Thud— The warm, heavy pain, the metallic tang of blood, and the sensation of organs oozing out was something one could never get used to.
“Cough, sniff…!”
Verdandi, who let out a scream, stretched her distance. She held her abdomen with her other hand. The grimace of pain was evident on her face.
Amidst her contorted expression, it was clear how badly she was hurt, prompting the organizers to consider stopping the match.
“Not yet…!” Verdandi waved her hand to signal the referee to hold on. She felt it was too disappointing to give up now.
She just needed to win once more. If she could manage that, she could gift medicine to her master and catch up with Bi Wol, who was alone at the top.
“But, the wounds…”
“I’m not down yet…! A scratch like this doesn’t even tickle!”
Verdandi forced a smile, but failed to hide the tremor of pain in one eye.
It was clear to everyone that she was being stubborn. Zikhart, gasping for breath, struck at Verdandi once again.
He had received orders from Bing Seolhwa to eliminate Verdandi, while also instilling revenge in Bing Yeon.
But,
In truth, Zikhart intentionally avoided her neck and lightly grazed her vital points to stab her abdomen. He didn’t want to kill her after their conversation.
If treated immediately, the blow was so precise that it would leave no scar, as it avoided her organs.
“Looks like you plan on fighting more.”
“Of course…!”
At this point, he could make a pretty excuse. He was going to kill her, but if the opponent gave up, that wasn’t his fault.
It was the best judgment for Zikhart, who didn’t want to kill her, but it also stirred Verdandi’s fighting spirit, becoming the worst move.
Clang—!
Verdandi showcased the first move of the Six Harmonies Sword Technique, the Plum Blossom Sky Slash, even as blood continued to pour from her abdomen.
“I have my reasons to wield a sword!”
It was an act that could be seen as sheer stubbornness. The obsession to defeat the opponent right before her drove Verdandi forward.
“Good words, but….”
Zikhart froze for a moment, seeing her resolve. The tension in his fingers told him he couldn’t move just yet.
He too had taken up his sword to protect his family.
In a world this pitiful, where the weak were robbed, he walked the irreversible path after his first taste of blood while hearing their cries for survival.
“…That’s only something the powerful can say.”
Zikhart continued to attack Verdandi, avoiding lethal damage. He tried to subdue her by grazing her skin or attempting to draw blood with the hilt of his sword.
“No! Even without power, I can wield a sword! I can protect my precious people!”
With each wound, Verdandi’s attacks grew stronger. She kept getting back up, lunging at him.
It was as if she were a warrior possessed. Watching her, Zikhart wondered if she truly had gone insane, just as he had heard.
However,
“The hero… must be that way!”
In Verdandi’s eyes shone delight.
The joy of countless spectators cheering for her, the hope that winning this match would heal her master, and the thrill of finally being able to act as a hero—these feelings mixed within her.
So much so that she couldn’t feel the pain; she was enjoying this fight more than anyone else.
“To defeat the Demon King, huh… it seems you won’t just concede.”
Zikhart decided he could no longer hold back after witnessing her struggle. If that blade had caught his arm incorrectly, it could have been severed.
The sword of destruction, capable of engraving petal patterns upon rock. Having barely dodged the Plum Blossom Body Break, he realized the balance of power was shifting.
If this continued, he’d lose. If that happened, his family, who were being held hostage, could be harmed.
“Then it’s time for me to go all out.”
Regaining his breath, Zikhart reached to create another sword. Going into a war of attrition would put the odds in his favor.
No matter how superhuman Verdandi was, she couldn’t keep fighting with a wound in her abdomen. If she fell even once, she would likely lose.
“It’s already too late…!”
Whether she sensed this or not, Verdandi swatted away Zikhart’s sword as she lunged. To create a sword, her opponent must be empty-handed.
If she timed it just right, she could create an opening.
Clink—!
With a sound of metal hitting the ground, Zikhart’s wind blade slipped from his grasp.
“Ha, touché.”
Zikhart couldn’t help but admire her. Originally, martial arts could be learned by anyone, but reaching a high level was the hard part.
In moments where life and death hung in the balance, talent, experience, and inborn senses mattered. Even natural-born strong could lose their lives over a single mistake.
The girl before him was growing as she shared techniques with him.
“How long have you been learning from your master? It doesn’t seem that long, does it?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Verdandi’s method of handling the sword was ridiculously simple, to the point it reminded one of a beginner.
At first, using tricks just to swing it allowed it to be aimed toward his abdomen.
“…You’ve raised a monster.”
Now, Verdandi demonstrated the essence of the Six Harmonies Sword Technique.
Her strikes were light as petals swirling in the wind, yet as steadfast and heavy as the roots of trees, piercing into Zikhart.
Just a little more…!
Verdandi, breathing not a word, thought as she swung her sword. Her remaining stamina was less than his. If she collapsed now, it would mean defeat.
If she could trim just a bit more, she could see Zikhart’s defense wobbling.
The opponent was a blind man, even if he had superhuman senses, predicting and dodging attacks targeting his blind spots would be tough.
Just a little more, and I can win…!
Seeing the slowly bleeding Zikhart fueled her intuition for victory. The tide was starting to sway in her favor.
Both the first move of the Six Harmonies Sword Technique, the Plum Blossom Sky Slash, and the second move, the Plum Blossom Ground Push, were now allowed.
Zikhart’s right arm had barely missed being severed, while a scar marked his cheek, blood streaming down.
However,
“…It’s not like I haven’t learned swordsmanship myself.”
In an instant, the air changed, and he could feel the intent to kill. It was as cold and sharp as a drawn blade.
“The swordplay of flowing time, Reverse Flow.”
As Zikhart spoke those words, he dismissed Verdandi’s attacking sword with ease. He appeared to know exactly where her strike was coming from.
Watching him, Verdandi felt confused. Just moments ago, he couldn’t adjust to the accelerated speed.
Could a single sword technique transform a person like this?
Verdandi wondered if she was facing someone else altogether.
“Did you turn back time?”
Suddenly, the words of her master, Bing Yeon, flashed in her mind. Zikhart’s level was such that he could manipulate time and space into his sword.
“Indeed, I only possess a mere fraction of this skill… but I did just experience the type of strikes you were launching.”
Nodding, Zikhart freely divulged a secret to Verdandi.
Even with such power, he was sure he couldn’t beat Shub Niggurath, the Outer God.
“And this is the swordplay that bisects the opponent’s space, Segmentation.”
“Uuurgh…!!!”
Slash—!
With one swing of Zikhart’s sword, there went Verdandi’s arm, sliced clean off. Even if healing magic could fix it later, her defeat was practically a certainty now.
The spot where blood dripped continuously had lost its arm; for the first time, Verdandi felt despair.
“Do you wish to continue? If you fight any longer, I can’t guarantee your life.”
How could she win?
How could she close the gap between them?
“I can’t fall yet…! I can still fight…!”
Verdandi screamed in desperation. The audience buzzed as she attempted to swing her sword with her still-intact left arm.
“It seems the victor is already decided. Zikhart…”
Witnessing her tragic figure, the judge of the tournament was about to declare Zikhart the winner.
“……?!”
But everyone held their breath at the sight of a light enveloping Verdandi, akin to a living sun.
“Not yet…! Look at my arm! It’s reattached!”
The Sacred Armor, a legendary artifact that protects the hero, had appeared.
The conditions for such armor to manifest required its wielder to be on the brink of death.
*
“I see the condition for the Sacred Armor appears when Verdandi stands at the crossroads of life and death.”
I sighed heavily as I gazed at the arena.
Originally, the conditions for the armor’s appearance were merely left as behind-the-scenes lore.
Worried it might be the same as Bi Wol’s case, I intentionally hadn’t told Verdandi the conditions for the armor.
Knowing that the armor would only appear when her life was at risk, I feared she might recklessly throw herself to win.
“Master, if that’s the case, doesn’t Verdandi now have a chance to win!”
Bi Wol had stuck to my arm and was watching the match intently. Earlier, she’d screamed when Verdandi’s arm was severed.
“I don’t know. Even with the Sacred Armor, the opponent is formidable.”
I turned my attention back to Verdandi, recalling just how powerful the original Zikhart had been.
A blind swordsman who could manipulate time and space with his blade.
“…Can Verdandi really handle this?”
To defeat him, one would need to bring in at least the Demon King.
