Chapter 059 ⤞ The Dullahan's Defeat

It's fine.

Darkness is a 「Crusader」 with the strongest defense — a muscle-headed idiot, really. Just one attack won't harm her. You know how tough her skin is; this kind of assault surely can't penetrate it.

Even if we entertain the worst-case scenario where the Dullahan kills her, Aqua can revive her indefinitely!

'It's fine, it's fine!' Adam kept reassuring himself.

But the moment he saw Darkness fall, that thread of reason in him snapped!

"Darkness!!!"

Rushing to her side, he pulled her out from the heavy fragments of armor, disregarding the Dullahan's presence. Adam hurriedly checked her condition.

"Darkness! Darkness!! Darkness!!!"

While shaking her body, he checked her breathing and heartbeat, calling for Aqua to heal Darkness quickly. In his panic, he completely forgot that his〚Thunderclap and Flash〛was faster.

Awakened by the shaking, Darkness coughed a few times, then weakly opened her eyes. Looking at the Headless Knight, she shouted words a female knight should never utter:

"Cough, cough... Finish me off!"

"..."

Finish her off?!

Adam's brewing anger instantly halved.

He now firmly believed that Darkness's earlier reckless charge was just to experience the thrill of near-death.

Adam felt frustrated. He, who had been so worried about her, was truly the fool!

"Eh? What?!" This time, not just the adventurers, but even the Dullahan was shocked.

Darkness had survived its attack?!

"I didn't hold back! The armor and giant shield made from the hardest adamantite ore shattered into pieces. What's the deal with that female knight?!" It seemed equally bewildered.

But Adam knew.

'I'm sorry! My Crusader's body is harder than the hardest ore. I'm truly sorry!'

Aqua rushed over, taking Darkness away from the battlefield to urgently heal her.

The scene once again became a one-on-one duel. The two stood in opposition, their auras instantly exploding and locking onto each other!

"Thank you for not taking advantage just now, but I'm sorry — we must defeat you."

"No need for thanks. I'm merely adhering to the Knight's code. But do you really think you can defeat me? Don't be too arrogant, novice adventurer!"

This verbal exchange was the prelude to battle. The auras of the two gradually rose, reaching their peak!

"Here I come—!"

"Bring it on!"

As before, Adam initiated the attack, holding nothing back. He went all out from the start, employing the Water Breathing technique — the Dullahan's greatest weakness.

◈ Water Breathing, Twelfth Form ⫸ Transformation of Time Rain ◈

A surge of Magical Power erupted, enveloping the Dullahan. The calming effect of water took hold, slowing its movements.

〚Transformation of Time Rain〛, Adam's proudest domain-type sword technique, had transcended ordinary swordsmanship with its Magical Power support. If one had to classify it,〚Magical Sword Technique〛might be more fitting.

"This... this is...!" The Dullahan's tone betrayed its surprise as the domain engulfed it. It felt its movements become sluggish, the constraining sensation deeply unsettling.

Water was its weakness — a fact it hadn't anticipated the youth would exploit.

Yet, it didn't panic. Instead, it erupted with enormous Magical Power, forcibly breaking through Adam's domain. A simple, brutal solution: brute force overcoming technique.

Or so it thought, unaware it had already exposed its vulnerability.

"Tch." Adam's displeasure was evident. Who wouldn't be irked when their proudest technique was so easily shattered? But he didn't hesitate.

◈ Water Breathing, First Form ⫸ Water Surface Slash ◈

He followed up swiftly, while the Dullahan raised its knight's greatsword, charging straight at him without finesse.

A crisp ding rang out as the Nichirin blade and Knight's Greatsword collided — seemingly an even match.

But not quite. In terms of raw strength, Adam was slightly outmatched.

"Oh?" The Dullahan hadn't held back. It hadn't expected anyone in this novice village to withstand its strike.

"Tch, troublesome fellow." Adam muttered, his expression grim. His opponent was proving more formidable than anticipated, its strength and speed surpassing his current level.

Glancing at Aqua and the others' worried faces at the village entrance, he knew he couldn't prolong this fight.

Without hesitation, he activated Demon Slayer Mark mode. His Water Breathing circulation accelerated, body temperature rising, heart racing.

◈ Water Breathing, Slayer Mode ⫸ Demon Slayer Mark ◈

Puff!

With a barely audible sound, water-blue patterns materialized on Adam's face. His aura swelled dramatically, mind sharpening, strength and stamina surging. That familiar sense of limitless potential washed over him!

"Hm? Finally getting serious?" The Dullahan noticed the change, "Yoshi, I'll go all out too!"

It tossed its head skyward, surveying the battlefield from above.

◈ Water Breathing, Tenth Form ⫸ Constant Flux ◈

〚Constant Flux〛, Water Breathing's mightiest offensive technique. With each successive strike, its power grew.

In contrast to his flashy swordplay, the Dullahan's counterattack was deceptively simple.

◈ Heavy Slash ◈

A single, powerful strike using immense strength to forcibly interrupt Adam's combo!

Its grand, open swordsmanship appeared deceptively simple, yet it precisely exploited the weakness in his technique. With just one〚Heavy Slash〛, it threw his offensive into disarray.

Adam realized the Dullahan's swordsmanship surpassed his own.

Furrowing his brows, he understood that mere imitation couldn't bridge the experience gap in swordsmanship. He needed more battles against formidable foes.

However, this realization also revealed an opening for a counterattack!

◈ Water Breathing, Twelfth Form ⫸ Transformation of Time Rain ◈

Adam condensed the ultra-close-range domain technique within half a meter. Extremely concentrated water-attribute Magical Power gushed out rapidly, once again enveloping the stiffened Dullahan.

"Wha—what?!" The Dullahan never anticipated that after breaking Adam's sword technique, he wouldn't retreat but instead step forward, forcefully employing a domain technique for an extreme one-for-one exchange!

This misconception stemmed from its fixed impression. It hadn't realized its weakness to water had been exposed from the start.

It attempted to break through the domain with its enormous Magical Power as before, but the realization came too late.

Moreover, due to the reduced range and the water attribute's potent counter, the constraining effect intensified several fold, leaving it unable to break free.

◈ Water Breathing, Seventh Form ⫸ Drop Ripple Thrust ◈

〚Drop Ripple Thrust〛strikes a curve from an oblique angle, breaking through especially strong individual impacts. It's the most effective sword technique for dealing with high-defense opponents like the Dullahan!

Squelch!

A sword pierced through its chest!

Adam channeled all his remaining Magical Power, transforming it into pure water that surged into the Dullahan's body, stripping away its ability to resist!

Beldia, The Dullahan, defeated!

✧✧✧

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