SWNOVELXO Chapter 514
Chapter 514: Let’s Settle This Here. (5)
The reason Ghislaine didn’t jump from Level 3 to Level 4 was due to stability and balance.
At Level 3, her core was located in both her chest and just below her navel. The next position for the core needed to be in her thighs. To maintain balance, she had to create a core in both thighs simultaneously.
“Phew…”
A red breath escaped from Ghislaine’s lips. Five cores were organically spinning and pulling mana upwards.
‘I need to distribute it well.’
Since Dark’s power was depleted, she couldn’t amplify mana any further now.
The mana absorbed from the newly created core was filling the other side, but the newly formed core was still weak. The filled mana was less than half of the existing core.
‘But that’s okay.’
This mana circulation method was originally created for a momentary explosion of mana. If she distributed the newly filled mana well, it could exceed her limits.
Ghislaine grinned and said, “Doesn’t it feel like we’re dragging this out too long? At this rate, it’ll be dawn.”
The battle between the two had lasted quite long. Ghislaine was managing her strength wisely, dragging the fight out.
At her words, Kaien looked up at the sky. The sun had already set, and the stars were filling the sky.
‘When did time flow like this?’
Arriving after a relentless run, it had already been half a day of fighting without a decisive victor.
Being deeply immersed in a battle from another temporal axis, he hadn’t even noticed the changes around him.
‘We were almost there.’
Though they fought for a long time, Count Penris had clearly exhausted all his mana. It wasn’t a delusion.
Then, suddenly, he regained his strength. Such a phenomenon was something he had never seen or even heard of.
“I’m curious. What on earth are you? How did you recover your mana?”
Not only was the recovery unreasonably fast with high defense, but he was also doing things outside of common sense. It was enough to pique curiosity.
“Well… I guess you could say it’s a technique I learned while crossing the lines of life and death.”
“Impressive. Why didn’t you use that power from the beginning?”
Had he done so, either of them would have definitively ended the battle much sooner. Count Penris could have replenished the mana he expended while fighting Elois as well.
Ghislaine shook her head slightly.
“It’s not as easy as you think. You’re stronger than I expected.”
If three cores could determine the fight’s outcome, Ghislaine wouldn’t have needed to create the core now.
When creating a new core, she had to exhaust all of her energy first. Otherwise, the newly generated core would violently collide with the existing mana.
That wasn’t all. Her physical vessel also needed to be large enough to accept five cores. Although she had been adapting her body with Dark’s amplification, it still felt somewhat insufficient.
Thus, Ghislaine had continuously postponed making cores. There were important matters that took precedence over stabilizing her body.
Thud, thud, thud…
‘It’s starting to strain now.’
She had forced herself to create cores because three couldn’t defeat Kaien. She even used some vitality to avoid her body completely breaking down.
Still, her bones and muscles were twisting a bit. The suddenly formed core was unstable and hadn’t settled properly.
Ghislaine was struggling to suppress the mana that was still thrashing about, trying to burst out of her body. That power had to be utilized in the battle.
She figured that after this fight, she’d need a few days just to recuperate and stabilize the cores.
Kaien nodded as he saw blood trickling from the corner of Ghislaine’s mouth.
“It doesn’t seem like a normal method.”
For suddenly unleashing such power, there must have been a price to pay. Otherwise, she would have used that power long ago.
The opportunity was still there.
“A slight recovery in mana won’t change the outcome.”
Boom!
With some remaining power, Kaien swung his sword fiercely again. Ghislaine, having recovered a bit of mana, also extended her sword to meet him.
Kaboom!
The force of their clash showed that Kaien still held the upper hand. The opponent’s skill was indeed remarkable, but he could press with force and withdraw when needed.
He worked hard to suppress his excitement and swung his sword with composure.
‘Don’t let your guard down. That guy’s swordsmanship is still dangerous.’
One little miscalculation could lead to a sword sprinting out from an unexpected angle. Their instant lapse could result in a fatal wound.
Thus, he pressed Ghislaine more mindfully. He accepted attacks that wouldn’t cause significant harm while countering.
Boom! Bang! Kaboom!
Seeing Kaien calmly continuing his assault, Ghislaine forced a grin.
‘He’s definitely impressive.’
A strong person remains calm even while holding the upper position. That’s something not everyone can do.
She couldn’t risk luring out his carelessness to make a counterattack. The only method that worked against such an opponent was simply…
Stronger power.
Zing—
Ghislaine’s eyes glimmered a bright red. The newly filled mana began to strengthen as it flowed through the five cores.
Kaboom!
At Ghislaine’s sudden surge in power, Kaien stepped back.
‘Just a little more.’
Ghislaine gritted her teeth, swinging her sword again.
Kaboom!
‘More!’
Roar!
As the five cores spun fiercely, they amplified the power behind Ghislaine’s sword.
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
As Ghislaine’s strikes intensified, Kaien fell back, flustered.
“Gah!”
It was incomprehensible. How could she grow stronger as they fought?
Kaien had no choice but to abandon the idea of slowly pressing her. He had to exert more strength to avoid being pushed back.
Kaboom! Kaboom!
Clashing swords, Ghislaine gritted her teeth.
‘Is this really all I have left?’
She couldn’t extract more power. If she exploded with more energy, her body wouldn’t withstand it and would crumble instantly. Maintaining her current state was all she could manage.
Besides, Kaien was an opponent whom she couldn’t subdue with just a momentary burst of strength.
Kaien felt the same frustration. Even if Ghislaine was slightly below him, she was no opponent he could defeat instantly.
‘If I fail, it’s over.’
The two powers were evenly matched. The one to lose strength first or make a mistake would meet their end.
He disliked admitting that this young punk was able to fight him on equal grounds, but he had to face the truth now.
Kaboom!
Their swords flew at each other with increasing ferocity, each trying to deliver a lethal blow.
Since both were aware of the other’s intentions, they took most attacks on their bodies.
Splat!
Blood continuously spurted from both of them.
As Ghislaine’s chest split open, so did Kaien’s. As Ghislaine’s arm was cut, Kaien’s leg fell to the blade.
Despite becoming mangled, neither of them stopped. They could both barely handle the other’s strength now.
Kaboom!
“Urgh!”
Both groaned simultaneously, falling back again. It had been a long time since both soaked in blood.
“Gasp, gasp… You bastard…”
Seeing Kaien stagger to his feet, Ghislaine laughed.
“Tired already? I still have plenty of strength left.”
“Don’t… act so tough.”
The audacity of him acting composed while they both lay in ruins. How dare he show such bravado before the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword!
“Let’s go again.”
Kaien tightly gripped his sword and advanced. Ghislaine didn’t back down.
Kaboom!
Seeing the two of them bloodied and swinging their swords, both sides’ troops tightly gripped their weapons in fear.
‘If I charge now…’
‘Hurry and save…’
Dawn was already breaking. Their movements were clearly different from at the start. Exhaustion was evident.
If just a few knights rushed in, they could save their allies and kill the opponent.
Yet they couldn’t dare intervene. It was a battle to determine the kingdom’s strongest. They could not move until given orders.
Beyond mere animosity towards the opponent, a sense of awe swelled within them.
‘So this is the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword…’
‘Count Penris was this strong?’
It was an extraordinary fight. Even though both were so fatigued, their sword movements were still alive. Each attack carried immense realizations.
If they were in that position themselves, they wouldn’t be able to withstand even a single exchange.
All both sides could do was clench their fists and cheer.
Kaboom! Bang! Kaboom!
Ghislaine and Kaien continued to fight without rest. Their mana was running dangerously low, and their bodies had become ragged. They could bleed out at any moment.
Kaboom!
Eventually, the two could no longer withstand each other’s strength and collapsed once more.
In fact, had they balanced their strength, they could have fought longer. Their mana reserves were remarkably vast.
But since they matched the strength of the opponent, they had grown tired much quicker.
“Gah… you bastard…”
Kaien tried to get up, spitting blood. But he trembled and struggled to rise.
Ghislaine also tried to push herself up, using her sword for support.
“Ugh… damn it.”
The two who attempted to stand were brought back down again. They needed to catch their breath since the strain was overwhelming.
Kaien fixated on Ghislaine, managing to say, “This is unfortunate.”
Ghislaine tightened her grip on the hilt of the sword embedded in the ground and asked, “What is?”
“I can’t decide the outcome any longer.”
“Hmph… As if it’s your decision.”
“That’s it for me as the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword.”
“…Is that so?”
Kaien exhaled roughly. He wished to settle the fight with his strength alone.
But he was no mere knight. He was the Commander of the Southern Army and a loyal servant of the Duke.
What was important to him now was not personal honor.
Kaien gave a self-deprecating smile.
“I’ll lay down the fame of being the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword and my pride here.”
Winning this war was the most important thing.
If he moved the army now, he could definitely kill Count Penris. Killing Count Penris would be tantamount to victory in this war.
The mobile army would try to block him, but the troops he had brought were double that of the opposing side. They would have had some time to rest while he fought.
“I’m sorry. I’ll carry the shame of tainting this duel until the day I die.”
After catching his breath for a moment, Kaien stood up with great difficulty. His legs were trembling. Ghislaine still hadn’t gotten up.
Exhaling exhaustedly, Kaien extended his sword forward.
“And I’ll… remember you. You were truly a remarkable opponent.”
“……”
The Penris Mobile Army felt the atmosphere shift and raised their spears. The Delphine Army’s cavalry of 40,000 did the same.
They would charge at a moment’s notice upon receiving an order.
Kaien, seemingly unconcerned, continued, sword still pointed forward.
“All troops…”
Before he could finish, Ghislaine interjected.
“You’ll have to settle this duel with me. Your army won’t be able to move.”
“What?”
“Look beside you.”
Kaien slowly turned his head. On a nearby hill stood a figure who appeared to be a noble and several knights.
They were definitely not there at the start of the fight. Squinting, he recognized them.
“Count Mobray?”
A chill ran down Kaien’s spine. When did they arrive and start watching?
He had been so engrossed in the fight that he hadn’t noticed.
The troops on both sides knew someone had arrived but were hesitant to act. They didn’t know which side they belonged to, and the fight between Ghislaine and Kaien had been too fierce to pay attention to anything else.
Seeing that the fight between the two had entered a lull, Count Mobray raised his hand. A knight beside him blew a horn.
Boooom—!
As the horn sounded loudly, a cloud of dust rose behind the hill as a contingent of troops appeared.
It was Count Mobray’s cavalry of 10,000.
“Oh no…”
Kaien furrowed his brows. They still had a numerical advantage, but now that the enemy’s forces had increased, their own losses would inevitably rise.
Kaien snarled at Ghislaine.
“Were you stalling for time until they arrived? You didn’t mean to settle this duel with me at all!”
“No, they had arrived quite a while ago.”
Count Mobray’s forces reached them before dawn. Ghislaine had deliberately gotten Dark to keep them at a distance to settle the duel.
So Count Mobray had just come to watch.
Kaien bit his lips several times before continuing, “I don’t care. Even with that force added, it won’t change anything. In the chaos, you will die.”
At those words, Ghislaine chuckled.
“That’s not the end of it.”
“What…”
Before Kaien’s words could finish, a far larger cloud of dust arose behind the Mobray Army.
An even larger cavalry group appeared, far exceeding that of the Mobray forces.
“Waaaah!”
They charged forward with loud cheers. Kaien looked at them with trembling eyes.
Even at a glance, they overwhelmed the troops they currently had. There were at least 50,000 of them.
“What is this… how…”
They weren’t regular troops. Their formation was chaotic, and their armor and weapons varied widely. At a glance, they resembled a band of rogues.
The only sign that they belonged together was…
“The Penris Mercenary Group?”
The flag of the Penris Mercenary Group billowed above their heads. The mercenary group that had been expanding its influence crazily throughout each kingdom.
“How could they be here right now…”
Kaien was already well aware of the Penris Mercenary Group. He had believed that only a portion of their forces remained for regional stabilization while most were dispatched to other kingdoms.
That was because they needed personnel to manage the mercenaries they had forcibly integrated.
So he hadn’t paid much attention. He thought that there would be a flood of mercenary requests from other kingdoms and that it wouldn’t significantly affect them here.
Yet suddenly seeing such a large number appear was unbelievable.
“Could it be… they were summoned in advance?”
“Indeed. My father and I were gathering forces before advancing to the capital. They followed in my wake.”
Kaien wore a defeated expression.
Now, the opposing forces outnumbered his by twofold. Moreover, his own troops had been starving for days. If they clashed here unprepared, it would surely spell defeat.
“How… how could this happen…”
Kaien repeatedly muttered the same words, stunned. He never imagined that mercenaries would arrive in such numbers.
It was evident that this guy had been planning for this situation long before. They were merely falling into the trap he had set gradually.
Kaien’s head began to spin as he staggered.
‘It’s the end.’
If he were in decent condition, he could have faced this large force. If things became hard, a retreat would have been possible.
But now, all his strength was depleted. He and his cavalry of 40,000 could not escape death here.
Kaien looked at Ghislaine with a dull expression. That guy had skills and knowledge that were truly unfathomable.
‘An incomprehensible existence.’
In fact, he had felt it since their swords first clashed. No matter how much of a genius one was, there was something impossible for someone of that age.
“You… who are you? How can you do such things?”
“Me? There aren’t many titles that refer to me.”
The Northern Rake, Heir of Perdium, Lord of Penris, Saint of the Capital, Commander of the Northern Army…
But this was not what he wanted to say right now.
Ghislaine slowly began to rise. Her body screamed in pain, but she insisted on straightening her back.
In her past life, she could not say it. She had lost the war before ever encountering Duke Delphine or Kaien.
So she could not tell them who she was.
“I am…”
Ghislaine exhaled deeply. Then she looked up, glaring at Kaien, and said.
Now she could finally say it. The one who had intended to kill them in her past life.
And now…
Returning to do what she had come to do.
“I am the king of mercenaries, Ghislaine Perdium.”