Wolves of Hader

Chapter 54

The man known as the guest warrior of the Syren family.

The magic power approaching me from him exceeded my expectations.

He didn't flaunt his magic power, but just by thinking, the force flowed toward me.

He spoke.

"I'll say it one last time. Don't throw away your precious life, just stop here and retreat. Like you warned the knights, this is my warning to you."

"If you, of all people, were to die in a foreign country like this—it would be a meaningless end, would it not?"

The man's eyes widened slightly.

"So, you know who I am."

"I thought the grand duke was the continent's strongest, but there was a chance it could be you. That's why I waited—for you to step forward."

"You waited, even knowing who I was?"

"As long as you are in the Syren family, you will die by my hand. Today might be that day."

A smile formed at the corners of his mouth.

I smiled back.

"Because of the Syren family, tens of thousands have perished, their families destroyed. For the past twenty years, many houses have waited for the day of vengeance. And now, one such house has the continent's strongest. Surely, that sword must be broken."

The smile faded from his lips.

He couldn't have been entirely unaware. No—he had pretended not to know, surely.

If my assessment of him was correct, my words would shake his composure.

He spoke.

"The weak being weeded out is the law of nature and the course of history. If you wish to survive, then grow stronger; if not, then side with the strong."

I purposefully mocked him.

"Then maybe your kingdom perished for being weak as well. If that's the law of nature and history, why don't you side with Tern? What are you doing here?"

"What did you say?"

Suddenly, a piercing murderous intent shot out from the man.

This, too, was as I'd guessed. He harbored intense vengeance toward the Tern Kingdom.

I pressed further.

"You're inconsistent, aren't you? You dream of revenge like I do, but your revenge is just, while someone else's is foolish—is that it?"

"So, you've chosen death."

His hand trembled.

That meant he was deeply enraged.

No turning back now.

"You're the fool! What difference is there between partnering with a demon for revenge and what you're doing? The blood and tears of countless fallen on this land are the same as those who perished in your homeland!"

Tung—

For a moment, the man's form seemed to disappear. No, he blurred and instantly closed the distance to me.

Such incredible speed!

Even counting my previous life, I had never encountered speed like this! But I already knew this man's advantage.

As his figure blurred before my eyes, I spun in place and swung my greatsword.

I was as quick as possible, but there was a limit to the greatsword's speed.

Tutung—

Before the blade could reach him, his left hand slapped aside the greatsword's edge.

Almost immediately, his sword aimed for my heart.

Pak!

My left elbow struck his incoming jaw hard. His sword passed just to the side of my chest as he turned his blade.

Blow after blow, the man was thrown back five steps, tumbled to the floor, then quickly got up.

He was greatly flustered.

He'd clearly seen his sword drive into my heart, only for an unexpected elbow to assault him from the left.

No doubt, he'd never fought someone using their elbow while wielding a greatsword.

With the weapon's length, it'd be unfamiliar to gauge distance.

When he knocked away my sword to my right, the recoil had spun my body.

The sword's length gave me plenty of time to spin.

Thus, I was able to evade his blade with a quick spin and launch a spinning elbow strike.

The man's right cheekbone was caved in. But the shock seemed greater than the pain.

I didn't give him a chance to recover.

I executed a leaping smash toward the man who was knocked back.

This attack wouldn't be easy for him—what mattered was whether I could pour the force of a single lethal strike onto him or not!

An assault that crashed down in an instant!

For a moment, my momentum pinned his body. But the Sword of Light was different.

Shifting the direction of the crushing impact, he moved left instead.

But I expected this too.

Art Syren had dodged the same way. Him being right-handed meant he'd dodge left!

The greatsword coming down vertically twisted right.

If he'd moved at full speed, it would've been easy to dodge, but he hesitated under that sheer pressure.

That was my plan.

He hurriedly raised his sword to block the sharply swinging blade, pouring magic power into it.

But there was something new this time!

Purk—

Briefly, a flash of red exploded.

At the same time, his magic power burst as his body was flung backward from blocking my sword.

"Donnie!"

"Yes!"

"Take out the Syren family's knight order commander! Anyone who gets in your way! Go straight to elder brother Mart!"

"Understood!"

Shouting, I rushed towards the man who'd flown out past the corridor.

He'd tumbled across the ground—the dirt staining his clothes as he got up, with blood smeared at the corner of his mouth.

"You're very strong."

"You only let your guard down."

"Dropping your guard is death. You weren't trying to kill me."

"No. I plan to."

At my words, he chuckled slyly.

If we fought for real, it's uncertain who'd win. It's just that this battle was meaningless unless we were truly enemies.

"Now, it seems I need to risk my life as well. Before that—can I ask something?"

"To probe my weakness?"

"When our swords clashed, a red explosion went off. That wasn't magic power. What was it?"

"No reason I should tell you."

"Your magic power, and that incomparably pure strength—even if it was a god's incarnation, it would be like that. Who are you? *Cough*."

Seems he took serious internal injuries.

He tried to hide it, but couldn't stop his cough. Blood leaked from his lips.

"Looks like you've made up your mind."

"Think as you please... but it's true you rekindled what I tried hard to ignore."

"Your vengeance?"

He scoffed.

This wasn't information about himself he went around sharing—he knew I was only guessing.

"It made me angry, you know. You saw right through the knot in my heart."

"I see."

"I knew it, that's probably why I got so mad. That contradiction, and how pointless it all is."

He smiled faintly again.

"I died already, sixteen years ago. I don't know what hope I was searching for, drifting around like a ghost. But fighting a strong one like you—it feels different."

"How so?"

"It's like warmth flows into my frozen veins. I can feel hot blood running through me again."

"That must be a good sign."

"I'm amazed there's still warmth left in me. Dying like this might not be so bad."

It didn't seem like he was resigned to death.

He was just unbearably lonely. That's why he said such things to me, who'd made his blood run hot.

"What's your name?"

"Xenon. And you?"

"I'm Elder brother Mart's sworn brother. Name's Donald."

"Don't make me laugh!"

The man launched another attack. This time, I couldn't even swing my greatsword—I had to hastily block with the blade.

Tung—

Before I could counter, a second attack came. A sweeping cut, anticipating the block!

I expected this too. While blocking again, I pushed him back with strength.

I had the upper hand in strength, but Xenon overwhelmed me in speed. Because of the weight and speed difference between our swords, I was forced back.

Xenon and my magic power were at a similar level.

He was far superior in fundamentals and experience, but I had more than magic power—I had Rage too.

Every attack he made was a kill move with no waste. In contrast, I possessed both skill and the attribute of Flame.

Thus, it was impossible to tell who was superior between us. If I were to fully unleash my hidden freezing, flame, and Rage, the situation would change.

But such power must not be revealed.

It's not just my trump card; it's also the very energy for the Berserker's greatest skill.

Of course, I don't intend to lose this fight.

Tutung—

We exchanged blows, shockwaves sending us flying apart.

Murderous magic power swirled around Xenon, while magic with fiery heat blazed from my sword.

"Amazing. Is that a magic sword of fire?"

"My magic power has the fire attribute."

"Making it hard to approach with flames—how cowardly."

"I have to do this just to keep up with your speed!"

Whoosh—

Flames burst from my swinging sword. Xenon, gritting his teeth, broke off his approach and retreated. Immediately, an attack followed again.

"You're such an interesting fellow!"

"Same to you!"

"They say warriors speak through their swords! I never really understood that, but I do now. This is a truly exhilarating final battle!"

"So, you admit you'll lose to me!"

"Interpret it however you want! But I have no intention of losing!"

Xenon grew fiercer. I focused on defense while counterattacking in unexpected ways, each time catching him off guard yet impressing him.

He must have been seriously injured, but neither his speed nor his strength rested.

Sometimes I landed a hit on Xenon, sometimes his strike sliced my side. His blows could split alloy armor.

Xenon possessed the ultimate essence of sword technique, while I thrived on the tricks I'd learned from countless guild battles.

He was curious about my strange techniques, and I grew familiar with his supreme mastery and formality.

And so, we each learned something.

To speak through swords.

I began to understand what that meant.

Xenon, the guest warrior, was precisely the man I'd imagined—and that pleased me.

/ / /

"Are you all right?"

That was what Donnie asked as he stood beside me in the corridor. Frankly, I was not.

Blood was streaming from my side.

"Healing potion, sir."

"I'm fine."

"You need to stop the bleeding."

Once the fight ended, intense pain washed over me. Several of my cuts were quite deep.

My leg looked as if the flesh had split enough to expose bone.

I drank the healing potion Donnie handed me.

Soon the bleeding slowed, and the pain began to subside. My vital energy, formerly in chaos, seemed to be returning to normal.

Xenon walked away into the darkness.

He seemed unscathed, but he was also badly hurt—mostly inside.

The corridor and its surroundings were slick with the blood he had spat and the blood I'd bled.

Xenon's severed left-hand fingers lay on the ground.

They'd been cut when he blocked my greatsword with his own sword and his hand.

Had he not blocked like that, my blade would have pierced his side.

"We ought to eliminate him now."

"We can't beat him."

"If not now, while he's seriously wounded, there might never be another chance."

"We fought for two hours, both of us badly wounded. I called it off because it felt like we'd both die if we continued."

Only then did Donnie nod.

He'd been fighting the fleeing Syren family knight order commander and had missed my duel with Xenon.

In truth, neither of us could keep fighting.

I was cut and stabbed in several places, including my side.

Xenon had serious internal injuries and lost fingers.

As a result, we were both losing consciousness from massive blood loss.

In my case, I'd run out of stamina and could barely even hold my greatsword.

Perhaps it was because we reached the limits of fighting.

When I said I was hungry and suggested we go home and eat, Xenon laughed and agreed, joking that he didn't even have a home.

That became our unspoken truce, the end of a battle neither wanted to lose.

Shortly after, we lay side by side in a field, gazing at the night sky like boys.

During the fight, we'd spoken three times. But once it ended, neither said a word.

Perhaps it was the sense of kinship we both felt.

Then Xenon stood up and walked away. I watched him go—and I was sure.

My intentions had reached Xenon.

"Let's go, to the capital."

I walked along the corridor again.

Behind me, the Berserkers began joining one by one. Everyone was wounded in some way.

But to us, these wounds were marks of honor.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

If you're wondering why Roger is calling Mart his big brother, it's because he's pretending to be part of Mart's bandit group...

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