Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 264: Accomplishment

“This is revenge, you fucking bitch.”

“You!”

Ha Yuri’s eyes blazed with an incredible fury. I looked at her and smiled. An indescribable wave of triumph washed over me. Just seeing that expression on her face was immensely satisfying. Ha Yuri bit her lip, again and again. The mask was cracking. Perhaps sensing that the humans who had been fueling her with their emotions were gradually disappearing, she shot me a look of pure hatred.

She had ordered her front line to fall back, but there was no way her voice could reach them in this chaos. There was no escape route for Ha Yuri, either. It was impressive, the way she desperately searched for a breakthrough. But there was nowhere for her to soar.

Even if she did manage to retreat, the situation would just return to square one. I would find her, and she would have to use her holy power to face me.

But it wouldn't take her long to find her breakthrough. She knew exactly what she had to do.

Kill the bastard in front of her and sell her own story once more.

Anyone could see that I looked like a demon. If she cut off my head and bathed the field in holy power again, the tide might turn. She had to be thinking along those lines.

I didn't know if things would go her way, but I thought it was a possibility. Swaying the emotions of the masses was as easy as flipping one’s palm. She could spin this garbage fire of a battle into something noble once more.

The bottom line was that this fight would have a massive impact on the war. Whether she won or I won, our battle was the heart of this battlefield.

“You monstrous son of a bitch…”

“This fight… it’s important, isn’t it?”

I sneered at Ha Yuri, and she scowled at me again. This was a crucial battle, for her and for me. The sources of her endless holy power were, first, her holy sword; second, probably her class; and last, the power of the Seat of Sin she possessed.

Assuming that last one—the power of the Seat of Sin—had a significant influence, it was easy to guess why she was slowly losing her strength now.

Her furious face, her anxious gestures—everything told me I was right.

It seemed she was terrible at this kind of acting.

“Unforgivable!”

I saw Ha Yuri spread her wings and surge toward me in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, her sword was upon me. It was fast, strong, and precise. Her swordsmanship, which felt like it was more than just holy power, proved that she was still a powerhouse. I was just glad I had paid close attention when she fought the Queen of the North.

‘Her skill is on a completely different level.’

It was a sad truth, but my own skill was far beneath hers. Her swordplay was sharp, at times powerful, at times serene.

Sometimes it felt like a great wave crashing down, and other times like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending out ripples.

If I let my guard down for a second, my head would fly.

The sword I swung was deflected by hers, cutting through empty air. It was only thanks to my unique ability and my body’s resilience that I could recover from the broken stance that left me wide open.

“You insect!”

I swung Levatain, wreathed in flames, in a horizontal arc, but her sword sent it off course. My posture crumbled for a moment. From her perspective, my flank must have looked completely exposed. As expected, her blade came streaking toward my side, packed with enough holy power to pierce through me and kill me in a single blow.

‘Weapon Switch.’

I let go of Levatain and blocked with the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword. I hastily pushed my mana into the greatsword, and my body staggered from the force of her attack. I shielded myself from the descending spears of holy power with my own blood, and I continued to block her relentless storm of sword strikes with the greatsword. The occasional harassing blasts of holy power from her wings were parried by the heat of Levatain.

“You weak little rat!”

She must have known. The one who knew better than anyone that my swordsmanship was inferior to hers was the woman fighting me right now.

But it had to be frustrating for her. She must have thought she could finish me. And yet, I endured.

Even when it felt like her sword would take my head, even when a tidal wave of holy power poured down, even when she wounded me again and again with her blade, I endured.

I trust my body.

I trust my weapons.

I trust everything I have built up until now.

I have no talent.

There are gaps that can never be closed, no matter how hard I try.

If I were human, I would already be dead. If I didn't even have this tail, I wouldn't have been able to block that last attack aimed at my legs.

“Aegis!”

If I hadn't chanced upon this shield, this fight might not have even been possible. If I hadn't based my body on that of a demon, I might not have been able to handle this much mana. If not for the Seat of Sorrow, I wouldn't have been able to make up for my physical shortcomings. If I didn't have the long spear that restored my mana, I might have already run dry.

“You pathetic bastard!”

The more we clashed, the more Ha Yuri understood me. She knew better than anyone that I was inferior to her in every way. A warrior of her caliber couldn't possibly miss something so obvious.

She was a genius blessed with supreme talent, and she was undoubtedly realizing that I was nothing more than an ordinary person.

But I was clashing with her now.

I was somehow blocking her sword with everything I had gritted my teeth and struggled desperately to build. These were things I had accumulated over a long, long time. If I hadn't kept up my daily training, I might not have been able to dodge that last strike aimed at my neck.

If I hadn't shed sweat and blood, I might not have made it this far.

Whether I have talent or not, whether I'm a genius or not—that's a completely different story. I desperately survive and crawl my way up. If you say I rely only on my physical specs and my equipment, I have nothing to say to that.

But this is the way I climbed. Without the things I've built, the me of today wouldn't exist. This, too, is a form of effort—the crystallization of blood, sweat, and experience.

There's no rule that says you can only climb by taking the high road. I am different from Goff, and I am different from the Queen of the North.

Even if I'm crude, despicable, and cheap, I am who I am. The one who desperately claws his way to the top—that's me.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A roar burst from my lips before I even realized it.

I focused to my absolute limit. Unlike in the past, when time would always seem to slow, Ha Yuri’s speed remained unchanged.

This was the most I could perceive, even when focused to my breaking point.

I was trusting in everything I had built, betting my all as I clashed with her head-on. I felt it then—that the years I had lived were not a lie. My time as Blood Dagger, my time as the human Kim Taesung—not a single moment had been useless.

*

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine…”

The Queen of the North, Han So-Hye, slowly looked toward the front. The Orc she had once fought, now in the form of a demon, was clashing with the Sword Saint, Ha Yuri. At first, she had thought he stood no chance. Ha Yuri’s strength was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beyond anything she had imagined.

One could say she had been careless, or perhaps arrogant. She had sensed victory in her final attack and thought it was over. In fact, she had been certain of it. She had been completely unprepared for the explosive holy power and the wings, and the moment she felt her spear cut into flesh, she had relaxed her guard. The Sword Saint, Ha Yuri, was not a warrior, but she was strong. That was why she had thought it would be a difficult fight for the man known as Blood Dagger.

‘He’s strong.’

He was strong. His technique with the sword, spear, and blunt weapons could hardly be called high-level. When his sword cut through empty air, her heart sank. Why did he extend his sword there? Why is that the only way he can fight? Why is he wasting mana like that? Such thoughts crossed her mind.

But he was fighting.

Ha Yuri was clearly not holding back. It was the same as when she had fought her. She was clearly using her full power. Killing intent radiated from every single attack. The holy power contained within them was immense. The exchange was so fierce it would have chilled her to the bone had she been in his place.

And yet, he was blocking, fighting, getting wounded, enduring, and wounding her in return.

He is strong.

The one who was truly strong was the demon in her sight. With his solid mental fortitude and concentration, he showed everything he had, putting his all into every single strike. He never looked away from his opponent, staring her straight in the eyes. He fought to live, fought to struggle. If she had fought in the same way just now, she wouldn't have suffered the humiliation of being knocked out of the fight.

His every movement contained his philosophy and his life.

The Queen of the North, Han So-Hye, was undoubtedly looking back on his life. Weak, coarse, he had crawled his way up like a weed.

As a pure warrior, he was worthy of respect.

She felt his form was beautiful, sublime. She didn't know why. But as tears began to flow, the Queen of the North, Han So-Hye, wiped them away with a hand that would barely move.

“If… if you are in pain, please receive treatment…”

“Enough. A comrade-in-arms is fighting. It is right for you to tend to the other warriors on the field. My body cannot fight right now anyway.”

Han So-Hye replied without looking at the anxious priest.

‘I want to go out and fight.’

There was something about that man that drew people in. It had been the same when she first met him as an Orc. Those eyes, which seemed to clash with everything he had, as if he wanted to test his very life.

Han So-Hye found herself envying Ha Yuri for being the one to cross swords with him.

She began to wish that it was her in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that spot.

‘Self-loathing.’

A wave of self-loathing washed over her—for being so completely defeated that she couldn't even move her body properly.

I want to fight with him.

I want to become ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stronger.

She had thought she had become strong. But she hadn't. Her body may have grown stronger, but her spirit had not. She now believed that if she had truly fought Blood Dagger, who was now facing Ha Yuri, with all her heart, she would have been the one to lose in the end.

‘I must return to my roots.’

The Queen of the North nodded to herself.

The stance for swinging a sword, the timing of a thrust, the finesse, the technique—none of it entered her eyes anymore. The only thing she saw was the life of the demon in her sight, and his attitude toward the struggle.

The Queen of the North swallowed and began to look around. The red Ogre who had claimed victory over the Southern King after a terrible, bloody battle; the black-handed Troll who had been relentlessly throwing a giant black spear on the battlefield; and the countless other Green Skins who followed them—all of them had, at some point, formed a circle around the Sword Saint and Blood Dagger.

It was just like that time.

The time they called a Sacred Battle.

They were giving the two fighters as much space as possible, and indeed, a large circle had formed around Blood Dagger and Ha Yuri.

It wasn't just the Green Skins. The humans were the same. It wasn't because of the thunderous noise or the spectacular display of holy power, blood, and fire. One by one, those who had been clashing swords were now watching the two at the center of the battlefield. Those catching their breath, the formations that had reached a lull—all of them were looking toward the middle.

They might have just been curious about a battle that would have a huge impact on the outcome of the war. But the Queen of the North, Han So-Hye, couldn't help but think…

That everyone, together, was watching his struggle.