Ch.637And, Now

The third great war, pushed by the warriors’ rage and his responsibility as a Kagan. There, Haschal, whom he met again…had changed shockingly.

Whatever he had seen and experienced in the Empire had transformed him—his rough speech like a street thug and his outfit revealing bare legs.

If he had chosen those clothes himself, it would be enough to make one sigh in despair, and if someone had recommended that attire, they deserved to be beaten to death.

Of course, it wasn’t just his speech and attire that had changed. The Imperial First Sword, they called him? That child had become incomparably stronger than before. Just like me.

His fighting style based on Imperial swordsmanship resembled Imelia, while his ferocity in wielding overwhelming power was similar to mine.

He even possessed a body as tough as the Unyielding Flesh, which astonished me.

At first, I thought it was a technique mimicking the Unyielding Flesh. Until I remembered the heroic tale about her ancestor that Imelia once told me.

An invincible knight impervious to swords and spears, wasn’t it? Indeed, it was true. Though experiencing it firsthand, it was somewhat exaggerated.

Though not my equal, he had strength that made him peerless against anyone else. Facing such power…I couldn’t suppress a lingering attachment.

The dream I had set aside after Haschal used sorcery to slaughter the white banner army. The desire to pass on the unified plains I had achieved to this child resurfaced once more.

It didn’t seem impossible.

Among those who had transcended the wall of Champion to reach superhuman levels, the two of us, with our exceptional power due to divine blood, could suppress even the warriors’ resistance and achieve our goals.

As for his hatred toward me, since it stemmed from misunderstanding, I believed it could be resolved by calmly explaining the truth about Imelia’s murder.

“Eat shit.”

…Things didn’t go as planned.

No matter how many times I tried to persuade him, Haschal already despised the entire Ka’har, and he seemed to have built a friendly relationship with Ludwig, showing no intention of listening to me.

It was truly regrettable.

—-

And now.

In a lava pit where I couldn’t survive a moment without the Unyielding Flesh,

“…Haschal.”

I clenched my fists, welcoming the sense of impending death I hadn’t felt in decades.

Amidst the collapsing, burning ruins of the wall.

A warrior of equal strength to bind my feet and prevent escape.

The trap set by Ludwig and Haschal had precisely targeted the weakness of the Unyielding Flesh. Even I found it difficult to think of a way out.

If I die here, none of my dreams will be fulfilled—avenging my clan, unifying the plains, putting Imelia’s soul to rest.

Yet…strangely, I felt no resentment, anger, or impatience.

Rather, I felt like laughing.

The fangs of this daughter who resembled Imelia had grown enough to tear at my throat.

It was a joyous thing. Even if I were to die here.

If she defeats me, those fangs will grow larger and sharper, eventually able to tear apart the entire world.

Looking at my daughter who, at just nineteen, had reached the same realm as me and was preparing to go beyond, I smiled faintly with complete satisfaction.

– Whoosh!

…I tried to look at her.

But I couldn’t even tell where to fix my gaze.

I had always known that Haschal closely resembled Imelia, but to this extent…

Fortunately, the flames clinging to our bodies somewhat covered our nakedness.

====[ Aishan-Gioro Hersella ]====

In the center of an underground cavern where even rocks shed red tears from the hellish heat,

“Orhan…”

Hersella raised her mother’s sword, muttering her enemy’s name.

The chance for revenge had finally come after ten years of waiting. Surrendering to the boundless ecstasy coloring her mind, Hersella smiled until her cheeks nearly tore.

Something that had been suppressed deep within her burst forth like a broken dam.

【 K҈͔͓̎̾̃͢͠i҈̧̝͇͕̝̤̊̇̾͆̍̕l҉̪͎̜̤͍҇͑̀͜l҉ h҈i҈m҈. 】

A growling hallucination invaded her mind. A ferocious impulse resembling hunger. Killing intent, burning with rage as fuel, bared its fangs toward the enemy.

-Grooooowl!

The wolf’s blood flowing through her veins boiled furiously. Crimson steam enveloped her entire body, intertwining with the flames she was wrapped in.

“Hnngh…”

Even her breath became flame. A form closer to monster than human. Like a mythical incarnation of fire and death.

Wrapped in a mist of blood and flame like armor, Hersella raised her head to look at her enemy. Everything before her eyes was turning red.

– Wooong!

Durandal trembled softly. As if wanting to break free from the hand gripping it. The sword was rejecting her.

Hersella tightened her fingers around the hilt, gripping it as if biting into it—

– KWAAANG!

With a thunderous roar, she launched herself forward, swinging her sword at the enemy.

“KYAAAAH!”

Flames and lava splashed like water spray, and the power of Karma of Murder burst forth, whirling around, crushing and cutting everything in its path.

“HAAAH!”

Orhan too ceased his contemplation and charged toward her. His body, perfected by the Karma of Murder into the Unyielding Flesh, shot forward with the momentum of a mountain.

– KWAAANG!

The explosion shook the cavern.

In this infernal battlefield, two superhumans wrapped in flames collided like comets racing across the ground. The shockwave swept across the ground, momentarily pushing back even the fierce flames, and lava covered everything like waves.

The memorial service had begun.

—-

“ORHAAAAN!”

Sword and fist collided violently with a thunderous roar, and half-melted stone pillars crumbled in the aftermath.

Bodies were thrown back, crashing deep into the cavern walls, then leaped out again with fierce roars to clash once more.

The entire cavern shook violently as lava and boulders rained down. It was like fighting inside an erupting volcano.

“I’ll cut off your limbs and behead you, offering them at my mother’s shrine!”

Despite her ferocious cry, neither her swinging sword nor her left hand could inflict even a scratch, but it was enough to prevent Orhan from escaping the trap prepared to kill him.

“Die and atone for your sins!”

Against a formidable enemy whom she couldn’t be certain of defeating even at full strength, Hersella employed every technique she had devised.

She barely maintained her sanity with a thread of reason controlling her boiling killing intent and rising fury, using her companion’s voice telling her to calm down as a buoy.

– KWAOOOO!

The whirlpool of Karma of Murder rose like a tsunami, constantly changing shape and raging like a storm.

When Hersella spread her left hand wide and grasped the empty air before her, the mist-like energy of Karma of Murder transformed into crimson chains that wrapped around and constricted Orhan’s entire body.

Orhan’s charging body froze for an instant.

“KAAP!”

Orhan let out a short battle cry and violently swung his right arm bound by the chains. The crimson chains burst like waves hitting a cliff, returning to a faint mist.

Following was a fist shot like a cannonball. Hersella gathered the pulverized, mist-like Karma of Murder again, creating a shield shaped like dozens of layers of silk.

Geumbyeokwol. The Karma of Murder shield that had even blocked Rurik’s attacks.

However, even with the power of Karma of Murder that had deepened incomparably since then, it was impossible to perfectly block Orhan’s attack.

– KWAANG!

The silk shield, meeting the burning fist, burst with an explosion. It couldn’t withstand even for a moment.

The unstoppable avalanche-like fist extended toward her. Hersella wrapped her left arm in the power of Karma of Murder and threw a punch in return. Oil droplets mixed in the current of Karma of Murder ignited, creating a whirlwind of flames.

The collision of the Unyielding Flesh and Frosting produced a sound like heaven and earth crumbling. Flames sprayed out behind their shoulders from the aftermath.

The two were thrown back with more than twice the momentum of their charge, rolling across the lava.

It was a collision of such force that a Master would have been reduced to pulp with a single blow, and even those who had reached the realm of Hero could not have avoided serious injury, yet they both stood up again without a single wound.

“Not yet. Still far from over!”

“Indeed, still not enough! If you want to kill me, you’ll have to try harder!”

Not only Orhan, who was manifesting the Unyielding Flesh, but Hersella too showed no visible injuries.

The blessing of the Fire Person. The blessing of her ancestor dwelling in the Median bloodline was protecting her body.

Neither Haschal nor Hersella had considered that their clothes would completely burn away, but thanks to this, the blessing of the Fire Person was demonstrating a level of defense comparable to Rotholandus in his prime.

Beyond just blocking cuts and stabs, it could even offset about half the impact of being hit by an iron mace wielded by a giant.