Landon's wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His flesh regenerated along with the surging aura of the Black Tide, completely repairing his bones and all his other various injuries.
The wounds on the surface of his body quickly vanished without a trace, but Esper could sense that his aura was not as intense as before.
Going by Zhong's past performance, utilizing the Black Tide for regeneration consumed the death marcher's own physical stamina.
His wounds had disappeared, but his breathing was heavier than before.
“Don't worry, I can still fight.”
Landon still had a smile hanging on his lips.
“How about you? That strike just now was quite beautiful. Want to do it again?”
“Why don't you try me?”
Esper used the Holy Sword to support herself as she stood up.
Behind her, Kaylar was still pouring the Fire of Creation into the blade, but the flames had visibly dwindled, shrinking from a roaring golden blaze into a thin layer of light clinging to the spine of the sword.
“Little sister Esper, what now?”
“You're asking me? Just wear him down, I guess?”
“Your thinking is too narrow. You need to look at the bigger picture.”
“Just spit it out.”
“And that is...”
The two of them exchanged brief tactical words.
Then, Landon made his move.
Casting countless afterimages, he lunged forward into a punch stance, then overlapped all of those afterimages back onto himself.
He compressed every ounce of strength, every moment, and every possible way of throwing this punch into his already trembling arm.
He charged forward.
At the same moment, Kaylar grabbed Esper's hand.
Golden flames spread from between her fingers, crawling along the back of Esper's hand toward the Holy Sword, colliding with the crackling Storm.
The two completely different forces erupted in a roar at the point of contact, azure lightning and the golden Fire of Creation intertwining like two biting snakes, searing fine lines across the blade.
Kaylar's body swayed, so she simply grasped Esper's hand with both of hers.
The fire flared up even more.
The Fire of Creation poured ceaselessly into the Holy Sword, turning into nourishing energy that reinforced the maximum threshold of power the blade could withstand.
Then, the Fire of Destruction followed close behind, burning away all the impurities, cracks, and miscellaneous clutter accumulated in the Holy Sword over the course of the repeated intense battles, leaving behind only the wind and thunder filling it due to the 『Storm』, as well as herself.
The Fire of Creation flooded in once more, filling the gaps, reshaping the blade, and replenishing the hollows left behind after the cleansing with pure energy. Using itself as a medium, it fused the Fire of Destruction with the wind and thunder, continuously creating to counteract the erosion of the wind and thunder by the Fire of Destruction.
At this moment, the blade of the Holy Sword was glowing bright red.
Blood and fire mingled together.
Blood seeped from Esper's palm, condensing into a thin, rapidly spinning film on the surface of the Holy Sword.
『Blood Blade』
It had been some time since she last used this technique.
Then, the blood adhering to the blade's surface began to burn violently.
Landon's pupils shrank.
“This is...”
“Never seen this before, have you, country bumpkin!”
Kaylar shouted smugly.
Using the Fire of Creation to fuse with the Blood Blade, and then extending the Fire of Destruction from it.
Kaylar called this move the Blood-Flame Blade.
Esper felt as if she had heard this name from Gloom's mouth before.
But that was not something to think about right now.
With the empowerment of Winged King and Crimson Scale Surge, she swung her sword at the charging Landon.
On the spine of the sword, the three runes fused by the Forbidden Fruit erupted simultaneously.
Momentum gathered energy, Rigidity granted hardness, and Compression reined in all leaking power. Empowered by the three runes, the Blood-Flame Blade tore through the air, cleaving toward Landon's fist with a scorched, metallic sweetness.
That fist collided with the Holy Sword.
Dirt and gravel were swept away in all directions by the blast wave, accompanied by a brief, low-pitched drone that vibrated so intensely Esper almost thought her arms would shatter.
But she did not fall.
Landon stood in place, his right hand completely gone.
He looked down at his non-existent right hand, then at the still-burning Holy Sword in Esper's hand.
“Ha.”
He took a step forward. The Black Tide regenerated his hand.
“Again.”
Esper supported herself with her sword, her left knee collapsing to the ground just as she tried to lift it.
The Blood-Flame Blade was burning fiercely, but the blood in her body was nearly depleted, and she couldn't maintain Crimson Scale Surge for much longer.
Kaylar knelt half-upright behind her, still pouring the Fire of Creation into the Holy Sword, but the speed of the infusion had visibly slowed, and the rhythm of her Hyperventilation Technique was completely in disarray.
Both of them were running on empty.
Landon took another step forward.
Then, an iron sword pierced through his lower back, emerging from his navel.
The tip of the sword was still smeared with some mud. It was the kind of cheap clearance-sale item from a blacksmith shop that cost three silver coins.
“...Hmm?”
Landon looked down at the half of the blade protruding from his stomach.
“Yulia, what the hell are you doing?”
Yulia stood behind Landon, holding the hilt of the shabby iron sword with one hand. Her tone was flat, her voice kept at a volume only she and Landon could hear.
“Retreat.”
“You can stay if you want, but I won't be gathering your corpse if you die here later.”
“No, wait. There's one more move, the final move. Did you see that combination of flame and blood just now? I haven't tried catching it from directly above yet—”
Pfft.
Yulia jerked the sword upward, the tip slicing a gash from Landon's chest to his collarbone from the inside, blood streaming down the blade.
She turned the sword sideways, hoisting Landon completely off the ground like a wet shirt on a clothesline.
“Is there really no better way for you to carry me away?”
Landon hung from the iron sword, looking utterly speechless.
“I only have one hand, and you have so many demands? Deal with it.”
“When we get back, I'm going to file a complaint with the higher-ups. I'm never pairing up with you on a mission again.”
“Whatever.”
“Oh, right. There's also that kid, Jealousy. Don't forget about him.”
“Cirian has already moved him.”
“Oh, so you found her.”
Yulia dragged Landon toward the other side of the battlefield, the blade sawing back and forth inside Landon's chest with every step she took.
Landon, on the other hand, simply gave up on asking her to be gentler, rambling on with her about whether there was still room to optimize Esper's Terminal Spiral from earlier.
Esper watched the two walk further and further away, her vision repeatedly darkening.
The Blood-Flame Blade on the Holy Sword dissipated into a wisp of smoke the moment she relaxed.
Her body pitched forward, but Kaylar caught her from behind, barely keeping her face from hitting the dirt.
“...What the hell.”
Kaylar held Esper half-embraced, letting her lean against her shoulder. Staring at the man and woman as they receded into the distance, her voice carried a hint of unconcealed anxiety and confusion.
But she didn't give chase. She couldn't even hold her sword steady now; both the Fire of Creation and the Fire of Destruction had retracted into her body, and the moment her Hyperventilation Technique stopped, every bone in her body began to emit tiny, rapid popping sounds.
The aftereffects of the Overloaded Furnace were beginning to set in.
“Is it over...?”
“Looks like it.”
“So what was with that form of yours just now?”
“Sigh, I'll tell you later.”
Kaylar let out a long breath.
“...Holy Healing is so awesome.
Rate on N.U.
