Episode 178 – An Unwinnable Fight

The barbarians around me, upon hearing my proposal, all contorted their faces hideously and glared at me.

A murderous aura that made my hairs stand on end, but what made my body tremble more than anything was Kaisan’s laughter that seemed to resonate through the air.

Within that hearty laughter, there was clearly animosity and murderous intent.

Kaisan, wearing a frenzied smile, lowered his head and stared at me as if he would tear me apart and kill me.

“How insulting… Do you think someone like you can defeat me? And… you’re going to send us back? Do you dare to stop our march?”

“… It’s not that I’m saying you can’t come out forever. It’s okay if you just go back to your hometown for 5 years and endure for 5 years.”

“Keu keu keu keu, audacious fellow… Now that I see, you’re a man… Heh, fine. If you win, I’ll retreat from Grace… I’ll give up on that woman too and stay in my hometown for 5 years.”

“… Then”

“But!!!”

Kaisan, who shouted loudly in that instant, glared at me with his eyes wide open.

“Add one more condition.”

“… What is it?”

“You… if you lose to me… you’ll have to become my pet.”

“……”

“Heu heu heu, I’ll accept if you promise to pick up trash next to me and watch your wives groaning under me forever.”

As Kaisan spoke as if he would accept, a barbarian stepped forward with a deeply distorted face and shouted.

“Great Chieftain! What is that…!!!”

Pueo-eok!!

Like a ripe tomato bursting, the head of the barbarian who stepped forward exploded in an instant.

Seeing that sight, the surroundings were enveloped in a cold silence, and Kaisan spoke without any expression on his face.

“I’m talking.”

… I didn’t see it.

I didn’t see it at all.

I couldn’t understand how the barbarian’s head had exploded.

What was clear was that there was blood on the back of Kaisan’s right hand, and he had crushed that barbarian’s head at a speed that my dynamic visual acuity couldn’t keep up with.

At the same time, I also realized that he had been holding back when he looked at me earlier.

The moment I swallowed hard in chills, Kaisan stared at me expressionlessly.

“Will you accept it?”

“… Yes”

“Good, that’s refreshing.”

Kaisan, nodding his head, shouted to a barbarian.

“You, bring a weapon. Ah, what kind of weapon do you use?”

“… A shield and a longsword.”

“Good, bring it.”

And Kaisan, loosening his shoulders this way and that, looked at me with a serious expression.

“I won’t kill you. But instead… I’ll make sure you can never think about walking properly again.”

At the same time, feeling a chill down my spine from the predatory gaze pouring down on me, I swallowed hard.

And, firmly solidifying my wavering will, I looked straight at him.

At that moment, Grace, who was looking at me and Kaisan with complicated eyes, stepped forward and said.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Are you saying you’re going to fight as you are now?”

“… What else do you want to say?”

“Don’t you know what I want to ask you?”

“Hoo… You’re a headache of a woman… Fine, I also think it’s not fair to fight as we are now…”

Turning his face towards Grace, Kaisan spoke to me in an indifferent tone.

“First, I’ll fight with only my left hand, like before, and I’ll also limit my strength. And second, if you land an attack on me even once… that is, if you make me bleed, I’ll consider it your victory. Are you satisfied with this much?”

My wife nodded without saying anything.

Looking at Kaisan shaking his head at her appearance, I had no intention of throwing away this golden opportunity.

Fortunately, although I thought there was no hope, a sliver of hope was placed in my hands due to his high pride and my wife’s nagging.

Even so, he is a monster among monsters, and even if I fight him with the same strength, I doubt whether I can even inflict a single wound on him.

But even so, I have to win.

For the sake of my wife and the people who believe in me, and for the sake of the people who will die under their feet.

…….

Okay, let’s be honest.

For Claudia, for Sui, for Cecil, and… for Grace, I will cling to his ankles, even if it’s pathetic.

Renewing my resolve by recalling my precious people once again, I lifted the sword and shield that the barbarian handed me and looked at them.

It was a round shield. There was an iron protrusion in the center to protect the hand, and the wooden shield surface was covered with leather.

The sword was also a typical longsword that wasn’t particularly special.

Did they plunder it from someone? There were slight nicks in the sword.

Even so, it was enough to cut someone’s skin, so I gripped the leather-wrapped grip tightly.

And I took a stance and looked at him.

Kaisan, who was looking at me indifferently as I checked my equipment and finished preparing with a relaxed look, immediately began to move slowly, as if he were a lion going for a stroll.

The sense of pressure emanating from him was definitely immense.

Still, perhaps being on the verge of being killed by him once was helpful? It wasn’t like before, where I felt so nervous that my body wouldn’t move.

Rather, my vision was clear, and I began to concentrate more than ever.

Above all, I didn’t feel any fatigue in my body at all.

Feeling a little strange, I quickly shoved that question into a corner of my mind, sharpened my eyes, and the moment I looked at him.

Tak!

With the sound of dirt scattering, Kaisan charged forward.

Kaisan, firmly planting his feet on the ground like before and throwing a punch, I calmly held out my shield.

Pak!!

Due to my quick action, his fist was blocked by my shield before it could extend, and I forcefully stabbed my sword towards his abdomen as it was.

Kaisan moved one step towards the side where I was holding the shield, avoiding the sword extending towards him.

A smooth and quick movement that didn’t suit his large size at all, I forcefully pushed him as it was with my shield handle tightly gripped.

Of course, my shield push had no effect on him.

He nonchalantly took my shield push as it was and raised his hand to grip the shield tightly.

An event that unfolded in a single breath, I let out a ragged breath and the moment I took a short breath, he raised his fist.

I tried to raise my shield upon seeing his fist, but the shield, gripped by his strong hand, was extremely heavy.

But he hadn’t broken his promise. It was definitely heavy, but it still moved.

And my action of not paying attention to the fist gripping the shield because I was distracted by his fist came without any hesitation in the name of violence.

Peok!!!

“Keuheup!!”

I felt his fist hit my chin accurately and felt the whole world spinning.

It definitely wasn’t the kind of power that would turn my head to mush if I got hit even once like before, and it was actually a little less than my strength.

But the height difference of nearly 3 meters made it impossible to feel such a difference in strength.

I gritted my teeth as I felt the world starting to spin.

And, keeping my gaze fixed on him as much as possible, I hurriedly dropped the shield and stepped back.

I’m dizzy.

My head became even more dizzy because I hadn’t taken in air due to the busy exchange of attacks without even breathing.

I steadied my breathing and grabbed the longsword with both hands.

Still… it was fortunate that I hadn’t lost consciousness.

And when I looked at Kaisan, he was waiting for me to come to my senses with a relaxed expression.

“What, is it over already?”

“Tweh…!”

Fixing my gaze on him as he spoke nonchalantly, I spat the blood lingering in my mouth onto the floor and said.

“Hoo… I’m still… okay… Hoo…”

“Yeah, yeah, you can’t fall down with just one punch, keu keu keu. Okay, then I’m coming right away.”

“Hoo… Yes…”

He threw away his shield and charged with his huge body as light as could be.

The figure growing larger in an instant, I felt as if I was facing a giant as I raised my head.

Even so, my fighting spirit did not waver.

I ran forward with my body lowered, watching his fist extending at a speed that was neither fast nor slow.

I’ll avoid this one.

Paa-ang!!

Hearing the sound of air exploding above my head, I burrowed into his arms as it was.

I only need to inflict one wound.

With that one thought hammered into my head, I stabbed the longsword I was holding with both hands into him as it was.

And Kaisan suddenly disappeared.

Kaisan, who twisted his body in an instant to avoid my longsword, used the force he was twisting to kick me.

Peok!!

“Keoeok!!”

With a pain that felt like all the air was escaping, I tumbled across the ground.

“Kulleok! Keoheok! Kuheup..! Kulleok..! Hoo-uk…! Hoo-uk!!”

Lying face down on the ground, I grabbed my side and coughed, and gritted my teeth when I saw the huge hammer-like foot approaching me without giving me any time.

And I immediately swung my longsword towards that foot.

The moment my longsword, reflecting the sunlight, was about to touch, his foot went up for a moment and came down in an instant.

Surprised by the foot that was slammed down on the center of the blade, he put strength into his leg and lifted it up as it was.

Peok!!

I couldn’t even make a peep as I got hit in the chin by the instep, but he didn’t stop like before.

His sole slammed down on my arm, which was still holding the sword, with his full weight.

Eujik…!

“Keuk…!”

Feeling the strength leaving one arm along with a pain that made my vision turn white, I gritted my teeth and immediately grabbed the sword with my remaining hand and swung it at his strong leg.

Of course, he easily avoided my blade, which I was swinging without even getting into a proper stance, and I breathed a sigh of relief for having bought even a brief moment of time and stood up to step back.

“Hoo…! Hoo….!”

My chin is throbbing.

My arm… is broken.

Looking at the slightly swollen appearance above my wrist, it seems to be broken without mercy.

It hurts.

But… I had to endure it.

Giving strength to my throbbing chin with all my might, I lifted the sword with my remaining left hand.

Kaisan was still waiting for me to take a stance with a relaxed expression.

“Hoo-uk..! Hoo-uk..! Hoo-uk…!”

Kaisan, who was watching me sweating and barely enduring the pain, spoke indifferently.

“I’m going again.”

The distance closing in an instant, I widened my eyes and chased his movements.

Fist again from the left.

I avoided it by burrowing into him again.

And he naturally twisted his body and kicked me, and I, who already knew that the kick was coming, immediately stuck close to the ground, taking advantage of his large size.

In that state, I endured the pain and swung the sword in my left hand towards the leg on the ground with all my might, and I had no choice but to grit my teeth at the sight that followed and roll on the ground.

Why did he avoid it? Because… he jumped high while kicking to avoid my sword, and then extended that huge fist towards me while landing on the ground as it was.

Kung!

I glanced at his fist that was slammed into the ground with a sound, and after rising up as if bouncing, I swung my sword at him again, but this time he came close to me and gently grabbed my elbow, then turned around and slammed me down as it was.

Hook, my vision rose and the moment I came to my senses, I was stuck in the ground.

“Kulleok…!”

I felt my mind becoming muddled from the pain spreading throughout my body, drawing ripples in my back.

Even so, based on the fighting spirit welling up from within my chest, I bit down on his strong hand that was still grabbing my arm as it was.

He, who was wary of even a small wound, immediately released my arm and stepped back, and I barely stood up, barely holding on to my dizzy mind.

“Hoo-uk.. Hoo-uk… Hoo-uk…”

I was dizzy and my whole body hurt, but I couldn’t give up, so I gave strength to the hand holding the sword.

And I glared at Kaisan, who was still relaxed, with a determined look.