Kuro no Maou

Ludora looked back on his own carelessness as soon as he saw magic manifesting into reality along with the pressure of tremendous magical energy.

He can brag about gaining lots of experience after passing several tens of years, ever since he resolved to live with just the sword.

The people he had killed were uncountable. Among them were even strong foes who were at a higher position that him of that time.

Even after gaining fighting experience from all those years, he had mistook the ability of this young man named Kurono.

(A Black Magician? *chuckle* It’s my first time hearing someone calling themselves as Mage Class with that equipment)

Despite that, he had Sword Techniques easily surpassing normal Swordsman, and can also control the curse of weapons. He might look like Berserker, but not a Magician.

However Kurono had already shown using Magic, not Boost Magic learnt by Swordsman Class people as an auxiliary, but an Offensive Magic used to kill opponents.

In his left hand was a machete with red blade burning with black flames. In his right hand was an unusual type of Magic Staff called『Gun』.

Countless black bullets and ten black long swords were all facing Ludora, whilst gushing out with magical energy as if wanting to attack immediately.

All this was magic he had never seen before, probably they were Original Magic, but all of them had the same power as the magic used by top-rank Mages. This was a fact he understood acutely with his intuition and skin.

(Good, I accept your challenge, Kurono!)

Like that, the black magic aiming at Ludora was finally fired.

「Bullet Arts: Full Burst」

The countless black bullets moved first.

They were shot at Ludora while making a thunderous noise and flashing with a black lustre different from the darkness of night.

However all of the bullets come at him simultaneously, just like a black wall was approaching him, in other words, there was no way to run.

「Hard Body!」

Since he can’t avoid it then the only choice is to block against it.

He used a Defence Martial Skill『Hard Body』which hardens the body by cladding the already tough body of Vampire with the refined magical energy within their bodies. Like that Ludora prepared for the attack.

「Fast!」

Of course he won’t make a foolish mistake of taking the attack head-on. He started warding off the bullets coming at him at high speeds with his katana while covering his vital spots like head and heart.

Ludora had the confidence to repel all the arrows in a rain of arrows. However, against this barrage with density that arrows and bows can never have, just protecting his vital spots was his limit.

Steel-like bullets graze his shoulder, sides and legs, but thanks to the Martial Skill, he was able to somehow defend himself without taking much damage.

「Pierce, Sword Arts」

In between the time it took bullets to reach Ludora, Kurono started his next attack.

This time, ten swords come flying at him as if shot from a bow.

「Hundred Li Air Walker」[1]

However the curtain of bullets had already passed through. For Ludora, a samurai, it was easier and reasonable to evade most of attacks because he was not specialized in defence like Knights or Warriors.

He deployed the Movement Martial Skill with the help of his refined magical energy. For an ordinary person it might seem like teleportation.

The Expert-class Martial Skill can easily evade from 10 flying swords, however, Ludora never thought that Kurono’s attack was just ‘shooting the swords’.

(Homing ability——no, Direct control, eh. Great)

Ludora ran around the forest like a blowing gale, but the swords kept on tailing his back, or forestalling him, all the while making the best use of all ten swords to encircle him.

Whilst making use of his fast movement momentum, Ludora swung his sword against the three swords floating in the air in front of him.

The swords coming at him, aiming at his head, chest and abdomen were lined up in a vertical line.

「Scarlet Slash」

He jumped by kicking the ground lightly, then swung down his katana with the power of Martial Skill.

As expected, ten swords were not Cursed Weapons, they were just enchanced with magical energy, hence upon getting attacked by『Bloodsucking Princess「Scarlet Dye」』 they were bisected while scattering the fragments and black magical energy.

「Too Fast!」

As if they slyly estimated the time of landing, six swords came flying at him, three from the rear and the other three from the left side.

The point of intersection, Ludora, this time dealt with them using pure sword warding off technique and body defence movements.

Though he wasn’t able to cut them down, but upon warding them off or repelling them, for an instant the black coating covering the swords gets peeled off, and steel glitters from there.

(So, will they become unusable if I tear off this magical Enchant?)

The only sword he repelled powerfully lost more than half of its magical energy and fell, standing up straight piercing the ground, and didn’t move again.

The others swords though don’t ignore the law of inertia and immediately turn around upon being evaded, however they do make a revolution and come back at Ludora.

Ludora was somewhat frightened at the swords sticking in trees or ground immediately getting out and again making a comeback.

(This is a troublesome magic, if I don’t break them all, I will always be targeted)

He evaded the last sword of the ten swords falling down from overhead aiming at the crown of his head, and before the sword got out of ground he swung the katana and broke the sword.

In less than even a second, other swords he failed to break came flying aiming at him, at that time, he again heard the thunderous sound of bursting of magical energy which he heard before.

「Bullet Arts: Gatling Burst」

The Magic Staff called『Gun』flickered black flashes continuously, and Ludora sensed bullets coming at him while gouging out the ground.

(Not just simultaneous fire, but he can also do rapid-fire too)

The consecutively fired bullets looked like a black long line, and with their force and thunderous sound of firing, it seemed like a storm coming at him.

(Defend? No way, there’s no other choice than to evade a rapid-fire!)

『Hard Body』surely defended against simultaneous fired bullets, but because the skill time is short, and it keeps on getting shorter as much attack the body takes and as much coating of magical energy scatters.

Although he might be able to defend first several tens of shots, but after that it is impossible story, this was something he understood immediately. Along with the fact, that even if Vampires have tough bodies, they would surely become disabled upon receiving several tens of hundreds of attacks with this amount of power.

Hence, he chose evasion.

Fortunately, there’s more room to evade in this rather than in a simultaneous fire.

Of course the swords left are again moving aiming at him from rear.

He used the fast speed of still-in-effect『Hundred Li Air Walker』running around in circle with Kurono as centre to evade the attacks, but

(It would be better to attack myself rather than wait for attack to be interrupted)

When fighting against Mages, it is the most effective tactic to attack after getting past the opponents attack.

Fundamentally, the magic is activated by using chant or ritual as intermediary, hence the outbreak of attack is overwhelmingly slower compared to swinging a sword.

Of course, for compensating the disadvantage a very strong power is present in magic, conversely speaking the more powerful the magic the longer time it takes to activate, hence if the attack misses the risk increases rapidly.

However, that book knowledge was being overthrown right now.

Kurono’s first attack was simultaneous fire, if it was a normal Mage, they would need several seconds to chant for the next attack.

However, in no time, ten swords came flying in, moreover they got power to keep on continuing a battle by their homing ability, unless they are completely destroyed.

At the same time, rapid-fire is also used.

Ludora knew that this firing wouldn’t continue for long, but he also didn’t think that he will be ‘out of bullets’ in the next ten or twenty seconds.

If a Mage were able to continuously send out offensive magic then the tactic of attacking after their attack finished won’t be possible......for eternity.

Saying it again, it was a mistake on Ludora’s part to start evasion after Kurono’s first attack, of course, it is a reflection he can do only now, after seeing Kurono’s magic.

And, right now, more than reflection, movements for overturning the tables is needed.

(I need to be prepared to eat some of those bullets)

In the meantime he had come to acknowledge that Kurono wasn’t an enemy he could win against remaining unhurt, however, he actually wanted to get in bloody fights against strong foes.

Ludora was running in a circle around Kurono, but in a turn, he start heading at him.

His evasion movements were so fast to even created blurry afterimages, hence he evaded most of the bullets, but after all as he was heading head-front the hitting accuracy rate increased.

(As long I can save my head, it will work out somehow or other)

It wasn’t like Ludora was completely indifferent about defences. He also was armed with equipments needed for defence.

The black coat worn by him might looked worn-out at a glance, but it is a high grade magic armour made from a magical metal called『Woven Black Iron』.

It had defence power enough to take the bullets with high-density head on and still not let them pierce through.

(I just need get around——)

“Like this”, by the time he thought that,

「Black Flames」

The machete in Kurono’s left hand slashes and fierce thunderous black flames spread before Ludora’s eyes.

In Ludora’s 180 degrees of vision, the blazing flames of darkness were reflected, but,

(I can make through it!)

Without any hesitation, he chose to cut through like that.

He threw himself in the black incandescent vortex.

「Gaaaaahhhh!」

The pain of flames tormenting the flesh is an intense pain that most of races won’t be able to bear and turn into fire dolls, but with Vampires life force, it is possible to get through it.

These fires had somewhat less firepower to stop Ludora’s movements, apparently.

If he gets out of this hell fire coming straight from hell, it won’t even be five metres between him and Kurono.

If he moved one more step forward, Kurono will come in the range of his blade.

However, as expected of Ludora, he was able to control his adrenaline-filled heart.

(As expected, he came right now)

He blocked the vision with black flames, and by the time Ludora got out of here, meaning right now, he, Kurono, would’ve deployed a more powerful attack.

The『Gun』held in his right hand was aimed at Ludora, but at some point the rapid-fire had already stopped.

Just the two barrels and deep black muzzle was exposed.

At the same time, Ludora sensed the still-not-broken swords coming at him from behind.

SFX: BaaazzzunnnNN!

A powerful roar and flash burst in front of Ludora.

He had already predicted ‘something’ would come out from that gun at this point-blank range.

If he knew it from before,

「Gyaaaaah!」

Considering Ludora’s ability, it wouldn’t be impossible to defend against it.

It was just a distance of five metres from the muzzle, when two bullets were shot from the gun against which Ludora swung his katana accompanied with a loud scream.

Fortunately these bullets didn’t have an explosion effect added and were just for piercing through the target.

The bullets flying straight earnestly were captured by Vampire’s superhuman reflexes and intuitions and had their direction of movement averted.

Due to the blade being inserted diagonally between the two bullets lined, they glided on the surface of blade and their flying direction changed.

The two bullets should’ve have hit Ludora’s chest, but one grazed his left shoulder and the other grazed his side, due to which some of the『Woven Black Iron』Coat and some of his flesh was gouged out, but after some bleeding, it stopped.

The moment after he repelled the bullets, he used the momentum of his swung sword to turn around for countering the swords flying at him from behind.

「Haaaaahh!」

He cut down all the swords flying at him in just one slash.

It would be lethal to show his back to his opponent, but unless he steps forward the hatchet would not reach him, and also the ultra-high speed rotation done by Ludora had went past Vampire’s movement ability’s limits, hence it wasn’t enough gap for Kurono launch another attack.

In fact, even as Ludora turned back to front, there was no blade swung by Kurono.

Kurono’s stance from the time he shot the bullets hadn’t changed, it was still the same L-shaped legs while holding the gun in his extended right hand.

Thus, Ludora launched an attack for killing Kurono.

(I’m going to finish this with my strongest Martial Skill)

Unlike Magic, Martial Skills don’t need much time to activate.

Marital Skill like『Hard Body』need to be amassed, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary that all Martial Skills need to be amassed.

That Martial Skill was something of a sure-kill technique Ludora had learnt after swinging his katana for countless number of times.

The thing needed was just his katana. It doesn’t even need long chants, expensive catalysts or even any special ritual.

Hence that attack was the fastest and strongest.

His favourite katana『Bloodsucking Princess「Scarlet Dye」』finally gushed out with a red eerie aura. It seemed as if responding to Ludora’s wish.

In short, that was the Martial Skill which pursued the limits of ‘cutting’ by katana.

「——Heaven Beheading Scarlet Scintillation」[2]

The Scarlet Shine Cutting the Heavens. Just as the name suggest, it created a scarlet coloured trajectory in the empty space to cut the enemy into pieces. It was a sure-kill technique.

—

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE:

Don’t tell me you don’t know Li, that Chinese distance unit......yeah Japanese also used it is ancient, err, old times. One Li/Ri = approx 3.927 km or 2.44 miles.

Anyone still doubting me that this novel is not getting more and more of Xianxia? Huuuh!?