1064: Sword God vs Sword Lunatic

「Brilliant Lightning Rush… Sword God Transformation.」

A vortex of black lightning and divine energy enveloped Fran’s entire body. Someone as strong as Valusa should be able to understand the sheer difference in strength at a single glance.

Yet Valusa only looked happier than ever.

「Wonderful! So you have reached the level of King!」

「Here I come.」

「Bring it!」

Fran leapt into the air after calling upon the power of the Sword God.

She had silently closed the distance between herself and Valusa before anyone could even comprehend her movements.

And the next instant, she delivered a slash of godly speed and sharpness.

But Valusa somehow reacted. He wedged his blade in front of me, interrupting our slash and barely managing to repel me.

Both me and Fran stared in amazement.

This might be the first time someone’s managed to block our best hit in Sword God Transformation. Some have managed to survive the injury or regenerate from it, but blocking it outright was a first.

However, Sword God had no mercy to give.

Valusa was completely spent after our first clash. Meanwhile, all we needed to do was repeat the same attack once more.

He was simply not capable of blocking us again. I can give him credit for trying, but we simply cut him down along with his sword.

My blade cleaved across Valusa’s torso, staining me in crimson blood. Meanwhile, the broken tip of his sword flew off and scratched Fran on the cheek. Her only injury the entire fight.

Valusa fell to the ground, lacking any means of recovering from a divine attribute inflicted wound. He looked up at Fran, his ashen hair stained with blood.

「I am… truly grateful. In the end… I’ve confirmed that my path was indeed correct.」

「…I see.」

「I’ve managed… to surprise the god of swords. Even if I’ve long since reached the limits of my talents… I’m glad I never gave up…」

Considering how crazy he was for swords, I thought level 4 in Holy Sword Mastery seemed a bit low. It seems he had reached his personal limits, so his skill level would no longer grow.

Regardless, he continued training and managed to fight a Swordking. Perhaps such gave his death meaning.

「…The Raydoss army… all of their invading forces… are mere pawns… Their guardians are the true elites… and their chief is a… monster…」

「The Red Knights?」

「Hoh… so you… already know them. You’d better… stay on your toes…」

「Nn.」

「Hahaha… Thanks for… the good… death match.」

Valusa took his last breath with a satisfied smile.

Fran looked down on the man silently. After staring for a few seconds, she nodded her head.

「I learned a lot.」

『That’s true.』

「I can’t just keep relying on my skills.」

It seems the experience renewed her determination to train with the blade even harder.

「…Master, let’s go.」

『Yeah.』

After using land magic to bury Valusa’s body along with his shattered blade, Fran turned her back on the scene.

We returned to the plaza, but no one was there. It seems Urushi successfully got everyone to safety.

After tracing Urushi’s mana trail, we caught up with them at the gate. Many of the prisoners were armed with the weapons stolen from Raydoss soldiers, which I had given to Urushi in advance. Seems like he handed them over already.

「Fran-san!」

「Charlotte! Are you okay?」

「Yes, I’m perfectly fine now. What about you?」

「Nn! I’m fine too.」

Charlotte came running to us with a tense expression. She had seen Valusa’s strength up close, so she was worried about Fran.

Now she’s relieved to see that Fran made it through safe and sound.

Raydoss soldiers were still guarding the town gate, but Fran and Urushi wiped the floor with them. There were more than I expected, probably because they included the soldiers who retreated from the harbor.

The soldiers who ran to regroup with their friends screamed after seeing Fran catching up with them.

We escaped from Dars after blowing down the closed gate with a spell. However, some of the evacuees stopped in their tracks.

They must have run out of energy after hearing that we would be moving by foot to a neighboring town. Fran had healed them with magic, but she could do nothing for their physical and mental exhaustion. Some of them also complained of hunger and thirst.

Some argued they should rest and recover their strength first, since Fran’s presence would allow them to fight off Raydoss soldiers.

More to the point, some of them flat out didn’t want to leave Dars. I don’t know how badly Raydoss has looted the city, but they had their homes and property here. It must take a lot of courage to leave the town they have everything in.

A few suggested that Fran and Urushi might be able to retake the city by themselves.

But that was a suggestion we couldn’t accept. While all of them were relying on Fran’s combat prowess, we don’t have the time to babysit them for who knows how long.

Besides, Fran’s main goal was to rescue Charlotte from Dars. Sorry to the other residents, but you’re just an afterthought.

「You all can do whatever you want. But I’m not staying here.」

Some residents started making a fuss after hearing Fran’s words, but were soon silenced by others. Well, I guess the majority understood they had no choice but to escape.

Even still, some continued complaining in the same pompous manner. There’s always gotta be some idiots thinking they’re cool for not being in the majority. While in reality, they just don’t know what they’re talking about. Backing up the idiots were guys who looked like wealthy property owners. That faction was probably desperate for any method to retain their belongings.

But Fran was completely uninterested in their arguments.

「I’m leaving.」

「No, but what about…」

「I don’t care if you stay behind. Saving everyone isn’t my job.」

「R-Really?」

「Nn.」

Fran’s dryness surprised everyone. It seems they finally realized we only saved them on the side while rescuing Charlotte, and that they might be abandoned for offending Fran.

In the end, all but a few of the idiots refusing to listen decided to follow Fran, and the rest of our escape went smoothly. A few people insisted on staying in the town like back in the villages, but this time, their relatives persuaded them to come along.

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