Chapter 209 – The End

After this exchange, the scene fell into profound silence. This had been the most intense clash since the battle began. With three Master-Level potions erupting simultaneously, the Master-Level spell “Annihilation” from Vick’s greatsword “Wind-Bathing Punisher” was abruptly interrupted by sudden intense corrosion. The energy circuits collapsed directly inside the greatsword, and the now grotesquely twisted “Wind-Bathing Punisher” served as the ultimate evidence.

“No, my sword”!!

The first to break the silence was “Iron Tower”, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the charred lump of metal in Vick Swordsaint’s hand that could no longer be called a “sword”.

Undoubtedly, “Iron Tower” had long set his sights on this greatsword, but now… a premium Master-Level equipment had been completely destroyed.

Though no one present shouted in frustration like Iron Tower, they all felt a pang of heartache—after all, that had been the most attractive piece of loot, far more appealing than those three “items” from the Bidolan Family whose value remained uncertain.

While Master-Level equipment was rare, their values could differ vastly. Theoretically, any item containing a single Master-Level solidified spell could qualify as Master-Level equipment.

But how could those filler products—created by attaching some useless Master-Level Enchantment Magic—compare to “Wind-Bathing Punisher”? Not only did it possess a Master-Level solidified spell, but also several additional Formal-Level spells, making it a “minor treasure”. The former might not even be worth a decent apprentice-level equipment, while the latter could easily trade for an entire city.

Now such a “minor treasure” had been destroyed on the spot, making even Punk grimace in pain. By this point in the battle, Vick’s Formal-Level armor “War Song” had been destroyed by his own spells, the most valuable “Wind-Bathing Punisher” had just turned into scrap metal before everyone’s eyes, and considering Vick’s extreme frugality as a “loyal” Sword Saint, he probably carried nothing else of value…

“I hope the ‘Tears of the Spring’ around the princess’s neck and the ‘bounty’ from the Dolan Family are valuable enough. Otherwise, this venture will be a total loss”!

Punk thought discontentedly, but those were matters for after the battle. Though the fight had reached its concluding phase, Punk still had a “minor issue” to handle. Oh, and this issue didn’t refer to the barely breathing Vick Swordsaint clinging to life through sheer willpower on the charred ground.

Upon seeing the formerly majestic “Wind-Bathing Punisher” reduced to its current state, “Iron Tower” had “volunteered” to charge alone toward the severely wounded Vick.

The guy had accumulated pent-up frustration since the battle’s beginning, and now that what he already considered his private “loot” had become this charred wreck, the enraged Iron Tower had transformed into an erupting volcano.

With Vick Swordsaint now deprived of his deadly “Annihilation” as a trump card, Iron Tower certainly wouldn’t fear a Sword Saint with only half his body remaining.The massive iron sphere emitted a low roar like that of a frenzied beast, its liquid metal components once again coalescing and transforming until they formed a slender, three-sided prism.

In the next instant, this newly formed prism began spinning at high velocity, its drill-like tip aimed directly at Vick Swordsaint before… shooting forth like a projectile!

The air ignited, the earth trembled, and the giant “drill” tore through the atmosphere, wreathed in a deep cyan glow as it thrust toward Vick Swordsaint.

Facing this assault, Vick Swordsaint’s face turned ashen as he strained to summon the last vestiges of his Battle Aura in an attempt to evade. But his strength was utterly depleted; the flickering Battle Aura around his body wavered like a dying candle flame before extinguishing completely.

The enormous black-and-cyan spiral rapidly expanded in Vick’s sole remaining eye, soon dominating his entire field of vision.

“Heh… hiss…”

In his final moments, Vick Swordsaint rasped, trying to utter something, but his vocal cords had been corroded by acid. Thus, the last words of the “Number One Sword Saint of Dillon Kingdom,” “the strongest below Master-Level,” and “the royal family’s absolute loyalist” were nothing but an incomprehensible, hoarse whisper.

“BOOM”!!!

Another violent shockwave swept across the battlefield, which had already been cratered into a basin.

“Tch! What a hassle. To think it’d end up like this”!

Bloodclaw grumbled under his breath while carrying the princess, dodging rock fragments shooting past with speeds rivaling sniper rifle bullets.

Princess Trelinka gripped Bloodclaw’s collar tightly with her delicate, boneless jade-white hands to keep from being flung away. She strained to turn her head, gazing toward the chaotic center of the battlefield.

There, the raging Battle Aura whirlwind had yet to dissipate, but the fiery aura unique to Vick Swordsaint had vanished without a trace.

Without a doubt, Vick Swordsaint had fallen. This “mentor” who had accompanied the kingdom for nearly a millennium, this “enemy” who had slain Princess Trelinka’s most important companion, had been utterly shattered under Iron Tower’s full-force strike.

“Are you sad? Or relieved?”

Princess Trelinka silently asked herself.

“A bit of both… or perhaps… neither.”

Trelinka quietly answered her own question.

——————Break——————

“Looks like Iron Tower has wrapped things up over there.”

Punk remarked while observing the Battle Aura-whipped epicenter of the battlefield. Countless sharp-edged, flying debris automatically veered away from Punk’s vicinity, unable to penetrate the defense of his Deflection Field.

About fifty meters ahead of Punk, a shapeshifter—now reduced to half its original size—was desperately attempting to flee using shadow energy. It morphed its body into beast-like claws, limbs wreathed in tangible strands of shadow energy, repeatedly charging in the direction opposite Punk.

But every time it managed a few steps, a swifter, petite figure would materialize in its path. Then, a fist condensed with black-red Abyssal power would ruthlessly slam the shapeshifter back to its starting point.

Although shapeshifters theoretically lacked fatal weak points, losing half its body would have immobilized even a Formal-Level troll. That the Boss Lady could still attempt escape was nothing short of remarkable.In Punk’s assessment, although Boss Lady was only Level 12, as a pure magical creature, her combat prowess at peak condition likely surpassed even Iron Tower by a narrow margin. Excluding equipment and golem enhancements, she wasn’t far inferior to Punk himself.

However, peak combat strength held no relevance for Boss Lady now. She was no longer the “Boss Lady” feared by hundreds of slaves, merely a doomed failure awaiting certain death.

“No! No no! How can I die here? You vile mage—you can’t kill me! You’ll never kill me! I won’t die! I won’t!”

Boss Lady’s voice had lost its former mature femininity. Ridden with agitation, it shifted between ghostly shrieks and androgynous, hoarse beast-like roars. She continuously spewed threats and pleas, but these clumsy lies clearly held no sway over Punk.

Seeing that Punk had finished observing Iron Tower’s battle and sensing death rapidly approaching, Boss Lady’s movements grew increasingly frenzied. Shadow energy wrung from every inch of her body forcibly unleashed power comparable to a Formal-Level warrior.

Yet, against Golem Two—at full strength and enhanced by Punk’s magic—her struggles were meaningless.

“Alright. Farewell, my ‘companion’.”

Punk gazed impassively at Boss Lady’s trembling form as the dark gray energy sphere in his hand vanished instantly.

(End of Chapter)