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Chapter 130
Although the mighty lightning had turned the surroundings entirely white…
Fiora could see the fierce, brilliantly shining lightning shooting towards her.
A speed at which not even sound could be heard.
It was indeed worthy of being called lightning.
However, Fiora took a deep breath, facing that lightning, and powerfully thrust out her left hand, which had transformed into a spear.
She imbued it with the strongest energy she possessed and used the skill contained in her left hand.
Thunderbird Hunt.
As if a divine spear was shot, instantly piercing the Thunderbird, known as the king of the sky, that lightning too was pierced by Fiora’s spear.
Pzzzzzzzzzt—!!!
KWAAAAAAA———!!!
The impaled lightning lost control, spread out in all directions, and electrified the surroundings, while Fiora’s spear pulverized and penetrated everything in its path.
Kyou was at the end of that path.
But the instant the lightning split, he vanished from that spot as if he had teleported, reappearing elsewhere.
Afterward, as the divine spear swept past the spot where Kyou had been…
A huge, long cylindrical hole was pierced there, as if a giant spear had struck it.
‘Crazy.’
His head, which had been hot with anger until a moment ago, instantly cooled.
If he allowed even one hit, no matter how strong Kyou was, he could die.
Seeing that, Kyou by no means let his guard down.
He was furious, yes.
But it was a cold fury.
Immediately, just as Fiora had warned, she moved lightly, her legs still in their feline form.
“!!!”
She appeared right before Kyou’s eyes.
Fiora once again drew back her left hand.
The moment Kyou saw it…
This time, instead of teleporting, he moved like lightning, crackling as he retreated.
Fiora’s left arm changed from a spear to a different form.
That left hand, transformed by her Shapeshifter ability…
It looked like a dragon’s—no, a dragon head.
As the dragon’s open maw gathered a vast amount of energy and then exhaled it…
A small breath was expelled towards Kyou.
“Th-this is!!!”
A bewildered Kyou immediately used the skill he had been about to deploy while moving.
A powerful technique that created and launched a dragon of lightning.
The dragon, shooting in a straight line, met the small breath Fiora had created.
The moment they collided.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA———!!!
An indescribable shockwave spread through the surroundings, and fragments of energy shot out in all directions.
Kyou was caught in that storm and pushed back a considerable distance, suffering quite a bit of damage as a result.
It wasn't on the level of a fatal wound.
But it wasn't a minor injury he could just ignore either.
A mere retainer was this strong?
Unbelievable.
No, he couldn't understand it.
He himself was an Almighty grade class.
How could there be such a difference?
‘C-Could this be real??’
This wasn't even Seonghyun, the one called the Demon King.
To be pushed this far by a mere retainer, just a part of him?
It made no sense.
As far as Kyou knew, summoned beings like retainers grew stronger in proportion to their master's own stats and level.
If that was the case…
‘Is the master himself this strong too?’
Surely not, but didn't it mean the master was strong enough to grant this much power?
Kyou hadn't been defeated yet.
But he couldn't help but be bewildered.
He was currently fighting with all his might.
And yet, weren't they fighting almost on equal terms?
To put it another way…
‘If another retainer joins in here…’
It meant he could be defeated.
He had to settle this quickly.
Perhaps this retainer was a high-risk, high-return type who would disappear upon death?
If he killed this one, their combat power would immediately drop.
Kyou resolved to kill Fiora, no matter what it took.
However.
Whooosh—!
As Fiora swung her right arm, now a sword, through the black dust cloud raised by the previous attack…
Watching Fiora’s form instantly clear the dust, Kyou thought.
‘Can I… win this?’
It was the first time a doubt about himself had surfaced.
But he looked at Fiora again and readied his combat stance.
Regardless, Fiora still muttered timidly.
-I-It would have been g-good if you d-died from that last attack... W-what a shame.
To think she could say such bloodcurdling things so timidly.
That too was quite strange.
In any case, Kyou, intending to fight Fiora with all his might, recalled the skills he could use.
And as he considered the most suitable skills for this situation, he observed Fiora.
She had such timid words and appearance.
But if you looked closely, she had to be the Demon King’s strongest retainer.
There was no doubt about it.
If not…
‘N-No, that can’t be right.’
Kyou firmly believed it to be so and unleashed the most powerful skill he could currently use.
Dark clouds cast a shadow over the sky that had been clear until just a moment ago, and a colossal bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens towards Fiora.
KWAAAAAAAH———!!!
The lightning struck so fiercely that the area where Fiora stood seemed to momentarily vanish.
It was the ultimate targeting skill that could neither be dodged nor blocked.
The damage itself was lower than the previous two skills, but…
It wasn't a skill used merely for its damage.
Fiora felt the energy of the lightning she had just been hit with seeping into her body and was about to tilt her head in confusion.
But she couldn't move.
Crackle-spark!
Sparks flew as Fiora’s body was immobilized.
This was the move Kyou had been aiming for.
In that state, Kyou immediately used his ultimate skill.
“Kikikik! Die!!!”
Finally smiling broadly, he used his ultimate skill.
The Left Arm of the Thunder God, made of lightning, appeared through the dark clouds.
It slammed its fist down towards Fiora.
As that hand made of lightning descended to the ground…
All the surrounding plasma spread out in every direction, devastating the area.
It hadn’t even reached Fiora yet.
But it melted everything in the vicinity with lightning, utterly pulverizing it.
KWARRURURURURUNG———!!!
When the Thunder God's wrath touched the ground…
The surrounding land was momentarily overturned, and the ground was laid waste.
An enormous area of land was upturned and collapsed as if caving in.
It was slower than his other lightning skills, but in terms of effect, the Left Arm of the Thunder God was the most powerful skill Kyou could unleash.
It was the ultimate attack skill of an Almighty grade.
There was no way she could be alive after being hit by this.
‘She was even paralyzed and couldn’t move!!!’
There was no way she could have dodged it.
So Kyou thought.
But in the dust cloud remaining after the Left Arm of the Thunder God vanished…
Feeling something rapidly emerge, Kyou watched it with a vacant, despairing expression.
Kwajik!
Fiora’s left hand pierced through his left shoulder.
The damage was extreme.
But more than that, Kyou, as if unable to comprehend, coughed up blood and asked.
“Cough, h-how on earth!?”
-H-How did I dodge it, you ask?
As Fiora asked back.
Kyou, his eyes bloodshot with rage, used a skill that discharged electricity all around him.
A skill that discharged electricity from himself to his entire surroundings.
However, as soon as he used that skill…
As if Fiora was answering him…
She shed a skin identical to her own form and escaped the spot.
It looked just as if she were molting.
“……Ah?”
Seeing that, Kyou made a dumbfounded, blank sound.
Shedding her skin?
Fiora, while naturally shedding her skin, muttered.
-I-If I sh-shed m-my skin, I c-can escape a-all status ailments.
At those timidly explained words, Kyou stared at Fiora with a vacant expression.
Was she saying that’s how she dodged his ultimate skill?
It was supposed to be a fatal blow, guaranteed to hit accurately because of the paralysis.
Dodging it like this?
This was too broken!!!
He wanted to scream that, but he couldn't.
Because it was too mortifying and unfair.
Merely.
“Are you… are you the Demon King’s strongest retainer?”
Kyou, realizing that with his remaining skills, he couldn't even escape from this place, let alone kill Fiora, asked.
Fiora, startled, waved her hands dismissively.
-Hueh!? N-No! There’s D-Drakhanos-ssi, and Ba-Balthar-ssi, and… Le-Leonik-ssi too, you know?!
“……Ha.”
A breath escaped him as if he were truly dumbfounded.
A creature like this wasn't the strongest retainer?
It was absurd.
As Kyou sank to the ground in despair…
Fiora approached him gently and said.
-Y-You worked hard.
Saying so, she swung her right arm.
Her right arm, transformed into a sword, touched Kyou’s neck.
In that moment, Kyou saw his vision spin dizzily.
He gently closed his eyes.
It was a complete defeat.
Far from even reaching the master, he despaired at Fiora’s words implying she was only about fourth among them.
He was logged out.
He never knew that Fiora was, in fact, arguably the strongest among the retainers Seonghyun possessed.
He had completely believed Fiora's humility.
In reality, Fiora was an immense power, even stronger than Baltar.
-H-He attacked f-first, so the L-Lord won’t scold me, right?
However, even that Fiora muttered as if she feared Seonghyun.
In any case, she was Seonghyun’s retainer.
After Fiora finished off the guy…
-I-I need to get back to work!
Worried she might be scolded, she quickly began to move again to finish her remaining tasks.
5.
While heading towards the center of the place called the Demon's Realm…
Seonghyun tilted his head at a message that suddenly appeared.
It wasn’t a message saying he had discovered Kahku’s third storage.
[You have defeated an opponent who launched a preemptive attack.]
[You have acquired the opponent's item, Unique grade 『Skill Book - Lion's Knighthood』.]
“……?”
Seonghyun tilted his head at the incomprehensible message.
He defeated an opponent who attacked first?
When?
With a genuinely puzzled expression, he carefully examined the message.
And he scanned his surroundings again, but…
“……There’s no one?”
No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find any trace of a user or see any user.
Then it occurred to him.
He wondered if his ‘guys’ had caught and dealt with them.
If his side had attacked first, the message wouldn't have said "an opponent who launched a preemptive attack."
A Unique grade skill book, how fortunate.
Seonghyun smiled and nodded.
‘It seems like a knight-type skill, so I could probably learn it…’
He had obtained the Knight rank, so now he could learn knight-type skills.
But still, it felt a bit much. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
He had learned quite a few knight-type skills recently.
Right now, rather than using this as is…
It would be better to use the Book of Despair to change it into a Black Magic type skill.
After all, Seonghyun was a Black Mage.
Although he had been using a sword quite a bit lately, Seonghyun's foundation was ultimately Black Magic.
He had neglected it somewhat too.
‘Anyway, it’s good to get a new skill.’
Seonghyun thought so and pocketed the skill book.
‘I don’t know who it was, but thanks.’
For giving such a reward.
It seemed they had likely attacked Seonghyun’s legion first, mistaking them for monsters.
His soldiers would have probably given a warning not to attack after that.
Yet, they still attacked.
Shouldn’t they be considered villains then?
Because of that, Seonghyun didn’t feel even a shred of guilt.
He was just happy to have obtained the skill book.
Therefore, Seonghyun didn't know.
That the user Fiora had defeated was a much stronger user than he thought.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
[Hidden Piece, Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Third Storage, will now be opened.]
With Kahku’s third storage right before his eyes, would he have the leisure to think about other things?
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