Chapter 282. Responsibility is mine (2)
Skack!
Flashes of light fell vertically.
Fast as thunderbolt, ferocious like a raging sword.
A blow aimed precisely at the top of my head.
In front of him, Xaviel reacted insignificantly.
“….”
It moved half a step to the side.
The difference is just a piece of paper.
He let go of his sword strikes at close intervals.
At the same time, he held out his sword sheath.
Swoop.
It was a simple stab, neither fast nor urgent.
From the outside, it was only a basic movement among the basics that was so gentle that it was impossible to find anything special that would cause a yawn.
However, King Alicia, who received the counterattack, was frightened.
“…Suck!”
Her eyes widened in astonishment.
Xaviel’s scabbard completely occupied that sight.
‘It’s blocking all directions.’
It was just a sword sheath that was gently pushed toward the pit of the stomach.
But she could recognize the many changes in that simple gesture. I could feel it. could have felt it.
No matter what counterattack you do.
The path of that scabbard will change.
Eventually, all counterattacks will be neutralized.
On the other hand, what if you choose to step back and avoid?
‘Chit!’
The king quickly withdrew.
I retrieved the sword that struck me.
Momentum was added to the inertia of the movement of the tip of the sword.
Whiririk Huung!
The sword spun twice in front of her body and flashed.
A red aura bloomed in the flash.
The seven-pronged aura stretched like a whip.
Xaviel’s scabbard was wrapped in all directions.
No, I almost got caught up in it.
Tsukak!
In an instant, the scabbard disappeared.
As if the image that had been stabbed until just now had been a lie.
The seven strands of aura suddenly snatched up the empty space where the scabbard had disappeared.
“…!”
King Alicia’s gaze wavered for an instant.
At that moment, Xaviel’s voice came from the left.
“It was a sharp and quick counterattack that overlaid my counterattack again. it’s great However, to express my regret, Your Highness still tends to overreact to the opponent’s movements and rely on technique.”
“Quit!”
When did you approach me from the side?
Surprised, Alicia sprayed seven auras to the side.
Chow ha ha!
A torrent of mighty power that will cut and crush any material.
Seven-pronged violence swept through Xaviel’s entire body.
However, Xaviel’s expression was still calm.
His scabbard movement was the same.
“It is still the same. If it were me-”
pat pat pat-!
The leisurely and ordinary movements of the scabbard.
Stirring as if to drive away flying flies.
All seven auras were thrown out in response to that simple and unremarkable response.
Even Xaviel’s scabbard wasn’t even covered with a similar aura.
Xaviel’s strict teaching continued.
“I would have reacted in this way.”
Tsuquaaaa-!
The usual sword sheath has changed.
Like a tidal wave that sweeps everything away.
Like an irresistible absolute disaster.
As if to trample on and overwhelm everything here in space and time.
‘Die.’
I felt it instinctively.
It was frightening.
cut? sting? strike?
It was a blow that could not be defined by words like that.
If I had to express it, would it be appropriate to say ‘crushing’?
However, King Alicia was not intimidated.
No, he reacted more like a beast.
“…Taha!”
I drew the seven auras.
condensed into one in an instant.
It burned a huge aura like a great sword.
I faced Xaviel’s sweeping blow head-on.
Two overwhelming forces collided.
…!
Shockwaves swept everywhere.
Among them, Alicia desperately endured.
to not get pushed.
in order not to be swept away.
only to overcome.
Fully opened Mana Heart.
I squeezed out all the strength in my body.
And finally got through.
“You are wonderful. If you fully realize the same movements as before, based on the senses and instincts of the moment rather than skill, Your Highness will surely grow one step further.”
Suddenly, like snow melting.
The storm has calmed down.
The tidal wave is gone.
The space that had been roaring with overwhelming sword energy became peaceful.
Xaviel was smiling happily in the space where the aftermath of the sword was disappearing.
It was a normal scabbard, and this side and the sword were facing each other.
At that moment, Alicia felt it.
“….”
Oh, even if I hang on to it for the rest of my life, I won’t be able to exceed the interest rate.
Is this what it feels like to meet the wall of genius?
Actually, I grew up listening to the sound of genius.
Is there another genius with a different dimension among those geniuses?
‘This is so unfair.’
She smiled bitterly.
However, he did not dare to entrust himself with a bitter sense of self-doubt.
‘If I can’t get over it, I’ll be able to follow it at least similarly.’
Then one day you will find your own path.
You don’t even have to try to get over it.
You will be able to follow your own path.
Then you will arrive at your own answers and conclusions.
So, now is the time to shed more blood and sweat than worrying about the immediate difference.
“dare. Jim will take care of his growth, so don’t stop holding your scabbard.”
Tsukagak!
He pushed his sword further.
Xaviel was also willing to respond to the king’s movements.
At the same time, I was in awe.
‘Your Highness has already completely surpassed the level of an ordinary sword master.’
It wasn’t like this when I saw it before.
It wasn’t like this even when I fought Bone Dragon.
What I felt while helping the king with special training these days was that the speed of the king’s skill growth was no joke.
‘Because people often think that the sword master is the destination that all swordsmen reach.’
There is no further realm.
The Grand Master only exists in theory.
The growth of a swordsman ends when he reaches the level of a sword master.
That was the common perception of the public.
Therefore, when discussing the superiority and inferiority of sword masters, they usually compared the length of time they spent as sword masters.
How long have you been a sword master?
How many aura swords did you use?
It was a common division to divide superiority and inferiority through the proficiency.
But who is the king in front of you?
It was different.
like yourself
It was an existence that surpassed the evaluation and perception of the public.
‘Still growing. And at a fairly fast pace.’
Pure obsession and enthusiasm for swordsmanship.
The determination to believe that one’s own growth is the growth of a nation’s military power.
Wouldn’t that be the secret to the king’s phenomenal growth?
‘If you do, I will wholeheartedly help Your Highness grow.’
Xaviel made a promise in his heart.
This person should help.
Even if there is something that surpasses oneself, it should be done.
No, rather, when the day comes when this person surpasses himself, he should sincerely rejoice.
With that promise, I gripped the sheath with all my strength.
He accepted the king’s sword with sincerity.
But that was the moment.
“….”
I heard an unfamiliar explosion somewhere.
It was quite far.
It was deep in the ground.
It was exactly like the direction of the vertical shaft construction site supervised by Lloyd.
That’s why Xaviel felt puzzled.
‘blasting?’
I thought so at first.
Did Lloyd use blasting?
What happened to you on the spot?
I even thought about that for a while.
But no matter how you look at it, it wasn’t.
‘It’s different from blasting.’
It was far stranger than that.
Somehow, I felt a cool breeze.
It was far away, but I could feel it for sure.
It was a heterogeneous and destructive flow of mana.
It was definitely strange.
And it was dangerous.
The moment you realize that fact.
Xaviel took the sword sheath.
“I am truly sorry, Your Highness.”
“…uh?”
Kagagak!
When Xaviel suddenly drew back the sheath, the king’s sword moved forward.
Thanks to this, the king urgently had to stop the sword.
“I’m sorry. What do you mean by that?”
“Looks like I need to go somewhere urgently.”
“in haste? Are you coming?”
“That’s right, Your Highness. It looks like something happened to Lloyd. I will come back and offer the rest of the apologies. then.”
“for a moment…!”
The king’s urgent call.
But before that, Xaviel was already kicking the ground.
In an instant, he left the gymnasium.
Suddenly, only the king was left alone.
“What is this?”
It was absurd.
I was doing well in special training, but suddenly I was like that.
To run away somewhere without permission from this side.
However, King Alicia neither exploded in anger nor rebuked Xaviel for his rudeness.
Rather, there was a look of concern on her face.
‘I think something happened to Lloyd Frontera?’
Could it be that the author felt something he did not feel?
Was he the first to sense the danger facing Lloyd Frontera with the sense of a grand master?
“Sir Maldini!”
Somehow, something is out of the ordinary.
the moment you feel it
The king called the captain of the guard.
“As of now, martial law is imposed on the entire capital. All citizens will have to stay only in their residences or designated evacuation places, and all guards and garrison forces in the royal capital will have to comply with the emergency alert.”
“…majesty?”
Was it because the order was so sudden?
The captain of the guards showed an uncharacteristic bewilderment.
But King Alicia didn’t even pay attention to such trivial reactions.
“Do it now. And you lead the guards and move to the palace repair excavation site. as quickly as possible.”
It was a situation where a grand master like Xaviel had changed his face and ran away.
It must be proof that something urgent has happened.
But I couldn’t let go of myself.
King Alicia, who gave the pumpkin-like order, immediately kicked the ground.
It was towards Lloyd’s construction site.
♣
Shiak!
The whole body fell vertically.
As naturally as bungee jumping.
Like a waterfall, unstoppable.
It fell straight down the vertical shaft.
Meanwhile, Lloyd’s eyes lit up.
‘now!’
picked up a shovel
stabbed forward
Kaga each!
The shovel’s head scratched the shaft wall and spattered sparks.
As a result, the fall speed was slightly reduced.
And Lloyd stretched out a hand.
I grabbed the ladder.
Quattuck!
A weight was momentarily placed on my shoulders, but I ignored it.
That much was tolerable.
This isn’t the time to be struggling.
Using the same momentum as it was, I flew my body into the horizontal corridor next to the ladder.
It ran at the same time as landing.
“omg! Whoop! omg!”
A chill blew everywhere.
I felt the temperature plummet in real time.
What is the actual temperature here?
30 degrees below zero?
Or minus 50 degrees?
maybe lower than that?
I couldn’t tell.
However, even though I was protecting my skin with a light heart method, my face and hands were tingling.
Especially, it was the worst when I passed in front of the refrigerant injection room where the heart of winter was pouring out cold storms.
‘Geez!’
Would it feel like this if you covered your whole body with liquid nitrogen?
I ran through the chill that seemed to paralyze my limbs.
went further inside.
The last part of the tunnel, the end.
I went back to the work group that was there.
“as…Roy…de de? this…this is m…Mson…Is it work…?”
The foreman asked with a white face.
It was a face full of cold and fear.
The moment he saw that, Lloyd was relieved.
‘thank god.’
not all died
You’ve been holding up pretty well
He took a quick look at the situation in the closet.
Finally, everyone was able to realize the secret of enduring and surviving in this cold wave.
‘It’s thanks to Podong.’
Pudongi was hugging all 20 members of the work team.
It was protecting everyone with its large size and fluffy fur.
Thanks to that, everyone could not freeze to death.
The drops were the same.
“Bell! drop! Bell!”
The furless bell clung to Pudongyi, trembling all over.
When I saw that, I felt sorry for myself.
‘sorry. I was afraid, anxious, and scared to come here, even for a moment.’
So I hesitated for a moment. I was worried.
I was sorry for that, so I comforted them.
“You waited a long time. are you okay. It’ll turn out okay.”
“Ppodong!”
“Bell!”
“And the foreman? You must have been very surprised, but I have to tell you the current situation.”
Lloyd briefed everyone on the situation.
The foreman was frightened.
“raddish…that…We now…Daz dies…Is that…?”
“no. There will be no such thing.”
“Well then….”
“I have to get out of here. Hurry up. However, if you rush to go out all at once, you will not be able to safely pass in front of the refrigerant injection room. So, I will carry them one by one.”
“….”
“it’s okay. Don’t look like that. Aren’t you all watching that I’m fine even after coming here? Are you there? Your complexion looks the worst. Come here. Now, cover this with a blanket. I brought a large work uniform, so put it on quickly.”
He picked up a worker who was being held by Podongi.
At the same time, he invoked the dark mind method.
Most of the warmth was distributed to the workers who were carried on their backs.
‘Ugh.’
As soon as I shared the warmth, my skin ached as if cut with a knife.
But Lloyd didn’t care.
‘are you okay. It’s just a lot of pain. You just need to leave enough mana to not get frostbite. still don’t die Because there is a tribute option.’
I believed that and endured it.
He tried to hide his bluish lips and smiled at Pudong.
“Ppodongah?”
“Ph…Podong?”
“I’ll be back soon. Until then, I’m embracing them well. Even drops.”
“Ppodong!”
“Bell!”
I kicked the ground while listening to their answers.
Because the more time you delay, the more dangerous everyone is.
Because I have to hurry.
‘you can do it!’
ran
In the meantime, I thought that I couldn’t use Bell’s volcanic explosion, and I chewed on my regret.
‘This is a blind tunnel with only one entrance. If you use something like a volcanic eruption incorrectly, the air pressure will change rapidly and the tunnel will collapse. No, even if the mines are intact, people won’t be safe. It’s like being hit by the shockwave of an arrow explosion all over your body in a small space.’
Visceral rupture must be the default.
It will be an instant death win.
Thus, the daring attempt to push out the cold by a volcanic eruption was put to rest.
‘So this is the only way left. If you wait for the rescue team to arrive, it will be too late.’
I ran with determination.
I desperately passed in front of the refrigerant injection chamber.
The entire body of the worker on his back.
His whole forearm that hugged this side of the neck.
I could feel it trembling like an aspen tree.
The more I did, the more warmth I gave him.
On the contrary, I felt more cold.
‘That’s right!’
The feeling of scratching your whole body with an ice blade.
Pain as if the ear had been ripped out.
In the meantime, it continued to run.
I passed the refrigerant injection room and arrived at the vertical shaft.
I grabbed the ladder and climbed the vertical passageway that seemed far away.
I finally came out through the ground entrance.
Carefully set down the lifted worker.
“here! Come on blanket!”
The work crew on the ground came running.
When I saw that, I turned around.
Leaving behind the warmth of the beating sun, I threw myself into a shaft full of chills.
It passed through the refrigerant injection chamber again.
went into the barn
I carried the next worker.
I gave him warmth and ran.
He endured the severe cold and climbed to the ground.
I handed over the workers to the people on the ground and threw myself into the cold again.
The same process was repeated.
three people.
four people
five men.
Every time he ran through the cold, one person came to life.
At that time, his body was rapidly exhausted.
To protect workers on their backs.
To share the warmth.
I had to use all my strength to operate the dark simbeop.
He had to draw out all the mana from Mana Heart and distribute it to the workers.
Only then could ordinary workers survive in the cold.
I was willing to do so.
But it wasn’t without cost.
It was a situation where most of the mana was shared with others.
He carried an adult man on his back only with pure muscle strength and stamina.
In that state, I had to run through the tunnel with muddy air.
I had to climb a vertical shaft ladder over 40 meters.
One wizard and six guards rescued from the first refrigerant injection room.
After that, to the staff of the work team.
Carrying countless people of the same size on his back, he jumped and climbed the ladder.
It had to be done even in the harsh cold wave that surpasses the polar regions.
“her…Heo-eok…! Whoop…!”
Lloyd’s complexion grew pale.
Beads of sweat broke out on his face and he froze.
Even the act of lifting my hand to remove it became difficult.
Lloyd bit his lip.
‘little bit more.’
You can’t give up just because it’s hard.
It happened in the field for which you are responsible.
So, the responsibility is also yours.
be responsible for the end.
With only that thought in mind, I mechanically ran and ran.
In the meantime, I used all the energizers of the dark mind and the potential explosion option.
Thanks to this, we were able to get 19 workers out.
And finally, the moment I passed in front of the refrigerant injection room to pick up the last twentieth worker, the foreman.
He, too, ran into a limit.
‘I just need to do a little more.’
I couldn’t move my legs at all.
Even though the sleep mode of the dark simbeop is activated.
Because the physical strength itself fell to the floor.
I’m falling out as soon as I run out.
My legs didn’t listen.
‘Damn it. please. a little.’
He hit his thigh with his fist.
please move a little more
I guess I’ll just have to bring one more person.
You have to come out with Podong and Bell.
As if begging, he hit me on the leg and hit me again.
My heart beat thump thump every time.
Maybe that was it.
thud! cooong!
The heart of winter, which had run amok from earlier and spewed out a cold storm.
The royal blood beat wilder, matching Lloyd’s desperate heartbeat. I opened my eyes. I felt Lloyd’s presence more clearly.
And suddenly I thought.
I wonder what it would be like if I became one with that person.
