Skin Hybrid of God
A single strike.
Aside from Batus’s attack, nothing else could be seen—not even how his head came to roll across the floor.
"······."
The King of Balan fell silent. Yet his eyes continued to tremble.
Had that not been a Sword Qi user? One who had reached the realm of mastery, wielding an aura harder than steel itself? The thought that this man was a blessing upon the kingdom shattered in less than a minute.
That man······ is King Friedrich’s weakest knight?
Impossible. Unless some trick had been employed. He had not even seen the sword being drawn.
"Your Majesty. He is a practitioner of the extreme quick-draw. It has been a very long time since I last saw someone use the Draw Sword technique."
"··· Abdullah. You saw it with your own eyes?"
"Yes. Moreover, the Draw Sword leaves one completely defenseless if that single blow fails. It is a contest of nothing more than whether one blocks that one strike or not. Batus did not fall because he was weak."
Abdullah, the king’s direct knight, spoke with confidence. Do not dwell too heavily on Batus’s defeat. It had simply been a duel in which both men staked everything on a single decisive blow. Not a matter of weakness.
Yet in direct contrast to Abdullah’s assessment—
"······ Pathetic."
King Friedrich’s evaluation was cold to the extreme. His expression remained endlessly bored. A development far too predictable. What meaning did a duel hold like this? There was no fun in it at all.
"I will change the rules. Not a tournament format, but a battle of survival. Continue until someone kills Shalla. If the five knights you have presented cannot handle a single Shalla, then this kingdom has no reason to continue existing."
"Changing the rules mid-duel like this······!"
It was tyranny. The King of Balan was about to raise his voice in protest when—
"Your Majesty. This is actually for the better."
His direct knight Abdullah smiled. A picture of victory had already formed in his mind. The King of Balan tilted his head.
"For the better?"
"I have already seen that Shalla’s technique. We will be able to seize victory with ease."
"You are confident?"
"Yes. We must win the second duel without fail. Only then will the kingdom’s momentum revive."
Batus had died far too emptily. At this rate, no rising spirit would rise at all. The King of Balan nodded. He trusted Abdullah. In truth, the man was strong.
The king’s direct knight—a position that can be granted to only one.
That single phrase alone proved Abdullah’s strength, did it not? He alone occupied the post of direct knight that only one person could hold. In reality, aside from the Knight King, no one had been stronger than Abdullah. Stronger even than Serengeti. He had simply been unable to join the Great Expedition because he had to remain at the king’s side.
Abdullah would be more than capable of bringing victory.
"May the Balan Kingdom endure forever! Victory to the kingdom!"
"Sir Abdullah!"
······ Amid countless cheers, Abdullah slowly stepped into the dueling ground. It was not a question of whether he could win or not. He had to win.
"Indeed. Shalla’s second opponent is the king’s own knight."
King Friedrich smiled faintly. The true intent behind that smile could not be known, yet he seemed to find the situation quite entertaining.
If only Wilhelm were here at a time like this······.
The Knight King Wilhelm. Had he still been alive, would King Friedrich have been able to wear such a smile? Would he have dared maintain such an attitude toward the Balan Kingdom?
Recalling those days, Abdullah steadied his breath. Back then, there had truly been nothing to fear. No one had dared look down upon the Balan Kingdom. It felt as though only yesterday they had raced across the green plains together, sweeping through the battlefield. Now Wilhelm was gone. He was dead. Abdullah had not been able to share his final moments—using the excuse that he had to protect the king.
If he could return to the past······ Abdullah would have joined the Great Expedition without fail and protected Wilhelm. He had realized far too late that protecting Wilhelm had been the very act of protecting the kingdom and the king.
Can I fill the void he left behind?
No. He could not. Everyone praised Abdullah, elevating him as the king’s knight, yet Abdullah knew the truth. His sword could not even reach the tips of Wilhelm’s toes. He had trained his entire life, yet Wilhelm’s martial might had been utterly immeasurable. That overwhelming prowess. In truth, those who had directly witnessed just how strong Wilhelm was could be counted on one hand. He had always been humble and rarely revealed his full strength.
I know. He could have killed even the Demon King.
Abdullah had been certain Wilhelm would not have lost even against the Demon King. ······ Then why had he never returned? Abdullah had planned to welcome him back with fierce joy and share a mug of beer while listening to tales of the Great Expedition as side dishes. Had even Wilhelm’s skill been insufficient to kill the Demon King? Then just how strong was that Demon King? Could humanity even hope to win against such a being?
I was too afraid······ too terrified to even ask Serengeti.
Serengeti had returned alive. The only one among Wilhelm’s close aides who had. And so he had wanted to ask. About Wilhelm’s end. How he had died. Yet he could not. No one in the royal castle had been able to ask. Not even the king. Wilhelm had been the kingdom’s idol, its hero. They had simply been unable to accept the death of their hero.
"I am Abdullah, the king’s direct knight."
······ Facing his opponent, Abdullah slowly opened his mouth. Once this duel ended, he could ask then. Protecting the kingdom came first.
"Shalla."
The opposing knight spoke for the first time. A voice of demonic allure. Merely hearing it made the heart race of its own accord—a captivating woman’s voice.
"I look forward to a good match."
A nod!
Shalla lightly inclined her head. Completely unguarded. Her stance was the same as when she had faced Batus.
Vacuum Sword.
Sssssssssss!
Abdullah’s blade began to thrash madly along with his Sword Qi. Abdullah’s unique technique—the Vacuum Sword—that could send an opponent into shockwaves from mere contact.
I created this technique to face Wilhelm······.
He had not made it to defeat Wilhelm. He had simply wanted to land a single solid hit, devising it with desperate effort. That irritating face, the way the man always seemed to wear a mask, the way Wilhelm always seemed to gaze only toward places no one else could reach—Abdullah had merely wanted to properly imprint himself upon him.
Now there was no one left in this world upon whom he could demonstrate this sword······.
Clang!
The blade sang. At the same time, Abdullah began to move. The moment he stepped inside Shalla’s range—
Flash—!
Light appeared. She drew and swung, cleaving. Yet a Draw Sword that had already been seen once would not work against a true expert.
Zzzzzzt!
The moment the blades met, a resonant tone that shook the entire body. Having deflected the light-like Draw Sword, Abdullah pulled his blade back toward his chest, lowered his stance, and swung before the opponent could even react.
She won’t be able to move easily······!
Having clashed blades with the Vacuum Sword, she would have suffered deep internal injuries. There would be no room to respond to the immediate follow-up strike.
Clang!
······ Yet he was the one sent flying. Abdullah spun a full circle in midair and was forced to land in emergency.
What just hit me?
Before he knew it, his left shoulder was soaked in blood. As though it had been sliced by a razor-sharp edge of killing intent. This was no ordinary sword.
"Dual blades······?"
What Shalla had drawn was an extremely small sword. Having never before seen a Draw Sword user employ dual blades, Abdullah could not help but feel a slight fluster.
The small blade is for defense. Prepared for when the Draw Sword fails.
But now that he knew, it was fine. He would not fall for that twice either.
I’ve grasped everything.
Abdullah shortened his stride. He had clearly recognized the opponent’s range and now knew of the dual blades. All that remained was victory. Shalla. She could no longer defeat him.
······ It was the instant he thought so.
"Why has Sir Abdullah stopped like that?"
"H-he suddenly froze?"
The crowd’s puzzled voices rose. Abdullah, who had been approaching Shalla, had suddenly come to a halt. Bewilderment settled over Abdullah’s expression.
My body······.
His body would not obey. And there was only one case in which this happened.
Poison!
She had coated that small blade with poison. A despicable act utterly unfit for a knight’s duel. That was no knight. Yet his mouth would not open. His body would not move properly either. Even though he had reached a realm where ordinary poisons could be expelled with mana. A neurotoxin. And a powerful one that mana could not drive out.
Ssshk.
Soon Shalla moved. A fight that ended only in death. Shalla lightly swung her blade to take Abdullah’s neck.
Clang!
Abdullah moved with every ounce of his remaining strength. He gritted his teeth and knocked the blade aside, yet his movements were already unbearably sluggish.
Thud!
In the end, Abdullah’s left arm was severed.
······ He could not win. This was his defeat for failing to account for every possibility. This had not been an ordinary knight’s duel, but a contest upon which the kingdom’s fate rested.
Ah.
Crimson Sword Qi gathered upon Shalla’s blade. He could not block it······. Just like that, Shalla swung to sever Abdullah’s neck.
Slash!
In that instant—
It was cut.
No.
··· He thought it had been cut. Yet when he opened his eyes, Abdullah was in a different place.
"······ I will take the next match."
"········· Serengeti?"
He was standing where Serengeti had been. Her authority, Position Swap, had manifested. Yet Serengeti herself was far from unscathed. Shalla’s blade had carved a long gash across her chest. She had barely avoided a fatal wound, yet if the bleeding continued she would not escape death.
"Why···?"
Abdullah rebuked her, asking why she had done such a thing. At that, Serengeti smiled faintly and spoke.
"You must not die yet, Sir Abdullah."
"You are our only hope—why would you······!"
Even fighting in perfect condition would have been insufficient, and now she was wounded. Serengeti spoke with an unconcerned face.
"Is there not someone you must meet?"
"What······ do you mean······?"
Someone he must meet? Could Serengeti possibly mean······. Yet it was impossible. He had died in the Great Expedition.
"And do not worry."
Swaaaaaaaaaah!
Aura poured forth like a rainstorm. Pure white, overflowing with absolute purity. An enormous quantity of power incomparable to the Sword Qi Batus or Abdullah had shown! It shone like wings, looking down upon the world.
In that state she gazed at Shalla—and beyond Shalla, at King Friedrich—as if in provocation, and opened her mouth.
"I will win."
The Abyss.
A place of endless darkness where one could not see even an inch ahead. A location where the continent of the distant past had been swallowed, giving rise to countless anomalous phenomena. Here, nothing that occurred would be strange.
"······ Lord Randolph. Are you not worried about the Balan Kingdom?"
And I was walking through this Abyss together with Isabella. The moment we entered the Abyss, everyone had been scattered in all directions.
"Because of King Friedrich?"
"He is··· the Demon of Pride. One backed by the Empire. He will not even fear the Goddess Sect. Marquis Weiser and Serengeti······."
"It is fine."
"Pardon?"
When I suddenly said it was fine, Isabella tilted her head. Yet it truly was fine. The reason was nothing special.
"Serengeti is strong. Trust her."
I did not mean merely the strength of her martial power. Serengeti was strong in every respect. An existence like a brilliant sun that never broke, never fell, and shone all the brighter in dangerous situations. Of course, that was not everything.
"Even if the worst-case scenario arrives, the absolute worst will not occur."
"··· You sound confident."
"I took out insurance."
"······?"
Isabella’s expression still said she did not understand. I let out a short laugh. After hearing about Pride at the Imperial Conference, I was not the type to sit still. Naturally I had made corresponding preparations. An invincible insurance that would never allow defeat.
Right now, the matter of this Abyss was more important than that.
Skin Hybrid of God.
······ This Abyss was that thing’s domain, after all. Back when the warp had sunk into the Abyss at Marquis Weiser’s estate while I was going to meet Serengeti, the Abyss monster that had tried to burst out had been the Skin Hybrid of God. Along with Main Quest 4, “Fill the Gap in the Dark Space.” Fortunately I had stopped every warp within the time limit, so the Skin Hybrid of God had not emerged. Had it come out, I would have died right there.
I definitely saw its eyes during the Jeju Island incident.
Later, when I killed Baal in the Abyss, countless “Residents of the Abyss” had watched me with interest. And among them had been its eyes. That monster that had stared at me with an extremely intrigued gaze······.
Eyes that seemed to already know me.
Thinking back, it seemed the thing had known me from the very beginning.
The ‘Skin Hybrid of God’ gazes upon you with both eyes, promising a next time.
From the moment I completed Main Quest 4. Long before I even obtained the Fragment of Ruin! The master of the Abyss deliberately taking a human into its eyes? I had never seen such a thing. And this Abyss was the same. Entering its domain did not feel like coincidence.
······ Skin Hybrid of God.
The existence called the god of all hybrids.
Just what the hell was that thing?