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“The heroes have started to retreat!”

“Charge, cavalry!”

With the collapse of the heroes’ camp as a signal, the knights began their counterattack.

After Empress Luna Meikhael declared war, the Imperial Army, stationed at key points, established a defensive line in less than half a day. The knights of the noble families from various regions also joined the defense, causing the momentum of the heroes pushing towards the empire to falter.

The rapid establishment of the defensive line in just half a day was largely due to the efforts of Count Tristan Ruelberta. Before the war, he traveled throughout the empire, strongly advocating for preparations against monster invasions and pressuring nobles with territories. Despite the Ruelberta Count Family’s infamous reputation, no one dared to ignore his demands, forcing weaker nobles to reluctantly gather their private soldiers.

Tristan demanded not just enough troops to defend their lands but a force capable of waging war. Naturally, discontent brewed among the nobles, but with rumors that even the Empress supported Tristan, they had no choice but to scrape together funds to increase their private armies. Many nobles vowed to punish Tristan if the monster invasion didn’t happen.

However, in the end, thanks to Tristan, they were able to prepare for the heroes’ invasion, leaving them in a situation where they couldn’t complain. In fact, they were in a position where bowing their heads in gratitude wouldn’t be enough…

Flags of the Imperial Army and various noble families were visible everywhere. Without Tristan, not only would the Imperial Army and the knights under the nobles not have united, but they also wouldn’t have been able to establish a defensive line.

“Ah! I’m dying!”

“Damn it!!”

“Move out of the way!”

The fleeing group of heroes turned to dust and disappeared under the knights’ assault. The knights, not slowing their momentum, began to pursue the heroes. At the forefront was Bella Izakhel.

“These people are called heroes… How ridiculous.”

Bella clicked her tongue as she watched the scattered heroes fleeing. She had returned to her mansion and led the knights of the Izakhel Family to join the war. The war was already at their doorstep.

Bella and her knights, joining forces with the Imperial Army, fought at the forefront and achieved consecutive victories. The morale of the Imperial Army soared upon hearing that Bella, the princess of the prestigious Izakhel Family, which had produced numerous heroes, had appeared. She was now defending the line with the high-spirited Imperial Army.

“That’s right, my lady. If Wendy were here, she would have looked at these so-called heroes with pity.”

Blanshe, clad in armor, stood by Bella’s side and spoke.

The heroes were numerous, but individually, their abilities were not impressive. Moreover, they lacked unity and cooperation, making them no match for the well-trained regular army. Those who fought under the banner of guilds were somewhat better, but most heroes fought alone. This led to frequent clashes among the heroes, easily collapsing their formation.

Bella smiled softly at her bodyguard knight who had followed her.

“But Blanshe, are you really okay being here?”

“Huh?”

“Since you’re supposed to marry Tristan, you don’t need to be my bodyguard knight. You could have followed Helga or Wendy…”

“No, my lady. You are my one and only benefactor. Even if I marry the Count, I will remain your knight.”

“……Blanshe, you’re so stubborn.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Haha…”

The two laughed as their eyes met.

Long ago, Blanshe, raised as an assassin by the Ruelberta Family, was abandoned and taken in by Bella. Although Blanshe missed the chance to tell Bella about her past, she knew Bella would treat her the same even if she knew. Despite both having their hearts taken by the same man, the bond between Bella and Blanshe remained strong.

It was a warm moment of mutual trust, but ironically, Bella felt the need to apologize to Blanshe.

“I’m sorry, Blanshe.”

“Huh? Why are you saying that?”

“This is just between us, but actually… I wanted to follow Helga and Wendy.”

Bella bluntly revealed her true feelings.

“Honestly, with Tristan away as the head of the family, there’s a lack of people to replace him. Helga, Wendy, Sir Arthur, and others are there, but with the war, leading the massive Ruelberta Family won’t be easy. So, as the future lady of the house, I wanted to step up and help.”

“My lady…”

“That’s how I truly felt… But I chose the Izakhel Family over the Ruelberta Family. Without me, there’s no one to fight under the Izakhel Family’s banner…”

Blanshe looked at Bella, who turned her head to gaze at the distant sky. She knew that direction was where Tristan had disappeared, towards paradise.

“…Do you think Tristan will be disappointed?”

Fortunately, the knights were busy pursuing the heroes, so no one was around to see Bella’s pitiful state. Though clad in armor, her trembling shoulders were noticeable.

“He might think I’m a cold-hearted woman… What if he does…? Then I…”

“My lady.”

Blanshe shook her head firmly.

“That will never happen. You know that, my lady. The Count isn’t that kind of person.”

“……Is that so?”

“The man we fell in love with isn’t that narrow-minded. If he knew the circumstances, he would surely understand your decision. No… He wouldn’t even consider it a problem.”

Blanshe also looked towards the sky in the direction of paradise.

“The Count will return to our side as if nothing happened.”

“That’s right… It would be more strange if Tristan were upset about something like this.”

“Exactly. If the Count dares to say anything to you… Hmm, I’ll scold him.”

“Blanshe, scolding Tristan? How?”

“Well… Uh, I’ll spank him?”

“Pfft… Hahaha… What? That?”

Bella burst into laughter and wiped her moist eyes.

“Do you think Tristan would just take it?”

“Umm… Probably not…”

“Anyway, thank you, Blanshe. I feel much better because of you.”

Bella straightened her back and looked around as if nothing had happened.

“We should stop the pursuit here. Blanshe, call back the knights.”

“Yes.”

Blanshe immediately shot a firework spell into the air, signaling the retreat. The knights would soon return upon seeing the signal.

“Ugh… The wind…”

A wind blew from behind, stirring up dust in front of them. It was the dust and sand left by the fallen heroes. Given their numbers, the sandstorm was thick enough to obscure their vision. Because of this, they noticed the shadow approaching them too late.

-!!

The sound of the wind being cut was heard. At that moment, Blanshe caught the objects flying towards her one after another. They were…

“Arrows?!”

“You damn NPC bastards!”

From the sandstorm emerged three heroes. Whether they had lost their way while fleeing or had been waiting for an opportunity was unclear. Blanshe’s gaze was fixed on the crossbows they carried.

“Die!”

Faster than the crossbows could fire, Blanshe threw the arrows she had caught back at them. Her throw, infused with magic power, sent the arrows at an invisible speed…

-!!

The arrows pierced the heads of the man about to fire the crossbow and the one behind him. In the blink of an eye, two turned to dust. The loaded crossbow fell uselessly.

“You crazy-.”

“Die quietly.”

The horrified hero’s throat was pierced by a dagger. It was her hidden weapon, thrown swiftly after the arrows. In less than three seconds since the ambush, the heroes turned to dust and disappeared.

“…They must have been hiding nearby. Since they don’t fear death, we must be cautious of such ambushes… Huh?”

Suddenly, Blanshe paused. Her gaze fell on the crossbow left on the dust pile.

Why was it? One of the three crossbows that hadn’t fired was missing an arrow.

Could it be…?

Blanshe turned her head in unease. And then…

“My lady!!”

What she saw was Bella, with an arrow in her chest, falling from her horse.

*

Thud!

The moment the shadow made a sound and burst, Tristan swung his sword without hesitation. The charging shadows were cleanly split in two. But Tristan adjusted his grip and relentlessly slashed the divided shadows.

“Oh ho…”

Park Joon-hyuk watched Tristan’s movements with wide eyes.

His movements were swift and fluid. As far as he knew, Jeong Ji-hwan was far from being skilled in swordsmanship or even physical activity. The same went for Tristan, modeled after Jeong Ji-hwan. The man once called the Pig Count now stood with a sculpted face and body, wielding his sword like a master.

In just half a day, Tristan had been cutting through the battle lines Park Joon-hyuk created without rest. Yet, instead of showing signs of fatigue, his movements had become even sharper. Considering his stamina, enhanced by his personality and magic power, it was truly admirable.

Tristan cut through the wires extending from all directions without even looking. His senses were as sharp as a seasoned warrior. Sparks flew with each swing of his sword, and the severed wires writhed on the ground.

“Haha… Who would think of you as the Pig Count Tristan now? People don’t change easily, but you’ve completely transformed in the past year. Is it the Demon Lord’s power?”

“……”

Tristan felt no need to answer Park Joon-hyuk’s question. It wasn’t the Demon Lord’s power or anything like that. It was just swordsmanship he had stolen through ‘Jealousy.’ A means to survive after being possessed by the villain Tristan.

“Well… No need to answer. Whether it’s the Demon Lord or something else, you can’t be my match.”

“?!”

The wires behind Park Joon-hyuk blurred for a moment. At that instant, Tristan flung himself to the side. That action saved his life.

The spot where Tristan had stood was now deeply cratered, as if a meteor had struck. Had he been even slightly slower, he would have been crushed like a tomato.

“Wow… Truly impressive. I didn’t expect you to dodge that.”

“That arm…”

“Ah, this? It’s the Hand of God.”

Park Joon-hyuk stroked the thick arm floating in the air. Wires formed an arm attached to his back, moving as he clenched and unclenched his hand, like a mechanical arm.

“Let’s call it a hammer strike against foolish NPCs challenging the system’s authority.”

Park Joon-hyuk’s sinister smile widened as the wires on his back writhed like blood vessels. They coalesced into four arms.

“Whether you’re Jeong Ji-hwan or Tristan, you’re insignificant before me. I’ll show you that now.”

“?!”

In the next moment, a gale erupted. The wind from four fists surged towards Tristan.

Thunk!

Tristan deflected Park Joon-hyuk’s fist with his scabbard. Yet, the impact still reached his hand. Unlike the wires, the fist-shaped attacks were heavy and far more destructive. Taking them head-on would surely break his sword.

“Ugh!”

Without a moment to recover, another fist came. He almost lost his scabbard. But Park Joon-hyuk gave Tristan no respite. The four fists relentlessly pressed him.

“You’re an arrogant man, Tristan. But arrogance is only allowed for the powerful. Do you see now how insignificant you are?”

“……”

Tristan didn’t answer. He silently deflected the attacks, seemingly looking for an opening. Of course, he was gradually being pushed back by the explosive onslaught from the four arms. Anyone could see Park Joon-hyuk had the upper hand.

But Park Joon-hyuk didn’t let his guard down. Despite being pushed back, Tristan was solely using swordsmanship to withstand his attacks. He hadn’t yet used his full abilities. Was he conserving strength? Buying time? If so, what was Tristan aiming for?

As he pondered, Park Joon-hyuk inwardly smiled. Whatever Tristan was plotting didn’t matter. Park Joon-hyuk could easily crush it. He had the power to do so.

Yet, Park Joon-hyuk was anticipating Tristan’s counterattack to completely break his spirit.

Tristan was a character with the ‘Arrogance’ trait. Thus, he remained haughty and boastful in any situation. In other words, he had strong pride and refused to admit defeat. Park Joon-hyuk intended to make him realize how foolish his ‘Arrogance’ was. He would become an insurmountable wall, making Tristan feel powerless. He would utterly destroy the man named Tristan.

Thus, facing him now was the foundation for that…

“Hmm?”

The next moment, Park Joon-hyuk frowned. His precisely calculated punches started to miss. Had Tristan’s movements become faster? One out of ten, then two, then three. The number of missed punches increased.

Then, he just needed to swing faster.

Park Joon-hyuk increased the output of the Hand of God. The speed of his punches increased, and more power was infused. The force was enough to shatter a sword with a mere graze. It would be difficult to deflect such attacks now.

-!!

As expected, Tristan stopped deflecting and focused on dodging. The ground where he stood cracked under the force. The wind pressure and debris began to wound Tristan’s face and arms. He dodged the fists but couldn’t block the wind and fragments.

Thunk!

Park Joon-hyuk shifted his target from Tristan to his sword. First, he would break the sword and observe Tristan’s reaction. He wouldn’t despair over just that, but Park Joon-hyuk was curious about how Tristan would counter. Of course, he planned to crush each of Tristan’s countermeasures, imprinting his overwhelming superiority.

Park Joon-hyuk sealed Tristan’s retreat with four arms and swung a fist at his sword. At that moment…

“Huh?”

Tristan disappeared from sight. The fist meant for him struck the ground, raising dust.

Whoosh-

As the debris and dust threatened to obscure his vision, Park Joon-hyuk didn’t miss the shadow darting through the dust.

“Haha! I can see your movements clearly!”

Park Joon-hyuk finished his calculations. He swung his palm towards Tristan’s predicted trajectory.

Crash!

A massive palm struck like swatting a fly, catching the fleeing shadow. The sensation through the Hand of God confirmed the catch. No matter how skilled Tristan was, he couldn’t escape his sight, or so he thought…

“?”

Suddenly feeling something off, Park Joon-hyuk lifted the Hand of God. Beneath the palm was…

“A coat?”

It was Tristan’s black coat, flattened under the palm.

“Huh?”

“Indeed, you see movements well.”

A cold voice came from behind. Park Joon-hyuk turned his head. Somehow, Tristan, who hadn’t been able to get close, had gotten behind him.

“But you didn’t see the blind spot.”

Tristan had aimed for Park Joon-hyuk’s blind spot. Specifically, the blind spot created by the four arms. The massive arms were threatening but also obscured his vision. Tristan had been gauging the blind spot while maintaining distance and focusing on evasion.

The tactic of exploiting the enemy’s blind spot for an ambush. It was something Bella Izakhel had taught him.

-Ordinary swordsmen don’t realize how much their swords obscure their vision. Conversely, the more skilled the swordsman, the more they understand how their sword creates blind spots.

-That would be especially true against a greatsword wielder.

-Right. But even a thin rapier isn’t much different. The key is… Well, I can put it this way.

At that time, Bella casually said.

-To exploit the enemy’s blind spot, move at the same speed as their sword.

-……What?

-Move at the same speed as the sword.

-…….

‘Easier said than done.’

Recalling Bella’s words, Tristan smiled bitterly. When he learned this technique from Bella, he couldn’t use magic due to the curse. Strengthening his body with magic was out of the question, so he could only clumsily mimic Bella’s movements with ‘Jealousy.’ But now, with the curse lifted… Tristan could move as Bella had said.

“Haha! So that’s what you were aiming for? But what a pity. Your hard-earned opportunity has gone to waste.”

If Tristan had swung his sword without hesitation, he might have reached Park Joon-hyuk. But he didn’t. Perhaps due to his ‘Arrogance’ trait, he gave Park Joon-hyuk an opening.

Park Joon-hyuk didn’t miss the chance and moved his arms. It wasn’t too late. At this distance, he could block Tristan’s approach with the four Hands of God.

But

“?!”

The Hands of God wouldn’t move. No, they couldn’t move. The power that Park Joon-hyuk boasted about wasn’t working. What? Why aren’t they moving?

Tristan answered that question.

“I wasn’t just dodging your attacks. I was diligently swinging my sword where your eyes couldn’t see.”

“Could it be…”

Only then did Park Joon-hyuk realize. Tristan hadn’t just relied on the blind spot to get close. He had been carefully observing the Hands of God. Soon, something strange caught his eye.

Sparks were crackling at the joints of the hands. Upon closer inspection, the tendons controlling the hands had been cleanly severed. They had been cut so precisely that he hadn’t noticed until now.

In other words, while Park Joon-hyuk was tracking Tristan’s coat with his eyes… Tristan had been cutting the tendons of the hands in the blind spot. Not just one, but all four arms.

Tristan’s swordsmanship far exceeded Park Joon-hyuk’s expectations.

“Ha… Haha… You always manage to surprise me.”

“Don’t laugh.”

-!!

A sharp light slashed Park Joon-hyuk’s throat. Tristan’s sword gleamed with a cold light like moonlight. Park Joon-hyuk’s head slowly fell to the ground, unable to bear the weight. His headless body collapsed.

It was truly a ghostly skill.

This, too, was one of the things Tristan had learned to survive. Although it was swordsmanship stolen through ‘Jealousy,’ mere mimicry couldn’t surpass the original. However, the ability to mimic depended on the original.

Through Bella Izakhel, Tristan could mimic the Izakhel style swordsmanship. As a companion of the hero Alonso Izakhel, he could mimic the early Izakhel style. Moreover, by crossing swords with Margrave Kyle Roelgreen, he could also mimic his swordsmanship.

He could mimic the swordsmanship of three of the era’s greatest swordsmen. Individually, he couldn’t surpass the originals, but by embodying all three, his swordsmanship had reached a unique level.

“……”

Tristan coldly glared at Park Joon-hyuk’s decapitated body. There was no relief of revenge in his eyes. He spoke.

“Get up. How long

 

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