The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Chapter 170 – Claimhb Solais (1)

“Tsk . ” Hyde then took off his mask and cloak, which had lost their meaning, and stared at Theodore’s group in front of him .  He’d wanted to handle the witnesses, only to encounter another sword master . Additionally, during their short exchange, he could tell that the opponent’s level wasn’t lacking .

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

Randolph was shocked to hear the words, but he couldn’t deny it .

This was because Randolph 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 was based on using two swords which were perfectly matching in weight and shape .

But the swords which corresponded to that standard were never common .  The swords which Aquilo had in her treasure chest 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 his gaze from Randolph to Theodore .

Theodore, 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 .

After the surprise attack, 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 this, I would’ve made his death easier,” Hyde spoke in a loud voice which seemed like an animal’s growl .

However, compared to a year ago, Theodore had entered a different realm, and he didn’t shrink back at Hyde’s daunting atmosphere .  ‘The rat in the back alley,’ reminded Theodore of Gibra’s broken body .

So, Theodore went on to say, “A sword master who is proud of his torture methods . But shouldn’t rat be a nickname for you, since you only know how to hide?”

Hyde laughed, “Hah, this magician has a sharp tongue . Should I make it so you can’t speak?”

“You are the trapped rat who ran away when one of your arms was cut off . ” Theodore’s last words were crucial .

“…Hoh . ” Hyde’s playful voice became cold .

Wuooooong!

There was no wind blowing, but his grey hair rose up . It was aura pressure . Aura flowed naturally from the pores of Hyde’s body .  This was different from when people used their auras consciously . The sword master had become intensely emotional and triggered this unconsciously .

‘The intimidating feeling has increased almost two-fold… He is still bruised from his defeat in the Great Forest,’ Theodore realized .

Despite being overwhelmed by the terrifying presence, Theodore 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 Theodore 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 . ’

–Um .

As Hyde was lost in his boiling anger, Theodore 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 and 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 people had no chance of winning .  Sweat dripped down Theodore’s face as he looked at where the warlocks had been . The ground was melted down like the crater of a volcano .

Fortunately, Gluttony denied 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 function of Claimhb Solais .

There was another function? However, the moment he was about to ask Gluttony again, 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 senses realized that there were two masters as his opponents .  Although he had been arrogant with the warlocks, he wasn’t confident that he could beat both Theodore and Randolph .

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

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

However, Theodore’s thoughts didn’t last 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 turned the surrounding air into a haze, showing off an alarming presence .

Theodore and Randolph adjusted their postures accordingly .

“I’ll  play with you a little later, nameless swordsman,” Hyde stated .

Randolph scoffed at Hyde’s words . “What? Do you think to 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 the head of this magician . ”

“How funny-” Randolph tried to refute it .

However, Hyde’s left hand suddenly shone as a shout emerged from his mouth, “「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!」”

Simultaneously, the light burst out .

“―――Uh!?”

It was the tradition of ‘blinding eyes with a brilliant light’ from the Age of Mythology . This was the third power given to the sun god-sword, Claimhb Solais . The magic which blocked light, the magic which called darkness, all of it was nullified as those in the area were forced to cover their eyes .

Theodore, Randolph, and even Hyde couldn’t be free of that influence .

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

Then as the silver light covered the ground and sky, Randolph was finally able to raise both eyelids .  The sight of the sword master was still blurry, but it was only for a short while .  Shortly after that, the whites of Randolph’s eyes became bloodshot, and he exclaimed, “T-Theodore?!”

Randolph’s reaction was natural . He’d closed his eyes from the start of the flash for literally just a moment .  However, when Randolph looked again…

His companion of a year, Theodore, 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 all creatures in his sight and turned the demon army back into corpses .

However, one thing had been needed to achieve that feat .  It was ‘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 . In order to block such possibilities, it had been necessary to force the opponent into a ‘one-on-one battlefield . ’

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

Unlike Hyde, who was leisurely explaining this to him, Theodore jumped back reflexively .

His opponent was a sword master . Theodore was relatively flexible with how far away he needed to be from his opponent, but his opponent was formidable . Using an interval of 50m, Theodore quickly measured the width of the area . Then he shot out a wave of magic power and looked at the results .

The area was narrower than he’d thought . Theodore calculated the result of the detection magic, and his expression hardened .  There was a radius of 100m, and the error range was around 3m .  It was a large space, but it wasn’t enough for a magician . A sword master could go dozens of meters in one step, so the diameter of 200m was too narrow .

Theodore grasped the problem .

While taking a defensive stance, 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 his 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, Theodore didn’t hesitate to fire back . “What did your master do when your arm was cut off? You are only strong due to the god-sword . I’ve 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 is like giving pearls to a swine?”

Theodore didn’t know which keyword poked Hyde’s anger . However, after Theodore finished speaking, he was able to see something blazing in Hyde’s eyes .  It was hatred, a terrible emotion .

“…Okay . This is the end of your chattering, Magician,” Hyde growled .  Then his aura started to swallow up his body .  Color, sound, and everything else were erased, until only his voice tickled Theodore’s ears, “I will kill you in a special way . ”

Those words couldn’t be misunderstood, especially when Theodore thought about Gibra . If Hyde caught him, Theodore really would have thousands of pieces of his flesh peeled off .  Hyde’s precise knife control meant Theodore wouldn’t die quickly, and terrible pain would be inflicted until the end .

However, Theodore 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 magic, previously compressed by Veronica into the form of a sword, swept through the battlefield .