Chapter 287 : As You Wish

In the darkness, I leaped towards the light.

I approached as if I would stab with the Night Sky Sword I had raised diagonally, and then suddenly changed direction and swung it diagonally.

With all my might.

From the lower left to the upper right.

Lasol, in the same stance she had raised her sword, honestly received my attack.

CLANG!

Light burst from the white sword, and particles of light scattered.

They mixed with the black feathers that flowed from the Night Sky Sword.

Without giving it a glance, I immediately slid down the blade and aimed for her wrist.

Lasol, without dodging, put her strength into it and brought her sword straight down.

It was a powerful momentum.

If I had left it alone, it would have split me in half, so I had no choice but to withdraw my sword.

She had returned my curved sword to nothing with such a powerful momentum.

But my turn was not over yet.

Because my sword was so tenacious that it was disgusting.

I momentarily let go of the Night Sky Sword and spun around to dodge her sword strike, and at the same time, at the end of the rotation, I grabbed the sword that was floating in the air in a reverse grip and stabbed it towards her neck.

It was a versatile and unpredictable attack, as befits a reverse-grip sword.

Even I hadn't expected to counterattack like this.

By the time my attack was heading for her neck, her sword tip was already close to the ground.

Lasol dodged my all-out attack by just slightly lowering her stance, and then, in that state, she stealthily brought her back foot forward.

And then, she sprang up like a spring, putting her strength into her front foot that she had stealthily put forward.

The sword that had been brought down now shot up.

Lasol bent her back and swung her sword up with all her might with both hands.

'Damn it.'

I quickly spun around one more time in the direction I had been rotating and barely dodged her attack.

WHOOSH!

It was such a powerful attack that my hair flew wildly from the wind pressure alone.

In the air, the trajectory of light that her white sword had passed lingered for a moment like an afterimage, and then scattered into the darkness.

It was as if a single ray of light had been carved into the darkness.

Thump!

I glared at Lasol, keeping a distance.

Lasol also looked at my eyes.

I had gone in boldly, but I had been pushed out of range with just two attacks.

Was this what it meant to be one of the Eight Sword Masters?

She was not an easy opponent.

A standoff continued for a moment.

The spectators, that is, the holy knights, burst into admiration.

"Wow..."

"Did you see that?"

"My eyes can't follow."

"How many exchanges were there in the blink of an eye?"

"To exchange blows with the Hero on equal terms...!"

"What on earth is that person's identity...!"

I tried my best to breathe in and out calmly and looked at the person across from me.

Lasol was looking at me, with her sword held straight up with both hands, in the same unshaken state as before.

She smiled slightly.

"Not bad."

I also tried my best to smile.

"Haha."

But on the inside, it was not.

'You son of a bitch.'

Thanks to Siri's blessing, I was barely able to keep up.

If it weren't for Siri, I might have already been on the ground.

Cold sweat ran down my back like a meteor shower.

Of course, I hadn't shown everything, but it was the same for her.

But, a fight is about momentum.

I couldn't show a weak side.

I pretended to be strong, even if I died.

"Not bad."

Lasol also said in a satisfied tone.

"Good."

I changed my mind.

The opponent was one of the Eight Sword Masters.

A being who reigned above all swordsmen, who wouldn't die even if a sword was stabbed into their heart, a being like a demigod.

It seemed my sense of reality had been dulled for a moment due to Siri's blessing.

In a situation where it wouldn't be enough even if I poured out everything I had.

"Hooo..."

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

When I closed my eyes, the light flowing from Lasol looked even brighter.

I have to go fast.

There's no time to delay.

I said with my eyes closed.

"No more, no less. I'll just tear off one wing."

"Try it."

I immediately wrapped the Night Sky Sword with moonlight.

The moonlight that formed on the sword began to flow down in the shape of flower petals.

'Here I go.'

Moonflower Sword, First Form. Moonflower Falling Flowers.

I swung my sword with the flower petals.

Lasol quickly stepped back and blocked the sword.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

I swung my sword, relying solely on my senses and intuition, and Lasol responded quickly.

But since it was a sword that was swung with flower petals, her response was bound to be inadequate.

Swoosh—

A single flower petal that she couldn't dodge grazed her cheek.

A scratch appeared, and blood flowed down.

"...!"

Lasol, with a surprised face, wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Bright red blood came off.

The spectators went crazy.

"Hmph! For the Hero to show blood...!"

"What on earth is that strange aura that looks like scattering flower petals?"

"A sword that scatters flower petals...! I've never even heard of it!"

"Calm down! The fight isn't over yet!"

A fight is about momentum.

I rode the momentum and rushed at her with the flower petals.

"...Interesting."

Lasol muttered softly.

"Hmph!"

Flash!

A tremendous light burst out.

It was a light so brilliant that if I had had my eyes open, I might have been temporarily blinded.

The light bounced off all the scattering moonlight flower petals.

The scratch on her cheek also healed in an instant.

"Keuk!"

I exchanged blows with the hero, who had become even brighter.

Since the flower petals had fallen, this time I summoned my ice art and froze my sword white.

Snow Branch Blue Flame Art, Ninth Form.

The stage where one can produce the Snow Branch Blue Flame by realizing the mystery of the Taegeuk.

Snow Branch Blue Flame Art, Tenth Form.

The stage where one has finally achieved great success and can mix the mystery of the Snow Branch Blue Flame Art with other martial arts.

I mixed my ice art and moonlight.

So, my sword was imbued with frozen moonlight.

I slammed the frozen moonlight into the hero's sword.

CLANG! CLANG-CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Lasol responded to my versatile and selfish sword with standard and monotonous movements.

She blocked what she had to block, and dodged what she could dodge.

And when an opportunity for a counterattack came, she didn't miss it.

Normally, it would be difficult to respond to a versatile sword like mine with an honest sword.

But the hero in front of me was an exception.

A straight thrust. A graceful curved slash.

It was as if she were showing with her own body that there was no sword that could not be blocked if one mastered the basics to the extreme.

Even though she was an enemy, it was a martial art that was worthy of admiration.

Lasol calmly responded to my versatile sword with her basics.

And the initiative gradually began to shift to her.

I was defending more than I was attacking.

But I didn't give up.

I gritted my teeth and endured, with the mindset that my turn would come someday.

How much time had passed like that?

The more we exchanged blows.

Her reaction began to slow down, little by little, very slightly.

As soon as I noticed that, I pretended to attack her upper body hard, and then suddenly lowered my stance and attacked her lower body.

The startled Lasol dodged with exemplary and standard footwork that would appear in a swordsmanship textbook, but she was a little late.

Swoosh!

My frozen moonlight sword succeeded in cutting her thigh.

It was shallow, but for now, it was enough.

The blood did not flow, but froze.

"...!"

A look of shock crossed Lasol's face.

"...What did you do?"

I grinned.

"Your leg feels a little cold, doesn't it?"

As we continued to clash swords, I gradually accumulated cold energy in her arm.

Of course, since the sword she was holding was no ordinary sword, the wait was long.

But as a result of patiently and relentlessly hitting it...

Enough dust had gathered to crack a mountain.

The wait until now had been for this.

I did not miss the opportunity that had finally come.

"I'll teach you the chill of the shade."

I swung my sword with even more momentum.

The sword rode the momentum and became even sharper and fiercer.

I could hear the surprised gasps of the spectators, the shouts of the cheerleader, Siri, and Lasol's rough breathing.

Lasol tried to drive out the cold by bursting into light again.

But the cold had already slowly and surely penetrated deep, so it was not easy.

"Keuk!"

Lasol continued to retreat, receiving my sword, which had gained momentum.

When I attacked her leg, which had become dull from the cold again, she finally couldn't endure it and flapped her wings to escape into the air.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I immediately unfolded the Black Immortal Steps and chased after her.

A look of shock crossed Lasol's face.

"How...!"

"The world has a way of being fair sometimes."

Did you think you were the only one who could fly in the sky?

Not a chance.

The fight moved to the air.

On the ground, I only had to be careful of the four directions.

But in the air, below and above were added.

Aerial combat was very unfamiliar, but I did my best to fight three-dimensionally.

I would run on the Night Sky and attack, and in the middle, I would kick off the air and change direction.

When the battlefield moved to the sky.

The importance of Lasol's half-frozen leg decreased.

And since it was my first time fighting in the air, my lack of experience in aerial combat held me back.

As a result, the fight was a stalemate.

A strong blow was needed.

I distanced myself for a moment, and then prepared a secret technique.

I poured moonlight into my sword until it was about to burst, and then scattered it towards the night sky.

Then, flower petals began to pour down from the sky like snow.

Moonflower Sword, Second Form. Moonflower Blizzard.

"...!"

Lasol's eyes widened at the sight of the heavy snow that was pouring down from the sky.

She, who had judged that it would be difficult to dodge, was about to burst into light again, just like before.

Grin—

A satisfied smile hung on my lips.

It was as I had planned.

'I was aiming for this.'

I quickly moved below her, who was gathering light to burst, and then swung the Night Sky Sword, which contained moonlight, upwards with all my might.

Moonlight Sword, First Form. Half Moon.

From above, a moonlight blizzard.

From below, a sword aura that spread out in a circle, as if to split the night sky in half.

'How will you come out?'

It was a desperate crisis for the hero.

Just as she was about to be attacked from above and below.

Fwoooosh!!

A dazzling light burst out.

"Keuk!"

It was a light so hot and bright that I lost my balance and fell to the ground.

Fortunately, since I hadn't fallen from a high place, I succeeded in landing lightly.

Soon, the light subsided.

And I opened my eyes.

The scenery in front of me.

It was something that made me doubt my eyes.

Night had turned into day.

The black night sky had turned blue, and instead of the moon that had been hanging in the night sky, the dazzling midday sun was rising.

And, at its center.

Lasol was holding up a dazzlingly shining sword with both hands.

It was shining as if it were resonating with the sun, and it was stretching upwards without end.

"Take this too."

Lasol swung her sword.

From top to bottom.

"...You crazy bastard."

It was a simple movement, but the result was devastating.

The sword of light cut through the sky and fell towards me.

* * *

A roar shook the heavens and the earth.

And a cloud of dust rose.

"Cough! What happened?"

Sirila asked, coughing.

Since she had been watching from a distance, she had been able to get away just before the sword of light fell.

Lyle frowned, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

"I wonder."

He let go of the back of Neyman's neck, whom he had been holding, and answered.

"I don't know for sure, but if he hadn't dodged it, he would have been on his way to the afterlife."

Just then, a figure shot up through the rising cloud of dust.

"Big Brother!"

Ashuban immediately stepped on the air and rushed at the hero, and the two continued their second round, exchanging blows in the sky.

Lyle, who had been staring at the sight blankly, muttered.

"...That guy. His left arm is strange."

"Pardon?"

The startled Sirila looked at Ashuban.

As he said, his left arm was hanging limply.

It seemed he hadn't been free from the aftermath.

"Ah, no!"

The situation was not flowing in his favor.

When night suddenly turned into day, the hero's movements became faster and stronger.

It was as if the sun were giving her strength.

The Hero of Light literally ran through the sky like a ray of light and pressed Ashuban.

Feathers of light suddenly flew from her wings like arrows and aimed at Ashuban.

Ashuban also summoned a black spear and threw it, or spewed blue flames and counterattacked.

But it seemed insufficient to turn the situation around.

It was as if the star that had been floating in the sky was gradually losing its light.

"What do we do...!"

Sirila stomped her feet.

Even though she had cast all the blessings she could give, was it not enough to stand against the Hero of Light?

An ominous premonition enveloped her.

'Big Brother...!'

She had lost him once.

She couldn't lose him again.

No matter what.

'This time, absolutely!'

Just then.

Suddenly, the surroundings became dark.

Clouds had come and covered the sunlight.

In the shadow, a voice whispered in her ear.

[Child, do you want power?]

It was the voice of a mature woman.

A voice that was authoritative but gentle, and clear but with a cold charm.

For a moment, it felt as if everything had stopped.

Sirila instinctively knew who the owner of the voice was.

Therefore, Sirila immediately nodded her head.

There was no hesitation.

"Yes, I want it."

Her cold but gentle laughter seeped into her ear.

[As you wish.]

Swoosh—

Sirila's pure white hair began to turn black.

At the same time.

—Hey, look over there!

—The moon is eating the sun!

The holy knights pointed at the sky and shouted.

The moon, which had turned black, was eating the brightly shining sun.

A solar eclipse had occurred.

(End of Chapter)