Chapter 200 – The Fall of Aix

Seeing X ready to fight desperately, Vick did not immediately attack. Even though Princess Trelinka now appeared to have been taken away from the battlefield, Vick showed not the slightest hint of surprise.

With a complex expression, he shook his head and spoke in a tone that seemed both lamenting and murmuring to himself:

“Ah, do you think your actions are foolproof? Do you believe your schemes are flawless? But who can be certain they aren’t mere puppets being manipulated? Every move has long been exposed under the spotlight.”

While leisurely expressing these sentiments, Vick Swordsaint retrieved a golden octahedral crystal shimmering with radiance from his storage bracelet.

As a Sword Saint specialized in frontal combat, locating a Formal-Level Stalker determined to flee across a vast open battlefield was nearly impossible.

However, Kasparqi seemed to have anticipated this very situation. The golden crystal now in Vick’s hand was a Master-Level divine artifact “sponsored” by the Church of Dawn specifically designed to counter such circumstances.

When X saw Vick not furiously engaging in combat but calmly producing a small, strange gem, he immediately realized his opponent was about to deploy a crucial trump card.

With no alternative, he could only muster all his strength to Charge toward Vick standing at the battlefield’s center.

But X’s Charge failed to prevent the activation of the divine artifact. Compared to X’s desperate assault, Vick Swordsaint had maintained an air of effortless composure from the battle’s outset, as if X’s roar was merely the mournful cry of an insignificant insect before death.

Without even glancing at X, he activated the divine magic solidified within the crystal.

Master-Level Divine Art – Radiance of Dawn!

Golden mist carrying an intoxicating, ethereal light that seemed to pierce through souls emanated from the tiny crystal. Massive waves of luminous fog instantly swept across the entire battlefield. Within a 1,500-square-meter radius centered on Vick Swordsaint, the delicate mist formed a glowing carpet spreading across the ground, transforming all stones and sand into resplendent gold.

Yet the power of this Master-Level divine art was far more than just visually striking.

Upon this luminous “carpet,” a shadowy figure embracing a slender form while carrying an armored girl in rapid motion was silently revealed. Without doubt, it was the Stalker Naya fleeing with Princess Trelinka.

“No, you Church lackey!”

Witnessing Naya’s figure materialize within the luminous mist, X’s eyes widened with rage. Under the divine art’s power, the princess who could have escaped was once again plunged into danger. X dared not imagine the tragic fate awaiting a Stalker with exposed position facing the mighty Sword Saint.

“Damn it! Must not let Vick reach Naya! Have to stop him here!”

True to his title as Consul, when confronted with this unforeseen crisis, X immediately formulated his response.Aix not only did not halt his charge but instead infused more Battle Aura to boost his speed. The lightning-attribute Battle Aura stimulated every cell in his muscles, and under the catalysis of this potential-unleashing secret technique, his velocity nearly doubled in an instant.

With a piercing sonic boom erupting mid-air, Aix, gripping his longsword, thrust the icy-gleaming tip with a space-rending momentum, aiming precisely at Vick Swordsaint’s brow. Aix was confident that this strike was the finest he had executed since advancing to the Formal-Level, achieving the level of “a flash of cold light, arriving in an instant” that he had long yearned for in his heart.

“Clang!!”

A dull, thunderous crash mixed with Aix’s horrified exclamation exploded across the battlefield. The light mist around Vick Swordsaint trembled incessantly from the spatial vibrations.

“How is this possible?!”

Aix muttered in disbelief, unable to comprehend.

His immensely proud sword thrust had yielded no effect. Under his stunned gaze, Vick Swordsaint raised his left hand in a seemingly casual yet supremely sharp manner, his thumb and index finger—wrapped in solidified Battle Aura—pinching the sword tip, now turned entirely ink-blue, with flawless accuracy.

The quivering cold gleam was less than five centimeters from Vick Swordsaint’s brow, yet those five centimeters, blocked by Vick’s two fingers, seemed an insurmountable chasm. No matter how Aix erupted with Battle Aura, he could not advance the blade a single millimeter further.

Aix’s attack was thwarted; not only had it achieved nothing, but it had also placed him within Vick Swordsaint’s striking range.

And Vick Swordsaint was clearly not one to remain passively on the defensive.

“I must admit, that was a skilled strike, but unfortunately, I have no time to further appreciate it. So… please perish here!”

Hearing Vick’s oddly light murmur, Aix felt a loud alarm blare in his heart. Even without turning, he could sense a lethal cold gleam mercilessly slashing toward his neck.

But realizing the danger was one thing—almost simultaneously with Aix’s thought, “I must evade,” Vick Swordsaint’s terrifying attack had already descended. At this moment, Aix had not even managed to retract the longsword pinned by Vick.

Vick Swordsaint had struck. Though he inwardly admired the Consul’s loyalty and the latent potential of a strong soul, as a “perfect” weapon, Vick Swordsaint’s blade would never cease its assault for any reason. The very instant Aix’s sword thrust was halted, Vick had already fluidly swung the “Wind-Bathing Punisher” in his right hand.

There was no extraneous sonic boom, no excess flash of light—Vick simply wielded it as if in a routine practice session. The massive, cumbersome “Wind-Bathing Punisher” transformed into an invisible, fearsome slash that vanished in a blink.

The outcome was unquestionable. Amid Princess Trelinka’s hoarse, grief-stricken cry in the distance and under Vick Swordsaint’s placid, unruffled gaze, Aix’s head slowly tilted and slid from his neck, then dropped into the light mist created by the divine Crystal.Aix died. Princess Trelinka’s desperate wail failed to evoke any mercy from Vick the Sword Saint. His own trump card Combat Skill didn’t even get a chance to be used. Just like that, Aix fell on a nameless small plain near Mig Fortress, becoming one of the countless enemies Vick had slain with his sword throughout his life.

This was a battle between the powerful – in the blink of an eye, victory and defeat were decided.

Even as his head fell onto the filthy ground, Aix’s face still wore an expression of utter shock and disbelief. He had overestimated himself too much. With Aix’s level as a tenth-rank Formal-Level warrior… he couldn’t even manage to delay Vick the Sword Saint for a moment.

(End of Chapter)