On the battlefield, Gern narrowed his eyes as he studied Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, who had transformed into a skeletal centaur wreathed in the black flames of awakening, his presence overwhelming.
At the same time, realization and relief flashed through his mind.
So that's it... That slash that cut through Star Ring and forced me to respond with everything I had wasn't something he casually threw out in his normal form.
It was an all-out strike using his hybrid form and First Generation Kitetsu?
If that was just his usual level... Gern silently weighed his options. Then I'd really have to consider retreating for now.
Gern was no mindless battle maniac. If the situation turned against him, his own safety naturally came first.
But now that he had confirmed that the slash's power depended on his opponent maintaining this hybrid form, Gern actually relaxed.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he spoke calmly, with a hint of approval. "That last slash... wasn't bad."
Saint Nusjuro's inhumanly cold eyes locked onto Gern. He neither accepted nor rejected the assessment, instead saying in a deep voice,
"'It'... seems to belong to you completely now, Gern Reginald Sigma."
"It?" Gern chuckled at that and casually raised Black Blade: Eight Desolations. The blade gave a clear, resonant hum.
"It simply made the right choice." Gern's voice carried absolute confidence.
Then he turned his wrist, abruptly raising the blade's tip to point straight at Saint Nusjuro.
"So... I wonder which is stronger: my Eight Desolations, which made the right choice, or that cursed blade of yours, First Generation Kitetsu!"
Yet Saint Nusjuro merely gave a low, cold snort in response to Gern's provocative challenge.
The next moment, under Gern's slightly surprised gaze, Saint Nusjuro's terrifying skeletal centaur knight form dissipated like an illusion,