"..."
It was a scene that froze everyoneâs minds.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman, so stunning that she could topple kingdoms, suddenly appeared before Rohmâand before anyone could even react, she already extended her hand, striking straight toward him.
Her movements were graceful and elegant, seemingly gentle and harmless, yet in truth, they were impossibly fast and deadly.
Her figure was alluring and voluptuous, enough to stir every manâs desire, but when she moved toward Rohm, not a single person in the throne room managed to respond in time.
Neither Hendrick, who wielded the Sword of Authority, nor Florent, the strongest among them, noticed her presence until the very instant Euryale appeared before Rohm.
By then, it was far too late to react.
They could only watch as Euryale stretched out her jade-like handâslender, flawless, and white as snowâyet sharp as the most lethal blade in existence, piercing clean through Rohmâs abdomen and driving deep into his body.
Sadly, the proud Shadow Sword Saint couldnât even defend against that strike.
Euryaleâs hand pierced through his stomach with ease, and by the time the Shadow Sword flew back to his side, blood was already gushing from the wound as she withdrew her hand, splattering crimson drops like a fountain around them.
"Rohm!" Hendrick cried out in shock.
"Stop!" Florent yelled, his eyes flashing coldly.
In the next moment, magical energy flared around his body as he stomped the groundâhis figure blurring into an afterimage that darted behind Euryale.
Just as he was about to strike with his sheathed sword, Euryale turned her headâher eyes, crimson and jewel-like, locking onto him.
"!!!"
Florent froze.
Upon closer look, Euryaleâs eyes now glowed with an enchanting crimson light, her beauty radiating a bewitching allure.
It was none other than her unique vampire abilityâthe
Mystic Eyes of Charm.
Unlike Riezel, who could completely ignore mental interference, Florent was instantly ensnared by her gaze. Were it not for his formidable willpower and mental resilience, he wouldâve already become her captiveâmind-controlled and enslaved.
Florent Borley, however, was truly worthy of the title of Sword Saint, a contender for the kingdomâs strongest, as he broke free from the charm in less than a second.
Yet even that brief instant was more than enough for Euryale.
*Clang!*
A heavy metallic sound rang out as Euryaleâs palm struck Florentâs hastily raised scabbard.
*BOOM!*
An astonishing force burst forth from that delicate handâsending shockwaves through the air and violently knocking Florent back.
Florentâs boots gouged deep trenches across the floor as he slid backward, retreating dozens of meters before finally regaining his balance.
"UghâAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
In that moment, the heavily wounded Rohm suddenly let out a desperate roar.
As if burning the last of his life force, he commanded the Shadow Sword, gathering immense magical energy to slash at Euryale, who had her back turned after striking Florent.
Although this strike no longer contained the combined magical energy of all the Shadow Knights and Rohm himself as it had during his earlier clash with Riezelâs
Godspeed
, it still carried enough force to split mountains and seasâthe very air screamed as the Shadow Sword tore through space.
Yet just before the Shadow Sword descended upon her, Euryale calmly reached out, grabbing toward the incoming blade.
*BOOM!*
As soon as the Shadow Sword met her hand, light exploded like a bombâfollowed by a deafening roar that shook the throne room and echoed endlessly through the grand throne room, whipping the winds into a raging tempest that tore through everything in its path.
Had the
Light of Heaven
not shielded the throne room, that shockwave alone would have obliterated it entirely.
Despite such overwhelming force, however, Euryale stood firm.
Even though her hand split open and blood streamed down, she had caught a Sword Saintâs full-power strike barehandedâdissolving it as if it were nothing.
"Whaâ" Hendrick gasped.
"Impossible!" Rohm shouted, disbelief twisting his face in horror.
"How..." Ferras widened his eyes in shock, staring at Euryale in utter disbelief.
Even Yuri was stunned, her expression frozen as she gazed upon Euryale.
Although she had known that Euryale possessed a terrifying originâan ancient queen of the lost magic civilization, the heroic ruler of the Reinnail Clan that once led all humanityâshe had never imagined that Euryaleâs strength would be so monstrous.
To catch a Sword Saintâs full-power strike barehanded?
To repel Jinasâs strongest knight unarmed?
To fatally wound Rohm in the blink of an eye?
"..."
Ignoring the stunned onlookers, Euryale tilted her head slightly and gazed at her hand, now marked by fine cracks, as if surprised she had been injured at all.
Nevertheless, such a minor wound healed almost instantly under the high-speed regeneration of a pureblood vampire.
Once her hand had completely recovered, she lifted her other oneâpreparing to deliver the final, fatal blow under Rohmâs horrified stare.
"Come back."
Riezel, who had been watching the entire scene with cold indifference, finally spoke.
Euryale paused for a brief moment and, after blinking a few times, flickeredâvanishing from her spot and reappearing beside Riezel in an instant.
Although it seemed complex, from the moment Euryale had darted away from Riezelâs side to the moment she returned, less than ten seconds had passed.
In that short span of time, Euryale had gravely wounded Rohm, repelled Florent, caught the Shadow Swordâs full-power strike with her bare hand, and returned to Riezelâs side completely unscathed.
*Cough!* *Cough!*
Rohm spat out blood, clutching the gaping wound in his abdomen before collapsing into a pool of crimson.
"Hurry! Heal him!" Hendrick shouted in panic, unable to remain composed any longer.
Ferras, responding to his command, hurried to Rohmâs side, pressing down on his body to stop his instinctive struggle and began chanting an incantation rapidlyâhis chanting speed was astonishingly fast yet clear and smoothâreminding Riezel of a technique known as
High-Speed Chant
.
Of course, that technique didnât exist in this world, but Ferrasâs chanting speed was no different from someone who possessed it.
In just a few seconds, his incantation was complete, and healing magic surged to life.
*Zingâ*
A faint light of magical energy glowed over Rohmâs body, beginning to mend his grievous wounds.
However, the others, still standing in shock and their hearts trembling with disbelief, had their focus fixed on Riezel, and then on Euryale, who stood quietly beside him.
Florent, still feeling the numbness in his arms from the earlier impact, slowly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Euryale.
"Sword Saint..."
He finally spoke.
Yes.
A Sword Saint.
From the confrontation earlier, the beautiful attendant standing beside Riezel was, unquestionably, a Sword Saint.
"You... You actually took a Sword Saint as your attendant?"
For the first time, Florentâs expression showed genuine astonishment, and it wasnât just himâeveryone else in the throne room looked equally astonished.
Riezelâs response to the question, however, was simple and composed.
"Yeah."
As this single calm word fell, it shook every heart present.
"Impossible..."
Someone muttered unconsciously under their breath.
It couldnât be helped.
Having a Sword Saint as an attendant?
Riezel Brynhartâthe Sword Saint who was already far too young for such a titleâhad actually done something like that?
And this wasnât even an ordinary Sword Saint.
Her power was overwhelming, capable of effortlessly repelling Florent, Jinasâs mightiest knight.
Such a woman, not only so beautiful but also so powerful, served another as an attendant?
Everyone felt dazed, as if they were in a dream.
Just then, Riezel spoke again.
"Also, about what you said earlierâthat I canât use magic here... Youâre really, really wrong..."
Riezelâs words were calm, yet they struck like thunder.
"Certainly, due to the
Light of Heaven
, no one can use magic or activate any special abilities tied to Special Swordsmanship here without the permission of its master."
"However, the
Light of Heaven
is merely a Strategic-Class Defensive Magic Barrier. Even if it can withstand direct bombardment from Strategic-Class Magic, if a magic beyond that class were to strike the barrier or manifest within it, I doubt it could withstand or suppress it."
"In other words, as long as oneâs magic surpasses the strategic class, it can still be used here."
Upon hearing Riezelâs words, Hendrick didnât know what the others were thinking, but he himself couldnât help swallowing hard.
"Impossible! In this world, thereâs no such thing as magic above the strategic class!"
Hendrick shouted adamantly, unsure whether he was trying to convince himself or everyone else.
Riezel, however, answered with a calmness that only deepened Hendrickâs dread.
"I have it."
Golden light began to gleam in Riezelâs eyes as he gazed at Hendrick.
In an instant, everyone felt their consciousness waver.
For a fleeting moment, it was as if they had been dragged into a different worldâone where all the outer layers of reality had been peeled away, exposing the raw, storming truth that lay beneath.
It was the end of the world.
It was the terminus of truth.
It was the final point of the planet.
It was the domain of the worldâs end.
Like a towering anchor of light, a radiant lance rose skyward, piercing through and binding the entire world.
"Holy Lance, remove anchor..."
When this judgmental phrase left Riezelâs mouth, a storm that devoured the world eruptedâengulfing the entire throne room.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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