Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: I've Made It (1)
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“Oh, Over-ten! The enemies…!”
Senior Soldier Quentin shouted urgently.
I didn't bother looking back.
I knew what was happening without having to see it.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
“Kuaargh!”
The roars of the Reptilians were deafening.
The blind bloodlust and fury within them made my skin crawl.
The very air of the battlefield was boiling.
The power of a Valkyrie, manifested on the battlefield.
The ability to go berserk, paralyzing fear and pain.
“Ugh! Have these bastards suddenly gone mad?”
“First rank, hold your shields steady! You'll be dragged away, shield and all!”
Screams erupted from our allies everywhere.
“Over-ten! We have to fall back now!”
Even the voice of the cheerful veteran, who had been constantly boosting our morale, was now laced with urgency.
“We might not get out if we don't go now!”
It was an accurate assessment.
Those blessed by the Valkyrie would become berserkers, endlessly craving enemy blood until their heads were severed.
From now on, the only option was to fight tooth and nail until one side was annihilated.
To avoid the same fate as the light infantry unit trapped between friend and foe, we had to retreat now.
“All units, retreat!”
“The Over-ten says to scram, now!”
Senior Soldier Quentin relayed my command as if he'd been waiting for it.
As I listened to the sound of splashing through the mud, I…
“Hoo.”
…readjusted my grip on Baegya.
“Over-ten, what are you doing…!”
The senior soldier's bewildered voice reached me.
“Don't worry about me, just get out!”
“Over-ten!”
“Go!”
The senior soldier shouted something.
But it was drowned out by the roars and yells.
It wasn't that important anyway.
Right now, dealing with the Valkyrie before me was the priority.
“I'm just asking, but you have no intention of letting me go quietly, do you?”
In response, a dry gaze met mine.
Just in case, I tried taking a step back.
The Valkyrie approached.
Exactly the distance I had retreated.
“Ah, so you don't.”
I couldn't help but make a grim face.
It was unfair.
What grudge did it have against me to single me out on this vast battlefield?
All I did was interfere a little during a night raid that might have been its first real battle.
Just splashed some mud on its face and put an arrow in one of its eyes.
“…Ah?”
Belatedly recalling the trivial grudge between us, I lamented.
It would be nice if we could talk it out, but unfortunately, elves didn't deign to speak with humans in any way.
In the end, there was only one way to resolve the misunderstanding between us.
*Grip.*
I once again tightened my grip on Baegya.
I sharpened my senses and watched its every move.
In my mind, I calculated my chances of victory.
A few days ago, I definitely had the upper hand.
But I couldn't be sure if that was still the case.
It wouldn't have shown itself like this if it wasn't confident.
It seemed there was no way to know without clashing directly.
“Hoo.”
I took a short, deep breath, clearing my mind of stray thoughts.
I focused all my senses.
I opened my ears and awakened my ki sense.
With my eyes, I took in the Valkyrie's every move.
Up and down.
Its shoulders, which had been moving subtly, froze for an instant.
*Fwoosh.*
Immediately after, its figure blurred.
My body reacted before my mind could even process it.
A milky-white flash sparked before my eyes.
*Clang.*
Sparks flew.
An emotionless face was visible beyond our crossed swords.
*Screeeech.*
Its elven sword slid down the blade of Baegya.
I twisted my wrist, turning my sword.
*Whoosh.*
With blades still locked, our swords swapped positions.
*Screeech.*
I straightened my bent elbow.
Pushing aside its sword, I swung Baegya as if to scrape it away.
*Clang.*
It retreated backward.
“Hoo, hoo.”
I steadied my breathing, which had become ragged in that brief moment.
This was just the probing phase.
The real fight started now.
It vanished from my sight.
There was no need to search for its location.
An attack aimed at the blind spot of my patch-covered right eye.
*Shwiiiing.*
I raised Baegya to block my flank.
*Clang.*
A heavy impact sent me staggering back.
Without resisting, I leaned forward and slashed my sword.
That was the beginning.
The Valkyrie relentlessly targeted my blind spot.
Its pale face appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
While blocking its persistent attacks, I too attacked its blind spot.
Coincidentally, both of us had our right eye's vision blocked.
Like snakes circling to bite each other's tails, we circled one way, and then again.
We constantly moved to each other's right, thrusting our swords again and again.
Then, seizing an opportunity when its stance was low, I kicked up mud with the top of my foot.
Instead of dodging in a fluster like before, it swung its sword fiercely.
Faced with that murderous sword strike, I didn't dare advance and retreated.
Having created distance, it wiped the mud from its face with a hand.
“That doesn't work anymore.”
I had a feeling this would happen when it appeared without its guardians. In just a few days, it had changed beyond recognition.
Its swordsmanship, once flashy but lacking substance, was now filled with purpose.
Where on earth could it have gone to gain so much practical experience so quickly?
“You've improved a lot in a short time.”
I said it with genuine admiration.
“…”
It didn't answer this time either.
Its expression remained blank.
But it was strange.
Despite its face showing no emotion, I somehow got the feeling it was showing off.
And then I thought that maybe it wasn't just my imagination.
*Ssk.*
It tilted its head to the side.
Its long neck was exposed, and the scars on it naturally came into view.
It was covered in scratches and gashes.
Seeing that they hadn't even scabbed over properly, they were clearly recent wounds.
To me, it looked as if it were boasting about the harsh training it had undergone in the past few days.
I shook the absurd delusion from my head.
There was no way a creature with no emotions would express its intentions like that.
“…”
Looking at it again, I was certain.
It was a delusion.
Its face was still expressionless, not a hint of emotion to be found.
*Shashak.*
The Valkyrie lowered its stance again.
*Clang! Clang!*
And a situation identical to before repeated itself.
Thrust and block.
Slash and dodge.
The relentless exchange of attacks, each targeting the other's blind spot, continued.
How long had we been thrusting our swords at each other?
“Hahk. Hahk.”
My breathing, which rarely faltered after growing accustomed to the harsh environment of the Cradle, was now caught in my throat.
My stamina was also at its limit.
It wasn't surprising, having swung my sword so fiercely in mud that would suck my feet in if I lost focus for a moment.
Moreover, while I had no fatal wounds, my entire body was covered in cuts and stabs.
The amount of blood I'd lost was by no means small.
“…”
The Valkyrie was in a similar state.
Its shoulders heaved, and its raven-patterned cloak was cut and torn to rags.
We were both a complete mess.
But we weren't entirely the same.
Its lips had turned blue.
White vapor escaped from between its teeth.
It looked exactly like someone on the verge of freezing to death.
“Ah.”
I let out a gasp as I belatedly realized the reason.
The longsword in my hand was no ordinary sword.
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*Protects the owner from cold.
*Can freeze things that touch the blade.
*The efficiency of the freezing effect varies greatly depending on the user's ability.
*Currently, it is only capable of forming a thin layer of ice on water in a bucket.
-------------------------------
It was the treasure sword, Baegya, which froze whatever its blade touched.
In short, the Valkyrie's appearance wasn't an act; it was showing real symptoms of hypothermia.
As time passed, its symptoms worsened.
Now it was shivering and its teeth were chattering so visibly that it looked like it could collapse at any moment.
Despite this, its eyes shone with tenacity.
It seemed it wouldn't be satisfied until it saw my blood.
I felt the same way.
It was a crow of the battlefield, one that fed on death and grew stronger.
If I let it go alive, it would, nine times out of ten, return as an even more troublesome opponent.
I had to end it here.
“Hoo.”
My breathing, which had reached my chin, had stabilized. There was no longer any reason to hesitate.
I took a slow, careful step forward, making sure my foot didn't sink into the mud.
The Valkyrie, shivering uncontrollably, aimed its sword at me.
It was a pitiful sight, almost heartbreaking.
But I didn't waver.
Pity was a luxury when facing an enemy on the battlefield.
The only thing I could do for it was to send it off with as little pain as possible.
*Thud.*
The creature, which had been forcing itself to stand, finally collapsed.
The sword it had barely managed to hold up fell to the ground.
Standing before it, I raised Baegya high.
“Farewell.”
And I brought it down with all my might.
*Thunk.*
A heavy sensation reached my fingertips.
But it wasn't the sensation I'd expected.
It was a much duller impact, different from the feeling of slicing through flesh.
“I knew something was off when I couldn't see you.”
I looked from Baegya, which had only churned up the innocent ground, and turned my head.
A tall Valkyrie stood there.
It was one of the two guardians I had seen before.
After setting down the shivering creature a short distance away, the Valkyrie turned to face me.
A sword, drawn at some unknown moment, was aimed precisely at my heart.
“Calling for mommy is my specialty.”
I grumbled under my breath.
“That's just how things go for me.”
It was infuriating enough to lose the Valkyrie I had cornered, but now I had to worry about my own life.
This damn world really never gave me a break.
It wasn't anything new.
This wasn't the first time the world had stabbed me in the back at a critical moment.
I flicked the mud off Baegya and took my stance.
The Valkyrie slowly approached.
I could tell just by the way it moved.
This one, unlike the younger Valkyrie, was fully matured.
It was still clumsy compared to the ones I'd faced in my past life, but it wasn't so weak that it couldn't handle someone like me in this situation.
Its very presence was different.
I calculated inwardly.
Five exchanges at most, three at the least.
No matter how I thought about it, I didn't think I could last any longer than that.
What should I do?
“What to do, you ask.”
For now, I just have to struggle as much as I can.
I steeled myself and readjusted my grip on Baegya.
Just as I was firming my resolve…
“...!”
The Valkyrie suddenly stopped walking.
“…”
The one that had been on the verge of death had somehow gotten up and was now glaring this way.
“…”
Its lips moved slightly.
The Valkyrie glanced at me.
That was all.
It turned, gathered its companion, and vanished.
As I stared in the direction where the Valkyries had disappeared…
“We are victorious!”
“We've annihilated the enemy!”
The shouts of our allies reached me just then.
“Over-teeeen!”
A familiar voice called out to me.
Seeing the blood-soaked senior soldier stumbling and getting up repeatedly as he approached, I squeezed out a shout.
“Hurry up!”
I'm about to pass out.
***
I was only unconscious for a moment.
But what in the world had happened in that short time?
“Aha. So you're saying I'm to serve the knight from the mainland.”
An absurd situation was waiting for me.
I couldn't help but ask.
“Me? Why?”
What the hell is this situation?