116. Archrival 2
Swoosh. A fierce wind blew, kicking up dust into the air. Sand grazed their eyes, noses, and mouths as Bin and Helden locked eyes in a deadly stare.
Finally facing Helden—the man he'd longed to confront—stirred fresh emotions in Bin.
So the day has come when I stand before you at last.
How long had he waited for this moment? In his previous life, this bastard had murdered his mother and taken his own life. He was the reason Bin had strived to grow stronger, his ultimate goal.
Bin glanced down at his left hand, thick with calluses, steeling his resolve. His heart pounded fiercely.
Thump. Thump.
His body heated up instinctively for the confrontation he'd anticipated for so long.
Meanwhile, Helden eyed Bin with narrowed gaze.
His presence is impressive, at least...
Knights typically sensed an opponent's mana before battle—it was basic protocol. It allowed them to gauge the foe's power, decide on tactics, and predict actions.
Helden frowned as he looked down at Bin.
He must have sensed it by now...
In normal cases, detecting a 1st Class Knight would make anyone flinch or tense up. After all, such power could wipe out even a duke's household.
Yet this kid didn't blink. If anything, he glared like he wanted to devour Helden whole—like a starving wolf.
The Bascon heir. He knows who I am...
Puffing out cigarette smoke, Helden harbored doubts.
"Hoo..."
Soon after, he stabbed the glowing cigarette butt into the dirt mound. It looked like a flag planted atop a sandcastle.
Whoosh.
White smoke billowed from the upright wick. Watching it burn, Helden spoke.
"If you endure until this cigarette butt burns out completely... I'll admit defeat."
Bin's eyes turned icy at Helden's arrogant words.
"You'll regret that decision for the rest of your life."
"Hah, the brat doesn't know his place..."
Helden's gaze sharpened, laced with killing intent.
Creak.
His hand gripped one of the two swords at his waist: the Gravity Sword. Its serrated blade was a sword-breaker type, designed to rip flesh on contact. Its brutality had terrified countless northern powerhouses.
Swoosh.
Silver light rose around Helden's body. Then, red smoke spread from him at the center—heavy, ominous energy.
Crack.
The ground sank around him with a deafening rumble, forming a circular crater like a meteor strike.
At the same time, red mana loomed over Bin's shoulders and head. The crushing pressure on his bones made him grimace.
Suppressing the body to force mana expenditure...
Without releasing mana, he'd be pinned to the earth. Fitting for a 1st Class Knight.
But Bin wasn't one to take it lying down. He clenched his left fist.
Shiiiiek.
Black smoke erupted from his left hand—his innate power, dark mana.
The swirling smoke devoured the red aura.
Whoosh.
There. Much lighter now.
It had felt like sandbags strapped to his whole body before; now, most of the weight was gone.
The cavalry behind Helden gaped at the sight.
"The family head's— a 1st Class Knight's mana..."
"It's gone...!"
The red aura that crushed any opponent outright had vanished before this young heir. Shock was inevitable—especially since a lower-ranked 2nd Class Knight had nullified it.
Yet Helden remained unperturbed, a smirk on his lips.
"Oh ho. Not bad—better than I thought."
Bin shot back casually.
"This is nothing."
The brat...
Even continent-renowned duke retainers knelt before absolute weapons like the Gravity Sword. This kid matched them without flinching—unbelievable.
But it won't end here.
As Helden's eyes narrowed, red light reappeared in the air, pressing down on Bin's shoulders again.
Groooan.
Bin swiftly gripped Luminare in response. Black smoke surged from his arm.
Shiiiiek.
The best defense was a good offense, as they said. He'd disrupt Helden's focus with an attack.
Think I'll just sit here?
Swoosh.
Bin swung, slicing the air with a sharp whoosh.
Slash!
A crescent sword wind hurtled forward fiercely. Helden's eyes widened.
Magi?! Hiding something after all.
Swoosh.
Helden deflected it leftward with an enlarged hand.
Thud.
The redirected wind veered toward the brush.
Soon—
Pierce! Pierce! Pierce...!
The sound stopped after slicing through several trees. Helden chuckled at the weaker-than-expected strike.
"Hah."
Easily blocking it, he fixed Bin with a steady gaze.
"Hoo, not bad for your age. But... is that cocky display of confidence against a 1st Class Knight why you're so arrogant?"
Ignoring him, Bin declared boldly.
"1st Class Knight or whatever—you're just a neck for me to sever."
"Sever me...? With that skill, you're at least a decade too early."
"Do I really need ten whole years?"
"...?"
What does that confident look mean...?
As Helden puzzled over Bin's expression, he noticed a change: Luminare was stained red.
His keen eyes caught it instantly.
No way...
Sensing something off, Helden checked his arm. A red welt had formed, bleeding relentlessly.
Drip.
Blood trickled from his hand to the ground.
Indeed—Bin had used the bleeding effect from Gangble's weapon, Trump, absorbed into Luminare.
So that's what he was aiming for...
Recalling Bin's sword wind, Helden let out a hollow laugh. The kid seemed laughable now.
With such a weak wind, he hadn't even needed his sword—just raw Mana of Strength to swat it away.
Frowning, Helden realized:
He deliberately sent a feeble strike...
Normal knights unleashed full power against a 1st Class Knight, knowing their limits. But this one was different—calm, seasoned beyond his years. The result? An unexpected hit.
Drip.
As Helden's blood poured onto the dirt, the enemy cavalry stared in stunned silence.
"B-blood from the family head's hand..."
"To think we'd live to see this day..."
They were knights who'd fought countless northern battles alongside Helden. Never once had they seen him bleed—not in nearly a decade.
Usually, heads flew or bodies crumpled before faces were even visible. He was the north's apex predator, Helden Grander, head of the Grander family.
For an unproven young heir—not a renowned family head or imperial guard—to draw his blood? Unthinkable.
Helden scowled at his bleeding hand.
First, stop the bleeding.
Swoosh.
He swung the Gravity Sword at his red uniform, slicing off a long strip. He wrapped it tightly around his hand.
Swoosh. Swoosh...
Seeing the blood flow eased the physical pain but struck mentally too.
Gangble...
His son's face flashed in the crimson.
Bin's ploy to shatter his focus.
Soon, the cloth bound his hand securely. Glaring at Bin, Helden growled.
"Looks like I underestimated you."
His gaze dropped to the cigarette in the dirt—now a third burned away.
He looked back at Bin.
"Then let's get serious."
Despite the killing intent in Helden's eyes, Bin replied coolly.
"As you wish."
Confidence shone in Bin's gaze—he'd handle whatever came.
Helden glared distastefully.
The brat...
That defiant look, refusing to yield even to him.
I'll rip that notion out by the roots. I stake my position as family head on it.
Helden gripped his sword. White smoke billowed outward from him.
Opening, Meteor.
Massive white smoke poured from Helden's body as red energy swirled around the Gravity Sword.
Rumble. Rumble.
The ground shook, the air quivered.
Then—
Shiiiiek.
With a piercing whine, objects began falling from the sky—countless meteors, accelerating and igniting into fireballs from friction.
The enemy cavalry gawked in awe.
This... this is the Opening of a 1st Class Knight, said to reach the realm of gods...!