MAEPG: Episode 90
Episode 90 The Holy Sword's Trial (3)
Boom—!
“Ugh.”
Heinrich groaned as he deflected the black beam that shot towards him with "Blessing: Holy Blade".
He was overwhelmed by the magic that rained down from the sky without a moment's respite.
[Kieeeeek!]
Slash—!
He calmly analyzed the situation as he cut down the undead charging at him with his holy blade.
First of all, it was fortunate that the trial had at least some conscience, or perhaps there was some backstory to this Arch-Lich…
It was a stroke of luck that there were no high-ranking undead like Death Knights among them.
‘That would be truly heartless.’
And there was a big difference between the Arch-Lich in front of him and Hans from before, even though they were both Arch-Liches.
The near-infinite dark magic power supplied by the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’, and various abilities, including “Wicked Wisdom” and “Forbidden Knowledge”.
Of course, this Arch-Lich, who had evolved step by step, would be more experienced than Hans, but their starting points were different from the beginning.
‘But that doesn’t mean the opponent is easy.’
His monstrous dark magic power and his magic skills, honed to perfection over a long time, weren’t going anywhere.
He wasn’t an opponent he could defeat just by charging in recklessly.
‘And I can’t even summon the other avatars!’
He didn’t know if he could summon additional avatars in the trial’s virtual space, but the interdimensional transfer formation’s cooldown hadn’t even ended yet.
Over a month had passed since Heinrich entered the trial because of the different time ratio, but it was only the beginning of the fifth day outside.
He had no choice but to overcome the trial with his own power.
‘Well, it’s not like Heinrich is fighting alone.’
Just as he was about to move forward, smashing the skulls of the charging skeletons with his refined swordsmanship,
He felt a violent surge of dark magic power from the Arch-Lich in the sky.
While Heinrich was distracted by the undead rushing at him, an enormous amount of energy formed a complex system and instantly wove a destructive arcane art…
‘Multiple shadow blades. A diversion? I can just deflect them like before.’
It was analyzed by Hans before the magic was even completed.
‘Dark attribute coordinate activation type, binds the designated target and then destroys… It’s Hell Chains. This is dangerous, I need to dodge. The starting coordinates are twenty-one. 9 o’clock upper, 12 o’clock lower, 4 o’clock lower middle…’
And an arcane art whose structure was revealed was no longer arcane.
He kicked the Dullahan he was clashing with and instantly threw himself forward.
[Groooan…!]
Clatter, clatter—!
Heinrich, dodging the undead trying to grab him, repeatedly swung his “Blessing: Holy Blade” at several points in the air.
Crackle—!
Crackle!
Every time his sword passed, the incomplete magic coordinates were destroyed by the opposing energy contained in the sword.
Whoosh—!
Meanwhile, shadow blades rising from the ground blocked his path, but…
He deflected those he could and took the rest head-on, focusing solely on his target.
The number of coordinates he was able to destroy before the magic activated wasn’t that many, but what was the point of a net with holes?
In the end, the black chains fired from the coordinates that were completed belatedly failed to achieve their purpose and were easily dispelled.
Heinrich was avoiding dangerous attacks even if it meant taking some damage.
[…He’s good at dodging.]
It wasn’t just once or twice, and as the situation repeated several times, the Arch-Lich couldn’t help but be frustrated.
At first, he intended to enjoy the spectacle of his opponent struggling, but he was starting to get annoyed because he was easily escaping even though he was mixing in serious attacks.
[He’s definitely got some skills. That sword of light and his insight to see through all my magic. The Church has really raised a good hound.]
The Arch-Lich changed his mind.
He acknowledged the opponent’s abilities and decided to crush him with all his might.
And the moment he decided… dark magic power from the surroundings surged towards him.
‘Now!’
And that was…
The moment Heinrich, who had been waiting for an opportunity while concealing his abilities, had been hoping for.
The holy power that had surged with “Blessing: Capacity Increase” flowed into his sword.
The size of the holy blade expanded explosively.
And he looked at the Arch-Lich, who was concentrating in the sky…
And immediately used “Blessing: Leap” towards him.
Flash—
[Hmm?!]
A momentary opening, created when the Arch-Lich was distracted, focusing on completing a high-level magic spell.
Heinrich appeared in midair with a burst of light.
That brief moment was the perfect opportunity for Heinrich to move next to him.
‘Success!’
If he had just used Leap recklessly, he would have been intercepted by the Arch-Lich the moment the movement ended.
“Blessing: Leap” had a very short activation time, so using it right next to the Arch-Lich without any preparation was suicide.
Mages were the kind who always prioritized their own safety and prepared several means to deal with emergencies.
And he had the ability to instantly unleash multiple spells on him using that.
[No chance!]
Even now, several spells were being completed around him, who had quickly canceled the spell he was casting.
‘Always-on defensive barrier, force field eruption, radial curse, automatic counterattack system…’
But he had given Heinrich too much time.
He threw himself at the Arch-Lich, releasing holy power from his back and legs in midair.
He endured the curse that was radially fired in all directions with the holy power surrounding his body and cut through the black flames with his elongated holy blade.
And his sword, which had even severed the strange force that was pushing him away, finally penetrated the enemy’s defensive barrier.
[…What?!]
This smooth chain of movements wasn’t just achieved through the power of “Blessing: Holy Blade”, which was super-effective against dark magic power.
While he was casually testing the waters by throwing a few spells, Hans had succeeded in disassembling and reverse-engineering his magic system.
Heinrich, following Hans’s knowledge, just naturally severed the connection of the spells by cutting through the gaps in the magic structure and following the flow of magic power with his holy blade.
The entire process was carried out in an instant with his strong body and skilled swordsmanship.
And after all the enemy’s defenses were neutralized by the sword of light swung like lightning…
Crack—!
The holy blade embedded itself in the Arch-Lich’s shoulder.
[Gah!]
He, whose shoulder was cut through to his chest, crashed to the ground with Heinrich, who had embedded his sword in his chest.
Boom—!
Dust from the impact obscured their vision.
“Ugh…!”
Heinrich staggered to his feet from the dust.
Wiping the blood flowing from his mouth.
‘He counterattacked in that situation, even though I poured so much holy power into my body…’
He couldn’t help but allow the attack because it was activated at such close range.
As he was thrown back from the Arch-Lich’s counterattack, he calmly cut down the surrounding undead, trying to regain his composure.
‘…It’s a problem that it missed.’
He had intended to split his head in two, but the attack’s trajectory was twisted by the enemy, who reacted in that split second.
[Ugh…! How dare a mere holy knight…!]
Of course, the damage the Arch-Lich suffered wasn’t light.
The holy blade, filled with abundant holy power, was also fatal to him.
Even now, the wound wasn’t healing, and holy white flames were burning, interfering with his dark magic power manipulation.
‘I can’t delay any longer. I’ll finish this quickly.’
He had moved a considerable distance from the previous battlefield by releasing holy power while falling from the sky with the enemy, but there were still quite a few undead around him.
And if those remaining on the previous battlefield joined them, the situation would only worsen.
“Whew…”
Holy flames, which burned away the curse and healed his body, surged from Heinrich’s body.
His superhuman body was recovering quickly even during the brief respite.
‘Here I go!’
He widened his eyes, sharpened his senses, and threw himself into the surging dark magic power and the raining dark magic.
With the best instructor in this field backing him up.
Boom—!
“Ugh.”
Heinrich groaned as he deflected the black beam that shot towards him with "Blessing: Holy Blade".
He was overwhelmed by the magic that rained down from the sky without a moment's respite.
[Kieeeeek!]
Slash—!
He calmly analyzed the situation as he cut down the undead charging at him with his holy blade.
First of all, it was fortunate that the trial had at least some conscience, or perhaps there was some backstory to this Arch-Lich…
It was a stroke of luck that there were no high-ranking undead like Death Knights among them.
‘That would be truly heartless.’
And there was a big difference between the Arch-Lich in front of him and Hans from before, even though they were both Arch-Liches.
The near-infinite dark magic power supplied by the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’, and various abilities, including “Wicked Wisdom” and “Forbidden Knowledge”.
Of course, this Arch-Lich, who had evolved step by step, would be more experienced than Hans, but their starting points were different from the beginning.
‘But that doesn’t mean the opponent is easy.’
His monstrous dark magic power and his magic skills, honed to perfection over a long time, weren’t going anywhere.
He wasn’t an opponent he could defeat just by charging in recklessly.
‘And I can’t even summon the other avatars!’
He didn’t know if he could summon additional avatars in the trial’s virtual space, but the interdimensional transfer formation’s cooldown hadn’t even ended yet.
Over a month had passed since Heinrich entered the trial because of the different time ratio, but it was only the beginning of the fifth day outside.
He had no choice but to overcome the trial with his own power.
‘Well, it’s not like Heinrich is fighting alone.’
Just as he was about to move forward, smashing the skulls of the charging skeletons with his refined swordsmanship,
He felt a violent surge of dark magic power from the Arch-Lich in the sky.
While Heinrich was distracted by the undead rushing at him, an enormous amount of energy formed a complex system and instantly wove a destructive arcane art…
‘Multiple shadow blades. A diversion? I can just deflect them like before.’
It was analyzed by Hans before the magic was even completed.
‘Dark attribute coordinate activation type, binds the designated target and then destroys… It’s Hell Chains. This is dangerous, I need to dodge. The starting coordinates are twenty-one. 9 o’clock upper, 12 o’clock lower, 4 o’clock lower middle…’
And an arcane art whose structure was revealed was no longer arcane.
He kicked the Dullahan he was clashing with and instantly threw himself forward.
[Groooan…!]
Clatter, clatter—!
Heinrich, dodging the undead trying to grab him, repeatedly swung his “Blessing: Holy Blade” at several points in the air.
Crackle—!
Crackle!
Every time his sword passed, the incomplete magic coordinates were destroyed by the opposing energy contained in the sword.
Whoosh—!
Meanwhile, shadow blades rising from the ground blocked his path, but…
He deflected those he could and took the rest head-on, focusing solely on his target.
The number of coordinates he was able to destroy before the magic activated wasn’t that many, but what was the point of a net with holes?
In the end, the black chains fired from the coordinates that were completed belatedly failed to achieve their purpose and were easily dispelled.
Heinrich was avoiding dangerous attacks even if it meant taking some damage.
[…He’s good at dodging.]
It wasn’t just once or twice, and as the situation repeated several times, the Arch-Lich couldn’t help but be frustrated.
At first, he intended to enjoy the spectacle of his opponent struggling, but he was starting to get annoyed because he was easily escaping even though he was mixing in serious attacks.
[He’s definitely got some skills. That sword of light and his insight to see through all my magic. The Church has really raised a good hound.]
The Arch-Lich changed his mind.
He acknowledged the opponent’s abilities and decided to crush him with all his might.
And the moment he decided… dark magic power from the surroundings surged towards him.
‘Now!’
And that was…
The moment Heinrich, who had been waiting for an opportunity while concealing his abilities, had been hoping for.
The holy power that had surged with “Blessing: Capacity Increase” flowed into his sword.
The size of the holy blade expanded explosively.
And he looked at the Arch-Lich, who was concentrating in the sky…
And immediately used “Blessing: Leap” towards him.
Flash—
[Hmm?!]
A momentary opening, created when the Arch-Lich was distracted, focusing on completing a high-level magic spell.
Heinrich appeared in midair with a burst of light.
That brief moment was the perfect opportunity for Heinrich to move next to him.
‘Success!’
If he had just used Leap recklessly, he would have been intercepted by the Arch-Lich the moment the movement ended.
“Blessing: Leap” had a very short activation time, so using it right next to the Arch-Lich without any preparation was suicide.
Mages were the kind who always prioritized their own safety and prepared several means to deal with emergencies.
And he had the ability to instantly unleash multiple spells on him using that.
[No chance!]
Even now, several spells were being completed around him, who had quickly canceled the spell he was casting.
‘Always-on defensive barrier, force field eruption, radial curse, automatic counterattack system…’
But he had given Heinrich too much time.
He threw himself at the Arch-Lich, releasing holy power from his back and legs in midair.
He endured the curse that was radially fired in all directions with the holy power surrounding his body and cut through the black flames with his elongated holy blade.
And his sword, which had even severed the strange force that was pushing him away, finally penetrated the enemy’s defensive barrier.
[…What?!]
This smooth chain of movements wasn’t just achieved through the power of “Blessing: Holy Blade”, which was super-effective against dark magic power.
While he was casually testing the waters by throwing a few spells, Hans had succeeded in disassembling and reverse-engineering his magic system.
Heinrich, following Hans’s knowledge, just naturally severed the connection of the spells by cutting through the gaps in the magic structure and following the flow of magic power with his holy blade.
The entire process was carried out in an instant with his strong body and skilled swordsmanship.
And after all the enemy’s defenses were neutralized by the sword of light swung like lightning…
Crack—!
The holy blade embedded itself in the Arch-Lich’s shoulder.
[Gah!]
He, whose shoulder was cut through to his chest, crashed to the ground with Heinrich, who had embedded his sword in his chest.
Boom—!
Dust from the impact obscured their vision.
“Ugh…!”
Heinrich staggered to his feet from the dust.
Wiping the blood flowing from his mouth.
‘He counterattacked in that situation, even though I poured so much holy power into my body…’
He couldn’t help but allow the attack because it was activated at such close range.
As he was thrown back from the Arch-Lich’s counterattack, he calmly cut down the surrounding undead, trying to regain his composure.
‘…It’s a problem that it missed.’
He had intended to split his head in two, but the attack’s trajectory was twisted by the enemy, who reacted in that split second.
[Ugh…! How dare a mere holy knight…!]
Of course, the damage the Arch-Lich suffered wasn’t light.
The holy blade, filled with abundant holy power, was also fatal to him.
Even now, the wound wasn’t healing, and holy white flames were burning, interfering with his dark magic power manipulation.
‘I can’t delay any longer. I’ll finish this quickly.’
He had moved a considerable distance from the previous battlefield by releasing holy power while falling from the sky with the enemy, but there were still quite a few undead around him.
And if those remaining on the previous battlefield joined them, the situation would only worsen.
“Whew…”
Holy flames, which burned away the curse and healed his body, surged from Heinrich’s body.
His superhuman body was recovering quickly even during the brief respite.
‘Here I go!’
He widened his eyes, sharpened his senses, and threw himself into the surging dark magic power and the raining dark magic.
With the best instructor in this field backing him up.
__________________
No matter what dark magic was used, he was able to see through it before it was even completed.
And he neutralized it with his holy blade, which was super-effective, by striking its weak points.
His strong body didn’t easily falter, even if he allowed a few attacks.
And even if he was injured, he healed in an instant with the combination of his self-healing ability and holy magic.
His vast holy power seemed to be endlessly gushing out.
His efficient movements and elegant swordsmanship, honed through training, cut down the enemies blocking his path.
And finally…
Swoosh!
The sword of light, which struck down on the skull’s crown, glowed intensely and cut the enemy in half at the waist.
Whoosh—!
The Arch-Lich muttered quietly as his entire body burned in the holy flames that erupted from the severed sections.
[…You’re quite something, holy knight of the Church…]
His body, destroyed beyond recovery, was slowly turning to ashes and crumbling.
[That sword of light, and your insight to see through all my magic… The Church has really raised a good hound.]
No matter how careless he was and how he was caught off guard, Heinrich’s level was definitely not ordinary.
He calmly acknowledged it and even mocked him.
[Hehehe… But unfortunately for you, I don’t die. I just lose my freedom for a while.]
As long as the essence he had extracted wasn’t destroyed, an Arch-Lich was an immortal being who never died.
[What a shame. It seems like you’ve used all your hidden tricks. When we meet again… there won’t be any luck like this time. Hehehe.]
Heinrich didn’t react to his taunt despite being battered from the battle.
He was just gasping for breath among the undead remains, quietly watching the Arch-Lich turn to ashes.
[Well, it was a decent distraction. Thinking about what kind of despair I’ll give you while my body recovers will be a good way to pass the time. I’m already looking forward to seeing you again…]
And when he finally turned to dust and scattered…
<Third trial complete. Proceed to the next stage through the gate. Go to where the holy sword is.>
A brown door was standing where he had been.
“…It’s over even though I didn’t completely eliminate him?”
Perhaps it judged that it wasn’t important because it was just a process to evaluate his qualifications.
The guy who had been talking as if he was something was also just a being created by the trial, like a character in a game.
But Heinrich didn’t move through the door and stood there for a moment, crossing his arms and thinking.
‘Hmm… It’s quite risky, but I think I can do it.’
And he immediately made a decision.
It was better to be thorough.
‘Even if it’s a virtual space, I feel uneasy leaving like this. And it makes me feel bad.’
He first casually touched the gate before proceeding.
And just like in the first trial, the surrounding energy was sucked in, and his tattered body recovered in an instant.
His damaged armor was also perfectly restored, as a bonus.
‘Hmm, good. The effect is certain.’
He was inwardly satisfied with his body, which had become even stronger after going through the trial, and then closed his eyes and focused his mind, raising his holy power.
He thought of a coordinate…
And immediately used “Blessing: Leap” towards that location.
Crackle—!
The barrier surrounding that location resisted, but Heinrich poured in his overwhelming holy power through “Blessing: Capacity Increase” and forcibly entered.
“Whew— That was close.”
A dark, eerie underground stone chamber.
This place, quite a distance from the previous battlefield, was located at the edge of the distance limit of “Blessing: Leap”, which had grown.
‘The oxygen is thin. I can’t stay here long.’
It didn’t matter because he didn’t need to stay long.
Heinrich looked around and smiled faintly as he found what he was looking for and approached it.
The object that was enshrined on the altar and carefully preserved with various barriers.
“Hello? We meet again.”
Wooong—
The ‘Arch-Lich’s essence’ vibrated faintly, as if flustered.
He probably didn’t expect to see him again so soon.
That’s why he had been talking so much before disappearing.
But Heinrich wasn’t just watching as the Arch-Lich turned to ashes and disappeared.
More precisely… it was thanks to Hans’s efforts, working hard through Heinrich’s senses, unseen.
He analyzed the flow of dark magic power as the enemy disappeared and reverse-engineered it, calculating the coordinates of the essence.
It was a simple task for Hans, the Immortal King.
Wooong— Wooong! Wooong—!
The Arch-Lich’s essence vibrated, emitting dark magic power.
He could feel its intention, even though it didn’t have a voice.
Crack!
Of course, Heinrich, who had no intention of talking in the first place, just swung his holy blade and cut it in half.
“Whew— I finally feel better.”
He smiled contentedly, watching the essence disappear, enveloped in holy power.
At that moment,
<…Third trial complete. Proceed to… Go to where the holy sword is.>
The will of the trial echoed in his head again.
But its content was different from before.
‘Oh? Did I get bonus points?’
It seemed like they had judged him very generously.
Enough to skip an entire trial.
‘I can feel a sense of bewilderment.’
But it was a good thing since it ended well.
He chuckled and confidently moved towards the gate that appeared before him, opening the door wide.
And he felt a bright light enveloping his entire body… and took a step forward.
Thus, Heinrich was able to successfully complete the trial to obtain the holy sword.
Thanks to the full support of the ‘Immortal King’.
No matter what dark magic was used, he was able to see through it before it was even completed.
And he neutralized it with his holy blade, which was super-effective, by striking its weak points.
His strong body didn’t easily falter, even if he allowed a few attacks.
And even if he was injured, he healed in an instant with the combination of his self-healing ability and holy magic.
His vast holy power seemed to be endlessly gushing out.
His efficient movements and elegant swordsmanship, honed through training, cut down the enemies blocking his path.
And finally…
Swoosh!
The sword of light, which struck down on the skull’s crown, glowed intensely and cut the enemy in half at the waist.
Whoosh—!
The Arch-Lich muttered quietly as his entire body burned in the holy flames that erupted from the severed sections.
[…You’re quite something, holy knight of the Church…]
His body, destroyed beyond recovery, was slowly turning to ashes and crumbling.
[That sword of light, and your insight to see through all my magic… The Church has really raised a good hound.]
No matter how careless he was and how he was caught off guard, Heinrich’s level was definitely not ordinary.
He calmly acknowledged it and even mocked him.
[Hehehe… But unfortunately for you, I don’t die. I just lose my freedom for a while.]
As long as the essence he had extracted wasn’t destroyed, an Arch-Lich was an immortal being who never died.
[What a shame. It seems like you’ve used all your hidden tricks. When we meet again… there won’t be any luck like this time. Hehehe.]
Heinrich didn’t react to his taunt despite being battered from the battle.
He was just gasping for breath among the undead remains, quietly watching the Arch-Lich turn to ashes.
[Well, it was a decent distraction. Thinking about what kind of despair I’ll give you while my body recovers will be a good way to pass the time. I’m already looking forward to seeing you again…]
And when he finally turned to dust and scattered…
<Third trial complete. Proceed to the next stage through the gate. Go to where the holy sword is.>
A brown door was standing where he had been.
“…It’s over even though I didn’t completely eliminate him?”
Perhaps it judged that it wasn’t important because it was just a process to evaluate his qualifications.
The guy who had been talking as if he was something was also just a being created by the trial, like a character in a game.
But Heinrich didn’t move through the door and stood there for a moment, crossing his arms and thinking.
‘Hmm… It’s quite risky, but I think I can do it.’
And he immediately made a decision.
It was better to be thorough.
‘Even if it’s a virtual space, I feel uneasy leaving like this. And it makes me feel bad.’
He first casually touched the gate before proceeding.
And just like in the first trial, the surrounding energy was sucked in, and his tattered body recovered in an instant.
His damaged armor was also perfectly restored, as a bonus.
‘Hmm, good. The effect is certain.’
He was inwardly satisfied with his body, which had become even stronger after going through the trial, and then closed his eyes and focused his mind, raising his holy power.
He thought of a coordinate…
And immediately used “Blessing: Leap” towards that location.
Crackle—!
The barrier surrounding that location resisted, but Heinrich poured in his overwhelming holy power through “Blessing: Capacity Increase” and forcibly entered.
“Whew— That was close.”
A dark, eerie underground stone chamber.
This place, quite a distance from the previous battlefield, was located at the edge of the distance limit of “Blessing: Leap”, which had grown.
‘The oxygen is thin. I can’t stay here long.’
It didn’t matter because he didn’t need to stay long.
Heinrich looked around and smiled faintly as he found what he was looking for and approached it.
The object that was enshrined on the altar and carefully preserved with various barriers.
“Hello? We meet again.”
Wooong—
The ‘Arch-Lich’s essence’ vibrated faintly, as if flustered.
He probably didn’t expect to see him again so soon.
That’s why he had been talking so much before disappearing.
But Heinrich wasn’t just watching as the Arch-Lich turned to ashes and disappeared.
More precisely… it was thanks to Hans’s efforts, working hard through Heinrich’s senses, unseen.
He analyzed the flow of dark magic power as the enemy disappeared and reverse-engineered it, calculating the coordinates of the essence.
It was a simple task for Hans, the Immortal King.
Wooong— Wooong! Wooong—!
The Arch-Lich’s essence vibrated, emitting dark magic power.
He could feel its intention, even though it didn’t have a voice.
Crack!
Of course, Heinrich, who had no intention of talking in the first place, just swung his holy blade and cut it in half.
“Whew— I finally feel better.”
He smiled contentedly, watching the essence disappear, enveloped in holy power.
At that moment,
<…Third trial complete. Proceed to… Go to where the holy sword is.>
The will of the trial echoed in his head again.
But its content was different from before.
‘Oh? Did I get bonus points?’
It seemed like they had judged him very generously.
Enough to skip an entire trial.
‘I can feel a sense of bewilderment.’
But it was a good thing since it ended well.
He chuckled and confidently moved towards the gate that appeared before him, opening the door wide.
And he felt a bright light enveloping his entire body… and took a step forward.
Thus, Heinrich was able to successfully complete the trial to obtain the holy sword.
Thanks to the full support of the ‘Immortal King’.
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