Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 127

Chapter 127: The Path of Departure (4)

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

Although it happened when they were children, Russell had never defeated Irrucil in a fight. He was physically stronger, but he was still inferior to her when it came to magic.

The ability to manifest—the ability to materialize magic into a physical form— It was different from imbuing magic into a sword or one’s body and was instead more akin to the magic of wizards.

However, it was not a conjuring ability that used spells and incantations, but rather a shaping ability created through perception and will. Since childhood, Irrucil has possessed this ability.

And of her various manifestation abilities, the one that appeared most frequently was a white iron chain.

Clank clank clank!

Transparent magical energy burst forth from Irrucil’s hand, and then, as if gaining color and physical form, it became an iron chain that wrapped around her hand.

The white chain stood out against her dark hair, eyes, and attire. Irrucil stood before Russell, and it gave off an even more eerie and chilling aura.

At the sudden confrontation between the siblings, the group hurriedly distanced themselves. The bewildered individuals poured out their words.

“W, What’s going on? Am I the only one who can’t follow the situation? Why are the two of them suddenly fighting?”

“I think it’s because of me.”

“Huh? Why is it Calia’s fault? What did you do to Russell?”

“No, I did something. . .but. . .”

“Don’t tell me it was that.”

“What was that, Sarannen?”

“Umm. . .”

As the druid, who had witnessed countless conceptions of life as a guardian of nature, swallowed her words—

Russell and Irrucil clashed.

Russell’s body was pushed back. They were on a vast plain in front of the Latham estate. For two days, soldiers and farmers had worked together to burn the corpses of the monsters and humans, so the land where wildflowers and grass had once grown was now filled with charred and smoldering fragments and the smell of burning.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

In the direction Russell was retreating, iron chains emerged from the ground in a straight line. With his agile movements, Russell dodged the chains closing in on him from all sides, but the number of chains continued to grow.

And soon, there were so many chains flying from above, below, left, and right that he couldn’t dodge them. Amidst the clear sky and fluffy clouds, the chains cast shadows as they flew towards Russell.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

All of the chains’ heads bounced off at once. Some twisted in the air, while others were driven into the ground.

Russell had taken Nahilnir from under his coat. He had deflected the chains. Russell’s long arms and even longer sword extended his reach, creating the illusion that he was holding a spear and increasing the range of his attacks. And he achieved more than just swinging a spear.

Boom━!

He gripped the long hilt with both hands and swung the wide blade, causing the air to explode, and the chains, pushed by the force of the blast, flew away.

It was not just the density of the air pushing them back, but a wave of magic that had impacted the space itself, traveling through the air and pushing back the chains.

Russell stood tall, having broken free from the chains. He lowered the greatsword he held in both hands. At first glance, he seemed to be in an unarmed stance, completely unguarded. However, the magical energy emanating from Russell’s entire body occupied space and drew lines, sketching out Russell’s movements in all directions.

He calculated the movements that his mind, body, and magical energy would make together.

It had been a long time since he had fought Irrucil. It had been two years since their last sparring session. At that time, Russell had only wanted to leave home as soon as possible, and Irrucil had been busy preparing to become the successor.

The last time they fought, Irrucil won. At the time, Russell had possessed a well-trained body and swordsmanship, but he was still clumsy when it came to using magic.

If he had used his magic eyes, he would have won easily, but he refrained from using his eyes due to his experiences in several previous incidents.

In the end, as her chains bound him, Irrucil smiled brightly at him.

‘Look. I won?’

Russell smiled wryly and nodded at her.

‘I’m not strong enough yet.’

But since then, two years have passed. Russell’s strength was completely different from what it had been.

The chain that Irrucil held directly in her hand flew towards him with a fearsome sound. It was on a different level from the chains she had created by manifesting magic on the ground or in the air.

Attempts to completely block the chain, which flew in a large circle, were futile. Given its long-distance connection, the chain would eventually encircle them. The only option was to not hit it at all or cut it in the middle.

A chain was a tricky weapon. It was flexible enough to move freely in all directions, like a whip, but it was also difficult to cut or break because of its strength. However, using it required a great deal of effort.

Irrucil’s natural talent enabled her to manipulate dozens of chains with the same ease as her own limbs.

Russell dodged or deflected the attacks that Irrucil launched from the ground and sky, in addition to the chain that she was wielding directly in her hand.

Thud-!

He took one step, then another, slowly, twisting his ankles, knees, waist, and upper body above it. His two arms moved so quickly that they were almost invisible, while Russell’s Nahilnir drew lines behind him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every time, the chains bounced off, unable to catch their prey, and their trajectory changed, smashing into the unfortunate dirt, rocks, and sand.

Irrucil’s white iron chains were indeed encroaching on Russell’s surroundings, but once they entered a certain radius, they lost their strength and became weak or sluggish.

Russell’s two eyes shone with a purple light, leaving a faint trail like a comet’s tail in the air. As she watched him, Irrucil couldn’t hide her surprise.

“. . .It seems you’re not having much trouble using your eyes now.”

Even from a distance, Russell heard his sister’s voice through the forest of chains. He replied quietly.

“I can’t afford to stay stuck in the past forever. If I have strong legs, I have to move forward.”

Irrucil was also able to hear Russell’s clear voice.

“What happens at the end of that forward movement? The ever-changing weather, the hard ground, the cold morning dew, the monsters that attack without warning, and the people who are worse than beasts?”

Irrucil was right. Everything he had imagined when he left home had greeted him in an even more disgusting and bizarre form.

Nevertheless, those things were also the scenery that Russell had longed for and wanted to experience. In his previous life, he had only been able to see and hear them through videos, photos, and monitors.

Now, he could see them right in front of him, smell them, and even touch or beat them. The best part was beating them. His body was overflowing with talent, enough to fulfill most of his desires.

One step, then another. With his magical energy, Russell approached, deflecting, dodging, and sometimes suppressing the countless flying chains. His entire body shook just as violently as the countless attacks that were coming at him.

To the eyes of an ordinary person, he would have looked like nothing more than a faint, blurry afterimage. Russell’s heart pounded as he inhaled deeply and moved his body without breathing. Blood rushed through his body, and the remaining oxygen pumped through his heart.

A man wields a black greatsword amidst a world of white iron chains.

The outcome was decided in an instant. As if everything he had done so far had been child’s play, Russell’s body suddenly disappeared. It was a speed that even Irrucil couldn’t fully comprehend.

However, the chains she had spread out far and wide were not just for offense and defense. The white iron chains that had been manifested through Irrucil’s magical energy were also sensory organs that provided her with information about her surroundings, which is why she was able to narrowly catch Russell as he attacked from behind.

Boom!

A loud noise that had never been heard before echoed across the plain. A wall of iron chains had risen, blocking Nahilnir. The grass, wildflowers, charred cinders, and dust that had been lightly lifted up were blown away in an instant.

Irrucil’s eyes widened. Nahilnir, which had been about to pierce through the chains, was stopped just before it could. Its owner was nowhere to be seen. The moment she turned her body in a hurry, Russell’s large fist flew towards her.

As Irrucil’s backhand knocked the fist away, her other fist shot towards Russell’s jaw. Despite the surprise attack that came in without warning, Irrucil’s body dodged and counterattacked at the same time.

It also meant that she had trained her body just as much and was not careless for even a moment.

However, Russell blocked her fist with his left palm and grabbed it. He then pulled her towards him.

Irrucil didn’t resist being pulled; instead, she let her body fly. Russell’s strength was superior to hers. She understood that resisting the pull would disrupt her equilibrium more than allowing it to happen.

Russell smiled as he watched his sister fly towards him without any hesitation in pulling her. For him, fighting had long since become one of his life’s goals.

A different kind of tension from when he had fought demons or monsters burned and excited him.

Irrucil’s light body, which had kicked off the ground and jumped up, soon bent her legs and raised her knees, aiming a deadly blow at Russell’s temple. A knee strike contains enough power to shatter a rock if it hits properly.

Russell ducked to avoid it, and his long black hair fluttered. Her attack was so sharp that a few strands of hair were cut off as they brushed against the back of his head.

Irrucil released magical energy from her hand, which was caught in his fist.

Bang, with a sound, Russell’s hand was flung back, and Irrucil regained her freedom. At the same time, she sank to the ground with a thud, and her long legs swept across the ground as she coiled and uncoiled.

A wave of transparent magical energy from Irrucil’s legs cut through the grass and flowers, aiming for Russell’s legs. Russell jumped up. That was what Irrucil had been hoping for.

Her legs stopped as if they had never swept across the ground, and immediately shot up towards the sky. Irrucil, who had placed her hand on the ground, bent and straightened her waist like a handspring.

There was not a single unnecessary movement in that series of actions. It was an attack that couldn’t have been smoother, even if it had been planned and practiced. Russell, however, had read through all of her movements and intentions and gone one step further.

He used his right forearm to flip her foot’s tip over his shoulder, which was aimed at the space between his belly and chest. At the same time, his left fist, which had been loaded at his side, flew towards Irrucil’s empty back.

Irrucil’s arms, which had been stretched out in the air, crossed in an X shape.

Thud!

Irrucil’s body flew up and then fell to the ground, scraping against it. Irrucil, who had barely managed to get into a stance and left a deep scratch on the ground, stood up. Up until this point, it had been a mere three seconds of offense and defense.

Irrucil put strength into her trembling arms. It was painful, but it wasn’t severe. It hadn’t even been a proper blow in the first place.

Instead of using his magical energy, Russell had simply blown her away with his physical strength. In a situation where he could have damaged her bones, muscles, and nerves, Russell had simply put his fist on her back and pushed her away.

The result was, in a way, consistent with Russell looking out for Irrucil. As he lowered his crossed arms, Russell concentrated magical energy in his legs and kicked off the ground, shooting forward like an arrow.

Russell’s fist, which flew so fast that it created an optical illusion of his body elongating, rose diagonally from the lower right to the upper left.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

The sound of metal echoed as countless chains materialized and bound Russell’s entire body. The magic he had planted in the earth when he was pushed back had shed its form and manifested itself.

Clank━

However, the chains were not binding Russell. To be exact, they were floating a few centimeters above his skin, not even touching him. Russell’s magical energy was pushing the chains away and breaking free from their restraints.

At the same time, his magic eyes flashed. The power to see and interfere with the flow of mana and magical energy emerged from Russell’s hand as a purple light.

Clang!

The chains shattered into pieces. Irrucil’s eyes widened. The links of the chains, which had never been broken before, and the structure of the magical energy had crumbled. And all it took was Russell’s single, playful gesture.

And before she could gather the broken magical energy and manifest it into chains again, something hit Irrucil’s forehead with a thud.

It was Russell’s index finger. He said,

“I win.”

Her brother’s calm words. Irrucil raised her head. Russell’s face was looking down at her. His shining purple eyes were still bright, and his breathing was not ragged.

Russell was standing farther and higher than she had thought. The moment she missed his movement, she created a wall of iron chains, startled by the trajectory of the greatsword that had flown towards her.

Russell’s body had been behind her, exploiting the subtle gap between her senses, offense, and defense. If it had been a real battle with real killing intent, her neck would have been cut off, or her heart would have already been pierced.

“. . .You’re right. I lost.”

Irrucil sighed and stepped back. Russell hadn’t even used all of his tricks. He wielded a large single-edged axe when he faced the demon Geliotos the other day. Judging from the frost and cold emanating from the axe blade, it was clearly a formidable magical tool.

The same went for the large greatsword, but Russell had only used it to receive or deflect Irrucil’s chain attacks and had not made a proper attack.

Even the blow that had flown towards her at the end had been nothing more than a feint to distract her. His sword’s tip was clearly aimed at the ground next to Irrucil, not at her body.

In that brief moment, Russell’s movements had been so fast and skillful that she hadn’t even been able to properly read the path of his attack, and it was proof that he had become proficient in hand-to-hand combat to the point of being able to read her judgment.

As a result, Irrucil found herself feeling relieved and happy. Why? Was it because she felt more joy at seeing her brother, who had become stronger, than sadness or regret at not being able to take him with her?

She didn’t know exactly how she felt, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“You’ve really gotten a lot stronger. I think even Father would have a hard time fighting you.”

“It’s not that much.”

“No, it is. The axe, and your eyes. I know you still have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. You even went easy on me.”

Russell scratched the back of his head. It was indeed more difficult to hide his strength in front of a powerhouse like Irrucil.

As Russell and Irrucil seemed to have stopped fighting, the group, who had been staying far away, approached. Kry, who had been chattering and teasing, peeked her head out.

“Wow, that was a nail-biting fight.”

Jess approached and made a fuss, and the others approached and added a word or two. Farrells had known about Irrucil’s strength for a long time, but the sight of Russell defeating Irrucil was so overwhelming that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Sarannen nodded, looked around, and scanned for traces of magical energy. In the process, she realized that Russell had hardly used any direct magical energy.

Irrucil brushed her hair back once and said to Russell,

“Okay. I understand that I can’t take you with me. I’ll go back and tell Father and Mother, and they’ll understand. Mother will probably be happy.”

“So?”

“Winter. Just until winter, I’ll travel with you, and then I’ll go back. Is that okay?”

Russell nodded.

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