The Book Eating Magician Chapter 170:
Chapter 170 – Claimhb Solais (1)
“Tsk . ” Hyde then took off his mask and cloak, which had lost their meaning, and stared at Theodore’s group in front of him . He’d wanted to handle the witnesses, only to encounter another sword master . Additionally, during their short exchange, he could tell that the opponent’s level wasn’t lacking .
However, instead of frowning, Hyde smiled . “This is great . It is the first time I’ve encountered an ability like yours, with the freedom to quickly strike in every direction . But it is a shame that there is an imbalance in the swords you have now . ”
Randolph was shocked to hear the words, but he couldn’t deny it .
This was because Randolph was already aware of the weakness Hyde pointed out . There were various combinations of dual wields such as a long sword and a short sword, a light sword and a heavy sword, and so on . However, the Clovis twin swordsmanship was based on using two swords which were perfectly matching in weight and shape .
But the swords which corresponded to that standard were never common . The swords which Aquilo had in her treasure chest were famous, but there was a slight gap in Randolph’s swordsmanship because of their individuality . The shape and weight of his current swords were somewhat similar, but the center of gravity was off .
“And…” Hyde turned his gaze from Randolph to Theodore .
Theodore, whose disguise necklace had been broken by Claimhb Solais, had returned to his original appearance . One year had changed his appearance and physique, but it wasn’t enough for him to look like someone else .
After the surprise attack, Hyde’s eyes shone as he muttered, “I’ve finally found you, Theodore Miller . ”
The wind around the sword master stopped blowing .
“I thought the rat in the back alley was messing with me… If I had known this, I would’ve made his death easier,” Hyde spoke in a loud voice which seemed like an animal’s growl .
However, compared to a year ago, Theodore had entered a different realm, and he didn’t shrink back at Hyde’s daunting atmosphere . ‘The rat in the back alley,’ reminded Theodore of Gibra’s broken body .
So, Theodore went on to say, “A sword master who is proud of his torture methods . But shouldn’t rat be a nickname for you, since you only know how to hide?”
Hyde laughed, “Hah, this magician has a sharp tongue . Should I make it so you can’t speak?”
“You are the trapped rat who ran away when one of your arms was cut off . ” Theodore’s last words were crucial .
“…Hoh . ” Hyde’s playful voice became cold .
Wuooooong!
There was no wind blowing, but his grey hair rose up . It was aura pressure . Aura flowed naturally from the pores of Hyde’s body . This was different from when people used their auras consciously . The sword master had become intensely emotional and triggered this unconsciously .
‘The intimidating feeling has increased almost two-fold… He is still bruised from his defeat in the Great Forest,’ Theodore realized .
Despite being overwhelmed by the terrifying presence, Theodore watched Hyde without stepping back . Extreme emotions increased one’s power, but it adversely affected one’s movement accuracy and ability to think calmly .
However, the thing that Theodore really paid attention to was the changed form of ‘Claimhb Solais . ’ The sword of the god-king, Nuada, changed from a silver sword to Hyde’s left arm .
‘Gluttony . ’
–Um .
As Hyde was lost in his boiling anger, Theodore quickly asked Gluttony, ‘You said before that the sword master is unqualified?’
-That’s right . A sword master might be great in this age, but he isn’t qualified to be the master of the god-sword, Claimhb Solais .
‘If so, does that mean there is a limitation to the god-sword and he can’t use all its functions?’
–I understand the intent behind your question .
If Hyde continued using the same abilities he showed before, the two people had no chance of winning . Sweat dripped down Theodore’s face as he looked at where the warlocks had been . The ground was melted down like the crater of a volcano .
Fortunately, Gluttony denied the worst possibilities .
–The same firepower won’t be available for a while . However, that left arm is almost impervious to magic . Even 7th Circle magic won’t be able to penetrate the god-sword’s resistance .
‘Then is there a chance for the two of us to win against him?’
–If it is two against one, the odds will be over 70% . The biggest problem is another function of Claimhb Solais .
There was another function? However, the moment he was about to ask Gluttony again, the silent Hyde opened his mouth .
Hyde said, “…No matter how I think about it, dealing with both of you will be disadvantageous . ”
He was a ghost among the Seven Swords of the empire, someone who had trained in blood since childhood . Hyde’s senses realized that there were two masters as his opponents . Although he had been arrogant with the warlocks, he wasn’t confident that he could beat both Theodore and Randolph .
Hyde knew this and drew the sword hanging at his waist . “Becoming a master in a year… My master’s insistence on naming you as a target of extermination was correct . ”
Theodore shook his head . ‘Master? He must be referring to the emperor of the Andras Empire . No, then he would say, ‘Your Majesty’…’
However, Theodore’s thoughts didn’t last much longer . Instead of the god-sword, Hyde drew a different sword and pointed it at the two people . The blaze of a high-density aura turned the surrounding air into a haze, showing off an alarming presence .
Theodore and Randolph adjusted their postures accordingly .
“I’ll play with you a little later, nameless swordsman,” Hyde stated .
Randolph scoffed at Hyde’s words . “What? Do you think to deal with us one by one?”
“I’m afraid so . You are a great swordsman, but I have to put my duties first . I will fight you after taking the head of this magician . ”
“How funny-” Randolph tried to refute it .
However, Hyde’s left hand suddenly shone as a shout emerged from his mouth, “「King of the Tuatha Dé Danann, show the dignity of Nuada Airgetlám in this fight! The unbreakable god-sword, forbid the enemy Theodore Miller from escaping!」”
Simultaneously, the light burst out .
“―――Uh!?”
It was the tradition of ‘blinding eyes with a brilliant light’ from the Age of Mythology . This was the third power given to the sun god-sword, Claimhb Solais . The magic which blocked light, the magic which called darkness, all of it was nullified as those in the area were forced to cover their eyes .
Theodore, Randolph, and even Hyde couldn’t be free of that influence .
Randolph cursed, “Damn…! What the **** is this **** light?”
Then as the silver light covered the ground and sky, Randolph was finally able to raise both eyelids . The sight of the sword master was still blurry, but it was only for a short while . Shortly after that, the whites of Randolph’s eyes became bloodshot, and he exclaimed, “T-Theodore?!”
Randolph’s reaction was natural . He’d closed his eyes from the start of the flash for literally just a moment . However, when Randolph looked again…
His companion of a year, Theodore, had disappeared along with one of the empire’s Seven Swords .
* * *
Nuada Airgetlám, the famous ‘Silver Arm Nuada’ of the Age of Mythology…
According to the records found in some ruins, he’d broken through a myriad of demonic undead corpses alone in order to defeat the demon king, Balor . He’d killed all creatures in his sight and turned the demon army back into corpses .
However, one thing had been needed to achieve that feat . It was ‘Claimhb Solais,’ the god-sword eternally etched with the spell of the sun **** .
Even if Nuada had broken through the demon army and faced Balor, it would have been useless if Balor had fled . In order to block such possibilities, it had been necessary to force the opponent into a ‘one-on-one battlefield . ’
Hyde pointed to his left arm with a proud face . “This battlefield is a space created with the power of the sun **** . We can’t escape until one of us dies . ”
Unlike Hyde, who was leisurely explaining this to him, Theodore jumped back reflexively .
His opponent was a sword master . Theodore was relatively flexible with how far away he needed to be from his opponent, but his opponent was formidable . Using an interval of 50m, Theodore quickly measured the width of the area . Then he shot out a wave of magic power and looked at the results .
The area was narrower than he’d thought . Theodore calculated the result of the detection magic, and his expression hardened . There was a radius of 100m, and the error range was around 3m . It was a large space, but it wasn’t enough for a magician . A sword master could go dozens of meters in one step, so the diameter of 200m was too narrow .
Theodore grasped the problem .
While taking a defensive stance, Hyde laughed at him, “Hah, now that cheeky face has lost its composure . ”
In the end, it was like this . The natural fate of a magician was to fall before a swordsman .
He had lived his whole life with a sword in his hand and covered in blood . Hyde was a murderer raised specifically by Prince Fermut . He was a rare type of monster who placed commands above fame .
Even so, Theodore didn’t hesitate to fire back . “What did your master do when your arm was cut off? You are only strong due to the god-sword . I’ve overestimated the Seven Swords of the empire . ”
“Shut up . ”
“Your master is also rather funny . Giving you that god-sword… Doesn’t he know it is like giving pearls to a swine?”
Theodore didn’t know which keyword poked Hyde’s anger . However, after Theodore finished speaking, he was able to see something blazing in Hyde’s eyes . It was hatred, a terrible emotion .
“…Okay . This is the end of your chattering, Magician,” Hyde growled . Then his aura started to swallow up his body . Color, sound, and everything else were erased, until only his voice tickled Theodore’s ears, “I will kill you in a special way . ”
Those words couldn’t be misunderstood, especially when Theodore thought about Gibra . If Hyde caught him, Theodore really would have thousands of pieces of his flesh peeled off . Hyde’s precise knife control meant Theodore wouldn’t die quickly, and terrible pain would be inflicted until the end .
However, Theodore suppressed his fear and shouted, “Inferno!”
If he couldn’t determine the enemy’s position, then he would just sweep away all the possible locations . The 7th Circle fire magic, previously compressed by Veronica into the form of a sword, swept through the battlefield .