Chapter 109: Demon vs Knight [3]

After talking with his new summon, Morgana, Adam asked her several questions about magic, because his goal of becoming a magic swordsman hadn’t changed one bit.

He hung on every word, as if absorbing every detail without letting himself get distracted.

Moreover, he completely avoided the hassle of going out to find magic books related to his affinities: why go looking when he had a great sorceress right by his side?

The logic seemed simple to him, almost obvious—an advantage he had no intention of letting slip by.

What surprised him was that Asterin seemed to know her, but Morgana didn’t know Asterin, so Adam assumed that Morgana was much older than Asterin.

The idea quickly took shape in his mind, connecting pieces that had previously had no clear connection.

Could that mean Avalon was much older than Britain? Or did it have a different origin?

The questions arose almost immediately, building upon one another.

But the second question made no sense to Adam because Asterin knew who Morgana was, so she must be an ancient figure even in Asterin’s realm; therefore, the answer is that Avalon is much older than Britain.

His reasoning progressed naturally, ruling out possibilities until he was left with the most coherent one.

Adam, now with the memories of his first life, was much more curious about the history of this world, which has quite a few things in common with Earth.

That similarity continued to unsettle him, as if there were something deeper that he still couldn’t see.

What if this world were actually Earth? But millions of years in the future—had he never reincarnated, but instead awakened in the future?

The idea flashed through his mind with momentary clarity, as absurd as it was intriguing.

Adam shook his head with a small, amused smile; that couldn’t be possible… but at least it helped clear his mind a little.

The pent-up tension eased just enough to allow him to refocus.

Then he sensed a massive wave of mana sweeping through the city; Adam turned his face to the side, and a dark smile appeared on his lips.

The sensation was immediate, intense, and impossible to mistake for anything else.

“So they’ve finally started fighting for real.”

…

With the cut he couldn’t see, Darion didn’t fall; he gasped for breath.

Air entered his lungs in fits and starts, tearing at his chest with every attempt to stay conscious.

…But suddenly the ground was sliced into multiple pieces; it seemed the cut hadn’t just severed him, but had also affected the ground.

The cracks spread unnaturally, cleanly, as if an imperceptible force had traced them.

When the floor opened beneath his feet, his body reacted before his mind could comprehend it.

He spun through the air with a sudden, controlled movement, plunging a dagger into a nearby wall.

The steel screeched as it bit into the stone, chipping away fragments while its weight pulled downward, halting the fall midway.

Small pieces of rock broke off, falling into the void opening below.

The vibration shot up his arms, but he didn’t let go. He clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain coursing through his gaping torso, and propelled himself with a kick against the wall, spinning around until he landed among the rubble.

The impact was sharp, cushioned by the scattered debris, but enough to jolt his already injured body.

In front of him, Synes was already there, as if he had never moved, watching him with that faint smile.

Darion took a deep breath and then exhaled.

The air filled his lungs with difficulty, but this time he didn’t let it escape uncontrollably.

His posture shifted.

It wasn’t something visible at first glance, but the center of his body dropped ever so slightly, his grip relaxed just enough, and his feet found stability among the broken stone.

Each adjustment was minimal, precise, as if his body remembered something his mind no longer needed to command.

And then he began to recite.

“By the sword that does not fall… By the will that does not break…”

The air around him seemed to grow thicker, as if reacting to every syllable.

The blood flowing from his wound seemed to slow.

The flow diminished, as if something invisible were intervening.

“For those who still breathe…”

The ground beneath his feet creaked, as if responding to his presence.

Small vibrations ran through the broken stone, spreading out from where he stood.

“I remain.”

The final words settled with a distinct firmness, like a declaration rather than a simple phrase.

Tiny golden dots covered Darion’s body; he could feel his body filling with strength, and how all the golden dots that had appeared with the knight’s hymn were forming a new arm for him.

The energy condensed clearly, taking on a tangible form, as if his will were rebuilding what he had lost.

And in that instant, Darion moved.

There was no hesitation, only pure execution, as if his entire body had been waiting for that exact moment.

His sword, formed of golden dots, descended from above with a force he had never felt before.

The energy that composed it vibrated intensely, as if every particle were responding to his will.

The impact against Synes sent the ground beneath them both crashing down in an explosion of stone, opening cracks that spread across the street.

She stepped back.

Darion didn’t stop. He spun on his heel, sweeping his sword in a low arc that sliced through the remains of a nearby cart, sending splinters of wood flying like projectiles.

The pieces flew off in multiple directions, cutting through the air at erratic speeds.

Synes moved to avoid them, but this time she had to. Darion advanced immediately, each step shattering the ground beneath his feet, each movement dragging the surroundings along with him.

The force of their advance could be felt with every impact, as if the ground itself were giving way under their weight.

The next slash sliced through the facade of a weakened building, causing it to collapse toward them. Synes leaped backward, but Darion was already there. He closed the distance with a brutal thrust, his knee striking her abdomen with a force that reverberated through the structure, causing it to collapse.

For the first time, the contact was real.

That certainty prevailed over everything else.

Synes was hurled backward, crashing through a wall and disappearing inside the building, which gave way behind her in a roar of stone and wood.

The debris cascaded down, kicking up dust and covering the spot where she had vanished.

The sound of the collapse lingered for a few more seconds, as if the building refused to finish falling.

Darion didn’t hesitate.

There was no time to think, only to act.

He followed her inside.

His steps were purposeful, ignoring the obvious danger of the collapse.

Inside, everything was collapsing. Beams were falling, dust filled the air, and visibility was reduced to fleeting glimpses of movement. Synes emerged from the rubble with a soft laugh… and Darion was already upon her.

The shadows mingled with the dust, making everything seem to move even when it wasn’t.

The clash was immediate.

The swords met again and again in a space too narrow to contain the force of each impact. Every blow tore chunks from the structure; every deflection destroyed what remained standing.

The sound of metal clashing was constant, brutal, drowning out everything else.

Synes laughed. A light, out-of-place laugh that didn’t fit with the destruction around him.

“This is better~.”

And he vanished in a black flash as his many tentacles attacked.

The movement was impossible to follow clearly, leaving only a sense of immediate danger.

Darion spun around at that very moment.

His body reacted before he could fully see it.

He blocked the blow.

The impact sent him flying backward, crashing through one wall, then another, until he was back out on the street amid a shower of debris. He rolled, got to his feet, spat out blood… and yet, the anthem continued.

The ground cracked beneath his feet.

The downward pressure was felt before he saw her.

Synes appeared above him, descending with no apparent weight. Darion crossed his sword to meet the blow, and the impact generated a shockwave that swept through the street, pushing dust, debris, and bodies all around him.

The shockwave expanded with force, sweeping everything in its path as if nothing had any weight.

Darion advanced.

Each step was firmer, heavier, as if the world had to bear his weight with greater effort.

“Come.”

Synes vanished.

Darion didn’t react; he anticipated.

His sword moved before she appeared, and when she did, the clash was immediate.

For a moment… he stopped her.

The next exchange was brutal.

They moved through the city as if everything were part of the fight. They leaped across half-destroyed rooftops, broke through walls to close the distance, using columns, rubble, and any debris as resources.

Every clash left a new mark on Arkham; every miss destroyed another fragment of what remained.

Amid that chaos, Darion found an opening.

His sword grazed Synes’ cheek.

A tiny cut.

He touched the blood with his fingertips.

He looked at it.

And his smile changed. It became… deeper. More dangerous.

“Oh…”

The air warped.

The nearby walls curved, the floor sank into impossible shapes, and the distance between them ceased to make sense. Darion took a step… and the world shifted beneath him.

Synes advanced toward him in a single stride. And for the first time since the fight began…

Darion felt real danger.

“Let’s continue~.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep