Chapter 86: There Is No Next Time

He spouts an unbelievable load of nonsense.

“How childish.”

“What?”

“If I were the type to be shaken by such words, I would never have prepared myself to oppose the world in the first place.”

There is no hesitation in his eyes.

“No….”

I’m serious, you crazy bastard.

Setting aside the fact that I was already fuming for various reasons.

For a moment, I was nearly stunned, wondering how to resolve this sheer sense of injustice.

“A brilliant mind is one thing, but honing one’s martial prowess is an entirely different realm. What made you like this?”

“…….”

I’m tired of talking.

However.

“…….”

I do not yield a single inch.

That is the most I can manage—not being pushed back.

Grandeus’s skill.

I don’t know if he has an understanding of our swordsmanship and sword forms, or if he has encountered a way to counter them.

…But it is not easy.

Neither is it easy to disrupt his balance, nor to control the direction and angle to turn his strength against him.

Even the point where our mana meets is nothing more than embers and echoes, like a fire that has gone out.

I don’t know about his pure physical capabilities, but at the very least, they are not inferior to mine.

And.

If the Demon King spoke of compatibility, there is likely a gap that cannot be overcome by mere tricks.

I felt it the moment we clashed.

It wasn’t overwhelming power.

Then what was it?

“Urgh!”

Before I even realized the spearhead had detached, it pierced my ankle.

I managed to dodge by dragging my foot away, but as it sliced through, splitting the very ground beneath me.

I struck down with my sword to control it.

Though it was Betita, this time I didn’t thrust both hands upward; instead, I swung it outward, as if shaking it off toward the periphery of my body.

The sword, naturally tilted due to my twisted wrist, barely deflected the spearhead with a force that threatened to carve the earth.

A moment later, and my leg, ankle, or foot would have been sliced, severed, or impaled.

But this was only the beginning.

He swung in a wide arc, yet suddenly surged forward like a single point, ignoring inertia entirely.

My eyes missed everything.

I was responding purely through intuition, guesswork, and trained reflexes.

But it wasn’t enough.

Ssh!

Without even realizing I had been cut, only after feeling a bitter pain.

I finally noticed that not only my robe, but my skin and hide had been split open.

Furthermore, the bleeding only began immediately after the pain was registered.

Despite moving so violently, I only noticed I’d been cut long after the fact?

“Your body is in a state of imbalance. Your will and consciousness are ahead, but your body is sluggish by at least one beat. Does this mean you haven’t consistently trained and grown your body over a long period?”

While I caught my breath, he glared with shimmering white eyes, as if appraising me.

“Nothing about this makes sense. None of it.”

He pointed the Jet-Black Spear with one hand and asked.

“What method did you use to become this way? Did you perhaps make a contract with a demon?”

“…Have you ever heard of a gold-plated lump that looks down on demons?”

“…….”

Before I could realize it.

I was suddenly looking up at the sky.

“……?”

What…?

I felt the hard ground against my back.

That wasn’t all.

The Jet-Black Spear was pointed right at me.

With eerie black smoke billowing from it, it was clearly no ordinary cursed object.

In short, I had been forced onto my back by that man.

And I hadn’t even realized it had happened.

‘Is this… what they mean by a bad matchup?’

No matter how capable I am.

If someone strikes with a transcendent speed that exceeds my ability to perceive and handle.

…There is no answer for me.

Even the countless cavalry and the relentless Arrow Barrage I experienced in my dreams.

At least there was room to prepare.

But this felt like there was no such thing as preparation or countermeasures.

Literally, I had been outclassed in relative agility, mobility, and quickness.

And not even in a way where I could chase him or compete as an equal.

It was crushing.

“Do you have any last words?”

“…….”

Life is another kind of hell.

Every moment of breathing felt like hell.

Of course, there were times when it wasn’t.

But perhaps I had spent too long screaming while submerged in a pit of fire.

Nothing comes to mind.

“…….”

Indeed.

Is this my death?

Am I supposed to accept this quietly?

“Tell me.”

“…Tell you what.”

“I’m not talking to you, so shut up.”

“…….”

I don’t know why.

The man known as the Stupid Legion Commander, the pale man, Bargo Adedima.

At the boy’s sharp, biting shout.

He instinctively faltered.

“Is it my destiny to die here?”

Looking up at the sky, at the void.

He asked.

Toward whom? Toward what?

“Try predicting it with that grand wisdom of yours. Like the idiot who didn’t even know the Sword of Grandeus was a damn Holy Sword, go ahead and spout your confidence this time too.”

“…….”

Is this person seeing something I don’t?

Something invisible to us?

‘That sword of Grandeus, that Elbat, is a Holy Sword.’

This is the first I’ve heard of it.

Though I heard he wandered the Demon Realm with that sword, slaughtering many of the Demon Race.

How could I have guessed it was a Holy Sword?

In the first place, the sword he held was shrouded in a darkness deeper than jet-black.

Even the faintest light.

If it touched that blade, it would be sucked in; it never reflected or emitted light.

That dark, stagnant sword is a Holy Sword, the natural enemy of our kind?

“…….”

That thing?

The thing currently shoved into the ground.

Cracked, rusted, and layered with sand and dust.

That rag of a thing that looks like it could break at any moment? That?

“I might regret this choice in the future and blame myself.”

The spearhead he was pointing slowly pushed toward his neck.

“I cannot afford to make the same mistake as before….”

Just before the tip of the spear pressed against Kariel’s neck.

He suddenly withdrew the shaft.

No, it wasn’t a withdrawal, but a swing.

“Gah!”

As if hit by something, he was violently thrown aside.

“You damn bastard….”

It was Venus.

“I told you… he’s my prey!”

“…Your physical abilities are as mysterious as ever.”

Even while bleeding profusely, his fierce and explosive momentum remained.

…It was almost admirable.

“So, do you intend to stand in my way? If you want to die, why not jump off over there or stab your own neck or heart with that sword?”

Aaaagh!

From somewhere, a scream erupted.

“And are you in any position to oppose me? Why do you think I visited this place?”

“Go on, spout it. I’ll listen.”

Among the onlookers watching the situation from a distance, screams of pain, regret, and desperation broke out.

Though I couldn’t see them, I felt they were also being attacked.

“I intend to leave an irreversible mark upon this place.”

The focal point of the remnants.

The Last Legion Commander, Bargo, declared.

“Killing Lueld’s Offspring means exactly that.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you want to kill him too?”

“I intend to defeat him; whether I kill him or not is a separate issue. You damn demon bastard.”

“My, my.”

He pointed the spear toward Kariel again.

I thought about trying to stand up, but if he intended to strike, I would have been impaled the moment I moved, so Kariel didn’t struggle.

It wasn’t because he was pathetic, but because his intuition told him it wasn’t the right choice.

“Unexpected. Do you intend to accept this unfair death without resistance?”

“Sigh.”

He talks too much.

On and on.

On and on and on and on.

“It’s not that… I was just taking a nap.”

“……What?”

“How much time has passed?”

He brushed away the spearhead.

“?”

How?

Bargo followed Kariel with bewildered eyes.

Having moved some distance away, he was barely pulling himself up.

“Cough!”

He tried to stand up as quickly as possible, but he was too slow.

Even though he had escaped death.

As if suffering from severe internal injuries, he staggered and coughed up a mouthful of dead blood.

“…….”

This feels like death.

I think I now have a slight inkling of why the Demon King wouldn’t let me struggle any further in my dreams.

My body had reached its limit.

It had reached its limit long ago.

In the first place, with this body, I wasn’t in a state where I could attempt anything.

The Demon King had exquisitely tuned it so that I was merely balancing on the edge of a thousand-foot cliff.

After acquiring Elbat, why he told me to put all my effort into building my body.

I think I understand now.

‘Was I dying?’

There wasn’t just one reason for my death.

The Residual Grudge tightening around my throat was a reason.

Forcing myself to move with an unstable body was a reason.

…Well, if I listed the reasons, there would be no end to them.

Like the one before me, there would be those who hate me simply for being someone’s offspring.

And perhaps someone else who feared a past I don’t even know and sought to erase me….

“Strange.”

Can a person.

Change like that in a matter of seconds?

Bargo was puzzled and confused.

The man who had been perfectly fine was suddenly coughing up blood and dying.

And yet, something.

His momentum, his temperament, had completely changed from before.

‘However.’

What does that even matter?

Enough with the goodwill.

As he gripped his spear firmly, Venus immediately threw himself forward, sensing the situation.

But he was already gone from that spot.

Venus, who had sliced through empty air with his sword, immediately turned his head toward Kariel.

‘In a way like this!’

You expect me to endure such humiliation?!

That damn bastard! And this damn bastard too!

Everyone is just doing whatever they want?!

Clang!

The collision echoed like an explosion.

At the same time.

“Hmm?!”

Bargo’s form was suddenly knocked back.

As if he had been hit by a counterattack and barely managed to retreat.

“…Ha.”

Kariel, who should have been the one defeated, sighed instead.

Even then, blood flowed from his nose, and his bloodshot eyes looked as if the capillaries were about to burst.

‘What did he do?’

Venus suddenly became anxious.

Could that bastard, like Venus himself… intentionally draw out his physical capabilities?

Or… did he acquire it in the moment they clashed?

‘Impossible.’

I cannot accept that.

Even if the heavens forgive it, I will not.

That absurdity, that unfairness.

…How dare he.

“Cough!”

However, Kariel’s current state looked very severe.

He coughed repeatedly, spitting out blood.

“……Damn it.”

I missed a golden opportunity.

An opportunity that might have been the first and last.

“Remarkable.”

Venus saw it.

The black blood flowing from Bargo’s forearm.

In contrast to his pale skin, the fluid flowing inside his body was like jet-black ink.

That wasn’t the issue.

The question was how that brat, who had been overwhelmed, managed to land a blow.

That was the only thing he wondered.

What if it had been Venus himself?

There were many ways, but his own current physical condition wasn’t great either.

He had taken medication the moment those two teamed up, but it didn’t provide immediate effects.

“You were infinitely slow. Why? Why was a counterattack possible?”

“…….”

He gasped for air.

Kariel’s eyes radiated blatant irritation, as if those exclamations and admirations were nothing but nonsense.

“1,891 times.”

“Hmm?”

“The number of times I died to you in my dreams.”

No, actually, it might have been more.

Or fewer.

I don’t know exactly.

I just said it.

The number might differ by hundreds, or be less.

“This is why… it’s so annoying.”

Reality is always like this.

It never goes the way I want it to.

“I don’t know what you mean, but I take it as a sign of desperate resistance. I offer my respect for that, Knight.”

“…Shut up.”

Don’t call me a knight in front of me.

Even that complaint was completely blocked by the blood and gastric juice churning up from my throat.

“Bleegh—!”

“…He’ll die soon even if I leave him alone. But that wouldn’t be honorable, so I shall take his life to put him at ease.”

“As if….”

Now, even holding the sword is difficult.

So much so that anyone watching could feel it.

It was precarious.

“Think of nothing, and close your eyes in peace.”

It had already reached the final moment.

As if the world had stopped, infinitely slow and lingering.

It felt as though this moment would never end.

‘Is this….’

The moment before death, where time slows down and you recall the past.

Ah, they call it a panoramic review.

But why?

…Still, nothing comes to mind.

With nothing surfacing.

In the silence and the frozen world.

I was abandoned even by myself.

Nothing to reflect on, repent, or regret.

Now, nothing comes to mind.

‘Something….’

Was there something?

I feel like there was.

…Is it really the end now?

…….

“Gasp!”

My legs gave out, and I collapsed.

I tried to drive my sword into the ground reflexively, but because I missed, I just fell.

…….

However.

I didn’t die.

The hazy sky remained, but perhaps the sun was rising.

Even so, the cast shadow was strangely vivid.

“A catastrophe would have happened if I were just a little later, wouldn’t it?”

…Despite it being a truly slender and lovely voice.

The barrier erected by it felt as though it would never crumble.

“And you?”

Bargo widened his pale eyes in confusion.

What is this now?

A human girl.

Blonde hair, blue eyes.

So slender.

A fragile frame that looked as if it would break completely if one simply reached out and grabbed it.

Among the demons, even he was exceptionally fragile.

Yet, the girl before him seemed no different from himself.

Except for the fact that she was a girl.

The difference in physical ability between men and women is absolute.

No matter how skillfully one handles mana, innate limits have always suppressed their potential in the form of restrictions.

But.

What on earth is this?

Why can’t I deal with her?

“Ashette. You crazy bitch…!”

From over there, a voice mentioned her name, as if they knew her.

“That’s right. Ashette. Aseratte, Ases. Call me En Drieg, Endragon, or Endraegan; use whatever surname you like. Yes. I’m talking to you. You.”

She murmured cutely, as if singing a song.

But the sword she held gripped Bargo’s spear with absolute precision.

She murmured, staring directly at the pale man.

“Bargo Adedima. This is our first meeting, right? Mr. Last Legion Commander?”

“You.”

He had heard of her.

The Order of Relief Knights.

Their second sword.

In their factions, those called the Redeemers.

They called themselves the Order of Redemption.

However, the woman before him used that as a mere identity to introduce herself; she was the type who didn’t obsess over or attach herself to it.

Above all, what made her famous was that she was royalty from a distant land.

No, it wasn’t because she was of royal blood.

“The Lake Demon.”

“Did that reach all the way here? It’s an embarrassing nickname, so I usually try not to reveal it.”

With a beaming smile.

She pushed forward.

He was pushed back.

He could not resist.

…What trick is this?

It felt as if an iron wall was pushing him with a will of its own.

The irresistible feeling of helplessness he had felt when wrestling with the Titan Race.

“Choose one of two options. Will you be captured quietly, or will you hand over your neck?”

“Do you think that’s possible? Human?”

“You just called me a demon.”

The moment he felt his body being pushed.

“Hmm?!”

A sword-wind surged.

Bargo reacted immediately and agilely.

He blocked it, but.

The aftermath left his palms tingling.

“Better than the rumors.”

The sense of speed was beyond words.

The power contained in each strike was heavy.

If he hadn’t defended properly, the spear would have been pushed back and his torso sliced open.

She had swung with that intent, but this wasn’t a one-time strike; it was multiple. It surged with continuity, truly a storm recreated by a sword.

“You’re still blocking. Very impressive. My arm is starting to hurt a bit, shall we take a break?”

As she said this, she unleashed the same series of attacks as if stirring something.

She swung and thrust; one became two, two became three, and three became four.

She scattered the blades like blooming petals.

“You’re blocking this too. More than I expected….”

Clang!

He blocked it.

Even the dozens of slashes Bargo unleashed.

The jet-black shadow split into dozens of branches.

Yet she responded instantly, and even the final, decisive flash was blocked in one breath.

“I told you my arm hurts. Let’s take a break, shall we?”

Her expression remained the same.

But her eyes were laughing.

With a smile on his face, as if he were about to hum a tune in delight.

It was surely the madness wrought by battle.