## Chapter 944 – How Long Has It Been?
The power emanating from that formidable physique was beyond imagination. The time it took for the creature to kick off the ground and fly toward me was instantaneous, and the moment that massive blade struck was equally swift.
However, I am not one to be unable to block this.
—Clang!!!!
I, too, countered Vigual, cloaked in sword aura, offsetting the impact. But goddamn, even though I blocked, I felt an unbelievable force. This was a brutal weight that couldn’t even compare to a death knight.
—Crackling!!
Sparks flew from the blade.
Was this the pressure Atlas felt when holding up the Earth?
“Son of a bitch…!”
A gigantic sword.
And long arms.
Even though I had offset the attack, my sword had no chance of reaching its body.
As expected, a difference in reach and size is extremely tricky. With such a gap, I can’t directly strike the bastard’s body while countering.
When you think about it, swordsmanship is ultimately designed to fight people, so when facing such a superhuman giant, you have to use a different method.
This is naturally disadvantageous.
For example, imagine a giant race with the same intelligence as humans. If that giant used mana cultivation techniques or mana mind methods to accumulate mana in its body and honed its swordsmanship to become a master of killing… it might eat more than a human, but could human assassins really stand a chance against such a being?
Strengthening the body with mana is ultimately based on the basic specs of the body itself. Unless you have an absolute amount of mana, the larger and stronger you are, the more efficient you’ll be.
Of course, it would use more energy.
“Didn’t I say I would test your mettle, human hero!!!”
“I’m already testing it, you lamb-chop bastard!!!”
“Interesting! And the result!!!”
Of course.
Even with this extreme size difference, I can hold my own.
Which means I’m going to win.
—Whoosh!!!
I glared at the bastard as I ignited sword flames. It would be better to just cut his sword in half!!! I need to destroy the sword first so I can split his head open!!
“Those petty tricks won’t work on this Dor!!!”
—Clang!
The moment I ignited the sword flames, the bastard detonated a shockwave as if he had exploded with demonic energy! —Crackling!! At the same time, black lightning raged, raining down area-of-effect damage all around.
“Kuhaaaack!!”
“Aaaaack!!”
This sent the holy knights, who were just about to support me, flying back again.
—Whoosh!
I, too, couldn’t withstand the shockwave and was thrown back. I flew backward quite a distance. That’s why these goddamn magic swordsmen are such a pain in the ass!!! When things get tough in a fight, they can just throw enemies back like that…! I’d even want to learn something like that if I could.
That’s an inhuman cheat!!!
And this Vigual, this son of a bitch, even after eating the Orb of the Demon King of Another World, I don’t know! It seems like his destructive power has increased, but that’s not the deciding factor!
Still a fucking bastard!
—Boooom!!!!
The Baphomet, who had sent me flying, once again emitted a gleam in its eyes and kicked off the ground, charging like a torpedo. It means he intends to finish me off first, without paying attention to the other holy knights.
Well, more than anything else, it would be better to eliminate the one who could deliver the finishing blow first. I would have done the same.
I don’t know how much energy the bastard has left, but the current holy enchantments of the holy knights can’t completely penetrate his defense.
Anyway.
—Thwack!
As I flew, I immediately twisted my body to change my posture and planted my feet on the wall. —Flex! Once I’m on solid ground, I have nothing to fear. At the same time, I felt the superhuman power of my lower body. I released the condensed mana as if detonating it, using the Celestial Demon’s Descent Footwork with both feet.
—Rumble!!!
I launched my body with such force that it seemed like I would collapse the wall.
“I won’t forgive insolence!!!!”
“…!”
In the midst of a full-force, close-quarters charge, we both swung our swords simultaneously.
—Swoosh!!!
Vigual, cloaked in sword aura, and the bastard’s heavy ring-sword collided.
—Kaaaang!!!
The impact perfectly offset each other’s charging energy, and the bastard and I stopped moving.
—Shimmer…!
“Kuh…!”
“Heavy!”
The ensuing power struggle in a frozen state was very short, and —Scrape!! I immediately scraped my blade and kicked off the ground, trying to get inside the bastard’s guard. I have to somehow penetrate this reach to kill the bastard…!
—Thud!
However, the bastard took a step back the moment I came in, instantly creating a distance of several meters.
“Fucking height difference!!!”
The difference between this bastard’s step and my step is so great that it’s not easy to get in, even with footwork!
“Your body seems too small to withstand your fighting spirit!!”
Is this bastard mocking me, knowing that?
“Don’t you know that you’re abnormally large!!”
“Just a cowardly excuse!!!”
“Are you saying that knowing this, you son of a bitch!!! To give birth to you, your mother’s womb would have to be the size of a palace!!”
To give birth to something like that, that’s what it would take!!
“You’re babbling nonsense like fanatics!!! Even for us Baphomets, we are small when we are born!!!”
“Bullshit! Your mother’s womb would swallow even a palace with ease!!! I saw a city destroyed because of it!!! I’m saying this because I saw it with my own eyes!!”
“Stop with the nonsense and fulfill the honor of a warrior!!!”
—Clang!
I immediately unleashed an upward slash and took another step forward. The bastard reacted nimbly to my speed, retreating, swinging his fist, or pulling his blade to respond. The only answer is to keep attacking until I succeed! The bastard is trying to block me now!!!
That’s how my advance continued.
—…!
After several attempts, just as I was about to penetrate the bastard’s guard.
—Whoosh!
The bastard pretended to back away, but instead kicked me with that huge leg. Due to the difference in size and height, even a low kick from the bastard is fatal. Of course, if I were hit by such a kick, the bones in my entire body would surely be crushed, but I immediately ignited the spirit of counterattack and raised my palm.
“Celestial Demon’s Shattering Palm.”
As if my mom had smashed me on the back, I slammed a very powerful smash into his ankle.
—Clang!!
“Kuheooook!!!”
That made the Baphomet scream, and my body was shot upwards. Truly, the power of the Celestial Demon’s Shattering Palm. It also used the bastard’s kicking power, but the impact of smashing him with my palm launched my body to this height.
—Whirr!!
As I soared, I immediately grabbed the handle of Vigual with both hands and spun my body intensely, slamming a spinning slash into the bastard’s head.
—Slice!!
The sensation transmitted from the tip of the blade. The bastard’s nose, which had failed to react, was cut off by the spinning slash.
—Spurt!!
That caused bright red blood to splatter.
The first effective attack.
“Boooom!!!”
—Squeeze!!!
“Shit!!!”
Right then, the bastard, spouting blood from his nose, stretched out that huge hand and grabbed my body! Fortunately, I was able to raise both hands just before being caught—
“—Powerful pressureaaaack!!!!”
The bastard’s grip was beyond imagination!!!!
Oh shit, my body is getting crushedddd!!!!
“Screeeech!!!!”
I unleashed extreme concentration, throwing away the pain, and ignited sword aura, stabbing downward with the reverse-grip Vigual, creating a large hole in the bastard’s hand.
—Thwack!!!
That released the bastard’s hand, and just as I was about to fall.
—Swoooosh!!
Claudie, flying like a shooting star, aimed for the bastard’s side of the head—
“—!!!”
At that moment, as if exhibiting an almost beast-like sense, the astonished Baphomet brought his palm to the side of his head to block Claudie with the hand that had been holding me.
—Shredddd!!!!
Of course, the ending was not good. As the Baphomet’s palm was torn apart, it shattered into pieces!!! It was a very good timing!!
“Claudie!!!”
“Boooom!!!”
The Baphomet roared, and Claudie, who had blown away the bastard’s hand, bounced off the wall, landed, and then disappeared somewhere!
“He’s suffered a critical wound!!!”
“Subdue him!!”
“Don’t let him get away—!!!”
Taking advantage of the gap, the holy knights, bursting with fanatical courage, threw themselves at the Baphomet as they had done in the beginning.
“Kuhaaaack—!!!”
Right then, the Baphomet, as if having lost his mind, raised his arm, which had become like Rockman’s due to the loss of his hand, like a gun and aimed it at the holy knights!!
“Dangerous!!”
—Bang bang bang bang!!
—Bang bang bang bang!!
—Bang bang bang bang!!
Then, black magic bullets poured out of the bastard’s Rockman-arm. I immediately protected my body with my sword, and the holy knights similarly protected themselves.
Looking closely, it seemed like he was using his own blood that was about to flow out to use magic. Since it’s going to spill anyway, he’s just going to use blood magic!!!
“Not bad, humans!!!”
The Baphomet, who had fired off a barrage of black magic, shouted as if declaring something. There was no more bleeding, as if the bleeding had stopped.
“However, there is no defeat for this Dor!!”
—Squeeze!
The bastard gripped the ring-shaped greatsword tightly with his good hand, roared once, and then kicked off the ground, sprinting through space.
—Whoosh!!
And he swung his sword greatly, as if trying to harvest the holy knights!
“Dodge!!”
“He’s struggling!!”
It was as if he was sweeping through space itself. He already has a big sword and long arms. One big swing and a radius of several meters is destroyed.
Of course, the holy knights, who had received high-level training and honed their skills in actual combat, perfectly avoided the attacks, but since there were so many of them, some were caught.
—Clang!!!
The blade collides with an unlucky holy knight.
“Noooo!!”
A holy knight, who had protected his body with his sword at the decisive moment, flew away like a baseball. Since the sword didn’t break, it seems he didn’t die! I thought he would be chopped into pieces and fly away like a Devil Fruit user!!!
It’s a good thing he blocked, because if he were hit directly by such an attack, his body would be torn apart like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball!
—Swoooosh!!
—Whoooosh!!
It goes without saying that the large sword seemed to be something like the bastard’s favorite sword, and that’s why he was wielding it so freely and going crazy. He wielded the gigantic sword with a single hand, sweeping through space itself and keeping the holy knights in check.
But it just seemed like a desperate struggle.
Knowing that, the holy knights threw their bodies, persistently clinging to the bastard’s back and shoulders, struggling to cut his throat, aiming for his legs, and stabbing their swords in. I had already accumulated damage and consumed his energy, and Claudie had blown away one of his hands.
If they concentrate their attacks now, they can definitely slaughter him!
This is what teamwork is all about!
“Annoying!!!”
The bastard struggled, but he still couldn’t display the same power as before. Even if the bastard sprints through space, the holy knights can still pursue him.
“Hehehehehehe!! Dor! No matter how hard you struggle, you won’t be able to defeat the warriors of our faith!!!”
I aimed my sword at the bastard and shouted proudly.
This is a foregone conclusion.
We’re going to win in this state.
He will fall soon.
He can’t defeat all of us with those injuries.
“I know that your power is waning!!! The energy consumed by gigantic beings is enormous! And what can you do now that you’ve even lost a hand!!!”
Ignoring my words, the Baphomet simply sprinted through space, swinging his sword, shaking his body to shake off the holy knights, and fighting hard.
They drive such a bastard into a corner.
—They drive him into a corner again.
I took a moment to recover my energy and surveyed the battlefield.
“Haa…”
Still, he was a damn tough opponent.
Even I am exhausted from overusing sword flames.
“To drive this Dor to this extent…!”
—Slash!
At some point, the Baphomet stopped sprinting and came to a halt.
“Good! Fanatics! The reason you are on this land must be because the evil god Gothsmoth has been defeated!!”
What the hell is Gothsmoth?
“Elize—!!!!”
“Saint-nim!!”
When I called out his name loudly, Elize answered from over there.
“Who is Gothsmoth!!”
“I, I don’t know!!!”
“He’s an evil god, they say!”
“I have no idea!!”
Elize doesn’t know?
“I don’t know either!”
“I don’t know either!!”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard that name!!!”
The holy knights, who were fighting hard, took a moment to tell me that answer.
What the hell?
“Gothsmoth has been forgotten…? Then that must mean he’s dead.”
“What does this bastard… know?”
—Clang!
The Baphomet stomped his foot once, and the power of black magic was released, detonating a shockwave. That sent all the holy knights flying.
“What!!”
The holy knights, who had been knocked back, burst out in embarrassment instead of charging again.
—Buzz.
A barrier formed around the bastard!
“What are you plotting!!!”
Right then.
“…The Great Demon Beast of Infernal.”
The bastard, who had created the barrier, used his sword on his wrist. That is, he sliced his wrist, which had stopped bleeding and become like Rockman’s, like sliced ham.
—Gush.
That caused bright red blood to pour out like a waterfall.
“You crazy Rockman addict!!! Are you out of your mind!!!!”
“If the evil god Gothsmoth is not here, then I can summon the being of Infernal.”
The bastard, muttering incomprehensible words, began to draw a picture in the air with the blood gushing from his wrist. No, it wasn’t a picture, it was a magic circle. But strangely, the magic circle was being drawn.
The blood wasn’t flowing down, it was fixed in the air as the magic circle was being drawn.
“We have to stop him!!”
“Stop him!!”
“We have to stop him!!!”
The holy knights, sensing the ominousness, charged, and I too squeezed out sword aura and hammered on the barrier. —Boom! Clang! Bang bang bang!!! As I hammered on the barrier like crazy, a loud roar echoed.
But it’s just cracking, not breaking.
It looks like I’ll need a few more seconds to break it…!
—Crackling!!!
At that time, the magic circle activated.
—Kuaaaah!!!
“Ugh, uaaaack!!”
“This sound is…!”
“What!!!”
I instinctively felt that I was fucked.
From beyond the magic circle, no, the gate that it had now become. I heard a roar of a monster whose end could not be known. The holy knights also noticed it and shouted.
—Buzz.
And.
Something began to protrude its head from inside the bloated gate.
—…!!
A gigantic head.
—Rumble rumble rumble rumble!!
The pitch-black great monster emerged headfirst. A very large lamp, like that of an anglerfish, was attached to the bastard’s head. It didn’t look like a fish at all, but it had a similar organ.
Silver light was emitted from that lamp.
If his head is that big… how big is his body?
“With this light… my brethren will be guided.”
This is fucking.
What should I do.
—Whirr!!
At that moment, Vigual trembled violently.
What the hell is this?
“Vigual…?”
I immediately checked Vigual’s condition.
But from the pitch-black blade… wasn’t there something rainbow-colored wriggling?
—Rainbow Flash!!!
The light that came from the Orb of the Demon King.
An orb containing the power to cut down beings from another world!!!
—Crash!
As the great monster, which was gradually emerging, stuck its head out completely, the Baphomet’s barrier shattered into pieces.
—Pop pop pop!!
“Stop himaaaa!!”
“Sheeeesh!!”
“Verdeshi, grant me your power!!!!”
At the same time, the holy knights charged, shouting madly.
“It’s useless!!!”
And as the bastard said, it really was useless.
—Crash!
Rather, the blade of the holy knight who had attacked the head of the great monster shattered. Watching that, I had no choice but to charge as if possessed by something. That’s because a strange rainbow light was emanating from Vigual’s blade.
Infernal.
I’m sure they said it was a different kind of hell.
I remembered that.
Then… couldn’t that also be called another world?
—Whoosh!!!
Putting everything I had into it, I ignited sword flames. That made the rainbow light spread out a little more intensely. What I see between that rainbow light are the Korean-American merchants who are wailing because they had all their assets stolen by LA black people.
Receiving that power.
—Flash!!
Jumping high.
Aiming for the head of the great monster that was still emerging from the gate, descending vertically.
—I unleash my sword.
“…!”
—Slaaaash!!!
A strange tearing sound.
At the moment of landing, I realized that Vigual’s blade had come down, bisecting the head of the great monster so simply that it felt futile.
—Thud.
The head of the great monster, split in half, fell to both sides.
“…”
“…”
“…”
—Sputter…
With that, the gate disappeared as if it were breaking, and the great monster with its head split in half also began to disappear into dust. In the heavy silence that fell in an instant, the Baphomet looked at me with a face as if he had seen some outrageous math problem.
I tilted my head once.
After straightening my posture, I declared.
“Cui cui.”
After all, this is all I can say.
