Chapter 66

Arkan Winterbell watched the duel with a rather intrigued expression. Although it was called a duel, it was no different from a fight to the death.

“So that brat has already grown strong enough to challenge Lin? What do you think? Do you think the youngest can beat her?”

“……”

After a moment of thought, Turk answered.

“May I speak honestly?”

“Speak.”

“I believe the Youngest Lord will lose.”

Arkan Winterbell asked with a curious look.

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s true the young master has shown remarkable growth recently… but Lady Lin’s talent is of a different kind from the other young masters. And, she has lived far longer than the Youngest Lord. I believe the years she’s lived and the experience she holds can’t be ignored.”

Arkan Winterbell gave a faint smile. Turk’s eyes widened at the sight. He rarely showed emotion, but lately, he had been displaying a wide range of reactions. It was all thanks to Ran Winterbell, who had once been half-crippled.

His change was changing Winterbell itself.

“…You’ve always been like this, but your eye for people is still lacking.”

“Pardon?”

“Shall we make a bet?”

Turk spoke, seemingly flustered.

“A bet, sir?”

“Yes. In the past, I feel like we used to make this kind of bet often.”

“We did.”

Back when they used to roam the battlefield, such bets were a daily occurrence. To be exact, it wasn’t that Turk Winterbell and Arkan Winterbell themselves made the bets, but rather that Arkan, upon hearing their subordinates were betting, would join in for fun.

“I’ll bet on the youngest winning.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

“Why do you think that?”

“That boy never gets into fights he thinks he’ll lose.”

“……”

“What shall we bet, then? Right. If I lose, I’ll give you the Millennium Ark.”

“…If I lose, I’ll give you the Ten Thousand Blossoms Brew.”

“Oh? The Ten Thousand Blossoms Brew… isn’t that the drink your father treasured?”

“You’ve wagered the Millennium Ark. How could I not respond in kind?”

“Haha. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good drink.”

“Perhaps I’ll be the one to taste it.”

“To reach your next level, you’ll need to fix that eye of yours first.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

With a face full of interest, Arkan continued watching the training ground. He looked on with satisfaction as his two children charged at each other with intent to kill.

---

Lin Winterbell swung her sword with ferocious momentum.

A storm of blades.

He deflected the never-ending barrage of strikes one after another. Even with his body reinforced using mana, the pain was intense enough that he could feel the bones in his hand rattle. Had it not been for Behemoth, his sword might have already shattered.

[Impressive. She’s clearly something else. If I hadn’t recovered my soul, this pathetic body might have been the first to break. That girl’s sword isn’t bad either.]

If even Behemoth was saying such things, then the sword she wielded must have been quite the exceptional blade.

What was its name again?

…White Fang, was it?

It was a renowned sword, bestowed directly by Arkan Winterbell himself as a reward for completing a past subjugation mission. Arkan had personally taken it out from the family’s vault. It was known for its pure white blade and ridiculously massive size.

My hands tingled. My bones ached. I pulled up more mana and concentrated it into both arms. Layering reinforcement spells, I kept strengthening my muscles.

“Do you know how those who used to mock me for being half-crippled see me now?”

“Don’t care, you bastard!”

“Everyone looks up to me. They used to sneer and disregard me, but now, they all watch with anticipation to see what I’ll do next. And they fear me. As expected, this place runs on the logic of power. Whether it's brothers, family, or whatever else — in the end, the strong trample the weak to rise.”

“Yeah. You’re just now figuring that out? The reason they looked down on you for being half-crippled... was simply because you were weak!”

As time passed, her sword became increasingly savage. She looked like a beast.

Chaeng! Chaeng!

Each clash of swords sent shockwaves rippling out, cracking the surface of the training ground like a spiderweb.

“Being weak is a sin! You were born a Winterbell, so you should understand that well. Becoming half-crippled was unfortunate, sure — but what was even more rotten was your mindset. That’s why everyone ignored you.”

“Is that so.”

With a twisted grin, I activated a new reinforcement spell — a magic I’d devised by considering the nature of the spells I had used up till now, as well as the unique traits of my bloodline.

It was a spell that used the resonance of the tattoos engraved into my body and the beat of my heart to push physical reinforcement past its limits. Its complexity and level were at least that of an 8th-circle spell.

Far beyond the level of Bloodfire Body Reinforcement — and now, it no longer even had any side effects. In the process of creating this magic, I’d achieved perfect control over the blood and mana within my body.

“Blood God.”

“!”

As if to match the grandeur of its name, the aura swirling around me turned crimson. I could feel the blood inside me boiling. Scalding blood surged through me. The blood coursing through my veins and the mana clinging to it radiated outward, manifesting physically. Red energy, wavering like heat haze, clung to my entire body. But it didn’t stop there — it spread outward.

“……”

As if declaring its intent to consume the entire training ground.

It was too extravagant to be called a simple reinforcement spell.

This was a phenomenon created by the fusion of reinforcement magic and aura.

Chaeng!

Shhhhhhh!

My figure vanished, and Lin Winterbell’s eyes widened. It meant even her eyes couldn’t follow my speed.

“What is this speed?!”

I answered her question with my sword.

Appearing from behind, I swung Behemoth at a blinding speed. She twisted her body like a beast and narrowly dodged the strike. Unfortunately, Behemoth's blade only sliced a strand of her hair. However, the bloodlust infused in the slash still sent a wave of killing intent that grazed her neck, leaving a wound.

[That blood's not bad at all.]

Are you saying this kind of weird crap on purpose?

[This sword will now be soaked in bloodlust. You understand without me needing to say it, right? Your ‘Blood God’ spell can’t help but influence the sword and the space around you.]

Yeah. I know.

There’s no helping it—when you’re using a force powerful enough to consume the entire surroundings.

[You’ve created something utterly monstrous. No, I’m not even sure you can call this a ‘spell.’ To fuse talent, aura, and magic into one… isn’t this something closer to a ‘divine authority’?]

Divine authority…

You could call it that, I suppose.

When those who inherit Winterbell blood awaken their aura, it usually manifests in a blue hue. But the aura I had just created—was red. Blood-red.

A crimson energy, as if declaring its intent to dye the entire world in blood, spread through the area. It was a deeply unsettling sight.

“RAN WINTERBEEEEEEELL!!!”

Winterbell-style Greatsword Technique, Form Three – Bite.

A savage and crude technique that mimics a wolf’s bite—clumsy in form, but the power it unleashes is beyond imagination.

Launching off the ground, Lin Winterbell’s greatsword came crashing down toward my head. She too had manifested her aura, and the blue mana that coated her blade roared with fierce intensity.

“!”

“You really think you can beat me?! Not a chance! You’ll never defeat me!”

“……”

“The only reason you’ve won before is because I wasn’t using aura! If I go all out, trash like you—”

At that moment—

Lin Winterbell’s face twisted like crumpled paper. The once-proud Winterbell swordsmanship she had just used was broken by nothing more than a simple horizontal slash.

“Is that all you’ve got, sister?”

“You bastard!!!”

“All you know how to do is screech and bark. There’s nothing of substance in you. I honestly can’t understand how someone like you was ever called promising. I don’t see how someone like you could ever think they’d become the head of the Winterbell family.”

“Don’t give me that crap!”

Even though her Form Three – Bite had been completely countered, Lin Winterbell kept charging in. Form Two – Forepaw, Form Five – Rush, and more—she kept going. The way she twisted and interpreted Winterbell swordsmanship as she pleased did have a certain flavor to it.

Fwoosh!

Fwoooosh!

But what’s the point if none of it hits?

No matter how strong your muscles are…

You can’t keep up with me while I’m using Blood God.

She screamed like a beast being crushed.

“You slippery little rat!”

She swung her sword wildly into empty air. At the same time, the entire training ground was engulfed in ice. She had manifested her aura properly and reshaped the terrain itself.

“There. Now you can’t run.”

Cold crept into my legs.

“I’ll end this.”

Her eyes flashed with a chilling light. She was brimming with confidence, as if she still had hidden strength she hadn’t revealed. It was the kind of certainty that said, If I can just bind you in place, I can kill you whenever I want.

You think that’s possible? Are you sure that confidence of yours isn’t just self-delusion, Lin Winterbell?

That’s why I didn’t bother resisting.

There were plenty of ways to drive out the cold invading my body. Plenty of ways to shift the environment of the training ground back in my favor. But I chose not to use them.

Because I wanted to destroy her.

Her heart.

Her stubbornness.

Her pride.

Completely.

So, I acted.

Pretended to be flustered.

“Eek! Using aura to freeze my feet in place… that’s cowardly…”

Lin Winterbell grinned slyly as she approached.

“Cowardly? Are you saying using aura is cowardly? What kind of bullshit are you spewing? In a fight where it’s kill or be killed, is there such a thing as cowardice?”

“……”

“I’ll really end it this time.”

I see.

What are you trying to show off so dramatically?

Lin Winterbell.

What is the true source of your confidence?

As she released her power, an explosive energy burst from her entire body. It was so intense that strong winds blew across the area.

At the same time, her hair turned a vivid blue, and mirage-like waves shimmered around her.

‘Is she concentrating her aura?’

Something beyond the level of sword aura.

Manifested Sword Aura – Sword Ki Steel.

It didn’t seem like she had fully materialized it, but there was no doubt—that was Sword Ki Steel. Once I saw it, I understood why she was so full of herself.

Of course. With something like that, she’d be confident.

There probably aren’t even five people in recorded history who could wield Sword Ki Steel at her age.

‘She’s trying to keep me bound because she’s betting everything on one strike.’

In the blink of an eye, Lin Winterbell’s figure vanished.

And in the next moment—

She was right in front of me.

“Goodbye.”