Tohsaka Rin: "Whoa! What a powerful aura!"
Tohsaka Rin: "We get to see Lord Su Mo fight again."
Seeing the tense, sword-drawn battlefield, Rin momentarily forgot about her sister, her focus completely absorbed by the scene before her.
Kanae: "While I'm also looking forward to a battle of mythical proportions, the one fighting is Lord Su Mo. I feel like it'll be over in no time!"
Madoka: "I agree."
By now, none of them felt the slightest worry for Su Mo when his opponent was a mere Godslayer. His victory was a certainty; the only question was how quickly it would come.
Tohsaka Rin: "Wanna bet how many moves it'll take Lord Su Mo to win this time?"
Tohsaka Rin: "For the record, I bet on one move!"
Madoka: "Then I guess I'll have to bet on two."
Kanae: "It seems I have no choice left, but I also wanted to bet on one move."
Having witnessed Su Mo one-shot Melqart, they didn't see this King of Swords as much of an obstacle, no matter how strong he was.
While they were chattering away, Doni had already made his move.
He took a single, light step forward, then casually swung his sword down.
SHIIIING!
A sharp silver light flashed. In an instant, the world itself seemed to split.
A great canyon formed along the line extending from his sword's tip. The earth became a chasm, and the sea was sliced in two like jelly. A torrent of seawater poured into the rift, followed by mountains of sand, yet none of it could fill the newly formed gap.
Viewed from the sky, it looked as if the single slash had carved a massive scar across the planet.
Seeing this, the members of the chat group fell silent.
Tohsaka Rin: "He sliced the ground and the sea apart with one swing? This blond seaweed-head is actually that strong?"
Tohsaka Rin: "I guess a Godslayer is a Godslayer, after all!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Kanae: "That is indeed power on the level of a god."
Madoka: "Amazing!"
Tohsaka Rin: "Still, I stand by my opinion. Against him, Lord Su Mo only needs one move."
Tohsaka Rin: "If this King of Swords were my enemy, I'd surrender immediately and declare his power is way off the charts."
Tohsaka Rin: "But since this King of Swords is Lord Su Mo's enemy, all I can say is, the kid's got a lot more training to do."
Madoka: "Pfft-hahaha! Rin, your comparison is hilarious!"
Kanae thought about it and realized it was true. Although she was stunned by the King of Swords' world-altering power, the moment she remembered he was Su Mo's opponent, it was hard not to feel he was outmatched.
It couldn't be helped. Before Su Mo, there were very few who seemed capable at all.
---||---
Back on the battlefield.
Doni had casually cleaved the earth and ocean, not to show off his power, but for another reason.
"Just stand aside and watch the battle between me and my dearest friend!" he said to Erica.
He had simply wanted to draw a line in the sand, to keep her from interfering with the fight.
Against an ordinary magus, or even Erica at her previous Great Knight level, this move might have worked. But against the Erica of today...
"What did you say?"
The Boots of Hermes at her feet flashed with light, and the knightess instantly teleported behind Su Mo, glaring at the King of Swords with hostility.
"If my lord commands it, I will naturally withdraw from the battlefield. But if my lord has not given the order, you alone are not enough to obstruct the gift he has bestowed upon me."
"It seems you've gotten much stronger, too!"
Doni ignored Erica's words, giving her a look of genuine surprise. Then, he gave up on shooing her away and turned his attention back to Su Mo.
"As your senior, I can let you have the first move!"
Clearly, his perspective was the same as nearly everyone else in the magical world: he thought Su Mo was just an ordinary, newly minted Godslayer.
Generally speaking, due to disparities in the number of Authorities and experience, it was widely believed that the older a Godslayer was, the stronger they were.
As a battle junkie, although he sensed Su Mo was no simple foe, he still wanted to grant him the first attack to see what kind of Authorities he had obtained.
Besides, with his powerful defensive Authority, the Protection of Steel, ordinary Authorities would have a hard time inflicting any serious injury.
Faced with this offer, Su Mo simply shook his head slowly.
"There's no need."
Because...
"I'm already prepared."
Before his words had even faded, a radiant, Buddha-like halo materialized behind Su Mo. Inscribed upon the halo were various Persian characters and symbols representing different avatars.
Soon, these mystical symbols fused together, forming a single, orange-red longsword. The blade seemed to possess a mind of its own, automatically floating and circling around Su Mo's body.
Mythical Thaumaturgy: Sword of Victory.
"Oh? You use a sword, too?"
Seeing the orange blade of light, Doni's eyes lit up. He had no idea what it did, but that didn't matter. He'd find out after he cut it.
With that thought, he could no longer hold back and raised his longsword.
"Here I come!"
Adopting a lunging stance, the highly skilled swordsman planned to close the distance instantly and leverage his advantage in close-quarters combat.
However...
Facing the King of Swords, who was filled with fighting spirit, fully prepared, and looked ready for a hearty, all-out battle, Su Mo simply gave a casual wave of his hand. The brilliant orange-red longsword vanished, and his own magical energy receded.
"?"
Just as a look of confusion crossed Doni's face and he was about to ask what was happening, he was suddenly struck by an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
Forget raising his sword—he no longer even had the strength to stand. The magical energy coursing through his body vanished as if it were a stone sinking into the ocean, leaving no response.
He nearly collapsed to the ground, only managing to stay upright by using his longsword as a crutch.
This state was, without a doubt, a complete and utter defeat, with no room for resistance.
It was only then that Su Mo's serene voice reached his ears.
"It's starting? No, it's already over."
Tohsaka Rin, Madoka, and Kanae's predictions were all wrong.
Having successfully defeated the King of Swords, Su Mo appeared to have not used a single move.
Seeing this, everyone, including Erica, was completely dumbfounded.
How was that possible?