Link had to admit that Saroviny was a formidable opponent.
He had spent a lot of power intercepting three consecutive Fingers of Death from her and was starting to feel a bit tired. However, this was a duel to the death. The victor would be allowed to live on, while the vanquished would simply perish. Naturally, Link had no intention of revealing his current state to his opponent.
On the surface, Link looked as if he still had a lot of power to spare.
This was not all he had to hide. Link still had a trump card up his sleeve—the new Level-16 Legendary spell he had mastered under the guidance of the Snow Mountain Archmage.
However, he still had not given this new spell a fitting name. He had not even given it a proper test-run. Right now, he was looking for a chance to use it against Saroviny.
Just as these thoughts popped up in Link’s head, Saroviny unleashed another attack at Link.
Despite its size, the massive green-black sword came at Link rapidly as if it was as light as feather.
Composing himself, Link lifted up the golden sword in his hand to intercept the attack.
Saroviny was an excellent swordswoman. It was almost impossible to anticipate which direction her sword would lash out. Anyone else standing in Link’s shoes at that moment would have been slain by her in a second.
Link had been parrying her attacks with everything he had. He could feel an incredible weight pressing down on him when he received her first attack. When the second attack came, he could feel that the sword’s weight lightened considerably. However, his nerves remained taut in anticipation of her subsequent attacks.
When the fourth attack came, Link had already seen through Saroviny’s attack pattern. When Saroviny swung her sword at him for the sixth time, Link was confident that he could now predict where her attacks would come from and counter them accordingly.
Ting! Tch! Tang! Both sides were beginning to come to an impasse as their swords clashed and clanged against each other. Shockwaves rippled out from the point of impact in all directions. As the duel went on, spatial cracks burst open and sealed themselves up almost at the same time, while spatial fragments swayed precariously around them. Most of the forest in their vicinity were long reduced to ash during the course of their duel.
In the midst of their fierce altercation, Saroviny suddenly felt a dip in Link’s power. This dip was almost imperceptible, but she was able to pick it up thanks to her unusually keen senses. The sudden drop in his power had left a tiny gap in Link’s defenses.
I see you’re finally getting tired! she thought gleefully.
Time was a precious commodity in death duels like theirs. Saroviny was not foolish enough to let slip such an opportunity to end the fight as soon as possible.
As soon as the thought surfaced in her mind, she stabbed out her sword at the gap that she had detected.
Tch! The sword struck the gap. Link’s defenses began to undergo a drastic change at that moment. It now seemed to be on the verge of breaking apart.
Moments ago, Saroviny felt that she had been clashing against a metal wall. When this sturdy wall began to crumble, she now began to feel a bit more hopeful about her chances of killing Link right then and there.
Truth be told, even though she had harbored a burning hatred towards Link for more than a century, deep down, she still feared the human Magician. She had half a mind to run away just now when she saw Link block her signature move with little to no effort.
However, she finally managed to turn the tables on Link. In her excitement, she began brandishing her sword at her opponent even more frantically. With Link’s defeat, she would be able to complete the mission that her father had entrusted her with and resolve her own inner demons once and for all.
Amid the clangs and booms that rang out from the clash of their swords, Link’s golden giant form finally began to waver as it took a small step back. The golden sword in his hand also seemed to quiver, as if it was about to shatter.
“Hahaha, you lose, Link!” shouted Saroviny with a maniacal laugh. She then unleashed another flurry of attacks with renewed intensity.
She could feel that Link’s defenses were now on the verge of falling apart completely.
Boom! The golden giant was forced back once more. Its attacks had become even more erratic and less powerful than before.
Saroviny easily deflected the giant’s attacks. She was now so close to victory she could almost taste it. Her attacks slackened somewhat when she sensed that her opponent was beginning to flag.
Even so, her defenses remained almost impenetrable. If Link’s power had really dropped to such an extent, he would definitely not be able to break through her Web of Death spell. However, this was all a feint.
In truth, though Link had spent much of his power trying to defend himself against Saroviny’s attacks, his power was still in its Legendary state. His actual condition was a lot better than what he was letting on. Link did not put on this facade for no reason.
Link had deliberately done so to fool Saroviny into thinking that she had already won this fight. Once her defenses were sufficiently lowered, he would move in for the kill immediately.
“Die!” screamed Saroviny. Confident that nothing now stood in the way of her victory, she lunged at the golden giant, her sword poised to pierce through its body.
She had put everything she had into this one attack. The momentum of her attack was so great that she would not be able to change her current trajectory midway even if she wanted to.
Boom! A loud explosion rocked the earth. Link’s sword managed to effortlessly deflect Saroviny’s attack.
At that moment, Saroviny sensed an incredible power running through her sword. The green-black sheen on the blade’s surface began to dissipate. Then, the sword began trembling so violently that keeping a firm grip on its handle seemed almost impossible.
“Where did this power come from… No, you tricked me!” Saroviny immediately figured out what was happening.
She had fallen for Link’s feint. There was almost no chance of recovering from such a fatal mistake in a duel of this level.
Saroviny’s instinct to flee the place kicked in. Though she had no intention of going down without putting up a fight, she began retreating away from Link, focusing all her attention now on avoiding his follow-up attacks.
However, this was all in vain.
Link chased after her as she tried to retreat.
He was able to close the gap between them easily with one single stride. Light began pouring out of the giant golden blade in his hand that the Ode of a Full Moon sword had transformed into.
The golden sword grew bigger and bigger by the minute, hanging over Saroviny menacingly like a grim reaper’s scythe. As soon as it reached her, her life would be extinguished like a candle.
Saroviny now grew desperate. She could see that Link’s sword was moments away from cleaving her in two. Finally, she broke down.
Still retreating, she screamed, “Father! Father, save me!”
Saroviny knew that there was nothing she could do now to save herself. In another second or two, she would be killed by Link.
Death would only be a breath away.
Just as Link’s sword was about to come down on her, Saroviny’s body suddenly began to glow. When the light subsided, she was gone.
This was not a teleportation spell, nor was it an invisibility spell. It was a divine spell. Taken aback, Link immediately pulled back his sword.
The all-powerful Ruler of Light and Darkness had intervened in their duel. He was sure of it. Right now, Link was still a mortal. There was no way he would be able to survive a direct confrontation with a deity.
Link drew a deep breath and muttered to himself, “Great, she escaped. I suppose I could go back to Ferde and take care of things there.”
Saroviny was a lot more gullible than Link had previously thought. She was already down before he could even use his new spell on her. Nonetheless, he could now return to Ferde without wasting precious time waiting for his power to recover.