Chapter 399: Gold and Silver (4)
Chapter 399: Gold and Silver (4)
Metal screamed every time the air was torn.
Sparks, bursting like death throes, blurred their vision. A tempest raged as trajectories of gold and blue collided.
The number of sword strikes raining down in a single heartbeat transcended the imagination of ordinary men.
Mysterious lines—straight, curved, and diagonal—interlaced in the air. Every single one of them was laden with explosive killing intent.
Dozens of exchanges passed in the blink of an eye, and the tide of battle soon became clear.
Immediately after a sharp clang rang out, someone staggered back a few steps.
It was the girl with gray hair, Seria.
Her once-clear blue eyes were now shot through with blood. It was a sign that she could no longer control her overflowing emotions.
As she gritted her teeth, her face was masked in nothing but thick, viscous killing intent.
In contrast, the blonde woman facing her remained perfectly composed.
Delphine Yurdina, the Golden Lion of the North.
If Seria’s sword was desperate, Delphine’s was elegant. It was refined enough that she could have been standing in a ballroom rather than a battlefield.
The gap in their skill was that distinct.
To begin with, Seria had never beaten Delphine, save for a single occasion.
And even that solitary victory had been largely due to Ian’s help.
Between Delphine, who had received full support as the successor since childhood, and Seria, who had been neglected as the daughter of a concubine, there existed a river too wide to cross.
Seria was well aware of this.
Though her life had spanned barely twenty years, hadn't she felt this truth deep in her bones every single day?
Delphine was strong.
Even Seria’s brilliant talent paled whenever she stood before this woman.
And so, she had spent her entire life in jealousy.
Inferiority was like a swamp. No matter how much she struggled, Seria was always the one suffocating.
She had tried everything to escape that filthy mire.
But struggling alone changed nothing. Seria was only growing more exhausted.
Then, there was one person who had reached out to her.
‘Senior Ian.’
As the man’s face flashed through her mind, a bolt of lightning seemed to strike Seria’s unbalanced body.
Her teeth dug into the tender flesh of her lip, and the sweet scent of blood began to swirl in her mouth.
Thud.
The girl’s back foot planted firmly against the ground, and her body shot forward like a released spring.
From defense to an immediate, total offensive.
It was a thrust that sliced through the instant.
Even if one were to perfectly replicate a swordsmanship manual, a sharper thrust could not be produced.
It was a speed that most swordsmen wouldn't even be able to react to.
Yes—if they were ‘most swordsmen.’
Unfortunately, Seria’s opponent was not someone who could be lumped into such a broad category.
Whoosh!
A Golden Aura flared up.
Blade slid against blade, creating an eerie screech. Having easily parried Seria’s thrust, Delphine closed the distance in a heartbeat.
Seria didn't remember what happened after that.
She came to her senses, gasping for air. Her hands were stinging, and her muscles refused to obey as her breath hitched.
She had lost consciousness, if only for a fleeting moment.
She couldn't even tell how she had been hit at the end.
Based on the lingering echoes of pain, she could only guess that she had been struck in the solar plexus by an elbow or a foot.
Her body had already been thrown into a corner, buried under household items that had fallen from a display stand.
Watching her, Delphine wore an alluring smile.
“You’ve improved compared to before, but you’re still too honest. Your intentions are written all over your eyes.”
“……Shut up.”
Grinding her teeth, Seria tried to push herself up.
However, she couldn't put proper strength into the hand holding her sword. A searing heat radiated from the back of her hand, which had turned a bright red.
A burn.
While parrying the lunging blade, Delphine had actually narrowed the distance. In the process, Seria had been caught by the Golden Aura.
She hadn't even been hit by the aura directly.
And yet, the heat was intense enough to burn skin protected by mana. Her half-cooked muscles failed to properly execute the brain's commands.
This was a disaster.
She was already outmatched in physical strength; now she was burned as well.
Seria gnawed on her lip.
Vivid streaks of killing intent still radiated from her eyes. The jealousy of a girl whose first love had been stolen was truly terrifying.
But that rage did not reach Delphine.
Seria loathed that cruel reality with every fiber of her being.
“Did you do this to Senior Ian too? Did you force yourself on him and toy with his kind heart? Scraps of affection? Hah… then what you received, Sister, must have been the scraps of lust.”
“Perhaps.”
The words were spat out indifferently, as if she had no interest.
Delphine looked at her blade, which reflected the room's lighting. The scene mirrored in the steel was nothing short of disastrous.
The exchange had lasted only a few minutes.
Yet, that alone had long since turned the office into a wreck.
The swords that had been displayed on the walls were scattered across the floorboards, and various documents and ledgers were either scorched or torn to shreds.
Watching the carnage, the corners of Delphine’s mouth curved into a pleasant arc.
“But Seria, the result is what matters. Haven't I always told you? What’s important is being the one who wins in the end… and that result is right here before me. A loser who must kneel and beg, and a winner who stands tall.”
“Stands tall?”
Seria let out a savage, mocking laugh.
When she raised her eyes again, they were filled with cold murderous intent.
The capillaries in her eyes had burst from her excessive rage, tinting them a bloody red.
“If you’re so proud, why don't you convene a meeting of the vassals and announce it? Tell them you’re a slut who sold her body to seduce a man… Everyone trusted and followed you, and now I pity us for having to serve someone like you as the Head of the Family. It’s disgusting, it makes me want to vomit… You aren't even human. You’re just a bitch in heat.”
“Talk all you want.”
Delphine looked down at Seria with a smirk.
Naturally, Seria hated that perspective.
Intensely.
“It won't change anything anyway… Hehe, as your older sister, I can listen to your whining as much as you like.”
“Shut up.”
For the second time today, Seria spat out the harsh words with desperate longing.
It was an act of rudeness that would have been unimaginable before.
To dare use such profanity toward the sister she respected.
But now, no respect for her sister remained in Seria.
No, she couldn't even perceive Delphine as her sister anymore.
All that was reflected in Seria’s retinas now was a bitch who had stolen her precious Senior.
“Don't speak in a human tongue… Since you’re a bitch, why don't you just bark like a dog? That suits you much better.”
“Don't be like that, Seria.”
As the girl rose unsteadily to her feet, Delphine pointed her sword at Seria once more.
A gentle smile played on the woman’s face.
“A younger sister kneeling and begging to a bitch… as your older sister, it breaks my heart.”
Seria readjusted her grip on the sword hilt with trembling hands.
She had only one chance.
She was bound to lose if things continued like this anyway.
Even if she somehow avoided a fatal wound, that Golden Aura was the problem.
Its mere presence was a heat source that raised the room's temperature by several degrees.
Damage would inevitably accumulate even from a glancing blow. Eventually, she wouldn't even be able to hold her sword properly.
If she was going to settle this, it had to be now.
Seria’s momentum suddenly vanished.
Her burning killing intent was coldly discarded—much like how heated iron becomes harder through tempering.
Then came the starting stance.
Both her arms dropped loosely. Not a hint of a counterattack could be seen in her completely relaxed arm muscles.
Only the tip of her sword swayed slightly, aimed at Delphine.
At a glance, it looked like a posture of someone who had given up on the fight.
Yet, Delphine did not let down her guard.
On the contrary, she took a matching stance and watched with a wary gaze.
Because those deep blue eyes were burning with an ominous light.
One, two.
As her breathing continued, the sound of her breath faded.
Accordingly, the flow of time slowed down, and at the moment even the sound of her heartbeat seemed to stop—
A flash of sword light exploded.
There was no warning.
As if it were meant to be from the beginning, a dark blue flash traversed the world.
It was not a sword strike with a beginning and an end.
It was a strike of absolute speed that felt more like it had suddenly ‘appeared.’
It cannot be blocked.
It cannot be countered.
There were countless people who couldn't even imagine that such swordsmanship existed in this world.
Unless one knew of it beforehand, no one could withstand this Secret Sword.
Seria couldn't control its power either, but it didn't matter.
She had swung the blade with the full intent to kill.
Her reason had long since been incinerated by jealousy and rage.
At this point, Seria was certain of her victory.
Delphine’s body had flinched as she reacted first, but it was too late.
This was not a technique that could be stopped with a single sword.
No matter how sturdy a tree was, it would break before a typhoon.
However, what Seria failed to notice was that Delphine’s sword point had dropped to the lower left.
The lion’s claws passed by, leaving golden lacerations in their wake.
There were seven wounds in the air, trajectories drawn without even a microsecond of delay.
The golden claws were striking down vertically across the blue horizon.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Seria’s full-power strike shattered four of the claw marks in an instant.
At that moment, Seria gritted her teeth.
She couldn't put enough strength into her hand.
It was because of the burn.
Sensing that the strength in her arms alone was insufficient, Seria twisted her waist.
It was a large movement that would leave her exposed to a fatal blow if it failed.
But for Seria, who had already staked everything on this move, it was an unavoidable choice.
Clang, clang!
Perhaps her desperate struggle worked, as two more claw marks collapsed.
And that was the end.
Seria felt like screaming.
By all rights, it should have been her victory.
At least when she had last seen it, Delphine’s Golden Silk Sword could produce five lines at most.
So why?
Why did it have to be now?
She was right on the verge of taking that woman’s head!
However, Seria’s resentment could not be voiced.
Before she could, Delphine’s kick struck Seria squarely in the ribs.
It was a clean strike, using the pivot foot to add rotational force.
Having already exposed her weakness, Seria had no way to defend against it.
Her internal organs were crushed, and blood surged up her throat from the increased internal pressure.
Seria rolled across the floor without even being able to scream.
Until she slammed into the wall and stopped.
She must have hit a bookshelf, as books rained down, covering Seria’s limp body.
“……I’m surprised, Seria.”
Whether it was admiration or mockery, Delphine let out an exclamation as she walked toward her with light steps.
“I almost had you for a second. My dignity as the Head of the Family was nearly compromised.”
Coughing up blood, Seria struggled with all her might to stand.
As she pushed against the floor with her trembling, convulsing arms, the books covering her body fell away one by one.
That was the end.
Waiting for Seria as she escaped the tomb of paper was Delphine’s sword.
“But in the end, it’s my victory, Seria.”
Seria stared blankly for a moment, her body shivering.
Then, she clenched her fists tight, her shoulders heaving.
She was used to losing.
Hadn't she lived her whole life that way?
But why did that fact feel so maddeningly frustrating and unfair today?
Swallowing her dripping tears, Seria spoke.
“……Just kill me.”
Yes, this was better.
Rather than spending every night imagining her beloved Senior and the sister she once respected entwined together.
Rather than her heart burning and turning into a wasteland until she wanted to hang herself.
It was better to lose her life at the hands of her rival.
Seria meant it.
Even at that hollow confession, not a single flicker of hesitation could be detected in Delphine’s eyes.
She simply remained silent.
Before finally letting out a sigh-filled voice.
“Seria……”
And then.
“My Lady!”
Bang! The office door burst open, and a group of people rushed in.
They were the vassals of the Yurdina family.
The commotion in the office had finally leaked outside.
Realizing their mistake, both Delphine and Seria’s eyes quickly turned toward them.
They had been too focused on the duel to notice.
Seria had long since lost her reason, and Delphine hadn't expected Seria to put up such a fight.
The vassals of the Yurdina family could only stare in utter bewilderment.
The completely trashed office, the battered and bloodied Seria.
And Delphine’s sword, pointed right at her throat.
Delphine and Seria remained silent for a moment before regaining their composure and averting their gazes.
They wanted to make an excuse, but well.
It was a textbook example of a family in shambles.