Ch.175EP.41 – Until the Heart Beats (2)

Ihan had done well until the end.

He served as a shield, drawing Tyr’s attention until the end so that he could secretly come to this place, showing what it meant to be the “Best Tanker.”

So his job wasn’t to worry about the tanker who had brought him here, but to excellently fulfill his role as a “Dealer.”

Whoop.

Whoosh!

Whoooosh-!

The spear extended.

The spear strikes gradually became faster. Though clearly thrusting the spear alone, it created an optical illusion as if multiple people were thrusting spears simultaneously—a torrent of spear strikes.

That’s how fast, precise, and fierce Lac de Duron’s spear was.

– One-man phalanx.

He had accomplished the feat of single-handedly performing the role of a long spear infantry unit.

Swoosh, swooosh!

“…Doppelgänger?”

Lac’s body gradually split.

Moving so quickly that afterimages remained continuously, those afterimages gradually formed clear outlines until they multiplied into five.

Creating doppelgängers not through magic, but simply by moving quickly….

“Magnificent…!”

Admiration escaped involuntarily.

The knight who had just defended against and destroyed everything was impressive, but Tyr clapped as if the skill that touched his divine technique was equally remarkable.

“—!”

Grind!

However, the one being praised wasn’t pleased at all, and Lac gritted his teeth.

Because the dozens of spear strikes he delivered every second couldn’t pierce through Tyr’s mana barrier at all.

Through the [Third Eye] that transformed mystery into technique, he was clearly targeting the gaps in the mana barrier without rest, but Lac’s spear seemed to be chasing an illusion.

‘…I see, the barrier repairs itself instantly as soon as it’s pierced?’

Even if he pierced the barrier, the moment of recovery was so fast that he couldn’t even recognize the penetration.

Lac realized this and instinctively felt the need for a powerful strike.

Whoop!

In a split second, Lac pulled back his spear and concentrated intense killing intent.

Compressing red fighting energy and converting it into power, this process took less than 0.2 seconds.

– Fang of the Fierce Wolf.

Whaaash!

The spear blade infused with powerful energy took the form of a giant auger of energy.

If Ihan had used sword energy, this could be called red energy (赤罡) summoned in red.

Red spear energy.

Lac’s maximum strike, capable of crushing everything, blazed against Tyr’s barrier.

Whaaaash!

It was a strike that completely erased the flow of air in an instant, creating a vacuum in the surrounding area.

The spear blade had pierced the atmosphere, burning even the oxygen.

It was a strike that even superhumans would rarely witness, but….

Kuung——!

…An uneasy resonance spread, and Lac’s brow furrowed mercilessly.

It wasn’t like striking a thin barrier, but rather like hitting a massive rocky mountain.

And in reality, what Lac had struck was….

“—Impressive, but a bit slow. You should have finished preparations in 0.05 seconds, not 0.2. Otherwise, you can’t catch me.”

It was truly a massive ice wall.

The enormous ice wall created by Tyr’s magic was thick and tall.

Enough to be called a fortress wall.

Crash…!

However, although the ice wall was being shattered by Lac’s spear strike, Lac wasn’t proud of it at all.

What he had aimed for wasn’t the ice wall, but the monster’s neck.

“…Memorize.”

“That’s right. Mages always have spells prepared, and though I don’t particularly need to, I’ve deployed about 41,514 defensive spells around my body just in case. Too bad, hehe.”

“……”

“That’s why I told you to give up. What you’re doing is just challenging the impossible.”

Like hitting a rock with an egg.

The result was obvious from the beginning.

Yet they still resisted, which Tyr found utterly foolish as he shook his head.

Whoop!

“Again?”

It was nothing but a meaningless act.

Swoosh.

Despite the close distance, manipulating perspective was entirely possible.

Tyr’s hand moved and struck Lac.

Poof!

“…That hurts.”

But perhaps he had shown too much.

His hand now had a wound larger than the one he had just received, and Tyr made a sour expression.

…He hadn’t realized that knight would deliver a strike even while being blown away.

However.

Slurp.

“It doesn’t matter though.”

Tyr’s wound quickly healed.

“A victory without wounds.”

No matter how much they struggled, it was meaningless.

This demonstrated that fact, and Tyr wished they would stop their futile resistance, but.

“……”

“…You stand up again?”

…Lac was getting up.

Despite having been blown far away.

“Why do they do that?”

Genuinely puzzled, Tyr tilted his head.

If you see an opponent you can’t defeat, and you can’t even escape, isn’t it natural to just give up?

Yet he still burns with fighting spirit.

Completely useless.

Anyway.

“I can’t understand knights’ psychology, regardless of the era.”

He shrugged, unable to understand.

“—Someone like you wouldn’t know.”

“Huh?”

…The knight who had been ignoring his attempts at conversation finally spoke.

Drip!

Despite continuously bleeding, he spoke calmly with serene eyes.

“To someone like you who sees the world as toys, who considers life utterly worthless, what would you know.”

“??”

“Even now you don’t understand at all. The reason we fight, the reason we despise you.”

“…Is there a reason?”

Tyr expressed genuine curiosity, while Lac looked at him with extreme contempt and disgust.

He truly was a terrible being.

How could he have not a shred of guilt?

Lac suppressed a small surge of emotion and spoke of the “Tower’s sin”—no, Tyr’s sin.

“—I heard that you people are ‘deliberately’ maintaining this [10 Years of Winter].”

The Fairy’s Wrath.

It was known that this terrible season of death had persisted for over 10 years due to the Tower and Empire incurring the fairies’ wrath, but the truth was completely different.

After all.

“The fairies didn’t cast any curse, did they?”

……Because the fairies had never actually cast a curse.

So what maintained this winter was none other than…!

“Ah, that? Well, it’s nothing special. But who told you? Not many people know about that.”

It was their doing.

Despite bringing about the 10 Years of Winter, causing 1/3 of the Empire’s population to die from freezing and starvation, Tyr seemed completely unbothered, and the same was true for other mages.

Rather, his expression suggested he didn’t understand why it was wrong.

“That’s why we created colonies, right? That’s enough, isn’t it!”

Tyr laughed without hesitation.

“……”

…Now Lac understood.

Why that rogue called mages “spell-casters” and hated them.

‘No wonder he hates them.’

They were terrible beings.

No, terrible creatures.

Without a shred of guilt, believing everything they did was right.

‘These creatures are monsters!’

Natural enemies of humans.

Monsters that cannot coexist with us.

And knights were those who killed such monsters and protected the powerless.

And he was… no.

“We are knights. Aren’t we?”

Those who take up weapons for the weak.

Kuung-!

The ground shook.

Gradually the sound grew louder, and the trembling of the earth intensified.

Then suddenly.

Puwhaak!

A human hand stretched out from underground.

“Haah…!”

Though buried underground, the beast-like human who had dug his way out panted like a roaring beast.

“Almost died…”

“You’re late.”

“…I was the one who nearly died, why do you look half-dead?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“…R-right.”

It doesn’t seem that way….

Muttering quietly, Ihan gradually rose and analyzed the situation.

“…Still the worst.”

The spell-caster was still unharmed, looking slightly surprised at Ihan’s emergence from the ground.

What a funny guy.

As if he would die from ‘just’ this.

‘I’ve sparred with that old man so many times.’

He had sparred with a superhuman over a hundred times.

Though he had never won, he had survived.

In that sense, this fight was light compared to sparring with that old man.

After all, that spell-caster bastard was at least….

“Hey, did you notice?”

“…To some extent.”

“Right? Seems I’m not the only one who thought so.”

A conversation with unclear meaning.

But they understood each other.

“That guy is weaker than the monster old men in our kingdom.”

Because he was a notch below the superhumans they knew.

“…Is His Majesty included among those old men?”

“Of course.”

“…Disrespectful bastard.”

“You agree with me though.”

“……”

Yes, that spell-caster was certainly strong but lacking something.

He was overwhelming and transcendental, true.

But how to put it…

Exactly the level of strength one would imagine?

Just the “average level of a superhuman”—neither more nor less.

Of course, even that made him a monster, but the two knights knew how enormous that difference could be.

Therefore.

“It means we can kill him.”

Well, for that…

“Not small strikes, but one big strike is needed.”

“…A difficult task.”

Lac’s powerful strike had just been easily blocked.

No matter how strong a strike they prepared, it would be useless if it couldn’t penetrate the barrier and defensive magic surrounding that monster.

They needed power strong enough to pierce through everything, but unfortunately, they had few techniques with such devastating power.

Even if they had such techniques, they didn’t have time to prepare them leisurely.

“…So, while I was digging through the ground like a human mole, I thought about it.”

“About what?”

“How to defeat him.”

“…Was there a way?”

“It’s not a completely certain method. But… we can try.”

“…What do I need to do?”

Conversations with quick-witted people were good for this reason.

Lac immediately understood that Ihan had said this because he needed his help, and asked what he should do.

Therefore.

“How far can you go?”

He asked in return. How far could he go?

“—All the way.”

Lac answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“…Man, you’re romantic.”

Unfortunately, this would be a good moment to light a cigarette, but sadly, both men were non-smokers, and they didn’t have time for that anyway.

Instead, they calmly gathered their sword, axe, and spear, and stepped forward.

Their condition was terrible.

Their injuries were quite severe.

Still, the driving force that allowed them to move forward was.

Thump! Thump!

Thanks to their hearts beating passionately.

Their hearts, reading their masters’ will more clearly than ever before, pounded strongly and said:

Fight—.