Twin Okam (3)

The first sensation Ethan felt after allowing Okam to land the first strike was the searing pain in his right shoulder and the warmth of his own blood gushing out.

The axe was far too heavy to block with a sword, and its unpredictable movements made it impossible to anticipate.

The best Ethan could do was pour all his strength into each desperate block, which inevitably led to him suffering a devastating wound-half his right shoulder cleaved off-from the very first strike he failed to deflect.

“Huh, you’re pretty tough. I swung that axe thinking I’d at least chop off the arm you were holding your sword with.”

“Hah, hah… Haaah…”

“…I like that arrogant look in your eyes. There’s a special thrill in breaking guys like you-the kind who strut around like they’re the hottest shit in the world. Girls just start whining too fast, no fun at all.”

With half his upper shoulder carved out by Okam’s axe, Ethan clutched the wound with his remaining arm and glared up at the hulking man before him.

Okam stared back with a revolting smirk, spewing disgusting words.

For the first time, Ethan thought he could vaguely understand how Lilith must have felt whenever she was subjected to lewd comments about her chest or backside by sleazy men.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

-Clang.

“What, giving up already? Why’d you drop the sword you were holding so tight?”

“Hah, hah, hah…”

-Gulp, gulp.

Ignoring whatever nonsense Okam was spewing, Ethan pulled out a small vial from his clothes, uncorked it, and downed the contents in one go.

It wasn’t a healing potion or holy water. Healing potions could only mend superficial wounds-scratches and shallow cuts-not injuries that damaged bone. And holy water lost its potency quickly unless used immediately after consecration, making it impractical to carry around.

So instead, he opted for something simpler, more makeshift.

A potion that doubled as both a painkiller and coagulant. After swallowing it, Ethan brought his sword to his half-severed shoulder and slashed down without hesitation.

-Schlick!

“Ghhh…!! Hah, hah…!”

Deciding that dragging around an arm he could no longer control would only hinder him in battle, Ethan chose to sever it himself.

After all, the Saintess was here-once the fight was over, he could always get it healed. That was the logic behind his decision.

Of course, that was only assuming they won the fight and the Saintess remained unharmed. But for now, buying time was crucial to ensuring her safety.

-Schlik!

“AAAAARGH…!!”

Even with the painkiller, the agony of cold steel slicing through his own flesh was inescapable. Yet, despite the torment, Ethan managed to cleave off his own right arm.

Now, with only the sword in his left hand remaining, the Blackwood prince faced Okam once more.

Watching him deliberately cut off his own limb, Okam sneered.

“What, you cut off your own arm just ’cause it was in the way? You’re dumber than I thought.”

“…Still not as dumb as the parents who named you and your twin the same thing on your birth certificates.”

“…Alright, got it. I was gonna take it easy so you wouldn’t break too fast, but now I’ll just smash your other arm too.”

-Whoosh!

Now lighter by one arm’s worth of weight, the Blackwood prince faced Okam’s brutal axe swings with even more difficulty.

The tide of battle had clearly shifted in the axe-wielder’s favor, leaving Ethan struggling just to buy time.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Fuck.

No, seriously, fuck this. This makes no goddamn sense.

Seeing Ethan take heavy damage after failing to block Okam’s attacks, resentment bubbled up inside me at the sheer absurdity of this situation.

‘This is bullshit.’

Wasn’t this supposed to be Gyeotmwa Josyegigot and his party’s job to handle in the first place?

Why the hell are Ethan and I-who aren’t even part of the Hero’s party-the ones fighting these guys and getting hurt?

The game literally designed these enemies for an eight-person party. How are two people supposed to take them down?

‘Fuck this. Absolute horseshit.’

This godforsaken, piece-of-shit game.

Where did things go so wrong? Did some bug pop up when the game became reality?

Why does it keep forcing crises out of nowhere, one after another?

The sheer unfairness of it all, compounded by seeing Ethan get hurt, made my blood boil with helpless rage.

“Hey! You’re fighting me right now! Where the hell are you looking-“

“……”

…Motherfucker.

I’m already pissed, and now this asshole tries to sneak attack me?

Focusing on Okam’s sword path-which had been invisible until now-I blocked his strike with my dagger, reinforced by a shockwave.

-BAM!

“Whoa!”

Normally, fighting one-on-one with a dagger against a longsword is a terrible idea-unless you can perfectly predict your opponent’s moves.

And right now, for some reason, I could see every swing of his blade as clearly as if it were drawn in the air.

-Clang, BAM! Schwing, BOOM!!

“Damn, what kind of technique is this? Were you holding back this whole time?”

“……”

-Clang, BOOM! Clash, BAM!!

“If you could swing your sword like this from the start, you should’ve done it sooner! Would’ve been way more fun!”

“……”

Pouring everything into my dagger strikes, I timed shockwave bursts to repel Okam’s blade each time they clashed.

At best, this put me on equal footing-far from enough to overpower him.

To take Okam down, I needed a decisive blow-one strong enough to finish off this cautious, tanky bastard in a single hit.

“What’s wrong?! Where’s all that energy from before?! Try blocking with twin swords again like you did earlier! Huh?!”

“Ghk, agh, AAAARGH!!”

As fast as possible.

I had to end this as quickly as I could.

…If only to save Ethan, who was still fighting desperately with life-threatening injuries.

‘Blurred Light, then Shockwave Leap.’

“What, this cheap trick?! You think obscuring my vision means anything in a Sword Expert duel?!”

‘Mana Arrow, Triple Cast. Then Mana Chains, staggered timing.’

-Clang!

“I said it before! These pathetic spells are useless against me!”

‘Sharp Blade, Dagger Throw. Sharp Blade, Dagger Throw.’

-Clang, CRASH!

“What?! Giving up already?! You’re so desperate you’d throw away your weapons mid-fight?!”

‘Another Shockwave Leap, then Tailwind. Target: Okam’s nape.’

I’d already exhausted all the daggers in my hands, and magic alone wouldn’t be enough. The only option left was to close the distance and deliver the finishing blow.

The only way to kill this fat bastard was a clean slash to the neck-no half-assed spells would do.

With that thought, I dropped down onto Okam the moment Blurred Light faded, my last dagger aimed at his nape-

-CRASH!

-Only for Okam to casually deflect it, as if he’d anticipated my move all along.

-THUD!

“Ghhhk…!!”

-Clatter…

“Still had a hidden weapon, huh?! Should’ve held onto it tighter and swung harder!”

With my last weapon knocked away, Okam grabbed me by the neck and slammed me to the ground.

His grotesque face loomed over me, twisted in a perverse grin as he pinned me down.

“Feisty bitch. Yeah, this is how women should be.”

“Ghk, ngh…!”

“Gotta admire the effort, hiding tricks just to land one hit on me. But I’m not the type to let my guard down!”

“Ghhh, GRAAAH!!”

“Yeah, keep struggling like that till the end. I don’t like it when girls start crying too soo-“

‘Arcane Blade, Iaido Slash.’

-Schlik!

“…Huh?”

The younger Okam, who had been gloating as if victory was assured, found his throat impaled by my conjured Arcane Blade.

A geyser of blood erupted from his thick neck as his head was cleanly severed, his body collapsing lifelessly. I kicked the corpse off me with a shockwave-infused strike.

“‘Not the type to let your guard down,’ my ass.”

“……”

“Not aiming for a mage’s neck from the start was your first mistake, you fucking pig.”

I wanted to stomp his corpse into paste, but I didn’t have the luxury.

Right now, saving Ethan-who was still fighting for his life-was my duty as his personal maid.