Ch.179Chapter 179: Promise

My posture was awkwardly crouched after taking Fafnir’s strike.

Before me, a sharp vacuum wave generated by Fafnir’s attack was flying toward me like a projectile.

I had somehow managed to dodge the previous attacks aimed at my fallen form thanks to my unusually light movements today.

But the moment I saw that razor-sharp vacuum wave, which seemed to turn my vision completely white—

I realized that today’s sparring session, which had been going surprisingly well, was about to end.

I would probably be knocked unconscious in an undignified manner after taking that hit.

Though I sensed defeat was imminent…

Strangely, I didn’t find it unpleasant.

Even though this sparring match had been brief…

I had done my best and pushed myself to the point where I had nothing more to show Fafnir.

Just as that faint sense of satisfaction was about to settle in my mind—

Swoosh—!!

The roaring sound of a vacuum wave grazed my left ear.

Slash—!!

A second vacuum wave that I had no time to dodge flew past, this time grazing my right shoulder.

I momentarily winced at the sharpness that felt like it was cutting into my flesh.

But the wound healed without a trace almost immediately after I registered it, leaving me with only a moment’s pain.

At first, this sensation was so unfamiliar that it unconsciously made me shrink back.

But as the practical combat-like sparring with Fafnir continued…

I gradually came to accept the wound repair from my super-regeneration ability.

So even as I took those two vacuum waves, my eyes remained steady.

I could face the “real” attack that quickly followed those two preliminary vacuum waves.

As I mentioned earlier…

After I had barely managed to take a step forward, leaving a sword mark on Fafnir’s armor…

This was a vacuum wave containing a terrifying sharpness that would force cold self-objectivity upon me.

Without my super-regeneration ability, the power behind it would undoubtedly have confined me to a bed for several months at best, if I were lucky enough to survive the hit.

What made it more unfortunate was that in my current situation, there was no way I could avoid it no matter what I tried.

I had finally achieved the feat of leaving a sword mark on Fafnir’s armor during our training session.

I had wanted to ride that momentum and press him further.

But it seems this is as far as I go.

‘…By the time I’m thinking this, that attack should have already hit me?’

As I was wondering why so many thoughts could pass through my mind compared to the speed of the approaching vacuum wave…

I raised my head, which I had been about to lower in preparation for the impact.

‘…It’s slow.’

The vacuum wave rushing toward me at a speed incomparable to an arrow appeared strangely slow.

No, it didn’t just appear slow.

It was definitively slow.

I turned my gaze toward Fafnir, wondering if he had intentionally held back his attack.

But I easily noticed something strange.

Even Fafnir’s movements as he finished his kick and moved into his follow-through appeared infinitely slow.

He wasn’t moving slowly.

He just appeared slow to my eyes.

And only my body, which was taking in this scene with my eyes, was moving at normal speed.

Though puzzled, I considered this an opportunity to escape and was about to move quickly.

Then I heard a sound that didn’t just cut through the air but split it in two.

The vacuum wave had suddenly returned to its original speed and struck my body.

‘I should have known…’

That was the last thought in my mind before I lost consciousness after taking the hit.

#

“Guhk!!”

A short cry and—

Thud

The sound of someone’s body hitting the ground hard.

“Hmm…”

From the opposite side came a contemplative hum from someone surveying the scene.

The owner of the voice was none other than Fafnir.

His gaze was fixed on the collapsed form of Cal Lanos—whom he usually called “the youngster”—who had barely managed to dodge several of his finishing blows despite his broken stance, but had finally been directly hit by an unavoidable strike and rendered incapacitated.

“Heh.”

Soon, a light laugh escaped him.

Due to his intimidating full-face helmet that completely covered his face…

His expression wasn’t visible, of course.

But anyone watching this scene would easily imagine that Fafnir’s expression had softened as he laughed lightly.

Of course, though he was laughing, he wasn’t wasting time.

Even while laughing…

Fafnir’s right hand continued to caress the side of his ribs where the youngster’s sword strike had left a mark.

Though there was a sword mark…

It hadn’t cut into his flesh…

So it shouldn’t have caused him any pain, yet why was he endlessly caressing that marked area?

The answer might lie in the red light gradually growing brighter from Fafnir’s right hand as he touched the sword mark.

“The youngster has grown a lot. Just yesterday, he couldn’t leave even a single mark here no matter how wildly he swung his ki-infused sword.”

His voice continued to reflect on the recent sparring match with the casualness of someone discussing what they had for dinner.

Wooong—!!

As the sound from the crimson light emanating from his right hand reached its peak…

“Well, that should do it.”

With these words, Fafnir’s right hand moved away from where the sword mark had been.

When his hand moved away, exposing the side of his ribs, the sword mark had completely disappeared.

It was a sight that would have astonished professional armor repairers.

Yet the protagonist who created this amazing scene, as if repairing armor wasn’t his main concern…

Kept his gaze fixed on the unconscious youngster collapsed before him.

He assumed a thinking pose, raising his right hand—which had flawlessly repaired the armor—to his chin.

Though his expression wasn’t visible due to his helmet…

Anyone could tell that Fafnir was deep in thought right now.

But while his appearance was quite serious…

The concern in his mind wasn’t that grave.

He was simply deciding whether to wake up the fallen youngster to continue their sparring…

Or to end the session and send the youngster back to where he came from.

The deliberation didn’t last long.

The youngster who had left a mark on his armor had lost consciousness after being hit by the sharp attack Fafnir had used when he decided to step things up a notch, and still hadn’t regained awareness.

Even though he had intentionally dulled the cutting power of his attack, which could have otherwise bisected most materials…

It still had enough force to potentially kill an ordinary person instantly in the worst case.

Even though the youngster’s wounds had healed completely thanks to his super-regeneration ability the moment he was injured, despite his broken stance when he took the full brunt of the attack…

“…”

There was no point in continuing the sparring with an opponent who had cried out once and still hadn’t regained consciousness.

“…Let’s end it here.”

Having made up his mind, Fafnir raised his left hand instead of his right that was supporting his chin.

He lightly pressed his thumb and middle finger together.

Then he flicked them with a crisp motion.

Snap—!!

Despite the gloomy fog that enveloped everything…

The fog didn’t muffle the sound, so…

A sound as crisp as the finger snap spread throughout the fog-covered space.

Shaa—!!

The body of Fafnir’s sparring partner lying on the ground became as hazy as the fog filling this space and disappeared.

Though Cal, having lost consciousness, couldn’t hear the voice that came as his body vanished from this space…

“Good work.”

Only sincere words came from Fafnir’s mouth as he watched Cal’s form fade away.

This was nothing short of the highest praise Fafnir could offer to the youngster who had managed to leave a mark on his Dragon Scale Armor with a sword that wasn’t infused with even a fragment of ki.

#

After Cal’s departure from the world he had created…

Fafnir turned around and sat on the throne where he had been seated before the sparring match.

Since the match had ended sooner than expected, his body heat still remained on the throne.

Perhaps intoxicated by the comfort the throne itself provided…

“Phew.”

A comfortable sigh that dispelled fatigue flowed from Fafnir’s mouth.

It was a habitual action he took after finishing a sparring session.

Normally, he would have immediately fallen asleep on the throne to relieve his recently increased fatigue, barring any unusual circumstances.

“…”

But Fafnir’s demeanor as he sat on the throne with his chin rested on his hand, deeply contemplating something, was different from usual.

What had changed the attitude of Fafnir, who had ended the sparring session more quickly than usual?

The answer was surprisingly simple.

“That youngster…”

Several thoughts crossed Fafnir’s mind as he recalled Cal, who was no longer present.

Starting from when he first began training this youngster…

Initially, the kid would fall flat after just one swing of his arm.

But as time passed, he began to respond nimbly to Fafnir’s attacks and match his pace.

Eventually, he reached a level where they could continue sparring until both were exhausted.

And today…

“As I said earlier, his progress is remarkably fast…”

Tap tap

The index finger of Fafnir’s right hand lightly tapped the armrest of the throne.

It was a habit he had when deeply contemplating something.

The only thing to think about was…

How to direct future sparring sessions with the youngster who had shown achievements at a speed incomparable to what he had anticipated.

Today, for the first time, Fafnir had put a bit of sincerity into his sparring with the one he called “youngster.”

He couldn’t help but be sincere with an opponent who had managed to leave a mark on his armor, which had been known as “indestructible” since the days of the Great Holy War.

In his mind, Fafnir recalled the few opponents who had managed to damage this armor.

The corrupt beings possessing twisted divinity who had seduced him with sweet words and controlled his mind when he was thirsting for power.

The exceptional strong ones among the Blood Star Mages who served under them.

And…

“…Lumen.”

The name of a woman who had silver hair when they first met.

But after he gave her his blood to save her when she faced death during their journey together, her hair turned red.

“Just like your descendant, you both leave marks on armor in the same way.”

Hehehe

Perhaps because reminiscing about old times put him in a good mood, Fafnir let out a light chuckle.

As he did so, he moved his right hand, which had been lightly tapping the armrest, back to his right side where the sword mark had completely healed without leaving a trace.

There was much to think about, and a long way to go to accomplish it all.

But Fafnir, seated on his throne, felt that his long-cherished wish might not take as long to fulfill as he had thought.

He believed this was possible because of the youngster who was quickly shedding his initial clumsiness.

Fafnir then stood up again and raised his head toward the sky.

Though only a hazy view awaited him in this fog-filled space…

“Now that you’ve gotten a bit used to it, I should make you scream in pain again to help you grow even more, shouldn’t I?”

Fafnir’s quiet soliloquy, though spoken to himself, seemed like a pledge to someone who wasn’t present.