Thud.
Lucius casually tossed the severed hand aside.
The mysterious runic symbols that had encircled it moments ago were gone.
At the wrist's stump, blood began to flow, resembling the severed limb of any ordinary creature.
This was starkly different from the Sword King's arm, which looked like solidified metal at the cut.
"So, under the Incarnation of Steel, once a limb is fully severed, it loses the Authority's protection?" Salvatore Doni remarked, a hint of realization in his expression.
This was the first time, while using the Incarnation of Steel, that he'd lost a limb.
It was also the first time he'd been so thoroughly outmatched since gaining this Authority.
He didn't care about pride or face.
But losing in such an inexplicable way? That stung.
"Kin, was all your scheming just to cut off my hand?" Doni grinned, his smile slightly feral. "Indeed, since I slew Siegfried and gained the Incarnation of Steel, this is the first time I've suffered such a wound."
"But for me, losing a hand doesn't stop me from wielding a sword!"
Though their enmity was clear, the Sword King remained chatty.
"And you—your mind's nearing its limit, isn't it? That trick you used to grab my magic sword—can you do it again?"
Lucius's face remained impassive as he channeled a portion of his mana, slowly forming a light sword.
Given its fragility, a single clash with Doni's magic sword would likely shatter it.
"Whether the mind reaches its limit doesn't depend on exhaustion but on whether the will has given up," Lucius said, attempting to distract Doni or at least hold his attention.
"Is that so?" Doni gripped his magic sword with his remaining hand, his face still alight with excitement.
He was the type to laugh heartily even if he died in battle.
"Then let's continue our fight!"
Doni's tone was fervent.
"That's fine, but our battle might not satisfy you," Lucius replied, his light sword pointing casually at the ground.
As soon as he spoke, his figure vanished.
He'd noticed Doni's sword-holding stance was deliberately guarding against Lucius using his own blade to breach the Incarnation of Steel.
Before, that had been the only way to break it.
But now, things were different.
Without warning, Lucius appeared crouching to Doni's side, his sword striking like a viper toward Doni's heart.
"Useless! Your makeshift mana sword can't possibly—" Doni began, but a sudden warning surged within him.
Trusting his instincts, he dodged aside.
The sword pierced his body effortlessly, bypassing his surface.
Had he not moved, it would've struck his heart.
His Incarnation of Steel was an effect of curse power, not a change in his body's material.
Unfortunately for him, just as similar liquids blend easily, curse power—or mana—offered no resistance to identical forces.
The best way to counter a power was to use the same power against it.
Lucius's sword was forged from mana absorbed from Doni's severed hand.
"Hah!"
Unable to process how it happened, Doni swung his magic sword, imbued with the "cutting" Authority, at Lucius with maximum speed.
If his opponent couldn't use that earlier power, he'd be sliced in two—
Or so Doni thought.
But in the next moment, he froze.
Lucius pulled a brass-like bottle from his coat, meeting the magic sword.
Incredibly, with a clang of metal, the sword was blocked, leaving no mark on the bottle.
"Impossible—" Doni's eyes widened briefly before regaining their spark.
A strange mix of madness and calm flickered in his gaze.
His remaining Authorities—whether the rampage of steel or a return to ancient civilization—were useless now.
Only one Authority remained, one he disliked for dampening his battle's thrill.
But for victory!
"Maidens of the wine god… summon the divine child. Revel in the frenzied wine of the god, abandon your homes, and lose yourselves in the wilds. Worship our god!"
The Frenzied Wine of the God, an Authority usurped from Dionysus, created a zone where magic, curse power, and even Authorities went haywire.
Normally, fully activating this Authority required preparation.
Yet, this time, it unleashed instantly.
"Hahaha!" Doni laughed as Lucius's sword, poised to cleave him, dissolved into raw mana.
His own Incarnation of Steel and [Ripping Arm of Silver] lost effect.
So did his opponent's powers!
Without the Incarnation of Steel, blood gushed from Doni's pierced chest and severed arm.
Under Doni's Authority, mana had gone out of control.
Even Lucius lost most of his abilities, reduced to a melee fight.
Without mana, even process-skipping was unusable.
"You've lost," Lucius said, gripping the bottle to parry Doni's sword.
"Not yet!" Doni's face was pale from blood loss, but he grinned joyfully, swinging relentlessly.
"So stubborn—" Lucius sighed, shaking his head, blocking with the indestructible bottle. "But you're at your limit. You'll collapse soon—ugh!"
The Sword King, Salvatore Doni, collapsed flat on the ground.
"That hurt like hell," Lucius gasped, slowly healing the wound that nearly pierced his heart.
***
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