Chapter 127: Strike Slasher
"What the hell is he doing? Is he trying to kill me or what? They are moving slowly towards me. I’m going to force them to come near me in an instant. If they touch me, I’m going to die. He knows I have a trick up my sleeve. But I think this very attack will still be enough.
"But not just that. If I try to cut or break it down with my sword, to make my sword come in contact with this very ice he makes, I’m going to freeze with my sword because I can feel the type of energy around each and every one of them. This isn’t good. This is bad. What should I do? Am I going to have to use one of my ultimate moves? But no, that would be dangerous. If he’s not able to, it might still affect him even if it destroys every single one of these giant spears.
"Apart from that, how can a human ever have this much mana to make something like this? And not only that, he created 100 of it. Plus the spell that is around it—I can’t block myself. If I try to cover myself from getting harmed with my sword, I’m going to freeze and he’s going to win. But I can’t lose. I’m going to have to use my Strike Slasher. And it might end it all. I’m going to use my Strike Slasher," Zevric thought.
Then, Asta raised his hand up and pushed it forward. Every single one of the giant spears bent—the ones which were facing up now bent toward the position where Zevric was. They moved fast, very fast, and the crowd opened their mouths wide, unable to wait for what was going to happen.
That was when one Strike Slasher strike disintegrated the enemies. Zevric brought out his sword. A blue light came out from the blade, as if the sword were speaking. It was really, really hot. Instantly, all one hundred giant ice spears were destroyed. Not even water remained from the ice—they were completely disintegrated.
Then it moved forward toward Asta.
"Asta, what’s going on? What is this?" Asta said. He realized that if he wasn’t able to dodge or save himself, he might die. But still, even if he couldn’t dodge, that didn’t necessarily mean he would die. In a way, the rules still said one could die. Even if they tried to say someone wouldn’t die, you shouldn’t kill—but in a way, the rules also said one could kill. Zevric thought as he looked at Asta.
"What’s going on? All my attacks vanished like they were never there. This is actually crazy. No, it’s coming close to me. I can feel the heat coming from it. The moment it touches me, I’m going to die," Asta thought.
Then, in mid-air, about twenty seconds later, the Strike Slasher moved forward. It destroyed every single ice barrier in its path, still moving forward. It created more as it advanced. Asta stepped back, moving as fast as he could because he was in danger. "What kind of energy is this? What’s this?" he wondered.
All twenty new thick walls of ice that he created were devoured instantly. Then the Strike Slasher bent down toward the ground, covering itself with layers of ice, creating a room around itself with about a hundred layers. The slasher kept moving, devouring every single layer.
As it reached the last layer, it reduced and destroyed it. The energy faded away as Zevric stood up, breathing fast.
"So no, I’m not dead. I’m not dead. I thought I was," Asta said to himself. "That power is actually terrifying. That’s what you have in me alone. People usually say I have a blessing from the Archangel of Ice."
"No," Zevric said. "Yes, they are right. In ancient days, the Ice Archangel passed this technique down to my generation during a time of struggle, giving us the ability to control ice. Only a few of us, not everyone, can manifest this power—but I do. And yet I’m being cornered by a guy with a legendary sword. We just have to choose him. This is wrong," Asta thought.
The Strike Slasher’s energy had already passed Asta, but a little of it remained. It landed on the barrier and instantly shattered it. That was when the energy finally died down.
All the crowd were crying, their mouths wide open. "Has it really ended?" some whispered. Then they all screamed. Everyone got up, cheering wildly. "This is one of the most entertaining fights I’ve ever seen in my life! Yes!" another shouted.
"Wow, this is so good. We enjoyed it. These two people are magnificent. They put on an incredible show," someone else said.
"Now I can finally die in peace after watching something this entertaining," an old man added, smiling. "Outstanding. No one ever expected Zevric to return. We all thought it was over. Asta made that massive, powerful ice sphere, but look—he seemed to have the upper hand. Yet the Ice God managed to defend himself so he wouldn’t be killed. The emissary said."
"Well, that was impressive for you. Impressive. I didn’t expect you to actually withstand that attack. You don’t have a single scratch on your body. Wow," Zevric said.
"Well, how dare you do that to me. It looks like you don’t know who I am. Get ready. Prepare yourself. I’m going to destroy you," Asta said, as everything around him started turning to ice, even the ground. He was visibly angry.
"Bring it on. I’m ready. I will face your attack. I won’t run. Toe to toe. Come on," Zevric replied confidently.
"So tell me, how are you able to withstand that attack? I made and make it seem like nothing, slashing it all away in just a second?" Asta asked.
"What do you want to find out?" Zevric said, his eyes narrowing as he faced Asta, ready for whatever attack might come next.
The crowd continued cheering for them, applauding both Zevric and Asta for the breathtaking battle.