Ch.154Thank You, Sis. That’s Such a Relief.

“Kuhak…!”

Adding another handful of blood to her mouth already stained red with hemoptysis, Claire looked down at the blade piercing her side.

Red steel that dug into her flesh, tore through muscle, and protruded from the opposite side.

The taste of betrayal was ice cold, and the sliced flesh burned like fire.

“Jay…den!”

“I’m sorry it came to this, Lady Claire.”

Claire’s venomous gaze turned toward the betrayer who had once revered her.

Mana gathered. Claire’s killing intent swirled toward Jayden’s head.

Snickering, Jayden released his sword and immediately retreated.

A belated blade of wind cut through the spot where he had just been standing.

“That was dangerous. I was certain you’d cause a mana backflow… As expected, Lady Claire, you control your rampaging mana quite well.”

Her legs gave out involuntarily.

Staggering, Claire forcibly stabilized her body by pouring out mana.

A single thread of stubborn pride and tattered dignity guided her.

She couldn’t kneel before Ophelia.

Absolutely not, especially not before Ophelia.

“Why… why did you…?”

It wasn’t that she particularly trusted Jayden as a person.

After all, Claire hadn’t given her heart to anyone since childhood.

She only had one question.

She thought he wouldn’t betray her as long as he revered her.

“You don’t know? Well, the reward I promised him was far more attractive than what you ever gave him. What did you even give him in the first place?”

“That’s basically it. Don’t blame me, Lady Claire. Isn’t that how you’ve lived your life too?”

Jayden nodded his head.

In an infuriatingly smug way that made her want to kill him on the spot.

“What did… Ophelia… promise you…?”

The bleeding flowing down the blade wouldn’t stop.

Feeling as though her strength was draining away with her blood, Claire gathered mana at her fingertips and transformed it into heat.

‘First, I need to stop the bleeding…’

Small flames appeared as she brought her hand to her side.

“I’d rather not say it myself. Especially since it’s Lady Claire we’re talking about.”

“That’s right, Claire dear.”

With a cold smile, Ophelia walked toward Claire.

Weaving a spell with each step she took.

Blue lightning, blazing flames, and invisible wind blades swept through Claire’s subordinates who were desperately trying to cast detoxification spells.

Horrific screams echoed one after another.

An electrocuted knight rolled his eyes, wet himself, and convulsed violently.

A female mage with her head on fire shrieked like a monkey, clutching her face and dancing.

A skull severed by wind blades spilled its contents like a tilted bowl.

“I promised him your body. You knew he liked you, didn’t you?”

“…What?”

Claire’s hand slipped as she tried to cauterize her wound.

It was a statement that made her doubt her own ears.

“Every day you roll around naked with women, only letting him hear your moans? Wearing provocative clothes like a prostitute, yet glaring at him murderously when he shows excitement? You were wrong, sister. What man would tolerate such behavior from a woman who’s far from a virgin and thoroughly worn out?”

“No, just for that…!”

It was incomprehensible to Claire.

‘After living that way for over a decade, he betrays me now?’

Just because she wouldn’t take him to bed?

“Just that was enough. Once I recruited the Aishan-Gioro princess, my chances were sufficient… It was a golden opportunity for Jayden too.”

“That’s right. After serving Lady Claire for over ten years, don’t I deserve this much compensation?”

Jayden giggled.

All the courtesy he had shown until now completely abandoned.

They say lust and admiration are separated by a thin line.

What Claire had thought was reverence in Jayden’s eyes was now clearly stained with obscene desire.

Those disgusting eyes she had seen countless times.

The eyes of a man in heat.

Grinding her blood-soaked molars until they nearly cracked, Claire thrust her flame-wreathed fingertips into her wound.

While pulling out the sword that had pierced her side with her other hand.

“Kuh, hnngh…! AAAAARGH!”

The pain was so terrible it made her mind go white-hot.

A stream of smoke rose along with the smell of cooking meat.

And once more on the opposite side.

“Hnng…! Kuu, haaack…!”

The seared and melted flesh stopped the bleeding.

It was only a temporary measure, as it wouldn’t completely stop the internal bleeding.

Her body trembled, her face was covered in tears, her lips bitten through.

Yet still, unextinguished hatred drove her forward.

Her bones and muscles no longer moved as she willed.

So she lifted her body using only mana.

The movement was grotesque, like a puppet, but Claire finally stood up again.

“…I’m surprised. You’re trying to fight more in that condition? You have more tenacity than I expected.”

Ophelia shrugged with admiration.

Her expression was relaxed, as if the outcome was already determined.

It wasn’t an incorrect assessment.

Claire had barely managed to stand, but she was already in tatters with poisoned internal organs and a penetrating wound in her side…

And only three or four of her subordinates remained.

“Hah… hah… to the likes of you…! You think I’ll fall…?”

“Such heroic words. Someone might think I’m the villain here.”

Laughing pleasantly, Ophelia gathered her mana.

The concentrated mana transformed into a sharp whirlwind.

A spear of wind blades.

The spell that had signaled the beginning of the battle.

“Kuuugh…!”

Claire suppressed a groan as she summoned black lightning.

With her damaged body and violent mana, even manifesting a spell was painful.

The force of the lightning was noticeably weaker than before.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, my lady. If you die, I’ll be the one who loses. I don’t have a fetish for embracing corpses.”

Jayden sneered.

Without a word, Claire changed the target of her lightning from Ophelia to Jayden.

With the intention of killing him even if her body was torn apart by the wind blades.

And just as the black lightning was about to be released.

“Don’t worry, Jayden. That won’t happen.”

A chillingly cold statement, without a trace of warmth.

It was Ophelia’s true voice, stripped of all pretense and mockery.

“Huh? What do you—”

As Jayden tried to respond,

the spear of wind blades vertically pierced through the crown of his head.

Fragments of what had been Jayden moments ago scattered in all directions along with a spray of blood.

“W-what?!”

Claire, who had inadvertently been splattered with bits of flesh, flinched in shock.

She was so startled that even the lightning she had manifested dissipated.

Blood-covered Ophelia smiled calmly.

“Oh, sister. No matter how worn out your body might be, I wouldn’t hand it over to trash like him to play with… Really, I’m already sick to death just thinking about all the other men who’ve touched you.”

Cold sweat ran down Claire’s cheek.

Not from anger or pain, but from an eerie sense that something was terribly wrong.

The woman standing before her was no longer the sister she knew.

“You probably don’t know how long I’ve waited for today… just for today. I never intended to hand you over to anyone from the beginning.”

Within those eyes that so closely resembled her own, there was a desire so intense it appeared pitch black.

====[Haschal]====

Four longswords dance.

While the climax of a grim drama of passion was unfolding nearby… I simply focused on my role.

The thing I do best.

Concentrating on the task of turning people into corpses.

I deflect a thrusting longsword with Durandal, then kick the staggering knight.

His black iron armor caves in as the knight with a broken waist flies backward.

“Tsk.”

Clicking my tongue, I grab another longsword aimed at my head with Frosting.

In the distance, I see the one I kicked getting back up unsteadily.

As I thought, he wasn’t sent flying by my strength.

He threw himself backward to reduce the impact.

Judging by his staggering, he wasn’t completely unharmed…

But not enough to hinder him in battle.

It was a more skillful response than I expected.

Whether from experience fighting opponents with greater strength, or just instinct.

Troublesome fellows. Every one of them is difficult.

– Kigigik!

The longsword caught by Frosting scrapes against my palm area and continues to dig in.

Indeed, the strength of a Master who has accumulated sufficient Karma was somewhat effective even against my physical strength.

Merely effective.

I put more strength into my grip.

Frosting, tinged with red energy, firmly grasped the penetrating blade again.

With a grinding sound, my sharp fingertips gradually dug into his blade.

I intended to add more force and crush it completely.

If not for the chilling sense of danger from behind.

I release the captured longsword as if throwing it away.

The knight loses balance, staggers, takes a hit, and flies away.

I quickly turn to face the third enemy.

A sword strike aimed at my spine.

The force that cuts through all the swaying reeds was quite sharp.

Durandal, raised high, shines palely.

The blade extends, shedding a faint afterglow like a crescent moon descended to earth.

A clear sound rings out as the blue arc collides with the black slash.

A series of consecutive strikes follows.

Blue light and black light repeatedly entangle and scatter.

Like a crescent moon casting light on the dawn darkness, and the night sky trying to devour it.

Dazzling flashes burst forth one after another.

Sparks fly in all directions, adding to the flames in the reed field.

A dance of metal continues without pause.

The two who were knocked away calmly rejoin, and the deadly ball becomes even more intense.

Three men clustering around one woman, thrusting their black, hard objects at her.

I feel like I’ve seen such a scene before. Not exactly wholesome, though.

Three Masters.

It was just months ago that I was seriously injured by Nigel alone, but now I had enough leisure to have idle thoughts while facing three opponents.

Even I found my growth remarkably fast.

“Haaaah!”

The Karma drawn by Frosting pulsates.

A crimson whirlwind wraps around my entire body, and ferocious power mixes into my strike.

A slash that arrives before sound.

Following the blue trajectory, the air explodes.

The three Masters fly back simultaneously, scattering pieces of armor as they tumble to the ground.

I should perhaps praise them for not losing their swords.

“Ganging up three against one, targeting my back… The name ‘knight’ would weep.”

My taunt, delivered while lightly shaking off my aching left arm, received no response.

I was the only one speaking or shouting battle cries.

The three knights didn’t even groan when hit. Creepy bastards.

They rise unsteadily.

Torn black iron breastplates. Poised to attack again despite gaping abdominal wounds.

As expected, they’re not normal humans.

Seeing Durandal display only half its power… they must at least be human.

The pale-glowing blade was still sharp and strong enough to cut through black iron.

However, the engraved seals remained silent without glowing, and the blessing-like protection transmitted from the sword showed no signs of activating.

The current Durandal was nothing more than an ordinary true silver sword.

I can’t help but laugh at such an explicit limitation—a sword that won’t reveal its full power against humans.

How inflexible. Can you really call them human when they don’t even react after having half their torso cut off?

It doesn’t matter. Even without Durandal’s blessing, these weren’t opponents I couldn’t defeat.

Once again, I continue the song of swords.

My wrists were beginning to heat up.