Chapter 17
Swords and daggers clashed relentlessly—clang!kaang!
Wounds began to accumulate on Cheong-ah's body, one by one, as the grueling battle dragged on. And Regina fared no better. No, Regina's injuries looked even more severe than Cheong-ah's.
"You're better than I expected."
"...Ugh, ah."
In the past, Dina had once remarked to Cheong-ah after watching Regina fight Bella: If Bella faced Regina, Bella might be at a disadvantage... but if it were Cheong-ah against Regina, Cheong-ah would likely win with high probability.
In a word, a perfect matchup advantage for humans. And it rang completely true now—despite being in a more disadvantaged position overall, Cheong-ah was overwhelming Regina.
Cheong-ah dominated the space with flawless sensory perception, leaving no blind spots whatsoever. In contrast, Regina struck at openings with blinding speed, creating gaps to target vital points.
But for someone forced to infiltrate Cheong-ah's domain just to exploit those blind spots, it was an utterly unfavorable fight. If only she had Bella's brute-force courage to smash through that space from within, shattering it utterly. With Regina's approach, she'd never beat Cheong-ah, not even in her dreams.
Every time Regina attacked, Cheong-ah's sword arrived first within striking range—as if that distance belonged entirely to her domain—deflecting Regina's blows.
Yet Regina managed to hold her own somewhat against Cheong-ah because of the man she cradled so protectively: Ian. And the occasional blind arrow whistling through the air. Undead soldiers charging with spears, too.
If Cheong-ah hadn't been distracted by Ian, their duel would surely have ended by now. Decisively. In Regina's utter defeat.
But strangely, even as she was being pushed back so badly against Cheong-ah, Regina didn't feel it was a bad thing. If anything, she felt relieved to be the one on the back foot.
Thank goodness...
Regina wasn't without competitive spirit. As an assassin who had reached a considerable level of mastery, she took pride in her skills. She rejected claims that she was the pinnacle of assassins—though she wouldn't call herself the absolute best—but she didn't think her abilities were lacking compared to others, either.
Regina had her confidence and stubborn pride. So being crushed so miserably by an opponent in a disadvantaged situation should have wounded her ego...
Yet oddly, relief washed over her before any fighting spirit. Why?
No need to wonder. She knew the reason.
Ian has incredibly strong people protecting him.
The black-haired woman before her, Ju Cheong-ah, of course. Bella. That little brat who'd interfered with her mission before. And Dina, the girl who was part of Ian's party. The other two as well—people on par with or stronger than Cheong-ah.
Regina felt immense relief that she couldn't kill Ian right now. She had to obey the count's orders and assassinate him... but if her own incompetence prevented it, what could she do? It wasn't her fault.
If that greedy, stubborn bastard tried to use it as an excuse to torment Jubi, she'd have ample grounds to push back. Though how much he'd listen was another matter...
Still, he couldn't punish her for lacking the ability.
More importantly...
What truly concerned Regina was the undead soldiers. Since when had Count Soboro commanded undead? The thick death aura pricking at her sensitive senses like needles. Strangely, they carried no stench of corpses. If not for the death mana emanating from their bodies or their unnatural movements, she could almost believe they were human. Even her beastly assassin instincts registered them as alive.
Impressive necromancy.
She wondered how the count had hired necromancers of this caliber, but no other suspicions arose.
Just...
"...Ugh, ah."
Blood dripped from her torn palm, soaking the hilt and making it slick. She gripped her dagger tighter.
"You plan to keep going? Wouldn't it be better to retreat?"
"Ugh."
Regina shook her head. Then, from beneath her feet, colorless, transparent mana rose—dull, unreflective, almost blending with her dark skin to appear black.
"...Fine, then."
Cheong-ah responded in kind, raising her lowered sword and glancing at the Ian she supported.
"Sorry, my lord. Just bear with me a little longer."
With an apology, she gently set him down beside her. This was Regina's final sincere strike, and Cheong-ah intended to meet it with equal sincerity. Likely meaning they'd settle everything here.
A swordsman's courtesy demanded she clash properly against that resolve.
"Come at me, Regina."
Shaaa...
Blue mana bloomed from her toes, swirling around her body, flowing along her sword, and surging forward.
"Hah...!"
Regina's form scattered. Her mana dispersed into the air identically. In that instant, the light illuminating Cheong-ah's space vanished.
Pitch darkness.
An ordinary person would flounder in the sudden blackout. But it meant nothing to Cheong-ah.
Blind from birth. She'd gained sight through Ian's grace, but her essence remained that of a blind swordswoman. Her senses had dulled lately from relying on vision, but with Ian beside her, it was all resolved.
The will to protect him had reawakened the primal instincts her body had forgotten.
She swiftly sheathed her sword. Lowered her stance. Focused every sense except sight.
Papapapapapak...!!
Regina encroached on Cheong-ah's space, mana cloaking her, turning the interior vacuum-like—no sound penetrated. No footsteps, no breaths, not even the tiniest heartbeat.
Cheong-ah's ears, attuned to every subtle noise around her, heard nothing.
Yet her senses never lost track of Regina's presence.
"Uwaaaah...!"
"...Too slow."
Cheong-ah's sword drew precisely toward the incoming dagger.
"Pürmir."
Originally, Cheong-ah's ultimate technique, Pürmir, unleashed blue mana from her body to envelop her sword, unleashing thousands of strikes that filled and redefined her space.
Anyone entering was shredded by the intricate, lightning-fast barrage before they could even think to defend. Even Bella, who prided herself on unmatched toughness, had been left a mangled wreck, teetering on death's edge.
A sword art that completely dominated one space, slicing everything within reach.
Its flaw? No distinction between friend and foe. It carved away everything around her except herself. A solitary dominion.
...But I can't use that with my lord right beside me.
Her sword would cleave Ian too. Without mana to shield him, he'd be reduced to thousands of fragments, vanishing without a trace.
To make her husband that way with her own hands? She'd sooner bite her tongue and commit seppuku like those eastern barbarians.
So Cheong-ah adapted her art. Thousands of strikes dominating space... became thousands of strikes cleaving a single path.
Blue light flashed along the sword's trajectory, extending outward. The myriad lines of mana converged rapidly, forming the shape of a surging blue dragon.
Kwaaaaa...!!
Danger.
Regina blocked instinctively on the warning in her mind. As she recoiled from the force—
Kak...!
"...?!"
Kakakakakakak...!!!!!!
Thousands of consecutive impacts hammered her daggers. Cracks spiderwebbed across the crossed blades, then they shattered into shards in an instant.
And it didn't end there. The strikes pressed on, reaching to carve into Regina's body.
Am I... going to die like this?
As the blade loomed before her eyes, Regina squeezed them shut.
How much time passed? Contrary to expectations of searing pain, she felt nothing.
"Open your eyes."
At the voice, Regina cautiously opened them. The sword still hovered right before her gaze. Behind it, Cheong-ah stared at her with unfocused eyes.
"I win, right?"
"...Ua."
Regina nodded at Cheong-ah's words. Cheong-ah smiled, satisfied.
"Good. Shall we call it here? Honestly, I don't want to cut you down. My lord seems to like you quite a bit. I heard you protected him and treated him well, too."
"..."
"Well, the scratches on your body? Consider them me venting. I still can't forgive you for trying to kidnap and steal my husband."
"Ua."
Regina nodded again. Utterly defeated—what more could she say?
"Alright, then..."
As Cheong-ah moved to support and lift Ian once more—
Flash...!
Deep purple mana erupted from beneath her feet, birthing a massive magic circle across the city's sky.