Chapter: 152
“Gah…!”
A body filled with the merciless traces of battle filled my vision. The leather armor was riddled with deep dents and scratches, soaked in blood to the point where its color was unrecognizable. Unhealed wounds continuously oozed blood that soaked into the floor.
Her once white skin appeared even paler, seemingly drained of all color. The woman, her face distorted in pain, let out small moans from her lips but remained trapped in a nightmare, unable to awaken.
Lian rushed to her side, carefully laying her flat on the ground. Her breathing was irregular, and just from briefly touching her, his hand became sticky with blood. There were signs that her wounds had been there for quite some time, as scabs began to peel off.
‘Thank goodness. She’s not dead yet!’
Relieved, Lian gently placed his left hand above her solar plexus.
“Ugh…”
A small moan escaped her lips, indicating a wound was there too. Simultaneously, warm light began to radiate from Lian’s hand.
[ Ugh…! This feels terrible! ]
The Magic Sword, overwhelmed by the now significantly more brilliant and concentrated Divine Power, distanced itself from Lian. Lian glanced at his left hand in surprise.
‘Why is it so flashy all of a sudden?’
It was bizarre enough that the pattern on the back of his hand transformed into a complicated, ornate magical circle; there were now three of these circles drawn slightly above his hand. Their impact was significantly stronger than before.
This was evidence that Pia’s teachings were taking effect.
Swoosh…
Just as impressive as its appearance, the power was strong enough that the small wounds began to heal one after another, as if time itself was rewinding. As her wounds closed, the Duke’s face relaxed.
Once the minor wounds had completely healed, the larger wounds started to recover as well. With the end of the treatment in sight, Lian felt a wave of relief wash over him.
As he tried to sneak a glance at her face, his vision wobbled.
“Ugh…!”
A powerful grip caught him by the collar, and he was tossed to the ground like a bowling ball. He rolled a few times before crashing into a nearby wall. Had there been other people around, Lian would have ended up flying like a bowling pin, but sadly, there were only the two of them here.
“Ugh…”
The largest wound on her abdomen hadn’t healed yet, and her body was still wracked with pain. But it wasn’t unbearable. The Duke straightened her posture and glared intensely at Lian, who was getting up, scratching the back of his head.
“What… This time, it’s a guy?”
Her gracefully tousled white hair and the brilliant golden eyes that resembled pure gold were the most distinctive traits of the Duke’s lineage.
Soft skin and sculpted features were traits found only among nobles.
To the Duke, who had been fighting against those mimicking her child for several days, Lian seemed no different than them, just with a different gender.
‘So now they’re appearing in the form of a son since I’ve killed all those that took the form of my daughter.’
Iris had gone missing not long after she was born. The only ones who knew her gender were the midwife who assisted with the birth and the Duke herself. The midwife passed away a few years ago due to an illness, leaving the Duke as the sole knower of Iris’s gender.
She laughed fiercely while looking at Lian.
‘Of course -… it’s a trap set by someone.’
Her rational mind had been screaming since she fell here, saying, ‘This is a trap,’ but a part of her also wondered, ‘…Isn’t this the curse from my child who died painfully?’
The pain of losing Iris left a deep scar in her heart.
“Phew…”
After taking a deep breath, she shook off the ashes of her emotions. Then, she wobbled and looked at Lian, who was scratching his head.
“Uh…”
Unlike the things that had appeared thus far, the figure in front of her had a dazed expression and was staring at her blankly. With trembling lips, his eyes blinked rapidly as if pleading for mercy.
Lian was dumbfounded while contemplating the Duke standing there with her sword raised.
‘That person… No, that’s the Duke, isn’t it?’
Upon closer inspection of the opponent he hadn’t fully noticed in her half-dead state, familiar traits caught his eye. Despite having their hair tips covered in blood and dirt, the stark white color and glinting golden eyes he could recognize from 100 meters away made it evident she was the Duke.
Realizing that his opponent was the Duke brought forth a terrifying reality.
‘Wait… the Duke is injured like this? Is that… even possible?’
Thinking back to her form, resembling a half-corpse, Lian felt his face pale.
‘It means there’s a being that can push the Duke to this extent in the Forest…!’
Realizing that even in a dangerous situation where they were meant to stick together everyone had scattered, it felt like he had become a side character left alone at the start of a horror film. His mind was filled with chaos and panic.
Taking a deep breath, Lian managed to calm his racing thoughts.
‘…First, let’s finish healing the Duke and get out of here.’
Just as he gathered his senses to come up with a plan, a radiant white light burst forth in front of them.
Clang!
Before he knew it, the Magic Sword was firmly grasped in his hand, and the Duke was directly in front of him. Between them, their weapons clashed fiercely. Lian tried to make a foolish expression, but the Magic Sword restricted him. Instantly, his expression turned neutral as he adopted a poker face.
‘Phew… thank goodness. I almost said something dumb.’
Had the Magic Sword not intervened, he might well have let out something embarrassing like ‘U-uhh…’ in that moment. As he sighed in relief, his body moved of its own accord, engaging fiercely with the Duke.
The two moved with such speed and precision that it was hard to follow them with the eyes. The Magic Sword, having slain countless humans over hundreds of years, fought wildly yet gracefully, while the Duke’s swordsmanship was elegant and refined.
If the Magic Sword unleashed all its strength, capable of absorbing a horrendous amount of blood, it could undoubtedly overpower the Duke. Yet, the Magic Sword held back.
As their swords clashed, the sharp sound of metal echoed, resonating like a dance as both fighters stepped back at the same time.
[ Hehehe… It’s been a while since my blood has boiled! ]
‘But you don’t even have blood.’
[ I mean your blood! Isn’t it exciting? ]
Lian quietly kept his mouth shut. As the Magic Sword suggested, heat lingered on his lips.
The more blood the Magic Sword absorbed, the closer its bond with Lian became; they could understand each other’s thoughts without words to a degree. Thanks to this connection, Lian could predict how the Magic Sword would move in advance.
Knowing how to move felt like he was controlling his own body, bringing him a delightful pleasure.
Fighting a powerful opponent, something he had never experienced before, brought an exhilarating thrill as the Magic Sword described. However, it was also something he couldn’t easily admit.
‘Isn’t it a bit wrong to get excited after seeing the Duke, Iris’ mother?’
While Lian was mulling this over, the Duke charged at him once more, her sword ready to clash.
Just then.
“Mom.”
“…!”
“….?!”
From behind her, dark shadows gathered, and a tiny figure resembling Iris appeared, standing just at her knee.
“Hey, Mommy—!”
The child, strikingly similar to Iris, beamed brightly and clung to the unsuspecting Duke’s leg.
Crash!
The Duke’s calf and thigh were pierced by the child’s body, which had spikes protruding like a porcupine.
“Gah…!”
The Duke’s body buckled and crumpled to the ground.
[ How dare a mere imitator interrupt my noble battle?! ]
The Magic Sword, furious over the interference, swiftly lashed out and sliced through the child resembling Iris.
“Kiiaaaak!”
Everything that had previously scattered vanished with a wail, turning to white dust and spreading across the floor. This marked the true demise of the Doppelganger that kept coming back in different forms after being killed time and time again.
“Duke!”
Lian immediately rushed to the Duke, who had fallen to the ground, aiming to support her as she attempted to rise, clutching her sword in the dirt.
“Gah… Damn it!”
She cursed as she forced herself to stand, but her body quickly crumbled. Blood began to pour out, soaking the floor beneath her. Lian approached her, ready to use his Divine Power, but as he stepped within a meter of her, she flashed her eyes dangerously and forced herself to rise.
The blood only made a greater mess on the floor. Had she considered Lian an ally, the wounds would have been less severe; but since she viewed him as a foe, the injuries were significantly greater than usual.
Had Lian not seen her as an ally, he might have been skewered and killed by the gag filter.
Unbeknownst to the Duke, she glared at Lian like a wounded wild animal staring down a veterinarian armed with a syringe.
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