Judas faced Cain and struggled to think rationally.
Getting consumed by emotions during battle was a rookie’s mistake.
He knew that well.
But it wasn’t easy.
An inexplicable hostility surged from within.
A cold, simmering aggression.
It resembled a duty or sense of responsibility.
‘I must kill that person.’
Judas thought this as he looked at Cain.
It was so intense that it felt strangely foreign, like peering into someone else’s emotions.
Yet, the feeling he experienced didn’t change.
He didn’t have the luxury to trace back whose memories it belonged to.
He was surrounded by countless enemies.
Leading them, Cain was a skilled swordsman, but he didn’t hastily engage with Judas.
He responded calmly and strategically.
Though many troops died crushed beneath rocks and large trees, there was still enough strength left to deal with one person.
“First row, surround him with the great magic shield so he can’t escape. Second row, crossbowmen, take aim. Third row, prepare the mages for bombardment.”
In a standoff situation, one couldn’t move recklessly.
The moment you moved, your trajectory could be read, and options for response would drastically reduce.
However, staying put only turned you into a target.
If both sides met under equal conditions, they would’ve been in a standoff for quite a while.
However, while Judas was alone, Cain had many allies.
He had carefully selected his troops in preparation for today’s clash.
With excellent equipment at hand, there was no need to drag it out.
The plan was simple.
Use knights skilled in melee combat to build a wall and take him down with magic.
He knew roughly Judas’s skills and strength.
The shields wielded by the knights were special great magic shields.
They could withstand the onslaught of magic.
If Judas tried to move before that, the crossbowmen in the second row would stop him.
And these weren’t just ordinary crossbows.
Each bolt was inscribed with enchantments to enhance its destructive power.
If he continued to stay still like this?
It would only be a welcome event for Cain.
It meant he was willingly dying.
It was a situation where it was difficult to stay still or move.
But staying put was the worst move.
He would do nothing but die helplessly.
In other words, Judas would move, even risking danger.
That was the best course of action for now.
Cain was confident and even predicted the direction Judas would move in.
‘There are two escape routes. One goes to the back, moving away from me. It’s the safest but easy to predict. The other is a frontal breakthrough, charging directly at me. Risky, but the element of surprise could catch me off guard.’
Either way, Cain was ready to respond.
The magic cast by many was gradually reaching completion.
Even as the soldiers’ fingers on the triggers of crossbows began to sweat, Judas didn’t move.
He merely gazed at Cain, holding up his shield.
Cain furrowed his brow.
‘What is he doing? Is he trying to die?’
He couldn’t understand.
If he was going to die, there was no need to appear and draw attention.
‘…What if there was a reason he had to?’
In that instant, Cain abruptly glanced up.
The mages were focused on their magic to subdue Judas.
In other words, the magic interference field set up around the procession had disappeared.
Meanwhile, all of his troops were focused on Judas.
In effect, the optimal environment for Eliya to launch a surprise attack was set.
‘No way!’
As soon as he realized, the magic was completed.
Various elements of magic mixed together in dangerous light and fell from the sky.
The target was one.
Judas, standing among them.
“First row, raise your shields! The rest prepare for the explosion!”
The knight representative in place of Cain shouted.
In the meantime, Cain quickly surveyed the air.
‘Where is it coming from? Where?’
-Boom!
With a violent explosion, the ground shook.
A blinding light enveloped Judas.
Cain squinted his eyes, continuing to search for Eliya.
In that moment.
The light flashed.
Not nearby, but from a far distance.
It rose roundly like the sun.
-Rumble…
A thunderous roar approached from that direction.
And that direction was where his brother, Levi, was.
‘The light in the distance is definitely… Eliya’s magic…’
Then, where was Judas?
Cain’s brain momentarily stopped functioning.
Faced with an incomprehensible phenomenon that exceeded all predictions, he gave up thinking.
That brief moment.
-Swish!
A clean sound of a neck being sliced followed.
“He’s still alive!”
Someone shouted in horror.
Only then did Cain’s consciousness return to reality.
‘Alive?’
One of his allies’ helmets rolled on the ground.
Beside it lay the body of a knight who had lost his head.
Before he could comprehend it, the crossbowman and the mage behind him were both cut down simultaneously.
“Cough…!”
Blood spewed as his upper body toppled over.
Allies surrounded him in concentric circles.
Slicing through those gaps, Judas sped past.
It was only natural that Cain couldn’t understand.
Judas hadn’t moved by accident.
He had anticipated the massive bombardment of magic and willingly offered himself up to it.
That was because.
[‘Discovery of Revelation’ activated.]
[3 seconds of immunity to all magic.]
He trusted his traits.
Three seconds were enough time for all the magic to pour out and come to an end.
He waited with his eyes slightly open, and as soon as the magic ended, he leaped out.
Amidst the massive bombardment of magic.
At the moment the enemy was sure of victory.
He precisely seized the moment when their vision was blurred by the light.
Cain, who had no idea of that situation, faltered.
Without proper command, his allies were powerless before Judas.
In a chaotic melee where distinguishing friend from foe was difficult, a few could overwhelm the many.
If one attacked hastily, they might hit their own.
Of course, the few had to have the guarantees of being skilled enough to match the multitude, but the opponent was more than qualified for that.
Cain finally commanded belatedly.
“Reorganize the formation! Gather around me as if building a wall! The knight in the first row will stall for time! We must protect the mages!”
For unknown reasons, they endured the magical bombardment.
‘Is it enchanted armor with great magic enchantments?’
Enchantments aren’t permanent.
Considerable amounts have likely been consumed from the previous attack.
If they could amass firepower one more time, they could block it.
His allies hurriedly tried to reorganize.
Amidst that, Judas was in a frenzy.
The reason it appeared to be a frenzy was solely because of the panicked allies.
Judas remained calm and precise, landing solid strikes amidst the chaos.
“Gah!”
He drove his sword into yet another knight’s body.
If another knight rushed in to stop him, he smoothly withdrew his sword while blocking and simultaneously slashing.
For such a fierce momentum, his movement was worryingly fluid.
Even amidst it all, Judas’s gaze never shifted from Cain.
‘He didn’t seem this strong…’
Cain remembered the encounter between Aghan and Judas.
Back then, he vaguely guessed Judas’s abilities.
That was barely less than six months ago.
But the Judas in front of him now possessed a strength that had completely surpassed that time.
“Tch!”
Cain had no choice but to bring up his sword.
There was no room to reorganize.
Just one bastard was already enough of a nuisance, and now there was another irritating opponent intervening.
He had no choice but to step in himself.
‘What matters isn’t the fight but the victory. I don’t necessarily have to win. Just buy time to drain their stamina, then leave the finishing off to the mages. We can actively utilize our numerical advantage. After all, the opponent’s still human; they will tire eventually.’
Cain shouted as he ran.
“Everyone, step back! I’ll buy time! Support as needed…!”
The moment he cleared past the knights standing in his way.
A tusk of ivory-colored light gleamed vertically in front of him.
Instinctively, he raised his sword to block it.
Judas, who had been at a distance, had come flying in to aim for Cain.
It was the first time Judas saw the face of the enemy commander up close.
His short, blonde hair and firm, red eyes made him look just like a soldier.
Though he should have felt completely unfamiliar, it felt disgustingly familiar.
A bitter smile escaped without his notice.
“We finally meet.”
Judas never intended to say those words.
Yet, his mouth moved.
There was no room to be curious.
Cain strained power into the sword he met.
He staggered back slightly.
Just as Cain prepared to follow up with an accelerated strike, Judas sought to deflect the blade with his shield and stab from the side, but it was anticipated.
Cain slid his blade against Judas’s shield, naturally intercepting his inward thrust.
Judas lowered his stance in an attempt to push back with the shield and move forward.
Cain immediately let loose that force.
In that moment, Judas’s center of gravity leaned to one side.
His balance was shaken in an instant.
Over his wobbling head, Cain’s blade swooped in.
With a quick horizontal slash.
He ducked his head to dodge it and rose, swinging his shield.
He aimed for Cain’s face, but Cain easily tilted his upper body back to evade.
In just a few seconds, they both found themselves at a momentary distance.
Both thought simultaneously.
‘He’s something else.’
If he fought half-heartedly, he’d die.
*
Cain’s troops could only watch.
The fight between Judas and Cain.
If they got too close, they’d be caught in it and die.
Neither the mages nor the crossbowmen could easily aid either.
Due to the sheer intensity of the fight, it was impossible to accurately aim at Judas.
Each clash of swords produced bizarre sparks.
The lunar pupil in Judas’s possession shone ivory-colored.
In contrast, Cain’s sword was crimson red.
It was a sacred relic known as the Solar Sword.
Neither weapon was superior or inferior to the other.
Thus, the outcome would solely be determined by their skills.
With every intersection and crossing of blades, ivory and crimson afterimages rippled like waves.
Beautiful, yet stepping in would mean being torn apart amidst the fray.
Cain gritted his teeth.
‘How can such a human exist?’
Judas constantly surpassed Cain’s expectations.
He knew he shouldn’t block but then he did; he knew he shouldn’t thrust but then he did.
It was as though he didn’t care if he died as long as he won.
A recklessness never once experienced before in life.
Cain doubted how such a being had lived this long.
‘But he’s not stupid. Has he read my strategy?’
Judas relentlessly chased after him.
Cain never let any distance form to allow his allies to switch in.
After all, these troops were centered around Cain.
If he died, the rest were merely a rabble.
Even if he dies, winning means killing Cain.
‘Not that I’m planning on dying.’
In a brief parting of the distance once again.
Judas sprinted to close the gap.
In that moment, Cain raised his sword high.
With a determined stance and expression as if he would put everything into a downward slash.
Instinctively, he felt that a block would shatter.
He couldn’t avoid it.
Momentum was dragging him down.
‘Then…’
Judas quickly finished calculating in that brief moment.
At the moment of collision, Cain swung his sword down, and Judas struck diagonally.
-Clang!
With a sound that shook the steel, light burst forth.
Just after, the two swords flew upwards into the sky.
‘Gotcha.’
Judas intentionally let go of their swords.
If it came down to a hand-to-hand fight, he was confident.
Cain, taken aback, combatively rushed in with a punch.
His gauntlet-clad hand was akin to a blunt weapon.
Though it came out of nowhere, Judas anticipated it.
He reacted just as quickly.
He lowered his body and dove inward.
They were both armored.
Although he had nothing to grip, it didn’t matter.
Judas wrapped his arms around Cain’s outstretched arm and slammed him down.
‘One-arm scoop slam.’
-Thud!
The ground shook from the impact.
“Cough-!”
Cain coughed up blood.
By then, the swords that had been dislodged were falling.
Judas swiftly grabbed his own sword.
As he turned to aim it at Cain, he found Cain was smiling.
‘Didn’t expect you to use this.’
An artifact his father, Balak, had personally crafted for him in his youth.
Originally intended for battling Eliya.
Though Balak hadn’t given it to him for that purpose.
Even Eliya was unaware of this hidden trump card.
It was a one-time use, but if he wanted to win, he had to use it.
‘Black Spot Explosion.’
He infused magical power into the necklace hidden beneath his armor.
Crimson flames burst forth from the necklace.
Cain approached, who had raised his sword against Judas.
Thousands of flame threads erupted upward like a sea of flames.
In no time, Judas’s figure vanished within the fire.
Only the spinning thread of flames remained, glowing in that spot.
Watching the fierce and blazing flames, Cain sighed deeply.
“Ha… What a nuisance…”
Though regrettably using up one of his trump cards, there was no alternative.
He couldn’t afford to die.
He glanced toward the distance.
Wondering how Levi was faring, he bent down to pick up the fallen Solar Sword.
“…Cough?!”
The ivory sword pierced through his body.
Trying to grasp the sword with trembling hands was futile.
“Cough-!”
The sword penetrated deeper, protruding from his body.
“How… is this…”
Cain turned his shaking face.
Golden eyes coldly glared back at him.
Judas was behind him.
Unharmed, pristine, without any trace of fire damage.
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