The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped - Chapter 117
117 – 117. The Black Cardinal (2)
With Jebeline cradled in his arms, he kicked off the ground to create distance.
At the same time, hundreds of firearms, waiting to be fired, unleashed a barrage.
Tatatatatatang──!!
Bullets rained down in a fan-shaped spread.
The distance to the target was roughly 30 yards.
No matter how superhuman one’s reflexes, evading a hail of bullets was impossible.
How would he block the bullets?
It was already too late to dodge.
I gazed at the black cardinal, who remained calm even as countless bullets approached right before my eyes.
“I’ve heard the news… quite an impressive ability.”
The blades that the cardinal let hang from both hands shimmered faintly. Then, hundreds of bullets that pierced the air were deflected, clattering to the dirt floor.
He had merely swung his sword.
Even the weapon of Ilkeron was just an ordinary iron sword one could find in any blacksmith’s shop.
Not even the trajectory of the strike was visible.
Edanant, witnessing the scene unfold before him, widened his eyes and swallowed hard.
—…A monster indeed.
Maximilian had raised Ilkeron to be the strongest hero of all time. Thus, I had somewhat anticipated that he would be a formidable opponent.
But to think he could face the calamity of innocence with nothing but an ordinary iron sword. I had never seen such a monster before.
—Then how about this?
Boom!!
A black haze rippled as siege weapons were deployed. Soon, the siege weapons unleashed a barrage of fire, launching a surprise attack on the black cardinal.
An overwhelming display of destructive power.
Even with the impressive swordsmanship he had just shown, he would surely struggle against such a bombardment.
He would have no choice but to create some distance.
Edanant gathered his matchlock guns, aiming to exploit a fleeting opportunity.
—This is insane!
But Ilkeron made an extraordinary decision, breaking through the onslaught of shells as if shattering common sense.
As he sliced through the projectiles and dashed forward, he resembled a starving wild dog. Despite his body being scorched by the intense heat, he pressed on with a brutal assault.
The distance was closing.
He was clearly intent on engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
Seeing this, Edanant stepped in front of Javelin and drew Aldebaran.
—Ugh!
“Excellent response.”
Clang!!
The cardinal’s sword strikes, which had been like a tempest, were blocked by Aldebaran.
Though it was a momentary counterattack, Edanant’s swift defense drew a meaningful smile from Ilkeron.
“Maximilian’s swordsmanship, I see. Did you learn it from your brother, perhaps?”
—Could that blunt fellow have taught me kindly? Of course, I learned it on my own.
Just by exchanging a single blow, Ilkeron discerned that Edanant’s swordsmanship was imitating Maximilian’s. The aura embedded in the swordplay was far too familiar.
Self-taught, was it…
Indeed, it could only be the innate talent of Maximilian’s younger brother.
The fact that he was a vessel containing the misfortunes of the innocent was truly lamentable. If he were a hero loyal to the One True God, he would have entrusted the next generation to him.
“Edan!”
As the strikes clashed, they stirred a fierce storm, a cacophony of discordant sounds. The ground, swept up in the tempest, was torn apart as if ravaged by bombardment.
A moment’s lapse in concentration could cost a life.
The viciously glinting blade swung mercilessly, slowly threatening Edanant’s life.
Jeblinne, watching the scene with an anxious expression, shouted out.
“With innate talent rivaling Maximilian and instincts honed by countless experiences… Truly, you are the hero who saved the Baltaria Empire.”
-Enough of your prattling, old man. Do you always fight with your mouth?
“Indeed, as one ages, emotions tend to deepen.”
-If you’re old, you should just go to a nursing home.
Clang-!!
As Aldebaran and the two iron swords crossed, the sound of metal grinding echoed.
At that moment, Edanant and Ilkeron stepped forward, swinging their blades.
The contest of strength ended in Edanant’s victory.
Ilkeron, who had managed to block the fierce strikes, seemed unable to completely offset the force and momentarily retreated.
There was no way Edanant would miss the fleeting opportunity. He immediately transformed the gauntlet on his right hand into a weapon equipped with a high-explosive shell, targeting Ilkeron’s body.
Boom!!
As he clenched his fist, the trigger for the explosive was activated, causing an explosion.
However, the attack returned empty-handed. Just before the grip tightened, Ilkeron instinctively sensed the danger and swiftly widened the distance.
From noble mtl dot com
“That last attack…!”
With a fist armed with high explosives, he aimed to obliterate the opponent who had swiftly closed in. It was a combat style designed to face swordsmen of equal or greater strength.
Truly an extreme attack.
Had it landed, his upper body would have been scattered without a trace.
Barely evading, Ilkeron showed his first sign of panic since the battle began.
-Originally, this was a technique devised to turn that damned hero into a corpse, but it can’t be helped. Your master, who nurtured the current unparalleled talent, must take the hit instead.
“……”
If he attempted to attack recklessly, he risked being caught in the explosion of the high-explosive shell. Yet, to simply retreat would be burdensome, given the hundreds of muskets laid out in the air.
It seems to be a dead end.
Indeed, it was a skillful maneuver to bring down Maximilian.
Ilkeron, gripping twin swords in both hands, let out a heavy sigh as he tried to calm his mind, now steeped in confusion.
‘There’s only one way. It won’t be easy, but… I must end it in one strike before the bomb detonates.’
If I launch a decisive strike from afar, Eda Nante will surely block it.
I close the distance at a speed that surpasses sound.
And before Eda Nante senses the danger, I’ll seize the angle and strike at the opening.
Like a seasoned hunter, Ilkeron quickly devised a countermeasure. But it was no easy task, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, showing a cautious demeanor.
“Cardinal Nebiacus!”
“We will join the fray!”
When faced with a situation that could determine the outcome of the battle,
the paladins cloaked in black began to charge forward, swords drawn.
They were the elite forces of the Holy Kingdom.
If the paladins, whose strength could rival that of the guardians, joined the fight under Ilkeron’s command, Eda Nante would undoubtedly find himself on the defensive. Jebeline stood in their way, unleashing a brilliant white bolt of lightning.
“First Saint…! The filthy witch harboring misfortune!”
“Slay the witch! She’s the cunning sorceress who has deceived the Holy One and the faithful until now!”
At the cries of the paladins, stained with contempt and hatred, Jebeline wore a chilling smile.
Well then,
if you call me a witch, I shall become one.
But the aftermath of that will be yours to bear.
I have resolved to forsake anything to protect my loved ones. Thus, the Saint of the White Dragon paid no heed to the title of witch.
Crackle!
The bolt of lightning in Jebeline’s grasp flashed and took the form of a staff. What was summoned through the lightning was the sacred artifact of the Second Saint, Beatrice: the Scepter of the White Night.
As the scepter, adorned with blue jewels and pure white ivory, appeared, the paladins gasped in shock. Jebeline raised the Scepter of the White Night, which shot forth the lightning of the white dragon, coloring the surroundings.
“……!”
While the Saint of the White Dragon was preventing the paladins from intervening,
the precarious standoff between Eda Nante and Ilkeron began to spiral into catastrophe.
The black cardinal moved.
With the sharp tip of his sword trailing behind, he kicked off the ground and launched into a devastating charge.
Divine Speed.
It was a realm of speed that no one dared to approach.
The speed of the cardinal, who had reached the domain of the strongest, was enough to shake even Edanant’s vision. The seasoned intuition that had warned of danger each time would surely not be able to detect this swiftness.
Swoosh—.
In an instant, the shadow that had vanished revealed itself.
Ilkeron, having breached the realm of speed, reached Edanant’s rear in the blink of an eye. Approaching without a hint of presence, as if activating a teleportation spell, he raised the tip of his sword.
*”Sleep for the eternity of the One True God, O scourge of war.”*
The sharp blade aimed for the gaps in Edanant’s armor. It was to use the slightest opening to sever Edanant’s neck.
But—.
As soon as the cardinal’s strike was unleashed, a change occurred in Edanant’s armor, armed with high explosives.
The armor of the scourge erupted with intense heat, as if pressing a trigger, causing an overload. It was an overwhelming thermal energy sufficient to incinerate the surroundings in an instant.
*”N-no way…!”*
Ilkeron, who had activated the realm of speed, was lost from sight. Edanant’s gaze remained fixed ahead, as if to prove the situation.
However, it didn’t matter.
No matter where he aimed, he would inevitably approach him.
As soon as Ilkeron’s figure vanished, he activated the trigger. Edanant unleashed all the high explosives mounted on his full-body armor, as if committing a suicide attack, spewing flames.
───!!
────────!!!!
With a thunderous roar akin to the upheaval of heaven and earth, the scourge’s punishment erupted. Ilkeron, who had aimed for Edanant’s rear, was swept away by the punishment without any means of counteraction.