56. Resolve

When I came to, there was a sword in my hand.

And Aira, who had been flying toward me—she was nowhere to be found.

Aira had transformed into a sword.

I wielded the blade as if guided by something beyond myself, the weapon becoming an extension of my very being.

Light poured from the sword, perfectly catching the Duke’s Sacred Blade.

The Duke tried to force through with all his strength, but the power was completely different from before. Realizing he would be pushed back, he flew backward.

“…Impossible. A Sword Dragon…!?”

The Duke let out a cry of astonishment.

A Sword Dragon.

An extraordinarily rare dragon—a phantom creature that appeared once every few hundred years.

Normally, dragons only grew larger when they transformed, but a Sword Dragon changed its form into a blade.

It became its master’s weapon and fought alongside him.

I felt magical power surging through my entire body.

I had never felt this before.

An overwhelming sense of omnipotence.

The Duke was overwhelmed by the magic radiating from the sword.

I had heard rumors of Sword Dragons, but to think they would wield such overwhelming magical power…!!

“—Sacred Blade!!”

This time, I kicked off the ground. The momentum was incomparable to before.

“—Sacred Blade!!”

The Duke met me with his Skill again, but he was still being pushed back.

“Ugh…!”

The Duke gritted his teeth and endured.

He retreated one step, then two steps back.

And in that moment when his stance faltered, I pressed the advantage immediately, delivering another blow. The Duke was sent flying backward.

He rolled across the ground, feeling pain—a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

As he rose to his feet, the Duke realized that the tide had turned against him in an instant.

“—Uoooogh!!”

I unleashed Sacred Blade with all my might.

The Duke tried to catch it with the greatest force he could muster, but the power difference was insurmountable.

Unable to hold his ground, his sword was knocked from his hands.

“—!!”

I immediately pointed the blade at the Duke’s throat.

The match was decided.

Even the Duke had no choice but to accept his defeat.

“…Kill me.”

Even with his life in my hands, the Duke looked straight at me and said that unflinchingly.

The number of battlefields he had crossed was different. Even facing death, there was no fear in him.

In response, I looked directly at my father’s face.

And then—

“…I won’t kill you. Submit yourself to proper punishment.”

Of course, I understood.

He had tried to kill Iris, a member of the royal family, after all.

Death was unavoidable.

But I—even still—did not have the resolve to kill my own father with my own hands.

And that hesitation would decide the outcome.

The Duke smiled slightly, but it was unmistakable.

And then—

“How naive!!!!!”

In the next instant, an impact struck me.

Using magic control, the Duke detonated the protection barrier he had been wearing and sent me flying backward.

The force wasn’t tremendous, but it was enough for the Duke to regain his footing.

With distance restored between us, the Duke picked up his sword and faced me again.

“…Necessity knows no law.”

The Duke made a decision.

It was one that would sacrifice half of his remaining lifespan.

“—Sacred Encroachment!”

In the next moment, the Duke’s body was engulfed in a light the color of madness.