27 Chapter 27: The Sword Sain

I managed to parry the first few blows from Minamoto Kureha, but she delivered a vicious series of attacks that almost knocked my staff out of my hands. Dropping down, she sliced from below, presumably to get under my guard, but I succeeded in blocking her blade with the thick shaft. Undeterred, Kureha spun around with a slash at my neck, which I barely deflected in time by hastily pulling my staff back and blocking it.

Twisting her body like a serpent, Kureha spun around and kicked my knee, almost bringing me down. I dropped to a kneeling position, but managed to raise my staff in time to block her next strike, which would have cleaved me from my shoulder if I didn't react fast enough.

My staff glowed as I prepared to unleash a Shadow Lunar Fang at pointblank range, but sensing the danger, Kureha leaped up and kicked me in the chest, catching me by surprise. I stumbled back and rolled, managing to shakily rise to my feet before parrying Kureha's next blow. She twisted her blade and slashed again, forcing me on the back foot.

Minamoto's good, I thought grudgingly, impressed. She's not giving me any time to cast any of my spells.

Without my magic, I was inferior to Kureha in terms of melee combat, and she was capitalizing on her advantage. I felt myself being pressured, perspiration forming in my brow as I struggled to fend off blow after blow.

Fortunately, my magic wasn't the only trick I possessed.

While Kureha was occupied with killing me, my zombies had circled around for an attack from the flank. Silently, stealthily, they swung their swords from behind, their dead bodies still retaining a measure of their martial skills from when they were alive.

But their opponent was a hero.

In a movement I thought impossible, Kureha spun around to parry their strikes in swift, precise movements. She kicked out at me before I could swing my staff, catching me off guard and sending me stumbling back, and then knocked away the zombie knights. Despite their heavy armor, her blade found gaps in their defense and carved through their rotting flesh and bones, causing them to stagger or retreat while moaning.

They couldn't feel pain, but the instinct that was hammered into them during training when they were alive stuck true and they fell back before Kureha could do any real damage. She made to pursue, but I was swinging my staff at her from the back. As usual, she responded with godlike reflexes, spinning around to knock my staff away and even had the luxury to retaliate with a counterattack. I twirled my staff, knocking her blade away from my heart, and took a step back.

Kureha glared at me, revulsion clearly etched across her pretty face.

"Desecrating the dead…that's quite the foul magic you have."

"You should have just let us kill you and stay dead!" she snapped.

"Why?" I snorted. "Why do I have less a right to live than any of you? What's the difference between you and me?"

"You're just Tanaka," Kureha sneered. "A pathetic, weakling loser. That's how the world works. The strong eat the weak and live. The weak succumb to the strong and die. Know your place."

"Somehow you have no idea what the concept of strength is, or you are so delusional that you refuse to acknowledge the possibility that I might be stronger than you." To emphasize my point, I slowly spun Tsukishima's staff to taunt Kureha. "You can deny it all you want, but the results speak for themselves."

Kureha shrieked in fury, realizing that I was indirectly admitting to having killed her best friend, and lunged forward in rage. Her blade disappeared into a silver blur, her movements far too fast for me to follow. Despite my best efforts, blocking with my staff, cuts and wounds ripped open in my hands, shoulders and body. I stumbled back, bleeding profusely from multiple cuts. They were mere flesh wounds, but at this rate I might bleed out.

If I wasn't an undead.

"Huff…"

I knocked away another powerful slash from Kureha before jumping back to place as much distance between us as possible. Panting, I watched my opponent from afar while using the opportunity to take a breather. Even though it was a short moment, my superficial injuries were rapidly healing, closing up and disappearing.

"You…"

Kureha's eyes narrowed when she noticed my unnatural rate of regeneration. She instinctively understood that it was not a normal healing spell.

"It matters not," she murmured, holding her sword parallel to the ground. "Heal yourself as much as you want. I'll just make sure to deal so much damage that even your rate of regeneration can't keep up with my attacks."

I stepped back, and then braced for the next strike. However, Kureha literally disappeared from view. Blinking, I stumbled back and raised my staff instinctively, but a fountain of blood spurted from my body. Realizing that I had been viciously eviscerated, I fell to my knees. Another slash appeared, severing my arm from my shoulder and causing both the amputated limb and my staff to fall onto the ground helplessly.

When did she…?

I stumbled back and turned around, only to see that Kureha was now standing behind me, flicking the blood off her sword. She stupidly had her back to me, acting cool and all that. It would have been a fatal mistake, had I been in any position to do anything about it.

As it was, she was easy prey for my zombies.

Kureha narrowed her eyes as my zombie knights pounced on her from all directions. Raising her sword, she uttered a vow.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you all rest in peace."

I almost couldn't see her next movements. She sashed up so swiftly at the first one that he was in pieces before he could reach her. Before his many body parts even reached the ground, Kureha was already moving on to the next zombie, slicing through his armor and sending him spinning to the ground with a groan. She kicked a third one before taking his head off, then spun around to block the attacks from the fourth and fifth one. Her blade twisted slightly, and suddenly both assailants stumbled back, their arms detached from their shoulders.

Amazing.

Even though Kureha was an enemy, I couldn't help but be impressed by her display. Knowing that I would lose more zombies if I pressed the attack, I called them off. Reacting to my mental command, the remaining seven jumped back, returning to where their horses were. Kureha frowned as she warily watched them retreat, but she made no move to pursue. Instead, she turned to glower at me.

The supposedly fatal wound that she had dealt me was now closing up, the huge gash across my chest and stomach knitting and mending along with my internal organs. My right arm had reconnected to my stump by strands of blood, which was pulling the limb together and restoring it to its original condition, almost as if I never had my arm cut off in the first place.

Kureha scowled.

"You…what manner of monster are you?"

"A different kind of monster from you, Kobayashi and the others," I replied. "A monster that doesn't go around bullying and murdering someone just because you perceive him as weak and pathetic."

"Shut up!"

Unable to believe that she couldn't defeat or kill me, Kureha lunged at me again. I fired off a Doombolt, but she gracefully twisted her body in midair and dodged it. Landing on her feet, she bounced off the ground to propel herself toward me again, her blade slashing at incredible speed. By now, I had slightly acclimatized to her godlike speed and was able to properly parry her strike this time. I dug my feet in as I struggled to endure Kureha's strike, but even though she was a girl with a slightly smaller frame, she was physically stronger than me.

"Whoa!"

I found myself actually lifted off my feet. Making use of my momentum, I allowed myself to be hurled backward, widening the distance between us. Kureha, refusing to give me a moment's rest, sprang at me once again.

"Huff…!"

I blocked her slash, but just barely. A cut opened up on my cheek and shoulder, but they quickly closed up a few seconds later. Kureha scowled at the sight and intensified her attacks. While she did so, the zombie horses that I reanimated charged from behind.

"You…!"

Kureha turned around and decapitated the first horse, sending its skeletal head flying. She jumped and sailed over the second horse, slashing its flank, but because it was an undead, a wound that would be mortal to a…well, mortal, was otherwise shrugged off. Feeling no pain or fear, three horses charged at her, neighing terrifyingly, but she cut them down in short order. Her sword flashing, she spun around to snarl at me.

"I swear, I'll destroy you and your foul magic! How dare you desecrate the dead?!"

"Funny hearing that from a hypocritical bully like you." I shook my head in disgust. "You really should get off your uh, high horse."

As I said that, one of the zombie horses sought to trample her, but without even looking back, her blade lashed out and sliced the undead beast into two.

"Welp…" I muttered. "Seven zombie knights and seven undead horses left."

Kureha wasn't listening. She was lunging at me again, her sword turning into a brilliant, divine display of slashes. I managed to fend off the first four attacks, but her next three attacks gouged out huge chunks of flesh from my chest and body. Grunting in pain, I fell back, dodging under her sword, but she kicked me in the solar plexus and sent me flying through the air.

"Gah!"

I crashed onto the ground, sliding and leaving a broken trail in the soil. Heaving, I closed my eyes for a moment as I let my Regeneration kick in and heal my wounds. Kureha wasn't patient or merciful enough to give me the opportunity, for she was closing in almost immediately.

I flipped over whole skidding backward, throwing out one hand to grab the ground while raising my staff with the other. Kureha slashed forcefully, her blade clashing against mine. Sparks flew as metal screeched against metal, and I was forced to use two hands to endure her superior physical strength. Grunting, I twirled the staff to force her off, but Kureha managed to leave a deep scratch on me somehow.

"Kuh…!"

I stumbled back, clutching my wounded shoulder with my left hand. Blood dripped from beneath my fingers, but it closed up soon enough. Kureha scoffed when she saw that, and she wasted no time coming at me again.

I stood my ground as she lunged, but this time, she switched her tactics. Her hand seemed to almost disappear as she delivered countless thrusts that moved at the speed of light. Try as I could to block the pinprick points, I was unable to avoid no less than a dozen stab wounds where her blade found openings with uncanny precision.

"Argh!"

Staggering backward, I swung my staff to knock her away, but Kureha casually deflected my heavier weapon before countering with a riposte that opened up a new wound. Huffing, I unleashed a Corrupting Darkness spell at close range by slamming my staff into the ground. Despite being buffeted by the encroaching miasma, Kureha didn't seem affected at all.

Her pristine, silver armor blazed, defensive runes gently glowing as they reacted against the dark curse. Never mind her unblemished snow-white skin – there wasn't even a smudge on the white and red dress and miniskirt she wore underneath her armor.

"Your pathetic spells won't work against me."

With a sneer, Kureha slashed me. A blast of divine energy sent me tumbling away, smoldering. This time, I allowed the momentum to carry me away to a safe distance. Dropping to the ground, I rolled away before slowly rising to my feet.

"Huff…"

Breathing heavily, I glanced up at Kureha mercilessly closed in on me. Twirling my staff, I smacked her sword away before getting another slash across my chest. Blood dripped from my wounds as my breathing grew labored, and I allowed myself to be pushed back. Kureha launched another heavy swing that exploded with holy magic, and I allowed the blast to hurl me backward. My body singed, I flipped in midair to land on my feet.

"Hah…"

I exhaled. The old wounds were already closing up, leaving no trace of a scar. Kureha frowned, a hint of frustration creeping into her expression.

"Just what is it with you? Even after sustaining an overwhelming number of wounds, your rate of Regeneration hasn't slowed down one it."

I was surprised at that too. In the past, after suffering so many injuries, there would be a noticeable drop in my Regeneration rate. But right now, the speed of healing hadn't dropped at all, and I was still recovering as if I was at full energy.

I see. Did my Regeneration special ability grow stronger? Level up after I experienced so many battles?

Without actual stats and numbers, it was difficult to tell. But I could clearly see a huge difference between my Regeneration in the past and my Regeneration at present.

Kureha stepped forward without waiting for my reply, and her sword flashed forward at the speed of light. Most likely she was planning on delivering the multiple thrusts again. As much as my Regeneration ability had strengthened, I wasn't going to rely on it too much. My pool of magical energy was still limited, after all.

Before Kureha could reach me, I launched a Doombolt. Without breaking a sweat, Kureha sliced the dark bolt of energy into two, causing my spell to dissipate harmlessly on either side of her. I wasn't surprised, given the caliber of my opponent, so I was able to raise my staff and parry several of her strikes in time.

Damn it, is there no way to defeat her?

As I tried to follow Kureha's speed and movements, I seized an opportunity to use Absolute Appraisal. Kureha's personal information popped up on the lenses of my glasses and I gave it a quick glance to see what I could use.

Name: Minamoto Kureha

Species: Human

Job/Rank: Sword Saint/Hero

Special Ability: Sword Saint

Nothing I didn't already know. So her special ability was the same as her class or job, Sword Saint. I tapped the Sword Saint tab and watched it display even more details across my lenses.

Sword Saint: Blessed by the Goddess Evelyn, the ultimate warrior in close combat endowed with peerless swordsmanship. Extreme mastery of the sword.

Bonuses: Resistance to magical and physical attacks enhanced by 200%, Agility, Attack, Durability, Stamina, Speed and Strength enhanced by 200%. Spells: Divine Destruction, Saint Strike and Holy Holocaust.

Yeah, I already knew that. I just wanted to know if she had any weaknesses. Given how she had a 200% resistance to magical and physical attacks, I could see none. Additionally, I was terrible in melee and physical strength, so my best bet was magic after all.

Resistance is increased, but it's not like she's impervious or immune to damage. Minamoto is not invincible.

Right. If she was, she could have defeated the Demon Lord. But even with Kobayashi and the rest of the class aiding her, she was unable to do so. Why was that?

Moreover, if I was thinking about this in gaming terms, all I needed to do was slowly chip away at her health and stay alive until she reached 0 HP. It was going to be painful, tedious and take a very long time, but it was doable.

Unless the rest of the heroes show up while we're still fighting.

"Where's the others?" I asked, glancing around. Grinning in a mocking manner, I taunted her. "You don't honestly think you can win by yourself, can you? Even Kobayashi needed his cronies to beat me up."

Kureha's expression turned sour.

"I can beat you just fine by myself!"

"Oh, come on. Even if it's the truth, I won't call you a coward or a bully if you call for help. Go on, call Kobayashi and the rest. I especially have a score to settle with Kobayashi anyway, so I don't mind killing you all together."

"There's no need to trouble Kobayashi-kun with a loser like you," Kureha sneered. Her sword glowed and she blasted me at point blank range with her Saint Strike. The holy energy engulfed me and threw me off my feet.

"You're finished."

Kureha raised her sword to deliver the finishing blow from a distance. Her blade pulsed with holy energy as she prepared to launch a massive Divine Destruction to raze the whole place to the ground. I managed to conjure a Dark Barrier just in time to endure the attack, which reduced the forest around me into a smoldering crater.

"Wow…that was powerful," I remarked, looking at the surroundings with wide eyes. Kureha merely scowled and launched herself at me once again. This time, I was ready for her.

Shadow Lunar Fang.

Black mana swirled around my staff and I unleashed a crescent-shaped blast of destructive energy at close range to blow Kureha away.

"Ugh!"

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Kureha was too close to evade. She was forced to defend against the devastating spell head-on, using her sword to slice the powerful magic. Unlike the time with Doombolt, Shadow Lunar Fang did not simply get apart when she slashed at it. The destructive spell flared and billowed about her as she struggled to endure the blast, before detonating.

"Aaaah!"

Kureha's shrieks were drowned out by the explosion. I huffed as I took the opportunity to recover, watching as the black inferno raged around my target. Breathing a sigh of relief, I was about to lower my staff when a white burst of divine energy lanced from within the black flames.

"…!"

I just barely managed to knock away Kureha's Saint Strike when my opponent launched herself out of the smoking crater. Her body was still fuming a little, and there were finally smudges and signs of mild injuries on her otherwise near-perfect skin.

Wow, that Sword Saint's bonus of 200% resistance to magical attacks is really annoying, I thought in dismay.

With a determined yell, Kureha came barreling down on me, swinging her sword and striving to cleave me from shoulder to hip. As usual, I managed to somehow parry her blow, but the sheer force of her strike, as well as her massive momentum, caused my legs to buckle. The ground split beneath my feet, unable to endure the immense forces it was subjected to.

"Kuh!"

I managed to shove Kureha off and kick her in the abdomen. This time, it was Kureha's turn to be sent sprawling backward.

The damage from my spell was finally taking its toll.

"You…!"

However, Kureha was far from defeated. Defiant and enraged, she swung her sword and unleashed a Divine Destruction at me. I countered with a Shadow Lunar Fang. The white and black energies clashed against each other and exploded, razing the entire place and turning it into a desolate wasteland. The only witnesses to such catastrophic destruction were my zombies, who under my command, had gotten to a safe distance and waited on standby.

"Huff…huff…"

I was beginning to tire. Unlike Kureha, I didn't possess that much stamina to begin with, and that was even before taking into account the Sword Saint bonus she received. She was truly the strongest opponent I had met thus far. Even more powerful than both Tsukishima Tomoyo and Kijima Takeshi.

There has to be a way to defeat her…

While I desperately sought for a plan, Kureha lunged at me again, not at all winded from the last attack. I succeeded in parrying her vicious strike, but she spun around and dropped to the ground. I staggered back, but was unable to avoid her kick to my solar plexus.

"Gah!"

It didn't matter if Kureha was using a sword or her bare hands. Her close combat skills were unparalleled. I found myself hurtling across the devastated crater and skidding across the scorched ground. Even as I continued skidding, leaving a trail of broken soil in my wake, Kureha was neither patient nor merciful enough for me to come to a stop.

She was already pouncing on me, her sword raised to cut me in half.

That was when I sprang the ambush.

Three zombie knights on horseback charged at her, thrusting their lances from three different directions, the momentum behind their fearsome strikes increasing their power. Kureha swore but she reacted just barely in time, jumping high up. The three lances clashed and clattered against each other, tangled in a heap, and Kureha landed on the three entangled lances, her foot daintily balancing on the thick, curved tips.

Whirling around like a ferocious tornado, her sword whipped out and Kureha easily dispatched the trio of cavalry by slicing them into pieces.

Landing elegantly on the ground she spun around to point her sword at me, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

But with their sacrifice, my zombies had bought me enough time to heal and cast my ultimate spell.

"Thousand Astral Graves!"

"…!"

Kureha jumped away as dozens of tombstones burst out of the ground, towering high above the both of us.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded. I smiled as I stood under my gigantic gravestones, my silhouette slightly concealed by their shadows.

"Welcome to my battlefield."

Not far away, the four remaining zombie knights and the skeletal horses they were riding were undergoing transformations. Standing under the combined shadows of my tombstones, each of them were blessed with twelve incredible buffs. Within seconds, they had evolved into something monstrous, colossal, armored knights with highly destructive weapons and magic.

"And allow me to introduce you to my…Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."