Chapter 27: Demon Lord's castle (3).
It was a terrible battle.
Atofe was strong.
Whether cut with a sword or pierced with the Death technique, she instantly regenerated, moved, and attacked again.
Of course, they were overwhelmed.
Reinhard might have won every single clash with the help of his ability to see his surroundings at slow motion.
Still no matter how many times he struck her down, she revives completely back at full health.
"Oh, you're tough. Wearing a particularly strong touki! Interesting! With training here you'll be invincible in a less than 10 years!"
Atofe's armor was broken a long time ago, fighting bare naked upper body.
The only saving grace was Reinhard's nearly unlimited physical stamina, so he didn't lose right away.
Still Reinhard desperately hanged on.
He also had to protect Sylphy and preserve her Mana as much as possible only using them when Healing unexpected counterattacks.
She was his lifeline in this battle. He can't afford to use Healing Magic on himself as he had to focus his Mana on reinforcing his body using Touki.
Moreover who knows what's gonna happen when Atofe mobilize her Imperial Guards to forcefully enslave then at all cost? Reinhard prepared for that possibility if so that happens.
Craters and cracks formed the battleground nearly demolished out the entire castle.
The castle was made with a sturdy metal, and yet the shock of the battle brought it in the brink of collapse. Thankfully it was an open air castle.
-*-*-*-
{Part 2}
That fight continued for ten days and ten nights.
Ten days and nights might not be much for an Immortal, but even Atofe looked considerably weakened.
No matter how powerful one is, after ten days of fighting one's strength would weaken.
The same goes for Reinhard.
In training, he exhausted myself to the point of collapse. But none of them were as deadly as his fatigue.
With every move, he feels his muscles tear and the bones splinter.
His body was truly in tatters. Even he took attacks with direct hit multiple times already.
The fight continues...
Atofe's sword art of the North God Style is tricky, but Reinhard could see it coming from miles away and take an optimal move to counterattack.
However as the days passed, it got trickier and trickier. And Reinhard's brain power at its fatigued state could process the information and gave a precise response at a small period of time.
And so Reinhard had no choice, not to rely on his mind to fight but with pure animalistic instinct.
It was amateurish, his sword skills turned dull as he did that.
It nearly proved fatal, however muscle memory had saved his life just in the nick of time.
"Reinhard-sama!" Sylphy looked worriedly at a starved Reinhard.
"Stay back Sylphy! I didn't order you to do anything! Disobey my orders and I'll punish you!"
Reinhard's eyes gleaming with bright golden light. He radiated a fearsome aura.
It could even mat h the terrifying aura of the most feared Demon Lord alive.
Sylphy saw that. And she resolved to have faith of her master.
Reinhard's proficiency with the sword improved over the coarse of battle, even much more so than Atofe.
His swordplay sharpened with every strike, his movements became ever more efficient, and he became an infinitely more formidable opponent as time passed.
The power and weight of his blade was the same when they first started battle.
-*-*-*-
{Part 3}
And then it reached a breaking point.
It was at twilight as the sun sets upon the horizon coloring the sky red-orange.
Sensing her powered weakened, and a path to victory Atofe was frustrated.
She had gone all out and used nearly every single trick up her sleeves countered.
His feints are well-crafted that could fool even a scholar.
His dodges are as precise as if he were dancing to a tune lang ago memorized.
Reinhard acts as if he knew every moves she do before she was even able to perform it.
And strikes with a pin point accuracy and a computer-like precision of one who foretells who give him the opening next.
"Your technique with the sword is truly magnificent! And the power to fight at long periods of time, I can't believe you're truly a human chid!"
Somehow, Atofe gave a sinister smile.
Reinhard could sense an incoming danger. He knew that she's gonna settle this now at this very moment.
"Guards! Capture them!" And so she gave the order.
The Imperial Guards who stood still like a statue the entire battle finally moved.
The each brandished their swords ready to fight.
They formed a wall between both of them blocking Atofe from Reinhard's sight.
"Don't get in my way you extraaaas!"
Sylphy– who was Reinhard's backline support, reflexively acted as she generated huge gust of wind towards the Guards.
It was supercharged with Mana that it blew them away behind the force behind it.
FWOOOOOOSHH!!
Their black armors looked like they have their armors pierced thought the attack and cut through.
"<<Spirit of Earth all across the land! I call upon you, answer>> [Earth Fortress]!"
However one of the guards who looked like the leader of them used magic to block the attack
"Chanting Omission?" Reinhard looked shocked.
However it should be expected that as Imperial Guards, they should live up to the name.
It seems this guard is at a completely different level compared to the other small fries
"You're quite skilled, but I've seen better." An image of Rudeus and Sylphy appeared on his mind casting magic without incantations.
"<<Spirit of Water, become my strength->> [Icicle Field]"
The guard surround's his body with mist. It was an Area of Effect magic that hinders the opponent's vision.
Normally Reinhard could see through them, but he was completely exhausted that his vision is really blurry right now. He's only relying with his sixth sense.
"Wind Blast!"
Sylphy form wind with her wand and clears the fog.
As visibility returned, Atofe was at the front while the guard earlier covers her rear.
The guards seems got blown away to the next town over.
It will take time before they could join the battle.
Now it became a 2v2 battle.
1 vanguard and 1 rearguard at both sides.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone