Legion Commander Berthe 2

Jjeojeojeojeojeong–!!

Berthe’s palms struck the empty air.

The heavens and earth seemed to compress. The soil rippled like waves, the compression of air visibly distorting space in an illusion.

The 10,000 arrows, veteran Disciples’ attacks, and even Haineken’s thousands of spears – all attacks were deflected like mere twigs.

Soon after, the fragmented debris from those attacks, along with the aftermath of Mountain Toppler, descended upon the Alliance forces.

“Maintain formation!!”

Hero Haineken roared with commanding presence.

He drew a lustrous spear from his back, gripping it like a bat.

‘Sky Reversion.’

Razor-sharp killing intent swirled around the spear’s tip like fangs.

As the Sky Reversion wind continued building up, it became a raging tempest.

Immediately, he swung the spear, meeting the incoming Mountain Toppler head-on.

Kwaaang–!!

The tempest and earth-shattering force collided.

Despite being a clash of wind pressures, the shockwave violently shook the air with an earth-shattering roar akin to a bomb’s detonation.

“Hugeok!!”

“Kkhrughk…!”

Soldiers groaned, struggling to remain standing amidst the quaking earth and turbulent atmosphere.

Spectators shuddered in awe – a battle between a Hero and Legion Commander, the pinnacles of their respective forces.

Each of their attacks was akin to a natural disaster itself.

“Kuhuhuh…”

Accompanied by Berthe’s low chuckle, the shockwaves from their collision dissipated. The 10,000 arrows littered the ground, the spears dissolving into light.

“How was that? The pugilism style of the continent’s most formidable warrior.”

“…”

Haineken felt a tingling sensation in his hands.

‘A monster.’

To outside observers, it may have seemed an even clash. But the reality differed.

The wind pressure Berthe had unleashed had overwhelmed all incoming attacks, its force only slightly diminished. And Haineken had exerted his full might just to deflect it.

Haineken realized it instinctively.

‘I can’t win.’

This entity specialized in one-on-one combat among Legion Commanders. Haineken would need to use Dragon Tiger Clash just to stand a sliver of a chance.

‘But…’

He glanced towards the Necrotic Gardener’s subordinates suspending his younger sister’s corpse in the air.

Haineken stalled for time, racking his mind for a solution as he spoke.

“…Are you truly saying that is Hero Hecleus’s pugilism style?”

“Even after witnessing its formidable might, you doubt it?”

“How is it that you can utilize the Master’s martial arts?”

Beyond buying time, this was an important matter as well.

If that was truly Hecleus’s style… no, Haineken saw something else in it.

‘The Sword Saint…’

The paramount martial art used by the Sword Saint, renowned as the continent’s greatest. Berthe’s technique had been strikingly similar.

But Doyun knew.

‘It truly is Hecleus’s Style.’

Just what was going on here?

Soon after, Berthe opened his grating, low-pitched voice.

“Because I slew him myself.”

“…!”

“…What?”

Both Doyun and Haineken’s eyes shot wide open in shock.

“The Great Hero Hecleus. That man met his demise by these very hands.”

“…”

Upon learning of the Great Hero’s unexpected death, the Alliance soldiers stirred restlessly.

But Doyun heard none of that commotion.

‘That bastard…’

In his eyes, only Berthe’s obsidian-like glossy scaled form was visible.

‘Hecleus…?’

The deaths of comrades were familiar to him, having lived 18 lives.

But this time was different. 100 years ago, no matter how many times they died, he could still meet them again in the next regression.

But now, he could never meet Hecleus again. Never.

Because of that fiend.

‘Truly…?’

The impact was of an entirely different magnitude compared to learning about his death in history lessons.

Doyun couldn’t even fathom how such a beast had slain him.

He was simply enraged by the fact that his comrade’s killer, a mere Demon Lord’s Legion Commander no less, was defiling his martial arts.

“Disciple Han Doyun. In this gap, it may be best for you to withdraw from the battlefield, er…!”

The Panthera Guild member addressing him trailed off in silence.

Outwardly, Doyun’s expression was unchanged, as impassive as ever.

Yet his eyes contained a piercing, bone-chilling fury that seemed to freeze one’s very core with a mere glance.

It was the wrath of Enoch Razvolnic, the continent’s strongest.

Even as this transpired, the exchange between Haineken and Berthe continued.

“In that case, you…”

“That’s enough prattle.”

Haineken frowned, still unable to find a breakthrough.

‘…I have no choice.’

For now, he would simply have to commit his full power to the clash.

‘If the worst comes to pass…’

He would have to abandon his younger sister.

‘…’

Biting his lip hard enough to taste blood.

No matter how precious his sister was, as a Hero, he could not allow personal sentiments to cloud his judgement in a life-or-death battle against a Legion Commander.

Just as Lord Enoch Razvolnic had done, there were matters more important than one’s own life.

That was the greater cause.

“Come.”

Berthe tensed his back muscles, preparing to engage Haineken.

“Show me then. The techniques that vexed the Demon Lord’s army so.”

“Huuuu…”

Taking a deep breath, Haineken’s aura began transforming.

His muscles became more defined, a beast-like ferocity emanating from his eyes.

In this moment, he had gained martial prowess rivaling the most sinister existences, the Legion Commanders.

“Gughughughu…”

The activation of Haineken’s signature skill, Dragon Tiger Clash.

“Guhohohhohng!!”

The White Tiger of the Alliance, Haineken.

“Kyaaaaahhhh!!”

The Black Dragon of the Demon Lord’s army, Berthe.

The dragon and tiger clashed.

Kwang!

As they charged forth, the earth itself seemed to split with a resounding boom.

Their all-out collisions occurred precisely at the midpoint between the Alliance and Demon Lord’s armies.

Berthe’s massive right fist extended. A crude, simple punch. Yet its might was utterly formidable.

That black fist – no, the space in front of it – glowed crimson. As if a meteor, the compressed air heated up, leaving a red afterimage trail.

The fist made no sound as it reached its point of impact. Despite Berthe’s 3m colossal stature and thick armor, it moved faster than sound itself could travel.

But Haineken, having stepped into the Agility 9 realm through Dragon Tiger Clash, fluidly evaded the punch with elegant movements.

And as he slipped into Berthe’s guard, his lustrous spear thrust towards the dragon’s eye.

Evasion, then a strike. Astonishing speed and precision inconceivable in such a brief, soundless instant.

Yet seeing Berthe’s pupil locked onto the spear’s tip mere 0.5cm away, Haineken sensed his attack would fail.

As Berthe tilted his head to deflect the spearpoint with his forehead, Haineken retracted and swung the shaft towards his neck instead.

Jjeojeojeojeojeong–!!

Finally, the resounding impact echoed as the two, having exchanged numerous blows in an instant, created distance between them.

Even in the void left by their fierce clash, a powerful shockwave rippled through the air, shaking it audibly.

“Hugeok!!”

“Wh, what was that?!”

“Huh…? What just happened…?”

Not just the soldiers, even the highest-tier Disciples could scarcely follow their dizzying exchange with their eyes alone.

Only Doyun, focused through Localized Acceleration Control, could marvel at their battle.

‘Such astonishing speed.’

So this was the grandeur of Level 9 stats.

While Berthe’s reflexes were exceptional as well, Haineken’s speed seemed to transcend time itself, leaving Berthe’s reactions lacking.

Without even checking his status window, Doyun could tell – Haineken had reached the Agility Level 9 realm.

As the rumors claimed, there was an incomparable gulf between Level 8 and 9 stats despite just a single level difference.

‘But that also means Berthe possesses capabilities equivalent to Level 9 stats.’

It wasn’t difficult to discern which ability.

“Mmm…”

Crunch. Berthe rolled his neck as if feeling some lingering ache.

Haineken’s Agility 9-infused attack to his neck hadn’t left so much as a scratch on that impenetrable scaled armor.

“Devilishly sturdy.”

Haineken calmed the reverberating sting in his hands, speaking nonchalantly.

“A power acquired by forsaking the magic that is a dragon’s birthright. Even the Dragon Lord could not sink her fangs into this.”

The thick, glossy obsidian scales covered Berthe’s entire body seamlessly without a single gap.

‘So that is the armored dragon, the Kyu-ryong.’

Undoubtedly possessing durability equivalent to Level 9 Endurance stats. Haineken grunted deeply.

“The only one who managed to pierce this armor and wound me was Hecleus – that man alone. And our battle took place outside the Holy Stones, no less.”

Extending his palms forward, he readopted his stance.

“I wonder if you can surpass that man.”

Haineken too leveled his spearpoint at the dragon.

“I suppose I’ll earn a place in history as the Great Hero today. ‘Dragon Slayer’ has a nice ring to it.”

Berthe grinned derisively at his flippant reply, his arrogance stoked.

“If you can show me a more impressive display, I may just use Hecleus’s Style.”

“Then come at me.”

And so, their second clash began.

This time, Berthe took the offensive.

The moment he entered striking range, Haineken unleashed a flurry of four spear strikes.

Each vicious thrust, infused with the Sky Reversion technique, aimed for Berthe’s eyes, throat, and solar plexus respectively.

But Berthe simply tilted his head, deflecting them. While the plexus strike landed squarely, it ultimately failed to pierce his thick scales.

Berthe charged forth, hammering Haineken relentlessly. A single hit from that overwhelming force would be fatal, yet Haineken refused to be struck even once.

His fists only dispersed Haineken’s afterimages, while Haineken thrust towards Berthe’s eyes three or four times with each missed punch.

However, Berthe’s reflexes were also exceptional. Though unable to match Haineken’s speed, his scaled armor served him well.

With the slightest head movements, the attacks glanced off his brow, eyes, and eyebrows, failing to land any damage.

Haineken could only graze him, yet refused to be hit.

Berthe continued being struck, but never allowed a decisive blow.

After dozens of such exchanges…

“Gotcha.”

Berthe caught the spear Haineken had thrust at him, grinning smugly.

But his grin instantly vanished, feeling an unsettling chill along his inner elbow. He hastily retracted his arm.

Kkaaaang–!!

“Kughk…!”

Haineken had already drawn another spear in his left hand, thrusting with a far more vicious strike unlike before, aiming for Berthe’s arm. Had he been a moment slower, striking the elbow joint, dire consequences would have followed.

The potent Sky Reversion force infused into that thrust caused Berthe to momentarily lose control of his arm, a massive vortex swirling behind the point of impact, tearing up the surrounding earth and trees.

Berthe swiftly leapt back to create distance, but that brief opening against an Agility 9 spearmaster had been a critical mistake.

Haineken whirled the long spears in each hand like a six-armed Asura demon, unleashing a storm of strikes.

Hundreds of spear strikes in that momentary soundless instant. And then, he crossed the two spears in an X-shape.

‘Thousand-Li Earthly Spears.’

Berthe’s eyes widened.

His draconic senses detected it – in front, behind, to the sides, above, diagonally towards the heavens. Even from beneath the earth.

Hundreds of vicious spear strikes converged upon him from all directions.

Haineken’s ultimate spearmanship, capable of unleashing spear strikes from any angle, any range – Thousand-Li Earthly Spears.

‘Impossible to evade!’

Hero Haineken’s full power rained down upon the Legion Commander Berthe.