Chapter 350 : Dark Wood Sword

The battle between Duke Remy and Commander Oliver was still underway.

Although Duke Remy had previously been struck by Commander Oliver, he appeared completely unscathed; not a single mark marred his body. Even the black wooden armor encasing him remained entirely undamaged by the blow. Duke Remy was now attacking Commander Oliver using his elongated hands, which shot rapidly toward Commander Oliver. However, Commander Oliver dodged the attack with ease. Unlike before, he evaded the attack perfectly, without sustaining even the slightest scratch. His movements had accelerated significantly after his entire body became wreathed in magic resembling electricity.

Yet, even though Commander Oliver managed to dodge the initial strikes, Duke Remy’s hands continued to extend, relentlessly pursuing him wherever he went.

"No matter where I go, Lord Remy’s hands keep chasing me. Dodging seems futile; I’d be better off slashing through and severing them," Commander Oliver thought.

Suddenly, while darting away to evade the limbs, Commander Oliver spun around and charged straight toward them.

~Lightning Sword Art: Lightning Speed ​​Slash~

Commander Oliver shot toward the limbs and instantly slashed at them with his sword. The strike severed both of Duke Remy’s hands, causing them to fall to the floor. Meanwhile, the severed limbs began to shrink back to their original size. Once they had retracted, they slowly began to regenerate, healing back to the state they were in before being cut off. Witnessing this regeneration, Commander Oliver fell silent, deep in thought.

"Every time I managed to slash and sever Lord my's extending arms, they would simply regenerate. It appears that when those limbs elongated, it wasn't actually Lord Remy's arms stretching out, but rather the black wooden armor encasing his entire body. Since his arms were already covered in that black armor, an observer would naturally assume the arms themselves were lengthening. In reality, however, only the armor extending over his arms was growing; Lord Remy's actual arms remained unchanged. His arms merely dictated the direction of movement, while the black wooden armor covering them would shift and elongate in accordance with that guidance."

"Consequently, whenever I succeeded in cutting off those extending limbs, they regenerated because I hadn't severed his actual arms, only the black wooden armor shaped like them. If I want to sever Lord Remy's arms and prevent them from regenerating, I must cut the actual arms beneath the armor. To do that, I need to get close enough to strike his real arms," Commander Oliver said.

With that, Commander Oliver darted rapidly toward Duke Remy and immediately launched a slashing attack.

~Lightning Sword Art: Great Lightning Speed ​​Slash~

Commander Oliver aimed the strike at Duke Remy's right arm. Duke Remy noticed the move and attempted to dodge, but the attack was so swift that he could not evade it completely. The strike managed to connect with Duke Remy's right arm, though it was not a direct, clean hit.

Having moved to dodge the attack, Duke Remy was now at a considerable distance from Commander Oliver. He was looking directly at the commander, ignoring the right arm that had just been struck. Commander Oliver, in turn, kept his gaze fixed on Duke Remy, who had managed to avoid the full force of the blow. Commander Oliver then looked at Duke Remy’s right hand, which had previously been struck by his attack. The hand appeared completely unscathed; even the black wooden armor encasing it showed no signs of damage.

"Lord Remy's right hand wasn't injured at all. I had assumed that his hand was the weakest point of the black wooden armor covering his body—especially since I had managed to slice through those black wooden arm extensions earlier. But it seems I was mistaken."

"It appears the armor becomes vulnerable to attacks or severing when it extends, yet when it isn't extending or shifting shape, it becomes impervious to attack or destruction—just like the rest of it," Commander Oliver mused silently.

Commander Oliver remained deep in thought. Observing his silence, Duke Remy spoke up.

"You seem to be wondering why my right hand remained unscathed despite your attack grazing it. After all, you managed to sever my extended hands before, yet this time you couldn't inflict any damage. That’s what’s puzzling you, isn't it?" Duke Remy asked.

Although Commander Oliver was silent, he was listening closely to Duke Remy. Once the Duke finished speaking, Commander Oliver immediately responded.

"That’s right; I was indeed thinking about that. But I’ve already figured out why it happened. So now, I’m thinking about something else," Commander Oliver said.

"Thinking about something else? Are you wondering how to pierce the black wooden armor that encases my body?" Duke Remy asked.

"Yes, that is exactly what I’m thinking about. I’m considering which techniques and magic I should use to penetrate your armor," Commander Oliver replied.

"None of the techniques you possess will be able to pierce this armor of mine, Sir Oliver. The wooden armor I am wearing is incredibly hard. If you wish to penetrate it, you could use that black spear embedded in the wall. That spear is capable of piercing and damaging my armor because it is crafted from the very same material," said Duke Remy, gesturing toward the black spear he had previously thrown.

"I see. No wonder that spear managed to scratch your armor when I threw it at you earlier. So, it is made of the same material as your armor. I never expected you to reveal the very method to pierce and damage your own armor," remarked Commander Oliver.

"I decided to tell you just to make things easier for you. Even so, you still won't be able to defeat me," Duke Remy stated.

"Is that so? In that case, I won't use that black spear to pierce your armor. I will use my own techniques and my sword to break through it. I intend to prove that your earlier claim that none of my techniques could penetrate your armor is wrong," declared Commander Oliver.

"Give it a try, then, Sir Oliver," said Duke Remy.

With that, Commander Oliver prepared to attack Duke Remy.

~Lightning Magic: Lightning Movement – ​​Threefold~

The lightning magic enveloping Commander Oliver’s body grew more intense and concentrated than before; the magical aura surrounding him appeared visibly thicker. Instantly, Commander Oliver shot forward at incredible speed toward Duke Remy. Upon closing the distance, he immediately thrust his sword into Duke Remy’s chest. Duke Remy was completely unable to react to Commander Oliver’s movements; even as the sword pierced his chest, he still failed to respond.

~Lightning Sword Art: Lightning Strike Impact~

After thrusting his sword into Duke Remy's chest, Commander Oliver channeled the electrical magic from his sword into the Duke. Duke Remy’s body was instantly enveloped by the electrical energy surging from the commander's weapon. It was only after this surge of electricity had engulfed him that Duke Remy finally reacted. Although the electrical magic should have been searing and ravaging his body, he appeared completely unaffected.

"Magic like this feels like nothing to me, Sir Oliver. Even your sword thrust failed to register; it merely pierced the armor protecting me rather than my actual flesh. It is a pity, Sir Oliver, your technique could not penetrate my armor," Duke Remy remarked.

"It isn't over yet, Lord Remy," Commander Oliver replied.

Commander Oliver then intensified his magical power. He continued to thrust his blade into Duke Remy's chest while channeling lightning magic throughout the Duke's body. The lightning magic surging through Duke Remy appeared far more potent and concentrated than before. Sensing the increased intensity of the electricity coursing through him, Duke Remy began to feel a sense of alarm.

"This lightning magic is growing stronger. I can feel it stinging parts of my body even through my sturdy armor. This attack could prove disastrous if it continues; I need to do something," Duke Remy thought.

He moved his right hand, preparing to strike back at Commander Oliver, who was still driving his blade into the Duke's chest and channeling lightning magic into him. Realizing Duke Remy was preparing a counterattack, Commander Oliver moved to finish his attack before the Duke could strike.

"Time to end this, Lord Remy," Commander Oliver said.

~Lightning Magic: Lightning Pierce~

Commander Oliver pushed his magical power to the limit, attempting to pierce Duke Remy's chest with his sword; however, the sword failed to penetrate the Duke's incredibly durable armor. Yet, while the sword itself could not break through, the lightning magic flowing along the blade succeeded in bypassing the armor. The electricity surged through the armor and right through to Duke Remy's back. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood as the lightning magic pierced both his armor and his body.

Having concluded his attack, Commander Oliver stepped back to put some distance between himself and Duke Remy. He then observed the Duke Remy's condition. Duke Remy was wiping his mouth, having just spat out blood. Wisps of black smoke rose from parts of his body still encased in the black wooden armor. It appeared that parts of Duke Remy's body had been scorched by the electric shock Commander Oliver had unleashed upon him.

However, the wisps of smoke rising from his body were faint, indicating that the burns were not severe. Furthermore, a scratch was visible on the chest plate of Duke Remy's armor, showing that Commander Oliver's thrusting attack had successfully grazed it. Although the lightning magic had struck Duke Remy's chest, it did not pierce the armor or his body, as the attack was non-physical in nature.

"Even though this attack didn't defeat him, at least I managed to wound him—something I had failed to do repeatedly until now," Commander Oliver thought.

Meanwhile, Duke Remy wiped the blood from his mouth and fixed his gaze on Commander Oliver.

"It was careless of me to underestimate you. I never imagined you could wound me while I was wearing this armor. It seems I must take this fight more seriously; otherwise, I might be the one to lose," Duke Remy said.

He then grasped one of the black tree-like branches protruding from his back, severed it, and pulled it free. Holding the detached branch, he pointed it forward.

~Plant Magic + Dark Magic: Create Magic Weapon - Dark Wood Sword~

The branch in Duke Remy's hand instantly transformed into a black sword. It resembled the sword he had used previously, though its color was different. Additionally, the sword appeared wreathed in a black aura, much like that of ~Dark Magic~. It was not just the sword; Duke Remy’s entire body was now enveloped in a dense, black aura. He then appeared poised to strike with the weapon.

"I cannot afford to linger here. I must quickly kill Lord Louis, Lady Arlet, and Her Majesty. So, let us bring this to an end, Lord Oliver," Duke Remy said.

Meanwhile, Commander Oliver also appeared ready to attack.

"The technique I'm using places a heavy burden on me and drains my energy. That is why I agree with you. Let us end this quickly, Lord Remy. I will not let you kill Lord Louis, Lady Arlet, and Her Majesty. I will defeat you," said Commander Oliver.

With that, Commander Oliver and Duke Remy instantly surged forward at high speed, each launching an attack.

~Lightning Sword Art: Lightning of Judgment~

~Plant Sword Art: Mors Arbor Gladius~

Commander Oliver and Duke Remy clashed with such speed that, before they knew it, they had ended up standing with their backs to one another. Duke Remy was now behind Commander Oliver, and Commander Oliver was behind Duke Remy. As they stood back-to-back, a large amount of blood suddenly began to drip down from above. The blood was falling from a severed right hand hovering over them—a hand that was still gripping a sword. The sword held by the severed hand crackled with electricity that was slowly fading away. That severed right hand belonged to Commander Oliver.

Meanwhile, Commander Oliver stood motionless. Moments later, he reached out with his left hand to grasp his severed right arm; blood gushed profusely from the stump. He then turned to look at Duke Remy, who had previously been behind him. As Oliver turned, Duke Remy also turned around, fixing his gaze on the commander. Duke Remy then raised his right arm and pointed it toward Commander Oliver.

"This battle is over, Commander Oliver," said Duke Remy.

His right arm instantly elongated, shooting rapidly toward Commander Oliver and piercing straight through the center of his chest, bursting out the other side.

-To be continued