Chapter 575
You Will Become a Legend. (2)
Aiden bared his teeth fiercely as he faced Ghislain with his sword.
"Grand Duke of Fenris, I must at least acknowledge this much you've driven me to this point."
The Second Legion had been utterly annihilated, almost too easily. Aiden had failed to drain his opponent's strength as much as he had hoped.
The priests had likely weakened the Grand Duke of Fenris to some extent, but Aiden himself had also expended a significant amount of power battling Vanessa.
In other words, both of them had reached a state of near-equal exhaustion.
But Aiden was the most noble and beautiful man in this world. A mere trial like this was nothing he couldn’t overcome.
He extended his sword a little further and spoke.
"Grand Duke of Fenris, there are only two kinds of men in this world."
At that, Ghislain smirked. He had heard this line in his past life as well.
Ignoring Ghislain’s reaction, Aiden continued.
"Me, and every other man who isn’t me."
"……."
No one could exude such unwavering self-confidence as Aiden did.
Whatever else could be said about him, at the very least, his self-assurance deserved recognition. His relentless attachment to and belief in himself were what had allowed him to reach the realm of the transcendent.
Though, Ghislain couldn’t help but wonder if Aiden would still say the same thing after meeting Julien.
Aiden clenched his teeth. An overwhelming force began surging from his body.
"Today, I will become a legend."
His allies were annihilated, while his enemies remained intact.
And he was left alone.
In such circumstances, the Grand Duke of Fenris offering him a one-on-one duel was the greatest opportunity he could ask for.
If they all attacked him together, he would simply fight until he collapsed and died.
But if he could kill the Grand Duke of Fenris...
If he could break through the massive army and escape alive...
Then he would truly become a legend.
This was nothing more than a small trial bestowed by the heavens, envious of his greatness. No this was the stage prepared for his ascension into legend.
Rumble!
Aiden’s aura surged, wrapping around Ghislain like a storm.
The thrilling possibility of becoming a new legend erased all his worries and doubts.
All that remained was his razor-sharp focus, honed solely on slaying the enemy before him.
Ghislain, too, gritted his teeth and raised his aura in response.
‘He really is an impressive bastard.’
Just look at that focus. It was as if the battlefield had been reduced to just the two of them.
Few could maintain such composure when left utterly alone.
Aiden truly believed he could kill Ghislain and return alive.
And his skill was more than enough to justify that belief.
But Ghislain was just as certain of one thing.
‘I will win.’
He Has Never Fought with Defeat in Mind.
He never doubted his victory, no matter the situation.
Especially when it came to a one-on-one duel.
‘I prepared all of this just to take you down.’
Ghislain had experienced firsthand how Aiden fought in his past life.
This bastard would throw countless soldiers and knights into the fray to exhaust his opponent before stepping in at the very end.
In his previous life, Ghislain had annihilated Aiden’s legion and the Order of the White Hawk, but in the end, he had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
That knowledge was why he had approached this battle differently.
Instead of stepping in from the beginning, he let the Mobile Corps, armed with artifacts and Galvaniium, handle the enemy forces, while the Fenris Knights took on the Order of the White Hawk.
‘I always thought about it.’
How he would fight Aiden when they met again.
And with the overwhelming forces he had painstakingly prepared, he had finally isolated Aiden.
Truthfully, he could just crush Aiden outright now. That would guarantee an easy victory.
‘But I won’t.’
If he did, the Mobile Corps and the knights would suffer heavy casualties because Aiden’s strength was that formidable.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
This was an unresolved grudge from his past life.
This was a rare opportunity to fight one of the continent’s few true powerhouses.
The burning desire for battle left Ghislain with only one choice.
‘I will kill you with my own hands.’
How long had he waited for this moment?
How much had he yearned to face this bastard again?
Now, it was finally time to determine who was stronger.
Kwaaaaang!
Ghislain’s eyes glowed red. His Fifth-Stage Core activated, unleashing an overwhelming surge of power.
His aura devoured Aiden’s momentum.
A moment later, both their swords lashed out, each aimed at the other’s vital points.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Crimson streaks moved unpredictably, weaving around Aiden, tightening their grip on him.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
But azure streaks sliced through them all, countering the assault and forcing Ghislain back.
Every clash of their swords sent out violent shockwaves.
The once-solid ground shattered and upheaved, chunks of earth flying in all directions.
And yet, neither of them took a single step back.
It was as if they were trapped within two streaks of light one red, one blue.
The two warriors were in perfect deadlock.
Gooooooo!
A storm of pure mana erupted around them.
The sheer intensity of the flames of mana devoured the air itself, creating a vacuum.
Aiden’s sword, wreathed in blue mana, came hurtling toward Ghislain’s head.
But Ghislain did not back down.
He swung his sword, wrapped in crimson mana, to meet it head-on.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The moment their blades clashed, a blinding explosion of light burst out in all directions.
The spectators could do nothing but stare, their faces frozen in shock.
“Un… unbelievable…”
"I Can’t Even See Their Movements."
"I never imagined the enemy commander would be this strong."
To them, Ghislain was an unbeatable warlord.
They believed that in a one-on-one duel, he could take down even the most powerful transcendent with ease.
Hadn’t he already defeated Kaiyen, the former Kingdom’s Strongest Swordsman of Ritania, and grown even stronger?
Now, he was even slaughtering transcendent priests with ease. He had become incomparable to his past self.
And yet, there was someone who could fight him on equal footing.
The realization sent shockwaves through the onlookers. A chill ran down their spines.
Had that man joined the battle earlier, half of them would already be corpses.
For the Fenris Knights, the impact was even greater.
Their strength had grown immensely, and with that, their perception of battle had sharpened.
‘The world is truly filled with monsters.’
They had reached a level where, together, they could bring down most transcendents.
But the enemy commander was no ordinary transcendent.
Even if they all attacked at once, they wouldn’t win.
The difference in power was a wall too vast to overcome.
Each of them clenched their fists, gritting their teeth.
They couldn’t afford to forget today’s battle.
They had to train harder and push themselves further.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
The intensity of the battle kept escalating, their attacks growing stronger with no sign of reaching a limit.
The sheer force behind their blows was unbelievable.
The very earth trembled in protest.
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive fissure split the ground, sending boulders flying into the air.
Crimson and azure light danced wildly, clashing in an endless, lethal waltz.
Every time their swords met, flashes of light burst forth, followed by violent explosions.
But such a state of perfect balance could not last forever.
Slowly, their bodies began accumulating wounds.
Kagagagak!
Aiden’s sword ripped through Ghislain’s arm, the impact grinding like steel carving into stone.
Sukak!
But Ghislain’s sword cut through Aiden’s arm effortlessly in return.
As their blades passed, distance formed between them.
Ghislain glanced down at his injured arm.
Blood seeped from the wound, but thanks to his incredible regeneration, it healed almost instantly.
His training had also paid off techniques inspired by Gordon’s novel, honed through relentless practice.
The mana coursing through his body instantly concentrated around his wounds, reducing the impact of enemy strikes.
Aiden’s attacks were so powerful that he had still been cut, but the wound wasn’t deep.
Though, his mana reserves had taken a significant hit.
"Hmph."
Ghislain flicked his sword slightly and rotated his body, narrowing his gaze at Aiden’s wound.
He had landed a deep strike, and yet Aiden’s arm only bore a thin cut.
But then—
Puhuk.
An Impossible Phenomenon
A small wound suddenly burst open on Aiden’s uninjured arm, blood trickling down.
It was an absurd sight.
Aiden smirked and turned his body slightly.
"As expected, your skill lives up to the rumors. To think that even I failed to completely deflect that attack."
To an outsider, this would seem incomprehensible.
But Ghislain wasn’t surprised.
Because he knew Aiden’s secret one that few others understood.
"It’s not just about deflecting, is it? You’re also dispersing the damage internally when you fail to fully deflect it."
Aiden’s eyes widened slightly.
He hadn’t expected Ghislain to know the hidden secret behind his Mana Refinement Technique.
As Ghislain had said, Aiden’s technique had a unique effect—
It allowed him to "deflect" attacks.
And if an attack was too powerful to be fully deflected, the impact would be dispersed inside his body, minimizing external wounds.
That was why Aiden rarely sustained visible injuries.
However, Ghislain’s attacks had been too overwhelming, causing the internal dispersion to fail and small wounds to appear on other parts of his body.
Aiden gave Ghislain a curious look.
"How did you know? You couldn’t have figured it out just from watching once."
A swordsman of sufficient skill could naturally deflect attacks to some extent. Aiden’s swordsmanship had already reached such a level, making it almost impossible for an opponent to recognize the hidden properties of his technique.
Besides, he intentionally endured minor injuries without using his ability, making it even harder for anyone to notice.
Ghislain simply grinned and responded.
"I know everything."
He had been frustrated beyond belief in his past life because of this ability.
Even when he landed a clean hit, the damage wouldn’t register properly, and wounds would appear on random parts of Aiden’s body instead.
At first, he had blamed it on his own exhaustion, but the results were too unnatural.
Through extensive observation and experience, he had finally uncovered Aiden’s secret.
"Crazy bastard."
Aiden chuckled as he adjusted his stance.
If anyone were capable of figuring it out, it would be the Grand Duke of Fenris one of the continent’s most renowned warriors.
"You have a strange ability too. Your skin is as tough as stone... and you heal almost instantly. Is that the effect of your Mana Refinement Technique?"
"It’s just something I gained through training."
He made it sound simple, but in reality, he had risked his life for this ability he had even driven a dagger into his own heart to obtain it.
Thanks to this power, he had survived numerous deadly encounters. Against weaker opponents, it granted him an overwhelming advantage in battle.
But Aiden wasn’t intimidated.
"There’s no way something like that comes for free. I bet it consumes a massive amount of mana, doesn’t it?"
His smirk widened.
"Then all I have to do is keep cutting you down until you can’t heal anymore. Or better yet… I could slice off your head or drive my sword straight through your heart."
The Final Clash
Ghislain smirked.
Aiden was right his regeneration required mana to sustain.
As expected of a monster like him.
To pinpoint the weakness of this ability so quickly…
The longer they fought, the more mana they would both burn through.
Aiden’s technique was no exception.
In the end, the only way to settle this was to drive a sword through the other’s heart or sever their head in a single strike.
But with their skills so evenly matched, that was impossible.
There was only one way left—
They had to keep wounding each other until one of them could no longer fight.
"Shall we keep going?"
Ghislain let out a feral grin, drawing upon his mana.
Aiden mirrored his smile.
At this moment, they had forgotten everything—
The war.
The soldiers surrounding them.
The only thing that mattered was killing the opponent before them.
And because of that, they felt an intoxicating exhilaration.
Kwaaaaaang!
Every collision between them sent violent shockwaves in all directions.
Their bodies trembled from the sheer force, struggling to endure the impact.
But a shaken stance didn’t matter.
Their mastery was so refined that such things couldn’t hinder them.
With perfect control, they reset their stances and slashed at each other again.
Kwaaaang!
Neither was too fast nor too slow.
Neither was too strong nor too weak.
They were perfectly equal in every exchange.
As if this were the final battle of their lives, they poured out every last ounce of strength.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
At some point, a red line appeared across Ghislain’s cheek.
Then his shoulder, his arm, his abdomen, his leg—
Countless wounds bloomed across his body, blood bursting forth.
But Aiden wasn’t unscathed either.
The internal shock he had been dispersing had finally built up too much.
Puhuk!
When one was wounded, the other was also struck.
Blood poured freely, staining their once-pristine armor in a deep crimson hue.
Chiiiiiiik!
Red steam began rising from Ghislain’s overheated body.
His Fifth-Stage Core was straining under the intensity of the battle.
Aiden, too, was breathing raggedly, his wounds bleeding profusely.
The world spun as dizziness threatened to overwhelm him—
But he forced himself forward.
Thud!
"I… am the man who will become a legend!"
This was his pride.
His goal.
Everything he had trained for led to this moment.
He could not fall here.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!
Aiden’s sword came crashing down toward Ghislain, its azure aura shining brilliantly.
But Ghislain also stepped forward.
Thud!
"You… will die here today!"
His sword met Aiden’s head-on, his teeth clenched, red smoke rising from his lips.
The crimson aura around his blade surged wildly, radiating savage, murderous intent.
Crack!
For a brief instant, Ghislain’s arm twisted unnaturally—
His muscles and bones beginning to give out under the strain of his own enhanced power.
Then—
Their swords clashed once more.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
A blinding explosion of light erupted, brighter than anything before.
The impact was catastrophic.
"Kuhak!"
Aiden coughed up blood, stumbling several steps backward.
And then—
"Guh…!"
Ghislain wavered.
Then, he collapsed to one knee.