Chapter 93
Chapter 93: The Relentless Pursuit
“…Sword Master, this isn’t the Empire.”
“So what?”
“It’s not wise to turn a major nation into an enemy.”
Kashir sought to leverage the nation’s power.
This world was different from the other.
On the continent of Reiter, Sword Master Delagardi was a duke in the Empire, the mightiest nation of all.
In terms of ability and power, he was almost an unparalleled figure.
However, here, the power dynamics were completely different.
Particularly, China, where Kashir belonged, was regarded as one of the two superpowers alongside the U.S., often referred to as G2.
Excluding the U.S., which had S-Class Awakened Beings treated as powerful weapons, he was superior to any other nation.
In comparison, the Sword Master seemed to be from South Korea.
While they possessed decent national strength, it was merely a minor nation compared to China.
With 5 S-Class Awakened Beings counted alongside the Sword Master, they only made a total of 6.
Although not a small number, it paled in comparison to China, which was publicly known to have over 10 S-Class Awakened Beings.
Once you counted hidden S-Class Awakened Beings like himself or Lin Xue, that number would only grow.
‘Major nation?’
Lee Si-hyun questioned inwardly.
At least, this was a good flow.
Bringing up any power other than his own indicated he was mentally on the back foot.
But a major nation—what kind of nation was that?
In that incident, he never learned the nationality of the Face-avoidance Technician.
Yet this time, he felt he might discern it.
If the opponent mentioned a major nation, they were obviously trying to pressure him by revealing the nation’s name.
“Sounds like some ridiculous threats you’re throwing around.”
Lee Si-hyun regarded him with a completely unconcerned expression.
“This isn’t a ridiculous threat. You know well what happens to a minor nation that touches a major one.”
“I don’t care about that.”
As Si-hyun disregarded him and stepped closer, Kashir’s voice grew more urgent.
“Sword Master, you’ll regret this. China’s power is beyond your imagination. South Korea can’t withstand it.”
“Oh? So it’s China we’re talking about?”
“Indeed. No matter how strong you claim to be, can you stand against a major nation alone? Against China’s might, you’ll be outmatched. And besides, China has Hyris as well.”
In desperation, Kashir mentioned the name of Lin Xue, someone he had never particularly admired.
In this situation, it was fortunate that she was on his side.
Hyris?
Si-hyun recollected.
She was the woman in the cat mask who saved him when he almost got killed by the Face-avoidance Technician.
Po-ahim had warned him not to let her true identity slip.
Si-hyun asked to confirm, “The Silent Great Sorceress?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
Si-hyun paused for a moment, pretending to think.
He couldn’t keep pressing too hard.
If it wasn’t going to end in a fight, he would eventually have to compromise.
And he felt this was the perfect moment as the opponent was bringing up China and Hyris.
From this point, pretending to ponder while engaging in conversation before subtly retreating would seem the most natural.
However.
Suddenly, Si-hyun’s gaze fixated on the brutally slain corpses of Black Tiger Guild Members.
Although they weren’t his direct comrades, they were allies he had shared life and death with during numerous raids.
Even while activating his cold-blooded nature, feelings of grief were only natural.
No matter how valuable the lives of the survivors were, granting an easy passage to the murderer who horrifically killed his comrades was agonizing and difficult.
But was there another option?
Being weak made one miserable in this way.
Yet he had to remain composed.
Acting recklessly without the power for vengeance would be the act of a fool.
That was akin to throwing one’s own life away.
The important thing was to live.
Vengeance could only be a possibility while alive.
As Si-hyun shook off the cold thoughts, he collected his thoughts calmly.
“So what? Do you want me to just let you all go?”
“That would be the wise choice.”
“You horrifically killed my comrades. Do you think I could just let you go?”
Suddenly adopting a tough attitude felt strange, so Si-hyun said it that way.
“Really comrades? Yet why didn’t you step in from the start? To me, it seems that those two are your only comrades.”
Kashir pointed at Eun-hye and Min-jun.
It was a sharp jab.
Suddenly, Kashir had intruded, and in the rush to devise a counter, he lacked both the time and strength to prevent the slaughter.
Still, the fact that he could save not even a single person weighed heavily on him.
Perhaps if he’d thought of a countermeasure a bit sooner, he could have saved at least one.
However, that was all in the past.
Spilled water cannot be picked up again.
Si-hyun recollected calmly once more.
What mattered now was the lives of the ones left.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
‘Hmm.’
As Si-hyun’s icy expression showed no sign of wavering, Kashir internally groaned in frustration.
He was in a position where it wasn’t good to retreat just now.
The Gate’s door was shut.
To open the Gate’s door, they had to defeat the boss, but Si-hyun stood in their way.
Even if they bypassed Si-hyun and entered the boss room to defeat the boss, if Si-hyun made up his mind to block the entrance, it wouldn’t be easy to push through.
After all, he was the Sword Master.
In the end, Kashir decided that defeating the boss and escaping would remain a last resort.
“Haa….”
Kashir sighed and continued speaking.
“Sword Master, no matter how strong you are, can you fight me while perfectly protecting those two? I hope for wise judgment.”
Kashir began mentioning the two behind Si-hyun.
He was probing for any potential weaknesses in his opponent.
And finally, it seemed this time he struck a chord.
“Uh.”
Si-hyun’s expression tightened just a bit, and Kashir noticed.
Finally, he felt he had struck at the real weak point.
But of course, this was merely Si-hyun’s act.
‘He’s helping on his own.’
As he pondered how to pull back without seeming awkward, Kashir had mentioned Eun-hye and Min-jun as a threat.
The words rang true without a doubt.
No matter how powerful one was, it was evident that fighting while perfectly protecting someone else would be incredibly difficult.
Thus, this was a perfectly reasonable excuse for retreat.
“Is it worth risking a mutually harmful clash? I believe we can find a better solution through dialogue.”
Seeing Si-hyun seem shaken, Kashir added more.
Considering he had casually slaughtered innocent lives and was now saying such things was preposterous.
However, this was hardly the time to get angry about such things.
“You’re a coward.”
“No, I’m simply trying to wisely avoid pointless bloodshed.”
“Hmph, fine. Go. But I’ll never forget this incident.”
Si-hyun placed the Acureruts back into its sheath and crossed his arms.
“A wise choice indeed.”
Kashir smiled.
Then he began to dash towards the boss room.
“I’ll take care of the boss, as a token of appreciation for your wise choice. You may leave at your leisure.”
As soon as the gate to the boss room opened, Kashir sprinted toward the place where the Queen Ant was located.
And in one sweep of the Death Scythe, he severed the Queen Ant’s neck instantly.
◈ ◈ ◈
“It’s open.”
To-ya pointed at the entrance, blinking in surprise.
William noticed it almost at the same time.
“We should go in.”
William, who had been sitting, rose his massive frame.
“Be careful, Uncle.”
To-ya said.
She knew well that her combat abilities were lacking, and that she’d just be a burden if she followed.
“Yeah, don’t worry. Lady Illyria is always watching over us.”
William smiled confidently, drawing his greatsword as he launched himself into the Gate.
◈ ◈ ◈
Kashir attempted to support Bayan, who had been battered by Si-hyun.
Though his condition was dismal, he should consider himself lucky to still be alive after stirring up the Sword Master’s ire.
Si-hyun still showed no signs of action.
With his weapon sheathed, he remained with his arms crossed.
He deliberately avoided speaking to Eun-hye and Min-jun.
In a situation like this, engaging in conversation could expose something disadvantageous.
Eun-hye and Min-jun, who had shock on their faces from recent events, seemed to be holding off on speaking until Si-hyun initiated the conversation.
‘This is absurd. The Sword Master has emerged from a minor nation like South Korea.’
As the tension from their confrontations eased, Kashir found himself thinking such thoughts.
In a nation where they couldn’t even make a proper statement in front of powerful neighboring countries like China, Japan, or Russia, suddenly, an S-Class Sword Master had appeared.
If any major nation seeking to obtain a Sword Master learned of this fact, they would undoubtedly make tremendous offers to extract him.
It would be better if it was China; given he had already created enmity, it would serve to become allies.
He felt uneasy at the thought of being handed over to another superpower.
‘Speaking of which, he must have quite a complicated relationship with Lin Xue….’
The relationship between the Silent Great Sorceress Hyris and Sword Master Delagardi was quite renowned on the continent.
The two were former lovers, until Delagardi fell for another woman, casting Hyris aside.
That woman, though, was of such a lowly status when compared to Hyris.
He had heard that Hyris had been immensely shocked and had even shed blood tears over it.
In any case, that situation likely led to Delagardi hastening his own demise.
Had he married Hyris, not even the Emperor could have touched him.
Besides, uniting two of the four great noble houses in the Empire wasn’t just significant; those two were among the transcendental elites in the continent.
Ultimately, Hyris would later turn her back on the death of her old lover.
It was intriguing to ponder what would transpire if those two met again in this place.
“I hope next time we meet, it won’t be under such circumstances.”
Kashir said as he looked at Si-hyun.
There was no reply.
As he expected.
Just then, as Kashir helped Bayan, he sensed something heavy thundering toward them.
“Hey, Human Butcher! Are you there?”
Thump.
A massive figure landed heavily on the ground.
It was William.
He held a greatsword that was as tall as a person with both hands.
“There you are. I’ve finally caught you, you bastard.”
William glared at Kashir as he spoke.
The atmosphere hinted at his intense hostility.
Together with the effect of the smiling priest, who stirred animosity among the followers of the Church of Illyria, William interpreted it as divine guidance.
“You are?”
Kashir squinted.
There weren’t many who wielded a sword that was as tall as a person.
Perhaps he had heard of this man before.
“Me? I’m William, the ‘Fourth Sword of Illyria.'”
William stated as he cast a sorrowful glance over the scattered corpses.
Soon, anger welled up in him, and he glared fiercely at Kashir.
“I’ve come to kill you, you bastard.”
