Dimensional Invasion: I Can Fish for All Heavens

Chapter 405 Artoria and Daguba; A Battle Where They Risk Everything, Even Death

Gravel flew everywhere and smoke filled the air.

Artoria stood with her sword in hand, her gaze fixed intently on the figure in the smoke and dust, without the slightest relaxation.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the man in white slowly rose from the ruins.

His pure white clothes remained spotless, and his face even wore an even more excited smile.

"It's finally here."

"But... is that all?"

He gently brushed away non-existent dust from his sleeves, and found himself completely unharmed where Excalibur had struck his chest.

Artoria's pupils contracted slightly.

Although that attack was just a burst of her magic, it was still incredibly powerful, yet it failed to cause the slightest harm to the demon.

Who is this guy?!
The man in white revealed an innocent smile, gently opened his arms, and spoke in a melodious voice, as if chanting:
"Then let us begin."

"A battle where everything is at stake, even to the death!"

Artoria took a deep breath, her face solemn as a sculpture, her emerald eyes burning with a resolute flame.

She banished all distracting thoughts; her sole mission at this moment was to completely destroy the demon before her!

Just then, the white-clad man's body began to undergo a terrifying transformation.

Its skin gradually turned into pure white keratin, its chest was covered by a golden breastplate, and four huge golden horns grew from its head, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

A terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire ruins, but Artoria completely ignored it. Her emerald eyes fixed on the white-clad man who had completed his transformation, her killing intent frozen in ice.
"As expected, you're not human!"

The battle erupted the instant the words were spoken.

Daguba's figure blurred for a moment, not because he was moving at high speed, but more like the space itself was shrinking beneath his feet.

There was no sound, no wind, only the chilling cold that seemed to freeze life first. In the next instant, his fist, wreathed in destructive power, slammed into Artoria.

Faster! Faster than visual capture!

But Artoria's intuition had already given him a warning the moment he made his move.

She didn't take the blow head-on. Instead, she shifted her feet and moved as lightly as the wind, dodging the punch in the blink of an eye. The wind pressure generated by the punch was like a tangible iron hammer, denting a thick steel support behind her and making a grotesque twisting sound.

The instant she dodged the attack, Artoria launched her counterattack.

The sword flashed, not for maximum power, but for ultimate speed and precision, piercing straight to Cuba's throat, one of the most vulnerable parts of any living being in theory.

"Qiang!"

A crisp impact rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

The tip of the holy sword, as if piercing the hardest metal, was firmly stopped outside Daguba's skin, leaving only a tiny white dot.

"really…"

Artoria's mind raced, and with a flick of her wrist, she slashed downwards with her sword, aiming for her opponent's wrist joint.

At the same time, the Wind King's barrier slightly disturbed, not to attack, but to interfere with the opponent's judgment of distance and the exact position of the sword blade.

Daguba's reaction was incredibly fast.

Instead of retracting, the attacked arm lunged forward, its forearm snapping upward to block, striking precisely the spine of the holy sword.

The immense force sent a shiver through Artoria's arm.

His other fist slammed into her abdomen like lightning.

Artoria retreated rapidly, her skirt armor leaving blue streaks in the air.

"Wind King Hammer!"

Artoria unleashed the wind magic that had been binding the sword, and the compressed gale suddenly erupted, smashing out like an invisible giant hammer.

"boom!!!"

The two forces clashed violently, the turbulent air currents plowed through the ground, and shattered concrete fragments flew everywhere. Daguba's forward momentum was slightly hindered by this sudden storm.

In that split second of hesitation, Artoria moved.

Her steps were swift and elegant. She turned to the side, twisted her wrist, and the golden holy sword drew a perfect arc, slashing directly at Daguba's waist and abdomen.

This sword strike contains enough power to cut through steel.

"Qiang!!!"

A crisp, teeth-grinding clang rang out as the holy sword struck its target but failed to penetrate.

Daguba's ultimate body was harder than anyone could imagine, and when the sword clashed with it, it sparked dazzling flames.

Only the brilliant magic attached to the tip of the sword caused Daguba's body to lean back slightly, leaving a light white mark on the spot where he was struck, which was rapidly dissipating.

"What a sturdy shell..."

Artoria felt a chill run down her spine, but her offensive continued unabated.

Her swordplay flowed like clouds and water, each strike faster than the last, whether slashing, thrusting, or parrying, every blow precisely targeting potential weaknesses such as joints, neck, and compound eyes. Her swordsmanship was a killing technique honed on the battlefield, efficient and deadly, devoid of any superfluous flourishes.

But Daguba's reaction was equally terrifying.

He didn't even need to use his eyes; pure combat instinct allowed him to evade the most lethal attacks with minimal movement.

His fists, feet, knees, and elbows—every part of his body became a deadly weapon. His attack trajectories were cunning and ruthless, yet his power was unparalleled. Every strike was enough to shatter rocks and steel.

The sounds of the two sides clashing in battle were continuous, like the rapid clanging of iron, and the sparks that burst forth were like a constant stream of tiny fireworks.

"boom!"

A heavy whip kick came sweeping down, and Artoria blocked it with her sword. The immense force sent her flying backward, her feet leaving the ground.

She twisted her body forcefully in mid-air, stabbing her sword into the ground and carving a trench several meters long before regaining her balance.

Before they could catch their breath, a shadow loomed overhead.

Daguba had somehow leaped into the air, his feet together, and stomped down like a meteorite!

Artoria's pupils contracted, and her magic power instantly surged downwards!

"boom!!!"

The ground where she had stood was shattered by Daguba's trampling, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out, forming a huge crater.

Artoria, however, used the force of the burst of magic to narrowly dodge to the side.

The pace of the battle was completely controlled by Daguba.

His attacks were like a storm, relentless and unstoppable; his strength, speed, and defense reached a despairing level.

Although Artoria could barely hold on, every collision and every block was severely depleting her physical strength and magic power.

Her arms grew heavier and heavier, and her breathing became rapid.

This won't do! We have to break his rhythm!
The opportunity arose after a series of fierce attacks when Daguba slammed a super-heavy punch into the ground, forcing Artoria to leap up and dodge.

In the air, there is nowhere to borrow strength, which is precisely when the old force has just gone and the new force has not yet been generated!
A glint flashed in Artoria's eyes!
It's now!

Instead of trying to adjust her landing posture, she concentrated a large amount of magic on the soles of her feet.

"Release the magic power!"

A shockwave exploded in the air, and she was propelled as if by an invisible cannonball. Instead of moving backward, she sprinted forward and downward at an astonishing speed, crashing straight into Daguba, who had just raised his head!
This sudden change of direction was extremely abrupt and completely defied common sense!

Daguba seemed to be slightly taken aback as well.

Using the momentum of the dive, Artoria gripped her sword with both hands, concentrating all her strength and magic power at the tip of the blade. The sword hummed due to the high density of magic power and emitted a more dazzling light than before!

"Drink!!!"

This time, she wasn't aiming for the throat or the joints, but for Daguba's compound eyes, which gleamed with a black light!
Even with the strongest defenses, sensory organs can be relatively vulnerable!
This sword strike embodies all of Artoria's skills and power.

Dagu instinctively turned his head to the side and raised his hand to block.

"laugh!"

The sword tip collided with the palm! The highly concentrated magic finally achieved unprecedented results!
Instead of sparks flying everywhere, it emitted a piercing sound as something tough was forcibly torn apart and shattered!
The tip of the holy sword did not merely pierce the surface of the skin, but instead pierced deeply into Daguba's parrying left palm with unstoppable force!
Daguba's left palm, which was parrying, was completely pierced by the sword tip, and thick, black, mercury-like blood gushed out!

The sword's momentum didn't diminish; it continued to pierce his shoulder blade, tearing through the golden breastplate and leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound!
Success! It caused substantial damage!
Artoria was startled; she could clearly feel the sword cutting into her body.

However, Daguba's reaction was beyond expectations, even bordering on madness.

He did not retreat or feel pain despite his palm being pierced; instead, his black compound eyes instantly lit up with an even more intense and chilling light!

It was as if this deep-seated pain not only failed to stop him, but instead completely ignited and released the boundless ferocity that was inherent in his body!
Ignoring his severely injured left hand, he clenched his five fingers together and used his broken hand bones to clamp the blade of the holy sword tightly!

At the same time, he extended his right index finger, his fingertip highly concentrated with a chilling dark energy, and aimed it directly at Artoria's chest, which was wide open due to her full-force thrust!
A sense of crisis instantly gripped Artoria! It was too late to draw her sword, and retreat was impossible!

At the critical moment, she forcefully turned her body, using her shoulder armor to withstand the fatal finger strike, while simultaneously releasing one hand and clenching it into a fist, enveloping it with surging magic power, and slamming it hard into the arm joint of the Daguba Pliers Sword!

"Pfft!"

Dark fingertips pierced through the silver-blue shoulder armor, and extreme cold instantly froze half of Artoria's body. At the same time, her fist slammed into Daguba's arm, and the burst of magic made the latter's movements pause.

Artoria seized the opportunity to draw her sword with all her might and retreated, staggering a few steps when she landed.

A horrifying finger-shaped hole in her left shoulder was filled with chilling energy, and spiritual particles were constantly dissipating. The intense pain made her face pale, and her right hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

Daguba slowly raised his left hand, looking at the bloody hole in his palm, and then at Artoria's injured shoulder.

The first sound he uttered was in an ancient language, deep yet filled with excitement.

Although Artoria couldn't understand it, she could sense the meaning it contained within it under the rules of dimensional invasion.

Acknowledgment, and a stronger desire to fight.

The dark aura around him surged again, and black arcs of electricity crackled around him.

Ignoring the pain in her body, Artoria regained her footing, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly with both hands. Although the injury to her left shoulder affected her movements, her eyes remained resolute.

The trial is over; what follows will be the most primal clash of strength and belief.

(End of this chapter)