Book Eater

Chapter 170: Claimhb Solais (1)

“Tsk.”

Hyde took off his mask and cloak, which had lost their meaning, and stared at the duo. He’d wanted to handle the witnesses, only to encounter another sword master. Their short exchange had also told him that the opponent’s level wasn’t lacking.

However, instead of frowning, Hyde smiled. “This is great. It’s the first time I’ve encountered an ability like yours, with the freedom to quickly strike in every direction. But it’s a shame that your swords are imbalanced.”

Randolph’s pupils contracted in shock, but he couldn’t deny it. He 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 style was based on using two swords which were twins of each other in weight and shape.

But it was rare to find identical swords. Aquilo’s treasure swords 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 to stare at Theo.

Theo, 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.

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, I would’ve made his death easier,” Hyde growled.

However, compared to a year ago, Theo had entered a different realm, and he didn’t shrink from Hyde’s blatant hostility. But he remembered Gibra’s mutilated remains.

He replied, “A sword master who is proud of his torture methods. But shouldn’t rat be your nickname, since you only know how to hide?”

Hyde laughed. “Hah, this magician has a sharp tongue. Should I cut it off?”

“What wit, coming from the trapped rat who ran away when one of your arms was cut off.” Theo wasn’t about to lose this battle.

“... Hoh.” Hyde’s playful voice grew cold.

Wuooooong!

There was no wind blowing, but Hyde’s gray hair rose as his aura pressure began to rise. Aura was naturally flowing from Hyde’s body. It was different from consciously using aura. The sword master’s aura was unconsciously responding to his emotional state.

His hostility went up almost twofold. He’s still bitter about the defeat in the Great Forest.?

Despite feeling overwhelmed by the terrifying presence, Theo 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 Theo 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.

- Yes.

As Hyde was lost in his boiling anger, Theo 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 in that 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 had no chance of winning. Sweat beaded on Theo’s face as he glanced at the warlock’s battlefield. The ground had melted away like a volcano’s crater.

Fortunately, Gluttony removed 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 feature of Claimhb Solais.

There was another function? However, the moment he was about to ask Gluttony, 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 battle senses realized that he was facing two masters. Although he had been arrogant with the warlocks, he wasn’t confident that he could beat both Theo and Randolph.

Hyde drew the sword hanging at his waist. “Becoming a master in a year... My master’s insistence on naming you as a target was correct.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed.

Master? He must be referring to the emperor of the Andras Empire. No, then he would say, ‘Your Majesty’...

However, Theo didn’t have the luxury to think for 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 started to make the air around shimmer.

Theo and Randolph readied themselves accordingly.

“I’ll play with you in a bit, nameless swordsman,” Hyde stated.

Randolph scoffed. “What? Do you think you can 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 this magician’s head.”

“How funny-” Randolph started.

However, Hyde’s left hand suddenly shone as he shouted.

「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!」”

Light exploded out of his arm.

“―――Uh!?”

A brilliant light from the Age of Mythology had blinded everyone on the battlefield. It was the third power given to the sun god-sword, Claimhb Solais. The magic that blocked light, the magic which was called darkness, all of it was nullified as everyone was forced to cover their eyes.

Theo, Randolph, and even Hyde weren't free of that influence.

Randolph cursed, “Damn! What the hell is this damn light?”

When the silver light faded away, Randolph was finally able to open his eyes. Everything was still a little blurry, but it was only for a short while.

Randolph’s eyes grew bloodshot as he exclaimed, “T-Theo?!”

Randolph’s reaction was natural. He’d only closed his eyes for a moment; however, when Randolph looked again...

His companion of a year, Theo, 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 everyone he’d laid eyes on and turned the demon army back into corpses. However, he had needed one thing to achieve that feat. Claimhb Solais, the god-sword eternally etched with the spell of the sun god.

Even if Nuada had broken through the demon army and faced Balor, it would have been useless if Balor had fled. So it had been necessary to force the opponent into a one-on-one battlefield.

Hyde pointed at his left arm proudly. “This battlefield is a space created with the power of the sun god. We can’t escape until one of us dies.”

While Hyde was leisurely explaining, Theo was rapidly putting distance between them. His opponent was a sword master. Theo was relatively flexible about keeping his opponent at a distance, but this opponent was formidable. He quickly estimated the width of the arena, and confirmed it with a quick pulse of magic power.

It was narrower than he thought. The whole space was only two hundred meters wide. It was a wide space, but not enough for a magician. A sword master could cross dozens of meters with a single step.

Theo quickly dropped into a defensive stance, while 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 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, Theo didn’t hesitate to fire back. “What did your master do when your arm was cut off? Your strength is solely reliant on that god-sword. I 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’s like giving pearls to a swine?”

Theo didn’t know which word ignited Hyde’s anger. However, he could see hatred light up in Hyde’s eyes.

“... It’s time to shut you up, magician,” Hyde growled.

His aura started to swallow up his body. Color, sound, and everything else were erased, until only his voice tickled Theo’s ears, “I will kill you in a special way.”

Gibra’s body flashed in Theo’s head. If Hyde caught him, Theo really would have thousands of pieces of his flesh peeled off. Hyde’s precise knife control meant Theo wouldn’t die quickly, and he would tortured to death.

However, Theo 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 spell, which Veronica had once used as a sword, swept through the battlefield.