Chapter 441 - 90: Foundation Establishment
’I can already see it—him, ending his own life in despair, only for me to capture his soul and torture it at my leisure. That would be the most perfect revenge on this War Slave who dared to humiliate me!’
However, the scene that unfolded the next moment caused Muriyas’s gleeful, wild laughter to freeze on his face.
The Dark Gold Flying Sword shooting toward Murphy did not pierce its master’s body as he had expected.
There was no spray of blood, no explosion.
The Flying Sword phased into Murphy’s chest without any resistance.
Then, an even more incredible change occurred.
Murphy’s seated form suddenly blurred and dematerialized, his entire being seeming to dissolve into a flowing mass of light and shadow.
The Flying Sword completely dissolved within this mass of light, merging with it perfectly.
The next moment, the light and shadow rapidly contracted and condensed!
The light dissipated.
Where he had been, the wheelchair was empty.
In his place, a Flying Sword hovered silently in midair.
This Flying Sword was similar in form to the previous Dark Gold one, but it was smaller and more exquisite, only about three inches long in total.
The body of the sword had a texture as warm and smooth as jade, and it flowed with a Dark Gold luster that was more restrained, yet also more profound.
It faced the giant mountain claw, which contained the full force of Muriyas’s strike and seemed unstoppable.
The hovering three-inch sword trembled slightly.
There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling explosion of light.
It simply faced the giant mountain claw that blotted out the sky as it bore down, and with a seemingly casual motion, it "thrust" forward.
TCH!
A perfectly smooth, mirror-like hole appeared in the spot where the three-inch sword had pierced the seemingly indestructible, terrifyingly powerful mountain claw!
Immediately after, starting from this tiny hole, countless fine cracks shimmering with a Dark Gold light spread out like a spiderweb, instantly covering the entire giant claw!
RUMBLE!
The menacing mountain claw, which looked as if it could suppress the very heavens and earth, began to disintegrate from within under that seemingly casual "thrust"!
It broke apart into countless rocks and dust motes of varying sizes, collapsing with a deafening crash like a landslide. It kicked up a sky-full of dust, but it no longer possessed its former terrifying might, becoming nothing more than a spectacular shower of rock and mud.
And the three-inch sword hovered silently above, as if looking down in contempt at the claw’s collapse.
Shock!
Utter and absolute shock!
Whether it was Elizabeth and the Temple Knights, who had just escaped peril and stood close by; the envoys, nobles, and Legendary Powerhouses from every faction; or even Pope Ete I, the Great Shepherd Leader, and the Cardinals in the midst of their own fierce battle—all their gazes were locked onto the hovering three-inch sword and the billowing dust left by the claw’s collapse.
What was that just now?
Did Thunder Sword Melfield disappear?
No!
He merged with that Flying Sword!
And the small sword that appeared after the fusion had so casually crushed the killing blow that Shadow of the Earth Muriyas had unleashed with the full Origin of his incarnation!
This completely surpassed their understanding of "Knights," "War Slaves," "Ancient Witchcraft Artifacts," and even "Official Wizards"!
"Elementalization!"
An incredulous roar suddenly echoed from above the altar!
It was Pope Ete I!
He stared intently at the three-inch sword, his earlier ecstasy long since replaced by extreme shock. "He... Isn’t he a Knight?! This... This is a Wizard’s Elementalization! Merging with an artifact to take the form of a longsword!"
On the Northern Great Shepherd Leader’s face, which was usually as unchanging as an ice sculpture, the blizzard in his left eye and the polar night sky in his right eye now spun violently. His deep, cold voice rang out, laced with unprecedented gravity:
"Thunder Sword Melfield... He deceived everyone. He was never some gravely injured Legendary Knight... He is a Wizard! Furthermore, he is a Wizard who has already embarked on the Path of Elementalization and successfully merged with his Witchcraft Artifact!"
No wonder Murphy could control that strange Flying Sword with such perfect precision despite his "grievous injuries"!
No wonder Murphy could so easily see through and counter Muriyas’s attacks!
All the inconsistencies now had an answer.
Thunder Sword Melfield was never just a Legendary Knight!
The entire battlefield erupted into a commotion over this world-shaking revelation.
William IV’s mouth hung open, and he couldn’t close it for a long moment. His eyes were filled with bewilderment and the anger of having been fooled, but even more than that, there was lingering fear.
Legendary Knight Otto’s clenched fists trembled slightly. The expression on his face was incredibly complex—shock, realization, wariness, confusion, and fear.
Deep within the Ironspine Duke’s gray-blue eyes, a clear ripple of emotion finally surfaced. His gaze, fixed on the three-inch sword, flickered intensely.
The members of the Rotalia Empire’s envoy—the Chancellor, Director Ulysses, and Prince Charles—all wore expressions of utter disbelief!
The Duke of Orleans also instinctively opened his mouth to cry out in alarm.
However, he almost immediately recalled the calm, weathered gaze Knight Armand had given him just moments before.
And so, Grand Duke Charles forcefully swallowed the gasp that had risen in his throat. He strained to keep his facial muscles tight, trying to maintain the nonchalant demeanor befitting a Duke accustomed to great turmoil.
He even raised his chin slightly, as if this world-shaking scene before him was not too far beyond his expectations.
However, when he subconsciously glanced at Knight Armand beside him, what he saw almost made him lose his composure.
He saw that old Knight Armand, a man who was normally as steady as a mountain and had weathered countless storms, had, for once, also lost his calm!