Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Everything you have is meaningless

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Ludwig immediately frowned. "What are you laughing at? What's so funny? Bluffing after discovering a weakness?"

"No, it's just…" Ash shook his head. "I know you're testing me—trying to gauge whether what you said is true by reading my reaction. But I don't understand… why must powerful magic always have strange limitations?"

"Then every time you walk—"

"Are your steps always exactly the same?" Ash spread his hands helplessly. "If you're just taking a stroll, would you suddenly take one step larger than the other? Or randomly change your pace? You wouldn't, right?"

"If you're asking why I grow stronger every time I step on the ground… well, it'd be too boring if I just killed you all outright." His voice was calm—almost indifferent. "After all… everything you've trained so hard for—your skills, your swordsmanship, your archery, and even your subordinates' desperate resistance—it's all meaningless before me. I don't have the heart to show you that so bluntly."

"Bluffer… Gah!?"

Ludwig moved to fire the arrow in his hand.

But before he could release it, the gravity field expanded once more.

Ash remained motionless, still over thirty meters away, yet Ludwig's legs gave out beneath him, forcing him to the ground. His head didn't strike the earth, but he was barely able to hold himself up with trembling arms.

The two knights who had been guarding him were also crushed in an instant.

As for the magicians standing near Ash—

Their mana had already been drained dry. And now, the overwhelming pressure bore down on them at such close range—

Their bodies could no longer withstand it.

They collapsed.

And then, in the next moment—

They burst apart.

Flesh and blood pooled onto the ground.

At that moment, a deep, piercing chill ran through Ludwig's body.

It was as if he had been thrown into a glacial abyss, surrounded by an endless, bone-chilling frost.

Despair crept in.

Because now—finally—he understood.

The young man before him was not a genius magician.

He was a monster.

A being beyond human comprehension.

And the one responsible for it all, Ash, merely cast a cold glance at the lifeless remains before him and said, in a voice devoid of emotion:

"I told you, ending the battle too suddenly would be boring. Besides, I'm not a demon. I already promised my kids that I'd be home early. So as long as you surrender, I can still give you—"

"Absolutely not…! I will never betray His Majesty the Emperor!!"

With the dignity of a knight sworn to the throne, Ludwig roared with all his remaining strength.

In that moment, as Ash momentarily released the crushing gravity, intending to continue the conversation, Ludwig took his chance.

He reached for his final trump card.

Bang!

The sound of glass shattering echoed through the battlefield.

A vial containing a miniature golem crashed onto the ground.

In an instant, the tiny construct expanded, rapidly transforming into a giant—a towering, horned golem, standing over three stories tall, wielding an enormous sword.

"Is this the Forest Golem?" Ash narrowed his eyes slightly. "So this was your trump card? Or is this a fully completed battle golem?"

He tilted his head. "Honestly… it's kind of boring."

The sight of the massive golem brought no reaction—no sense of surprise. Instead, the moment Ash recognized it, all he felt was mild disappointment.

After all, he had seen it before.

And if he had seen it before, then it was nothing new.

"Ah… I see." He let out a small sigh. "Lernen must've sold this off to fund further golem research. After all, creating these things is ridiculously expensive. The production costs are high… but the selling price is even higher."

In terms of effectiveness, Lernen's golems were certainly worth the price, especially those designed for combat, which were far stronger than the golems used for escape in the second round of the exams.

However, the biggest drawback of this type of golem was that it would cease functioning once its magic power was depleted—it could not exist for long.

And using it to deal with him was a bit... lacking.

"—Kill him!!"

Ludwig, having revealed his trump card, issued the command and swiftly pulled back his bowstring once more, intent on making a final, desperate attempt.

The giant golem, responding to its master's order without question, wasted no time.

Without hesitation, it swung its two-story-high greatsword down toward Ash's head, the blade cutting through the air with a terrifying roar.

At the same time, Ludwig fired arrows in rapid succession, their speed so intense that afterimages trailed behind them as they shot toward their target from all directions.

"…Is this your answer? What a pity."

The whistling greatsword, capable of cleaving through city walls with ease—

He caught it.

With just one hand.

Boom—!!!

The brick-paved road, meant for trade, could not withstand such an overwhelming force.

The sheer impact sent a powerful shockwave rippling in all directions, with Ash at its center.

The ground cracked and split. Bricks and stones were torn from the earth, flung into the air like waves in a storm. The dust surged, swallowing everything in sight.

And yet—

He stood there, unscathed.

With effortless ease, Ash lifted the massive sword.

The golem, still gripping the hilt, remained suspended in midair, unable to adapt to the sudden loss of gravity beneath its feet.

The sight was surreal.

A towering battle golem, effortlessly hoisted into the air like a child's toy.

Ludwig felt an unsettling chill creep up his spine.

Then—

With a casual flick of his wrist, Ash swung the sword.

The golem, still clinging to its weapon, was sent hurtling backward, thrown directly into the path of Ludwig's oncoming arrows.

It was unable to maintain its grip.

The sword was ripped from its grasp, and in the next instant, it was flung dozens of meters away—crashing straight into the midst of the retreating soldiers.

The impact was devastating.

But the golem itself—

It wasn't completely destroyed.

It slammed its hands into the ground, preparing to rise—

But Ash didn't even look at it.

Without a second thought, he threw the massive sword in his hand.

The golem lifted its head.

A mistake.

The spinning greatsword pierced straight through its chest, striking its core dead center.

The light in its eyes faded instantly.

With a dull thud, the towering construct collapsed.

It did not move again.

Ludwig's hands shook.

His bowstring remained taut, but his fingers refused to release.

His face contorted in disbelief—like he had just witnessed something utterly impossible.

Even if he hadn't expected the golem to defeat Ash, it should have at least been able to stall him.

But this?

What was the difference between this and tossing aside a broken toy?

The absurdity of it all made him doubt his own senses.

But even if he couldn't believe it, the reality was undeniable.

Just as Ash had said before—

All resistance was meaningless.

Ash's calm, unhurried demeanor—his overwhelming confidence—made it painfully clear.

Ludwig clenched his teeth.

If this continued—

He would lose his territory.

His trusted retainers would fall.

Even if he managed to escape, there would be no way to turn the tide.

But if he died here—

The morale of the defenders would be shattered.