Jamal judged that time was on his side. Therefore, there was no need to swing his sword with full force.
His sword technique, ‘Plunder’, would slowly drain his opponent’s strength.
The first to experience it always had a change in their complexion.
At first, they wouldn’t notice. Plunder was like a mouse slowly nibbling away at a piece of cheese.
Then, at some point, there would be a moment when their legs gave way.
When that happened, their face would turn pale.
Seeing that expression wasn’t exactly Jamal’s pleasure. But it wasn’t a bad feeling either.
After all, seeing that face signaled victory, so it was only natural to feel a sense of relief and some joy.
Especially when the opponent was strong enough to send chills down your spine and make your heart race, and yet, the end was predetermined to be your victory. How could that not be enjoyable?
‘Now, it begins, doesn’t it?’
As he prepared his engraved weapon Plunder, Jamal steeled himself.
Why wouldn’t he?
Once they realized that their strength was gradually fading, the opponent would have only one choice.
To kill before they grew too weak.
And as if that weren’t enough, besides himself, there were soldiers with crossbows and the Frog, who was as strong as a Junior-Knight, nearby.
Killing just him wouldn’t end it. Everything would be a burden to the opponent.
To this end, Jamal took up a defensive stance.
He gripped his sword, prepared to throw the short sword at his waist if an opening appeared.
The point was this.
To endure the fierce onslaught and not give the enemy a moment to catch their breath.
It was a strategy to push the opponent further into a corner.
The faster the opponent moved, the sooner they would hit their limit.
They would feel that limit long before they normally would.
A fierce attack required more willpower, which was only natural.
In other words, even explaining Plunder was part of the strategy.
Jamal had sown the seeds of impatience in the opponent’s heart.
He strengthened his footing, lowered his center of gravity, and raised his sword. He even activated a scroll that had been hidden in his chest.
It was a small spell scroll, containing a protective spell that could block a single attack aimed at his armor.
Being cautious couldn’t hurt.
He used everything at his disposal.
Jamal did what he had learned through survival.
In his mind, he imagined shackles being placed on his opponent’s feet.
The shackles would grow heavier, and soon the opponent would struggle just to lift their feet from the ground.
Having completed all his preparations, Jamal moved, but he encountered a situation far different from his expectations.
Encrid did not launch a fierce attack.
His sword was not as fast as it had been moments before. It was a straightforward blade coming down from above.
The speed was slow, but the surrounding pressure surged, tightening like a sticky web.
It was the Crushing Sword.
‘What is he relying on?’
What could he be thinking to act so leisurely?
Jamal activated his Will, shaking off the crushing force, and physically deflected the descending sword with his own.
Ting.
He smoothly deflected the sword without even causing sparks to fly.
It was a perfect execution of the Fluid Sword Technique.
This was Jamal’s final weapon, continuously deflecting the excited opponent’s strikes.
This would gradually subject the opponent to Plunder and, overwhelmed by impatience, they would crumble.
It was both his final weapon and his best strategy.
Wasn’t it because of this that Varna found him to be such a troublesome opponent?
“If one wants to beat you, they must win quickly.”
If the battle didn’t end in a short time, the opponent would grow weaker. However, Jamal’s Fluid Sword Technique was exceptional even among Knights.
In addition, he had reinforced his defenses with various measures.
The scroll was just one of those tools.
If necessary, Jamal would even throw daggers and use tactics that involved circling around his opponent to stall for time.
He was also fast on his feet.
He knew how to use assassin’s tactics as well.
All of these were strategies to exploit the opponent’s impatience.
But what was this?
‘What is with this guy?’
Though he didn’t show it outwardly, Jamal felt perplexed.
Despite the situation, Encrid wasn’t growing impatient, wasn’t gasping for breath, nor was he flustered.
He had simply been swinging his sword with a blank expression from the start.
The only thing that had changed was...
‘His expression?’
He wasn’t smiling. But to Jamal, it seemed like Encrid was concentrating, as if he was enjoying something.
Upon closer observation, it was clear.
‘What’s so fun for you?’
It was as if he were a child holding a real sword for the first time. A face absorbed in the thrill of play.
Seeing that expression made Jamal’s previous excitement feel cheap.
Even though the outcome was predetermined, while Encrid was enjoying the moment, it seemed Jamal had only been falsely savoring a tension he already knew was fake.
Feeling cheapened, it was only natural to feel anger.
“Are you insane!?”
Jamal shouted, swinging his sword.
Encrid’s Valyrian steel sword met Plunder again.
Clang!
The clash was far quieter than before. The air didn’t vibrate, nor did it seem as though the atmosphere was being torn apart.
Instead, the pale blue blade Encrid held twisted like a snake, wrapping around Plunder and piercing Jamal’s shoulder.
Thud.
As soon as Jamal realized he had been stabbed, he immediately retreated.
It wasn’t a deep wound. Only a part of his shoulder blade and some skin had been pierced. But it still felt like a defeat.
‘Damn it.’
He had fallen for a psychological trap. Jamal thought as much.
With this, Encrid had gained the upper hand for a moment. Now, he would press forward relentlessly without pause. Jamal had shown a critical weakness.
Although it was just a minor wound, in that one move, Jamal had been completely outplayed.
It was his turn to be driven to the defensive.
But again, Jamal’s predictions were wrong.
Encrid did not rush forward. Instead, after swinging his sword in the air a few times, he calmly sheathed it and drew another sharp, spike-like sword.
First the Gladius, then the Valyrian steel sword, and now, the third was the Dwarf-forged sword, Ember.
Encrid raised the sword in front of his face and immediately extended it.
It was a sword faster than sound. Jamal concentrated with superhuman focus.
Cheap pleasure or not, he was still a Knight.
Jamal twisted Plunder upward to block.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, he also pulled out an enchanted weapon from behind his back.
It was a wide-bladed defensive short sword called a Guard Sword, which was far wider than a typical Guard Sword.
It might have looked ridiculous, like holding a cooking pan-shaped blade.
But anyone who treated it lightly would be a fool.
For in a Knight’s hand, it became a shield imbued with protective spells.
Jamal was determined to block and hold out.
His judgment was correct.
Ember’s strikes hit Plunder with pinpoint accuracy, carving lines and dots in rapid succession.
It was even faster than the swift strikes Jamal had shown earlier.
Jamal’s hands grew busier.
Thud! Rattattat!
If he wanted to appear as though he were absorbing his opponent’s Will with Plunder, he had to conserve his own Will very slowly.
That way, the opponent would be fooled into thinking their Will was being drained.
That, too, was part of his strategy, but he had no time to conserve his Will and pretend to appear unscathed.
If he slipped up even slightly, he would end up with a hole in his body. How could he afford to make such a pretense?
Blocking was all he could manage.
Tatattattatattat!
Their fight was a flurry of sparks, more intense than before, like a storm raging.
The air between them was ripped apart, creating strange air currents that pushed outward.
Moreover, the ground around them was sinking, trees were splintering, and rocks were shattering.
“Fall back!”
General Frog made a wise decision.
If they stayed, just watching the two fight would result in a meaningless death.
It was time to retreat to survive. Any thoughts of sneaking in a crossbow shot had vanished.
What could they even aim at?
Should they rely on luck to shoot?
What if they accidentally hit one of their own?
Honestly, it didn’t seem likely that either opponent would be hit.
As the soldiers retreated at Frog’s command, the two warriors’ weapons clashed relentlessly, with no break as they sought to tear into each other’s flesh.
Between the clattering sounds of their weapons, an occasional loud clang would resound, followed by a booming explosion.
With each blast, pieces of armor flew over the soldiers’ heads.
To Frog’s eyes, it didn’t look like the armor belonged to their enemy.
* * *
Encrid had displayed Crushing Sword Techniques with the Gladius, swift stabs with Ember, and a series of pressure and intimidation techniques with the Valyrian steel sword.
And it didn’t end there.
He gripped his sword by the blade, using the hilt like a blunt weapon, employed the Valen Mercenary Sword Techniques, and even showed the art of ‘Feigning Breath’.
Feigning breathlessness made Jamal’s eyes light up for a moment.
Noticing that, Encrid resumed breathing normally.
Jamal’s eyes were filled with fury as he realized he had been deceived.
“This bastard!”
With no time to speak, Jamal’s eyes conveyed his thoughts.
Adding to this, Encrid displayed the Valen Mercenary Dual Sword Technique.
After threatening with Ember in his hand, he suddenly dropped the sword and threw a Whistling Dagger, making Jamal flinch like a startled worm.
Encrid then threw a second Whistling Dagger at Jamal’s waist.
At close range, the throwing technique he had learned from Jaxon struck its mark.
Whistle—!
With a sharp hiss, the dagger flew toward Jamal’s waist, but just before it hit, there was a flash of light, and the dagger was repelled.
The scroll with the protective spell had done its job.
Encrid didn’t know, nor did he need to.
He was simply enjoying the moment.
He also used techniques like shadow stabs and dual draws.
Thud! Clang!
Jamal blocked the dual draw technique, only to see that Encrid now held a sword in each hand.
It was the Valen Mercenary Sword Dual Technique.
The two swords moved with different rhythms and tempos.
The Valyrian steel sword in Encrid’s right hand crushed with the Middle Sword Technique, while the Ember in his left hand lunged swiftly.
Jamal held his breath, desperately blocking each strike with the sword he was using as a shield.
‘I’m losing.’
Jamal realized.
And Encrid was still enjoying himself.
Why wouldn’t he?
‘Everything is going as planned.’
Every strike, every trained technique, every insight born from experience was working perfectly.
The opponent was barely able to keep up, and every reaction was within Encrid’s expectations.
There was no reason for his movements to slow down. Everything was going as planned.
It was an experience he had never had before.
In Encrid’s world of swordsmanship, falling down, being struck, and struggling were the norm.
Being beaten down and crawling forward, even if barely alive, that was the sword Encrid had learned and the way he had walked. That had been his path until now.
Forcing his way forward. But now, it was different.
Everything he had learned and trained in was flowing out easily, and everything moved as he had first intended.
For the first time in his life, Encrid walked a path without walls.
A path without thorns.
A path not scorched by the blazing sun.
A path without the biting cold of the wind.
How could this not be enjoyable?
As a Knight, Jamal wasn’t particularly exceptional in terms of skill. In other words, he wasn’t deep, but he was a wide-ranging opponent. He was perfect as a training partner.
Encrid was excited, lost in the moment, as he executed everything he had learned.
From the rituals he had learned in Aker’s world, to all the techniques he had honed over time, one by one, they left their mark on Jamal’s body.
His armor shattered and pieces flew off from strikes he couldn’t block.
In the center of the storm, the pressure caused by the two sent fragments of armor flying outward.
The tip of the blade Jamal had been using as a shield broke, and cracks appeared on Plunder.
It was evidence that the Knight Jamal’s resolve was crumbling.
“You monster, why don’t you ever dry up?”
It was the first time in Jamal’s life that he experienced something like this. His voice was full of frustration.
‘An undying Will?’
Wasn’t that something only found in legends?
The person in front of him was showing that legend with his own body.
He was expending his willpower endlessly.
Even though Plunder had drained some of it, it wasn’t drying up. It was the same as at the beginning.
No, he seemed even more excited.
Jamal sensed the end.
And Encrid saw the same thing.
Their shared insight into the future left no room for change.
Encrid, now finished with the dual technique, retrieved the two swords and held only Ember.
Jamal discarded his broken Guard Sword and gripped Plunder with both hands.
Encrid boldly stepped forward, thrusting his body into the range of Jamal’s sword strike.
As his left and right feet crossed, he shot his body forward. It was like an arrow flying through the air.
It was a step that modified the basic Lunge Step into an ‘Arrow Step’.
Just before Plunder, aimed at Encrid’s head, could slice downward, Encrid’s sword pierced Jamal’s throat.
Thud!
The blade of Ember pierced through bone and flesh, slicing through a portion of the cervical vertebrae, and emerged from the back of Jamal’s neck.
The bright red Ember withdrew as quickly as it had struck.
Whoosh.
Jamal’s sword fell from above, hitting the ground without strength.
Encrid, having completed his thrust, turned aside. He had perfectly evaded Jamal’s final strike.
As Encrid stood, Jamal’s body tilted forward and slowly collapsed.
As his body slumped to the ground with a thud, none of the onlookers dared to speak.
Was it an overwhelming difference in skill?
No, it would be more accurate to say that the match-up was simply unfavorable.
But who among the spectators could know that?
All they felt was the oppressive aura that Encrid’s presence brought, suffocating the entire battlefield.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔