The Unbreakable Heart

The thought echoed in my mind. 'If he'd retired, he should've taken up farming... What kind of lunatic decides to run a black market?' That lunatic stood right in front of me. Ares Draconic, the man who had once led the Black Wing Knights—the imperial order that handled the dirtiest work in the shadows.

I had chosen stealth over a direct assault precisely because of him. He was absurdly strong. A former knight who freely unleashed sword aura in that ridiculous pattern, backed by monstrous raw stats. The three of us had no chance of winning.

'A new trait?' The battle must have given me quite a bit of experience. I opened my status window.

'Indomitable...?' A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meat-shield trait that let you survive any lethal blow with 1 HP. In a game full of instant-death patterns, it was a trap skill with almost no real value—especially with that 24-hour cooldown.

I dumped all eight bonus points into Constitution.

'This should let me tank at least one more hit...'

"You want to fight him head-on...? That guy looks insanely strong..." Sane whispered, clearly rattled.

Ares remained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still, simply watching us. Or perhaps he was just enjoying the sight of us struggling. Selena, tense, summoned spirits around her in preparation.

I checked Ares's status window.

'Those stats are ridiculous... Even with assassination-optimized traits, showing up in front of us like this must be his way of showing confidence...'

He probably wanted to deal with us personally after we wrecked the black market he managed. Even with Kiene and Isabel added to our side, this would be a coin-flip at best.

"I'll play with you until I'm satisfied, then feed you to the wolves..."

"...He's moving!"

Ares Draconic began to move. In the dark night lit only by faint moonlight, his movements as an assassin were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even more ghostly than Sane's—he vanished from sight in an instant.

"Sane! Can you track his movements?"

"...Give me a moment."

Clang! The sound of Ares's dagger clashing with Sane's rang out. At the same time, his sword-aura-clad blade sliced through Sane's dagger like tofu.

"Tch..."

Sane quickly drew a spare dagger and counterattacked. Their exchange moved at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

'...To think she can hold her own against Draconic to this extent...'

Sane was fighting far better than expected. Being from the same assassin class probably helped. Still, she was at a disadvantage. She barely managed to defend against his invisible-speed strikes.

"Selena! Support Sane with me!"

As I charged toward Ares, Selena unleashed a barrage of magic arrows. He dodged the volley and leaped high, then sent a threatening storm of sword aura hurtling toward both Sane and me.

"Sane, get behind me."

The sword auras carved through the air with tremendous force. Wherever they struck, powerful shockwaves erupted and the ground trembled violently.

—Kwaaaang!

'Ugh...'

The impact when sword aura met shield was immense. Though I endured most of the force with my shield, the shockwaves still slammed into us. Thick smoke filled the area where the auras had struck, further obscuring our already poor visibility.

Then Selena's scream rang out.

"Kyaaah!"

"Selena!"

'Damn it... He targeted her!'

He seemed intent on reducing our numbers. When the smoke cleared, Selena lay on the ground. I rushed to her and checked her condition—she was still breathing. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seemed he had avoided killing an elf of high commodity value and merely neutralized her. Both of her arm tendons had been severed, making further combat impossible.

I poured a health potion from my pocket over her, then turned to face forward.

"You're tougher than expected... but that's all you have."

Ares's voice echoed from the darkness.

...He was toying with us. Sane stood barely upright, clutching a single dagger.

"Hah... hah... We're done for, aren't we...?"

We were slowly being driven into his grasp, like cornered prey at the bottom of a slope.

'No choice...'

If this continued, our deaths were certain. I touched the Transcendence Potion in my pocket. Thankfully, it hadn't broken during the fight.

"You're taking that too...?"

"...Just in case."

It was the Transcendence Potion Liana had given me for emergencies. I had wanted to save it until Invincibility was available, but... if we were all going to die anyway, I should at least save the lives I could.

I felt Sane's hand clutch my collar. With death so close, even she looked frightened.

"...Fine. I'll go with you, then..."

Our time together had been short, yet she had suffered only because of me. I placed a hand on her head and spoke.

"Don't worry... I'll get you out alive. Hold on to the holy relic and give it to Kiene."

With those words, I pulled out the Transcendence Potion and poured it into my mouth.

...The sensation of my esophagus burning never became easier to bear, no matter how many times I drank it. Then came the overwhelming sense of omnipotence flooding my body—followed immediately by the strange feeling that my very existence was unraveling.

Invincibility wasn't an option. My remaining life was now exactly three minutes.

—I would burn everything I had left and die fighting.

Sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Ares began firing volleys of sword aura at me.

'—I can see him now, Draconic.'

Thanks to the Transcendence Potion, my vision and senses had sharpened to their absolute limit. I located his position and charged, shielding myself from the incoming auras. The impacts no longer hindered me thanks to my increased Constitution. I thrust my spear straight into his face as he panicked.

The spear I hurled crossed the air at invisible speed. Ares, veteran that he was, dodged nimbly and drew his sword for a counterattack. The clash of spear and blade rang across the battlefield.

Ares swung his sharp sword in response, then slipped away again like flowing water. A fierce exchange followed. Every movement he made—wielding his blade with his entire body—was terrifying yet beautiful. The crossing of sword and spear rang like thunder and lightning. Their mutual attacks and defenses looked almost like a dance.

—But I was one step ahead.

Thud.

My spear pierced Ares's abdomen. He let out a pained groan.

The Transcendence Potion's duration was running out fast.

"You... what the hell are you...!"

I ignored his words and swung my spear again. He desperately countered with his sword, but soon collapsed to the ground.

'I didn't notice it while under [Invincibility], but... this feeling of my existence fading is strange...'

Death was drawing near. I approached him, spear dripping with his blood.

"W-wait... spare me! I have money—more than you could ever want! Slaves? I can bring you dozens if that's what you want! Power, too..."

His words never finished. My spear pierced his heart. He twitched once, then went still.

Excruciating pain began to wrack my body. Every single cell felt like it was being torn apart. The accompanying sense of powerlessness made the approach of death undeniable.

'Am I really going to die...?'

I no longer had the strength to keep my eyes open. Through my blurring vision, I saw Sane's tear-streaked face. Then the agony overwhelmed me, and I lost consciousness.