Episode 586: The reason for the curse (1)
“I see. “You were that man back then!”
Berom shouted harshly and swung his sword sharply.
High-density dark red energy erupted along the trajectory and swept the surrounding area like a blizzard.
The area was so wide that empty houses scattered around collapsed as if hit by a typhoon.
It’s a shame that Gariel’s hideout was located in a remote place, otherwise there would have been enormous casualties.
Ludger dived into the storm-like force and arrived in front of Berom without any injuries.
Berom looked at that and his eyes inside his helmet trembled slightly.
‘What movement?’
The unbelievable movement that Ludger just showed gave Berom a great shock.
First Order [John Doe].
The First Order specializes in infiltration, disguised and assassination operations, and is the favorite of the Zero Order.
He did not try to become friendly with any of the First Order members and had a dirty personality, so Berom did not feel particularly close to him.
I just thought he was very useful because he was the man that Zero Order favored.
But what on earth does this image that you are showing now mean?
Not an ordinary wizard.
Berom was clearly aware of that fact.
‘And yet, what was that movement just now? He doesn’t look like a wizard. Even war mages can’t move like this.’
Even a knight would not be able to avoid his own attacks this easily.
Countless experiences were incorporated into Ludger’s every movement.
It was then that Berom’s armor trembled.
“hmm.”
Berom calmly composed himself and swung his sword at Ludger, who approached him.
If you get close, you can fight accordingly.
Kaang!
The black sword and sword stick clashed with each other, sparks flying.
The shock wave spread and the wind blew in all directions.
In the darkness where all the gas lights had blown out, a shadowy man wearing a crow mask and a black knight danced a sword dance with each other.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
Every time the two swords clashed, light flashed and their figures quickly appeared in the darkness and then dispersed like afterimages.
If you look at the external appearance, the fight between the two is like the middle ages.
But if someone with discerning eyes had looked at the scene more closely, they would have noticed that Berom was at a disadvantage.
Even though Berom was superior in terms of their weight class and the size of their weapons, it was a fight on equal footing.
It was strange that Ludger, a wizard, would create such a scene in the first place.
Berom also knew this, so he calmly assessed the situation.
‘I can’t believe you can easily block a swing with a great sword with that slender sword stick. Even if it’s not an ordinary weapon, can your body withstand it? Even if it was strengthened with magic, there would be limits.’
Moreover, no matter how you look at Ludger’s swordsmanship, it was not a level that a wizard could have reached by simply learning it with a glance.
A sword technique that can only be performed by those who have not let go of the sword for at least 30 years.
Ludger has already demonstrated more than five similar sword techniques.
The moment he saw the sixth swordsmanship, Berom sighed inwardly.
‘It feels like I’m dealing with constantly changing people.’
If you get used to Ludger’s movements, try a different movement.
Once it felt like it was getting used to it, it changed to another movement as if toying with it.
Ludger experienced countless dreams by Nirva and experienced over a thousand lives in those dreams.
Although most of that experience volatilized and disappeared, the powerful memories and experiences still remained with Ludger.
And usually, the strongest memories are those of people who have had special experiences.
Those who have experienced struggle and war.
Ludger learned all of their techniques and made them his own.
There was nothing to learn or do.
Just because I was able to do it.
The reason Berom was able to withstand Ludger was because of the black sword he owned and the armor he was wearing.
Perhaps deciding that things couldn’t go on like this, Berom turned his upper body and swung his sword while spinning like a top.
Fuwaaaaak!
Dark and red slashes flew in all directions like a whirlpool, centered around Berom.
Ludger suddenly burrowed out from under the shadows and appeared in the distance.
The area where the two men had been fighting a moment ago was completely destroyed, as if it had been hit by concentrated artillery fire.
“It’s strong. also.”
Berom looked at Ludger and adjusted his sword again.
Then he felt a tingling sensation in his shoulder.
When I looked down at my left shoulder, I saw that the armor was cracked.
‘When exactly?’
Could it be that he delivered an effective hit in the short period of time he was preparing for a big attack?
Berom gazed at Ludger with a calmer gaze.
Ludger stood still in his seat, tilting his sword stick at an angle.
Seeing that leisurely appearance did not make me jealous, but instead sent a chill down my spine.
That arrogant-looking man was confident that he could win this fight.
In fact, wasn’t he being consistently pushed back and then receiving a valid blow?
‘Besides, the opponent’s real power is a wizard. If you start using magic in earnest.’
Berom sighed softly as the future filled with dark clouds appeared in his mind.
“I didn’t come here with a light heart, but now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to do our best.”
As soon as Berom muttered, a change occurred in his armor.
Let’s go together.
A red worm-like thing protruded from the cross section of the shoulder blade, which was split like firewood.
It was stuck to the opposite side in an instant, and the two parts were sutured with great force.
Ludger saw that and opened his eyes faintly.
‘The armor regenerated?’
It was not restored as if time had been turned back, but a sight that moved and stuck like a living creature.
“I thought it wasn’t ordinary armor, but it turned out to be more terrible than I imagined.”
“That’s right. “It’s a very horrible thing.”
Berom let out a low laugh as if he agreed with that statement.
The emotion behind his laughter was close to self-mockery.
“It’s not a cursed relic for nothing. “This is not something you can do on your own.”
“Living armor. Living Armor.”
Ludger discovered the identity of the artifact that gave Berom strong power.
It provides great strength to the wearer, but beyond that, it is subject to an indefinable curse and is bound to the armor forever.
Moreover, judging from Berom’s reaction, he seemed to have strong skepticism about his situation.
“The deal you made with Nikolai was to take off that armor?”
“….”
Berom did not answer.
However, as the saying goes, silence equals positivity, Ludger’s guess was virtually the truth.
“Is there anything wrong with a person struggling to break free from bondage?”
“No, there is none. “I would have made that choice too.”
Living armor is something that is closer to being worn rather than worn.
Once you put it on, you cannot take it off. Even when sleeping, eating, and doing other errands, I had to wear armor.
You can gain great power, but what good is it?
You can’t do most things normally, starting from small things in daily life.
Moreover, as can be seen from the way he speaks, Living Arbor even forces him to say and do things that are completely different from his personality.
But what drives the wearer the most crazy is the fact that he must be locked in a prison called armor until he dies.
“I don’t think Nikolai knows how to unlock Living Armor.”
“But you still have to try. “Now all that’s left is that dubious information.”
Why would a drowning person grasp for straws?
Catching it doesn’t really make this situation any better, but isn’t it because it’s hard to endure without catching it?
It was the same with Berom.
Nikolai is a colleague you don’t want to work with because he is suspicious, untrustworthy, and has a nasty personality.
But this faint ray of hope suppressed all of Berom’s emotions.
“So please don’t resent me too much if I get stabbed here.”
It was an inevitable choice for Berom.
If he could escape this hellish armor, he would cut down anyone he faced.
This was his own will, not the armor’s will to fight and fight.
Not First Order Verom.
The faint will of a human named Berom trapped in the cursed armor Living Armor.
Kukwakwakwa!
Dark red energy welled up like underground water from Berom’s great sword.
Do your best.
I swung my sword with only that thought in mind.
A dark red trace cut through the air, tearing the space apart.
The sword, which was wielded with the power to cut down the world, seemed as if it would cut off everything in its path.
but.
‘I can’t reach it.’
His sword did not reach Ludger.
John Doe Was he that strong?
Those doubts were as if washed away by the next swing of the sword.
Cutting, swinging and stabbing.
It created such an intense wave of curse energy and a storm-like force.
But even in that world, Ludger was fine.
Avoid, block, and let go.
Unlike this side, which was sincere, his attitude had the composure of a strong man.
“Khaaaap!”
Berom gritted his teeth and squeezed out his strength.
Living Armor cried as if responding to that will.
Red veins sprouted from the surface of the black armor, infusing the sword with strong energy.
The energy emanating from the black sword became stronger.
But the size did not increase. Rather, it became thinner and shorter, and eventually compressed into the shape of a long sword.
Berom seemed to be holding a mass of light and heat.
Chii Iik.
When Berom tilted his sword at an angle, the nearby iron structures glowed red and melted even though they were not touching.
“That’s a little dangerous.”
Ludger, seeing the light of destruction, muttered softly and infused magic into the sword stick.
The wind blew, the shadow cloak fluttered, and Ludger created a magic spell by weaving the threads of magic.
At that moment, Berom moved.
His body hit the ground and disappeared in a blur, leaving an afterimage.
Immediately after, a short time later, the place where Berom was standing exploded as if unable to withstand the leg force.
Berom was nowhere to be seen.
The speed was so fast that it was difficult to follow with the eyes. The only thing that could guess his location was the heat source of the sword in his hand.
A bright red line was drawn along Berom’s moving trajectory.
The metal placed where the line passed melted.
The light of destruction drawn in the shortest straight line towards Ludger.
As the tip of the sword was about to touch Ludger’s body, Ludger also moved, exploding blue magic from the tip of the sword.
Cheaeng!
Ludger and Berom’s bodies passed each other.
Ludger slowly retrieved his sword and looked back.
Berom likewise tried to turn around, but he suddenly stumbled and had no choice but to fall to one knee.
The energy gathered in the sword dissipated and returned to an ordinary black sword.
“How…”
I can’t believe I suffered a defeat like this against a wizard.
Berom’s panicked helmet began to crack with a crackling sound.
The helmet, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, completely shattered and fell to the floor.
The first sight of Berom’s face was that of a man in his mid-30s with a rough appearance.
Rather than a knight, he felt more like a mercenary.
Berom slowly touched his face with trembling hands.
There was also a moment of joy. His expression became confused.
Living Armor wriggled and started trying to put the helmet on his face again, starting from his neck.
Even if the helmet was destroyed, the regenerated armor would continue to turn him into a black knight.
“As expected, this won’t work.”
Ludger moved along with Berom’s sigh.
Judging from this state, there was no sign of it ending unless it killed its host, Berom.
In that case, I have no choice but to kill him.
As Ludger approached like an executioner, holding a sword, a look of resignation appeared in Berom’s eyes.
“wait for a sec.”
It was Cravat who intervened at that time.
Cravat, who had cleaned up all the test subjects, was watching the fight between the two from afar and took advantage of the lull to approach them.
“Hmm. “Huh? Hmm.”
Cravat smoothed out Berom’s armor with his hands, like a child looking down at an ant.
“What are you doing now….”
“Shh.”
When Berom tried to argue, Cravat told him to be quiet and covered his lips with his index finger.
Berom was overcome by the atmosphere without realizing it and remained quiet.
How long did you watch it like that?
Cravat raised his crouching body.
“I think I can unlock this?”
Cravat is the head of a school of warlocks who research ancient curses.
And of course.
Living armor, which sticks to the wearer like a parasite, was his main specialty.
