CH 93.1

Terms used in this chapter:

Hammer and anvil – a military tactic that works by using two forces, one stationary and one mobile. The stationary force “fixes” the adversary and prevents escape while the mobile force moves toward it with the adversary caught between. The opponent then, is caught between the two forces and can’t flee because of the stationary force (anvil), nor can it stay because of the moving force (hammer). – Source: justiceacademy.org

Push kick – Taekwondo term for a kick that pushes the opponent away using the bottom of one’s foot.

Rolling sole kick – Popularized in wrestling as a spin kick variation. The wrestler spins around and then kicks the opponent with their outer leg, striking the opponent in the torso with the sole of their foot.

Bajiquan – a Chinese martial art that features explosive short-range power and is famous for its elbow and shoulder strikes.

Iron Mountain Attack – one of the trump card moves of Akira Yuki, the character and mascot of Sega’s Virtua Fighter video game series. Akira Yuki uses the Bajiquan as his fighting style.

Pincer movement – the act of attacking an enemy on both sides at the same time.

The number of enemies did not change.

Excluding the people who were originally brought as human sacrifices, the number of combat troops remained the same.

But Jude’s face did not have the same look of concern that he had when he first saw the enemies.

And it was the same with Cordelia.

“Let’s do hammer and anvil!”

As soon as Jude caught up to her, Cordelia shouted as if she waited for him.

Hammer and anvil.

A smile spread over Jude’s face.

“Am I the anvil?”

“I’m the hammer!”

They decided their roles.

Cordelia’s idea was somewhat different from the usual hammer and anvil tactic, but they didn’t need to further talk or discuss about it because just an exchange of looks was enough for them to decide their roles.

“I trust you!”

“Me too!”

Thud!

Jude added power on his legs and roughly kicked the ground. Within a breath, he amplified his speed more than twice, leaving Cordelia’s side like a ray of light while creating a whirlwind at the same time.

Bang!

Black Wind’s Advent.

As he rushed and flew using the wind, Jude saw the entire battlefield.

Inside Solari’s Land, he grasped the location of the Tomb Guardians and saw the squirming Blue Whiskers raise himself up.

And it wasn’t just that.

The location of the enemies.

The number of enemies.

The location of Billvine whom Jude himself must hold down as the anvil!

Bang!

He accelerated once again.

All of the enemies including Billvine were surprised by the loud noise and whirlwind, and they looked at Jude.

‘Mid-ranking demonic human.’

Billvine was especially strong as he was also a Named one.

So what?

“Ha!”

Jude rotated his body.

As the whirlwind and gale swirled into a vortex, the surrounding snow flew around and blocked the sight of his enemies.

And Jude saw it. Satisfied with the figure of Billvine reflexively taking a defensive pose by raising his shield, he concentrated his whole body’s strength onto his toes.

Black Dragon Cross Strike – Dragon’s Power.

The power of the dragon’s emblem was added to the Black Dragon Cross.

The Black Dragon’s power became stronger as a result.

As he spun his body in the air, Jude’s back kick struck Billvine’s shield. The pitch-black cross plus his attack that was closer to a push kick than a rolling sole kick exuded a terrifying power.

Baaaang-!

Billvine’s defense was solid like that of a wall.

Despite the heavy blow, his defense was not broken.

But he couldn’t help being pushed back.

Billvine was pushed more than twenty meters away, and for a moment, he was completely separated from his subordinates.

And Jude charged again.

He made the whirlwind and gale even bigger, making it look like a tornado as it surrounded himself and Billvine.

The windblown snow blocked Jude and Billvine from everyone’s eyes.

“Black Knight Billvine.”

He was a strong man.

When it came to a one-on-one confrontation, he was an unrivaled existence among the few mid-ranking demonic humans in the Devil’s Eye.

“However.”

Jude knew of Billvine’s level.

He knew his battle pattern too and was familiar with all his characteristics and weaknesses.

‘I wouldn’t have been able to do it until recently.’

But it was different now.

Jude had raised his level by nearly 20 compared to when he fought Zarakul in Gentle Snow Breeze’s land.

His physical abilities had become stronger, and he had also opened the third door of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

‘We also have some stat bonuses.’

They were now much stronger than ordinary level 55 playable characters.

If they simply calculated their stats, they were around level 60 or higher.

‘Billvine’s level is 62.’

It was really high.

But Jude could handle him.

He had become strong enough to be the anvil that would hold this guy down.

“I am Jude Bayer from the Count Bayer family. Black Knight Billvine, I challenge you to a duel.”

When Jude suddenly bowed and spoke, Billvine flinched, but he soon responded by taking a dueling stance.

“I am Black Knight Billvine. I accept your challenge.”

Billvine was formerly a member of a fallen knight family, but he still held pride for his family even when he was now a demon follower.

The evidence was his slightly happy look when Jude courteously asked him for a duel.

‘Okay, let’s drag it out for a few seconds.’

20 seconds was enough for a few and polite exchange of words.

“I have long heard of the Black Knight’s high prestige. So it’s an honor to fight with you like this today.”

“I have heard of the Count Bayer name too. I am also honored to exchange swords with a descendant from the famous family.”

‘Alas, Billvine. Alas.’

Jude clenched his fists and spoke again, and Billvine sincerely answered again.

The whirlwind that spun with the snow blocked not only the view but also even the slightest sound, so the two could focus on each other only as if they were in a separate space.

“I’ll begin.”

“Come, descendant of the famous family.”

Billvine continued to speak seriously, and Jude waited for Billvine’s words to end before he immediately sped up on the ground.

Although Billvine was weakened because of , he was still the Black Knight.

For a swordsman, a moment of carelessness could lead to their death.

Swooosh!

Billvine’s sword headed towards Jude’s chest. It wasn’t just a lunge, as he had read Jude’s course and thrust his sword to a position where it would inevitably hit Jude.

So Jude did not avoid it.

He blocked Billvine’s sword attack with his knuckle gloves as if he knew what attack would come out first.

He gently pushed with the back of his arm to change the trajectory of the attack.

Bam!

Jude’s arm penetrated Billvine. And at that moment, Billvine’s wall-like shield was pushed back again, but Jude wasn’t flustered. Because he knew that one of Billvine’s specialties was the use of a shield.

Swoosh!

The wind rose again.

Black Knight Billvine’s attribute was the earth, so Jude had completely optimized his equipment to those that possessed wind attributes.

The whirlwind had become stronger in the first place because of his equipment.

Baaaang-!

The wind attacking the shield broke Billvine’s stance. Once again, Jude turned his body and penetrated through Billvine’s defense as he strongly pushed Billvine’s chest.

His attack that was similar to the Bajiquan’s Iron Mountain Attack pushed back Billvine, but it wasn’t enough. Billvine quickly corrected his posture and swung his sword at Jude. No, he tried to swing it.

Bam!

It was blocked.

Jude’s arm struck Billvine’s arm before his sword could move.

Immediately after blocking the attack, Jude turned again and hit Billvine’s side with his other hand.

Bang!

Billvine’s armor rang like a bell at Jude’s close-range strike.

“Ugh!”

The moment Billvine stepped back, Jude exhaled. He clenched his teeth and used the Lightning Punch.

Babababam!

Seven consecutive strikes that were as quick as lightning struck Billvine, but he didn’t back down.

He used his shield to block all of Jude’s attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The iron shield clanged, and Jude was hit by the power of the earth that was wrapped around Billvine’s shield.

It was unfortunate that the full setting of Jude’s equipment was focused on wind and speed, but if he had not done that, Jude would have suffered more damage from his own attack.

Swing-!

It was at that moment.

The defending Billvine suddenly swung his sword at a frightening speed towards Jude’s neck.

Jude was aware of this attack. He had even prepared his mind in advance.

But he could barely avoid it.

He lowered his posture to evade the sword attack, and several strands of Jude’s hair was cut and flew into the air. Billvine used that opportunity to strike Jude’s face with his knee.

Wham!

Jude stopped Billvine’s knee with his palm. He let himself be pushed away by Billvine and then made a big leap backwards.

Thud!

That was the sound of Billvine stepping on the ground with his foot that pushed Jude away.

He fixed his posture at once and swung his sword towards Jude in succession.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

He should have evaded those attacks as much as possible, but the three consecutive sword attacks drew different trajectories.

Therefore, Jude did not avoid it. He used the Black Dragon Cross Strike to offset the sword.

Baaang!

The cross and sword attack were destroyed.

Having drawn out his strength too quickly, Jude landed on the ground and swallowed a groan, while Billvine had already kicked the ground.

He swung his sword at once, narrowing the distance as if he was trying to corner Jude.

Black Lightning.

Black Knight Billvine’s special attack move.

Jude’s eyes shined when the lightning strikes were unleased while drawing a black trajectory.

He reacted immediately, as if he had been waiting for that moment.

Swaaaaang!

Billvine’s sword struck the ground. It tore through the whirlwind and with a loud noise, the entire whirlwind was destroyed.

Shaaa-

The snow that had risen in the wind fell down from the sky. And in the meantime, Jude moved.

Jude evaded the Black Lightning with his Fairy Steps, as he unhesitatingly widened his distance from Billvine.

‘Because lightning strikes twice.’

Black Lightning wasn’t an attack with a single strike. The second lightning strike was supposed to be struck with the hand that held the shield.

Moreover, now was the time.

“Cordelia.”

Jude smiled as he looked at the sight beyond the destroyed whirlwind.

On the other hand, Billvine widely opened his eyes in surprise.

A witch with dark red hair was literally smashing Billvine’s subordinates.

Running like a beast with the Tomb Guardians, she was a natural disaster herself.

Double casting.

Spell’s Echo.

She was able to cast four spells with just one spell.

Every time she cast a multi-shot magic missile, dozens of magic missiles were created, and all of those swept the area like a storm.

“Human disaster.”

That was Yellow Storm’s nickname in Legend of Heroes 2.

Billvine’s men were already weakened by the effect of .

In addition, the Tomb Guardians emitted a sacred aura, and Blue Whiskers had stood up and joined them, making their enemies helpless.

“Were you aiming for this?”

Billvine glared at Jude as if he had been betrayed, and Jude smiled.

Wasn’t it his fault that he fell for a one-on-one duel without fully grasping the power of his opponents first?

And there was one more reason why Jude smiled.

“Is that Beast Mode?”

Jude was talking to Cordelia, not Billvine.

Although there were still quite a few of Billvine’s men left, Cordelia entrusted them to the Tomb Guardians and Blue Whiskers as she approached Jude and Billvine.

Pretending not to have heard Jude, she said to Billvine.

“Now that the hammer is here, shall we start round two?”

Hammer and anvil.

Billvine flinched again before shouting at Jude.

“Coward! Are you going to use the pincer movement in a one-on-one duel!”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

At that moment, Billvine was stunned at the refreshing answer of the two, and Cordelia then said as she took a step forward.

“No, you’re the one who’s a coward since you came with a bunch of men in the first place.”

Because the proportion was originally forty is to two.

Billvine gritted and clenched his teeth at Cordelia’s words, and her expression softened a little.

She opened her mouth and shamelessly said to Billvine.

“Black Knight Billvine, I will fight you as an agent of the golden dragon.”

Because Billvine liked this kind of declaration.

However, Jude figured out Cordelia’s innermost thoughts.

‘You liked it.’

She was recognized by the golden dragon as a bomber – no, as an agent.

But if he pointed that out, her face will turn red, so he only smiled and fixed his posture. He breathed and took a step with Cordelia.

“Ha! Come!”

Billvine exclaimed and the other two did not hesitate. Jude and Cordelia advanced towards Billvine.