SFDI: Chapter 79

"Conclusion"

When Drake activated his magic domain, Ikki and the others felt its effects.

"What… is this?"

Kurogane Shizuku trembled, leaning against Ikki Kurogane, though whether her inability to stand was genuine fear was questionable.

Nagi Arisuin chuckled wryly, "This must be Drake-san's ability! I heard he's a Dragon-type Concept Interference user; he truly is as terrifying as a legendary dragon!"

Ikki Kurogane nodded; he was in the best condition. He wasn't afraid of powerful opponents; his fear was something colder. He supported Kurogane Shizuku. "It seems Drake-san alone is sufficient; we don't need to help."

The Rebellion believers, being ordinary people, couldn't even stand within the Dragon's Nest.

Smile was the only real threat, and Ikki Kurogane didn't believe Drake would lose to that disgusting villain. He still didn't know Drake's true strength.

Smile's face was contorted, not just from the magic domain but from rage.

He was furious at the intelligence failure; they hadn't reported such a powerful sword master. He had to face an opponent whose abilities were unknown but clearly superior.

This temporarily suppressed his fear. Unlike most psychopaths, Bishou could think rationally.

After weighing his options, he didn't believe he would necessarily lose, and the key to winning this fight lay in his own abilities.

Drake watched as Bishou stood, surprisingly calm. Drake was wary but prepared to fight; he wouldn't let this dangerous individual go.

[Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!]

Amplified by the magic domain, Drake's fist was enveloped in even more intense flames. To Smile, it looked like a monstrous beast extending its claws.

However, faced with this attack, Bishou merely raised his left hand.

Stella was certain that the sheer force of Drake's punch alone would be enough to shatter Bishou's arm, let alone the searing flames.

Unexpectedly, however, Drake's fist was blocked by Bishou's palm.

Stella's eyes widened in astonishment; she couldn't comprehend how Bishou had managed it. Bishou didn't bother with an explanation; he unleashed a right punch that struck Drake directly in the abdomen.

Drake's feet left two deep gouges in the ground, the immense force causing him to involuntarily recoil.

"What the…?"

Stella didn't believe Bishou was strong enough to repel Drake head-on; he must have employed some kind of technique, though she couldn't figure it out at that moment.

Bishou said arrogantly, "Well, have you seen the power of this master?! In other words, you have absolutely no way of defeating me."

Drake examined the burn hole in his clothes and looked up. "I see; I understand what ability you're using!

Those rings on your hands must be your Device! And your ability must be a causal interference type that absorbs your opponent's attacks and reflects them back!"

Seeing through this technique was incredibly simple, because Drake could sense that the force of the punch Bishou had landed on him was clearly his own Dragon Slayer magic.

After all, a Fire Dragon Slayer Mage couldn't absorb his own flames.

Smile had hoped to defeat Drake before he could understand his ability, but he hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly.

However, he believed that even with his ability exposed, Drake wouldn't be able to counter it immediately.

"Ah! So you've discovered it! That's right, these are my Device, a pair of 〈Judgement Ring〉, and my ability, 〈Judgement〉."

Bishou revealed the rings, radiating an ominous red glow, and said triumphantly, "The ring on my left hand absorbs the damage received as 'sin,' and the ring on my right hand converts it into 'punishment' and fires it back at the opponent.

In other words, the stronger the opponent, the stronger my power becomes!"

Drake scoffed, "My foster father once taught me that the more powerful an ability is, the greater the cost; there's no such thing as an absolute ability.

It's merely an ability to absorb and reflect; to defeat you, I have at least three methods!"

With those words, Drake instantly closed the distance to Bishou, unleashing another Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.

Bishou secretly chuckled at Drake's lack of caution, raising his hand once more to absorb the force of Drake's fist. However, his right punch only connected with Drake's afterimage.

The difference in their martial arts skills and combat capabilities was too vast; with his guard up, Drake would never be hit again.

Drake stood at a distance, stating, "See? Your counterattack can't hit me. How much magic do you have? How many of my attacks can you absorb?"

Bishou's face darkened; as Drake had said, absorbing and converting stronger attacks consumed more of his magic power.

And with his counterattacks consistently missing their mark, he would inevitably deplete all his magic power; the consequences of that were readily apparent.

Drake waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry; I said I wouldn't be gentle with you!"

With that, Drake began to walk towards Bishou, step by deliberate step.

"Get away from me!" Bishou, driven to madness, pulled out his handgun and fired at Drake.

The bullets were all melted by Drake's defensive magic, causing absolutely no harm.

"You said your power is equal to your opponent's, right?! So that means you're nothing but a weakling!"

Drake taunted, "In other words, you have no offensive power unless I attack you. But that would only lead to a stalemate, so my second method is…"

Drake gently brushed aside Bishou's arm; with a speed that left Bishou stunned, Drake's arm moved in a blur. Everyone only saw an indentation appear on Bishou's chest.

The sound of shattering bones was particularly clear in the open space; Bishou's eyes bulged, and he spat blood as he flew backward.

"The attack connected! What happened?" Stella asked, puzzled; Bishou was supposed to be able to absorb his opponent's attacks!

Drake explained, "His ability isn't causal interference as I initially thought; it should be a concept interference related to damage.

The difference between the two is that causal interference activates naturally, while concept interference requires his own processing. In other words, as long as the attack speed exceeds his reaction limit, he can't absorb it."

Bishou, clutching his chest, struggled to his feet, spitting out another mouthful of blood. As Drake had said, this was a weakness of his ability.

However, in a direct confrontation, very few people could achieve an attack speed that surpassed their reaction speed.

Drake looked at Bishou, his voice cold, "Next is the third method."

"Wait!" Bishou now had absolutely no doubt that Drake possessed the ability to kill him, so he had to find a way to save his own life.

"Let's talk! Stopping now will benefit both of us."

As if he hadn't heard a word, Drake continued, "Abilities still require a user, and humans have limits.

In other words, as long as the power of the attack exceeds his absorption limit, that's the simplest and most direct method."

With that, Drake walked towards Bishou, who was now half-kneeling on the ground, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him into the air.

"Now, let's see where your limit truly lies!"

Flames erupted from Drake's palm, completely enveloping Bishou.

This time, Bishou desperately used his ability to absorb the damage from the flames. He couldn't even launch a counterattack; if he stopped absorbing the flames, even for a single instant, he would be consumed.

But the flames seemed endless; Bishou watched in horror as cracks appeared on his left ring.

Spiritual armor is a manifestation of the soul, a physical form of magic power, so it generally doesn't break. The cracks indicated that he had truly reached his limit.

Amidst Bishou's mixture of regret and terror, the ring representing sin shattered, and he felt the excruciating pain of the flames.

Before he could even let out a scream, his body turned to ashes.

Nagi Arisuin, from a distance, sighed, "I never expected Drake-san to be so…"

The reason Nagi Arisuin sighed wasn't simply because Drake had directly eliminated Bishou, but because even though he could have easily done so directly, he had instead used three different methods to counter Smile's ability.

Ikki Kurogane shook his head. "It seems Drake was truly furious!"

Nagi Arisuin's smile held a deep meaning, and he said, "Perhaps we should avoid angering him in the future!"

Ikki Kurogane chuckled, "Drake is usually very kind, but I have to agree!"

Drake exhaled a puff of white breath, and the oppressive feeling in his chest finally disappeared.

However, Drake turned his head towards another direction, where the lingering killing intent was concentrated.

"You've been watching for long enough; it's time to come out!" Drake called out loudly.

"Are there still more enemies?"

Stella also raised the Lævateinn, her gaze fixed on the direction Drake was looking.

The air suddenly distorted, revealing a man with his hands raised high above his head.

Having witnessed how Drake had dealt with Bishou just moments before, he certainly didn't dare to test Drake's patience.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm also a student of Hagun Academy!" the man hastily explained his identity.

"It's you!" Ikki Kurogane, who had approached from the side, exclaimed in surprise; it seemed that this man, who had been hiding in the shadows, was an acquaintance of his.

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