Episode 1100 Leap Forward (2)
The ‘Sacrifice Pledge’ that Yurion mastered simultaneously with his awakening as a Transcendent is a clear transcendental skill that strengthens all pledges by making a fitting sacrifice.
Based on coercion without consent—the higher the rank of the object of the oath, the wider the scope specified by the oath, and the more unilateral the structure of the oath, the heavier the price Yurion must pay.
Joint Pledge: Rules
Yurion forced the 6th Commander to follow the rules he had established through verbal command.The content was ‘not to step down voluntarily.’Since the joint oath requires Yurion to observe the rules as well, the structure is equal. Because it is not one-sided, the cost of the sacrifice oath is reduced accordingly.
“To put it simply, it’s a one-on-one arena.”
As the sound of piercing spreads, the blade imbued with Yurion’s energy rushes in fiercely.
[… … !]
The 6th Commander felt resistance. The reflex to create distance and counterattack from an advantageous gap did not continue, as if blocked by a wall.It was an unpleasant sensation, as if an invisible restraint were suppressing a specific action.
If you can’t retreat, you have no choice but to advance.Stopping is… out of the question.
Whoosh──
The 6th Commander charged towards them while spinning his halberd in various directions. The paths of the axe blade falling downwards and the sword energy surging toward the neck overlapped.For a moment, their weapons bounced off, but they regained their stances and unleashed their deadly strikes simultaneously.
Boom!
The halberd and the Sword of the Oath were entangled.The grip trembled.
With their mouths shut in accordance with the vow of autonomy, Yurion’s physical abilities were not significantly different from those of the 6th Commander, allowing for a power struggle to take place. Asthe ground beneath them began to split, the undead’s combat senses warned of a flank.
However───half a beat late.
Increase your speed and penetrate.
Leona, who was fighting the highest-ranking Corruptor, accelerated further with a verbal spell while penetrating a straight line and struck the flank of the 6th Commander in her path.The large lance pierced the armor and slightly damaged the body inside.
The strongest beings at the very top who can confront transcendent beings despite human limitations.The world refers to them as the “Peaks” and praises them.
A metallic sound spread belatedly.
As a result of being properly struck at a weak point, the center of gravity shifted to the side.He tried to step back to regroup, but his hind leg got caught in the lock and wouldn’t move; instead, it crossed with his front leg, further damaging his center of gravity.
The shadow of the vow fell.
Boom!
The 6th Commander, with a clear sword mark etched on his armor, was pushed back as he struck the ground.
“Are you naive because you’re undead? What do you mean, one-on-one? This isn’t an arena, it’s a battlefield.”
Yurion’s verbal spells are not limited to the physical body but also influence the mental realm.Although it is merely a trivial technique compared to Ignacia’s, it is capable of subtly shifting one’s thoughts. This was the power of language.
The 6th Commander, who had been swayed by the mention of a one-on-one arena by Yurion just moments prior, ended up reacting late to Leona’s surprise attack.His lifeless expression flinched for a moment at the tactic, which was tantamount to mockery.
The two clashed again.
The air shook with every blow exchanged within the unyielding rule. Sword tips sliced through the dead skin of faces, and halberd shafts lashed against torsos.Amidst the continuous barrage of impacts inflicted upon one another, their figures blended into the brutal backdrop of the battlefield.
[… … !]
The 6th Commander sensed a sharp killing intent flying in from the rear.
This time, I responded immediately.
The 6th Commander, who had pushed Yurion away in an instant as if he were a seasoned warrior who had overcome all kinds of battles, twisted his upper body forcefully.It was a declaration of his determination to cut in two with a single stroke anyone who dared to target Yurion’s back, no matter what he did.
But… … there was no intrusion.
The Knight Commander of the Word Spirit dodged the 8th Commander’s arrow and merely sent a signal.
Yurion is the King of Highlandia. A king does not stand alone. While other transcendent beings are strong in solitude, he is skilled in the group. Forthe Knights of the Word Spirit harmonize perfectly with Yurion.
The transcendent being’s sword energy targets the neck precisely.
It cannot be avoided.
Having given up his flank in a situation where he could not retreat, he had to accept a blow. At the utterly cowardly fighting style, the corpse’s mouth eventually dropped open.
[──────!!]
The 6th Commander resisted the coercive force of the oath. A twisting sensation. Ignoring even that, he pushed his body backward until his front paws crossed the boundary of his hind paws.
Sparks flew between the halberd and the sword.
A bridge that moves as intended.
The 6th Commander stepped back, leaned forward, and raised both arms diagonally. A gust of wind rose, and morale spread across the axe blade.The Sword of the Oath flew into the air. Not stopping there, the halberd fell vertically.
You broke your vow.
Yurion grabbed the ferocious halberd with his bare hands while standing still.An unusual energy surged from him.
A breach of contract.
A being who violates the oath is treated as a breacher and must pay the appropriate price, andthe oath-maker becomes the enforcer.
Breaking the vow: Consolidation
The joint pledge was broken by the 6th Commander.
Boom!
A dark golden fist struck the 6th Commander’s solar plexus immediately. His armor shattered. His decayed skin and muscles burst open, creating a crack.
Boom! Thump! Boom! Boom!
The halberd was stuck in the middle of the battlefield.
He was sent flying, crashing into the ground several times, then staggered and touched the ground again, before immediately raising his head and displaying intense hostility.
[You bastard… …]
“You knew it could speak? Then I suppose it means the other Commander entities are capable of verbal expression as well. That is truly fascinating.”
Yurion retrieved the Sword of the Oath.
“Techniques that look like they’ve been through a thousand years, combined with a meaningful outburst of emotion. What are you guys? From start to finish, you are way too different from the undead of common sense.”
What is the essence beyond identity?The commander remained silent.The roots of the self… … are not important at all. For orders are the only reason for existence.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I didn’t expect anything anyway.”
The power gained from the opponent’s unilateral breach of the oath has vanished after completing its execution. Although the status has returned to its original state, if the opponent continues to disregard the oath, Yurion will once again function as an enforcer.
“If I hand over your dead body to the Darkwarton Magic Tower, something will surely come out.”
Yurion held his sword straight.
I assert it.
Voluntary Pledge: Pledge
A season in which Yurion’s extrasensory senses awaken while fulfilling a promise made to himself, but he receives a corresponding price if he fails to complete that pledge.
You will be beheaded by me.
[Shut up… …!]
Enraged by the provocation, the 6th Commander snatched the halberd stuck upside down. Morale pulsated. It took the form of a martial art and charged toward Yurion.
* * *
A powerful gravitational current gathered in the sky, where the battlefield of the punitive force was clearly visible.
* * *
Kwaaaaang!
Beltroa’s cluster of flame spheres flickered and evaporated the surroundings. The dripping sweat vaporized, leaving no trace.
Crash! Bang! Crash!
His computational power continued to grow as he waged a magical battle against a corrupted wizard in the void. After all, excluding transcendents, there is no magical being comparable to the Tower Master of the Volcanic Island in fire magic.
Red Sea.
Beltroa Rium Solastel is a red sea.
[How can a human generate such heat… … !]
Six violent streams of flame swirled as if alive, burning the space before merging and condensing into a single sphere.The vision turned crimson.The Fallen, indirectly swept up in the explosion, groaned and struggled to distance himself, while Beltroa relentlessly burned the Fallen’s path.
Combat continued on the ground as well.
Leona blocked all sword strikes, thrust her lance, pulled the opponent closer with her shield, and struck the Fallen One’s face with her helmet.
Inictor narrowly dodged repeatedly, then threw a projectile to temporarily immobilize the enemy, severing the wrist of another corrupted being as he grazed past.Employing various means and methods in a subjugation was the adventurer’s fighting style.
The highest-ranking Fallen One created an altar with tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of corpses, and while their power itself was comparable to the pinnacle, they could not even fill the void of experience.
The corrupt are being pushed back.
slowly…….
However, unlike that, the tide of the battle was slightly in favor of the Xerion Empire. This was because the Alliance had only one Transcendent, whereas they had two commanders.
The 8th Commander, Luerin, is traversing the battlefield at a speed so dim that he is barely visible.
“It’s hard to reach!”
The pinnacle of the Paladins──── Gregorvan continued to attempt to approach, but each time his fists and feet grazed the air, and arrows flew in simultaneously.He was already struck by a bullet each in his shoulder, arm, thigh, and side. Had he not been a Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, he would have been contaminated by evil spirits and died instantly long ago.
While Gregorban took charge of the defense, the commander reached the commander, but due to his mysterious movements, he could not land a proper blow.
Whoosh!
The bone arrow exploded midway.Countless arrow fragments adorned the eye.
Speed up.
The punches poured down as countless beams of light, and the sword blades etched dozens of afterimages.Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!I barely managed to block them all, but even that has long been a significant burden. The commander is a transcendent being. Moreover, the matchup is not even good.
It looks like it will be difficult to keep him here any longer.
The director judged it that way.That was the signal.
Whoosh!
Just as the arrow Luerin fired with concentration pierced Gregorvan’s divine shield—aiming for the captain’s heart—Leona intervened from the side.
Kwaaaaang!
The huge shield absorbed the shock.
Leona firmly planted her legs in the ground to withstand the aftermath, and Beltroa unleashed a rain of explosive red flames, restricting the enemies’ movements.
Just as Luerin was about to drop Beltroa, he turned his head sharply.
[… … !]
Yurion’s flying kick exploded. It was blocked with an arrow, but that was all. As the tip of the sword caught on the bowstring, an opening opened for a follow-up strike.Yurion stomped forcefully on the stomach of Luerin, who had been thrown over while his wrist was grabbed.
Boom!
The Commander and Leona blocked the halberd of the 6th Commander who was pursuing Yurion. The axe blade was about to touch the crown of Yurion’s head.
The Sword of the Oath is approaching.
Luerin instantly released the pressure and restrained Yurion’s joints with both legs. His wrists were pushed back, causing his sword to miss, and the back of his knees was pulled, disrupting his balance.In that position, an arrow fired grazed Yurion’s head.
The corrupted invaders broke in.
As Luerin hurriedly left the spot, Iniktor blocked his path.
A chaotic battle followed by another chaotic battle.
Allies and enemies became entangled, and a different kind of chaos dominated the battlefield. They insisted on maintaining such close proximity that a misplaced sword strike or magic could inflict damage on their own allies.Consequently, the gap between the forces of the Xerion Empire was inevitably narrowed as well.
“Unia.”
Yurion’s whisper reached the sky.
Now is the perfect time.
All veils and currents concealing the magical reaction were lifted. Immense magical power… those capable of sensing it raised their gazes in unison.
Madou
Great Magic Power: Astra.
Although his usual level falls short of the pinnacle, his highest point reaches transcendence; thus, he broke through the hierarchy of magic, unleashed every available artifact and great magical power in a single blow.Six magical satellites that enhance magic were consumed at once.
Everyone die except our side.
Dwarf star: Lancinate
A massive, gravity-imbued storm projectile was shot from the sky toward the ground. Embedded in its center was a blue meteor reminiscent of Verden.
Magic that descends instantly.
Kwaaaaaaah──────────!
The rotating body of gravity dug into the crust, and the star that entered it exploded. The ground was overturned. Another battlefield within the battlefield was crushed.
Kuwagwagwagwagwa!
The corrupted man, a former Duke of the Kingdom of Ronia, died instantly, and the rest disintegrated and scattered,sustaining injuries of varying degrees.
The earth was collapsing and surging up here and there in real time… … Amidst that chaos, only the World Alliance, which was prepared, moved.
[Gasp… … !]
Leona’s heavy lance spun and pierced through the dazed Fallen. Caught in the rotational force of the ki, the wretched flesh of the fellow was torn to shreds and crushed.
[Aaaaaaaah!]
Beltroa’s pillar of red flames roasted the last corrupted one from the feet up. The beastkin corrupted one, consumed by intense heat, turned into pitch-black ashes.
The three top-tier corruptors, annihilated.
The commanders recognized the danger and tried to rally by repeatedly kicking off the collapsing ground, but the space between them was occupied by Inictor and Gregorban.Leaving the 6th Commander behind, they charged toward Luerin Bay.
[──────!]
Breaking them down one by one won’t work.My unremembered instinct tells me.
The commander of the 6th Division let out a silent shout and set out in full-scale pursuit. It was a reckless operation, to the extent that it did not even consider a surprise attack.
“Does it even have a sense of camaraderie? The more I look at it, the more human it seems.”
[?!]
The 6th Commander’s gaze turned straight upward.
Compulsory oath: Order
Stop.
The discipline, reinforced by the vow of sacrifice, gripped the 6th Commander’s entire body. With his neck completely exposed, he could not even turn his gaze away.
Since the time to completely halt the movement of an equal being was merely a fleeting moment, a plan was required to finish it in a single move.
Voice transference.
At the end of the 6th Commander’s gaze was the Captain who had conveyed Yurion’s voice through the oath.The owner of the voice appeared from the front, not from above.
It is a pity.
Yurion Hairos passed by. Following the trajectory indicated by extrasensory perception, the Sword of the Oath sliced through the lifeless skin and spine.
The 6th commander was beheaded.
The pledger’s promise was fulfilled.
