Chapter 41 Train (3)
The Train (3)
"Evan, take Adel and run."
"Understood."
At my command, Evan immediately nodded and left with Adel and Lily in tow.
The brutal sound of impact as magic circles clashed with fists.
With a thud, one of the magic circles shattered.
Destroying magic itself purely with aura and brute force—crude, but undeniably effective.
"Hup!"
With a powerful shout, Katra's fist shattered another magic circle.
His next strike aimed straight for my chest but stopped just a hand's breadth away.
His face twisted again at the sight.
"Playing this game again, are you?"
"Calculation Deployment."
Dozens of white magic circles bloomed in the air.
Katra, watching this, took a slow breath before gradually enveloping his entire body in a crimson aura.
"Strike."
"Hah!"
Countless spears shot toward him. A brief battle cry later, and red afterimages filled my vision.
In the blink of an eye, every spear lay broken. At the center, Katra exhaled a white breath and spoke.
"Think this'll be enough?"
His reaction speed was this sharp just from being clad in aura?
Wiping the blood from his lips, he flashed a sharp, bloodstained grin.
This wasn't an attack meant to deal damage, but it had been a long time since I'd seen someone withstand even this much.
"Coordinate Designation."
The true purpose of the spears launched via Calculation Deployment was to pinpoint the enemy's exact position.
They were nothing more than paving the way for the next strike.
Beyond the shattered ceiling, an enormous white hammer materialized. Katra grinned at the sight and looked back at me.
"Haha, so you're one hell of a guy after all."
"Rapid Strikes."
The hammer fell.
A colossal strike imbued with gravitational force plummeted toward him.
BOOM!
A deafening roar, and the train car's midsection was obliterated. The floor had long since given way, and fragments of gears connecting the wheels to the power source scattered everywhere.
Dust billowed up, obscuring vision.
"Ghk..."
I clicked my tongue at the sight of Katra, arms raised, blocking the hammer head-on.
I knew the Emperor's Sword was strong. But facing him like this, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration.
"Hah, got me good. You're something else, Duke."
"Let's change locations."
If we kept fighting here, the entire train might explode. Thankfully, this car wasn't directly connected to the power source, so it wouldn't blow—but still.
Evan would handle whatever small fry remained on the train.
For now, relocating was the best move.
"What?"
Ignoring Katra's question, I stepped toward him. As he strained under the hammer's weight, I reached out.
White magic circles began forming around him. A thick vein bulged on his forehead at the sight.
"You bastard, don't tell me you're—"
Before he could finish, his figure vanished. He'd likely been teleported to the summit of the Eternal Snow Mountain, a pre-set coordinate.
Honestly, I could've left him there.
Truth be told, I was tired of dealing with him.
But given his battle-crazed nature, he'd remember this for a long time.
'Katra is a sword even the Emperor can't fully control.'
Conversely, that very trait made him a useful tool for rebellion.
Annoying as it was, facing him now was the better choice.
§
A blizzard raged across the snowy mountain, thick enough to blot out all vision. A land teeming with monsters of unheard-of kinds.
And in the middle of it all, a man stood grinding his teeth.
The crimson aura radiating from him kept the snow from settling around him.
"Ha, unbelievable."
Katra muttered irritably.
Still seething, he threw a punch at a nearby tree.
With a crack, the massive trunk snapped weakly before collapsing to the ground.
His anger still unspent, he kicked the stump for good measure.
"Finally find a fight worth having, and this shit happens..."
It had been ages since he'd faced someone that strong.
That Second Prince brat was still an unripe sprout—no fun to fight.
The Magic Tower Lord refused to engage with him outright, so he didn't count.
And that Chief Steward always hovering around the Emperor never showed his true strength, making him unworthy of attention.
After so long thirsting for battle, the Duke of Hardenberg had been like rain in a drought.
He'd felt the same emotions as when he fought the Emperor.
The overwhelming sense of facing an insurmountable wall, the thrill of struggle against it, the rush of life in combat—and then the bitter taste of defeat.
The Emperor had been the first to ever defeat him.
The thought that he'd just faced someone on that same level made his pulse race, but—
"Tch..."
Katra had always thirsted for battle against the strong. But to be tossed aside like this before he could even quench that thirst...
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."
"Who do you think you're killing?"
At the sudden voice, he whipped his head around.
Gray hair, sharp silver eyes.
Unless his vision was failing him, that was unmistakably the Duke of Hardenberg.
"Ha, hahaha. So you weren't running away after all?"
"Why the hell would I run from the likes of you?"
Arrogant tone.
It was a provocation, but Katra welcomed it.
Most men would flee the moment they faced him. The Emperor had been the sole exception—but even he had found fighting Katra a nuisance.
"Good. Let's settle this like men."
A snowstorm obscured their vision.
Not the best conditions for a fight, but Katra didn't care.
Compared to the battlefields he'd fought on before, the Snowy Mountain might as well have been a cushioned playground.
If anything, it was the perfect place to stoke the flames of combat.
Whoosh.
His Red Aura began melting the blizzard.
At the same time, pristine white magic circles started materializing in the air beyond.
BOOM!
Fist and magic clashed once more.
A solidity leagues beyond what he'd felt before. Katra couldn't help but grin.
So he hadn't been serious on the train after all.
This is exhilarating.
That sensation of facing an insurmountable wall.
Like standing before Mount Tai itself, knowing his strength alone could never topple it. And yet—that very impossibility made his blood burn with life.
How long had he wandered, searching for this feeling?
Not when he slew the chieftains of the barbarian tribes. Not even when he killed the one they called the Great Chief.
Some called him a madman.
They weren't wrong. For the sake of this thrill, this raw pulse of life in battle, he had even struck down his own father.
"Kuhahaha!"
A booming laugh tore from his throat.
Even as he was pushed back, his laughter refused to cease.
It didn't matter if his fists couldn't break through the Duke's defenses. As long as he could feel this—the sheer vitality of a life-or-death struggle—it was enough.
"It's over."
A hammer appeared, similar to before but magnitudes larger. A size that could crush mountains. Yet instead of despair, it only stoked Katra's fighting spirit higher.
CRACK!
A deafening impact, and his arm shattered. The grotesque snap of bone echoed, but Katra paid it no mind.
His focus belonged solely to the battle.
"Hah... hahaha."
His vision tinged red.
Was it from excitement?
No—just blood seeping into his eyes. It had been so long since he'd been cornered like this.
Huff.
The Red Aura regenerated his broken bones. Muscles throughout his body swelled and compressed, emitting white steam.
With an aura-wreathed arm, he slowly hefted the hammer. One hand lifted it while the other clenched into a fist.
THUD.
His fist struck the hammer's center. A crack split the massive weapon.
But he didn't stop. Blow after blow rained down until, finally, the hammer shattered.
"Let's keep going."
The moment he took a step forward, pain lanced through the back of his neck. That familiar sensation made Katra grimace.
"Tch. Just when things were getting fun..."
The Emperor's summoning command.
As if warning him not to resist, the Brand's torment intensified.
Did they really think this petty pain could stop him now?
RIP.
"...The hell?"
Katra tore the Branded flesh from his neck with his bare hand.
The sharp sting was nothing compared to the Brand's agony. Abel, witnessing this brutish act, frowned despite himself.
The wound closed instantly under the Red Aura's regeneration—and with it, the Brand vanished.
Of course, this was only a temporary fix. The Brand would return.
But at least now, he could keep fighting.
"Madman."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Your Grace."
His fist flew.
Shattering through magic circles, he closed the distance. Abel didn't flinch—only hurled another spear.
Katra's explosive physicality shattered the weapon midair as he charged.
Even when his arm was severed, the Red Aura regenerated it in moments. Conversely, every time he tried to land a decisive blow, Abel's spatial control thwarted him.
A war of attrition—but Katra reveled in it.
Zzt.
The Brand reappeared on his neck. Pain beyond comparison forced him to his knees.
"Damn that Emperor bastard..."
Cursing through gritted teeth, Katra retreated. Simultaneously, golden magic circles began forming around him.
The same presence as when the Emperor's hand had manifested earlier.
"Guess we'll have to finish this another time, Your Grace."
With those words, Katra vanished without a trace.
"I'd rather we didn't."
What an exhausting man.