Chapter 27

‘Using the Red Man’s power… I can only do this once or twice more at most.’

But there was no time to hesitate.

Right now, he had to settle things with the opponent before him.

【Condition 1: Must be wearing the Red Wax Mask】

【Condition 2: There must be even a sliver of darkness within a space of 8 pyeong】

【Condition 3: An appropriate amount of sacrifice must be offered to the Red Wax Mask】

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

The blood-soaked Red Wax Mask emitted an ominous light, leaking a dark red mist, and Taewoon’s form overlapped with a blurred silhouette.

Kicking off the ground in an instant, Taewoon clashed spears with Iosis.

A series of exchanges followed, and wounds rapidly multiplied on both of their bodies.

‘…There is no turning back. I have to pour everything into this.’

Now was the time to accept the losses and take the enemy’s head.

Taewoon twisted his body violently and thrust his spear toward Iosis’s heart, and fresh blood splattered once again.

It was a true duel of blades, where neither side yielded a single inch.

And the one to strike the final blow first was Iosis.

“…Let’s end this.”

Stems that erupted from the ground in an instant writhed like dragons, launching Taewoon and Iosis into the sky.

These stems were incomparably larger than those seen before; Taewoon twisted his body, trying to find a place to step, but there was nowhere suitable.

Simultaneously, Iosis, leaping between the stems, charged forward. His Barata began to emit a sinister dark light, aimed directly at Taewoon.

“Urgh!”

There was nowhere to run. Taewoon’s posture had already collapsed, and Iosis, in a perfect stance, was piercing toward Taewoon’s heart.

‘One last time…’

Throwing his spear into the air to create a shadow, Taewoon barely escaped the crisis using the power of the Red Man.

Immediately after, he managed to find a foothold and prepared a final strike, but Iosis’s movement was one tempo faster.

‘Damn it, he predicted it!’

Neither side could pull back their posture now. And likely, Iosis’s spear would pierce Taewoon’s heart first.

Yet, despite this, Taewoon pushed his body forward even further and unleashed his final strike without hesitation.

“What…?”

“It’s over! Iosis!”

There was one thing Iosis had mistaken: Taewoon had not yet used his trump card in this Cycle.

Immediately, the Red Wax Mask emitted a faint light and finally began to fulfill its ultimate role.

【Conditions met! The Red Wax Mask activates a Level 3 Equivalent Miracle!】

Through his deaths in previous Cycles, Taewoon had accumulated stacks of the Red Wax Mask’s Miracle.

And now, the restrictive force generated by that indescribable power began to exert a powerful influence on Iosis.

“This is…”

In an instant, Iosis’s left arm, which had been strained for a long time, lost its strength. The path of the spear shifted, missing its intended target.

Iosis tried to control his body as much as possible in disbelief, but the spear ultimately only grazed Taewoon’s flank.

And then.

“…I won’t listen to any talk of cowardice. This was a gamble where both of us put our lives on the line.”

“….”

Taewoon murmured resolutely, but Iosis looked up at the sky with an unbothered expression and, squeezing out his last bit of strength, threw the spear in his left hand toward Taewoon.

“…It is yours now. Take it.”

“….”

Iosis stumbled a few steps forward, then leaned his back against a stem left by Barata and closed his eyes as if collapsing.

At the same time, the Wax Mask, having exhausted all its power, vanished as if scattering, and Taewoon let out a deep sigh.

‘…I’m at my limit. My body won’t listen to me.’

Even if he had crossed the biggest mountain, Duon of the Seven Knights and numerous elite troops still remained, attacking the fortress wall.

If support forces were added to that, Taewoon’s strength alone would no longer be enough to stop them completely.

“Dull fellow. That is why I offered to lend a hand.”

Landing with a loud crash that shattered the ground, Duon held the head of a Kingdom Knight—someone he had shared words of encouragement with only yesterday—in his grip.

Tossing it aside, Duon raised a massive greatsword and aimed it at Taewoon, who was barely standing.

“I won’t even need to exert myself. Go in peace.”

“….”

He tried to respond, but it seemed impossible.

Judging by the loud shouting and the tremors shaking the ground, the Empire’s reinforcements seemed to have reached Milev Fortress as well.

Just as Taewoon resigned himself and closed his eyes, imagining the end, a massive golden barrier, as if wrapped in a magnetic field, began to appear above his head.

‘Theogenes…’

The completed barrier protected not only Taewoon but the entire fortress wall, which had become a fierce battlefield.

He tried to grasp the situation quickly, but a sudden, intense dizziness hit him, and his body violently demanded rest.

Eventually, Taewoon slumped down in a corner of the wall, closing his eyes as if fainting, and began to repeat only faint breaths.

‘Damn it, I have to… check the situation…’

Taewoon felt as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.

He intermittently regained his vision, but each time, he was immediately pulled back into the sleep. Even after waking and sleeping several times, the barrier remained firmly deployed, guarding the wall.

“Haa!”

After a considerable amount of time had passed and his body had recovered enough to move, Taewoon bolted upright and scanned his surroundings.

The barrier still existed, and the exhausted soldiers were lying down to rest.

Outside, the Imperial Army, joined by reinforcements, was hammering the wall with fierce momentum, but surprisingly, the barrier—though riddled with cracks—was somehow enduring the onslaught.

‘How much time has passed? Where is Theogenes?’

His physical condition was far from normal, but even so, this was no time to stay still.

Just as Taewoon was about to move, a loud noise echoed, and the golden barrier began to scatter into powder.

‘Oh no, has it reached its limit!’

Startled, Taewoon turned and ran to secure his field of vision. At that moment, another vibration was felt, and a shout that shook the very axis of the earth rattled the fortress.

The soldiers woke up in surprise, and Taewoon also froze, gripping the Divine Spear Barata in his hand.

‘What, what is it? The Empire’s reinforcements?’

However, the Empire’s reinforcements had already arrived on the battlefield before he lost consciousness, and there was still a day left before the Mayer Duchy’s support force was due.

Just as the confused Taewoon climbed atop the wall, a familiar notification sound shook his mind, and a clear message of salvation appeared before his eyes.

【A Step of Change: Plains Horsemen】

▶【The support forces of the Mayer Duchy, who marched at high speed regardless of day or night, arrive at the wall one day early and block the Imperial forces.】

‘My god, the Entry Privilege!’

To be honest, he had completely forgotten about it.

It wasn’t a privilege with an immediately specified effect like A Word of Advice or A Handful of Blessing, and he hadn’t received any practical help from it in the first Cycle either.

However, because of this privilege, the Mayer Duchy support force, which should have arrived on the 8th day of the Defensive Battle, arrived at the wall one day early.

For Taewoon and the Kingdom’s army, who had been on the verge of giving up everything, this result was like rain in a drought.

The Mayer Duchy Army, which pushed straight into the middle of the battlefield in an instant, began to ruthlessly devastate the Imperial soldiers exhausted from the siege, and Duon of the Seven Knights also appeared preoccupied with stopping the Duchy’s knights.

Confident of victory, Taewoon immediately ran along the wall toward the central watchtower where everyone was gathered.

“Is everyone safe!”

Among the knights watching the reinforcements arrive with various expressions, the figure of Theogenes appeared, his sword sheath firmly fixed to the ground.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him looking no different than before, the atmosphere filled with silence and an inexplicable sense of incongruity stopped Taewoon in his tracks.

As he approached everyone with a feeling of dread, Marcus, barely lifting his head, faced Taewoon with a grief-stricken expression.

“…Where is Theogenes?”

“Most lamentably… he has already breathed his last.”

As Taewoon turned his gaze, he saw Theogenes’s face, wearing a faint smile, upon a body drained of life.

In the end, as promised, to protect the Kingdom and its people, he had defended Milev Fortress with his own hands.

‘Damn it…’

Actually, he had vaguely guessed it from the moment he opened his eyes.

Especially in a state of repeated overexertion, it was nearly impossible to hold off the enemy’s attacks alone for such a long time.

Theogenes had accepted his own death and maintained the barrier until the very moment his last breath faded.

And he had simply met his end with satisfaction.

‘…Rest in peace, Theogenes.’

Until Taewoon personally reached out to close his eyes, none of the knights stopped him.

Because they had ultimately failed to protect their lord.

The great warrior who brought down the Empire’s hero, Iosis, and the man whom his lord called a friend, was the most fitting person to fulfill that role.

“…Thank you. If it weren’t for Your Highness’s decision and your struggle, this fortress would surely have turned into the Empire’s, soaked in the blood of the Kingdom’s army.”

“….”

“His Highness asked me to deliver a final message. He said it was a pity he couldn’t share a drink with you once more.”

Marcus, smiling bitterly, looked at the Imperial Army beginning to withdraw and spoke the words he had long yearned for.

“Even if it is but a moment of hope… this fight is certainly the Kingdom’s victory.”

Along with those words, amidst the rising sun, the now-familiar notification sound cluttered his ears.

【Congratulations! You have Cleared the ‘Final Rampart’ Theater!】

【In 30 seconds, you will be moved to the Theater entrance.】

With a sigh filled with complex emotions, Taewoon’s body was soon enveloped in a brilliant white light and began to dissipate.

“Wait, you?”

“…Regrettably, it seems the time for me to leave has come. I will pray that peace fills the future of the Kingdom.”

“How can this be… were you truly a warrior sent by the Goddess for the sake of the Kingdom…?”

Leaving the shock and surprise behind, Marcus hurriedly bowed his head and gave Taewoon a final farewell as a knight.

It was the moment the curtain fell on the third Theater, which had been full of ups and downs but had yielded just as many gains.

He had succeeded in his revenge and defended the fortress, but honestly, Taewoon didn’t feel as if he had won perfectly.

Nevertheless, the burning courage and fighting spirit shown by the warriors were clearly engraved in Taewoon’s body and mind.

And now, it was time to step away from those thoughts and check the fruits of his labor to move forward.

【You have Cleared the Theater with one Ticket remaining!】

• Additional rewards are granted!

【You have acquired the Artifact, ‘Divine Spear Barata’!】

▶【Barata】

• Upon use: Level 2 Equivalent Strength correction effect.

• Upon use: Level 2 Equivalent Life Absorption effect.

• Upon use: Level 3 Equivalent ‘Subterranean Tree’ summon.

【You have acquired the Cinema Skill, ‘Final Rampart’!】

‘Final Rampart? Could it be…’

He wasn’t certain, but hearing the name brought one specific scene clearly to mind.

As Taewoon hurriedly scrolled through the messages, the detailed description of the new skill finally began to be displayed.

【Condition 1: There must be a target to protect with a sincere heart】

【Condition 2: There must be a threat or crisis facing the target of protection】

【Condition 3: A suitable casting posture must be taken using a body part or a tool】

【When all conditions are met, the Cinema Skill ‘Final Rampart’ can be activated.】

▶【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart】

• Upon activation: Creates a Level 3 Equivalent Semi-Automatic Protective Zone.

• Upon activation: Grants a Level 2 Equivalent Mental Immunity effect.

• Upon activation: Grants a Level 2 Equivalent Chaos Resistance Effect.

As expected, what Taewoon had obtained were Iosis’s spear and Theogenes’s barrier.

Feeling a complex sense of joy, Taewoon left the Theater and returned to the mirror in his home.

“…Whew.”

He felt the exact opposite of how he felt last time.

Because it was his first time experiencing such a grueling series of battles, Taewoon felt that, regardless of anything else, he just wanted to slump down and rest.

Soon, Taewoon collapsed onto his bed, erasing miscellaneous thoughts and falling immediately into sleep.

While reflecting on every single experience and achievement gained through this Theater.