Chapter 282
Chapter 282
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.62 – What is the Knight's Justification for Battle? (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[...Grrr.]
Snap out of it, and Orthrus's head was sneering at the humans.
How foolish and ridiculous was this?
To be so stupid as to fight among themselves without even finishing him off...!
Of course.
Sizzle.
It couldn't have been anything but good luck for Orthrus.
[Sssaa!]
True to its status as a high-grade monster, Orthrus boasted impressive regenerative powers, and while they bickered, it had already begun recovering swiftly.
One head that had its neck snapped was regenerating, its bones reconnecting thanks to the other intact head.
Orthrus: a monster that wouldn't die as long as at least one of its two heads or snake tails survived.
In other words, it had three lives.
However, to recover, it needed substantial nutrients—and unfortunately, Orthrus hadn't eaten anything today.
So, it had to sacrifice its own flesh to boost its regeneration.
Its massive body had shrunk enormously, and regaining its strength would take considerable time, but survival came first, didn't it?
Besides, power could be rebuilt anytime.
Once it escaped this place, devoured some prey, and rebuilt its body from scratch, that would be that.
[Grrr.]
Slither.
And so, while those idiot humans fought among themselves, Orthrus activated invisibility again to flee.
With both presence and form concealed, there was no way those humans could detect it...
Whoosh!
[...?]
Orthrus saw it.
A massive human suddenly flying straight at it.
The next instant...
Crack!
Its bones and flesh, still soft from regeneration, tore and shattered in a flash, and Orthrus blacked out again before it could even resist.
Amid excruciating agony...
"Hm? What's this squishy thing?!"
Unlike Orthrus, who spat blood in agony and passed out, the one who expected to tumble hard across the ground just blinked.
He shrugged it off.
"Yeah, this must be luck too!!"
Felix took his near-embarrassing roll on the ground as a sign that the Lord of Light still wanted to witness his struggle.
"Right! I can't just drop dead so pathetically yet!!"
Felix sprang up like a coiled spring.
"Come on!!"
He roared with battle fervor at his foe.
...But.
"No, 'come on' isn't right. You're already injured, you know?"
To Lee Han, facing him, it was just cause for a shrug.
And understandably so.
'This just looks like I'm bullying him.'
Seeing Felix covered in bruises everywhere contrasted with the utterly unscathed Lee Han made the scene look suspiciously like harassment.
Felix's condition was utterly wretched.
His bulky frame hid it well, but he was swollen to about 1.5 times his normal size.
Arms, legs, even his face.
So many bruises that his face was flushed like he was dead drunk, with visible tremors.
Not from fear, but probably from the injuries.
'Arms and legs cracked? Facial bones intact, but damage piled up steadily. Hmm, ribs seem broken too.'
Lee Han wasn't a doctor, but diagnosing an opponent was child's play.
Thanks to his vast experience wrecking bones and muscles.
He was probably one of the best in the field.
So Lee Han said,
"Enough already? Keep going and you'll die."
"A knight dies when his heart dies!! Dodging a duel and fleeing cowardly isn't knightly!!"
"Since when was this a duel?"
"No more talk!!"
"...Head's open."
Lee Han's head throbbed at the sight of his opponent charging mindlessly again.
But headache or not.
Whoosh!
"!!?"
"Don't blame me."
He wasn't arrogant enough to dismiss a foe coming at him in earnest.
Against full commitment, he'd meet it with the same courtesy.
Lee Han used a "technique" for the first time.
Bam!!
"Guh!"
"Just a simple throw."
It required precise timing judgment, but Lee Han instinctively calculated it, using the charging foe's momentum to hurl him effortlessly.
The bull-like rush from his hefty build had chariot-level piercing power, but sadly not enough to faze a knight like Lee Han—making it easy to counter.
"This'll hurt."
With a courteous warning, Lee Han pinned one of Felix's arms like a restraint, then gripped his entire arm to his neck in one motion.
Crack!
"Landed perfectly."
"!!?"
Death grip choke.
A mere joint lock, yet once applied, escaping was no easy feat—that was a chokehold.
With one arm pinned too, it was...
"Grrrrgh!"
No escape.
Normally, such a size gap would make it hard to apply, but Lee Han's build defied appearances, leaving Felix gasping like prey constricted by an anaconda.
His choke was flawless.
By now, most would surrender or pass out from asphyxiation.
But.
"Urrrrgh!"
Crunch, and Felix's muscles bulged as he slowly rose.
Common sense said joints locked like that shouldn't budge, yet his explosive muscular rebound defied logic.
Boom!!
"...?"
Lee Han, still holding the choke, was stunned.
He and Felix had suddenly leaped into the air.
'This guy's using his lower body strength to lift us both mid-restraint?'
...While pinned?
"You're insane."
Lee Han shook his head in genuine admiration at such brute madness, then.
Whoosh.
Released his arm without hesitation.
"!!"
Crash! He tumbled dramatically, hitting the ground hard.
Felix flipped in the most undignified sprawl, while Lee Han landed gracefully with a stunning aerial flip.
"Raaagh!!"
Thinking Lee Han had let his guard down, Felix sprang again.
Same reckless charge as before, but this time mixing a feint hook to wary of the throw.
"Too predictable."
Tap.
Felix's hook was blocked by Lee Han's hand before it extended.
Perfectly timed out—no excuses.
Felix looked shocked...
"Don't be shocked—should've gone like this instead."
Bam!
Lee Han's head smashed into Felix's forehead at lightning speed.
It felt like a metal ram, not a headbutt—Felix's vision flipped, and in a blink, Lee Han's hands and legs coordinated: tripping his leg, grabbing his waist, hurling with full force.
Basic leg trip—anyone could do it.
But perfect timing, power, and technique turned even basics devastating.
Like this.
Boom-!
A ominous thud as Felix cratered the ground, body convulsing, then...
Thud.
Knockout.
Fully out this time. Lee Han shook his head.
"-Your strength is impressive. Probably surpasses me or that brute. But coldly speaking, that's it. You need to fight smarter. Or at least improve technique quality—but neither, so it's iffy."
This guy was literally the northern brute's perfect downgrade.
Matching or exceeding in raw power and size, but lacking the brute's reflexes, judgment, instincts, or tactics.
He looked and sounded dumb, but was actually a fox in a lion's body.
That was Maximus.
'Or like the spearman, lean into your style—but no.'
The spearman compensated for lacking strength and durability with extreme speed and precision, forging his unique style.
A specialist: even the same thrust held hundreds, thousands of variations.
But this guy? Just brute force trained mindlessly.
No style to match...
'Strength's freakishly off the charts, sure. But that's all.'
His power's pull immobilized foes in ways others couldn't mimic—but once adapted, it was manageable, full of holes.
Strategic use would've made him far tougher for Lee Han.
But he had no style.
Put nicely: straightforward.
Put harshly:...
"Hm, so I'm trash, huh."
"...Didn't say that much."
Since when was he conscious?
Or just eyes rolled back?
Felix lay spread-eagled, silently accepting Lee Han's near-muttered critique with solemn eyes.
"Can't muster strength."
"Told you to ease up."
"Sorry. Midway I realized you're human, but couldn't suppress my competitive fire."
Receiving sincere apology, Lee Han accepted easier than expected.
Not out of kindness—Felix was earnestly straightforward from start to finish.
Even disadvantaged, no weapon, no killing intent in fists: a honest man.
...To an idiotic degree.
"Anyway, heard me? Answer: why fight so extremely?"
"Hm... Hearing the same advice from Sir Veil in the past."
"Tristan's?"
"Oh, you know him! Makes sense—a warrior like you would cross paths!!"
"...Lower your voice. Yelling'll flip your guts."
"I won't weaken from this!! ...Kuhack!"
"See?"
"Ahem!"
Lee Han tsked and tossed a potion to the awkwardly coughing man.
"Drink it yourself."
"...Grateful for the kindness. So, to answer!"
"No, drink first then talk..."
Lee Han suggested potion first, but Felix was stubbornly bullheaded as he looked.
Like he'd repay favors or die trying.
And sure enough, his answer was...
"Aren't techniques and tactics for the weak?! How could a strongman with innate body and talent stoop to weaklings' tools?! Pure physical prowess—that's the strongman's privilege!!!"
-Privilege!! Privilege...!
"......?"
Lee Han blanked at the echoing absurdity.
Not failing to understand words, but dizziness from wondering if he was sane.
So...
"This guy's serious?"
"...Sadly, yes."
"...Ever thought of fixing it?"
"Sigh......"
"Ah, no need to answer."
He asked the lurking man nearby; the sigh confirmed it.
'This is true madness...'
Lee Han realized the gap between fake crazies and real ones.