Chapter 173: The Third Force (8)
‘I’m going to kill you.’
The two beings were focused solely on that thought at this moment, swinging their weapons towards each other. The shockwave that erupted shook the air and trembled the ground beneath their feet.
At that moment, Eve’s sword amplified the energy it had absorbed from Gar’s axe and released it in the form of a powerful strike.
Gar was momentarily taken aback but quickly countered the strike with a full-force downward swing, shattering the ground and launching an attack at Eve.
“I can never lose to you, not now or ever.”
With blazing eyes, Gar aimed a strike that caused the ground to crack and explode. The area was shaken, and the earth that the nest had covered was carved deeply, revealing its inner layers.
‘Until now, everyone I faced was desperate and fervent. This one is no different.’
Having repaired the cracked barrier, Eve planted her sword into the ground, righting her body and charging at Gar once again.
Eve did not understand the meaning of the burden he spoke of. A desperate mindset? Among those who had fought for their lives until now, none lacked fervor.
And the outcome had always been her victory. Based on that experience, Eve was convinced that her inherent nature would never fall behind her opponent’s power.
“Retreat, ugh… we must retreat!”
The soldiers, continuing to fire at the charging legionnaires, urgently cried out towards Gar, who was still locked in battle with Eve from the pit.
However, Gar was not in a state to respond to that call.
The axe and sword clashed violently, neither willing to back down. They sought a mere opening to cleave their opponent’s body in one clean swipe.
The terrain was gradually changing due to the energy they emitted. Pipes buried beneath the ground burst, spilling water, and bodies fell into the collapsing pit.
“They’re just like other monsters of a higher order! The only difference is that their fighting power is astonishingly high; their rage and slaughter cannot cut me down!”
Gar’s axe rebuffed Eve’s sword with a ferocious swing. His gathered red energy finally erupted. The resonance that had been suppressing it shattered. It was something that had never happened before.
“Die!”
The warrior’s ultimate strike burst forth directly towards Eve. Anticipating the worst outcome, Eve pushed all of her avatar’s energy into her defense.
“One thing is different. That rage feels distinctly different from the higher order beings.”
Eve cast her strongest defensive magic, utilizing the energy she had summoned. Complex, overlapping magic circles cracked but managed to withstand the blow of his strike.
‘This is the last.’
Gar, whose energy overflowed beyond human limits, sensed that both their powers were nearly exhausted.
‘It can’t be! No way I can lose…’
Eve and Gar slammed down onto the ground once more. In that moment, Eve rejected the calculations she had made. This was not a matter of efficiency or calculations. She simply wanted to win—unconditionally, desperately.
“Urgh…”
Even in their weakened states, the intent to kill lingered fiercely within them.
Gar, his moustache trembling, barely deflected Eve’s sword aimed at his chest with his shaking arm.
“I must acknowledge your tenacity…”
Breathing heavily, Gar began to yield. The muscles of the avatar, formed from the essence of countless biological data, began to reach their limit and tear apart. Yet, Eve did not withdraw her strength. She threw everything into killing him.
“But I can do that too. Fighting to protect is always greater than fighting to take. This is not for revenge, but for the comrades who are retreating.”
“…!”
Gar’s center of gravity collapsed at that moment he smiled slightly.
Eve’s sword, coming down with all her strength, suddenly pierced through, severing one of his arms that held the axe.
However, as a consequence, Eve was struck squarely in the chest by his properly swung fist. The energy wrapped around the punch exploded, releasing a powerful shockwave, shattering armor and crushing her insides, damaging her heart’s power core.
‘Ah…’
Eve’s consciousness was flung out, and her avatar ceased to move.
Now, all she could do was watch through the legionnaires’ perspective as he was retrieved.
[The battle is over. They ultimately could not withstand our onslaught and are retreating. But which side is the true victor?]
The legionnaires finally drove the enemy completely out. Overall, it seemed they had succeeded in defense.
‘I lost.’
But Eve asserted that she had lost. This was not the result she desired.
Having grown this far, she did not desire a simple, straightforward victory. She had to be superior in every way and overwhelmingly crush her enemies.
Given that perspective, it was unacceptable that her opponent had fought her to a standstill and damaged the avatar she had meticulously crafted.
‘The enemy’s fleet has appeared in the sky above.’
‘I know. In Senzel, Balene, and even Eden. Is their counterattack about to begin?’
Moreover, the true offensive of the allied forces was only just beginning. After receiving Reina’s report, Eve discovered the incoming alliance force approaching her territory. If this were before, she would have delighted in the enemy’s struggles like the massive battleship Zakof of the Alliance, but now Eve felt a void within.
*
“Is it because you can’t win against the allied forces who brought new technology
