As the iceberg above gradually increases its velocity as it is being pulled by gravity towards me, I have been trying to break the barriers set up around me to trap me. The barriers are a kilometer high, which hindered my flight capabilities to escape.
I have only a very few seconds left until the giant chunk of ice hits the surface. Even with my defenses and resistance, the falling iceberg will totally and surely crush my body if I take it head-on.
My defensive trump cards, the Impregnable Fortress and Infinity Barrier of the Ultra Skill: Ultimate Arts could protect my body, albeit temporarily. The moment the techniques wear off, the weight of the iceberg will still crush me.
Aside from the Transfer Delay field and Anti-Physical Barrier, an Anti-Magic Barrier was deployed as well, which is so tough that my maximized magic spells were rendered useless.
“Infernal Earth Splitter!”
I tried blowing the barriers up with Sword Art Level 9: Earth Splitter, with a 50% stat boosted body powered by Martial Art Level 7: Ki Release, and a purple-blazed blade lit of Thermal Blade ignited with Infernal Flame.
Despite all that effort, my flaming sword just bounced off like your average cheque. Just how powerful the caster is to harden these virtually unbreakable barriers?!
What’s the reason for this confrontation to begin with? To kill me? To gather information? To test me? To resort me revealing my cards?
I don’t know what their intentions are, but I have to forcefully expose one of my trump cards to protect myself. I don’t have time to think of its consequences and possible effects in the future.
Steeling my resolve, I firmly held the hilt of my sword. As the massive, solid, and cold iceberg descends to the height of double digits above the ground, I unleash a power that I wished for from the goddess more than fourteen years ago.
(Absolute Severance.)
With just a single fluid swing of my Sanguine Lotus, all the obstacles instantly shattered into pieces as it touched the crimson blade. The shards disappeared in the air as they lost their structure and access to mana.
I silently cast the technique to confuse the ones who are observing me a little. This is the best I could do now to leak as little information as I can.
Breaking the barriers also breaks the effects they had until now. Before the iceberg hits the scorched earth, the teleportation spells that I cast before activated due to the cancellation of Transfer Delay.
I had traveled three hundred meters from the crash site when a loud sound reached my ears. I turned around to find that dust and mist enveloped the area around the crash site.
The impact of the drop shook the earth terribly and created a thunderous noise accompanied by a strong shockwave that even shook the trees outside the burned woods.
As I am witnessing an embedded, over a hundred-meter-long iceberg, something fast is coming out of the dust and cold mist—it’s the flying serpent. It is traveling through air at a speed surpassing sonic speed with shining metallic-gray wings, indicating the activation of the Steel Wing.
Even though it exceeds the speed of sound, it is not as fast as base Griffith.
I really meant to kill it since it’s probably doing the same as well. As a collector, I want to keep its long body as pristine as it looks.
Using the Dread Fascination of the Fear Incarnation is the best option to kill a monster without damaging its body. But this Amphiptere is powerful enough to resist passing out, never mind instant death.
Since it’s all come to this, I will kill it fluidly in one shot, as neatly and cleanly as I can. I singled out its vital Achilles heel without damaging most of its body.
In order to do that, I held my Sanguine Lotus which is in its scabbard. I activated Weapon Enchantment to cast Froze Blade upon my sword.
All I have to do is meticulously and patiently wait for the very right moment.
Milliseconds and the Amphiptere was already a few meters in front of me. That was the moment I had been waiting for the most. I quickly drew out my blade and aimed at the serpent’s neck.
“Dragon Slayer!”
I invoked a technique for a smoother cut and additional penetration as my blade easily went through its hard scales, flesh, and bone. My katana is sharp enough to slice its scales, but adding Dragon Slayer will cut them off like a hot knife on butter.
My frozen blade left an icy path after passing through its flesh. With my current magic power, the freezing effect of the Froze Blade is cold enough to instantly freeze the flesh of this cold-resistant Amphiptere.
The headless Amphiptere dropped onto the earth along with its severed head. Since I maximized its coldness, it instantly froze the severance, prohibiting blood from leaking out.
“Phew…”
<Experience fulfilled. You leveled up by 1.>
<Skill Scale Shot can be plunder. Would you like to obtain it? Yes/No.>
(Yes.)
<Skill Scale Shot plundered. Skill Scale Shot has been acquired.>
With this, I am now able to shoot the scales of my Dragon Scales. However, I will be using it less often because I have to hide it and it’s a dragon’s skill.
I have killed the Amphiptere but couldn’t figure out the reason if it was an assault. There was this mysterious owner who somehow intervened in our battle.
But for what reason? I’ve been asking myself about that. But during the entire fight, I didn’t feel any bloodlust or killing intent at all. So their reason might be to test my capabilities and skills.
They had power and tactics that almost had me on the other side. The barriers it deployed were tough enough to unwaveringly stop my strongest Infernal Sky Splitter. The owner’s magic power has obviously exceeded mine, or even Mom’s.
The thought of someone who is more powerful than anyone in my family made me shiver in fear. It feels like our family is a frog in a well.
Now that I thought about it, I just realized there’s actually a very faint sign of skill usage in the air. Something like a reconnaissance skill like Clairvoyance, probably to observe the entire event and cast spells along with it from somewhere unknown.
I’ve been too busy dealing with the Amphiptere that my minds and I forgot to cloak our surroundings. The observers had witnessed me activating one of my trump cards. Well, it’s too late to cry over spilt milk, anyway.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Inside a splendid estate in a certain territory within the Dixon Empire, there was a room—a private quarter, to be specific.
With its opened windows, the setting sun bathed the interior in an autumn hue. Winds billow the thin curtains of the room located on the second floor of the building.
“Wonderful~.” Uttered the only sentient inside with satisfaction while writhing a pen, leaving black scribbles on white paper on her desk.
The one who just expressed her satisfaction was a female, a teenage girl. Sitting on the cushioned chair, she is hastily doodling some interesting things she just discovered.
“Hm. It seems like I have to abort the missions I gave to my subjects. Unnecessary killing gives me a bad taste in my mouth.” 𝓫𝒹ℴ𝓿𝓵.𝓬ℴ𝓶
She then placed two of her fingers on her right temple. As if everyone had connected to her line, she started giving new orders to the receivers of her Telepathy.
“Target found. Abort your missions as quickly as possible.”
Unlike her previous cheerful tone, she ordered her subjects with a cold and serious voice, as if displaying her absolute superiority and authority over them.
“That was Absolute Severance, right? The same technique that Alfred executed before? That isn’t displayed on his skill panel, so maybe he is hiding it?” She licked her pink lips after her precise observations, returning to her blissful mood.
Her target’s move exhibited a technique she familiar with. That moment made her recall her memories about a certain man, an ancient reminiscent of the past.
“My eyes are something that cannot be deceived like something as trivial as Disguise. But he was able to completely conceal his hidden abilities, which my eyes cannot unfold. Only divine beings could do such things.”
Her smile widened as she listed every discovery and piece of information she had just unearthed today.
“He said something like Valhalla and Valkyrie something before. Well, I could not ask him anymore since he had gone so long.”
She was genuinely sad as she remembered her long dead acquaintance.
“Ugh! Recalling the past made me remember that time when someone who knows who hit me so hard that I actually cried! I was even in my true form at that time!”
She held her nape, remembering her traumatic experience. The wounds had been healed a long time ago, but the trauma is still there.
“I absolutely knew Moon knew something about that, but he was still tight-lipped up until now!” She cutely yelled in frustration, imagining the grinning face of her peer.
“Ah! I am throwing tantrums again.” She snapped back. “Well, if I cannot fully see all of his Skills, things are all coming together nicely. After more than fourteen years of searching, I finally found you~.”
She couldn’t contain her giggle in joy. It was as if she finally found something that she had patiently waited for a long time to come and go.
“Your noble sacrifice wasn’t put to waste, Wormy.” She said it with the sincerity of a mother to her children.
She stood up and turned around. Walking around her room before facing the opened windows. Autumn light kissed her face, and breezes slightly brushed her silky hair.
“Raphael Raevender, huh. I am looking forward to our meeting next spring~.”
She giggled softly, but eerily, inside her impossible-to-spy room as she was glancing at the setting sun.