Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 185

6. Luke VS Rudolf

1

As the ether activation concluded and all the magic engraved on the time travel device manifested, a fist-sized dot appeared in the center of the circular ring. The dot gradually increased in size until it was large enough for a person to pass through. From the gap, something like black mist seeped out, causing the mages to exclaim in awe.

“Oh! This is!”

“Isn’t that dark matter from the dimensional rift!”

In the beginning, the universe was made of numerous dimensions. These dimensions did not align, and many gaps existed between them. A prime example of magic that utilizes these gaps was subspace magic [magic that manipulates pocket dimensions]. The space between the dimensional rifts was filled with dark matter, and the fact that this dark matter was visible meant that the time travel device was functioning correctly. As the theory left behind by ancient mages unfolded into reality before their eyes, Marquis Kepler, who had been secretly worried, let out a sigh of relief and smiled. He approached Rudolf and reported,

“Your Majesty! The ruins are functioning normally.”

“Is that so? Can we now travel through time?”

“Yes, the coordinates have been set correctly, so the dark matter will soon dissipate, and the passage will open.”

“Is that so? Then it really is just a matter of time?”

Rudolf, after scanning Kepler’s face with a calm gaze, suddenly raised his hand. At that moment, a series of death cries erupted from where the elders were gathered.

“Kuaaak!”

“Keeek!”

Startled, Kepler turned around to see the Imperial Guard knights attacking the elders. Even though the elders were 6th and 7th circle mages, it was nearly impossible for them to evade the surprise attack of the Imperial Guard knights, who had reached the level of Sword Masters, at close range. In an instant, all of the more than 30 elders were massacred.

“Y-Your Majesty! What on earth are you doing!” Kepler, his eyes bloodshot, cried out to Rudolf in despair. Rudolf shrugged and replied,

“I merely removed any elements that might hinder my progress.”

“What did you say?!”

Kepler had not considered it at all, but Rudolf could not help but worry about what might happen after he jumped into the time travel device. Once the time travel device was functioning normally, there was a possibility that someone else might use it. ‘Even if I go back to the past, it will take some time to eliminate the enemies. In that situation, if a hindrance were to come from the future, history might not change. No, it might change to be even more disadvantageous for me…’ Thinking this, Rudolf had secretly ordered the Imperial Guard while the ether of the ruins was being activated. To kill all the mages the moment he raised his hand, and to destroy the ruins after he left.

“Do not worry about wealth and honor. I will sufficiently reward you for today’s achievements in the past.”

Rudolf drew his sword and swung it like lightning. Flash! His movements were so fast that Marquis Kepler could not even generate a defensive magic, and his head was severed. Count Lorex, the Vice Meister, who witnessed the scene, fled in a panic.

“Aaaah! S-Save me…!”

Shuuk!

The moment a golden light flashed, a diagonal line was drawn across Lorex’s body, and he was cut in half. It was the futile death of the great mages who once represented the Baroque Empire. “Hieeek!” Count Volter, the only one left alive besides the Imperial Guard, screamed in terror. As Rudolf’s cold, snake-like gaze turned towards him, he asked with a pale face,

“…Are you going to kill me too?”

“You are not a mage, so there is no need to kill you.”

Rudolf said coldly and turned away, sheathing his sword. Volter knelt before him and begged,

“Your Majesty, please take me with you!”

“Take you? To the past, you mean?”

“Wouldn’t you need someone to help you, Your Majesty? There may be a version of me in the past, but they won’t have as much information as I do now.”

“Hmm… That is certainly true.”

Going to the past alone to eliminate enemies would be difficult in many ways. If he tried to kill Luke and the leaders of the noble faction, or eliminate Arsen or the Veritas Magic Tower, there would be a backlash of ‘Why are you trying to harm innocent people?’ and things might not go as planned. He needed a right-hand man who understood him and would follow his decisions without any doubt.

“I grant you permission to accompany me.”

“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”

Volter, overjoyed, prostrated himself like a toad. Rudolf, who smiled faintly at him, turned his gaze back to the time travel device. As Kepler had said earlier, the dark matter was gradually dissipating, and a passage was appearing. ‘Now, all variables have been eliminated. If that passage fully opens and I go to the past…!’ Just as Rudolf, filled with anticipation, was about to move towards the time travel device, a loud noise and commotion suddenly erupted from outside. No, it was not just a simple commotion. There were rough shouts, the clashing of weapons, and even the sound of Gigantes [large, humanoid war machines] being activated.

“What is going on? Find out immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Count Luf, the commander of the Imperial Guard, immediately went outside. He soon returned with a hurried expression and reported,

“Your Majesty, intruders have broken into the Imperial Palace and are engaged in battle.”

“What? Intruders in the Imperial Palace?”

“Actually, about an hour ago, there were explosions and disturbances throughout the capital, and in the midst of that, a group of people dressed as Imperial soldiers rushed into the Imperial Palace.”

At Count Luf’s report, Rudolf roared,

“Why wasn’t I informed of this until now!”

“W-Well… Your Majesty ordered that no one be allowed into the ruins, so it seems that even the messenger sent by the commander of the Imperial Knights could not enter the dome where these ruins are located.”

“Tch!”

The order he had given to ensure security had backfired. ‘Is there a rebellion in the capital? Or did special forces from an enemy country secretly infiltrate?’ Rudolf frowned, but soon his expression relaxed. ‘Well, the commotion will soon subside. The combined forces of the Central Army, the Northern Army, the Eastern Army, and the Gigantes of the Imperial Knights amount to over 700. That surpasses the holdings of most kingdoms.’ The defense power of the Imperial Palace was a given. No matter who the intruders who had broken into the ruins were, they would soon be annihilated.

“Tell them to deal with it quickly. I cannot leave my post, so the commander of the Imperial Guard…”

Rudolf was about to give instructions to Count Luf when suddenly, one side of the dome’s tent was torn open, and a strange Gigante pushed its way in. “Who is that!” Rudolf shouted, and the hatch of the Gigante opened, revealing a man dressed as an Imperial soldier. Rudolf’s eyes widened as he saw him. Curly platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, thick eyebrows, and a sharp nose. He looked older than the last time he had seen him, but it was the face of his nemesis that he could never forget.

“Luke de Rakan!” Rudolf roared like a dragon breathing fire. Looking at him as his name was called, Luke smiled and said,

“It’s been a while, Emperor Rudolf. But it seems I’m very welcome. You’re greeting me so loudly…”

“I will tear you apart and kill you!”

Two arch-enemies who brought about the downfall of the Baroque Empire. Arsen and Luke de Rakan. If Arsen was the one who brought tragedy to the Imperial family, Luke was the culprit who established Symphonia and played a part in the downfall of the Baroque Empire, which was torn into three parts. Srrring! As Rudolf drew his sword and tried to rush towards Luke, Count Luf stopped him.

“Your Majesty, calm yourself! What you need to do now is not to punish the traitor!”

“What?” Rudolf glared at him with flickering eyes. If it had been any other retainer, their head would have already been severed. However, Count Luf was the most skilled and loyal among the Imperial Guards whom Rudolf had personally trained. He could not kill him carelessly, even if it was because of the effort he had put into him. And he was also responsible for destroying the time travel device after Rudolf left.

“If Your Majesty goes back to the past, someone like Luke is nothing. The passage is almost open, so rather than dealing with him, you should get on the time travel device as soon as possible!”

“That’s right. I had something to do now.”

Rudolf, having calmed down, shouted at Luke as if chewing on his words,

“Watch this, Luke. I will use this device to go to the past. I will throw all the people of the Rakan territory, young and old, to the beasts, and I will erase every building in the territory without leaving a single cornerstone!”

“Hah! You’ll be a bloody mess in my hands faster than you can go to the past!”

Luke scoffed at Rudolf’s menacing threat and charged the Avenger towards Rudolf. But after taking a couple of steps, the Avenger stopped as if it were a lie.

“This is… a multi-layered mana barrier for Gigantes?”

Luke, sensing an unusual mana wave, groaned. “Hehehe! Did you think I would be here without any preparation?” Rudolf grinned. As soon as he heard that the ruins could be activated, he had taken various precautions. He had not only summoned the entire army to the capital and surrounded the ruins of time with the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Knights, but he had also laid multiple defensive magic circles around the ruins. Not only a multi-layered mana barrier for Gigantes, but also shield magic to block shelling, and alarm magic to detect enemies secretly infiltrating inside. He had not just collected magic stones to create ether!

“Can’t use the Gigante?”

“Then the Wooden Ox is the same.”

Not only Luke, but also Gregory’s Veda and Hwangbo-seong’s Wooden Ox, which had entered the dome after Luke, stopped moving. In the case of the Wooden Ox, it was originally a Taoist artifact that could ignore the effects of magic. However, in the recent upgrade process, it had incorporated many magical engineering technologies, so it stopped like a Gigante.

“Go ahead and play leisurely with my Imperial Guard. Meanwhile, I will go to the past and achieve my goals!”

As Rudolf turned his back towards the time travel device, Luke, becoming desperate, shouted to his companions who had entered the dome one after another,

“Stop Rudolf! We must not let him enter that dimensional rift!”

“Stop the traitors!”

As Luke’s group rushed towards Rudolf, the Imperial Guard knights stepped forward to block them.

“Get out of the way, you mad emperor’s dogs!”

“Those who block my path will not be spared by my fists!”

Following Luke, Grand Duke Gregory, and Hwangbo-seong, who had entered first, the special forces members, including Erewyn and Karen, joined in, and a fierce battle broke out with dozens of Imperial Guard knights.

Kuaaaang! Kwaang!

Kagagagagak!

Luke and the special forces unleashed fierce attacks. However, they could not annihilate the enemy in an instant as they had hoped. This was because they had already fought a battle outside. They had consumed a considerable amount of aura and magic power in their haste to subdue the considerable number of Imperial Guards and the Imperial Guard Gigantes guarding the outer perimeter of the dome. Moreover, the Imperial Guards inside the dome were more skilled than those outside. They were at least top-tier Experts, and there were many Sword Masters. Also, they were extremely tenacious, regardless of their skills, as they were absolutely loyal to Rudolf. They did not stop swinging their swords even when their arms and legs were cut off or their abdomens were pierced.

2

Luke’s anxiety reached its peak as he saw the fierce resistance of the Imperial Guard and Rudolf’s approach to the time travel device. ‘Damn it, if only I could use Warp or Blink, I would grab him right now!’ Unfortunately, spatial movement magic could not be used inside Nemesis due to powerful interference magic. In fact, it was impossible to pull out the Gigante from the subspace of the bracelet, but after entering the capital, he had solved the problem by applying some countermeasures in the hideout. Nevertheless, Warp or Blink could not be used yet. The reason was that unlike the Gigante stored in the subspace, which was an ‘inanimate object,’ Warp or Blink moved ‘living targets.’ Therefore, more difficult and complex countermeasures had to be applied, but there was not enough time to do so. ‘I can’t just stand here doing nothing!’ Luke clenched his teeth and poured a lot of gold aura into the Dragon Tooth he had taken out of the subspace, and then unleashed Cyclone Rage. Cyclone Rage was inferior to Meteor Sword or Clock Up Sword in terms of power among the late techniques of the Gold Sword. However, it had the advantage of fast manifestation and long-range attack. Ssaeeeeeeek! The bright light that started from the Dragon Tooth cut through the air and flew towards Rudolf. “This bastard…!” Rudolf swung his sword as a golden streak suddenly flew towards him. He could have easily dodged it, but he intended to deflect it because it could hit the time travel device behind him if he did. Kuaaaang—! The moment the golden light and Rudolf’s sword collided, a huge roar erupted, and dust rose.

Drip, drip, drip!

Rudolf, pushed back a good dozen steps, wore an expression of disbelief.

‘I’m being pushed back…!’

After becoming a Sword Emperor, Rudolf had prided himself on being the strongest swordsman on the Lodisia continent.

Arsene might be stronger, but that was because he was a lich, not due to his swordsmanship. He believed no one could match him in swordsmanship.

Yet, he was being pushed back by a mere upstart like Luke!

“Where do you think you’re going, you crazy emperor? When you stole another family’s secret techniques and boasted about being the strongest knight, where was your honor? Now that you’re at a disadvantage, you’re trying to run to the past? Looking at you now, the Baroque Imperial family’s chivalry is worse than garbage, it’s like vomit!”

“Kuh! What did you say?”

“If you’re going to leave, settle things first! Let’s end the 500-year-long feud between the Lakan and Baroque families!”

“Very well, if that’s what you want, I’ll cut off your head!”

Rudolf, his reason shattered by Luke’s provocation, roared and charged.

“Your Majesty, please don’t…”

Count Luff, who tried to stop Rudolf, gave up after seeing his eyes, which had already glazed over. He knew that once Rudolf was in this state, no amount of advice would work.

“You guys, protect the time travel device. I’ll assist His Majesty.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Count Luff, having given orders to his direct subordinates, drew his sword and joined the fray.

Of course, he had no intention of directly assisting Rudolf, who was engaged in a one-on-one duel with Luke.

If he were to interfere in the battle between two superhumans who had far surpassed even Sword Sages, his head would be the first to fly. So, he targeted the special forces.

The first person he noticed was Karen.

“That young girl…”

Luff’s expression twisted.

It wasn’t because her youthful appearance was annoying.

It was because Karen was fighting evenly, no, overwhelmingly, against three Imperial Guardsmen.

Her skill in wielding both sword and magic, despite her young appearance, was truly astonishing.

‘Could she be a dwarf? No, she’s definitely human. Then, she might be a master of reverse aging from the Southern Continent.’

Among the enemies, there was also a Fist Sage who seemed to be from the Southern Continent.

He was clearly the commander of the Symphonia Royal Knights, Luke’s right-hand man, as the rumors had said.

‘Anyway, I need to eliminate that young girl first!’

Unlike the other enemies, Karen kept her eyes on the time travel device.

If there was an opening, she would surely launch a magical attack.

Having made this judgment, Luff rushed towards Karen.

“How dare you…!”

Just as he was about to reach Karen, an old man blocked his path.

“Die!”

Count Luff, intending to kill his opponent in one blow, unleashed the Gold Sword technique he had learned from Rudolf with 80 percent of his power.

With this much gold aura, he could cut down even a high-level Sword Master in one strike.

Clang!

However, contrary to his expectations, the golden aura was blocked far too easily by the old man’s sword.

Rather, he was forced to retreat three steps by the old man’s counterattack.

“Tch! For an old man, you’re quite skilled!”

Count Luff said, trying to calm his trembling right hand.

“Hah, that’s what I should be saying.”

After exchanging a few words, the two began to exchange blows fiercely.

Gregory, watching his opponent’s movements, who was fighting almost evenly with him, exclaimed in admiration.

It seemed that his opponent had surpassed the highest level of Sword Master and entered the realm of Sword Sage.

‘Amazing! I hadn’t heard that Rudolf had someone of this caliber under him…’

There was very little information about Rudolf’s Imperial Guard.

Therefore, Gregory couldn’t help but be surprised by the skills of Luff, as well as some of the other Imperial Guardsmen who were showing superiority against the Undead Legion members.

However, what surprised him more than the Sword Sage-level skill was the swordsmanship his opponent was using.

It was the Gold Sword technique.

‘There was a rumor that Lakan died and his swordsmanship was passed on to the Baroque Imperial family, so it was true?’

It seemed that the rumor was true. It was understandable why Luke and his retainers were so resentful of the Baroque Imperial family.

Anyway, Grand Duke Gregory’s eyes changed as he acknowledged his opponent’s skill.

Before, he had been fighting while keeping an eye on Karen and the other Undead Legion members, but now he decided to focus solely on the opponent in front of him.

If he was careless, he could easily be defeated.

As his gaze changed, so did the power of his swordsmanship.

Clang! Clang!

Count Luff was startled by Gregory’s sharper and fiercer sword strikes.

“This is the swordsmanship of the Holy Empire…! Could you be Grand Duke Gregory?”

“You’re late in recognizing me.”

Just as the existence of Rudolf’s Imperial Guard was not well known on the continent, neither was the fact that Grand Duke Gregory had aged.

This was because the Holy Empire had controlled the information, and as a result, Count Luff was the only one who recognized him at this place.

‘I don’t need to worry about Grand Duke Gregory.’

Karen, having shot a magic bullet and knocked down one of the Imperial Guardsmen, glanced at Gregory fighting Luff before turning her gaze away.

Although her opponent was unexpectedly strong, she didn’t think that the seasoned Sword Sage would lose.

It seemed that Erewin and the other special forces members were also safe for the time being.

They were struggling somewhat against the fierce resistance of the Imperial Guard knights, but thanks to Hwang Bo-sung’s flashing movements, no dangerous situations had arisen.

‘There are two left for me, and seven guarding the device, right?’

At first, Karen had been anxious.

Although Rudolf had been provoked by her father and started fighting, there was no guarantee that none of his subordinates would try to carry out their ‘mission’ instead of the emperor.

No, even if that wasn’t the case, there was a possibility that someone might try to go to the past for their own personal gain.

Therefore, when the Imperial Guard direct subordinates, who had received Luff’s orders, approached the time travel device, Karen was quite tense.

However, they only guarded the time travel device and did not enter the dimensional rift.

‘It must be because their loyalty to Rudolf is so deep, or they have been brainwashed to obey orders absolutely. Thanks to that, we can take a breather.’

First, Karen decided to deal with the two blocking her, then defeat the direct Imperial Guard members guarding the time travel device and destroy the device.

3

‘Hah, everyone is fighting well.’

Luke smiled faintly as he looked at his group.

At that moment, Rudolf roared and attacked.

“Where are you looking!”

The sword, which had pierced like lightning, aimed directly at Luke’s neck. Before he could even block or dodge, it had cut through his neck.

Clang—!

However, a sound that could not have come from a sword meeting flesh was heard. Instead of a chilling cutting sound and blood splattering, Rudolf’s sword was deflected with a metallic clang.

“Tch, a shield spell?”

“Do you think it’s that simple?”

Luke, sneering at Rudolf’s frown, fiercely swung the Dragon Tooth.

Seeing the intense gold aura on the blade of the Dragon Tooth, Rudolf hastily raised his gold aura to block the attack.

Kuaaaang—!

With a sound like a mana bomb exploding, both were pushed back.

However, Luke, who had regained his stance first, leaped forward and launched another attack.

Whoosh! Bang! Crash! Crash!

The storm-like, fierce, fast, and free sword strikes showed the essence of the Gold Sword technique.

However, Rudolf was no less skilled.

He countered with an ascending swordsmanship created by combining the Gold Sword technique with the swordsmanship passed down in the Baroque Imperial family.

After a dozen exchanges of attacks and defenses in an instant, Luke frowned as if dissatisfied and opened his mouth.

“It’s truly a shame. That we can’t go all out in this situation.”

“Hah! I can defeat the likes of you with only 30 percent of my power!”

Rudolf shouted loudly, but in reality, he was also feeling frustrated.

In fact, he thought that if he exploded the gold aura he had reached as a Sword Emperor at once, he could overwhelm Luke and even blow away all the other intruders around him.

However, if he did that, the time travel device would also be destroyed.

If that happened, he might be able to cut off the head of the hateful Luke, but the path to regaining his lost prestige, territory, and family would be gone forever.

Therefore, Rudolf was now fighting Luke using the techniques of swordsmanship rather than powerful aura manipulation.

This was the same for Luke.

If he used the power of the Ether Glove to use the late techniques of the Gold Sword, he could eliminate Rudolf and the time travel device.

However, his daughter and comrades around him could be caught in the aftermath.

‘It would have been better to come alone… No, if I had, I wouldn’t have even seen Rudolf’s face and would have been defeated.’

The fact that he was able to disperse the power of the Imperial Army and the Royal Knights of the Imperial Palace, who had gathered in Nemesis, was thanks to his subordinates and comrades who had lent him their strength.

After exchanging a few more blows with Rudolf, Luke made a suggestion to him.

“How about it, Rudolf? If you’re confident in your skills, let’s fight outside, not here!”

“Outside?”

“Yes. Instead of fighting in this cramped place, let’s go outside and fight with all our might to see who is stronger.”

Rudolf, who had been pondering for a moment at Luke’s suggestion, nodded.

“Very well, don’t regret it even if your head is cut off by my sword.”

Rudolf never thought that he would lose to Luke.

He prided himself on being the strongest knight on the continent, having reached the realm of Sword Emperor.

However, Luke, the strongest Rune Knight, was also confident in his skills.

“Hah, who will die is something we’ll only know after fighting.”

The two, having reached an agreement, came out of the ruins.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“That’s Rudolf!”

The Imperial Guard and the special forces’ Gigant Riders, who were fighting outside the ruins, were startled to see the two men come out.

“Protect His Majesty!”

“Don’t let them join the fight!”

The knights on both sides fought even more fiercely than before, trying to keep each other in check.

Thanks to this, Luke and Rudolf were spared the trouble of warning them not to interfere in their fight.

The two, standing far apart from them, faced each other with their swords drawn.

Whoooosh!

Unlike before, a terrifying aura rose from the tips of their swords.

The flowers and grass around them were cut by an invisible force and flew into the air.

‘Was this guy this strong?’

Years ago, when Rudolf last saw Luke, he was a mere novice who had not even reached the level of Sword Master, let alone Sword Sage.

He had heard that he had made rapid progress by achieving merits in various battlefields, but he still thought that he would never be able to match him in swordsmanship.

However, both from the previous confrontation and from his aura now, he was no less than himself.

No, considering that he was a Rune Knight who freely used both swords and magic, he might be even stronger.

Luke was also surprised inwardly.

‘He has definitely reached the Sword Emperor level.’

He had fought Lakan in the past and knew the skills of a Sword Emperor better than anyone else.

Yet, Rudolf was now displaying an aura no less than the hero Lakan of 500 years ago.

Even though he was the descendant of his enemy, he could not help but acknowledge his talent for swordsmanship.

Crack! Crackle!

Just as the tense atmosphere was about to explode, Rudolf opened his mouth.

“Before we start fighting seriously, let me ask you one thing. How did you know that this ruin was a time travel device? Did you find out when you came to rescue Ferrero before? Or else…”

He paused for a moment and then spoke his conjecture.

“Is it because you used the time travel device to change history?”

“Hah, you think I came from the future?”

“Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that a small, failing border territory became the culprit that destroyed an empire that had lasted for 500 years.”

Luke chuckled at Rudolf’s retort.

“It’s a valid suspicion, but the reason I grew stronger has nothing to do with that ruin. However, I did come to know what it was used for through a connection.”

“Is that so? Anyway, it seems that you have some secrets. I wonder if I’ll find out if I go to the past?”

“You won’t. You will never go to the past.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luke rushed towards Rudolf like a flash.

From the beginning, he deployed the late swordsmanship of the Gold Sword, Cyclone Rage, and pushed Rudolf back.

Although he was a tyrant who had brought down the empire, Rudolf was not an opponent who could be easily defeated.

Sssshhh— Kuung!

The Cyclone Rage, which had passed by Rudolf, shattered a detached palace behind him.

The Cyclone Rage, which had the weakest power among the late techniques of the Gold Sword, was not comparable to ordinary swordsmanship.

The knights nearby were startled and retreated further.

“It seemed familiar, and it was a variation of the late swordsmanship of the Gold Sword. Where did you learn the late techniques? They should have been lost in your family.”

Rudolf asked with a curious expression.

As far as he knew, the late techniques of the Gold Sword were stolen by his ancestor after killing the head of the Lakan family at the time.

Since then, no one in the Lakan family had even mastered the basics of the Gold Sword, let alone the late techniques.

“If you’re curious, go to hell and find out!”

Instead of answering, Luke fiercely swung the Dragon Tooth.

Whoooosh!

The hyper aura, shining like the sun, that had formed on the blade of the sword, grazed Rudolf’s face. The red skin was revealed as the beard he had grown for a long time to show the emperor’s dignity was cut off.

Rudolf didn’t stay still either.

He aimed for the moment when Dragon Tooth grazed his beard and thrust at Luke’s heart and shoulder.

Clang—! Slice!

The heart was deflected as before when he aimed for the neck, but the blade pierced through the armor on the shoulder, digging about an inch into the flesh.

Rudolf, seeing Luke step back with a startled expression to examine his armor, had a look of realization.

“I see! It wasn’t a shield magic, but you were condensing your aura at one point to defend.”

“You have a good eye.”

“Heh heh heh! Do you think this body, the strongest knight on the continent, wouldn’t be able to recognize that much!”

As Rudolf pointed out, Luke was concentrating his aura on vital points to block the attacks.

Frankly, if Luke used other powers such as magic or demonic abilities, he could have defeated Rudolf more easily than now.

However, he deliberately did not use any power other than swordsmanship.

It was because he wanted to crush Rudolf with a sword to avenge Lakan, who realized his mistakes in his later years, and his family’s long-standing grudge.

However, Rudolf’s swordsmanship, having reached the level of Sword Emperor, was more impressive than he had thought.

‘It’s a good thing I fought Yi Yung-mu in the Southern Continent, or my head would have been blown off.’

Luke had defeated Yi Yung-mu, the strongest warrior in the Southern Continent, using only swordsmanship.

In the process, he was able to advance his swordsmanship to the next level, and the method of concentrating aura at one point was also learned at that time.

Concentrating aura at one point not only doubled the attack power but was also useful in defense.

He created a one-point defense method by referring to the martial arts of the Southern Martial World, such as Vajra Indestructible and Body Protection Aura [techniques focusing on physical and spiritual resilience].

The problem was that it was not yet perfect.

So, he had no choice but to leave other parts of his body, except for the vital points, unprotected, and Rudolf immediately took advantage of this.

Shwack! Thud! Swish!

Blood spurted from Luke’s body as Rudolf’s sword strikes flew like lightning.

Both arms, both legs, and his side were cut and stabbed quite deeply.

“Ugh! This…”

“Hahaha! Did you think you could get away with just protecting your vital points!”

Rudolf grinned as he watched Luke become increasingly stained with red.

They weren’t fatal wounds, so he wouldn’t die from excessive bleeding, but if the damage accumulated, his movements and reactions would inevitably slow down.

He might hold out for a while, but eventually, he would die.

“It’s your defeat, Luke de Lakan!”

To not miss the opportunity he had seized, Rudolf continued to launch a fierce offensive.

From his sword, not only the Gold Sword but also various sword techniques, including the Baroque Imperial family’s heirloom swordsmanship, poured out in succession.

Kuaang! Kwang! Kwagagagang!

Luke, who was struggling to block the attacks while wielding Dragon Tooth, was eventually pierced through the shoulder by Rudolf’s sword.

“Kuh!”

Rudolf, with a triumphant look on his face, shouted at him as he staggered back.

“How is it, Luke de Lakan? How does it feel to have death right in front of you?”

“It hurts like hell.”

“Heh heh heh, it would.”

Rudolf raised his sword to finish him off.

Luke, perhaps due to the accumulated injuries, just stared blankly at him.

“Your Majesty Luke!”

“N-No way!”

The Undead Knights, who were fighting in the distance, were shocked and widened their eyes. They were too far away to help.

Was Luke going to be defeated and die like this!

“Then die now!”

Rudolf brought his sword down.

The gold aura, created in an instant, emitted a terrifying energy and flew towards Luke’s head. No, it was about to fly.

Flash.

Just before Rudolf’s gold aura left his sword, Luke approached like lightning and snatched his right hand.

Then, he smiled and said.

“The young knights these days say that overconfidence is a sure path to defeat.”

“Y-You…!

Seeing Luke’s lively expression, as if he hadn’t been injured at all, Rudolf realized that he had been deceived by his acting.

He hurriedly tried to shake off Luke’s hand and counterattack.

But before that, Luke stepped hard on Rudolf’s foot.

Crack—!

With a well-aimed blow, the instep of the Sword Emperor, which was harder than steel, was crushed.

“Kuaaak!”

“This isn’t the end!”

Luke, holding Dragon Tooth with both hands, swung it up greatly as if he were swinging a bat.

Kwaaaang!

With a roar, Rudolf’s body was pushed back.

In that split second, he raised his sword to block the attack, but it wasn’t without damage.

Fragments of the broken sword from the previous blow of Dragon Tooth were embedded all over his body, which was holding the broken sword.

There was a long cut on his face, as if a fragment had grazed it.

“Kuh! Luke de Lakan…!”

“Heh heh, the strongest knight on the continent looks quite pathetic.”

Rudolf gritted his teeth at Luke’s mockery. He was especially furious that he had been deceived by Luke’s acting.

“I swear I will take your head and use your skull as a drinking cup!”

“Before you recite grand wishes, how about changing your sword? You’re not going to beat me with that broken sword, are you?”

Rudolf’s expression became even more distorted at Luke’s remark, and he threw away the broken sword and picked up the metal belt he was wearing around his waist.

Charrrrrr!

As he injected aura into the metal belt, the loosely connected iron pieces combined to form the shape of a sword.

‘Chain Sword?’

Luke focused on the blade of the chain sword, which was jagged like shark teeth.

The sharpness of the blade was comparable to the famous sword of the blacksmith Zig that he possessed, and it was coated with a deadly poison.

‘That’s Dios!’

This deadly poison, named Dios after its creator, was made by a painter, not a magician or alchemist.

This poison, which was accidentally created while processing minerals to make dyes, had no color or smell, making it very difficult to recognize.

However, it had a characteristic of shimmering like glass when aura or mana reacted to it.

The toxicity was so deadly that it was known to be able to kill even dragons.

In fact, there was a rebellion in the past that used it. A single drop of poison dropped into the water source annihilated an entire royal knight order.

‘He got hit once and immediately resorts to such a despicable trick… As expected, the blood of a traitor never changes.’

“Die, Luke!”

As Luke was inwardly mocking him, Rudolf’s sword strike flew.

Clang! Rumble! Clang!

The chain sword, dancing like a snake, crushed and shattered anything it touched, whether it was stone or wood.

Even the Gigantes [large, powerful constructs] of the Imperial Guard within a certain distance were caught in Rudolf’s sword strike and were shattered into scrap metal.

“Hiiik, step back!”

“If you get caught in His Majesty’s attack, you’re done for!”

Both the Imperial Guard and the Special Forces fighting them were busy saving their own lives in the face of Rudolf’s brutal attacks.

Luke also couldn’t dare to counterattack and was just dodging here and there.

‘This is no joke. It’s like a bombardment with area-of-effect magic.’

Luke couldn’t help but click his tongue as he looked at the imperial palace garden, which had instantly turned into ruins, no, an empty space without a trace.

Rudolf continued his relentless offensive towards him.

“Hahaha! What’s wrong, Luke! Where did the mockery you showed me earlier go?”

“Hmph! And you, you’ve been wasting your energy since earlier, haven’t you?”

Rudolf’s attacks were terrifying, but they lacked the precision they had before.

Luke had no fatal injuries except for the shoulder wound he had deliberately taken, but Rudolf’s speed had decreased significantly since his right foot bone was crushed earlier.

It is the hand that wields the sword, but it is the lower body that provides the power and speed.

If there is a problem with the lower body, the attack will inevitably become dull.

Clang! Claaang—!

Luke, who had dodged Rudolf’s attack, threw his body forward and struck down with Dragon Tooth.

Since he couldn’t use one shoulder, he swung the sword with one hand, but the counterattack was surprisingly heavy. He twisted his body to add centrifugal force, and he struck down as if he was going to throw the sword.

Rudolf, startled by the bold strike, hurriedly tried to dodge.

But this time, his injured foot held him back.

So, he ended up deflecting it instead of completely dodging it.

Kwaang!

‘This is bad, my stance is shaken…!’

Because his lower body was weak, he couldn’t completely dissipate the power in the sword.

As a result, his stance was disrupted.

Luke did not miss the opportunity.

He took a strong step forward and rushed towards Rudolf like lightning.

‘How arrogant! To dare to charge straight at me!’

Even though his stance was disrupted, he could block Luke’s counterattack.

No, he was confident that he could inflict a fatal blow on him.

‘My strike won’t hit him directly. But even if my blade just grazes him, he will die!’

The Dios applied to the chain sword now was the most powerful poison in history.

Even a Rune Knight [a knight with magical abilities] would be helpless!

‘I will definitely kill you here!’

Rudolf raised his chain sword with determination.

But this was Rudolf’s misjudgment.

He failed to calculate Luke’s movements, which changed in a split second.

‘Clock Up Sword!’

Luke unleashed the final technique of the Gold Sword, the Clock Up Sword.

Then, time stretched out, and the surrounding movements slowed down.

Gaining a little time, he discarded Dragon Tooth and took out the Holy Sword Valiant from his subspace.

Whooong!

The soft light emanating from the Holy Sword Valiant instantly healed Luke’s wounds and enhanced his physical abilities.

“This is the end, Rudolf!”

‘I, I have to block it…’

Contrary to his will, Rudolf could not block it properly.

In front of him, Luke was running slowly, but his own movements were even slower.

Moreover, he was used to Luke’s swordsmanship of wielding the heavy Dragon Tooth, so he could not adapt to the sudden change to nimble swordsmanship.

Clang— Slice!

“Kuaaaak!”

With Luke’s strike as he charged, Rudolf’s chain sword was cut in half, and at the same time, Rudolf’s body flew backward.

Like a cannonball fired from a cannon, his body smashed through a detached palace and crashed into the dome where the time travel device was located.

“W-What is it?”

“Your Majesty!”

Count Liff, who was engaged in a desperate battle with Grand Duke Gregory.

He was startled by the sight of Rudolf, who had suddenly been thrown into a mess.

It was not just a simple scratch, but a terrible injury.

His right arm was bent backward, and his left arm was nowhere to be found, as if it had been completely cut off.

“Protect His Majesty… Cough!”

Count Liff, who was running towards Rudolf instead of fighting, suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed. Gregory’s sword had pierced his heart from behind.

“Tsk, foolish to show your back to the enemy.”

It was the futile death of a powerful man who was one of the strongest on the continent.

However, Count Liff’s death was not in vain.

The Imperial Guards, who heard his order, hurriedly approached Rudolf, poured a potion into his mouth, and applied it to his wounds for first aid.

“Heh heh heh. I lost… I, the strongest knight on the continent… Heh heh heh!”

Rudolf, who was helped up by the Imperial Guards, gave a hollow laugh.

It was because one of the two prides that had supported him until now had been shattered.

“You are no longer the strongest knight on the continent. I am the strongest knight on the continent.”

At Luke’s words, who had approached him, Rudolf gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Don’t be too happy that you beat me! I will be the one who wins in the end!”

“This is bad! Stop Rudolf now!”

Luke was startled and shouted when he saw Rudolf suddenly jumping towards the back.

It was unfortunate that the place where he had crashed was near the time travel device.

While Luke was fighting Rudolf, Karen had broken through the resistance of the Imperial Guards and destroyed part of the device, but the space-time passage had not yet completely disappeared.

“Hahaha! Then let’s meet in the past, Luke de Lakan!”

Rudolf, squeezing out his last strength, threw himself into the space-time passage.

Luke, who had pushed aside the Imperial Guards and rushed to grab him, reached out his hand, but Rudolf’s body disappeared into the gap between dimensions in an instant.

Eventually, even the space-time passage closed.