I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

At the same time, she became highly alert.

She had just been attacked by Jill, but could only see the flash of the blade and not Jill's figure.

That speed—had it already surpassed her dynamic vision?!

"Quick reaction." A voice came from behind, but Rubia launched an attack from the side.

"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing rang out, but Rubia still couldn't see Gil's movement trajectory.

Jill's speed was simply too fast, and Rubia could only barely withstand Jill's attacks by relying on her intuition and her somewhat unconventional swordsmanship.

"Well, to be honest, it's quite surprising that you have such strength." Gil was well aware of the threat posed by the elven magical weapon—Laevatain—in Rubia's hands.

Since it is a threat, it can be rendered powerless if the methods are used properly.

Jill acted quickly.

Just a short while ago, when Rubia waved the Laevatain a few times, the surrounding trees and land were set ablaze.

Jill is now feeling a slight burning sensation.

“You can’t even control the spirit you’ve made a contract with?” Gil raised an eyebrow.

However, it would be strange if such a spirit could be completely mastered, wouldn't it?

Because Jill remembered that among the books she had read were descriptions of Laevatain.

The one who was defeated by the Fire Elemental King in ancient times is known as the strongest fire elemental besides the Fire Elemental King.

It is also a very high-level existence among elves—a mythical elf.

“How ironic,” Rubia said, glancing at the Demon Slayer in Jill’s hand.

“Oh? Irony?” Jill raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I am referring to the Holy Sword that once fought alongside the Holy Maiden, which now seeks to kill me,” Rubia said.

"...What do you mean?" Enkidu appeared beside Gil and asked with a frown.

"You are—the other highest-ranking elf who followed Aresia back then, the legendary Enkidu?" Rubia looked at Gil with a strange expression. "You really do have a connection with that saintess from back then?"

“You have to look at it the other way around—” Jill’s wisdom told him everything, “You and that saintess also have a special relationship, don’t you?”

“Indeed—how could a mere priestess in charge of rituals be able to perform a sword dance that rivals yours? Haven’t you ever considered the oddities involved?” Rubia asked, raising Laevatain again.

Indeed, that's strange.

Because the priestesses who preside over the rituals are not people who exercise, let alone learn sword dance skills.

While it's possible to rely on intuition to occasionally block Jill's attacks while she's at high speed, what's hard to explain is that she blocked Jill's attacks "every single time."

“A thousand years ago, a shepherdess living on the edge of the continent accidentally pulled a holy sword stuck in a rock and obtained the chains that could bind the gods—how could an ordinary shepherdess fight against a demon king who commanded a powerful army of elves? Don’t you find that strange?”

“Alesia?” Enkidu reacted the fastest, after all, this was her personal experience.

"That's right. The Holy Maiden is the counterpart that awakens in response to the Demon King's reincarnation. In other words, the Holy Maiden is a pawn that the five Elf Kings laid out in advance for the resurrection of the Dark Elf King."

“I see…” Jill nodded with an expression of understanding.

“That’s right, I am the one who resonates with the Demon King—the reincarnation of the Saintess,” Rubia said.

Jill could clearly feel a series of stinging sensations coming from the elven mark on the back of her right hand.

That must be Esther's emotional fluctuations.

“This time, the Demon King—that is, Kazehaya Kamito by your side—has awakened quite perfectly. You should say that you were secretly pushing things along, right? The stronger the Demon King becomes, the stronger I become!” Rubia stared at Gil. “You will pay the price for what you have done.”

“…Hmph…Hahahaha…” Jill couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Rubia frowned.

“You’re too young to be laughing at—” Jill shook her head. “Can you even keep up with me?”

“…” Rubia fell silent.

"If you say it's okay, then give it a try—what's the God-Slaying Flame? My Esther is the strongest sword spirit!" Gil declared, holding his sword with both hands.

Chapter 247 The Battle Between the Two Sides

tread--

It was that soft voice again, but Rubia's mind became completely focused after hearing it.

There's no way around it; Jill's agility stat is now A-level, and with Soul Flash Shadow Step, if she doesn't get used to this movement technique in a short time—

Unbeatable...

"Clang—" The chain shot out suddenly, striking directly at Rubia.

Since Enkidu has already made his move, Gilles naturally won't be left behind.

While Rubia's attention was drawn to the chains, Jill swiftly thrust her sword forward.

However, this time Jill didn't succeed; instead—

"Hiss! It's so hot!"

Jill had barely gotten close when she was burned by the eerie heat. She quickly took a step back, simultaneously throwing a sword—

"Soul Flash - Chasing the Moon!"

The crescent-shaped sword energy swept through the air, but was blocked by Rubia, who also dodged the Enkidu, which lashed out like a whip.

"...Using high temperatures as protection?" Jill frowned.

Jill could see that the air around Rubia was distorted—it looked like the high temperature had formed a sphere.

If you can't defend yourself in close combat, then use another method to protect yourself.

Jill had seen this claim several times in the traveler's log.

Jill herself knows several examples.

For example, a person mentioned in a traveler's diary—Dior Brando—had a trick called… vaporization freezing—to prevent others from getting close.

Another one is Gaara, whose sand can be described as an absolute defense.

However, they all have a flaw: reaction.

Dio Brando's vaporization freezing technique involves vaporizing the water in his body to freeze any opponent who touches him. Theoretically, this technique can guarantee invincibility in close combat.

That's just in theory.

Because this tactic has to be "used" no matter what, right?

Luvia, however, surrounded herself with that scorching heat, making it difficult for Jill to get close.

"Really, you're quite skilled at using fire..." Gil glanced at the burns on his arm, and then he deactivated the Lancer class card.

"You flatter me. Rather, if I hadn't thought of this method, I wouldn't have been able to fight you at all," Luvia said.

“Well, I'll give you credit for that.” Jill took out a potion and poured it on the wound. “You’re quite a formidable opponent—”

Jill looked at the healed wound and said, "Take back what you said before. Besides being good at talking big, you do have some skills."

So Rubia didn't hesitate.

She charged at Jill, who leaped backward this time, reaching out to grab a chain.

"The vow of eat me, Judah, has been hammered!" Jill swung the chains in his hand without hesitation, and the huge cross smashed down on Rubia from the side with overwhelming force.

"!" Rubia could tell how heavy the flying thing was just by the sound. Without hesitation, she jumped up and dodged the cross's side attack.

The cross smashed into a large tree, creating a cross-shaped hole in the tree, which was as thick as two people could hug.

That state won't last long—

Jill made this judgment quickly because he had seen the situation next to Rubia, which had been distorted by temperature, disappear in his line of sight.

"Step!" Gil took a step. Although his speed was not as fast as before, Gil's own agility, combined with the amplification from his class card, still made Gil's speed reach a terrifying level.

Enkidu didn't choose to stand by either; countless chains immediately coiled around Rubia, who had already leaped into the air—

"Ugh!" Rubia spun around, twisting her body as if she were about to break herself, avoiding Gilles and Enkidu's attacks and landing on the ground.

Gilgamesh also landed on the ground, and the chains around Enkidu began to stir again—

The battle has reached a stalemate.

……

"Clang!" The swords clashed, sparks flew, and a gust of wind arose.

The invisible sword clashed with the black longsword. With her extensive experience in countless battles, Artoria easily deflected the black longsword with her own sword. The invisible sword even left countless hideous wounds on the black knight's jet-black armor.

“Demons and heretics…” Artoria looked at the black knight whose body was constantly surging with black divine power, her azure eyes filled with obvious disgust.

At this moment, the Black Knight suddenly made a gesture that sounded like a mockery.

Artoria frowned, but remained unmoved, fiercely swinging the invisible sword in her hand.

The Black Knight swung his sword fiercely, and dark purple lightning suddenly erupted from the demonic blade.

The sudden lightning attack caught Artoria off guard, but she managed to dodge it in time. However, the Invisible Air barrier surrounding Excalibur was torn apart by the dark purple lightning, revealing the golden blade inside.

"!" Artoria frowned.

But that's alright—

After all, the Wind King's Barrier is just a concealment magic. Its true purpose is to hide the longsword. It is not that Excalibur itself becomes transparent, but rather that it changes the refractive index of light by wrapping several layers of wind around it, thus obscuring the sword.

Artoria swung her longsword, once again suppressing the Black Knight.

The Black Knight slashed downwards with his longsword, attempting to subdue Artoria, but Artoria deftly parried the blow by raising his own sword.

In that instant, Artoria seized the opening where her opponent's arms were unable to defend themselves and swung her longsword fiercely.

"Wind King's Hammer!" The storm's attack shattered the Black Knight's helmet, and fragments of the helmet scattered in all directions under the flash of the Wind King's Hammer.

The Black Knight let out a sharp roar.

A pair of eyes, their pupils hidden in their sockets, emitted a terrifying red light, staring directly at Artoria.

What appeared before her eyes shocked Artoria.

Inside the shattered and scattered armor—