Tharros, Saint Bastian Ruins.
While all parts of Sardinia had suffered varying degrees of damage, this place still retained the same appearance as when Kaiser and Erica had arrived earlier, as if it had not been particularly affected.
Kaiser and Doni appeared here together, standing a certain distance apart.
There was no one else around—not even Erica had followed.
This was only natural. A battle between two Kings could, if not careful, engulf everything around them. If Erica had followed, it might not even be possible to protect her life, let alone spectate.
So, Erica very sensibly didn’t follow. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t paying attention to what was happening here.
Inside a hotel in Oristano County, Erica and some members of the Copper Black Cross were observing the scene through far-sight magic, spectating the battle between the two Kings in this manner.
In such a situation, Doni did not make the first move, but instead glanced around the surroundings.
"This place seems a bit different from the others," Doni said with interest. "Could it be that the two gods who appeared on Sardinia had once stayed here?"
"That’s right." Kaiser also wasn’t in a rush to make a move and replied casually, as if chatting. "You could even sense that?"
"Just a hunch." Doni shrugged and said, "Don’t be fooled by how I act. I’m actually pretty good at finding people. No matter where it is, as long as there’s someone worth fighting, I’ll be able to find them." Get full chapters from Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
That couldn’t be called being good at finding people at all...
Kaiser knew there were countless things to criticize in that sentence, but he no longer wanted to bother.
This young Italian man not only had issues in the head, he was just plain strange.
You say he’s thick-headed? But he could detect things others couldn’t—without any evidence or reasoning, purely relying on intuition, which was utterly absurd.
But if you said he was sharp? He couldn’t even remember a person’s name, nor could he read the room—he was always doing whatever he wanted.
Such a contradictory and bizarre person—this was Kaiser’s first time encountering one.
So, he had decided not to get caught up in matters that defied both science and magic.
"This place is relatively remote. Even if we go a bit overboard here, it shouldn’t cause any particularly serious problems."
Kaiser spoke as if he had completely forgotten the importance of the ruins.
As a result, Doni seemed to misunderstand.
"So you’re saying, brother, that you also want to go all out with me here?" Doni said happily.
"...How did you interpret it like that?" Kaiser’s mouth twitched. After rubbing his forehead, he said, "Forget it. I won’t bother correcting you. If you want a full-power battle, I’ll accompany you."
He likewise had no reservations. If Doni wanted a full-force fight, he was ready to go all the way.
Though he found these battle maniacs a bit annoying, Kaiser did not reject battle, and he certainly wasn’t like the original protagonist, intent on avoiding or fleeing fights.
You want a battle?
You want to go wild?
Fine—I’ll go along with you.
Having gone through many battles both big and small, for the current Kaiser, this had become an everyday occurrence.
"That’s great."
Perhaps sensing Kaiser’s intent, Doni’s smile became more genuine.
It was the smile of a child, expressing pure joy over something he loved.
For this King of Swords, clashing blades with others was truly a joyful thing.
Therefore, he said no more, and grasped the long, cylindrical case slung across his back, opening it.
From the case, Doni drew his weapon—one he almost never let go of—a long sword.
The sword was about 80 centimeters long, double-edged, solidly made, and gave off a heavy impression.
From its aura, it didn’t seem to be any famed blade, incomparable to the many specialized weapons Kaiser held, and not even on par with Erica’s Cuore di Leone. It was a mass-produced weapon so crude that even a layman could see its roughness.
However, the moment Doni gripped this sword, the feeling he gave off changed completely.
He didn’t take any stance—he merely let the hand holding the sword hang powerlessly by his side. His posture was so full of openings that even experts would shake their heads, unable to believe this was the stance of someone intending to fight.
Yet, as Doni stood with his sword lowered, Kaiser felt that the person in front of him wasn’t a man, but a sword. A sword that could stab at any moment, pricking at his skin like needles.
"Where’s your sword, brother?"
Though Doni maintained his frivolous tone, the aura he exuded was no longer as relaxed as before.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes, suddenly smiled, and grasped the black activator that had appeared in his hand at some unknown moment.
"Zheng!"
A red Urm-Manadyte instantly burst forth with light, releasing Mana that did not exist in this world, raising the temperature. From the black activator, a blade of dark energy extended.
"Buzz—buzz—"
The blade vibrated slightly, humming. Kaiser casually swung it a few times, letting black sword-light flicker around him.
"Oh?" Doni’s eyes lit up. Looking at the black demon sword in Kaiser’s hand, he said with undisguised joy, "What kind of weapon is that? A legendary demon sword or holy sword?"
The demon sword or holy sword Doni referred to was not one of those renowned in myth and legend.
Those were divine artifacts, manifestations of divine power—not weapons that humans could casually use, and extremely rare in this world.
What Doni referred to as demon swords or holy swords were famous blades forged by humans, or crafted in imitation of legendary armaments.
Like Erica’s Cuore di Leone—that was a famous demon sword, its name representing the soul of a lion, a steel that embodied courageous spirit, with indestructible properties.
Cuore di Leone could easily slice through steel. Even when broken, it could self-repair. Reduced to fragments, it could still reassemble. It also had powerful spells attached, allowing it to take the form of a steel lion and greatly enhance the wielder’s magical power.
Liliana Kranjčar of the Bronze Black Cross similarly possessed a famed blade known as Silver Master. Originally paired with Cuore di Leone, its sharpness could split concrete blocks in one slash, also boosting magical power, while playing beautiful melodies that could disrupt concentration, induce sleep, disturb the mind, drain Magical Power, or even sap physical strength.
These were the types of weapons Doni referred to.
"More or less." Kaiser didn’t explain, nor did he dismiss the question. He simply replied, "It is indeed a demon sword. But whether it has the power of legend—you’ll have to find out for yourself."
"Now that’s an invitation I can’t refuse, brother." Doni grinned widely. "That said, if I just swing my sword at it, I feel like it’ll break immediately."
...This guy’s intuition really was absurd. Could he already sense that without even fighting yet?
No, rather than intuition, maybe it was something more like instinct?
"You truly are a born anomaly," Kaiser remarked, then smiled. "Since that’s the case, what do you plan to do?"
"Simple." Doni replied without thinking. "Since you’ve shown me your demon sword, brother, I should show you mine too."
As he said this, Doni, in a fluent voice, chanted a Kotodama that matched him perfectly.
"I swear this: I will not permit the existence of anything I cannot cut. This sword is the invincible blade that severs all things upon this earth!"
With Doni’s Kotodama, a terrifying surge of Magical Power burst forth from his sword-wielding right wrist.
The Magical Power, like mercury, adhered to his right hand, slowly turning it silver.
A radiant silver arm appeared on Doni’s right hand, causing the crude greatsword he held to be wrapped in an inhuman Magical Power, its aura becoming tremendously terrifying.
"Here I come, alright?"
Finishing his chant, Doni stepped forward lightly toward Kaiser.
His steps were light as if he were treading on clouds or water—silent, swift, and mystical.
Yet, those seemingly relaxing steps brought Doni in front of Kaiser in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, Doni swung his sword.
"————"
Like a mirage suddenly appearing, Doni’s silver arm and the silver sword wrapped in unearthly Magical Power first became blurry, and when they reappeared, they were already slicing toward Kaiser’s neck.
A cold sensation touched Kaiser’s throat.
A dangerous sharpness scraped across Kaiser’s mind.
For an instant, Kaiser even saw the gruesome image of himself being sliced in two and dying on the spot.
In that moment, his body moved instinctively.
"Clang!!!"
The black demon sword suddenly slashed upward, unleashing tremendous force that deflected the silver sword just as it was about to sever his throat.
Magical Power surged like a shockwave, sparks flying as Doni’s sword was knocked aside, cutting only air.
But when that sword was knocked away and slashed through the air, something unbelievable happened.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a loud blast, the space where Doni’s sword had passed was cleanly cut—atmosphere and ground alike—sending gravel and dust flying into the air.
Kaiser’s heart tensed, but his body again moved instinctively. Ignoring the anomaly to his side, his Ser-Veresta buzzed and became a black streak of sword-light, slashing forward.
"Clang!!!"
Doni’s right arm and sword reappeared in front of him like a ghost, blocking the strike with a loud clash.
Doni felt an unexpectedly immense force, sending him flying, his feet carving a long trench into the ground, dust rising around him.
"What a powerful strike, brother!"
Doni laughed heartily, baring his teeth and unable to hide his excitement.
"Looks like your body is pretty sturdy! This is the first time I’ve almost let go of my sword after a single exchange!"
"And you even blocked my slash!"
"Sure enough, that demon sword of yours is just like I thought—able to sever anything, possessing the same power as my Authority!"
A demon sword that severs all—that was the power of the Authority Doni had just used.
It was the first Authority Doni obtained after becoming a Campione, stolen from the Celtic god-king Nuada. When activated, his arm would become a silver metallic arm, capable of channeling immense Magical Power into the weapon it held, granting it strength to cleave the earth, alter terrain, and part the seas—a power that could sever all things. It even bestowed different demonic sword abilities.
For example, it could extend the sword, release sword energy, cause incurable wounds, ignite or detonate the target, and more—all granted through that overwhelming Magical Power channeled into the weapon. Even if the object wasn’t a sword, but a branch, it would still have the same effect.
Even intangible things—gas, liquid, spirits—could be cut. Whatever it touched, be it light, earth, or even meteors from space, would become part of the demon sword’s effect.
This was Doni’s most frequently used and most prideful Authority, and the most well-known one.
The Witenagemot named it — Severing Silver Arm.
The silver arm that bestowed the power of the demon sword to sever all things had now been blocked by Kaiser’s Ser-Veresta.
"The principle may be different from mine, but that sword should also be able to sever anything, right?"
Doni said with strange certainty.
Kaiser didn’t deny it.
"Ser-Veresta," Kaiser simply said. "That’s her name."
"Nice name. I’ll remember it."
The look in Doni’s eyes as he stared at Ser-Veresta was not of someone admiring an object, but of someone recognizing a powerful opponent.
Otherwise, Doni wouldn’t have said what came next.
"That’s not something that should be called a legendary demon sword. It must be a divine artifact I’ve never heard of."
"Possessing the same severing power as my Authority—could it be a weapon belonging to some sword god?"
"Hmm... Let me test whether a divine artifact with the same power as mine can actually be severed by me."
Saying so, Doni stepped forward without hesitation, instantly approaching Kaiser and swinging his sword.
"Boom!"
A surge of immense Magical Power erupted, cleaving the entire plaza of the ruins in two.
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