Clang. Clang. Clang.
It was a mass of metal reminiscent of a mountain.
No, that wasn't right.
It was a man over two meters tall, clad from head to toe in heavy, obsidian armor. His head was encased in a full-face helm; he was covered in metal literally from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes.
In his left hand, he gripped a massive shield that covered more than half of his giant frame. In his right, he held a morning star—a colossal, spiked iron ball fixed to a long metal handle.
The grim, hulking figure approached, each step a heavy, resonant boom.
Countless corpses lay scattered at his feet, but he paid them no mind. He advanced, crushing the dead beneath his heel with the same indifference one might show toward small pebbles.
The colossus came to a halt about five meters from where I stood.
The wills within the Ancient Magics each possessed their own unique brand of intimidation. Verdict, for example, carried the dignity of one who "reigned as a king."
This guy, however...
He felt like a battlefield.
There was a pressure about him, as if a mud and blood-stained wasteland had taken human form and put on a suit of armor. If Verdict was a ruler looking down from a throne, this man was the very embodiment of the death and terror that lingered on a field of slaughter.
The heavy knight slammed his massive shield into the ground.
Thoom!
With an explosive crack, the earth shattered. The surrounding corpses were sent flying. The vibrations didn't stop there; they turned into a low-frequency tremor that shook the very ground beneath my feet.
Talk about raw power!
"—My name is the Black Knight King Luxerion. What business do you have with me, the one known as the Iron Wall?"
"I am Albert von Kronstadt. I came because I want your Iron Wall."
Yes, the Iron Wall.
The Ancient Magic obtained in the Royal Castle’s Forbidden Library was a type that boosted defensive power to an absurd degree. Its defensive capabilities were nonsensical; in the original story, it negated all damage.
It was an Iron Wall Barrier truly befitting this heavily armored Knight King.
The Ancient Magics I currently possessed were too specialized for offense. Against an opponent of a higher Magic Rank where getting hit was unavoidable, defensive power would be a crucial factor.
Luxerion’s magic would undoubtedly be my trump card.
"Verdict has been resurrected. I want to borrow your power to defeat him."
Whether it was Shiunin, Shizel, or Verdict, they all spoke as if they knew one another. If so, Luxerion would likely be no exception. If he was unhappy about Verdict "getting a head start," there might be room for persuasion.
His reaction was—
Silence.
...Had my words failed to resonate with him? Unfortunately, since I couldn't see his expression, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Was even his mind an iron wall? I decided to try a different angle.
"I can use several Ancient Magics. Shiunin, Florina—and Verdict. How about it? Does that not pique your interest in me?"
Now, how about that?
Instead of an answer, the massive morning star struck the ground. Another tremor rippled through the surroundings.
"Dull words."
Guh... was that a no?!
"What interests me is you yourself. You should demonstrate your own majesty."
Hoh... I see. Then I had no choice but to use force.
"If you desire my mercy, then reveal your everything."
He was clearly the martial type, so I suppose this outcome was inevitable.
I raised my right hand. There was no longer any need to cut myself. The blood I had allowed to permeate my skin coagulated in the air, taking shape.
A crimson sword—the Blood Sword.
"...I see. That is your answer."
It was a flat response, devoid of any excitement. Luxerion lifted his shield and morning star, settling into a combat stance.
"Frenzy—!"
Along with a heartbeat that felt like an explosion in my chest, my physical abilities plummeted into the superhuman range. My muscles expanded, and my veins bulged. My vision sharpened, and the world slowed to a crawl.
I closed the distance in an instant, driving a strike into his torso as I blurred past him.
Clang!
A dull sound echoed—
And the Blood Sword, snapped clean in two, went spinning through the air. Deprived of its mana supply, it splattered onto the ground as a heap of gore.
...What?!
Even though I had landed a clean hit, there wasn't a single scratch on his armor. In fact, for my Blood Sword, which possessed considerable hardness, to break like that... Not to mention the impact that vibrated through my hand—
"Is that all?"
As Luxerion turned back toward me, I aimed my right palm at him.
"Thunder Emperor’s Flash!"
A vivid bolt of lightning erupted, racing toward the giant.
The lightning bolt collided with the large shield Luxerion held up, and a deafening boom resounded across the battlefield. When the afterglow of the flash faded, what remained was Luxerion’s massive frame, entirely unscathed.
Are you kidding me? Zero damage even after taking that head-on?!
Rather than a word with a strange modifier like "Iron Wall," a much simpler word suited him.
A "Wall"—
I felt as if I were facing a literal wall that blocked everything in existence.
...This was bad. I had been killed by Verdict many times. I knew the despair of being crushed without recourse.
But what stood before me now was a different kind of despair.
Nothing I did worked.
This was tough. Tougher than facing Verdict. With Verdict, I still felt like I could manage something if I could just land a hit, but at this point, I had no way to even damage this guy—
"What is wrong? Is that the end?"
He spoke as if the exchange were nothing more than a nuisance.
"...No, I wouldn't count on that. Why don't we see who can endure the longest?"
I pointed my right hand forward and shouted.
"Thunder Emperor’s Flash! Thunder Emperor’s Flash! Thunder Emperor’s Flash! Thunder Emperor’s Flash! Thunder Emperor’s Flash!"
If one shot wouldn't do it, I would just fire a barrage!
I didn't know if he was truly unscathed. A definitive impact might be passing through beneath that heavy armor, or perhaps invisible cracks were forming.
As if I could give up now!
One flash after another exploded against the jet-black armor and the large shield.
However, Luxerion did not move an inch. He was a true monolith. Even when showered with this much firepower—lightning bolts that would turn a human to ash with a single strike—he didn't even flinch.
No, far from it—
He began to step forward!
Bit by bit, he started closing the distance between us.
Are you serious?! What is this guy?! I can't even slow him down?!
—Is this the level of a Transcendent?!
The distance closed until I was cornered.
It was useless to keep firing lightning bolts! I was at my limit!
I abandoned the lightning and manifested a Blood Sword in my right hand. At the same instant, Luxerion lunged. His morning star swung.
It moved with a tremendous speed, completely unbefitting his heavy equipment.
Was it raw power that made such speed possible?!
With a sickening whoosh, the morning star struck my stomach. I felt an impact as if a bomb had detonated inside my gut. My consciousness must have blacked out for a split second; by the time I came to, I was being launched through the air like a ball off a bat.
I tumbled across the ground and finally stopped when I slammed into a pile of corpses. The taste of mud and blood filled my mouth.
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. I just knew—the organs in my abdomen were a mess, and my life was spilling out of me.
All this from a single blow!
My vision blurred.
I could barely maintain consciousness.
Clang. Clang. Luxerion’s footsteps approached. The jet-black armor loomed over me, looking down at my broken form.
"The voice of your soul has yet to reach me. For what purpose do you fight?"
While vomiting blood, I forced the words out.
"I told you...! To... defeat... Verdict...!"
Luxerion was silent for a while, then he quietly raised his morning star.
"As a cry of your soul, it is still shallow."
The iron ball of the morning star filled my entire field of vision.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
That was when I woke up.
The scenery had completely returned to that of the Forbidden Library.
...It seemed Luxerion had not finalized "my death" and had sent me back to the physical world alive. There was nothing wrong with my head or stomach. I closed Steel within the Heart and returned it to the bookshelf.
I had been defeated—but it was within my expectations.
My opponent was a former Demon King who had once conquered the world. He wouldn't listen to me that easily. It was necessary to dive in prepared for death just to gather information.
There was certainly a part of me that had calculated for that outcome.
What if my death had been finalized?
This was just wishful thinking, but I suspected that they wouldn't kill me so easily. The wills of the Ancient Magics were also searching for a user. They shouldn't be able to kill a human who resonated with them so casually.
In fact, that had been the case with Shiunin, Verdict, and Florina. Only Shizel was full of murderous intent, but that was because she was uniquely dangerous—and even then, she ultimately listened to reason.
That said, I couldn't rely on their whims forever. This method relied on their mercy and curiosity. If I messed up, it would be an unforgiving Game Over.
...Well, in any case, I managed to return alive with information this time.
I definitely want that Iron Wall.
To get it, I have to make him acknowledge me somehow—
—The voice of your soul has yet to reach me. For what purpose do you fight?
It was a question that felt as if it were seeking something... but what was it seeking?
—What interests me is you yourself. You should demonstrate your own majesty.
As I thought, was it overwhelming power?
Something powerful enough to crush even that steel—
If I can obtain overwhelming firepower, I can also obtain the ultimate defensive power. It's a goal worth pursuing.