Chapter: 371
Using the ‘Ultimate Kill’ in a one-on-one match is actually a taboo even that guy wouldn’t commit to. During the preparation for ‘Ultimate Kill,’ unavoidable gaps appear, leaving you vulnerable to a fierce strike from your opponent that could knock you out. In other words, the act of performing ‘Ultimate Kill’ on someone else requires a madman—someone who believes their opponent won’t interrupt them.
—
If you had even the slightest common sense, you’d never even mention it. But for some reason…
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‘It doesn’t seem so bad.’
Maybe it’s because I mentioned Tala, or perhaps because I had a gut feeling that this meaningless brawl wouldn’t come to a close otherwise.
—
But I had a hazy intuition about one thing. If I had heard those words, even without any precedent, I would have accepted it, and even if there was a chance to end things normally, I’d have nodded in agreement. My reason screamed that it made no sense, but my instincts whispered otherwise.
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‘This would be a fitting end.’
To end this tiresome tie, it was a fitting method for someone who can’t die alone—an adequate way to wrap up a loser who wanders without purpose. It would be more spectacular than any grand finale I could imagine.
—
To finish everything off with that guy’s technique at the very spot where he fell. Even just picturing it made me chuckle. It meant I could finally shake off all my regrets and lingering feelings, right?
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“Sounds good. Let’s do it.”
—
So I answered him. If this didn’t end like last time three years ago, I’d gnaw my tongue in shame, but at least I’d avoid such a disgrace.
—
He nodded at my response. How odd. It felt as though he believed I would surely accept. Who would have that kind of faith in someone to agree to such madness?
—
Unfortunately, I became one of those madmen—but whatever. Ever since I opposed the Empire following that guy, I’ve tossed common sense and reason aside to survive.
—
“If Tala saw you, he’d be pleased.”
—
“That guy would be happy no matter who he saw. But I guess he’d be even happier with a comrade.”
—
That was an undeniable statement that only made me smile a bit. Yeah, Tala would gladly welcome either me or the madman into the afterlife.
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Plus, if he found out we were both using ‘Ultimate Kill,’ he’d be rolling on the ground laughing. That was a given.
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‘This is crazy.’
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And while gathering my posture, I almost chuckled at what I saw. He was also preparing for ‘Ultimate Kill’ just like me.
—
In fact, if he attacked me at this moment, I would drop to the ground right then and there. Void of defenses, if a blade hit my heart, I’d be gone in an instant. That’d be an end hard to escape from, even for that guy.
—
But surprisingly—no, naturally—he chose to prepare his strongest strike instead of ambushing me first. After all, with only the two of us in the area, his honor wouldn’t be tarnished by breaking his word. Even if there was a witness, taking down the enemy leader would earn him no ire.
—
‘Should’ve just been born a little further north.’
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No matter how I think about it, this guy chose the wrong place to be born. If he had been born a nomad, he would have been second only to that guy as a warrior. He would have galloped across the plains with us, creating a kingdom for nomads.
—
Suddenly overwhelmed by these thoughts, I shook my head. Clinging to non-existent possibilities was foolish. I finally had a chance to shake off all my regrets and I didn’t want to create new ones now.
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‘Is he going for a thrust?’
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Before I knew it, he had pulled back the hilt of his sword with both hands against his right shoulder. He probably planned to end it with a single strike, opting for a thrust instead of a slash.
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Right. If using a technique against one person, it makes sense to narrow the attack range.
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So, I matched his prepared stance. Since we were both exchanging blows, wouldn’t it make sense to use the same kind of attack?
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‘I’ll pour everything into this.’
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Just as I settled into position, I unleashed all the mana inside me. Until now, I hadn’t dared try something like this for fear of ruining my body, yet this was to be my final attack. No need to care if my arm breaks or my organs burst.
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After all, I could see that madman was also going all out, leaving no room for me to hold back either.
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‘I might just be able to end this.’
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Feeling the aura radiating from him, I became convinced. If his energy collided with mine, then surely one of us would die. If both died, then so be it; there would be no embarrassment in saying we tied even in ‘Ultimate Kill.’
—
In that instant, I felt gratitude for Tala. If it weren’t for that pioneer, the thought of exchanging ‘Ultimate Kills’ wouldn’t even have crossed my mind, and my end would’ve been far, far away.
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“Carl Krasius!”
—
At my shout, he, Carl Krasius, responded in silence.
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“It’s been fun!”
—
With those words, he extended his sword. I felt my bones twist and my muscles melt away, but I ignored it.
—
Then came Carl Krasius—
—
Darkness engulfed me.
—
Light appeared.
—
*
—
Upon waking up quickly, a jumble of images flashed before me before they disappeared. I seemed to have fainted; this time, I really had almost died.
—
Lying on the ground, I looked up at the sky, which was horribly torn apart. No matter how targeted the attack, the shock was far beyond what a mere human could endure. The shockwave spread out, reaping its toll on the heavens once again.
—
If the sky looked like that, the ground didn’t fare any better. As soon as I lifted my head, I saw the land literally melting away.
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Though, it seemed to me like it was still melting.
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‘Worse than when Tala did it.’
—
Well, in terms of proficiency, I suppose I’m better than Tala when it came to the Heaven Slash, given that both Dorgon and I had survived for a few more years after Tala’s death.
—
After taking a few deep breaths, I placed my hands on the ground to rise—
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‘Ah.’
—
Getting up with the familiar voidness, my legs and waist were weak. Guess it was because I poured everything into that last strike; my arm was a mess too.
—
‘Still, I’d say I did well.’
—
My right arm showed no signs of injury beneath my shoulder, while my left arm had several fingers cut off and wasn’t moving. Surprisingly, considering the potential consequences of my full-power Heaven Slash, this was pretty decent. Moreover, it didn’t come with a permanent healing debuff or anything. As long as I could heal it, it was fine.
—
Regardless, as soon as I managed to get on my feet, I moved forward. I could faintly feel the presence of another being’s mana—not mine, but very faintly, and it felt precarious. The state of things was obvious.
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“Can you walk?”
—
After being flung somewhere odd for who knows how long, Dorgon grinned as he saw me approaching.
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“And what about you? Can you even say a word looking like that?”
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From my standpoint, his very act of speaking—or rather, just being alive—was astonishing.
—
His arms, which had probably sustained the greatest shock, were nowhere to be seen. There was nothing left below his waist either. Seeing him like that made my own survival feel miraculous.
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“I overdid the magic. If I’m still breathing in this state, the sorcerer must be exceptionally talented.”
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Watching his bizarre appearance, Dorgon chuckled, almost in complaint about how excessive doping could even defy death.
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“Don’t worry. It’s not a wound I can recover from.”
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“I can see that.”
—
It was clear he had only just avoided death, and yet he was stating the obvious.
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“Still, what a letdown. That dragged-out fight ended in an instant. We should’ve done this from the start.”
—
Dorgon muttered while closing his eyes slightly. Despite the declaration of disappointment, his voice carried a sense of lightness.
—
“Still, since you’re the one to wrap up my end, I’m satisfied. Indeed, my end will be at your hands as the one and only Carl Krasius—”
—
“Hey.”
—
I cut off Dorgon’s words as he seemed about to launch into his final words. If this guy was alive, there were many questions I needed to ask.
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“What were you thinking initiating that uprising?”
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Dorgon, with his mouth shut, silently gazed into my eyes.
—
“You must know the Empire sees your lot as a danger, and it wasn’t like you completely united the North. More tribes chose to surrender than fight us. Yet you used your forces to oppose the Empire?”
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I couldn’t comprehend it. This guy wasn’t impulsive or foolish. He was rather clever and cautious. I mean, didn’t he survive the last war alone and bring about this second one?
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So why was he leading a collection of tribes that were as good as a mess, not properly maintaining control over them? There were various means to harass the Empire, yet he didn’t use any and instead insisted on a one-on-one duel with me.
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I just couldn’t grasp it. He was entirely focused on whatever his intentions were, when all I cared about was what the Empire might gain from it.
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“It’s an embarrassing question.”
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After some time without speaking, Dorgon chuckled and turned his gaze upward, as if indicating he wouldn’t say a word.
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“Though I wanted to die without saying a thing, it seems there’s no choice now that I’m alive. Answering the winner’s questions is the obligation of the loser, ain’t it?”
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It seemed he was willing to confess, so I kept quiet.
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“…I wanted to take responsibility as one who couldn’t die alone.”
—
That statement left me feeling a bit blank.
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The Khan led 100,000 nomads against the Empire. Following a routine of getting utterly wiped out by the Empire, those nomads expressed their anger outright, wanting to create a nation of their own free from the Empire’s interference.
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But they failed. Nearly all 100,000 nomads were annihilated, and the heroes and warriors who led them were killed.
—
Among them, Dorgon was the only one who survived. In the midst of the dead dreams and hopes of the nomads, it was Dorgon who remained standing alone.
—
“I had confidence. I believed if it was that guy, if we became one, we could defeat the Empire. I wanted to defeat the Empire on the plains and then forge some kind of alliance to build our nation. I didn’t even give a thought to the Empire’s capital.”
—
In fact, the Empire had nearly recognized the nomads’ nation. Dorgon nearly realized the dream of the nomads himself.
—
“But I still lost. So I saw no hope. Even though we had the advantage of history not repeating itself, after that, what could it look like? Hope turned to despair in an instant.”
—
The higher you rise, the longer it takes to fall, they say. Once that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity vanished, the nomads found themselves swimming in self-loathing and powerlessness. Having lost even with such strength, what could they do? They believed their fate was to live until they were squashed by the Empire like bugs—
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“I wanted to prevent that. Even if I failed in creating our nation, I couldn’t let my people or my kin die without leaving any name behind.”
—
Thus, he gathered the nomads once more. Instead of waiting around to be annihilated by the Empire, he resolved to draw them to the negotiating table.
—
“I don’t think I need to elaborate further.”
—
I instinctively nodded along. Now that I understood Dorgon’s thinking, it was as if every puzzle piece clicked into place.
—
The reason he recklessly rose up to threaten the Empire, why he didn’t poke the Empire’s army too much, why he took it upon himself to be the Khan but couldn’t manage the internal tribes, and why he allowed the defectors to roam free.
—
‘To raise his value as a hostage.’
—
Had Dorgon not risen up, the Northern nomads would have lived by tribe just like before the Khan arrived. In that case, they would have endured the Empire’s rampage with their eyes clouded in desperation, silently dying off. In the process, the nomads would have become powerless subordinates or even slaves.
—
But Dorgon united the nomads and threatened the Empire. Thanks to him, the Empire pulled out a card of negotiation instead of purely wiping them out.
—
Now it was making sense. But—
—
“Was it worth seeking your own death?”
—
It felt far too excessive and insane. The Empire, after enduring a massive purge and a succession war, was wary of using its military power too much. Dorgon must’ve realized that, so why would he provoke the Empire to play that card?
—
The Empire wouldn’t have irrationally hunted down the tribes split up by nomads to exhaustion. The eradication that Dorgon was worried about would have taken dozens or even hundreds of years to come to pass.
—
For such future scenarios, Dorgon stood in front of the Empire again. A guy who might have enjoyed a long life if he had just kept his head down willingly, chose to chase his own demise.
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Clearly, it was suicide. This guy lacked the force of a Khan. Even if he killed me here, the Empire’s army would eventually hunt him down.
—
“I told you. It’s my obligation as one who couldn’t die alone.”
—
When I posed the obvious question, he remained silent.
—
“I promised my folk a nation of our own, a world free of the Empire’s threat, but I couldn’t achieve it. I carried the will of the North, but I didn’t live up to it.”
—
Dorgon, perhaps feeling the effects of the doping wearing off, coughed up clotted blood multiple times before managing to continue.
—
“That guy died carrying the will of the North. Because I was inferior to him, I had to die carrying that same will for the North.”
—
Now, the will of his kin was no longer a rejection of the Empire behind the traitor, but a sincere loyalty destined to strike down the villain under the Empire’s name.
—
With that, Dorgon began to laugh, a bizarre sound that seemed to delight him.
—
It was hard to tell if he was genuinely pleased by this situation.
—
‘What a madman.’
—
Hearing that laughter, I couldn’t help but think that way. The guy who stole responsibility, unable to die alone, and floundered in forgotten ideals, finally lost his grasp on sanity.
—
There’s no way one could think like that without having lost their mind.
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