The Duke’s Madness

“… Am I still in hypnosis?”

“no? It’s real, Mr. Necromancer.”

“Then he is really hypnotized?”

“yes. Are you staring at this right now?”

At Arthur’s words, Carpe burst out laughing.

“What the f*ck… . Even if he did get caught, he would get caught?”

At that moment, Arthur runs out.

At the same time, the beam of light that flew through the darkness was blocked in front of Arthur’s blade.

Kaaang-!!!

Arthur thinks while biting his lip at the harshly rebellious beam of light.

‘Slashing (斬擊). A long-range striker used by swordsmen.’

It was one of the supreme feasts handled by swordsmen from Circle 6 and above, and was known as one of the techniques that even cut magic.

The use of this technique means that Taken has reached the level of the 6th circle unlike before.

Arthur, who deflected the slash he was blocking, asked.

“Mr. Taken, when did you become the 6th circle? I heard it was the 5th circle last time?”

Carpe, who came to his senses, muttered.

“… After bumping into you and suddenly getting enlightened, I started to practice closed doors.”

“Are you bumping into me?”

“okay. Then, he suddenly appeared and said that he had picked up and ate a high-level order… .”

Carpe, speechless, spat out a curse.

“After that, I practiced closing again and became the 6th circle… . Mr. Why are you shooting that circle 6 skill at me!”

At this, Arthur stuck out his tongue.

It was strange that he obtained a high-level order that was only passed down in legends, but Taken’s talent, which broke the wall as soon as he ingested the order, was even more surprising.

‘Certainly Mr. Taken… . I wanted to be a bit different from others, but I wasn’t an ordinary monster.’

Arthur looks away with his thoughts.

In it, the darkness on the other side sways.

“… .”

“… .”

Something red floating in the air.

It was not difficult to see that it was an eyeball.

Arthur and Carpe muttered, swallowing dry saliva.

“Does it look like you’ve been completely harmed?”

“I’m out of my mind, you bastard.”

With these words the darkness parted.

Arthur and Carpe left their seats without taking their eyes off them.

bang-!

With the sound of the ground breaking, something inhuman appears in the place where Carpe and Arthur were.

A monster descended from trolls who disappeared 1000 years ago.

It was Taken.

Poof!

Arthur dodged the taken’s blow and immediately used a space jump to grab the back of the neck.

Then, he threw out a meteorite sword, but the tip of the sword bounced off the suddenly formed protective film.

“what?”

“… .”

“You use mana and wear it like armor?”

With these words, Arthur, taken aback, looks at Taken.

The monster, much more hideous than he had seen before, and with eyes full of madness, curled up the corners of its mouth.

bang!

With the binge drinking, Arthur’s body flies through the air.

“Crazy!! are you okay!?”

With Carpe’s cry, Arthur spins through the air and lands neatly on the ground.

Carpe unknowingly burst into exclamation at that skillful movement, but Arthur clicked his tongue.

‘I missed it, but my shoulder went out. There I… . Shield, it looks like you don’t even have a chin with this pistol?’

The level of Taken was higher than expected.

At this level, most knights couldn’t even give out their business cards.

In the meantime, Carpe hastily approached and gives advice.

“How can a human defeat a monster?! Don’t even think about fighting by force!”

“I don’t want to do that either, so is there any other option?”

“Aim for the neck! The reason Taken is hypnotized now is because his brain was injected with magical power! In other words, if you cut off that head, it will come back to its original state!”

Arthur widens his eyes.

“oh… . Mr Necromancer. It seemed smart for the first time.”

“I am not a necromancer. Carpe.”

“Wasn’t that a pseudonym?”

“Are you curious about that in the current situation? shut up and get up I will assist you.”

As Arthur obediently gets up from his seat, Carpe begins to recite a spell.

At that moment, the shimmering mana becomes magic, and that magic covers Arthur’s body.

Carpe shouted in the midst of it.

[Over power.]

[Haste.]

[Magic Guard.]

…

With the burst of light, Arthur’s body is enveloped in magic.

Arthur asks a question, surprised at how much lighter his body is than before.

“Is it an auxiliary magic, Mr. Carpe?”

“that’s right. Duration is approximately 10 minutes. I can’t stand it any longer, so I have to fight before that.”

Arthur’s eyes sparkled.

“I’m taking my time and Mr. Carpe is trying to kill Taken’s head?”

“That’s how it goes. I’ll prepare a big one, so hold on somehow.”

At Carpe’s order, Arthur nodded and turned his head.

‘if it goes like this… . Worth a try?’

In terms of experience, the performance of the magic Carpe gave me is higher than that of Frakil’s lineage.

If you add the power of the trolls, the spirits, and Julie’s abilities to this, it seems that you will be able to pass the time even if you can’t win.

“I didn’t expect things to turn out this way, hmm… .”

Arthur, who was speechless, raised the corners of his mouth as he forcibly fitted his dislocated shoulder.

“Let’s stick together, Mr. Taken. It serves as a cover for a game that I couldn’t win the other day.”

* * *

Arthur swings his sword and grabs it.

At the same time, Taken also put down the greatsword slung over his shoulder.

Arthur, who was measuring the distance in that subtle atmosphere, thought.

‘There is no gap. If I rush in, I’ll be cut at once.’

Because of that, I had no choice but to stick out my tongue.

The current Taken is hypnotized and is insane.

That is to say, the current momentum is his true form that came from his instincts.

To show that level of momentum even in a state of madness was a part of knowing how sublime his swordsmanship was.

‘If I was sane… . I can’t even dare to attack. fortunate in misfortune… Is this what it is?’

It was when Arthur, along with his thoughts, put strength into the hand holding the handle of the meteorite sword.

“… !”

Taken disappeared before my eyes.

That gigantic giant had evaporated like a mirage.

Arthur swung his meteorite sword almost reflexively.

bang-!

Taken appeared from above and crushed Arthur with his greatsword.

Biting his lip, Arthur activated Frakil’s lineage ability.

Gigi Gig-!

With a strange sound, Arthur, buried under Taken’s greatsword, disappeared.

It is out of place through space leap.

However, Taken was not taken aback.

Even though he was hypnotized, his fighting instincts did not disappear.

According to that feeling, Taken swung his sword wide.

bang-!

Arthur and Taken glared at each other with the sound of metal clashing.

And as if they had made a promise, they pushed their swords away and began a full-fledged contest of numbers.

Bang bang bang… … bang-!

Hit and block, hit and push.

Dodge, block, and snipe.

The series of processes continues like flowing water.

However, just because the process was smooth didn’t mean there was little murderous intent in it.

The sound of cutting through the air was terrifying, and the sound of swords clashing was deafening.

A situation where life can come and go with just one mistake.

Carpe, who was spying on the scene while preparing the spell, thought about it.

‘Taken… That guy is such a monster, so even so, that crazy guy who survives the monster is really… what?’

Taken is a very special presence even within the Black Cross.

A savage warrior who pursues blood and battle beyond the northern snowfields.

The master of the Order even praised him for being the swordsman of the century.

‘Sword Master… . A genius who may reach that level, and perhaps reach the next ‘sword saint’.’

Because of that (Carpe was fighting Taken every day, but that didn’t mean I was ignoring his fighting skills.

Rather, it was acknowledged and respected.

His sword skills were as special as his lineage.

However, the madman was blocking the knife that even he himself admitted to.

Bang bang-!

Only two circles have been achieved.

On the other hand, Taken has 6 circles.

No matter how special the pedigree, is that a reasonable sight?

Carpe couldn’t answer this question he asked himself.

As much as that, it was common sense for Arthur to endure against Taken, which shouldn’t have happened.

Then, Taken raised his sword.

bang!

With the explosion, Arthur’s body flew through the air and hit the wall.

At the same time, the meteorite sword he was holding was shattered, but it must have been a sword that had no problem no matter how roughly he swung it, so Arthur’s eyes widened.

“ah… . Could it be the sword?”

With a murmur, Arthur hardened his expression.

At some point, Taken’s sword was surrounded by the feast of swordsmen.

‘From now on, it’s real.’

I don’t know how much longer I’ll have to wait, but it didn’t seem like long.

As long as that sword energy had been manifested, there was no way for him to survive as he could not release his sword energy yet.

In that ominous premonition, Arthur fixes his sword.

Taken, clad in swordsmanship, patiently waited for Arthur.

Arthur bowed his head at that attitude, which showed the unique confidence of a strong man.

“Shall we start over, Mr. Taken?”

“… … .”

Taken didn’t answer.

Instead, he swung his sword.

Arthur looked at the blow and shouted.

‘Mr. Undine Gnome!’

Along with the shout, Taken’s footstool swayed greatly.

Along with the slanted body, his sword is also greatly twisted.

At the same time, Arthur, who had dug in, raised his sword.

chin-!

However, it was blocked by Taken’s left hand.

Taken’s hand, wrapped in mana like armor, surprisingly grabbed the meteorite sword.

Carpe, who was watching the battle, couldn’t help but curse at the sight.

“That freaking bastard!”

With this cry, Arthur rotates his body.

Using Taken’s hand holding the meteoric sword as support, Arthur took a full turn and kicked him in the face.

Taken, who turned his head, hesitated for a moment, but there seemed to be no blow.

Of course, Arthur had no intention of inflicting damage with this blow.

‘It’s Undine!’

[yes! Arthur!]

A whirlwind of water gushes out of the left hand that does not hold the sword.

A real disaster, incomparable to the fake miracle caused by magic, strikes Taken.

“… !”

Taken, startled, stepped back.

As if he were a drowning mouse in an instant, he shook his head nervously.

In that brief gap, Arthur pulled out his last hand.

Paji Jiji-!

Lightning flashed from your fingertips.

The thunderbolt envelops Arthur’s body and covers the meteorite sword.

Carpe, who was watching him, raised his eyes and murmured.

“what… ? Magic?”

In the meantime, Arthur muttered as he fixed his meteorite sword.

‘You only get one chance… . Never make a mistake.’

It’s expected, but if it’s Taken in that state, it’s only once.

The best blow he can deliver will work.

And even though this blow wouldn’t be able to defeat that monster, it would be possible to block its movement for a single moment.

‘If Mr. Taken was sane… . Even this wouldn’t have worked, but not now.’

Certainty, not assumptions.

In the premonition, like a kind of future foresight sent by Bavaria’s blood, Arthur lowers his stance.

Knees 45 degrees, waist 60 degrees.

The last drawn back sword 30 degrees.

Muscle and cartilage to make no mistakes.

Furthermore, it controls even the blood of the bloodline.

Arthur, who controlled all variables in his body, spoke to Taken.

“I think this is the best blow I can deliver right now. So please fall down, Mr. Taken.”

Taken regained his composure at these words and raised his sword.

His expression was distorted, as if he didn’t like being covered in water.

“Kwawawaak-!”

With a huge roar worthy of the word monster, Taken charged.

Looking at the scene, Arthur stops breathing.

‘Left diagonal. I use the sword through that path.’

The meteoric sword moves along with judgment.

That moment.

Pajijik-!

Blazing lightning becomes a single flash.

It was when Carpe’s eyes, which had been watching, were closed by that single flash.

Taken and Arthur intersect.

“… .”

a sinking silence.

Took.

At the same time, someone fell.

Carpe, who came to his senses at the sight, murmured involuntarily.

“this… . crazy.”