Chapter 28: Alexius vs. Der Gnadenlose
The freezing rain evaporated before it could touch Der Gnadenlose's dark red armor. The sheer heat of his Rank 8 aura turned the courtyard into a suffocating sauna of steam and bloodlust. The heavy pressure weighed down on everyone present.
Alexius stood between the Imperial Sword Master and the terrified hostages. He drew his sword. His newly awakened Rank 7 mana core pulsed wildly in his chest, desperately fighting to push back the oppressive aura of Der Gnadenlose.
"Vane. Aelrue," Alexius ordered, "take the Countess and the children. Retreat to the rendezvous point immediately."
Aelrue replied, gripping the children's hands, "My Prince, we cannot leave you—"
"That is an absolute order!
I alone can face that monster. Nobody here stands a chance.
Go. Now!"
Vane grabbed the Countess's arm. "We move! Trust the Prince."
"Do you think I will let you all simply walk away?"
He swung his greatsword casually. A crescent wave of red sword aura, ten feet high and sharp enough to cleave a mountain, shot toward the retreating group.
CLANG!
The shockwave shattered the surrounding ground and blew the rain sideways.
Der Gnadenlose's eyes widened slightly. Alexius stood in the path of the strike, his sword perfectly parrying the devastating blow. His boots had dug deep trenches into the stone.
Behind him, Vane and Aelrue vanished into the shadows with the hostages, escaping into the night.
"You blocked that," Der Gnadenlose mused, stepping forward. His red aura flared higher, ready to devour any adversary in its path. "You have reached the threshold, little Prince. Rank 7. The peak of mortal men."
It was true. Rank 7 was a realm of legends for ordinary soldiers, something no one could ever dream of. Only one in a million could reach it, and Rank 8 was even rarer. However, in the face of a Rank 8 Sword Master, it meant nothing. Rank 8 was the realm of the superhuman—the point where the soul's power materialized into physical law. It was a universally accepted truth on the continent: even if one hundred Rank 7 Sword Master Candidates attacked a single Rank 8 simultaneously, they could not guarantee victory. The gap in raw power, speed, and aura density was unimaginable.
By all logic, Alexius was at an absolute disadvantage. One strike should have broken his sword and body.
The fact was, Alexius was not a mere mortal.
"I am not just a swordsman," Alexius said.
He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. When they snapped open, his violet eyes glowed with a blinding golden light.
[Skill Activated: Sovereign's Aura – Intermediate]
A pillar of pure golden authority erupted from Alexius's body, piercing the red mist produced by the Imperial Sword Master's aura. The Sovereign's Aura was not just a symbol of his royal blood; it was an absolute law that commanded his own body to exceed its limits. His strength, agility, and reaction speed multiplied exponentially, temporarily forcefully bridging the physical gap between Rank 7 and Rank 8.
Der Gnadenlose swung his greatsword down again.
Alexius met the strike head-on. The impact created a sonic boom that pulverized the stone walls around them. Alexius was pushed back.
"Interesting!" Der Gnadenlose roared. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, each heavy enough to crush an entire castle gate.
Alexius matched him. Yes, he was outmatched in raw physical strength, but he compensated with the Sovereign's Aura. Despite that, the Sovereign's Aura alone could not completely withstand the strength of a Sword Master. To withstand and even counterattack, he had another card up his sleeve—one that no Sword Master in history could comprehend: mana.
[Omni-Element Release]
Der Gnadenlose thrust his blade forward. Alexius sidestepped, his body accelerating to impossible speeds using [Wind Magic]. As the greatsword passed him, Alexius struck the flat of the black blade with [Earth Magic], increasing its gravity a hundredfold and dragging the Sword Master's arm down into the mud.
"What?!" Der Gnadenlose grunted, struggling to lift his weapon.
Before he could recover, Alexius spun, his right sword blazing with combined [Fire Magic] and [Lightning Magic]. He delivered a heavy slash that bypassed the Sword Master's red aura entirely. The heat melted the outer layer of the dark red armor, and the electricity surged into Gnadenlose's muscles, causing him to roar in pain.
The Sword Master lifted his greatsword and swung wildly, unleashing a massive AOE burst of red aura. Alexius seamlessly shifted to [Water Magic] and [Light Magic], creating a refractive mirror shield of ice that scattered the destructive red energy harmlessly into the sky.
They clashed again and again. Red and multi-colored lights painted the stormy night. For the first time in his life, Der Gnadenlose was forced onto the defensive. He could not predict Alexius's attacks. A sword swing might freeze his blood, decay his armor with [Darkness], or bend space to strike from an impossible angle.
Despite the overwhelming difference in rank, they were fighting on equal footing.
However, Alexius could feel the clock ticking. His muscles were screaming in pain. He could not hold out forever. The [Sovereign's Aura] was a temporary enhancement, and using omni-elemental magic at this intensity was draining his newly formed Rank 7 core at a terrifying rate.
I can't maintain this, Alexius realized. At this rate, my body will collapse under its own power.
Der Gnadenlose seemed to sense it too. He stepped back, gripping his black greatsword with both hands. All the red aura in the courtyard suddenly retracted, condensing entirely into the blade. He seemed ready to break through with his full strength.
Alexius had no choice.
The clash continued back and forth as if forever. After time was lost to count, a light flare erupted from far away in the direction Aelrue, Vane, and the hostages had run off.
They had arrived at the rendezvous point. He had bought enough time. His team was safe. He sighed with relief.
He sheathed his swords. He raised both hands, fingers forming a complex, ancient geometric seal.
He drew upon the absolute limits of his mana core, tapping into the deepest, most dangerous depths of his affinity.
"Running away?!" Der Gnadenlose roared, bringing the greatsword down. The fabric of reality seemed to tear as the red blade descended.
[Space Magic: Translocation – Advanced]
It was a spell far beyond his current Rank 7 capacity—a true spatial fold that required no anchor point.
The red greatsword cleaved right through Alexius's body, splitting the courtyard in half and carving a trench a hundred yards deep into the underground.
Alexius's body distorted into a swirl of violet light and vanished into the void of space just a microsecond before the blade reached him.
Der Gnadenlose stood alone in the ruins. He stared at the empty space.
"We will meet again, little Prince."
.......
Ten miles away, deep in the eastern forest, space warped violently.
Alexius crashed into the wet snow, tumbling violently before slamming into the trunk of a massive pine tree. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as the excruciating pain of mana depletion hit him hard.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[Advanced Magic Spell Cast Beyond Current Capacity. Extreme Mana Backlash Detected.]
[Penalty Applied: Mana Core Sealed for 7 Days.]
[Penalty Applied: All Physical and Magical Stats Reduced by 50% for 7 Days.]
Alexius let out an exhausted breath.
"My Prince!" Aelrue's voice called out from the darkness, followed by the frantic footsteps of Aelrue, the Countess, and the children.
As Vane knelt beside him, pulling him up, Alexius managed a weak, tired smile.
They survived.