Crash!
Eldora tumbled noisily but surprisingly got back on her feet quickly, steadying herself. Yet one of her eyes was tightly squinted, as if she’d taken quite a hit.
Of course, she’d be shocked.
I had confirmed it with my Third Eye, but I felt it clearly the moment we first clashed. Even accounting for acceleration, Eldora had a slight edge over me in raw strength.
I exploited that fact, using the “Transplanting Flowers” technique I favored in the first round. As a result, Eldora absorbed not only the impact I dealt but also the force from her own attack.
I only reversed part of the damage, not all of it, but that was enough. Didn’t she just bounce off like that?
At least she seemed to have regained some composure. Earlier, she had stormed across the battlefield like a whirlwind, but now her momentum had calmed. Though her whole body still radiated anger, her eyes locked steadily onto me.
Too bad. If she’d lost her mind in rage, she’d be much easier to handle. But this level of control makes the fight more interesting.
Alright then, time to see the true skill of the legendary Odin Lord.
Coincidentally, Eldora seemed to think the same. She stomped the ground hard enough to make a thud, the earth sinking beneath her feet as a fierce wind swept through. Then she lightly sprang forward, quickly shifting her footwork in a zigzag pattern to close the distance.
Hmm. Trying to shake her direction to disperse the impact?
I thought so and mirrored her steps, lightly moving my feet in the same zigzag pattern as I advanced. When we drew diagonally close, I struck first—stepping forward with my right foot and angling my blade to stab.
Eldora leaned back, as if expecting it, dodging the thrust. But my sword wasn’t alone. Victoria’s Glory, which had just passed in front, sliced down toward her bent head. Eldora hastily raised her sword to parry, both actions almost simultaneous.
Victoria’s Glory veered off course, but the unexpected attack threw Eldora off balance, tilting her to the right. Seizing the moment, I pushed off the ground and slammed my blade down hard onto her shoulder, where her left foot was planted.
Clang!
The clash of steel rang out as Eldora groaned and staggered backward again. Though my leap carried weight, Excalibur’s broad blade successfully blocked the blow. Eldora retreated with a jump, eyes sharper and more alert than before.
I stepped forward slightly, straightened my sword with force, and shrugged my shoulder. After a brief probing exchange in the first round, it seemed I’d gained the upper hand.
Well, it made sense. Without seeing my sword, it’s hard to gauge distance recklessly. Plus, she must be wary of the shockwave bouncing back from earlier. Of course, her complicated tactics were none of my concern—I charged straight in and stabbed head-on.
Clang!
Just before my blade could touch her, my arm was forcibly yanked downward. Eldora, waiting calmly, had slammed Excalibur down, driving my sword into the ground. She then tilted her blade and swung both arms wide, probably trying to send my sword flying. But I countered with my Triple Sword Technique, launching three blades at once, forcing her to retreat.
She moved back so quickly that Victoria’s Glory and Caligo Abraxas didn’t connect. But she couldn’t avoid my counterattack with the Sun and Moon Divine Sword. Gritting my teeth, I twisted my torso left.
“Eeeek!”
Suddenly, she spun her body the other way and slashed horizontally. I bent my side to avoid it.
Whoosh!
It felt like she intended to split me in two at the waist—the blade’s sharp energy grazed my chest. I waited for her to pass, then flicked my waist back, slamming my sword down in a wrapping motion.
Thud!
But Eldora quickly lifted her leg, and I only struck the ground.
Then—
“…!”
The earth trembled, and a sudden chill wind brushed past my collarbone. Before I could even turn my head, I twisted my shoulder back and thrust my sword forward.
But Eldora had already put enough distance between us; my strike barely missed. Instead, Excalibur grazed my own shoulder.
Having skillfully dodged even the hidden blades I’d sent, Eldora raised her sword to her shoulder, aiming at me. I took a couple of steps back, adjusted my grip, and steadied my breath. A quick glance revealed a long scar running along her shoulder blade.
Hah. The armor of Chiwoo Cheonwang, which resists damage—especially piercing attacks. I have to admit, Excalibur is impressive.
No, Eldora is incredible. Beyond her strength, the spring in her small, delicate frame is no joke. And seeing how quickly she’s adapted to the Triple Sword Technique, she’s not just brute force—there’s real finesse in her fighting style.
More than just strength, her swordsmanship—her skill with the blade—seems on par with mine, maybe even slightly better.
She’s definitely a sword user.
Alright. I’ll give her that.
Clearing my thoughts, I retrieved Victoria’s Glory and the Sun and Moon Divine Sword from the three blades. Since she’s gotten used to multiple swords, it’s better to focus on one rather than spread my attention—and conserve mana.
Still, I didn’t think I was going to lose.
Why?
Because there’s no reason to fight a sword-wielding princess with just swordsmanship, right?
[User Kim Suhyun’s mana flow increases by 2.5 times!]
Activating mana flow, my power surged wildly through every circuit.
My current mana flow speed was 4.5 times normal. If I could control it properly, no user could surpass me—not even Eldora.
Whirrrrrrr!
As the flow peaked, strange vibrations shook the surroundings, filling the air. My body heated up instantly, and red flames seemed to flicker in my vision.
Did Eldora sense it too? Her Adam’s apple bobbed, and suddenly she charged like a spring, launching an attack.
She seemed to aim a straight stab, but then spun her sword half a turn and swung powerfully to the left. I hurriedly parried in the opposite direction, then retracted and stabbed again at near lightning speed.
Suddenly, I understood her approach. She was using Excalibur’s long, broad blade like a spear.
In that case…!
I shifted my foot so Excalibur slid between her arm and ribs, then slammed my elbow down, pressing the blade tight against her side. With the sword firmly wedged, I unleashed Caligo Abraxas. Eldora quickly crouched, and I took the chance to surge forward, ramming her with all my might.
Boom! The sound of rock hitting rock echoed as Eldora spread her arms wide and staggered back, eyes wide open.
Hng, hng!
Even amid that, she kept swinging her sword—credit where it’s due—but her attacks were too half-hearted. She dodged the first strike, but I slammed my sword down hard with the Void Blade, driving it into the ground. Then I bent my knees and lunged, striking Eldora’s calf with my knee, throwing off her balance.
“Argh!”
A heavy thud and a youthful scream burst out. At the same moment, I straightened my bent knee and jabbed the Void Blade upward like an uppercut toward her delicate chin.
But—
“Ugh!”
Instead of connecting, my blade shot straight up into the air. Beside my rising arm, I caught sight of her eyes calmly watching me, her chin tilted back.
…I don’t get why you’re so calm. I thought you’d dodge.
I slammed my elbow hard into Eldora’s face. She let out another pitiful scream and collapsed clumsily. But it wasn’t over yet.
Caligo Abraxas slashed fiercely downward, aiming for her retreating position.
Eldora raised her sword to block, but just as it neared—
“Broken Fragments.”
Bang!
Caligo Abraxas exploded violently. Like a grenade, countless jet-black shards scattered, engulfing Eldora.
“Aaaaaaah!”
That was too much to bear. Eldora screamed as if the quiet battlefield itself was shattering.
Huh? Quiet?
Now that I think about it, the battlefield had fallen into a lull. Everyone had stopped fighting and was staring at the spot where Eldora and I stood.
“…”
I wasn’t sure if the battle had been that intense.
But one thing was clear: the faces of the users from the Southern Continent were grim. No, worse than grim—almost despairing, as if they couldn’t believe what they’d just witnessed.
After a moment.
The storm of shards swept past, and the billowing dust began to clear.
Gradually, Eldora’s condition revealed itself to be utterly pitiful. Her skin was raw and reddened, and a pale heat shimmer rose from her entire body. The once-beautiful light armor was scratched and battered by countless shards, now looking ragged and worn. Her eyes, which had once shone with confidence, had lost their light, staring blankly up at the sky.
Then, just as her legs buckled weakly,
“Ah…”
A faint, breathy sound escaped her lips. Her half-bent knees stiffened, and with a grinding of teeth, she drove her sword into the ground, finally regaining her stance.
I had expected as much. The energy I sensed from her still held some strength, though it had dulled considerably compared to before.
“Grrrr…!”
She let out a guttural sound, almost like an animal’s cry, struggling even to open her mouth.
Suddenly, I felt her magic surge with an ominous intensity.
Before long, countless radiant golden spheres began to materialize around Eldora. The sacred yet destructive aura they radiated made me instinctively narrow my eyes.
“Hoh.”
I sneered with a hint of admiration and stomped my foot. Instantly, the magic in the circuit drained away like a receding tide.
Crackle, crackle!
The result was dozens of blazing flame swords forming in an instant.
I wasn’t sure how powerful that ability truly was, but well… even Gehenna acknowledged the strength of these flame swords.
Let’s see how this plays out.
A quick glance at Eldora’s face revealed a spiderweb of despair spreading across her features.
It seemed the time to end this had come. I shouted silently in my mind.
“Madam!”
“Yeah! Leave it to me!”
Hwajeong’s voice rang out, excited and ready.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Dear readers, I apologize. Today, I must take a moment to use this space for a brief note.
I’m truly sorry.
Hey, brother.
Don’t pretend you don’t know—I know you know. You’re probably asleep now, but tomorrow you’ll be at work reading this note.
How do I know?
Because you blatantly said it in the car yesterday.
That this story is almost finished? Well, that’s good.
What?
But why is the protagonist named Kim Suhyun? And why does he have to relive ten years of suffering over and over?
I told you not to say anything, but you just laughed—ha ha ha ha.
Sigh.
I begged you not to read it like that, but fine, I’ll concede. If you insist on reading, how can I stop you?
But I did ask you not to make it obvious. Not to tease me. Yet since I stayed quiet, you took that as an invitation, huh?
Oh, by the way, did you know? I know three of your secrets, too.
The purple square plastic wrap I found in your room. D… Let’s leave it at that.
The XX I found in your bag when you came back from your trip. I’m too embarrassed to even tell the readers. Seriously, how could you? You really need to reflect on that.
When you were showering before work, I peeked at your phone when a call came in. The name saved there? Absolutely priceless. You know what I mean, right? Haha.
So, brother, what do you think will happen if I spill all three secrets? Number three I might just tease you about, but one and two? You know those are totally undeniable. And you know how extremely conservative my mom is.
Is this a threat?
Yeah. It is. Doesn’t feel good, does it?
I didn’t like it either.
So let’s just stop this nonsense while we’re still on good terms, okay?
…Dear readers, I’m sorry.
I thought a warning was necessary at least once.
You might feel a little uneasy reading this.
I sincerely apologize for having to borrow this space to say so. (__)