As the Forest Keepers of Luke Forest were searching for him, Luke was walking along a path that resembled a cave overgrown with grass.
“This space seems to have almost no time difference from the outside…”
The moment Luke entered the space, he couldn’t help but notice the flow of time outside.
In his space that he had stretched to its limits for preservation purposes, he had to use as little time as possible.
In that place, one minute would equate to one hundred minutes in the Material Plane.
At first, he had wasted some time being flustered by how his space had transformed into an unfamiliar environment, but since he hadn’t significantly squandered his time up to now, it shouldn’t be a problem.
His initial goal was to exit before sundown.
However, realizing that he didn’t need to care about the time flowing outside made him feel a bit relieved.
Therefore, Luke took some time to examine the surrounding plants more closely.
No matter how angry he was, this place didn’t seem something that could simply be crushed mindlessly.
‘It seems magic doesn’t work well here…’
As Luke placed his hand on the wall and touched the leaves for a moment, he soon realized one fact.
“Why is Gleipnir here?”
It turned out that these plants were not merely simple flora but were artificial plants used in modern times to restore the World Tree, now referred to as ‘Gleipnir.’
The answer to the powerful magical resistance acting throughout this place was precisely this.
Luke found himself in even greater confusion.
‘Why would Baal have something like this…?’
What secret does this place hide?
Luke’s curiosity began to outweigh his anger.
——–
The greenery gradually diminished as he ventured deeper into the passage.
As the areas devoid of plants expanded, Luke could now discern that this wasn’t a simple cave.
Having been abandoned for quite a long time, there were no decorations or furniture left intact, making it impossible to determine the architectural style of any era. Nonetheless, it was clearly an artificially created interior.
As he continued to observe his surroundings, he soon discovered something peculiar.
At first, he thought it was a pillar, but now that he looked more closely, it was something entirely different.
It was an armor, rusted and ensnared by vines, almost becoming one with the wall.
Luke hurriedly approached the armor, pushing aside the weeds, feeling relieved to have found something that offered a glimpse into the historical period of this place.
He gently stroked the rough surface, which had once been glorious but was now heavily oxidized and hard to discern its shape.
“This material and design… this isn’t just ornamental armor.”
Luke raised his gaze to the part of the armor that appeared to be its head.
“Living Armor.”
A type of Golem that, depending on its maker, could possess performance comparable to a swordmaster.
To gain a better overall view of its form, Luke took a few steps back.
-Crunch.
He heard something crunch underfoot.
Looking down to check, it was entangled in the underbrush, making it hard to discern, but judging by its rough shape and size, it was a human skull.
Gently parting the underbrush for a better look, it seemed this skeleton belonged to a male.
“Just a corpse.”
Unfortunately, estimating the age at the time of death was difficult.
The remains seemed to be over a hundred years old.
It was miraculous that such a form remained intact after all this time.
Perhaps this skeleton belonged to an Elf.
After all, the remains of long-lived Elves tend to preserve much longer than those of other races.
However, the only thing he could be certain of was the tattered rags it wore.
If he rummaged through it, there might be glimpses of armor suggesting that this individual was likely an adventurer or a mercenary.
“Hmm, there are signs that the bones were severed… Was he murdered?”
It wasn’t hard to guess who the murderer was.
It was probably that Living Armor.
One could speculate that this man entered this space through some route in the distant past and met his end as a target of the Living Armor.
As Luke quietly stared at the now dormant Living Armor, he muttered.
“Well, I suppose I don’t need to worry much now.”
Just as he murmured this and prepared to move again…
-Whoosh.
Suddenly, Luke swiftly twisted his body.
-Whoosh!
A sharp blade grazed past him.
It was an attack clearly aimed at him.
He suppressed his hat, nearly blown away by the force of the wind, and steadied himself while watching the direction from which the blade had come.
From across the passage shrouded in plants and dust, a faint blue glow emerged.
“What’s this? Is there still an active Living Armor around?”
“….”
As the dust began to settle, Luke had no choice but to squint his eyes at the sight of the Living Armor that appeared.
“Wait, that design…”
The armor that had just been inactive, so corroded that it was nearly indecipherable, was now identifiable enough to make out the embossed patterns on the currently active Living Armor.
And that design was exceptionally familiar.
“Isn’t that the Living Armor I designed?!”
At this moment, he was no longer angry.
Baal Nier, do you truly have no sense of honor or shame?
How dare you use the Golem I created to guard your dwelling.
-Clank, creak…
The corroded joints twisted and scraped together, producing an unpleasant metallic sound.
However, the Living Armor seemed completely unconcerned with such things. It lowered the sword it held in its hand as if to shake off the dust.
The blade, dulled and rusted due to lack of maintenance over the years, seemed more fitting to a junkyard than a warrior’s hand, unable even to slice through soft tofu.
Yet if that swordsman wielded an Aura Blade, the story would be different.
-Swish…
Pure magic enveloped the rusted sword, and the blue light sharpened its surface to an edge like never before.
Now, no one could afford to dismiss that sword as merely rusted.
However, Luke had little interest in such matters.
“It’s turning more from anger to annoyance, Baal.”
————
In legends, fairy tales, and novels, it’s often said, “We fought for several hundred exchanges,” or “We battled for three days and nights,” but such battles are extremely rare unless the adversary is intentionally giving way or presents a situation where one cannot easily kill or neutralize the other.
In actual duels, it typically ends in one exchange—no more than three in the longest of encounters.
In that brief moment, all the years of training collide within a handful of seconds.
In this instant, the outcome hinges on “How long have you honed yourself up to this battle?”
Thus, it can be seen as a kind of examination.
One anticipates the opponent’s attack and responds accordingly.
The opponent predicts that response and moves to counter it.
This is the ideal flow of a duel.
Warriors pour their lifelong efforts into responding to the attacks imbued with the living history of an unknown opponent.
However, in this case, such was not required at all.
‘Could I possibly lose to a Golem I created?’
He was the very one who designed all the logical circuits and operational structure of that Living Armor.
No matter how much it improves its actions and movements through prior combat, the visible movements would ultimately be predetermined.
Therefore, engaging in a duel where one already knows how the opponent will act ends in an instant.
It was akin to taking an exam after having already seen the answers.
Luke deflected the swiftly jabbing sword with his right hand, which was in stark contrast to its rusted body.
Reaching out to touch the sword cloaked in Aura was sheer madness, but the opponent was not a person; it was an automaton following predetermined behaviors.
The optimal path designed in data, unlike the uncertain actions performed by human hands, was, of course, predictable.
“….”
With the sword deflected, exposing the armor beneath,
Luke immediately plunged into that opening.
Simultaneously, he extended his left hand, pouring in mana.
If one were to pierce both ice and fire into a single point, even the most reinforced and magic-resistant Asceril would be unable to withstand it.
-Crack!
The Living Armor’s armor began to crack along the traces of scratches it had accumulated over a long time of operation.
“….”
-Creeeak.
Soon, the Living Armor’s movements ceased.
As if someone had suddenly petrified it, it remained frozen in the act of raising its sword.
“…You must have no guilt.”
Luke gazed upward at the visor of the Living Armor, which began to dim, murmuring sadly.
To Luke, this Living Armor was a Golem filled with special memories.
Whether a wizard, a blacksmith, or even a mere child, one tends to develop an attachment to the trinkets they create.
“Luke! If you create something like this, what on earth will the royal knight order live on?”
“Are they weaker than my Golem? If so, they should put in the effort instead of blaming me!”
“….”
A memory that suddenly resurfaced.
Luke embraced the rusted armor of the Living Armor.
The cold, rough surface was felt on his body, hands, and face.
“Thank you for your hard work. You truly… held on for so long.”
Though it charged at him without recognizing its master…
The appearance that the Living Armor saw now could only view him as an intruder.
After all, Luke Irushi was in no way aligned with its body or soul.
Only the name he had not abandoned remained.
Thus, while this Living Armor was not a person, it still deserved honor due to its status as a warrior.
After adjusting the position of the Living Armor’s arm and propping it against the wall, Luke ascended the staircase that lay before him.
