Episode 585: The Black Knight (2)
The ceiling collapses as if it were collapsing.
Although the situation occurred as suddenly as a lightning bolt falling from a dry sky, the people present were not surprised by it.
Cravat created a black energy around him and blocked the remains of the collapsing ceiling.
Although it was a mixture of steel and concrete, the black smoke easily supported it as if it had enormous physical force.
Rather, the steel it touched quickly corroded and disappeared into powder, as if time had been fast-forwarded hundreds of years.
It was the power of an ancient curse with shape and physical force.
The next to react was Gariel.
It took less than three seconds for the remains of the ceiling to collapse and crush the room.
Gariel’s magic arose as if surrounding his body.
Gariel’s magic did not require any magic.
Because his magical power was already a technique that embodies magic.
A translucent white clock appears above Gariel’s head.
Tick.
The second hand stopped moving.
[Time stops]
Gariel moved in a stopped world.
A time that only lasts 3 seconds to someone. Gariel was able to extend that time as much as her lifespan would allow.
The 3 seconds were extended to 30 minutes, and then the time that had stopped passed again.
Meanwhile, the valuables and materials in the room, as well as the bed where Line was lying, were all moved outside at once.
The last one left was Ludger.
In fact, it was Ludger who played the biggest role among the three.
Cracks that appear when a ceiling collapses.
A dark red slash that pushes through the gap and breaks it.
Ludger completed the magic formula in a split second and used magic to block the slash.
The two energies collided and a shock wave erupted around them.
The gas lights on the street fluttered loudly and went out, and the windows of the surrounding buildings shattered and the lights flickered.
The ceiling and walls were left with marks as if a huge animal had scratched them, and beyond the large, blank marks, the figure of a knight wearing black armor could be seen.
“Hmm? Hoo. “It was a blow intended to end in one blow, but you managed to block it?”
Berom, the Black Knight of the Black Dawn’s First Order.
He quietly admired Ludger and his group, who were still intact inside the half-destroyed building.
“Night Berom.”
“Sir John Doe.”
“I’m curious about the reason behind the sudden attack on me. Were we so bad that Sai made an attempt on his life?”
“I’m sorry. “It’s not like I have any malicious intent.”
“The fact that he attacked me even though he knew I was there means that he was already prepared, right?”
“I made a deal.”
“It’s a deal. “It seems Nikolai made a sweet offer.”
“exactly. “It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
There was a hint of disapproval in Berom’s voice.
I myself do not like the way Nikolai moves as he says.
Nevertheless, the reason he drew his sword to exclude the same First Order is probably because this transaction was very important to Berom.
“what. “Do you know each other?”
Gariel, who had been overhearing their conversation, took the initiative and asked.
“Well, just treat it like a co-worker.”
“I’m a co-worker. Why are you trying to kill me?”
“It’s that kind of workplace.”
“I heard there’s no one I don’t know on this island!”
“I didn’t know he was here either. “No, I heard about it in advance, but I didn’t know if he would come visit me.”
“Seeing as they made a sudden surprise attack, it looks like they were very determined, right?”
“okay. “It seems that fight is inevitable.”
Ludger stepped forward, looking at the remains of the broken wall.
Red eye light streamed through Berom’s helmet, which was standing on the rooftop of the opposite building.
“I’m sorry it ended up like this for both of us.”
“okay. “I’m sorry.”
There was no need for words between the two.
Anyway, since we’ve come this far, one of the two has to die.
Zero Order does not necessarily prevent fights between the First Order and each other.
Looking at that excessive neglect, I wonder if the organization is even functioning properly, but I decided to be thankful that we can fight as coolly as we do now.
The moment Berom was about to swing his sword, the shadows hiding behind him moved.
It was a joint experiment created by Nikolai and Victor.
“Tsk. “It’s like a flock of anglerfish that are fascinated by the smell of blood.”
Berom clicked his tongue and pulled back the sword he was about to swing, as if he was dissatisfied with the subjects’ actions.
I wanted to just wipe out the entire area along with the test subjects.
“You never know where that wicked Nikolai might be secretly watching. “If you have to make a deal, it would be better not to do something that could get you criticized.”
The test subjects moved as if crawling on four legs and rushed towards Ludger.
You can climb walls, jump high and lunge in the air, or break the floor right under the building and climb up.
The method of movement and direction of attack were difficult to accept with common sense.
Moreover, the strangeness of being human yet not human was enough to naturally make the other person feel fear and pressure.
The test subject’s mouth opened wide, revealing sharp teeth.
The moment he was about to bite off Ludger’s entire body with teeth that could even chew through steel, the magic prepared by Ludger was activated.
Squeeze!
Intense electric field around.
The test subjects that came close to the heat of the electric field turned into lumps of charcoal and were thrown in all directions.
The moment other quick-witted test subjects saw Ludger’s magic, they quickly widened their distance and dispersed.
It was quite disgusting, as it was like seeing a cockroach hiding in a crevice of a closet.
“You’re using people as experiments. You’ve really gone as far as you can.”
Ludger raised his hand.
Following the gesture, the electric field spread widely and exerted magnetic force around the area.
At the same time, iron sands gathered together to create a metal cube in the air.
Berom saw the scene and opened his eyes wide.
“Is that Leslie’s magic?”
How did John Doe get Leslie’s magic after he died?
Before Berom could even startle, the metals gathered in the air were bent and bent, their ends becoming sharp.
Countless steel spears were created like beams of light, aiming at the test subjects.
The test subjects tried to quickly evade, but the steel spear fired by Ludger could not be avoided by running away.
Steel spears that doggedly pursue their opponents until they hit them.
The test subjects were pierced one by one, red blood spraying out.
Some test subjects came out to the main street and tried to spread out, but Ludger did not allow it.
“Where do you dare try to run away?”
The electromagnetic field that enveloped this area extinguished the lights in all the buildings and at the same time affected the surrounding metal.
I’m sorry.
The gas lights on the street made a bending sound and began to rise up from the ground.
It wasn’t just gaslighting.
Most of the metal that made up the surrounding area, including the rebar that made up the remains of the building, moved according to Ludger’s will.
Metals following Ludger’s will caught the fleeing test subjects and entangled their bodies.
As the test subjects struggled, the restraints could not last long and broke.
It was truly unbelievable physical ability.
However, the gap that appeared in that moment was enough to insert a steel spear.
Puff poop!
The number of test subjects pierced on skewers increased everywhere.
More than half of the test subjects were suppressed with just one spell.
But Ludger’s expression was not very good.
‘There are many who are still alive even though they were pierced with steel spears.’
The test subject with a hole in the middle of his chest was holding the steel spear that had pierced his chest with both hands and struggling to pull it out.
It seemed like he didn’t really feel the pain, seeing as he didn’t even care about the blood flowing from the wound.
In addition, the steel window made from a special cube began to scratch and make a clicking sound, as if the grip strength was considerable.
‘Excellent regenerative power and physical ability. Castration pain and death. There are even facilities that can produce these things in large quantities.’
These were worse than the chimeras we encountered in the basement of the imperial capital.
No, it was safe to say that Victor Dreadful created more people based on the data from those chimeras.
‘These things are dangerous if left like this.’
At that time, some test subjects changed their goals.
Those who were about to rush towards Ludger turned and aimed at Cravat, Gariel, and the sleeping Linne.
“joy! Where!”
Cravat sprinkled a black fog around the area.
The test subjects that touched it rolled around like crazy on the floor.
Wow! Whoops!
The struggling test subject’s skin turned black and became limp.
Even if the pain was eliminated, there was no way to withstand the intense power of the curse itself.
However, there was a test subject that managed to break through Cravat’s counterattack and made its way towards Linne.
At that moment, the automaton dedicated to Gariel’s lyrics, which had been quiet until now, stepped forward.
Suddenly!
A solid line drawn in the air.
Following the trajectory of the solid line, the three test subjects were spread out on the floor, with their upper and lower bodies divided.
The automaton, which was wearing a maid’s uniform, slowly folded its swinging legs and assumed a sleeping position.
It was the commonly known posture of lifting and folding one leg and supporting the ground with the other leg.
The automaton’s legs, exposed beyond the hem of its skirt, had a sharp shape reminiscent of giant scissor blades.
“haha! Did you see it! “This is the performance of a special automaton!”
Gariel shouted, raising his fist.
Ludger was dumbfounded by that sight.
When I wondered where the money had been spent, it seemed like they had bought a specially made automaton that resembled a human.
‘I thought there was something there since there was no sign of him and his performance was good.’
I never thought it would have functions suitable for battle.
The activated automaton followed its owner’s orders and moved to protect Line.
Wherever the automaton passed, moving as if in a ballet dance, the test subjects were cut into pieces and red blood was sprayed.
Even though the blades on its legs were stained with red blood, the automaton’s dance did not stop.
It was like watching a fairy tale of an eternal dance in pink shoes.
‘Whatever it is, it’s fortunate that there are fewer things to worry about.’
Ludger’s gaze turned to Berom.
Right now, Berom’s existence was more threatening to him than the test subject.
Ludger stretched out his hand towards Berom.
As someone who holds armor and a sword, using magnetic power would be advantageous.
But Ludger quickly realized that it was an illusion.
Berom’s body was not affected in any way by the magnetic force generated by Ludger.
Ludger’s eyebrows twitched.
“Is that armor?”
“for now. “It is a cursed artifact disguised as armor.”
Berom smiled bitterly and adjusted his sword again.
If it had ended with the test subjects, I had no choice but to do something since I had come this far.
It was better.
Because it’s easier to handle it yourself rather than leaving it to someone like a test subject.
“Will you please let me go without pain?”
Flashing.
It was almost at the same time that Berom swung his sword and a dark red slash flew along its trajectory.
The crescent-shaped slash struck Ludger as if it would split the world vertically.
Ludger collected steel cubes scattered around and created a shield to block, but the slash easily pierced the shield.
‘Is it this easy to make a special alloy steel shield?’
Ludger was able to block the slash only after building several additional barriers.
‘So the first surprise attack was literally a light blow? ‘In the time I haven’t seen you, you’ve become stronger than before.’
The first time I met Berom was when I was destroying Victor’s secret laboratory.
Even then, Berom showed incredible strength, but now his level is extraordinary.
As if to prove that he was not a member of the First Order for nothing, his status had already reached the level of master.
‘It’s the opposite of Alex. If Alex rose to the level of master through pure talent and technique, Berom rose to the size and weight class of pure power.’
A simple, one-sided attack without any finesse.
But simple didn’t mean weak.
The crescent-shaped slash that follows the trajectory of the sword was difficult for Ludger to deal with.
I’m a knight, but I feel like I’m dealing with a wizard who shoots out at least level 4 magic every time he swings his sword.
It would be more accurate to call him a magic swordsman rather than a knight.
‘No matter how powerful the ancient relic is, is it possible to continuously extract that much power like that?’
To produce that level of output, it wouldn’t be surprising if the user’s life force had to be burned as fuel, but Berom looked very fine.
This attack felt less like Berom’s pure will and more like the artifact exerted more power to protect its owner.
Is it really his illusion?
‘Whatever happens.’
If there is a fight that cannot be avoided, there is no choice but to face it.
[Ather Nocturnus]
Ludger summoned magic beasts and wrapped them around his body.
A black shadow covered his entire body, and a crow mask was soon placed on his face.
Berom saw this and opened his red eyes inside his helmet.
“What does that look like?”