Chapter 264: Battle of the White Bunker (4)

Vrrrr—! Clunk—!!

The gauntlet on Revol’s hand that held the axe rotated and split into four directions, smoke billowing from each edge.

Hsssss...!!

As the smoke cleared, scorching flames erupted from the exhaust port, and at the same time, a magic circle formed.

The additional force from the magic circle propelled Revol to swing the axe with all its might, trying to throw Karyl off balance.

Karyl leaped into the air, twisting mid-flight before landing back on the ground. At that moment, Revol redirected the axe vertically, aiming to bring it down on Karyl’s head.

BOOOOM―!!

Revol’s axe struck the ground with such colossal force that it felt like the heavens had collapsed. The surrounding buildings crumbled under the force of the shockwave, debris flying in all directions like bullets.

The strike had left a massive crater, several meters wide, with the earth upturned, exposing tree roots that had been buried deep beneath the surface.

Crunch—!!

The trees that once lined the street were shattered beneath Revol’s feet, turning the entrance to the White Bunker into a scene of utter devastation. Yet, this was only the beginning of the battle, and the onlookers gazed at the golem with fearful eyes, dreading how much more destruction was yet to come.

“Is it over...?”

“No one could survive that.”

Those hiding in the faraway shelter whispered to each other, trying to convince themselves that the carnage was finally over.

The dust cloud, still swirling like a sandstorm, obscured the view, but the sheer amount of debris flying in the air was enough to convey Revol’s absurd power.

Fsssssssss...

As the dust mixed with the falling snow began to settle, Revol, which had been firmly anchored by its axe, suddenly staggered back, its arm that had struck the ground jerking upward as if recoiling.

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

As the towering golem retreated, the dust that had begun to settle once again swirled into a vortex, rising as high as the golem itself.

Bang—!!

Through the swirling dust, Karyl shot upward, trailing the debris like a comet’s tail. He swung his Freezing Talon with all his might, mirroring Revol’s earlier move. Though Karyl’s sword seemed small and fragile compared to the golem’s massive axe, it held a power all its own.

“Hmph...!”

As the Freezing Talon absorbed the ambient Arcane mana, its blade glowed with a violet hue, cutting through Revol’s electric charge with ease.

Crackle... Boom—!!

Astonishingly, as Karyl’s sword clashed with the axe, an explosion of sparks erupted where the two weapons met. The blades were grinding against each other, locked in a fierce contest.

“This is unbelievable...”

The people in the shelter couldn’t believe their eyes. The balance of power was slowly tipping—a mere human, as small as Revol’s finger, was pushing back against the giant golem.

“Damn it...!!” Wingel Hart gritted his teeth.

The warning lights on the edges of the magical screens in the cockpit flashed red. Despite funneling more power into the wrist thrusters, it seemed that the golem’s strength wasn’t enough to overpower Karyl’s resistance.

Rrrk!

Wingel yanked on the lever, and with a hissing sound from the mana charger behind the cockpit, he swung Revol’s other arm, bringing the shield around like a weapon.

Revol’s shield crashed down like a meteor, unleashing a shockwave that sent the shattered road and debris into the air, as if gravity itself had vanished.

“Ahhh!!”

“Wha—?!”

People clutched their ears, huddling in fear while frantically searching for any sign of Karyl. But no matter how hard they looked, Karyl was nowhere to be seen, as if time itself had stopped around him.

Thump—! Thump—!

Karyl’s footsteps rang out in the brief seconds that followed, darting upward in a zigzag through the floating debris, his movements too fast for the naked eye to catch. It was as if he were leaping from stone to stone across a stream, swiftly and gracefully positioning himself.

Second Unicorn Posture.

As Karyl assumed the second stance of the single-point attack, a powerful surge of mana gathered along his blade.

Since reaching the 6th Class, Karyl had gained far more refined control over his power, although he was still frustrated with the fact that he had to rely on his sword to channel that mana.

It made sense—he had achieved what even the great 7th Class Great Sorcerers had not, reaching the pinnacle of power without magic, relying solely on his sword. Comparing any single spell to the might contained within his mana-infused blade was simply unthinkable.

During the ancient Magical Era, the Grand Sorcerer Kaye Aesir could only use a single element and had to reinforce his magical path through mana amplification. Unlike him, Karyl could wield all elements thanks to his dragon mana.

Mana Synthesis.

A fusion of different elements.

As Karyl gazed at the Arcane Blade of his Freezing Talon, he vowed to create a new branch of magic, one that only he could master.

Karyl’s eyes narrowed.

Crackle-crackle...! Boom—!!

The Arcane mana spiraled along his sword, erupting from the blade’s tip like a drill.

“Ugh?!”

As Wingel Hart frantically pulled on the control stick in the cockpit, Revol crossed its arms, raising its shields in an X formation to defend itself.

Clang!!

Karyl and Revol clashed head-on, the impact resonating with an intense force.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Thoom!

Karyl landed on the ground and slid forward uncontrollably, the momentum carrying him across the ground. He quickly leaped up to slow his descent, pivoting on his left foot as he barely managed to come to a stop.

At that moment, a shadow loomed over Karyl.

Revol had twisted its massive body with terrifying speed, aiming to smash Karyl with a vertical punch. The enormous shield mounted on its arm came crashing down like a flyswatter, intent on crushing Karyl.

BAM!!!

Karyl raised his sword to block the attack, but Revol’s shield descended far more quickly, striking toward him with overwhelming force.

“Watch out...!!”

“He’s screwed!”

The onlookers shouted in panic at the sight.

Thunk—

But the sound that followed was oddly underwhelming, especially for a shield that seemed poised to crush Karyl into the ground.

“...Huh?”

“What... What just happened?!”

The onlookers fully opened their eyes now and stared at Revol with bewildered expressions.

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

Those who had been searching for Karyl were left speechless as they saw him standing beneath the massive shield, which had come to a halt above his head. A sharp crack formed across the shield before it split in two, the pieces falling to the ground and embedding themselves beside Karyl.

Thud—!!

Karyl gave a light kick to the half of the enormous shield lodged in the ground next to him, causing it to topple over with a resounding crash. He tapped the other piece of the shield on the opposite side.

“Whether it’s a flaw of the pilot or a limitation of the technology,” Karyl spoke up, his tone calm, “it seems you can infuse mana into your weapons but not into your shields. For them to get cleaved so easily...”

He then pushed the other half of the shield, which also toppled with a heavy thud.

“Such shields are nothing more than paper to someone of my level.”

Then, he vanished.

“...!!”

Revol staggered back, recoiling as its shield-bearing arm was severed cleanly, the massive limb crashing to the ground.

“What the...?!”

Black oil gushed from the severed joint.

The sight left not only the civilians in the shelter but also the nobles dumbfounded. Even those watching from the White Bunker’s command hall were at a loss for words.

“What... What kind of monster is he?”

“How is that possible?”

Someone unknowingly muttered those words, and Tuli shot them a sharp glare. The young noble quickly covered their mouth, but even she couldn’t deny the sentiment. The only difference was that in her eyes, this wasn’t merely a monster—it was a demon poised to utterly crush her plans.

Thwack―!!!!

Karyl leaped once more and spun, delivering a powerful blow with the flat of his Freezing Talon to Revol’s chest. The tremendous impact sent the giant golem sliding back. With one arm severed, its balance was compromised, causing it to stumble.

Fourth Riffle Posture.

Karyl then relentlessly targeted the golem’s joints. Dozens of sharp thrusts followed in quick succession, with the sword’s trajectory shifting as he unleashed another devastating strike.

Colorless Air Sword – The Fourth Stance

Thud, thud! Bang!! Shnk—!!

Each time the blade of the Freezing Talon struck, the colossus wavered, its upper body swaying under the relentless barrage. Unable to withstand the fierce onslaught, Revol was driven further back.

Crash—!

A giant statue was crushed beneath the golem's feet.

“...Damn it!”

Wingel Hart frantically turned around, realizing he had just shattered Tuli’s statue.

Revol, now pushed halfway through the White Bunker, had nearly reached the fortress where Tuli was at.

“Cheer!” Miliana shouted and raised her sword, as though she had been waiting for this moment.

“WOOOO...!!”

“YEEAAAHH...!!”

This time, Fran’s soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs in response to Miliana’s command. The cheers of the soldiers surrounding the White Bunker echoed as if they would swallow the fortress whole.

Crrrack—!!

Revol’s armor cracked and shattered, pieces of it falling to the ground.

Clank!

Wingel tore off the dangling chest armor, revealing the massive core spinning in Revol’s chest.

Boom!!

The air around the core erupted into a massive, ring-like shockwave, launching a sharp beam of light toward Karyl. The surrounding debris was swept up in the whirlwind caused by Revol’s pulse, spiraling into the air.

Crash...!! Rumble, rumble...!!

The ground touched by the light began to crumble, the stones and pebbles glowing red-hot.

Karyl, calmly facing the incoming flames, adjusted his stance. As he slashed downward with the Freezing Talon, the beam of light pouring from Revol’s chest split in two, leaving a large gash across its chest with a crunching sound like a one-cut cleave.

It was a true annihilating strike.

Bzzzt... Bzzzzt...!!

Revol’s torso was bent in half, and sparks flew from its severed side as it slowly toppled backward.

Creak, creak, creak...!!

“Ahhh!!”

“Run!!”

Screams echoed from the nobles within the fortress as they saw the golem collapsing toward them. The hall was plunged into chaos, and it was already too late to escape. Some nobles barely managed to open the door, but the golem was about to crash through the building.

“Aaahhh!!!”

“Eek!!”

They screamed in terror, covering their heads as they braced for the impact.

But then—

“What... What’s happening...?”

“...Huh?”

Having expected to die, the nobles opened their eyes when they realized they were still alive.

“We... We survived?”

The darkness filling the hall was the shadow cast by Revol, which had nearly crushed them. Realizing this, the nobles stared at the massive golem teetering on the edge of collapse.

Creak... Creak...

To everyone’s shock, Karyl was holding the massive Revol back, seemingly having stopped it at the very last moment.

Thud—

“We’re alive...”

Tuli staggered, clutching a table as if her legs were about to give out.

“Who is alive?”

At that moment, a cold blade pressed against her neck, catching her off guard.

“...!”

The hand holding the dagger drew closer, and a thin crimson line trickled down her neck, dripping along the blade.

“My dear lord...”

Gulp—

Overwhelming fear gripped Tuli before she even registered the pain from the cut.

“...never said he would spare you.”

The cold eyes in the shadows, mirrored in the dagger’s blade, stared mercilessly at her.