I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

—In the next instant, Grevas swung her magic sword and casually slashed at the space behind her.

Bang! Boom! Rumble!

A burst of crimson sword light cleaved the stone bridge surface in one fell swoop.

The small hill built of dragon corpses collapsed and fell into the bottomless valley.

She cut off her own escape route.

Lian narrowed her eyes, and her expression turned a little grim.

Artoria is in the direction of Dragon City, as is Kusanagi Village.

If something goes wrong, timely support is also an option.

However, Grevas's move not only directly cut off her retreat, but also destroyed the path to reinforcements.

Moreover, the news that a "gate" had just appeared today prompted Gil and Enkidu to leave Dragonrock City and head to destroy the "gate".

In other words... this attack, or rather assassination, was undoubtedly premeditated and planned by the Holy Kingdom!

“…This is the worst-case scenario…” Lian’s eyes narrowed as she murmured softly.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: I've Seen Many More Terrifying People Than You

"That damned bastard, how dare he do such a thing to the guardians of my Dragon Kingdom!"

"Guests from Austria, we are here to lend you a helping hand!"

The dragon knights behind Lian roared in anger.

"Don't come any closer, do you want to die—" Lian turned around and glared at them with sharp eyes.

The dragon knights trembled involuntarily when glared at by that murderous gaze.

"Sorry, you guys are just holding me back," Lian said coldly, suppressing her emotions.

"But...but you're all alone—"

"I told you, you're just getting in the way. Excuse me, could you please take Leora away?"

—In some respects, they can indeed be a hindrance.

To be honest, with their help, Lian would definitely have an easier time fighting. After all, fighting alone is never as easy as attacking the enemy group together.

However, this is based on the premise that their lives must be sacrificed.

In a battle between two strong individuals, even the intervention of numerous weaker individuals is unlikely to alter the outcome and may even result in significant casualties.

This kind of sacrifice is definitely not what Lian wants to see.

She didn't want to see pointless sacrifices.

That doesn't align with her beliefs.

Moreover, and more importantly, he didn't want Grevas to become the executioner who killed these people.

The dragon knights seemed to vaguely sense Lian's thoughts—

"Lord Lian, I wish you great success."

May the dragon's protection be with you.

The dragon knight girls lifted Leora, who was lying on the ground, and retreated back into the castle.

"--Thanks."

After whispering softly, Lian turned around and looked at Grevas standing on the edge of the cliff.

"You want to have a one-on-one fight with me, right?"

“A very wise judgment,” Grevas said calmly.

At that moment, the wind suddenly stopped.

On the moonlit stone bridge—the Twilight Witch and the strongest sword dancer faced off.

Lian stared at Grevas, her gaze slowly becoming calm and still, reflecting only the figure of the person before her.

“Restia,” Lian said softly.

"I understand, Lotus." After exchanging this sentence, the person and the elf, who were of one mind, fell silent.

Grevas simply held up her sword silently, staring at Lian.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, neither making a rash move. Having studied the same school of swordsmanship meant they were intimately familiar with each other's movements. Every sword technique employed could alert the other, potentially leading to a painful counterattack.

Therefore, both of them were mentally strategizing various combat tactics and exploring the most effective means of attack.

However, Ren's advantage in combat is definitely greater—

If you want to explain why...

That's because Lian learned more than just one system of sword dance techniques!

"Soul Flash - Shadow Rush!"

Black divine power instantly condensed beneath her feet, and Lian's figure shot out like a storm, carrying a whirlwind-like impact, directly piercing towards Grevas!

The black divine power transformed into a drill-like impact, stabbing towards Grevas from below!

Sonorous!

That was the piercing sound of swords clashing together.

Grevas saw through Lian's actions and reacted accordingly.

However, Shadow Rush's attacks were not entirely ineffective.

"Soul Flash..."

boom!

The ground instantly splintered into pieces, and in the instant that Grevas blocked the Shadow Charge, Lian swung her longsword, "Earth Shatter!"

The ground beneath her feet crumbled inch by inch, forcing Grevas to dodge to the side.

As soon as the opponent jumped to the side, Lian decisively gave chase.

"The initial form of the ultimate sword technique—Purple Lightning!"

Each move flowed seamlessly, creating dazzling afterimages.

Compared to Gil, who directly and ruthlessly overwhelms his opponent with brute swordsmanship, Ren's movements are highly efficient and planned, with each step linked to the next. While the opponent defends against one move, they fall into an even bigger trap, catching the opponent off guard.

Without hesitation, Greva raised his sword to block the impact of the purple lightning, while his lips moved slightly as if he were reciting something.

(Elf magic? No, wait—)

Driven by her intuition, Lian sensed something was wrong and quickly jumped back to create some distance.

In an instant, the blood-stained blade of the demonic sword twisted and turned into a demonic beast with countless sharp teeth, resembling a giant wolf.

“…Hmm!?”

Luwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu——

The crimson beast roared and pounced on Lian.

If you can't even block an attack that you sense beforehand, then that's really unacceptable!

Lian raised the demonic sword in her hand, exhaled, and as black lightning burst forth, she swept forward with a large circular heavy slash.

Soul Flash - Full Moon!

With a slash carrying the power of Dark Death Thunder, Grevas forced the monster back a few steps, and then regained her fighting stance.

"Lotus, that's one of the Demon King's seventy-two pillar spirits," Restia's voice rang out. "Her name is the Demon Spirit [Vlad the Dragon Lord], and she can grow by absorbing dragon blood."

“Vlad… ah, if he has that Grand Duke’s name and is also a Dragon Lord, then it’s understandable.” Lian held the magic sword in one hand, cautiously watching Grevas and the magical beast.

“Once Vlad the Dragon Lord grows up, he can transform into that form and assist his master,” Restia said.

"Thanks, Restia." Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

Grevas swung her magic sword, and the monster immediately lunged at Lian, baring its fangs and claws.

"Ultimate Sword Technique, Form Two - Meteor!"

The Dark Death Lightning pierced directly through the demon elf's head, and the crimson beast began to disappear.

Grevas had already moved close to Lian's side.

At the same time, many crimson spears appeared in the air and flew towards Lian.

Those were fourteen spears created using [Elf Magic].

Although I discerned the trajectory of each spear in an instant—

(...Well, there's no way to dodge them all... Well then, I'll shoot them all down...!)

"Soul Flash - Seven Wheels!"

The ice-blue katana with a transparent blade fell into Lian's hands. She swung the longsword, and the powerful blade storm instantly deflected all fourteen blood-red spears, while also forcing Grevas, who was preparing to launch a sneak attack, to retreat!

"...Although you are very powerful, it's a pity that I have seen many beings who are more powerful than you..." Lian exhaled and looked at Grevas.

The Black Death Spotted Reaper, a pure-blooded dragon, is humanity's final trial.

His companions included the celestial spirits of the sun, Izayoi Sakamaki, Yo Kasukabe, his own master, and the later reinforcements...

“I’ve seen plenty of guys who are far more terrifying than you!” Lian struck a fighting stance once more. “If you want to defeat me, you’ll have to show some more skill!”

Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Feint to the East and a Strike in the West, and the Well-Prepared Guards

Located in the throne room at the deepest part of the castle—

The Dragon King observed the situation outside from afar through the spirit servants of his flying dragons.

She had already noticed the intrusion.

The dragons of Mount Kebulus attacked the girl, but were all cut down by her.

(That person really is the Twilight Witch...)