The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 198: S-Rank and SS-Rank

Hahaha!! Whats wrong! Silver!!

Tsk!

Ignat skillfully uses feint and brings the fight to close quarters.

On the other hand, I was trying to keep the distance while concentrating my magic power on both hands while parrying Ignats magic sword.

All you do is defend! Is that how much an SS-rank adventurer amounts to!?

Your mouth made it look like you still have leeway left huh.

Saying so, I swing my hand downward, sending a wind blade toward him.

Ignat receives it with his magic sword but he is pushed back by the impact and retreats a distance away.

Tsk! Damn mages!!

So the standard of S-ranker has already fallen so much that a close combatant can get cornered by a mage huh.

You bastard.! I will make you regret that!!

Ignat adds more magic power into his sword.

Then, the flames wrapping around his sword hugely swelled up and immediately settled down with only a thin layer around his sword.

That probably isnt a misfire.

If that giant flame was compressed around that sword then its power must be stronger than before.

You need a special kind of battle to become SS-rank. The only thing I lack is a suitable monster to fight!!

So you are saying that if you have the chance, you could become SS-rank adventurer?

Thats right! And I will prove that to you now!!

Ignat rushed at me as he said so.

Since he only rushed straight at me, I created the wind blades with my hand again.

However, Ignat clashed into the wind blades. He cuts through it and keeps rushing at me.

You think you can stop me with something like that!!?

Hou?

As expected of an S-rank adventurer huh.

He has quite a power.

I set up a strong barrier in front of me and stopped the blow from Ignats sword. The barrier is different from the one I used to test him out earlier.

This one is a proper barrier.

So youre saying that you still havent got serious too huh!

Who knows.

I tried to pierce Ignat whose movement got stopped. Ignat twists his body to avoid my attack then grabs my arm and performs a throw.

I was thrown but I managed to regain my balance midair and lands. However, using that moment, Ignat rushes at me again.

He is aiming to settle this with close combat. He probably doesnt want to give me a distance since he cant break through my defenses from afar and he knows that I am better at long-range attacks.

That strategy, even though he is rotten, he is still an adventurer huh.

TAKE THIS!!

Kuh!

I used both hands to catch his magic sword that tried to pierce my chest.

Normally, your hands would get burned if you catch such a hot sword but that was why I was collecting magic power in my hands.

However, for it to still make me feel its heat like this, this sword is quite dangerous.

What? Cant set up any more barriers now?

I guessIm bad at close-quarter combat you see.

Saying so, I kicked at Ignat but he quickly let go of his sword and evaded it and proceeded to strike my abdomen.

I was forced to retreat from his attack so I have to let go of his sword. Ignat then catches his sword back from midair.

Guh

A kick strengthened by magic huh. It may be powerful but do you really think that you can hit anyone with that technique of yours?

No matter how much I can strengthen my body with magic, I dont have even a shred of physical talent after all.

I might be able to improve my power but against a professional combatant like him, I am nothing.

I can not beat Ignat with my physical skills.

Well, I already know that.

I stood up while holding down my stomach. There is not much damage but the odds are in his favor. I will have to get in a good blow to offset this.

Understanding that, Ignat shows a carefree smile.

Whats wrong? Just use your big magic! Well, if you use such a magic the capital above us might crumble down to the ground though!

So you understand that huh. The reason I will not use big magic here.

For the people, huh. Fool! If you throw that ideal away you wouldnt be cornered like this! Do you think their lives are more important than yours!?

I did not answer his question.

It was a question that I did not need to answer.

I am the SS-rank adventurer who uses ancient magic. Silver was accepted by the people of the Empire because he has acted as their guardian.

For the people, I can see what will happen if I break that iron rule.

Because he is an ideal adventurer, Silver is allowed to be in the Empire.

Therefore, Silver can not abandon the people of the Empire.

Even if that will cost him his life.

Hah! You can live by that ideal all you want but your life wont be long you know!!

Ignat held up his magic sword.

He finally decided to deal the finishing blow huh.

I dont usually give a name to the techniques I use but there is one of them that I gave a name to.

A trump card huh.as expected of an S-rank adventurer. You have a lot of tricks up your sleeve.

That carefreeness.will you be able to keep it after you take this!?

His magic sword is wrapped in a big swirling flame.

The flame was redder than all the flame Ignat showed so far.

That blazing flame grows smaller and smaller as Ignant takes a deep breath. It was as if Ignat himself breathe in the flame. From the look of it, he must be increasing the synchronization with his sword.

Eventually, the flame swirling around his sword disappeared.

However, it should be close to the calm before the storm.

Final Cremation.

At that moment, Ignat disappeared.

Before I knew it, he was already closing in on my chest.

Fast. his speed is totally different from before. The speed that was almost at the level of teleporting must come from when he absorbed the flame from his sword.

His physical ability explosively increased.

As an S-rank adventurer, Ignats physical ability is already high but now it has grown even higher.

Ignat keeps closing in like that while thrusting his sword at me. I can feel a huge amount of magic power emanating from his sword.

With my action limited, I cant avoid his attack.

Originally, as a mage, I cant go all out in such a tight space. Ignat already entered the range that I should never have allowed him to in the first place.

Normally, I would eliminate him or take a distance away.

However, I couldnt do that here. I can use transfer magic but doing so I would lose the chance to collect the scarce clues we managed to find.

But if I attack him with a large-scale magic, the basement will collapse and it will cause damage to the imperial capital above us.

That was why I was in a helpless situation.

Therefore.

Good work. I was waiting for you to make such an attack.

What.?

Ignats attack was stopped by a barrier before it reached me.

And it is not a simple barrier either.

My magic is too strong for a tight space like this. Its hard to even hold back. Thats why it is easier for me to make use of your own attack.

Dont tell me.!?

Ah, dont worry. I was fighting you seriously. I simply didnt give it my all.

Kuh!?

Trying to figure out what kind of barrier I was using, Ignat tried to get away from me. However, it was too late.

In the first place, we are in a closed space. He has nowhere to escape to.

The name of the barrier I used is the [Reflective Barrier]. As the name implies, it reflects back the opponents attack.

Ignats thrust released the accumulated energy he gathered up all at once but it was absorbed into the barrier and released back at him.

GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!??

Ignat, who took the brunt of his own trump card, tried to protect his body with his right arm that was holding his magic sword. Thanks to that, his body was only slightly burned. Even so, since his whole body was burned, his condition could be said to be serious.

The right arm he used to protect his body was also carbonized.

With his body tattered, and his right arm crumbling away, Ignat collapses as he loses his consciousness.

After catching Ignat with a barrier, I turn back.

Now, lets continue.

As expected, they shouldnt have any guard that is stronger than Ignat.

All that left is to capture their leader.

Lets end this. This place stresses me up. I might end up shooting out magic to relieve some stress after this.