episode_0075

Ayla continued to ponder, barely avoiding the ogre’s left hand swinging horizontally. It was dangerous to indulge in such distracting thoughts in the midst of a life-or-death battle, but for some reason, Ayla felt she had to keep thinking about it now.

Of course, this was something that most inspectors experienced. For some reason, even inspectors who valued concentration and thoughtlessness would fall into these distracting thoughts on the battlefield where life and death were at stake, and on the other hand, there were cases where they would fall into a state of no-self with no thoughts at all.

While Ayla was dodging the attack, Mathias was not sitting still either. Mathias wanted to attack the ogre’s left knee, but it was too much to attack the knee, which was much higher than Mathias’ height. So instead, he aimed for the top of the right heel.

It wasn’t a place with a special name, but according to what I learned in class, if someone gets hurt here, they won’t be able to walk properly, so the same would apply to the ogre. If he couldn’t use his right foot as well as his left, it was certain that he wouldn’t be able to move properly. However, the sword that Mathias had used all his power bounced off the ogre without tearing its skin.

Mathias, who barely managed to keep his sword from falling due to the terrible recoil he felt in his hand, hurriedly left the place. The ogre swung its leg as if shaking off the spot where Mathias had just been. If it were a human, it would be like chasing a mosquito, and it would actually be similar. However, even such a movement was a huge threat to Mathias because the difference in power between the races was so great.

Mathias roughly wiped away the blood flowing from his head. Professor Bearclaw’s words that the head bleeds a lot even if the wound is not that big came to mind. It was indeed a lecture with no mistakes. However, it would have been better if they had also taught us some methods of stopping bleeding.

Mathias roughly tore off his shirt with a knife and wrapped it around his head. He had somehow managed to avoid the ogre’s ignorant pile of dirt, but it was nearly impossible to avoid it completely, so his whole body was tingling. But what tormented Mathias more than anything was the sense of helplessness he felt.

His gaze fell on the sword. Did he think he had become stronger? Did he feel no hesitation in cutting down living beings? Did he feel happy as if he had won the heavens by chance when he had managed to corner Ayla? It was ridiculous. What could he have been so proud of when he couldn’t even properly cut down the ogre in front of him?

If we continue like this, we will die. That was a certain future. Even the hand that the ogre swung playfully, Ayla and herself had to run away and avoid with all her might. The overwhelming power difference was such that the concept of confrontation was not even possible. As long as Ayla and herself could not cut down the ogre, this gap would never be filled.

Ayla ran around like crazy, dodging the ogre’s arms, and every time the ogre moved, Mathias continued to swing his sword at the ogre’s heels. His grip burst, and the ogre’s feet moved, occasionally hitting rocks or pebbles that were caught in the air, making his whole body throbbing. How much longer could he swing his sword? How many more times could he dodge the ogre’s attacks?

And it was not only Mathias, but also Ayla. Her whole body was already soaked in sweat. The pressure of knowing that if she let her guard down even for a moment, she would die was mercilessly eating away at Ayla’s stamina. Ayla and Mathias also had a premonition that the end was not far away. Are they going to die like this? The two’s eyes met.

‘You run away too.’

‘Even Aila should run away.’

The two of them realized the meaning of the gazes they were sending each other, but they did not choose to run away while sending the same gaze to each other. Ayla forced her creaking legs to avoid the ogre’s fist. Mathias mechanically swung his sword at the ogre’s heel.

‘Isn’t it really that dirty and hard?’

‘Yeah. How did the princess cut something like this so easily?’

It is said that in the case of truly exceptional swordsmen, they can read each other’s minds even if they only face each other’s swords. Ayla thought that this was a metaphor for noticing the direction of each other’s attacks or the origins of each other’s swordsmanship, but when she felt Mathias’ thoughts being transmitted to her as if they were having a conversation, she knew that she was wrong.

Of course, it was impossible to tell whether this was really a conversation with Matias or just his own delusions, and neither was Matias. The two continued to dodge, swinging their swords, and conversing, their lives on the line.

‘What on earth is magic?’

‘According to the professors, it’s a flow of power that is assimilated with the life force that all living things possess. In fact, it’s clear that they don’t know exactly what it is, since they just muddled it up with some random words.’

‘What on earth is vitality? So an old man who is dying can’t use magic?’

‘That’s right. Maybe the fact that we’re now moving beyond our limits is thanks to magic.’

‘I don’t know… Sorry, Mathias. It’s because of me that you’re going to die in a place like this.’

‘It’s not Laura’s fault. And we’re not dead yet. If we could just use magic, we could easily cut down a weakling like this.’

Ayla dodged the ogre’s palm, which was slamming down from above as if it were a fly, by throwing her body backwards. As soon as she set foot on the ground, Ayla realized something was wrong. Her left leg was throbbing. It wasn’t just accumulated fatigue. Her leg was burning hot. She looked at her leg with trembling eyes and saw a sharp piece of stone embedded in it.

Although Ayla was quite far away from Mathias, Mathias saw Ayla’s leg as if it were right in front of him. The stone fragments embedded in her leg, the blood flowing slowly… Mathias’ heart pounded as if it was going to burst.

‘I can’t avoid it like this… Mathias, no… Since it’s come to this, I’ll call you Machi. Machi, run away. I was already wrong. You have to live at least.’

‘Aila! Don’t be weak, you can still live! ”

‘..As you know. We can’t kill him. Please run away. And call the princess. At least save our village.’

The stupid nickname that Ayla gave him didn’t even cross Mathias’ mind. Mathias gripped the sword tightly with his hand, which was already torn and bleeding. He didn’t feel any pain at all. If he felt anything, it was a maddening sense of self-loathing and the despair of not being able to protect the woman he loved.

─Is this how it is, I’m just going to suffer without doing anything?

─You were bragging about protecting the woman you loved in front of the person you were supposed to serve as your master.

─Rather, if the owner doesn’t protect you, you won’t be able to overcome a monster like this and you’ll die a miserable death?

Mathias saw the ogre’s fist slowly rising through his wide-open eyes. It was a strangely slow movement. Mathias felt that his own heart was beating slowly as well. No, everything else was slowing down.

Mathias realized that it was only his thoughts that were extremely accelerated. It was a rare occurrence, but it happened very rarely, when he was very focused during a sparring match. Mathias slowly closed his eyes. For some reason, it felt like it had to be that way.

One day, Leah praised Mathias. She said, ‘You just unconsciously used magic.’ Mathias, who was praised, and the two people who were watching were all just bewildered, and after that, time passed without even a proper clue about magic.

But is that really so? Just like what he had just said to Ayla. Could it be that he was able to continue swinging his sword despite his body being unable to move normally, thanks to the power of magic? Could it be that this power, which forces these limbs to move like clothes soaked in water, is magic?

Mathias slowly observed his body. Every time his heart beat so hard that it seemed as if it would burst through his skin, the blood flowing out of his heart moved throughout his body. Mathias felt it in detail with some unknown force.

Something moved alongside the blood that was running vigorously. Mathias felt everything about his body, but this was not properly observed as if it was not a body. However, it definitely existed. What on earth could this be? Mathias’s perception captured it.

The first thing that Mathias felt was a sense of warmth. If it was only a feeling in the world of imagination, what was warmth? Mathias did not know. However, at that moment, a strong shock struck Mathias’ mind like lightning.

The shock was so great that Mathias almost lost consciousness. If it had been a real body, it would have been enough to vomit blood from every orifice on his face. However, even in the midst of the shock, Mathias noticed some small movement of energy.

‘ah..’

Mathias exclaimed. How could he not have known this, how could he not have noticed it? Mathias felt a certain emotion and regret that he could not describe in words. At the same time, he felt that the knowledge of how to use it was naturally absorbed into his body, as if he had known it since birth.

The sensation that felt like hours lasted only a moment. The ogre had not even raised its arm yet. Mathias cut the ogre’s right ankle faster than the ogre could raise its arm, much faster than it could bring it down. The sword did not bounce.

The ogre stopped lifting his hand as soon as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle and lifted his foot absentmindedly, only to realize that his ankle had been cleanly severed.

“Keuheuheung!”

The ogre screamed in agony as blood gushed from its severed ankle. The creature, standing on its left foot, stumbled and fell sideways, crushing numerous trees.

Mathias staggered back up. It was good that he had gotten away right after cutting his ankle, but his knees were not strong enough. Suddenly, a foul odor of blood rose up inside him. Unable to hold it in, he opened his mouth and vomited out a handful of blood. The dizziness was getting worse.

“Ma… like?”

“Ah.. Ugh.. Aila. G, now.. Run away..”

Ayla limped towards him, but Mathias’ eyes were already starting to close, so he couldn’t even look at her properly. Mathias realized that he was on the verge of losing consciousness, and he kept telling Ayla to run away.

But there was no way Ayla could just leave Mathias like that and run away. Ayla grabbed her twin swords. The ogre somehow managed to get up, drool dripping from his mouth. Thump, thump. The ogre, who was running very slowly with only his left foot, had a face full of anger and murderous intent.

The ogre raised both his fists to the sky. If they were to come down like that, Ayla and Mathias would disappear without leaving a trace. Mathias fell, repeating only that Ayla should run away, but Ayla did not give up.

The man she loved risked his life to save her and cut off her foot. If that’s the case…

Shouldn’t you take at least one step for him?

Ayla saw the ogre raise his arms and ran forward, gritting his teeth until they were cracking. His injured foot was throbbing. But it was okay. If only he could attack properly this one time. Ayla swung her twin swords in the air, crossing them and cutting the ogre’s left knee!

Ayla was in shambles, but she thought that the attack she had just done was the most perfect attack she had ever swung her sword in her life. At the same time, she felt that something was different just a moment ago. Ayla could clearly feel some power moving according to her will.

Instead of the incredible rebound I had felt in Ayla’s grip so far, I felt a crushing sensation as if I was tearing through tough hide and terrifyingly hard bones. Success. The ogre’s huge body fell backwards, and Ayla somehow managed to land on her strong feet, then walked over to where Mathias had fallen, and collapsed there.

Her whole body didn’t move. She had already lost her sword. Ayla covered Mathias’ body with her arms. She couldn’t protect him with something like this, but she couldn’t help but do something like this.

The screams of the ogre who had lost both legs echoed through the mountains. But the creature did not die. If left alone, it would soon die, but at least not now. The creature, filled with rage, crawled, digging the ground with both hands.

The disgusting humans who cut off their own feet have already fallen. I will crush them as soon as I touch them! The ogre’s hand, crawling little by little, was about to attack the fallen Mathias and Ayla─

“Up to there.”

─Kwaaang!

A sharp blade swung by a single figure, who fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning, split the ogre’s head in half. The impact was so strong that the ground around where it landed was turned upside down with a loud noise, creating a small crater.

The one who split the ogre’s head open – Lia, looked at Mathias and Ayla with complicated eyes. Yugram, who followed, immediately began to treat them.