Chapter 81
Chapter 81
“I’ve waited for this day!”
Viktor snarled as he stood up.
His burnt face and body felt scaldingly hot and painful.
The armor was already so heated it was more of a hindrance than protection.
Even the sword felt like it would bend with the slightest impact.
Though he was suppressing the heat with mana, he couldn’t hold out much longer.
He had to deal with that guy quickly and get out of here.
“I’ll kill you and chop off the heads of all your pals.”
Viktor glared at Ghislaine, bringing his hand to his waist.
Swish.
Without hesitation, he drew his dagger and began cutting apart the seams of his armor, chunk by chunk.
Clink. Clink.
Now free of the armor, Viktor felt a considerable lightness as he smirked.
“Waiting, are we? At least you’ve got some manners.”
“If I just kill you, you’ll find an excuse in the afterlife. You’re too honorless to attack while I’m getting out of my armor, so this isn’t about skill.”
“You cheeky brat…”
Viktor released a killing intent, channeling mana into his sword.
A refreshing blue light that didn’t fit the reddened surroundings enveloped the blade.
The brilliant glow was proof of Viktor’s exceptional ability.
“Yeah, that’s more like it.”
Seeing this, a crimson hue began to blossom in Ghislaine’s eyes.
“Now that’s what makes it fun.”
Vroom!
As Ghislaine opened all three cores at once, a heavy aura radiated around him, staining his sword red.
Viktor’s expression reflected disbelief.
“How can you possess that kind of power…? Just how wrong was the information I received?”
“Ask your master in hell about that. Oh, your master will be late, so you might have to wait a bit. Must be boring, huh?”
“I’ll rip your mouth off!”
Boom!
In an instant, the distance between the two narrowed.
The shock from their blades colliding sent a wave that distorted the flames surrounding them.
“Is this all you’ve got? Put in more effort, Harold’s mutt.”
“Shut it! You garbage punk!”
Grind, grind, grind!
Viktor endured Ghislaine’s mana, now opened to all three cores.
To withstand that much flame, the amount of mana was truly astonishing.
No wonder he was eyeing the North’s greatest knight—he was actually a formidable opponent.
Unlike Ghislaine, who was secretly impressed, Viktor remained confused.
‘If he wasn’t hiding his strength… then there’s got to be another way he could wield such power.’
Growing a talent like this without drawing attention wasn’t something you could achieve in a backwater place like Perdium.
Viktor thought Ghislaine must have used some trick to temporarily boost his strength.
“What kind of trick did you use?!”
Whoosh!
Ghislaine thrust his sword forward, blocking Viktor’s attack.
Clang!
In a fleeting moment, he was lightly lifted off the ground and shoved aside. A numbing sensation filled his hand from the impact.
‘This guy is no pushover.’
Ghislaine had been training and building mana whenever he got the chance, but he was still no match for Viktor’s mana.
The sheer amount of his mana was incredible.
To be on par with someone who amplified their power by opening all three cores—it was impressive.
Viktor was indeed the result of Harold’s careful upbringing.
Swish!
Before Ghislaine could regain his stance, Viktor lunged forward, swinging his sword again.
Clang!
Ghislaine barely raised his sword to block.
His feet slid, carving into the ground as the pressure bore down on his body, making him ache.
Yet he grinned through it.
“Well, I thought you were pretty good back in the day.”
“What?”
“I also enjoy using strength.”
Ghislaine quickly spun his body, bringing his sword down.
Clang!
This time, Viktor was under Ghislaine’s blade.
The positions had switched in an instant.
Ghislaine didn’t miss that opportunity and relentlessly swung his sword.
Viktor stepped back, summoning all his strength to meet the blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every time their swords crashed, they were propelled away from each other.
Both struggled to absorb the shocks.
“How dare you!”
Viktor gritted his teeth, pouring all his remaining mana into the fight.
He’d given up on thoughts of killing the other guys.
The foe in front of him was not someone he could afford to let tire himself out.
Rooar!
As Viktor pushed his mana to its limits, the energy surged into his sword, deepening the blue hue.
Sizz!
Ghislaine’s sword also reddened. Red smoke began to rise from his body.
He couldn’t maintain the state of having all three cores opened for long.
He needed to end this fast.
Boom!
The sound of their weapons clashing changed.
It was no longer the sound of metal hitting metal, but of mana crashing against mana, releasing shockwaves.
The engulfing flames were pushed back, unable to invade the space around them.
Entangled in intricate flows of mana, the two moved rapidly.
Boom!
With every step, the ground shattered beneath them.
They fell into a frenzy, swinging their swords with only each other’s life in sight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
What would be invisible to ordinary people unfolded in a storm of exchanges. Gradually, Viktor was starting to be pushed back.
“W-what is this…?”
The speed and power matched equally. But their skills were worlds apart.
For every wound Ghislaine suffered, Viktor would receive two, then three, and eventually four.
Viktor found himself floundering in Ghislaine’s increasingly mysterious sword techniques.
“How in the world can a nobody like you! I won’t accept this!”
“You’re the one who’s funny. When did I ever ask for your acknowledgment?”
Viktor swung his sword with all his might at the smirking Ghislaine.
It had the force to cleave him in two from head to toe.
That power was something, but Ghislaine wouldn’t fall for such a basic attack.
Woosh!
Seizing the moment, Ghislaine thrust his sword out.
The wobbling tip of the blade found its way near Viktor’s heart.
“Ugh!”
Viktor staggered back, clutching his chest.
Ghislaine’s expression also stiffened.
‘A failure.’
The backlash of opening all three cores was starting to take its toll.
His muscles were tearing, and bones began to twist from the rotating mana.
If this continued, he’d collapse before he could kill his enemy.
Feeling something warm trickle down, Ghislaine wiped his fingers under his nose. It was stained with blood.
It seemed he had reached his limit.
If this carried on, blood would soon flow from his ears, mouth, and eyes.
Viktor also immediately sensed something was off with Ghislaine. A gleeful laugh escaped his lips.
“Haha, so it is. I thought something was off about your strength. So you’re using life force to keep pushing. Is it something like black magic?”
“You’re quite sharp. So, are you thinking of stalling and running away this time?”
“No way, then you’ll conserve your strength, right? I’d rather keep pushing on instead.”
As a skilled warrior, Viktor quickly assessed Ghislaine’s condition and deduced the most effective response.
Although the wound in his chest was shallow, it was manageable enough to keep fighting.
“Now I see. You were the variable. Was Frank your doing as well? Yeah, someone like Frank could never deal with you.”
Viktor couldn’t stop laughing.
Finally, he’d found the annoying source of his troubles.
Neither Harold, the staff officers, nor the spies had any idea about the true variable.
Someone like this meant he had no chance but to keep failing.
“I’ll take your head and present it to the Count. Then I might get another chance.”
“Don’t get cocky. Who do you think you’re threatening? You think you can even make it back?”
Boom!
This time, Ghislaine attacked Viktor first.
“Haha! Go ahead and try to kill me!”
He knew full well he was outclassed by Ghislaine, but Viktor had no worries.
As soon as Ghislaine’s strength wavered, he could crush him with overwhelming speed and strength.
Boom!
Their swords clashed again.
Unlike Ghislaine, who focused solely on offense, Viktor was all about defense.
Though his wounds multiplied, he was careful to avoid any lethal injuries.
If he sensed he couldn’t dodge, he allowed non-vital areas to take the hit.
“Haha! Fool! Just how long do you think you can hold out like that?”
Soaked in blood, Viktor couldn’t contain his laughter.
In contrast, Ghislaine had long lost any trace of a smile.
Crunch!
Ghislaine gritted his teeth.
‘Is this the end?’
The tip of his sword began to shake uncontrollably.
His opponent didn’t miss that opening.
“You’re finished now!”
Boom!
Viktor’s counterattack began.
Ghislaine hurriedly leaned back, but his overtaxed body couldn’t handle the shock properly.
Blood began to seep from his eyes and ears.
“It’s over! You worthless piece of trash!”
Boom!
Once again, the swords clashed, and Ghislaine staggered back, unable to manage the power behind it.
He finally ended up half-sitting on the ground.
“Ugh!”
Blood exploded from his mouth.
“Die!”
Whoosh!
Viktor’s sword flew toward Ghislaine’s neck.
Then it happened.
Ghislaine reached out with his left hand, which wasn’t holding a sword.
Clunk!
“Huh?”
Viktor paused mid-swing, feeling an unexplainable energy binding his body.
“Tricks!”
Thud, thud, thud!
As he raised his mana to counter, the strands of mana constraining him snapped and disappeared.
Boom!
The sword sliced through the air once more.
It was a perfect, unyielding strike.
At that moment, Ghislaine’s left hand rotated just about a quarter turn.
Boom!
Viktor’s sword slashed aimlessly against the ground.
“Huh?”
He had been aiming for Ghislaine’s head, but some unknown force threw off his stance.
It was only a meager amount of force that diverted his aim slightly.
Yet because of that interference, Viktor’s sword never touched Ghislaine’s body.
“Damn it!”
Just as Viktor hurriedly corrected his stance and attempted to lift his sword from where it was embedded in the ground.
Woosh!
A cold piece of metal pierced deeply into his thick neck.
“Guh, grrrah!”
Blood spewed from his mouth, frothing between the wound and blade.
His eyes were filled with nothing but bewilderment.
Swish!
As Ghislaine withdrew his sword, Viktor collapsed face-first to the ground, blood spilling out.
Ghislaine kicked him gently with his foot, flipping him over.
“Gah, how is this…?”
Whether it was an obsession with life or a feeling of injustice, Viktor continued to gasp feebly.
Ghislaine staggered back to his feet and looked down at Viktor’s face.
“So you thought you’d win forever? You didn’t even know who I was. That’s why you’re losing, you piece of trash.”
Ghislaine, drenched in blood, flashed a grin.
Every muscle in his body screamed in agony, yet the euphoria of victory drowned out the pain.
“I’ll keep winning from now on. Keep trying to invade; I’ll devour all of you.”
“….”
“Consider yourself lucky. You’ll die a clean death.”
Ghislaine regripped his sword with his bloodied hand and struck down in one sweeping motion.
