episode_0271

A golden flash blinds Narita. Reflexively, she reaches out, resisting.

Zhiiiiik—

The beam of light pierces the gaps between her fingers, beginning to scorch her skin. She quickly twists her body, rolling to the side to evade it.

‘The destructive power is considerable… I have to believe that indiscriminate firing is impossible.’

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When she looked up to see Evan, he was gathering strength to fire a second Holy Ray.

There’s always a weakness somewhere. Evan’s Holy Ray is quite destroyable. Narita recalled her recent experience.

‘The ground is disadvantageous. To the sky!’

In the air, changing direction is generally difficult. Because there’s no foothold. In other words, the moment you step into the void, the field changes from a plane to a space.

And the unconventional Narita made that possible.

[Muyeongbobeop].

She unfolds an ethereal veil in mid-air, using it as a foothold. Evan’s Holy Ray, boasting strong destructive power, couldn’t chase the three-dimensionally moving Narita.

Chiik—

A strand of hair brushed against the beam of light. Narita moved with nimble agility, dodging the light and advancing.

But that wasn’t the end.

Evan made a sudden move. He swung the sword itself, which was emitting light. Evan’s swordsmanship combined with the light that was flying straight, transforming it into a golden whip.

Shuwaak- Chwaak-!

The light began to bend freely, ignoring physical properties. Evade became increasingly difficult, forcing Narita to put distance between them. Luckily, the Holy Ray, transformed into a curve, had a shorter range.

Tat-

Eventually, she landed on the ground again. It wasn’t welcome. Her movement in the air was restricted, trapped in a narrow cage.

‘No, this is the end.’

Narita observed Evan. Her eyes could see the traces left by mana. Only a very small amount of mana, like pollen, remained around Evan.

It meant he had exhausted all his mana.

She was certain the tide had turned in her favor, and Narita prepared to go on the offensive. She channeled the ether she’d gathered in her danjeon throughout her body once more, strengthening herself.

Strength surged, and her feet lightened.

Kakak-

She pulled her feet towards the ground, lowering her body. It looked like the starting position of a short-distance runner.

“—!!”

But at that moment, she felt a nagging unease. Her instincts sensed a threat. Slowly raising her head, she detected a vast amount of mana hovering in the air.

There was only one source. The Holy Ray, which she thought was being fired indiscriminately, was actually a trap. He’d bound her to the ground while preparing his next attack.

Clutching her numbed head, she began analyzing the spell. Dozens of beams of light were aimed at her with sharp precision.

“This is unavoidable.”

“I won’t dodge.”

Despite Evan’s earnest declaration, Narita smiled confidently. She didn’t seem to perceive the threat as something threatening.

Naturally, even with this top-tier spell, Narita wouldn’t fall. But Evan hoped this attack would be the last. Using force against family, even a tremendously powerful family, was something he greatly disliked.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would go easy. He would clash with all his might and lose. That way, the evaluation of Narita would rise further.

Evan raised his sword and activated the spell.

[Sunrise].

The mana that filled the sky emitted a golden light. Like the moment of sunrise, countless beams of light poured down on Narita all at once.

The power of each beam was comparable to that of [Holy Ray]. Dodging even one beam had been difficult for Narita, making it impossible to block dozens.

Furthermore, the sheer number made evasion challenging. Evan considered retracting a few beams to ensure Narita’s incapacitation, but then stopped.

‘This guy, hasn’t even taken out that sword and armor yet.’

To say that he’s underestimating her would be inaccurate. Distributing strength for a more certain victory is a highly efficient strategy.

‘If Narita goes all out… now is the time.’

As expected, Narita began to transform into a new form, adorned in a brilliant white light.

A softly glowing white armor. And a white longsword. In the majestic warrior, there was no trace of the troublemaking younger sister Evan knew.

Perhaps it was natural. Because Evan had shown his true resolve, Narita felt she should respond in kind.

She held the Muyeong Sword in one hand and drew dozens of lines.

Muyeong Sword, 5th form, crisscrossing.

Ssuk- Shuwaak- Skaang—!

Footwork that leaves no trace, swordsmanship that leaves no shadow. With incredibly fast, almost invisible movements, she cut down each beam of light one by one.

On the ground and in the air, white lines like a checkered pattern were drawn. As many as dozens, perhaps hundreds of lines. Each line held a single sword strike.

Those lines instantly severed each [Holy Ray] upon contact. Narita’s swordsmanship even cut through the already activated magical spell, returning it to pure mana.

In the end, not a single ray of light touched her body. Only golden sparkles scattered around her.

The whole sequence occurred in the blink of an eye.

‘In the end… it came to this.’

Haa-Haa-

Evan gasped, his shoulders slumping.

In his slightly blurred vision, only Narita’s figure was reflected. Her black hair fluttered in the wind, her fair skin gleaming in the sunlight.

Although she had just blocked a magic attack launched with Evan’s full might, she showed no sign of exhaustion. It was Evan, the attacker, who was more exhausted.

Kkeomppeok- Kkeomppeok-

Even keeping his eyes open was becoming increasingly difficult. And what he saw while his eyes were open was Narita approaching him as if she were taking a casual stroll.

“Shall we stop here?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s do that. Any longer, and I’d worry about brother’s reputation.”

Reputation, reputation… Hearing those words, Evan couldn’t stay still.

He couldn’t accept it. His dedication wasn’t so trivial that he would give up just for the sake of reputation. He had relentlessly trained with his sword and magic, it could be said that it was his life.

“Not… not yet…!”

Evan straightened his posture, gripping the sword hilt tightly once more. He was utterly exhausted, his appearance somewhat pathetic.

But there was something that prevented his final challenge from ending in a pathetic struggle. Stubbornness, grit, faded pride and unwavering conviction. Even abandoning reputation, there was still much more left to pour into his sword.

It was proof that Evan’s life had not been in vain.

“I will pour everything into this strike…”

[Sacrifice].

He converted his life force into mana. It was a very dangerous magic. Because unlike mana, life force is difficult to replenish.

Of course, he didn’t intend to die like this. At least he wanted to squeeze enough life force to unleash one attack, one swing of his sword.

Soon, pure golden light surrounded Evan and his sword.

“If you do that… you’ll regret it.”

“My life is already full of regrets. That is why I can even stake my life.”

No matter what she said, Evan wouldn’t stop. Narita had that feeling.

As she had done before, she didn’t need a technique powerful enough to kill Evan. Just the strength to shatter the sword he wielded. A strength that slightly surpassed his full power.

Narita raised the Muyeong Sword.

“You really… cause me trouble.”

“It’s fine to put a little more strength into it. With such a thin sword, I’m worried I might accidentally cut your own body.”

“That won’t happen.”

She never expected such a cheap provocation from the stoic Evan. It meant Evan also intended to fight to the bitter end.

The calculations were complete. Narita dispersed the ether in her Muyeong Sword and absorbed it into her body.

Then she breathed. She channeled the ether throughout her body along with her blood. The high-density ether accumulated in her danjeon shone pure white.

Muyeong Sword, unsheathed.

A pure white spirit took on the form of a sword, entrusting its existence to Narita. Once drawn, the sword showed no sign of diminishing until it cut down its foe.

Evan, too, poured all his might into a single blade.

Originally granted to those who protect the nation, the treasure of the Nifranz sword could only be wielded by someone it recognized as its master. It carried immense strength, history, and the responsibilities of a protector.

However, Evan disliked relying on weapons. Therefore, he didn’t particularly prioritize obtaining the blade’s recognition, and he only focused on cultivating his own power.

But on the day he let the demonized criminal, Carsen, escape, he realized he had to abandon such arrogant thoughts. The truth was, he had considered recognition unnecessary because he hadn’t received it.

The blow from Narita he’d witnessed firsthand. Imitating that sight, Evan had swung his sword countless times, and manipulated mana to cast spells.

Having received the sword’s recognition, Evan was certain he had surpassed Narita from that time.

Tat-

He took a powerful step forward, swinging his sword brimming with light. So much mana was contained within, that the intangible light felt heavy.

Ssuuk- Ssusseussuk—!

Each particle of light tore through the surrounding air.

Nifranz-style swordsmanship, ultimate move, final judgment.

This was Evan’s sword, Evan’s path, Evan’s life. The blade, heavier than any lump of iron, cut through the sky.

At the same time, Narita’s Muyeong Sword flew towards Evan’s blade.

Muyeong Sword, 6th form, Baekya (White Night).

The pure white blade, which should have reflected everything, instead absorbed the surrounding light, and advanced.

The spirit held within the sword was Narita’s own. Just as she herself had the constitution to absorb ether through nature’s affection, the 6th form, Baekya, also unleashed a sword strike that absorbed ether.

A pure white night arrived, and it instantly cut down the tradition and history of Nifranz. A single nation could not stand against a universe.

***

I won the duel against Evan.

With my Muyeong Sword, imbued with my soul, I destroyed the Nifranz sword, and the judge, Philip, stopped the duel. It was a win by decision.

Even without the judge’s intervention, Evan, who had delivered his final blow, was already weakened. This was because he had used up his life force. According to the rules agreed upon before the duel, being incapacitated resulted in defeat.

He was escorted by soldiers to the temple. The damage to his soul was greater than any physical injury. It might take some time, but if he received blessings in the temple, he would eventually recover all the life force he’d expended.

Before leaving, Evan paused.

“…I may be too late, but I apologize.”

“I don’t understand what you mean, brother.”

How could I not know? There was only one thing he was apologizing for.

In the past, all my siblings had opposed me and tried to politically bury me. At that time, I didn’t know anything, and I only ran away from the darkness approaching me from behind. It was a terrifying and difficult time.

But now, all that is meaningless. My siblings were defeated, and I have won. I have no intention of revisiting the events of that time. It’s all forgotten.

As I offered a carefree smile, Evan also smiled.

“…How was my last sword dance, Narita?”

“It was the best. I’ll learn from it.”

“I… see…”

When you carry too much, sometimes letting go is a breakthrough. Organizing your thoughts and returning to your original intent. Through such ventilation, people gain new momentum.

Evan, too, seemed to have laid down all his burdens, and left the training grounds with light steps.

Standing in the middle of the empty training ground, I looked back at the nobles. The pupils of their eyes, who faced me, shone brightly like they had discovered a beautiful galaxy.

“Do I have the right to sit in a higher position… the qualifications of a king?”