Ch.192191. Until the Very End

# 191. Until the Very End

I had seen this sight before.

It was the same situation as the field-type dungeon I experienced during the midterm exams in my first year.

“Minotaurs.”

The horde of minotaurs I had seen back then.

That same group appeared before me once again.

While this was a welcome sight for me, there couldn’t be anything more terrifying for the other students.

“This… can other students really clear this?”

So this was why graduation from the Imperial Academy was so difficult, and why they acknowledged those who couldn’t graduate.

Indeed, for ordinary students, this level of difficulty would be impossible to overcome even if they died and came back to life.

-Grrrr..!!-

They made unpleasant growling sounds as they watched me warily.

At least they weren’t charging headfirst like those creatures from earlier, so they seemed to have some intelligence.

But in the end, that might have been better for them.

“Though it’s all the same in the end.”

-Gooooh..!-

Just like before, I slashed through the air with my sword filled with the abyss.

The abyss emerged from the sword and charged forward at an insane speed.

If the minotaurs had done that…

“They might have landed a hit?”

The charging abyss devoured its prey voraciously, like a beggar who hadn’t eaten for a week.

The minotaur horde was swallowed by the suddenly appearing predator.

And it took less than two minutes.

“Ugh…”

Just like before, watching it consume all the blood and entrails flowing from them made my stomach churn.

After cleanly dispatching them, the abyss returned to me silently.

Unlike usual, it didn’t immediately enter the sword but waited quietly in front of me.

“What do you want?”

-Gooo..-

I had no idea what it was saying, but it seemed to be speaking.

It was fascinating.

A being with no body, no organs, and no brain was trying to communicate with me… what a strange world we live in.

I asked the mysterious entity:

“Are you asking for praise?”

-Goo!-

The abyss moved around excitedly.

For some reason, it was quite adorable.

I couldn’t help but smile at its childlike behavior.

I had fallen for this cute being’s charm.

“Alright, you did well.”

-Gooooo!!!-

The abyss was genuinely delighted by the praise.

Then, seemingly satisfied, it trembled slightly and entered my sword.

This was truly an absurd situation.

But it wasn’t bad in its own way.

“It’s surprisingly cute.”

To think that a being that devours all magical power and living creatures could be so adorable.

It was a new discovery.

Of course, I also had questions.

‘Why suddenly? Why?’

It was true that the rank of [Sword of the Distant Abyss] had increased.

Initially, it was S-, but now it had reached S+.

“Is it because of the rank?”

From another perspective, it could be seen as a sign that the rank was about to increase further.

Of course, I didn’t know if that was actually the case.

Setting those thoughts aside for now, I picked up my sword again.

-Click!-

“What’s because of the rank?”

About five minutes after the second trial ended.

Marco, holding just a cheap sword, entered the colosseum arena.

“I guess there are no exceptions after all?”

“Yes, I asked, but they said it’s difficult to grade and, more importantly, Albert could be in danger, so we should proceed as usual.”

“Really… unnecessary worry.”

Though I said this, I didn’t actually mind.

I did want to fight Marco without penalties, but winning came first.

After all, as Chris said earlier, I wanted to at least be second.

“And the academy seems to have high expectations.”

“Expectations?”

“Yes, they’re expecting Albert to defeat you. Especially Professor Gloria.”

Hearing that gave me a boost of energy.

The more support, the better.

When I smiled at those words, Marco commented on my smile.

“You seem to enjoy those expectations, Albert.”

“Not particularly. I’m actually quite nervous right now.”

“That expression doesn’t make your words very convincing.”

In truth, it was half right and half wrong.

Half was nervousness, and the other half was anticipation.

The anticipation of having an interesting battle.

I told him:

“Since it seems unfair for only you to have a penalty, I’ll give myself one as well.”

“What kind of confidence is that?”

“I think it’ll be more fun this way.”

With those words, I activated [Mortal’s End].

-Woong!!-

Then, pointing my sword at him, I continued:

“You know my sword has special abilities, right? I won’t use those or the new skill I recently acquired.”

“I know about the sword’s ability… but a new skill? What’s that?”

“I guess you haven’t seen the video yet.”

There was a video recording of the battle that took place when I went to the Orion Kingdom.

Of course, that video was kept by the country and not released to the public.

Still, I thought Marco would have seen it… but apparently not.

“It exists. I’ll tell you about it later. After I make the hero surrender.”

“Interesting.”

Marco pointed his sword at me, just as I had done to him.

We were watching each other, gauging the situation.

Clearly, thanks to the effects of [Mortal’s End] and [Sword of the Distant Abyss], I had the statistical advantage.

Yet, I couldn’t just charge in recklessly.

‘He’s calm.’

Steady breathing and precise footwork.

And those eyes, as if he already knew where I would go, casting glances along predetermined paths.

I knew it already, but he was truly exceptional.

“Not bad.”

“Isn’t that a skill that uses your life force as collateral? Then it would be better to settle this quickly.”

“You know too much.”

The moment I spoke, his concentration seemed to waver slightly. Unlike before, he couldn’t predict my movement path.

At that moment…

“Of course…”

I threw my sword toward his left foot.

Surprised by the sudden attack, he turned his attention there.

I seized that moment.

Using [Swift], I charged forward and swung my fist toward his sword hand.

But he quickly regained his composure and responded to the attack, firmly grasping my incoming fist.

-Grip!!-

Marco applied pressure in that position.

Without my sword, I lacked strength and couldn’t immediately escape from Marco.

Instead, I summoned my sword again and clashed with his.

-Clang!!-

By gripping the sword again, my previous strength returned.

I shook off his hand and focused on breaking his sword.

-Clang!! Kwang!-

Of course, Marco was aware of this and didn’t yield easily.

I was clearly stronger.

Yet, the advantage didn’t shift to my side.

“You’re truly impressive.”

I had the upper hand in fundamentals as well.

However, unlike me, he was wielding his sword defensively.

A fluid swordsmanship like flowing water, it rarely showed openings, and even when gaps appeared, he somehow managed to cover them.

“I’m just defending.”

At that moment, contrary to his words, Marco aimed for my head.

But that attack was too ambitious.

I responded by tilting my head, avoiding the sword, and then counterattacked toward his exposed body.

-Thud!!-

Like Reina the day before yesterday, I stabbed my sword into his stomach.

Red blood began to trickle out.

But Marco didn’t care about that and instead changed the trajectory of his sword to swing at me again.

-Thud!!-

His attack was successful.

Though he aimed for my body, having the sword stuck in my hand must have been disappointing.

Still, a success was a success.

Red blood flowed from my hand where the sword had pierced through, and an excruciating pain, as if I had lost consciousness, emanated from there.

Marco smiled at the sight.

But there was one fact Marco overlooked.

“Not caring about wounds… you’re not the only one who can do that.”

With the sword still stuck in my hand, I pulled out the sword embedded in his stomach and swung it at him again.

First at his torso, then his legs, then his arms, I swung the sword relentlessly.

-Slash!! Swoosh!! Thud!!-

I cut, slashed, and stabbed.

Numerous wounds appeared on his body, and the blood from those wounds stained both him and me.

He didn’t just stand there either.

At first, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword, causing many wounds on me as well.

But now he was lying motionless on the ground.

More accurately, he couldn’t move.

His body couldn’t endure anymore.

I looked down at him, who could no longer even stand.

A blood-stained appearance, and though not to the same extent, I probably didn’t look much better.

I felt like I might collapse.

But I gritted my teeth and endured.

‘Because the test isn’t over yet.’

And Marco, too, remained conscious until the end.

“It was… definitely fun…”

“You can say that in your condition?”

“You’re not in great shape either…”

“Damn… I’m going to get scolded again.”

“Same here…”

At that moment, I heard the footsteps of priests rushing to the arena.

I expressed my regret at that fact.

“I should have just used all my skills from the start and gotten your surrender comfortably…”

“That would have been boring… this outcome makes it more meaningful.”

With his painful body, Marco somehow managed to share an interesting fact with me.

“Even the Emperor, during the Imperial Academy’s third trial, gave his all but couldn’t remain standing until the end.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief then…”

Hearing that made me even more determined not to collapse.

So I stood there upright, waiting for the priests to arrive.

Until the very end.