After his friends stalled Ardena's attack, Sigmund hurried ahead by himself. Sylvie and Silvia had continued to pummel the enemy lines with spells from their spirit arrays, allowing him a clear path to the monolith. The black swordsman could sense the corruptive energies emitted by the accursed structure, slowly but surely contaminating the natural mana of Yggdrasil.
He hastened his pace, not wanting to waste his comrades' sacrifice.
No. Not a sacrifice. Sigmund believed in his friends…the allies he had entrusted his back to, and the people he had befriended during this journey. He had always been alone for most of his career as a swordsman, having braved journeys and slew monstrous spirit beasts by himself, so it was a refreshing change to have people to fight alongside with.
People he could proudly call his friends.
As such, he resolved to believe them. There was no way they would fall here. They would attain victory over the legendary elvish Sword Saint. He might not have known them for long, but he had fought alongside them enough to be aware of how resourceful they were. Whether it was the black-haired summoner from the Far East or the blue-haired swordswoman with an imposing aura, or even the talented fairy sisters with a vast repertoire of spells and spirit arrays at their disposal. Morten Pedersen, too, had proven himself with his determination and indefatigable attitude.
Surely, they would find a way to prevail. He wasn't sure about the Abyssal Hydra that the bespectacled summoner had brought to the field, but he knew that the guy would lead the rest to victory. He had to believe in them.
Planting a foot on the ground, he launched himself forward with a bellow. Swinging his huge sword, he cleaved the Giga Rex impertinent enough to step into his path. His Dragon Slayer attribute allowed him to deal bonus damage to enemies with the dragon characteristic, and it appeared that the Saurian spirit beasts that congregated here were no exception. He kicked off the skull of the beheaded Giga Rex and propelled himself forward. Blue mana burst from his sword and cleared out a pack of Velocity Raptors and Shellfish spirit beasts, and he landed in the vicinity of the monolith.
Dark elves turned toward him with snarls, but he was already cutting them down before they could spin about fully, his blade cleaving through armor and robes with equal ease and rendering his targets nothing more than a mess of hurtling body parts and fountains of blood.
Sigmund took no pleasure in the slaughter, but he knew that the only way to destroy the monolith was by first eradicating its defenders. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a chance to unleash Balmung…
"Ugh?!"
He sensed danger and hurled himself to the side, rolling across the ground as a torrent of solar fire rolled across the clearing and incinerated everything in the vicinity, dark elf and vegetation alike. Springing back to his feet, he caught sight of his assailant hovering in the air ahead of him, firmly situating himself between the trespasser and the corruptive monolith. A crimson and golden spear blazed with incredible heat, causing the air to shimmer uncomfortably from temperatures usually found only on the surface of the sun. A feathery cloak billowed out from a muscular frame clad in black and golden armor, and dignified eyes stared down from above.
"Ricowen."
"Sigmund Krieg. We meet again. It's an honor." The legendary spearman dipped his head politely. "I regret the circumstances that brought us into conflict, but I have been charged with the duty of protecting this…artifact. By my vow, none shall venture near to threaten it."
"I'm afraid I must destroy it…by any means necessary."
"I know. I understand. I have no intention of dissuading you." Ricowen nodded in acknowledgement. "There are few who are as honorable as you, and truth be told, I relish the opportunity to test my strength against yours again."
"Indeed." Sigmund lowered his head in respect. "You are a worthy foe. Perhaps, if the situation had been different, we might have been friends."
"Yes," Ricowen agreed. Then he smiled. "But I am more than happy to have you as a rival."
The both of them studied each other from a distance, allowing silence to saturate the air for a moment. despite their grudging respect for each other, and the honor they displayed, the atmosphere was rife with tension so thick that almost anyone could cut through it with a knife.
Then, as of the both of them had sensed some unspoken cue and agreed on an exact moment, they charged at the same time.
Spear clashed against sword, crimson flames erupting and colliding against blue draconic energies in a violent explosion that hurled both combatants apart. Yet, a second later, they rammed their boots against the ground and sprang at each other once more, trading another devastating blow that leveled a circle of trees in their surroundings.
Even the monument shuddered, dust and debris rolling off its crumbling surface. The corruptive energies dimmed slightly, but the artifact refused to halt its process and forcibly pumped its tainted mana into Yggdrasil.
Sigmund ignored it for now, focusing on the battle at hand. Whatever the monolith did, he could do nothing about it until he had defeated the opponent in front of him. He swung his blazing sword, which Ricowen parried with his gleaming spear in another collision that sent shockwaves rippling out from the two duelists as the epicenter.
The both of them continued to trade blows, with Ricowen thrusting his spear at incredible speeds that each actually produced a sonic boom that ground the already battered surroundings into dust. Each was powerful enough to destroy a building, yet for some reason, Sigmund was able to parry, block and deflect each and every one of them without his bones shattering. Any normal warrior would have been pulverized by the strength behind each strike, but Sigmund exchanged over a hundred blows with the near demigod over the next few minutes, not yielding any ground at all.
In fact, the ground broke long before he could ever lose his stance, the bark of the World Tree cracked and crumbling from the meteoric impacts of their exchanges, and craters driven deep into the already ravaged Yggdrasil. Ricowen continued to strike, but Sigmund answered each blow with equal ferocity while even delivering ripostes and countering a few of his opponent's relentless attacks.
A huge swing from him exploded upon physical contact, the blue draconic mana swallowing a retreating Ricowen before spitting him out. While Sigmund leveled his sword and prepared to pursue, a hovering Ricowen righted his tumble and showered him with fireballs, the huge conflagrations streaking through the air like comets and blowing craters in the ground.
Sigmund ran along the blossoming explosions and resultant infernos, weaving through the fierce bombardment and evading the best he could while cleaving apart those colossal fireballs that he couldn't escape. After splitting one particularly massive one into dying embers, he then righted his sword in a defensive stance just in time to intercept Ricowen's blow, his boots sinking deep into the disintegrating ground as he fought to hold his position.
"Argh!"
With a determined yell, he swung his sword and unleashed another draconic blast that cut through Ricowen's hellish flames and almost swatted the spearman out of the sky. But Ricowen simply landed gracefully on the World Tree, twirling his spear about and stabbing from an unexpected angle. Sigmund then dodged to the side, just narrowly avoiding the deadly tip of the golden lance that would have otherwise punched a hole through his head.
Instead, a small amount of blood trickled from a slight graze on his cheek, and he staggered back before he wiped it, the tiny cut sealing and healing almost instantaneously.
"Hmm, I didn't think you would be able to hurt me."
"Are you a body tempering cultivator, then?" Ricowen asked, impressed. "I have not met anyone who could withstand my strikes with as much tenacity as you did. Even Ardena, the pride of the elves, was severely hurt after a long exchange with me, but you have shrugged off every blow that is strong enough to demolish a building."
"I'm the one who should be amazed," Sigmund replied with a sigh as he straightened himself, his legendary sword held in both hands. "You are right, my body tempering technique – Draconic Steel Armor – makes me impervious to almost all physical attacks. Normally, any physical blow should have been nullified by my defense, yet your strikes are so powerful that they bypassed my Draconic Steel Armor somehow and leave minor injuries. I cannot help but admire your strength. You really are among the most powerful warriors I've ever met."
"I offer the same compliments to you." Ricowen nodded solemnly before he pointed his spear at his enemy. "It is a pity that only one of us will leave this battle alive."
Fireballs pummeled Sigmund's position once more, forcing him to sprint along the charred length of the World Tree. With a shout, he hurled himself up and slashed at Ricowen, another blue draconic burst devouring a couple of fireballs and pouncing on the flying spearman. Ricowen simply beheaded it with an almost casual swing of his spear, dissipating it into harmless blue sparks. He then conjured a gigantic fireball, almost like the sun, and tossed it at Sigmund.
The black swordsman held his ground, azure energies wreathing his muscular figure as he faced the incoming supernova. With another yell, he cleaved it apart, unleashing another draconic blast that cancelled out the colossal fireball but leaving the surroundings blackened from the sheer heat. In the face of such extreme hazards, Sigmund was the only living thing to survive.
Not at all discouraged, Ricowen swooped down on Sigmund, plunging his spear at him. The latter batted the golden lance to the side and countered with a riposte, but the former twisted around and spun away from the glowing blade. The both of them then whirled and clashed once more, their weapons colliding with apocalyptic fury.
Springing apart, they skidded to a stop, yet neither of them used the opportunity to take a breather. They were already preparing their next attacks, with Ricowen conjuring a fresh tide of fireballs and hurling them at a faltering Sigmund. His eyes narrowed and he brought his own sword up to unleash another draconic bast.
But this time, he altered his technique, adapting it to suit his opponent. The once gargantuan draconic blast had split off to multiple smaller blue dragons, their incorporeal forms racing ahead to intercept the fireballs in thunderous detonations. Crimson embers and azure sparks rained down on both Ricowen and Sigmund, but neither of them paid any attention to the fiery remnants that would have burned off the armor from a regular warrior. Even a Cabal Knight would have succumbed to the elemental forces at play here, his armor melting from the extreme heat and boiling the flesh within.
As it was, noting survived in the vicinity. The dark elves who had looked to Ricowen for protection had all but been decimated by the exchange between the two giants. Colossi, not in terms of stature, but in terms of skill and magic. If one were to rely on qi sense or mana perception instead of simple sight, they would have beheld two terrifying titans standing atop Yggdrasil, their confrontation an apocalyptic clash that left rippling effects across the immaterial fabric of the world.
Unaware or uncaring of how others viewed them, completely immersed in their earthshattering fight, Sigmund and Ricowen charged once more and crashed into each other with apocalyptic ferocity. Azure dragons dueled against crimson infernos once more, the former darting to swallow the latter before being ripped apart from the inside out but succeeding in burning out the explosions' fury. Spear clanged against sword with enough strength to shatter skyscrapers, yet both remained unbroken and unbowed by the superlative violence, their physiques having grown to embody such divine power.
All those who watched from afar, on the edge of the battle and just out of range of the constant shockwaves, felt immense horror fill them as the two godlike beings wrestled for supremacy. They knew that the outcome of this war wound hinge on whoever won that duel.
Unable to back down from this fight, and keenly aware of the weight of responsibility that laid on their broad shoulders, Sigmund and Ricowen bellowed furiously as they closed in for another catastrophic clash that once again caused the whole of Yggdrasil to shudder.