I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 52

Chapter 52: The Boss Fight Begins

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The night wind blew fiercely. At the top of the clock tower, massive gears slowly turned, producing a low metallic sound.

Yuka and Dia. A brief silence fell between them. Dia slowly tilted his head.

“…A quiet one, are you?”

He smiled as if troubled.

“Well, I don’t mind.”

Then he stepped forward.

“Shall we begin?”

At that instant, Yuka vanished.

Kiin!!

A sharp metallic clash rang out. A slender sword that had appeared in Dia’s hand caught the dagger.

“You’re fast.”

Dia smiled.

“But…”

Kan!

He lightly deflected it. Yuka’s body jumped backward.

“That level of swordsmanship won’t reach me.”

Yuka said nothing. The next moment, her fingertips faintly glowed. A basic light-element spell. Glare Flash. A burst of light exploded.

Paan!!

The top of the tower shone as bright as midday for an instant. Dia’s vision turned white. In that opening, Yuka closed the distance at once. Her dagger swung.

Kin.

It was stopped again. Dia narrowed his eyes.

“I see, how unusual.”

His voice sounded amused.

“Light element, is it?”

A red magic circle appeared at Dia’s feet. The next moment…

Goo!!

Flames erupted upward. A pillar of fire engulfed Dia. A blast of heat swept across the top of the tower, but….

A voice came from within the flames.

“Not a bad fire.”

Slowly, the man stepped out. Part of his robe was burned. However, his body was barely injured.

“But…”

He lightly spun his sword.

“Still lacking.”

The next instant, Dia disappeared.

“Tch—”

Yuka’s eyes shifted slightly.

Giin!!

Sparks flew. Yuka’s dagger caught a strike from behind. But it was heavy.

Kin!!

She was knocked back. Yuka slid several meters. The soles of her shoes scraped against the stone floor. Dia was smiling.

“I’m impressed…. To think a girl like you can handle both light and fire.”

He spoke with interest.

“Two attributes, and light among them.”

Yuka stood up in silence. The sleeve of her clothing was slightly scorched. Dia rested his sword on his shoulder.

“You’re talent we’d want in our Ashen Reaper.”

He tilted his head.

“What do you say?”

His eyes narrowed.

“That expression of yours… it feels somewhat similar to us.”

Yuka’s expression did not change. Her eyes remained fixed on the man before her. There was still power she had not used. If she used it, this might end faster. Luka was not here either. If there were even stronger enemies where Luka was, then using too much magic power here would not be wise. Yuka tightened her grip on her dagger.

But I’ll stop holding back.

She was about to gather magic into her left arm when—

Pakiiin!!

A sharp sound rang out right beside Dia. The stone floor froze over, and a massive ice spear pierced into it. Dia’s eyes widened slightly.

“…Oh?”

Beyond the night wind, at the entrance to the top of the clock tower, a girl stood. Silver hair swayed in the wind. It was Elysia. She began walking forward quietly.

Step.

Her footsteps echoed. Her cold gaze was directed at Dia.

“I’ve found you.”

A quiet voice. But within it was unmistakable anger. Dia smiled.

“My, my.”

He gave a light bow.

“A young lady of the prestigious Gladio house… Elysia Gladio.”

Elysia did not respond. She simply stepped forward. Frost spread from beneath her feet.

“For someone of ducal status like you to bring darkness into the kingdom…”

A cold voice.

“That is a fine act of treason, isn’t it?”

The temperature of the air dropped instantly. Dia narrowed his eyes with amusement.

“More importantly, Lady Elysia, may I hear your answer?”

She raised her sword.

“I refuse.”

Dia smiled.

“That is unfortunate. Then it can’t be helped.”

Yuka stepped beside her. She raised her dagger. Around Elysia, ice spears floated in the air. The night wind blew. The next moment, the two of them moved at the same time.

◇◆◇

The royal capital at night.

A tense atmosphere filled the plaza in front of the clock tower. Leonis stepped forward. His white formal attire fluttered in the wind. In his hand, he held that dagger. It carried a faint, gentle glow. Kyle looked at it and smiled slightly.

“So that is the Holy Relic .”

His voice sounded intrigued.

“This is my first time seeing the real thing.”

He slowly raised his sword.

“Then—”

At that moment.

Boom!!

Gray flames erupted. A distorted magic circle appeared behind Kyle. Flames wrapped around his hand. That eerie magic was something different from the fire spells Allen and I used.

“Allow me to show you a fragment of our Ashen authority.”

Kyle pointed his hand toward us. The next instant—

Goooo!!

Gray flames surged forward in a torrent. Like a beast, they twisted as they rushed toward Leonis.

“Leonis!”

I shouted.

But Leonis did not move. Calmly, he brought the Sacred Relic forward.

“《Alca》.”

Light spread outward. The moment the gray flames touched that light—

Zuzu…

The force of the flames weakened. As if being absorbed, they were swallowed into the light. Kyle’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Oh?”

Leonis swung his arm. The next instant, the absorbed gray flames were reflected back in the opposite direction.

Doon!!

The explosion shattered the stone pavement of the plaza. Kyle lightly leaped back, his composed expression unchanged.

“I see… absorption and reflection.”

He smiled with interest. At that moment, a voice called out from behind.

“To your right!”

It was Allen. Three spheres of gray flame had appeared beside Kyle. They fired at the same time.

“They’re coming.”

Fia muttered. At that moment, wind blew. It was Orbis’s magic. A wall of wind spread out, deflecting the flames’ trajectory.

Doon! Doon!!

The flames exploded at the edge of the plaza. In that opening, Leonis stepped in. His blade shone with light.

“Hah!”

A sharp slash. Kyle blocked it with the sword he drew from his waist.

Giin!!

Sparks scattered. Their blades clashed. Kyle was smiling.

“Nice teamwork. As expected, the odds are against me.”

…Now that Orbis was here too, we could do something. I gathered magic.

“Orbis!”

“Understood.”

The wind swirled. Magic gathered around me.

“Now!”

I swung my hand. A blade of wind wrapped in flames shot straight forward. Even I could produce decent power if I used Orbis’s wind. Kyle dodged it.

Yeah, my magic was useless, as expected. But at that moment, Allen’s flaming arrow flew.

Hyun!!

It grazed Kyle’s shoulder. His robe was burned and torn. Kyle paused for just a moment and Leonis did not miss that opening.

Leonis’s dagger shone brightly.

“Cut!”

A slash of light was unleashed.

Zubaa!!

The ground split wide open. Dust rose into the air. After a moment, laughter came from beyond the smoke.

“Haha…”

Gray flames flickered. From within the smoke, Kyle slowly walked out. Blood flowed from his shoulder. But gray flames burned over the wound, covering it.

Ah, the high-regeneration boss type. Yeah, yeah, not fun.

A smile spread across his face.

“Excellent.”

Eyes filled with madness.

“This is very enjoyable… destruction.”

He raised his sword. The gray flames swelled even further.

“However…”

His lips curled upward.

“This is not over yet.”

Gray flames dyed the night sky.

“No, it ends here.”

“…What?”

“<Sword of Ten Thousand Curses, Dominion>”

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