Ch.51Chapter 51 – Holy Armor (2)

I was once troubled by the question of what makes a hero.

A hero who defeats the demon lord and saves everyone they care about—a figure that could only exist in fiction.

These days, there are too many works that subvert this glorious archetype in the name of avoiding clichés.

Stories where heroes get expelled from their party for strange reasons, or abandoned after losing their abilities.

‘Verdandi is the greatest hero I’ve ever conceived.’

A virtuous person consumed by their own sense of justice, a hero who rises again no matter how painful the ordeal.

Because of this, she was sometimes exploited by villains, and ultimately fell to become a new demon lord—the final boss who eventually surrenders the hero’s position to the next generation.

‘In contrast, Sieg-hardt is the best protagonist I could imagine.’

I created Sieg-hardt as an antithesis to her. Unlike Verdandi, he’s not altruistic—he’s a hero who fights solely for himself.

I thought this was necessary to subvert the traditional hero narrative, but…

‘…Perhaps I was wrong.’

What I was witnessing now was a moment where the characters had transcended their creator’s imagination.

“I can still fight…!”

Verdandi, smiling as brightly as the dazzling sun, was preparing to fight Sieg-hardt once more.

“So you did have the Holy Armor after all.”

As if he had anticipated her rising again, Sieg-hardt grinned and reached high into the sky to manifest a sword.

“Of course! I am the Hero, after all!”

Unwavering justice versus deeply personal justice.

The sight of these two heroes—who had walked completely opposite paths—respecting each other as they clashed was shattering all my preconceptions.

* * *

‘I need to end this quickly.’

Only one thought dominated Sieg-hardt’s mind now. The Holy Armor provided its wearer with absolute defense and healed wounds and fatigue.

‘…I’ve heard that ordinary swords can’t penetrate that armor.’

This was what Sieg-hardt had learned from Bing-seol-hwa before entering this duel. His opponent was likely to possess the special armor called Holy Armor.

Reversal—moving by turning time backward.

Severance—completely separating and splitting space.

These two sword techniques were degraded versions that could only use a fraction of their power, unable to fully transform time and space into a sword.

‘Even if I use every means at my disposal, can I win?’

No, it’s impossible.

No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t find a solution.

He wondered if his opponent had felt the same way—he realized once again that finding hope in the face of overwhelming defeat was harder than anything else.

But,

“I will claim victory!”

Verdandi, standing before him, was speaking of victory—the complete opposite of his thoughts. Her attitude was unyieldingly righteous. How could someone like this ever become a demon lord?

‘If I use Reversal again here…’

Sieg-hardt had noticed that Verdandi’s Holy Armor was the most troublesome item. So his first clever move was to turn back time to the moment when she was injured.

Tick—, tock—.

The sound of clock hands echoed as everything began to flow backward. Verdandi’s movements as she rushed toward Sieg-hardt gradually slowed and stopped.

Just a little more and it would be done.

Sieg-hardt’s breath was going in reverse, and he felt the unpleasant sensation of blood flowing backward.

This was the drawback of not being able to fully transform time into a sword. Because of this, Sieg-hardt couldn’t maintain the time reversal for long.

At that moment,

“I won’t fall for the same trick twice…!”

“…?!!”

Verdandi’s voice rang out clearly in the reversing flow of time. And immediately after came a slash.

Clang—!

Sieg-hardt hastily blocked the attack, his expression showing complete bewilderment at what had just happened.

“How did you…?”

He had definitely stopped time, so how could she move? Until now, only that woman Bing-seol-hwa had been able to enter his ability’s domain.

“Your ability is what the East calls the unity of person and sword…! It doesn’t work on the Hero’s armor!”

Verdandi explained how she could move as a sign of respect for her opponent. Their pounding hearts told them they were each other’s perfect match.

In the original work “I Need To Kill The Hero,” Sieg-hardt couldn’t defeat the fully corrupted Verdandi. If it were a modern web novel, an ending where the protagonist dies would have been criticized.

But the world these two were in now wasn’t the original story—it was reality.

“So you’ve even figured out my ability. I’m impressed.”

“Your praise won’t make me go easy on you!”

The two clashed swords, trying to defeat each other with a fervor that drowned out the cheers of the crowd. The dialogue between steel and steel was more honest and weighty than anything else.

“You don’t look well. Wouldn’t it be better to give up and try again next time? Even if you lose, there are others behind you.”

Sieg-hardt offered sincere advice out of concern for Verdandi. If her armor could counter his ability, it would surely be effective against the Outer God Shub-Niggurath as well.

She had already proven her abilities enough in this fight.

If she combined forces with the girl named Bi-wol who had appeared before this match, and with others, they might be able to separate Bing-seol-hwa from the Outer God.

Sieg-hardt, who had lost his sight but gained superhuman senses in return, could clearly feel how powerful his opponent was.

The protagonist and the final boss.

Their fated enmity, where they were destined to kill each other, was now transforming into a bond.

“No…!”

Verdandi had noticed this too, but she felt she would regret it if the fight stopped now. If she forfeited and received treatment immediately, she could save her life.

But,

“I want to save my master with my own hands!”

If she gave up, she wouldn’t be able to obtain the 10,000-Year Ultimate Blood Treasure, the prize for winning the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, with her own hands.

The person who had saved her from going down the wrong path.

Someone more selfless than anyone, someone who knew how to sacrifice themselves for others.

A clearly virtuous person who could see the future but never used that ability for personal gain.

At some point, Verdandi had started wanting to become like her master, Bing-yeon. It was an emotion too embarrassing to express in words and too difficult to put into action.

“Just as my master did for me!”

Verdandi didn’t yet understand that this feeling was love.

“That’s what I believe a righteous hero is…!”

But she knew with certainty that her heart was beating solely for her master, Bing-yeon.

“You’re right. The world calls those who continue to wield their swords in situations like this heroes.”

Sieg-hardt smiled gently at Verdandi’s determination. He had noticed that she refused to fall because she wanted to save the man named Bing-yeon whom she had just met.

He knew that Verdandi didn’t have much time left. She had exceeded her physical limits long ago.

Even distributing her energy most efficiently, she could swing her sword only twice more—any more would endanger her life.

If that was the case,

“I’ll face you with my full strength as well.”

So that neither would have regrets,

A strike with the utmost respect.

“The sword technique of flowing time—Reversal, the sword technique that cuts the opponent—Severance, the sword carrying wind—Pure Wind, the sword carrying light—Light Wheel, the sword carrying air—Formless.”

He had to put everything into this one strike.

A sword with such weak durability that it could be swung only once.

Even if it was still an incomplete sword, he had to refine and forge it to the utmost to defeat his opponent.

“The sword is me, and I am the sword.”

With those words, a massive sword formed in Sieg-hardt’s hand. As he raised it high into the sky, it took on a form that touched the sun.

“Single Strike Sword, Sieg-hardt.”

And then, as if the sun itself was splitting and falling, a slash that seemed to cut the world in half poured down toward Verdandi.

* * *

Verdandi briefly closed her eyes as she saw the massive sword strike pouring down on her. She wasn’t relying on the Holy Armor’s defense, nor was she giving up the duel.

– Verdandi, do you understand the essence of the Six Harmonies Swordmanship?

– Isn’t it about imitating the movement of flowering trees better than anyone else?

Verdandi was searching for a way to overcome the current situation based on a conversation she had previously had with her master, Bing-yeon.

Even if the Holy Armor provided absolute protection to its wearer, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t feel any impact from taking that hit.

The bleeding in her abdomen was getting worse, and she was barely holding onto her sword with sheer willpower as the strength in her fingertips was fading.

– No. The essence of Six Harmonies Swordmanship is soft emotion that breaks hardness.

– I am a person with soft emotions!

At that time, she couldn’t understand what those words meant. She didn’t know why imitating the movement of plum trees meant that softness breaks hardness.

After all, aren’t tree roots that break rocks also hard?

– No. The beginning of the hard plum tree starts from very soft buds. It’s the sword intent of transformation, where a single blade of grass sprouting between stones breaks everything.

But now, she seemed to understand what those words meant.

Verdandi released the strength in her hands and held the sword handle lightly. She took a breath and slightly lowered her shoulders.

The slash approached Verdandi, leaving great scars on the tournament grounds as if about to devour her, but what she needed now was weakness.

People need to understand softness to understand others.

Emotions that are too rigid will eventually break.

“Haaaaaah…”

Taking a deep breath all the way to her chest, Verdandi extended her arm forward and raised her blade. She had to neutralize that sword strike by any means necessary.

She had no strength to spare now.

Like a flower bud blooming, she moved very slowly but with utmost softness.

She squeezed out every bit of mana and inner energy into each movement and breath, connecting them in a single motion.

“Six Harmonies Swordmanship, Blooming.”

The soft plum blossom sword that turns the opponent’s attack against them.

Pale pink flower petals scattered across the arena, cutting through Sieg-hardt’s sword strike.