Chapter 576
You Will Become a Legend. (3)
Blood trickled down from Ghislain’s mouth as he clenched his teeth.
After reclaiming the heights of his past life, he had been able to maintain his fifth-stage power for quite some time. But even that had its limits.
And now, that limit had arrived.
“Hoo…”
Ghislain staggered as he stood up. Blood still dripped from the corner of his lips.
Aiden, who had also staggered back and spat out blood, watched him with a triumphant grin.
“Hahaha, your strength is finally waning? As expected, I was always above you.”
At first glance, they both seemed to be in bad shape. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that Ghislain had been pushed back just a bit more.
That was simply the difference in their combat styles.
Ghislain amplified his mana to unleash explosive power. Aiden, on the other hand, dispersed the impact to minimize damage.
That was why he had been able to turn Ghislain’s devastating attacks into mere ordinary strikes.
They were fighters with completely different styles and affinities. Unlike Ghislain, who burned through his strength rapidly, Aiden was built for endurance.
Step.
Aiden stepped forward once more and adjusted his stance.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more it favored him. He just had to push a little more just a little more.
“Ptoo.”
Ghislain spat out blood and wiped his mouth.
It was inevitable that he would be the one losing energy faster. But so what?
Aiden wasn’t in good shape either. Even though he had dispersed the impact, that didn’t mean he had nullified it completely.
Damage had been accumulating inside him as well.
Just a little more.
In this battle where lives were on the line, Ghislain finally faced a new wall.
If he fought just a bit longer, he would know whether he could surpass it or not.
The two moved again, both utterly convinced that victory would be theirs.
Kwaaang!
Now, every time their swords clashed, they stumbled. Even so, with what little mana they had left, they still displayed overwhelming power.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
They poured everything they had into their attacks. And as the intensity of their blows increased, so did the wounds inflicted by the residual mana.
Kwaang!
“Khut!”
A groan echoed neither knew from whom.
Before they realized it, they had been forced apart once again, both vomiting blood.
Ghislain wiped his mouth and let out a chuckle.
“Ha, persistent bastard. This isn't easy.”
But still, it was better than his past life. Back then, he hadn't even been able to put up a proper fight before dying.
Aiden, gritting his teeth, also let out a laugh.
“You still have the energy to act tough, huh?”
Now, even Aiden could no longer properly disperse the impact. When he was cut, he was wounded as it was.
Still, it was clear that his opponent was more exhausted. With each attack, his stance was subtly breaking down.
In reality, Ghislain had already lowered his core to the second stage. If he had continued maintaining the fifth stage, his body wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
But even the second stage was enough. Aiden was just as drained, and his mana had dwindled.
With fierce grins, the two clashed once more.
Boom!
With every exchanged blow, both could feel the end drawing near. Their mana had already run dry, and their bodies were covered in wounds, having barely avoided fatal strikes.
They could both tell how exhausted the other was.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After a few more exchanges, Aiden stepped back slightly.
Ghislain didn’t bother to chase after him. He, too, needed a brief respite.
There was a reason Aiden had retreated he needed a moment to compose himself.
His emotions were nothing short of wretched.
With a self-deprecating smile, Aiden spoke.
“So, this is where I die.”
Even if he managed to kill the Duke of Fenris, he wouldn’t be able to escape in this condition. He would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and killed in an instant.
So it was better to abandon any thoughts of survival.
“Hmm…”
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his back.
Dying like this was regrettable, but not terrible.
At the very least, he would take down the Duke of Fenris and leave his name behind.
That way, he would become a legend.
The one who slew the hero who had swept across the continent the Duke of Fenris.
“Not bad.”
Yes, not bad at all. His name would shine forever, like a star in the sky.
At some point, Aiden had let go of his regrets about life.
“I won’t die disgracefully.”
His death had to be more beautiful than anything else. One that all would revere and praise.
With unwavering resolve, he raised his sword. His eyes still gleamed with undying light.
Seeing him like that, Ghislain laughed.
“That’s a good stance.”
Setting aside his character, even Ghislain had to acknowledge that attitude.
A self-love so strong it could be called conviction. Within it, not even a shred of doubt existed.
Aiden had the qualifications to transcend beyond a superhuman.
“I’ll grant you a death worthy of you.”
The very same kind of death he himself had in his past life.
For he, too, possessed an unyielding conviction.
Now, it would be proven whose conviction was stronger.
Boom!
Ghislain’s core had already dropped to the first stage. No, his mana itself was nearly depleted.
That was the same for Aiden.
The light that had once radiated from their swords had vanished before they knew it.
Now, the two fought using only the swordsmanship they had honed over the years.
Swish!
Both of them displayed movements impossible for any human who did not wield mana.
Even the knights watching could not keep up with their swordplay.
Techniques so refined they had reached the pinnacle nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Clang!
The moment their swords clashed, they moved again, aiming for each other’s vital points.
There was no longer a need for feints meant to wear the opponent down. Only sharp, decisive strikes mattered now.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The wounds on their bodies increased. Any attack too difficult to block or evade had to be absorbed with their own flesh.
Swish!
Another wound was added to Ghislain’s body. But this time, there was a subtle difference.
Swish!
Two wounds had appeared on Aiden’s body.
And this pattern began to repeat.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Aiden, who had once held the advantage when his mana was abundant, was now gradually being pushed back.
The muscles near his eyes twitched, betraying his growing anxiety.
"You… How could you possibly wield such swordsmanship…?"
When his mana had been full, he hadn’t realized. He had thought they were merely equals.
But the longer they fought, the more he struggled against the Duke of Fenris.
It was impossible to predict his opponent’s swordplay his movements were bizarrely irregular.
Anyone could see it at a glance this was a sword honed through countless brushes with death.
"I refuse to accept this!"
Aiden grit his teeth.
He had been hailed as a genius of swordsmanship, given endless support from a young age to refine his talents.
Yet now, a reckless noble from the frontier a Duke of Fenris, raised in a poor count’s household was displaying swordsmanship superior to his own?
It was only natural for Aiden to be in turmoil. There was a weight to Ghislain’s sword, something no one his age should have.
Only now, with his mana depleted, did he truly understand.
When it came to pure swordsmanship, the Duke of Fenris was his superior.
Clang!
Ghislain’s sword struck Aiden’s aside and lunged forward. Aiden hastily retreated, his expression flustered.
At last, his composure had begun to waver. And that wavering of the mind was starting to affect his movements.
Ghislain twisted his lips into a smirk.
"This is a sword that has crossed the threshold of death again and again."
There was no denying that Aiden had the greater reserves of mana. From childhood, he had trained in the finest of environments, refining his abilities over countless years.
To think that someone could catch up to that in just a few years was nothing short of arrogance.
If not for the explosive nature of his mana refinement technique, Ghislain wouldn’t have even been able to fight on equal footing, let alone take risks in battle.
But swordsmanship was different.
From his days as a rookie mercenary to becoming the King of Mercenaries, he had honed his sword in life-or-death battles every day.
And then, he had truly faced death.
Surpassing it through regression.
Ghislain’s sword held all the enlightenment he had gained from that experience.
And through countless battles where he risked his life, those realizations gradually began to merge into one.
“I will go even further from here.”
Ghislain did not use amplification through Dark. No, it would be more accurate to say that he couldn’t.
At his current level, he could only use it twice at most. While it was undoubtedly a powerful force, if Aiden managed to evade it, the battle would end just like that.
So, he chose to fight without amplification.
In the end, Ghislain, having exhausted all his mana and teetering on the brink of death while fighting Aiden,
Once again surpassed his limits and had just now completed a new sword.
At that moment, it felt as if the voice of the sword echoed in his mind.
— This is the will you have lived by.
The sword had finally come to share the same will as its master, gazing upon the world with him.
Thus, even without mana—
Tuk.
Ghislain stepped forward with a fierce grin.
Amazingly, his eyes once again began to emit a crimson glow.
GAAAAANG!
As Ghislain’s sword moved, it sounded as if it were tearing through the very air.
Even though he had exhausted all his mana, his speed exploded as if mana had surged forth in an instant.
A sword that followed the flow of the world itself.
It was a blade that had become one with the fundamental forces of this world, a sword that was expressed through will.
PAAAAAH!
The sword slashed through the air, tracing a crimson arc.
It harmonized perfectly with the flow of the world.
The sword was no longer just a tool it had become a medium for wielding fundamental power.
A blade reconstructed by Ghislain’s will, no different from a living entity. Now, whatever was held in his hand would bear the same will as its master.
Aiden stared at the approaching sword with trembling eyes.
At that moment, what he felt was neither fear, nor despair, nor even the sense of defeat.
‘It’s beautiful.’
The trajectory of that sword was so breathtakingly beautiful that he was utterly captivated.
Even he, who was called a genius of swordsmanship, had never imagined reaching such a realm.
Becoming one with the flow of the world—
That was a state only those who had risked their lives countless times could attain.
“…Ah, so this is what it was.”
A glimmer of understanding flickered in Aiden’s eyes as he stood before death.
That was nothing less than the realization of the world’s providence an art of the highest order.
It was like poetry, written by an unseen god wielding an invisible pen upon the vast sky.
For one who cherished beauty, nobility, and artistry, that sword resonated with Aiden’s heart more deeply than anything else.
The only emotion that filled his heart was a single, overwhelming feeling.
Fierce jealousy.
"I... I was not the protagonist of this world?"
It was an unbelievable reality. Yet, he could not deny it.
A sword far more powerful and beautiful than his own was soaring vividly before his very eyes.
"I too… a sword like that…."
Aiden clenched his trembling hand around his sword.
He could do it. He had to do it.
The thought that only the Duke of Fenris could wield such an artistic sword was unacceptable. He was far superior to the Duke of Fenris.
"Because I am the hero chosen by the heavens!"
Thus, he must not doubt himself.
Rumble…
His sword began to move slowly. At the same time, the air around him started to tremble.
A blade that, though faint, was beginning to ride the flow.
Faced with the brink of death, his unparalleled genius instinctively discovered a way.
Splurt!
Blood spurted from Aiden’s nose, ears, mouth, and eyes.
He was attempting to wield a power that had not yet been permitted to him, and the immense pressure was crushing his body.
Even so, he moved his sword.
He had not yet reached full enlightenment, but his extraordinary intuition allowed him to mimic Ghislain’s sword.
Grkkk!
Time slowed. The scenery around him blurred.
Only the Duke of Fenris’ sword remained vivid.
A world beyond the time of mere superhumans.
Within that world, a crimson trajectory slowly approached Aiden. Halfway to a new realm, his sword chased after that path.
But his arms were unbearably heavy. He could not yet move freely in this abyssal space.
Grkkk!
Just a little more.
If he could go just a little further—
…Then he could have become a legend.
Slash!
Fwoooosh!
The world before Aiden’s eyes became clear again.
And he understood.
His neck had just been severed.
"Hmph."
His mind calmed. He realized this was truly the end.
He had to remain composed. He must not die in disgrace.
That was the last shred of his pride.
So while he could still speak, Aiden opened his mouth.
"Duke of Fenris."
His severed neck slowly shifted sideways each time he spoke.
Even so, he did not stop and spoke his final words to the end.
"You will become a legend."
Aiden was certain.
This war would ultimately end in the Duke of Fenris’ victory.
So without fail…
Thud.
Before he could finish his last words, Aiden’s head fell to the ground.