Chapter 185: The Third (2)

Boom!

Boom-boom!

Boom!

In a forgotten ancient castle.

A tremendous roar echoed within.

The protagonists were none other than Cecilia, rank 7 Godok, and Hagio, rank 11.

But judging their strength by rank alone was impossible.

Having left the village over two years ago, both had grown so immensely that they seemed like different people.

‘…No way!’

The more shocked of the two was Cecilia.

She was strong.

Even without applying the soft standards of the outside world, she was a formidable force by the village’s standards.

Excluding the top three, who were on another level, she could hold her own against higher ranks.

She should have easily subdued Hagio, a mere double-digit rank.

But she couldn’t.

Despite being lower-ranked than her brother Werner, Hagio was impossible to overpower.

No, she was the one constantly pressured throughout the fight.

Swoosh!

Swish-

Whoosh-whoosh!

Her signature hidden weapon techniques burst forth like fireworks, sharper and trickier than ever.

Some flew slowly but heavily, others faster than a flash.

Some followed erratic paths to confuse the opponent, while others skimmed the ground stealthily to strike at vulnerabilities.

But Hagio remained unshaken.

He charged at her steadfastly, like a bull.

“Tch!”

Swoosh!

Swish!

Cecilia let out a groan through gritted teeth, swinging her sword twice in succession.

Excelling in hidden weapons didn’t mean her swordsmanship was weak.

Her swordsmanship alone was enough to place her in the single-digit ranks.

A sinister, destructive swordsmanship, infused with dark and fiery energy, was unleashed, while several daggers flew in tricky paths, targeting gaps.

But Hagio wasn’t fazed this time either.

“Hup!”

Drawing heavily on metallic energy, he reinforced it with earth attributes.

Solid as a fortress, he swung his greatsword, neutralizing all her strikes, and deflected the stealthy daggers with his pauldrons and gauntlets.

The only damage he took was mere scratches on his armor.

It was as good as taking no damage at all.

‘How is this possible?’

Cecilia glared at Hagio, her expression twisted.

She couldn’t believe it.

For the past two years, she had endured training far harsher than in the village.

And that wasn’t all.

Though not by choice, she had learned black magic under the Black Hydra, further enhancing her swordsmanship.

Even now, the magical energy emanating from her was pressuring her opponent, and Hagio surely felt it.

Yet she couldn’t crush him.

She couldn’t overwhelm him.

Hagio was no longer just a rank 11 Godok.

Once a mere assassin, he now felt as solid and grand as a dwarf-forged fortress.

Though he flinched slightly with each attack, he never retreated, constantly pressing forward, making Cecilia feel the absurdity of it all.

‘It’s like facing Harang, Maya, or Gael.’

Cecilia’s expression darkened.

Honestly, she was pissed.

She had given up everything except one thing.

The joy of being freed from the village.

The future she dreamed of after hearing Harang’s words.

Her life, clung to desperately while taking countless others!

All that she had gained at the cost of everything was her current power.

Yet she couldn’t gain the upper hand against Hagio, a mere rank 11 who seemed to have faced no significant hardship since leaving the village.

A fiery rage swirled in her mind.

‘I can’t let this drag on any longer.’

Finally, Cecilia made a decision.

A forbidden technique.

Using it meant no turning back, but she had to.

Burning jealousy, and an even more precious emotion, compelled her to use her final resort.

“Haaaah!”

Hummmm-!

Stepping back sharply, Cecilia let out a fierce cry, channeling Aura into her sword.

An overwhelming amount of Aura, beyond what she could handle.

Seeing this, Hagio sensed danger and stopped in his tracks.

‘What’s she planning?’

Despite his concern, Cecilia continued pouring Aura into her sword, until the blade began to crack with a snap, snap sound.

She didn’t hold onto it.

With an even fiercer cry, Cecilia threw the Aura-wrapped sword, shouting.

“Die!”

Whoosh-

Boom-boom-boom!

The fastest strike of all her hidden weapons combined!

The sword, flying like a bolt of light, exploded right in front of Hagio.

Unable to withstand the excessive Aura, it shattered, scattering fragments with immense impact toward Hagio’s entire body.

“Hm!”

Of course, he wasn’t one to fall to this.

The old Hagio might have been shredded by dozens of fragments, but after countless spars with Harang and Gael, his skills had skyrocketed.

‘This level of surprise is nothing!’

Smirking inwardly, he swiftly spun his greatsword, channeling earth and steel energy, forming a grayish Aura like a paladin’s shield, perfectly blocking all attacks.

“Cough, urgh!”

Since he blocked head-on rather than deflecting, he couldn’t nullify all the impact, and the shock caused him to cough up a bit of blood.

But that was it.

In exchange for minor damage, he had taken her weapon and a significant amount of her Aura.

As expected, now weaponless, she was breathing far more heavily than he was.

But…

‘Stay cautious.’

Hagio didn’t let his guard down.

He had no choice.

The look in her eyes wasn’t that of someone who had given up.

It seemed she was preparing something even stronger, so he gathered all his strength to brace himself.

Moments later.

In the air before Cecilia, a sinister black sword was summoned.

Sssss-

“…Black magic.”

“Yes, black magic.”

Cecilia sneered, as if her earlier disadvantage didn’t matter, gripping a black sword adorned with a skull handle, a smile on her face.

Conversely, Hagio’s expression hardened, not just because of the strength of her move.

He could tell.

This technique was draining her lifespan with every second.

He could see that sinister sword was eating away at Cecilia’s life force moment by moment.

‘Why go that far?’

It would make sense in the village, where losing a rank battle meant death, so one might sacrifice lifespan for victory.

But this was the outside world, wasn’t it?

Why was Cecilia directing such hatred at him, sacrificing something so precious to immerse herself in this fight?

Was it related to the Black Hydra?

Or the Red Magician?

Or… the village?

Hummmm-!

“Hup!”

Hagio let out a suppressed groan under the weight of her intense presence.

Shaking his head vigorously, he thought.

What mattered now was winning.

Defeating Cecilia.

Yes, that was the most important thing.

Only by surviving could he resolve his questions, so Hagio resolved to use his best move.

Whoosh!

Raising his greatsword overhead with a fierce wind, he channeled the usual earth and metal energies.

But that wasn’t all.

He thought of those who made him who he was.

Those who gave meaning to a life that was once just a killing puppet.

He recalled their hearts.

Their smiles.

Their futures.

Condensing all of it into his sword, Hagio swung down with wide eyes.

“Haaaah!”

“Taaaah!”

Cecilia did the same.

Her skull-adorned black sword, filled with her life force, clashed with Hagio’s in the center of the room.

──────────────!

A tremendous roar blew away parts of the castle’s walls.

The sheer impact was staggering.

The aftermath alone crushed hundreds of skeleton soldiers outside, a terrifying, devastating final strike from both swordsmen.

Yet, despite both showing remarkable feats, victory had to be decided.

As the dust settled, the castle’s interior came into view.

An astonishing result.

Rank 7 Cecilia lay on the ground, both arms gone, while rank 11 Hagio, though his armor was damaged, stood firmly on both legs, looking down at her.

Anyone who knew their past strengths would find it unbelievable!

Perhaps that’s why.

Even while writhing in pain, Cecilia couldn’t stop the hollow laughter bursting out.

“Haha… To think I’d lose. Me, I…”

“Huff, huff… What, did you think you’d always be above me?”

“…At least, I didn’t think I’d lose today.”

“Too bad. You lost. And this is the end.”

“Yes, I didn’t expect you to spare me.”

Cecilia nodded.

Unlike someone like Gael, Hagio was decisive.

He wasn’t the type to show mercy to a Godok.

But separately, Hagio still had a desire to resolve his questions.

Walking up to Cecilia, he crouched down and asked.

“Why?”

“…What.”

“You deliberately provoked us.”

“Us?”

“Me and Harang.”

“…Haha, calling each other ‘us’—you’ve really grown close.”

“Cut the nonsense and answer. Why? Why did you provoke us, lure us here, and pick a fight?”

“….”

“Don’t want to answer? Fine then.”

Hum-

Aura flared again on Hagio’s sword.

A silent threat that lingering in silence would be boring, but Cecilia didn’t give the answer he wanted.

Closing her eyes tightly, she only said.

“You wouldn’t get the answer you want anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Because of the black magic. The moment I try to speak, my brain would explode.”

“…That’s unfortunate.”

Despite his words, Hagio’s expression softened slightly.

She couldn’t speak due to the black magic’s restriction.

That alone provided significant information.

‘Someone is controlling the Godoks. Maybe an organization.’

Who could it be?

The Black Hydra?

The Red Magician?

The village?

Or perhaps the hostile group that freed them from the village?

He didn’t know yet.

‘Honestly, even further investigation might not reveal it… What a mess.’

As he thought this.

Her time must have run out.

After coughing up blood a few times, Cecilia slowly closed her eyes.

Her final words.

Hagio couldn’t help but wear a bitter expression.

“Werner…”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.