"That... that sword, what's going on?"
Watching as Eugene's demonic sword pierced through the Fairy Sword, forcing Rozen to retreat, Leafa spoke out in shock.
Sakuya and Alicia also saw the scene, exchanging glances.
"As I thought."
"It seems the rumors are true."
The two leaders confirmed this to each other.
"What's going on?" Leafa quickly asked.
Sakuya looked toward the battlefield and explained in a serious tone.
"General Eugene's weapon is no ordinary weapon; it's a legendary weapon."
A legendary weapon.
These are weapons mentioned in mythologies, each of them unique, unobtainable through forging, and can only be found within this world as ultra-rare items.
The demonic sword in Eugene's hand is one such legendary weapon, a divine artifact that can only be wielded once the skill level for the Two-Handed Sword reaches 950, making it exceptionally powerful.
"Among sword-type weapons, the only one that could surpass that demonic sword is the legendary holy sword, Excalibur."
Sakuya explained gravely.
"However, to this day, no one has found that holy sword, nor has anyone triggered any quest related to it. We only know of its existence from NPCs' vague mentions, but no one knows where it actually is."
In other words, for now, Eugene's demonic sword is the strongest weapon on the entire server, without a doubt.
Unless someone discovers the legendary holy sword, there is no weapon stronger than that demonic sword at this stage.
"The name of that demonic sword is Gram," Alicia continued after Sakuya, explaining to Leafa.
"And the demonic sword Gram has a special effect called Ethereal Shift. When an enemy tries to defend, the sword can become incorporeal, as if it has no physical form, passing right through the opponent's defense to deal full damage."
In other words, this is a demonic sword that cannot be defended against.
"After obtaining this demonic sword, General Eugene once single-handedly wiped out a unit of Imps. There are even rumors among the Salamanders that he defeated a group of a hundred warriors. Though it's unclear if this is true, the demonic sword has always been regarded as a treasure by the Salamanders. If not for General Eugene, the lord Mortimer would certainly have stored it away, not allowing anyone to use it, fearing it might threaten his position."
Alicia's explanation made Leafa tense up.
"Then... Rozen..."
Leafa was full of worry.
"He... he should be okay, right?" Sakuya replied with some uncertainty.
"Two such strong players, fighting here—if the situation allowed it, I'd really love to watch," Alicia said, a bit excitedly.
Everyone kept their eyes fixed on the fight between Rozen and Eugene, without blinking.
Rozen and Eugene thus engaged in fierce combat.
Swish swish swish swish swish…
While pursuing Rozen, Eugene continuously unleashed slashes with his demonic sword. The undefendable weapon created a whirlwind of blades that cut through the air, producing sharp, cutting sounds as it ruthlessly attacked Rozen.
"—!"
Facing a sword that couldn't be defended against, Rozen kept his calm. His movements were as swift as the wind, swaying back and forth, dodging every strike like a phantom while remaining cool and composed.
"Is running all you can do...?!"
Eugene's face was dark as he fought, but he couldn't help but feel shocked once again.
In ALO, players typically attack each other head-on, relying on their stats and equipment, with few considering evasion.
Dodging is often harder than simply defending, as it requires not only reading the enemy's moves but also reacting in time to evade. Instead of going to such lengths, most players simply enhance their gear or equip shields to withstand attacks. They can always restore HP with healing magic or items afterward, as they don't suffer real injuries—who cares about taking a hit?
Thus, very few players use evasive maneuvers, and those who do generally don't avoid every single attack. They dodge when they can predict an attack, but if it's too difficult, they usually choose to endure it.
However, Rozen was different. It was as though he had read every attack, calculating the trajectory of each strike to completely avoid every one of Eugene's slashes.
If Eugene had been more perceptive, he would have noticed that every time Rozen dodged a swing of the demonic sword, the distance between Rozen and the sword was precisely the same. He avoided each attack by the slimmest margin, resolving the opponent's assault with minimal movement.
Such skill was simply astonishing.
"Damn it!"
Eugene increased his speed, transforming his demonic sword into a cyclone of attacks, whirling toward Rozen like a meat grinder.
At this moment…
"Mindless assault makes it easy to expose openings, you know?"
Dodging like a phantom, Rozen suddenly spoke as if instructing a student.
"Like this."
With those words, Rozen suddenly moved, thrusting his Fairy Sword forward like a flash of light.
This thrust cleverly avoided all incoming slashes from the demonic sword, slipping through an almost invisible gap in the attack's trajectory, heading straight for Eugene.
Splurt!
Eugene had no time to react as the sound of tearing flesh marked a wound opening on his shoulder.
Eugene's HP dropped immediately.
"...!"
Stunned, Eugene instinctively pulled back from Rozen, retreating.
But now Rozen advanced instead.
"Weren't you saying that all I could do was run? Who's the one running now?"
Rozen smiled leisurely, charging forward like a gust of wind, closing in on Eugene in an instant.
"And a real slash should look like this."
Rozen pulled his Fairy Sword in a sweeping motion, unleashing countless streaks of sword light toward Eugene.
Each slash was graceful and deadly, with tricky angles and unpredictable trajectories, executed with the shortest, most effective movements possible.
Clang clang clang clang clang—!
Eugene could only raise his sword to block, desperately fending off the strikes with his demonic sword to protect his vital points, avoiding a critical hit that would significantly lower his HP.
But Eugene could only defend his vital areas; he lost his defense over the rest of his body.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
In an instant, as the sword light swept across, wounds appeared on Eugene's body, with effects of blood splattering visible.
Thanks to this, Eugene's HP continued to drop, nearing the yellow caution zone.
"Is that all you've got?"
Rozen spoke slowly, his movements relentless, continuing to unleash waves of sword light.
"Ugh...! Arghhh...!"
Eugene couldn't help but let out groans of frustration.