacks.
If the attack density with a single sword was one, then with dual swords, it became ten.
Due to the fragility of mana equipment, many moves available to dual wielders were not feasible for Howard, which is why he had refrained from using both swords until now.
But in this moment, Howard intended to end the fight.
The moment he landed, Soma tried to retreat, but Howard gave him no chance, pressing forward with each step.
His dual straight swords seemed to possess a mysterious suction, firmly locking Soma's blade and leaving him no room to retreat.
As Howard stepped forward, power burst from his calf muscles.
He withdrew his blade and turned sideways, his left sword still entangled with Soma's, but his right sword now freed, slashing towards Soma's neck.
Soma's attention, focused on the fierce engagement of blades, failed to perceive Howard's silent strike.
"It's done."
Howard stepped forward and twisted his waist, channeling amplified strength from his core into the slash of his right hand.
The blade shimmered faintly with mana, suggesting that even if Soma's neck were made of wrought iron, it would stand no chance against such a blade.
Greg's pair of dual swords was not fully sharpened; previously, when using a single sword, the blade was actually that of the left-hand sword.
The right hand's sword had not been sharpened but was crafted from a metal with high mana conductivity, forming a genuine edge through mana.
With the high-frequency vibration of mana, no armor could withstand such a blade.
Greg had said the right-hand sword, named "Iron-cutter," specialized in breaking through armor.
Not just Soma's vulnerable neck, but even a large block of iron or high-strength mana steel, when faced with the fully activated Iron-cutter, would have no means of resistance.
Utilizing a blade formed by high-frequency mana vibrations, although fragile and unstable, its sharpness far exceeded that of ordinary physical blades.
Even high-strength mana steel, infused with mana, could only be cleaved by such a blade.
When Greg initially handed the dual swords to Howard, he didn't really expect Howard to make full use of them.
Shaping and stabilizing a changing object with mana is an advanced technique for a level 2 magus in the New World.
Even with the assistance of sword body formulas to reduce the difficulty, employing this blade edge in combat still requires the operational threshold of a level 2 magus.
The mana capacity and mana flux of a level 2 magus are far beyond what Howard currently possesses.
While the high-intensity offensive maintained pressure on Soma, it came at the cost of consumption several times greater than Soma's.
Now, Howard's mana was depleted.
The brilliant silver light that swirled in the depths of his eyes suddenly vanished.
His mana was exhausted.
The mana blade on his sword disappeared in an instant, and his body suddenly lost the enhancement of mana, causing his strength to lose balance immediately.
An experienced fighter like Soma would not fail to notice Howard's sudden weakness.
The moment the entangled force on the blade vanished, Soma knew his awaited opportunity had arrived.
It was time for his counterattack.
Without mana, Howard, regardless of his combat skills or precision in mana control, was no more than an ordinary person.
And an ordinary person could not possibly defeat a level 3 magus.
Soma launched his counterattack.
The left-hand sword was instantly suppressed, and Howard, sensing danger, continued to swing his right-hand sword, trying to disengage and retreat from Soma's grasp.
But Soma was not about to let him escape.
Without the boost of mana, the right-hand sword was merely a solid bar of iron.
Raising his hand to block the already distorted strike, Soma simultaneously reached out and grasped, taking control of the unsharpened right-hand sword without effort.
Howard released his grip and retreated as Soma, discarding the dual swords, lunged forward with both fists aiming for Howard's chest.
A massive force hit, causing Howard's throat to sweeten, and he spat out blood, the situation taking a drastic turn for the worse.
Devoid of mana, Howard was utterly incapable of contending with Soma.
With his punches landing, Soma relentlessly continued, seizing Howard's arms in a swift motion and delivering a knee strike.
Releasing his hold, he spun and launched a side snap kick.
A crisp sound rang out, and a bloodthirsty smile appeared on Soma's face.
Howard was sent flying sideways, crashing into a civilian house by the roadside, his fate unknown amidst the loud crash.
"Rookie."
Landing steadily, Soma muttered under his breath, turning back to retrieve his long sword, and stepped towards the collapsed dwelling amidst a cloud of dust.
Despite his harsh words, only he knew that if Howard hadn't exhausted his mana, the situation might have been entirely different.
It would have been him, not Howard, lying on the ground drenched in blood.
Despite his youth, this man posed a significant threat.
He couldn't be allowed to grow stronger.
Slicing through the dust with his sword, Soma saw Howard lying amidst rubble, coughing up blood incessantly.
Standing over Howard, Soma looked down, locking eyes.
He saw no fear or panic in Howard's gaze, which irked him deeply.
"Weren't you acting all high and mighty just a moment ago?" Soma kicked out, not using mana, but still heard the crisp sound of bones breaking.
"Weren't you enjoying chopping at me just now?"
After the second kick, Howard spat a mouthful of blood onto Soma's foot, the intense pain scattering his gaze.
Yet, Soma still didn't see what he wanted to see.
The third and fourth kicks followed.
Howard was like a punching bag, silently enduring Soma's beating.
He wanted to fight back, but Soma's initial knee strike had broken several of his ribs, and without the aid of mana, he couldn't even move, let alone counterattack.
What a pitiful sight.
Looking at Soma's ferocious face, a cold smirk suddenly appeared on Howard's lips.
Despite the severe pain, this very pain made Howard unprecedentedly lucid.
A silver-white light blinked in the depths of Howard's eyes as he suddenly grabbed Soma's foot.
If you can't kill your enemy, mutual destruction is also a fine choice.
Howard intended to use the last bit of mana in his body to trigger a mana collapse.
The explosion from the mana collapse could easily claim Soma's life.
"You're mad! Let me go!"
Soma sensed the abnormal surge of mana within Howard and immediately realized Howard's intention, trying to break free from Howard's grasp.
No one knew where Howard's strength came from at that moment.
Clearly incapable of even the simplest defensive maneuver, yet in that instant, he was able to firmly grasp Soma's foot, to the extent that Soma couldn't break free momentarily.
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