Chapter 109

I watched as Dominus’s expression and entire body seemed to boil with a strange excitement, even as he gave me a chilling smile. There were times when soldiers or knights about to engage in battle would get so excited they’d shake uncontrollably. This man, who had seen countless battles, what could be making him tremble like this?

It was grotesque, if anything, but I don’t think anyone other than me or Asulin behind me would dare mock such a sight.

Grotesque though it was, it wasn’t the kind of grotesqueness that invited ridicule; it was the kind that could eat you alive.

The sinister look of Dominus, mounted on his armored horse, could only be described as demonic. How could anyone predict this? Standing still on a horse that isn’t moving is just as easy a target as any projectile or weapon.

Due to his provocatively threatening stance, no one dared approach him.

Even seeing someone before my eyes who openly displayed their laxness, no one rushed forward.

“Huh huh, what’s wrong? Afraid of me, standing here alone? Come on, anyone, rush at me! I won’t kill the first one who dares, I’ll value their courage.”

Dominus laughed exaggeratedly, throwing out cheap taunts.

I didn’t remember learning such cheap taunts from him when I received violent teachings, yet the similarity in the taunt before my eyes made me think.

‘-Still has the habits of a scoundrel.’

No matter how much I denied it, blood couldn’t be fooled. Just as I was feeling gloomy about this…

‘…Scoundrel?’

He was a scoundrel, almost to the point where adding ‘dog’ in front would fit better.

‘…’

My head shook involuntarily as I thought about the unpleasant truth told by the Payload, but then my gaze met Asulin’s.

“…”

Asulin nodded silently at me, her resolve clear. Even without words, I understood her signal and nodded back with a slight smile.

And that was the start.

“Found your weakness! Get ready!”

With a yell combining delicacy and power, Asulin lunged at Dominus, her blade, Caladbolg, tracing a path more precise than lightning towards his neck.

Despite standing motionless on a non-moving horse, Dominus remained composed.

“Whoosh!”

There was no trick to easily dodge the trajectory of Caladbolg, which shone brilliantly along with the blue hostility.

“Ha!”

Dominus, effortlessly deflecting my Caladbolg with Weaponless, caught Asulin’s strike.

The perfect timing with which he caught the sword made the collision so powerful that no sound should have been heard, yet none was.

Even though she was vulnerable on the horse, Dominus managed to perfectly block the attack from the Empire’s finest knight, Asulin. A hint of elation appeared on his face.

“Ta-aat!”

When my Caladbolg reached its target, aiming to cut his neck, Dominus quickly deflected Asulin’s Caladbolg, intercepting mine.

Perhaps because he had barely blocked the unexpected attack at the last moment.

Unlike before, when Asulin’s strike was absorbed without a sound, the result was different.

“Boom!”

The sharp clash of artillery echoed in my ears, as if two battering rams had collided.

“Tsk!”

Realizing that my attempt to exploit his weakness had failed, I clicked my tongue.

“You’re quite clever. I don’t remember teaching you this… Oh, did I teach this to that child?”

Dominus, who had received my Caladord with full force, showed nothing but a calm demeanor, except for a fleeting moment of confusion.

That child, even though he mentioned someone whose ears were everywhere, he referred to my deceased older brother.

Though his treatment of the child was less harsh than mine, the lack of respect shown to a successor didn’t make him any less pitiful than a parent mourning a lost child.

“Hmph!”

Without answering Dominus’s question, I quickly recovered my Caladord, aiming it at his vital points.

As I swung, Asulin also struck Caladbolg in a symmetrical motion.

This coordinated attack, which was a combination of simultaneous strikes, was the most orthodox way to handle a formidable opponent that neither of us could defeat in a one-on-one duel.

After our marriage, through endless practice duels, we had thoroughly analyzed each other’s techniques. Any ordinary opponent wouldn’t stand a chance against our combined efforts.

“Huhuhu. You choose efficiency over reputation. Seeing you act without hesitation, despite not being taught, confirms that you are indeed my son!”

Even facing such a coordinated attack, Dominus calmly blocked our swords.

Knowing that I hadn’t managed to inflict any significant damage on him in the past, I was well aware of his strength.

“…How…”

Asulin, visibly bewildered by his overwhelming strength, felt the same.

Caladbolg, a magnificent sword worthy of comparison in the Empire, was deflected by Dominus’s Weaponless, which seemed to devour everything.

Even my Caladord, imbued with a fierce blue hostility, was swallowed up by his black hostility, without even leaving a trace.

If it were just the swords clashing, it might have been bearable, but the overwhelming fatigue that drained all my strength made me feel like I was facing something entirely different from Dominus.

This wasn’t right. Even if he was strong, he couldn’t treat Asulin and me like children.

What is this? The strange feeling I had when I first met him grew stronger with time.

Is this really Dominus? This question filled my mind.

“Clang!”

“Even with the instinct to recognize an unworthy opponent and resort to a coordinated attack, you can still value it, but…”

From the confident voice of Dominus, who had easily deflected Asulin’s strike.

“There’s no way you two, who haven’t even grown proper feathers, can face me!”

His confidence was so overwhelming that it felt intimidating.

At this level of confidence, it would be possible to shift the offensive to me or Asulin and corner us.

“Are young men already tired?”

Dominus, remaining relaxed on his horse, continued to provoke us.

His defensive posture, which only blocked attacks without counterattacking, looked like he was under pressure.

“Heh…”

“Heh…”

Both Asulin and I, adjusting our breaths after his provocation, showed that Dominus wasn’t under pressure.

Gradually, he lured his opponent into a trap so subtly that they wouldn’t notice until it was too late.

By the time they realized it, they were already trapped in a swamp from which escape was impossible, a hunting technique Dominus was proud of.

Usually, this technique was used against large barbarian forces, but he applied it to us.

“-That boy is completely unguarded. Be careful. Who knows what he might do next.”

Just as I felt a bitter regret for realizing too late, the voice of Caladord warned me.

“Asulin… step back.”

I asked Asulin to retreat to reduce the number of targets, but…

“Ta-aat!”

Before my request, Asulin’s yell and footsteps echoed as she charged at Dominus again, her spirit high from the fight.

Seeing the danger Asulin faced alone against Dominus, I hurried to join her.

However, despite our coordinated attack, this was the first time it faltered.

Dominus didn’t miss this opportunity.

He suddenly dismounted from his horse, which had never shown signs of backing down.

“Why blame me for hesitating to leave the horse when you’re the one who should be blamed for the delay!”

Regardless, Asulin unleashed a powerful strike with a roar reminiscent of a battle cry.

In that instant, my consciousness accelerated infinitely, observing the brief moment as if it lasted forever.

Caladbolg, carrying immense power, obliterated everything in its path.

Asulin’s expression, devoid of any waver during the attack, finally revealed a faint smile of victory.

But when I turned to see Asulin, Dominus was already countering with Weaponless, his expression resembling a volcano about to erupt.

Dominus’s Weaponless intercepted Asulin’s Tianpeng strike from below.

At first glance, it seemed Caladbolg would pierce Dominus’s flesh first, but…

“Chaa!”

To my surprise, Asulin’s Caladbolg missed its mark again, flying off into the air.

Only then did Asulin show signs of distress.

In that instant, my body moved faster than lightning, appearing before Asulin.

“Whizz!”

As the sharp blade pierced my abdomen, I heard Asulin calling my name desperately.

“…Remember how I said I wouldn’t kill the first one who rushes in?”

As my consciousness faded from the overwhelming fatigue, Dominus’s cold declaration reached me.

“You’re second, so it doesn’t apply. But even if you were first, you’d be an exception…”

His words cut through my ear sharper than the blade that pierced my gut.

I had endured countless wounds from battles, but this one was worse than all of them combined, gnawing away at my life.