Chapter  67

A fleeting moment.

In my perception, which had been accelerated by raising my cognitive abilities to the extreme, everything appeared to have come to a halt.

As if the entire world had frozen in place.

But in reality, it was simply moving at an incredibly slow pace.

‘As expected, warriors who’ve reached a high level each live in their own flow of time.’

I could tell without even needing to look.

Warriors like Arkan Winterbell and Darkin Winterbell were moving within this decelerated perception, continuing to exist within their own time. It was only natural.

After all, perception is inherently relative.

What mattered wasn't analyzing their abilities, but figuring out how to deal with the mad dog right in front of me.

‘That attack can’t be blocked. No—shouldn’t be blocked.’

The sheer force radiating from it was already beyond imagination. My body had undergone countless changes. Back when I was half-crippled, I had been so weak that I couldn’t even be called a warrior, but after recovering, I had stepped into the realm of an ordinary martial artist.

Then, after completing my metamorphosis, I had surpassed the realm of normal warriors and approached the level of the Winterbells—those said to be blessed by the heavens.

And now...

I had reached a physical state so exceptional, I could confidently say I stood among the uppermost tier of even the Winterbell family's elite.

It had taken a great deal of time and effort to come this far from being a half-cripple who couldn’t even walk on his own.

‘Still not enough.’

When I thought of my goal, I was nowhere near where I needed to be.

‘I have to prove myself first.’

Blocking it was impossible.

Then, dodging?

No. I couldn’t avoid it either.

To overcome that, I would have to respond with a sword strike of similar caliber. If I used Makina, it could be solved easily, but using Makina in front of Arkan Winterbell, who was Deus, would be no different than revealing that I was also a Deus.

Even if he was my biological father, I still didn’t trust him. Honestly, I still didn’t really know what kind of person he was. That’s why I couldn't help but wonder—if he found out I was a Deus, would he try to kill me and steal my Makina?

[Stop letting your mind get swept away by pointless thoughts. Are you underestimating your opponent? Or are you simply confused? If you fall into Heart Demon at this rate, you won’t be able to come back.]

Yeah.

You're right.

Honestly, I think all these idle thoughts are just because I don’t know how to respond right now.

[Isn’t it simple?]

What’s simple?

[Don’t dodge—counter it. You possess a powerful sword technique, don’t you?]

That’s...

[What are you hesitating for? Don’t tell me you’re scared that your own kin might die by your blade? Kuhahahaha! Puhahahaha! Kuhahahaha! Kuhahahahaha! Since when did you start caring about that kind of thing? And now you’re hesitating? Fool. Sometimes you act like a demon, and sometimes like a child—what a perfect idiot.]

He wasn’t wrong, so I didn’t really have anything to say.

What was I hesitating for, exactly?

Just because we crossed blades a few times...

Had I somehow developed an attachment toward someone I’d hated and cursed so much?

No.

That wasn't it.

That wasn’t the problem.

The reason I was hesitating…

It was because I had no certainty in this sword.

Was I afraid that she might die by this sword?

I wasn’t afraid.

It might hurt my heart, but that didn’t mean I could stop doing what I had to do.

If I wanted to climb higher, I had to step over her. In fact, somewhere deep inside, I even had the thought that, through this battle, I wanted to make her mine. But that was something that would require more than just effort—it would take luck too.

[Ran Winterbell! Enough! Stop it already! How long are you going to keep having this internal Q&A? I may be a magical beast, but I've seen countless sword-wielders destroy themselves with useless thoughts. You're exactly like that right now. Isn't this a chance to prove yourself to the Winterbell family? And you're stuck wasting time on such petty thoughts—do you think that's acceptable?]

Behemoth, for once, was saying all the right things.

Yeah.

No more hesitation.

The road I had to walk was long and perilous.

Revenge.

Those who killed me.

Until I finished avenging those who killed my comrades, I couldn’t die. Until I uncovered the truth behind my death, I couldn’t die.

No—

I must not die.

“……”

The only way to counter a sword force refined into steel was with the same kind of sword force.

I condensed my aura.

Focus.

I had to focus.

I couldn’t waver.

If I made a mistake here, my body would explode before I could even swing my sword.

Sss—

I inhaled.

Tightened my core.

Regulated my breath.

Unleashed the aura.

[Why are you acting like it’s your first time? Don’t bother with the small stuff. As long as I’m your sword, I’ll take care of most of it for you.]

How reassuring.

When did you become so dependable?

[Shut it.]

I refined the mana I had injected into the sword a little more. I had to accelerate my brain and pull the image in my head into reality.

Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense. Condense.

Now, cohesion.

[Yes. That’s how you do it.]

Chwarururuk!

The sword force condensed along Behemoth’s blade surged with fierce energy and grew sharper.

‘It’s still not enough.’

I tapped into the power of Blood Wail. Circulating my blood throughout my entire body without rest, accelerating my movements. Blood dripped freely from my nose, but I ignored it. My brain felt like it was burning, but I ignored that too.

Focus now.

Another moment requiring focus.

I infused Behemoth with Blood Qi.

Cold and bloodlust.

Two opposing energies intertwined like serpents devouring their prey. As if neither would ever yield. As if both were claiming me for their own. Still, I kept circulating them.

My aim wasn’t to let one consume the other, but to fuse both into one.

‘Kgh!’

The muscles in the arm holding the sword swelled as if they would tear apart. Too much blood was surging through the veins. The excruciating pain twisted my face involuntarily, but I had to endure it.

Endure it, again and again.

I focused—again and again.

I fell into the world of no-self and observed myself from a detached state.

‘Fuse. Please, just fuse.’

[…You're asking the impossible.]

Behemoth trembled violently. It had regained a fragment of power by devouring a portion of a physical body, enough to be considered the beginning of a legendary sword, but it still seemed unable to fully withstand my power.

[If I break at this rate, will you take responsibility?]

If you break, I’ll take responsibility and repair you myself.

[…You say that so smoothly.]

I’d better hurry and get you a physical body. A sword that can’t even endure this level of energy is of no use to me.

[Quit the nonsense and just focus.]

The two forces that had been coiling around each other began to slowly merge.

Blood and cold.

Red and blue.

The two energies, twisted together like a taegeuk, devoured Behemoth’s blade.

“!”

It was complete.

My own Sword Force Refined into Steel.

As if it had been waiting, my accelerated perception returned to its original speed. But I knew—even in that brief flow of time, Arkan Winterbell, Darkin Winterbell, and other masters from various houses had all been watching my every move.

As a result—

I could hear the stirred voices from the audience.

“It’s over, you son of a bitch!!”

A massive greatsword, wreathed in Sword Force Refined into Steel, came crashing down toward me.

A fierce momentum.

Explosive power.

So intense that it made the very air tremble—but I didn’t dodge. Seeing that, Lin Winterbell twisted her lips into a cold smile.

“You’re gonna block this? Don’t come crying to me when you’re dead!”

“Blame? That’s your job, not mine.”

I swung my sword upward from below.

Her sword came crashing down from above.

Mine rose from below.

And then—they collided.

In that moment—

A thunderous roar erupted.

KWAHHHHHHH!!!

The sound was so deafening it felt like my eardrums would burst. In fact, some attendants watching from the audience were bleeding from their ears and groaning in pain.

That was how powerful the shockwave had been.

The arena floor was deeply gouged, and the sword wind born from the clash swept in every direction.

“You bastard! You can use Sword Force Refined into Steel too? Fuck. What the hell are you?”

Lin Winterbell was shocked.

But her hands didn’t stop.

And neither did mine.

‘I don’t have much time. I can’t maintain this state for even five minutes.’

This wasn’t a realm I should be able to access in the first place.

But thanks to past experiences, my exceptional body, and the assistance of Blood Wail and Behemoth, I had managed to create it—temporarily.

‘And the same likely goes for Lin Winterbell. She’s incredibly gifted, sure, but she’s not yet at the level where she can maintain Sword Force Refined into Steel for long.’

Her movements grew fiercer.

As if she intended to burn everything away here, she set her will alight like a flame. She was determined to end this, no matter what.

She must have realized it too.

That if she didn’t settle this now, after invoking Sword Force Refined into Steel, she wouldn’t know what might come next.

And the same went for me.

“This fk… fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk, fk! Why the hell are you so irritating?! Why?!”

“That goes for me as well.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I said shut up!”

Each time our swords clashed, her hands trembled. The blood pouring from my nose had already soaked through my upper garments. Even so, I didn’t stop. Wounds were accumulating all over my body.

She had just sliced open my side, and blood had gushed out like a fountain, but I managed to stop the bleeding using Blood Wail.

The same went for Lin Winterbell. Her shoulders, back, and flanks were already riddled with stab wounds.

Still, she charged forward without a hint of hesitation.

Like a beast.

There was likely no woman more fitting of the name Mad Dog than her.

With nothing but the singular intent to tear her opponent apart—

She pressed forward violently.

“……”

“……”

At some point, the two of us were drenched in blood. My snow-white hair had turned completely crimson, and the ground around us was soaked in red.

The people watching our duel had also fallen silent before we knew it. Everyone was holding their breath, watching the fight unfold.

A festival of madness.

A battle of slaughter.

It was truly a duel that perfectly embodied the name Winterbell.

“I’ll end this now.”

“Bullshit.”

Both of us were exhausted.

To finish this, we would each have to pour everything into one final slash.

And I had been personally trained by a master who had spent his entire life perfecting the Single Sword Slash.

I was still lacking, no doubt—but it was more than enough to turn this match in my favor.

That’s why I gave a warning.

“If you want to live, you’d better brace yourself.”