The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

My weapons were swept away by Renzo's storm-like aura, but I endured and fired my spears and swords again.

Even while defending against dozens of blades, Renzo approached me and swung his sword with terrifying force.

"Menosorpo!"

Clang!

I unfolded a rune to disperse Obsidian.

Obsidian attacked Renzo in its unformed state, switching to void weaving.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The short sword I drew collided with Renzo's sword, bounced back, closed the distance between us, and grazed each other.

In a simple close-range fight, I could never beat Renzo, but Obsidian and the weapon ejection covered for that.

"If you think it's strange, why don't you get hit by it once!"

"Hahaha! No way! It looks perfect for piercing through aura!"

You can tell just by 'looking at it'?

Kwaaang!!

"Ugh!"

Once again, Renzo's strike pierced through the barrage of my weapons and slammed down from above.

I converted Helheim's mana into aura and blocked it.

'It feels like a rock fell on me!'

Although I must be incomparably stronger than when I first met him, Renzo's sword still feels heavy.

No, is it growth that I can endure it just being heavy? At first, even if I blocked it with a shield, it would tear through in an instant.

"Hahaha! Amazing, Frondier! To be able to fight me at this distance! Even some of the Zodiacs struggle. Among the pros, Eden Hamelot is the only one! Hahahahaha!!"

"I don't understand why you're laughing at all!"

This guy says the enemy is getting stronger, but why is he laughing? If I were in Renzo's shoes, I'd be feeling sick to my stomach right now.

Enhanced aura, swordsmanship I learned while rolling around with Azier and the knights, Obsidian that I wield like my own limbs, and weapons weaving in all directions.

All of this is attacking Renzo, and our powers are 'equal'.

'The current Renzo is stronger than Eden! He's the only one who doesn't know it!'

I fought Eden too. Of course, I won with the ridiculous advantage of being inside the workshop, but within that, I was able to see Eden's full power.

If it were inside the workshop, I could have gained the upper hand against Renzo as well, but I instinctively knew it would have been much more difficult than facing Eden.

"Take this too!"

Swordsmanship

Renzo Original

Top to Bottom

Renzo strikes vertically, almost exactly like before.

But when it becomes a 'technique', the situation is completely different, and I can see a chilling aura seeping into the blade like blood.

But I actually had something I wanted to say to Renzo for a long time.

"That's your technique?!!"

Kwaaang!

I created a shield between Renzo and me to delay the blow slightly, then raised my sword to block it again.

"What are you talking about? Countless humans have died by this."

"Of course they would!"

"The simpler a technique is, the better! A strike starts from a single line, a single point. Everything else is just an application of that!"

Alright. Then

I'll show you something else.

A technique that is neither a line nor a point.

Roach Swordsmanship

Azier Original

Falling edge

I unfolded a Falling edge to knock away Renzo's sword, which was clashing with mine.

However.

"Huh!"

“……?!”

Renzo's sword didn't fly away.

It stuck to my blade, and neither side moved towards a balance, but instead, they clashed.

"Keu, heh, I was waiting for this. So this is how you block it!"

Renzo's face was dripping with sweat, but he was still smiling.

This method is similar to when I taught Mei the Falling edge.

If the opponent also unfolds a Falling edge, the Falling edge cannot make them drop their sword. Their swords stick together like magnets and enter a power struggle.

But Renzo couldn't have learned the Falling edge. He wouldn't even try to learn such a thing in the first place.

The reason Renzo can block this is simple.

"This, crazy bastard……!"

With only the single thought of not letting go of the sword, he is instinctively performing the movement to block the Falling edge.

His body will probably suffer some damage in the process, but he probably doesn't care about such things.

"Eura!"

Whiik!

Kwaak!

Renzo, in that state, swung his fist at me with his remaining free hand. I instinctively raised my arm to block it. I poured in twice the amount of aura I usually use.

'...Damn, did a sledgehammer hit me?'

It hurts like hell. My arm, which I used to block, is tingling all the way to my fingertips. If I keep blocking like this, I'll be pushed back.

"Haha! How about it, Frondier! As expected, you can't beat me in strength! No matter how much you struggle, in this state—Puhak!"

I smacked Renzo's head, which was chattering away noisily.

It was a wooden hammer I had weaving in the air. Right now, hitting Renzo with a hammer or a sword, even something flimsy, wouldn't do much damage, but it would be unexpected pain.

Renzo's strength momentarily faltered, and I pulled back the hand holding the sword.

Azier Spearmanship Basic

Frondier Style Swordsmanship Variation

Diagonal Slash

Renzo would love this.

So,

"Die from this!!!"

Kwaaang!!

I slammed Renzo with the short sword.

Why does it sound like I hit a lump of metal instead of cutting into flesh? My arm is numb from the attack.

Whiing~

Renzo was sent flying by my attack. Thanks to the good aura momentum, he flew high like a baseball hit by a bat. He crashed down and sprawled out, remaining still in that state.

Did I finish him off?

"Ugh, you monster."

I trudged over and checked on Renzo.

Renzo was sprawled out but not unconscious. He was staring at the sky with clear eyes.

Thwack.

I raised the wooden hammer and hit Renzo on the head.

"Hey, this is, huff, the third time. Huff, you lost to me. Huff, huff……."

I spoke diligently without even catching my breath.

Why is this guy who collapsed breathing so normally? I'm not feeling very good about this.

"Hey, Frondier."

"What?"

Thwack.

I diligently smacked Renzo with the wooden hammer as I answered.

"Why did you choose to fight like that?"

"What do you mean?"

Thwack.

"No matter how I think about it, your advantage is in mid-range. Besides, you can fly, can't you? That black thing also seemed to have a decent range. Even if you didn't use the God's weapon, you could have fought more advantageously."

"The loser talks too much."

Thwack.

"Frondier, a blow like that won't hurt me. The diagonal slash just now was the same. Close combat like that isn't your territory to fight in."

That's true.

I can fight from a distance, and that's definitely more advantageous for me.

Actually, I didn't win this situation. Renzo was certain. That my current method couldn't injure his body. It would have been more likely to injure Renzo if I had used Obsidian to create a sword and fought.

Well, that's that and this is this.

Thwack.

My wooden hammer swings are sincere.

"Can I speak frankly?"

I asked.

"Judging by the way you're speaking, it must be very unpleasant."

Surprisingly, Renzo deduced accurately.

"You and I, without the weapons of the gods. In this situation, the weapons I can pull out for you are 'Gram' and 'Excalibur'."

These two weapons are not the weapons of the gods. They are the weapons of heroes.

Gram has a record of blowing off Renzo's left arm, and Excalibur destroyed Heldre with its power.

"Now I can use those two without any burden. It's not unlimited use, though."

"......Hoo, does that mean you've been holding back because you might die if you use it?"

"No. I know well that I won't die. Even if I use that, I can't be sure of my victory."

Thud.

"But you'll definitely get hurt."

"......"

"You should be in your best condition when you fight with Manggot."

"Are you saying you held back your power so that I could fight Manggot freely? You could die doing that?"

"Hahaha."

Thud.

I laughed dryly.

"So, I almost died."

"......Crazy bastard, you really are a crazy bastard."

Thud.

"So when will your head break, you blockhead."

"It breaks the next time."

"What?"

Crack.

It broke. The wooden hammer.

The wooden hammer that had been hitting Renzo's head couldn't bear it and fell apart.

Of course, it might be due to the aura, but how could there be not a single bruise on Renzo's head?

While I was blankly looking at the shattered wooden hammer, Renzo spoke.

"There's a condition."

"What is it."

"Don't put me where the imperial guys are. I can't distinguish between enemy and ally. I don't even intend to. I will kill everything I see."

"That was my plan anyway. I'm going to leave you alone in the most dangerous area of Manggot."

At my words, Renzo laughs heartily while lying down.

"We're on the same page."

Are we on the same page? This psychopath.

* * *

The living conditions in Manggot are far from good.

Those who left the empire and drifted to the southern continent, to the end of the sea, are basically self-sufficient. Of course, there are cases where they sneak into the empire to supplement money and food, but that's not enough.

The land of Manggot where they live is extremely barren. As a result, there are no monsters, but to secure food, they must eventually head towards the territory of the animals and plants, that is, the territory of the outer monsters.

Therefore, the people of Manggot are more familiar with the outer monsters than any other human.

Unlike the empire that blocks monsters with a barrier, they hide from monsters using numerous caves located under cliffs and inside waterfalls.

Even the people of Manggot find it difficult to fully understand this blessed cave geography.

Only one person.

Only the direct superior who Hagley serves holds all this terrain in his head.

"Hagley."

"Yes."

Hagley bowed his head, looking at a man who was almost lying in his chair.

"I'm sleepy. You handle the rest of the work."

"......I can't do that."

"Incompetent."

The man looked over each of the messy documents piled on his desk and put them down.

His bored eyes, seemingly not even reading, scanned the paper a few times, and then put it down on either the left or right side.

Each time, his gray hair covered his eyes, then revealed them again.

"How far has the advent come?"

"It seems to be ending soon."

"Why is God so dull? Isn't he lazier than me?"

"That can't be."

Of course, it can't be. A faint smile blooms on the man's languid face.

"Should we encourage the believers a bit more?"

"No, it's enough. The believers' faith is deep, that's why we could endure."

The man looked up at the ceiling, speaking as if the wind was being drained from his body.

"The reason we could endure, living a life close to primitive in this hellish environment, was thanks to faith. The faithful hearts and vengeful spirits of the believers brought us here."

"......"

Those who had left the empire and gathered at the edge of the world needed a center.

For them, who had lived a life closer to death in a much harsher environment than the citizens of the empire, that center was a god.

"Hagley. Isn't it ridiculous?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The devil brings forth the advent of a god."

There was a strange chill in the man's words, spoken like a sigh.

"You can't gather people under the name of a devil. That's why the name of a god was needed. It's truly ridiculous that humans long for a god who desires their destruction."

"......Is that so?"

"It's a joke. I understand humans. Don't look at me like that."

The man spoke as if to comfort Hagley, whose face had stiffened a bit. Hagley just bowed his head deeper.

"It's time for the meeting."

"Help me move."

"......Please stand up."

"I've been asking for a long time to have my chair made into a wheelchair."

"A wheelchair for someone without a single ailment?"

At Hagley's words, the man let out a sigh, not knowing how many times he had done so. His eyes slowly sank as he rose from his seat.

It wasn't that it wasn't, but his body felt heavy as if he had put gravity on himself.

The man walked past Hagley and took the lead. Hagley quietly followed him from behind and then spoke softly.

"Lord Belphegor."

"Why."

"Why are you with Manggot?"

At that, the man stopped.

Belphegor, his head tilted towards Hagley.

"What's with the question?"

"......Lord Belphegor, you have nothing to do with the empire's business, why are you with us?"

"Hahaha. Isn't it obvious? I plan to feast on souls while watching humans kill each other."

It was a seemingly evil statement.

If Manggot really plans to annihilate all of humanity, Belphegor would be cutting the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs.

'Just once, to dry up the seeds of future humans in order to devour numerous souls. It doesn't make sense. Lord Belphegor, you wouldn't make such a foolish choice,'

"This is right."

"......!"

Belphegor seemed to have noticed Hagley's thoughts.

However, he did not reveal anything more. Belphegor looked at Hagley, threw a small smile at his bored gaze, and walked again.

"Let's go."

As if not allowing any further questions, Belphegor's voice was unwaveringly firm.

"We need to decide where the flames will bloom."

T/N: So is it Sloth vs Sloth lol

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