"You filthy scum!"
Viktor gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
His burnt face and body seared with pain, his armor scorching hot to the point of being a hindrance rather than protection.
His sword felt as if it might bend with the slightest shock.
Although he suppressed the heat with mana, he knew he couldn't last much longer.
He had to finish this quickly and get out.
"I'll kill you and then cut down every one of your men."
Viktor glared at Ghislain, reaching to his side.
Sssk.
Without hesitation, he drew a dagger, slicing through the joints of his armor piece by piece and casting them aside.
Clink. Clink.
Freed from his armor, Viktor felt lighter and smirked.
"Waiting patiently… you've got some manners."
"I didn't want you making excuses in the afterlife. You'd probably claim I only won because you were unarmored, not because of my skill, like someone who doesn't know the meaning of honor."
"You arrogant bastard…"
Viktor poured mana into his sword, which glowed with a cool blue hue that contrasted sharply with the fiery red around them.
The bright glow demonstrated Viktor's formidable skill.
"Well, that's more like it."
Ghislain's eyes began to burn with a fiery red aura at the sight.
"That'll make it more fun to take you down."
Whommm!
Ghislain opened all three of his mana cores, and a heavy aura radiated around him, his sword glowing crimson.
Viktor's expression shifted to one of disbelief.
"How could you… wield such power…? Just how much information did we get wrong?"
"You can ask your master that in hell. Although, since he'll arrive after you, you might have to wait a while. I bet it'll be boring."
"I'll tear that mouth of yours to shreds!"
Boom!
In an instant, the two men closed the distance between them.
The impact of their clashing blades distorted the flames around them, pushing them back in waves.
"Is that all you've got? Try harder, dog of Harold."
"Shut up, you piece of trash!"
Crkkk!
Viktor endured Ghislain's mana, fully unleashed with all three cores. Despite suffering in the flames, Viktor's mana reserves were vast and impressive.
He was indeed worthy of his reputation as the North's greatest knight.
While Ghislain acknowledged his opponent's skill, Viktor remained baffled.
'If he wasn't hiding his strength all this time… then there must be another way he's achieving this power.'
Raising someone of this caliber in secrecy was not something a remote territory like Perdium could accomplish alone.
Viktor assumed Ghislain was using some temporary means—magic or some other trick to boost his power.
"What trick are you using?"
Thwack!
Ghislain raised his sword to block Viktor's strike.
Clang!
The force lifted Ghislain off the ground slightly, sliding him back. His hands tingled from the shock.
'He's no pushover.'
Though he had trained tirelessly and accumulated mana, Viktor's mana was in another league.
It was astounding.
Despite opening all three cores, Ghislain's power was only on par with Viktor's.
Harold's cherished protégé was indeed formidable.
Swish!
Before he could fully recover his stance, Viktor followed up with another swing.
Clang!
Ghislain barely managed to raise his sword in time to block it.
The ground crumbled beneath his feet as he was pushed back, his body aching from the pressure.
Yet, he grinned through it all.
"You've got decent strength, I'll give you that."
"What?"
"I enjoy a good show of strength too."
Ghislain spun and swung his sword down.
Clang!
This time, it was Viktor's turn to block from below.
The roles shifted in an instant, and Ghislain seized the moment, striking repeatedly.
Viktor was forced to retreat, matching him blow for blow with all his might.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every time their swords met, they were thrown apart, unable to fully absorb the impact.
"You bastard!"
Viktor poured every last drop of his remaining mana into his sword, abandoning any thought of sparing his energy for the others.
The enemy before him demanded everything he had.
Whommm!
As Viktor unleashed his full power, his sword's mana intensified, glowing an even deeper blue.
Hissss!
Ghislain's aura turned bloodier, crimson smoke rising from his body.
He couldn't keep all three cores open for long.
He had to end this quickly.
Thoom!
The clash of weapons no longer sounded like steel meeting steel but like pure mana colliding and reverberating.
The flames that once encircled them were now pushed back by the sheer force of their energy.
Engulfed in intertwined mana, the two moved swiftly.
Boom!
Every step they took left craters in the ground.
Both lost in their lethal focus, they struck solely to kill.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After hundreds of lightning-fast exchanges, Viktor began to falter.
"This… this can't be…"
While their speed and power were equal, Ghislain's technique was superior.
For every wound he inflicted on Ghislain, Viktor suffered twice as many. Soon, it was three times, then four.
Viktor struggled to keep up with Ghislain's unpredictable, relentless style.
"How can a nobody like you… I refuse to accept this!"
"You're hilarious. Who said I needed your approval?"
Viktor, seething, poured all his strength into a downward slash aimed to cleave Ghislain in two from head to toe.
It was powerful but too straightforward, and Ghislain wasn't one to fall for such a simple move.
Thud!
Seizing a brief opening, Ghislain thrust his sword forward.
The tip of his blade slid right near Viktor's heart.
"Gah!"
Viktor staggered back, clutching his chest.
Ghislain's expression hardened.
'Damn, I missed.'
The backlash from opening all three cores was starting to catch up with him.
His muscles were tearing, and his bones strained under the rotating mana within.
At this rate, he'd collapse before he could land a fatal blow on his opponent.
He felt something wet on his lip and wiped it with his finger. Blood.
He was reaching his limit.
If this kept up, blood would start pouring from his eyes, ears, and mouth.
Viktor, sensing Ghislain's weakened state, let out a gloating laugh.
"Hah, so that's it. I thought something was off. You're using some cheap trick… drawing on your life force? Is it black magic?"
"You're quick to catch on. So, are you going to run now to wait for me out?"
"No. That would just let you conserve your strength. It's better to push you harder."
True to his warrior's instinct, Viktor quickly assessed Ghislain's condition and devised the best counter.
The wound in his chest was deep but survivable.
"Now I see… you were the variable. Was Frank your doing? Of course… someone like Frank couldn't handle you."
Viktor couldn't stop grinning.
Finally, he had found the cause of his frustration.
Harold, his strategists, the spies—none of them had foreseen this crucial factor.
This man was the reason their plans kept failing.
"I'll cut off your head and offer it to the count. Then I'll be given another chance."
"Quit dreaming. You think you're getting out of here?"
Boom!
This time, Ghislain attacked first, charging at Viktor.
"Ha! Try and kill me!"
Though he knew Ghislain's skill exceeded his own, Viktor wasn't worried.
Soon, Ghislain's strength would falter, and then he'd be at Viktor's mercy.
Boom!
Their swords clashed again.
While Ghislain attacked relentlessly, Viktor focused solely on defense.
His wounds increased, but he endured, dodging fatal blows.
When he couldn't avoid a hit, he let it strike where it wouldn't be deadly.
"You idiot! How long do you think you can keep this up?"
Bloodied, Viktor couldn't stop laughing.
In contrast, Ghislain's face had long lost its smile.
Grind.
Ghislain clenched his teeth.
'Is this it?'
His sword began to waver, slipping from his control.
Viktor seized the opening.
"It's over for you!"
Boom!
Viktor launched a fierce counterattack.
Ghislain tried to retreat, but his body, at its limit, couldn't deflect the blow.
Blood began to seep from his eyes and ears.
"This is the end, you worthless scum!"
Boom!
Their swords clashed once more, and Ghislain stumbled back, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"Ugh!"
He coughed up blood.
"Die!"
Whoosh!
Viktor's sword swung toward Ghislain's neck.
At that moment, Ghislain extended his empty left hand.
Clink!
"What?"
Viktor's blade suddenly halted, as if held by an invisible force.
"You're full of tricks!"
Crack!
Viktor summoned his mana, snapping the invisible threads holding him.
Whoosh!
His sword tore through the air once more, lined up perfectly for a killing blow.
But then, Ghislain's left hand rotated slightly.
Boom!
Viktor's sword struck the ground instead.
"What?"
He had aimed for Ghislain's head, yet some unseen force nudged him off course.
It was barely enough to alter his direction, but enough for his sword to miss.
"Damn it!"
Desperately, Viktor tried to yank his sword from the ground.
Shink!
A cold blade pierced his thick neck.
"Grrrk... krrrkk..."
Blood foamed and bubbled from the wound as Viktor gasped, his eyes wide with confusion.
Shlurk!
As Ghislain pulled his sword from Viktor's neck, blood spurted, and Viktor collapsed face-first to the ground.
His body trembled slightly, and Ghislain gave him a light kick, flipping him over.
"H-How…?"
Whether driven by a stubborn will to live or pure bitterness, Viktor clung to his last few breaths, gasping in disbelief.
Ghislain staggered, then leaned over him, meeting his gaze.
"You thought you'd win every time? You never even knew who I was. That's why you're lying here, defeated."
Bloodstained, Ghislain grinned, baring his teeth.
Though his whole body screamed in agony, the thrill of victory overshadowed all the pain.
"I'll keep winning. Come after me again, and I'll crush you every single time."
"…"
"Consider yourself lucky. You're getting an easy death."
With that, Ghislain tightened his grip on his blood-covered sword and, in a single swift motion, brought it down, ending Viktor's life.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]