Chapter 189

“Ugh…!”

I rolled to the side, dodging the sword that came slashing down. The steel blade plunged deep into the spot where my head and heart had been just moments ago.

If I hadn’t dodged, I’d be dead.

“Haah!”

Even where I dodged, knights were swarming. I quickly got up, swinging my sword to parry their attacks one by one.

“Ka`har!”

I blocked the downward slash of a longsword with my shoulder guard.

“You bastard!”

A spearhead thrust toward my side. I swung Durandal to deflect it. The tip of the spear grazed my armor.

“……!”

I caught the sword aiming silently for my spine with my left hand and twisted it. The knight who lost his sword looked horrified.

“Do you have eyes on your back?!”

“Attack him all at once!”

Six blades rushed at me from all directions.

I swung my sword, deflecting two, and rolled through the gap to escape. The missed strikes scraped my armor, sending sparks flying.

The knights’ attacks kept pouring in. Like a spiderweb trapping its prey, they endlessly entangled me.

“Where’s the guy I was fighting earlier? Maybe I’m getting old, but I can’t see him clearly anymore.”

That… that despicable brat!

I gritted my teeth.

—

Valenstein was walking leisurely through the knights, not even bothering to rush at me. He was so calm it made my blood boil.

“Are you blind?! Can’t even fight?! What a waste of the title ‘Greatest Swordsman’!”

I didn’t even have time to shout, busy deflecting the knights’ attacks.

Individually, their attacks weren’t that threatening… but when ten, twenty swords came at me simultaneously, it became a real headache.

If I could just kill them, it’d be simple. But the biggest problem was that I couldn’t.

The knights attacking me now were only about 20% of the total. The rest were just maintaining the encirclement, undecided. If I started killing the knights, what would happen?

Seeing their comrades turned into mincemeat, they wouldn’t just stand by. They’d all charge at me without hesitation.

Most of them were just knights devoted to protecting the Empire. They were deceived by Valenstein and Isabella, but they weren’t guilty of anything.

And I’m supposed to slaughter them all?

Durandal trembled slightly. My hesitation was evident in every swing of the blade.

If they were insect knights, I’d cut them down without a second thought… but they weren’t even coming close. If I abandoned Leopold and tried to break through alone, they’d probably gather to stop me.

Or maybe they were wary of getting too close, fearing Durandal’s blessing might activate.

Durandal. This seemingly capable yet utterly useless sword was now just a well-made blade in my hands. Even though my opponents were villains allied with witches, they were still human… and the sword showed no sign of unleashing its true power.

In the end, I couldn’t kill them all, and I couldn’t rely on the sword’s power. It was like fighting with my hands tied.

“Fighting head-on, you’re nothing but a pathetic old man. Using such despicable tactics…!”

I gritted my teeth and swung my sword.

—

“…Is that so?”

A soft whisper. A chilling cold ran down my spine, like icy water had been poured over me. A spine-tingling sense of danger shot up my back.

“Gah…!”

I reflexively swung Durandal, and it clashed with a loud noise. Behind me, Valenstein stood, smiling, his sword locked with mine.

When did he get so close? I hadn’t sensed him at all.

If he hadn’t spoken, I’d have been cut down.

– Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

We exchanged five blows.

The ground tore apart with a deafening noise. The surrounding knights hastily backed away.

“Do you still think so?”

“Ah, yes!”

I pushed his sword away and kicked. The force in my leg could’ve shattered a bear.

“That strength is always astonishing. But if you can’t land a hit, it’s meaningless.”

Before my foot could reach him, Valenstein slid back effortlessly. His movements were ghostly, leaving no sound or trace.

Valenstein’s presence vanished again. Unlike before, the knights didn’t approach me.

“Are you hiding behind your subordinates again?! Can you even call yourself a knight?!”

I shouted, frantically scanning my surroundings. Once his presence disappeared, I couldn’t even confirm his existence without seeing him.

“Using them as bait? Hardly.”

**Left.**

I instinctively shot an Ice Blade, piercing through empty air.

“They’re just standing still now, aren’t they? They only swung their swords reflexively when the princess flew by.”

**Right.**

…My sword swung through nothing.

“Honestly, why would I use them as bait? Against such a small opponent.”

**Behind.**

I turned quickly, but Valenstein was nowhere to be seen.

“The princess can’t even return to my side, so I had to come all the way here.”

What the hell is this…?!

Cold sweat drenched my back. Despite my heightened senses, I couldn’t detect Valenstein at all.

The surroundings felt crystal clear within a few meters, but his presence was completely absent.

It was impossible to perceive him.

This wasn’t something a human could do. Even if he moved in my blind spot, he couldn’t deceive my other senses.

Yet, it was happening.

“Your expression’s stiffened.”

– Thud!

I was struck in the back by the hilt of his sword. The dull impact bent me forward.

My sense of smell was useless. I couldn’t detect even the faintest scent of fabric or metal, let alone a human’s presence.

“Where’s that confidence from earlier?”

– Crunch!

My shoulder guard was torn apart. Even Asha’s armor couldn’t withstand Jin’s blade.

My hearing was useless too. I didn’t hear a sound until the moment before I was struck.

This was incomprehensible. Even if he silenced his footsteps and held his breath, how could he stop his heartbeat?

“Are you just going to stand there?”

Even the flow of air was still. A human-sized object, moving faster than I could turn my head…

Moving so fast, yet not a single breeze is stirred… How is that even possible?

“You look like you’ve been possessed by a ghost. Yeah, Or-han had that same look too.”

Valenstein revealed his presence once again.

From my perspective, it was as if a person had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

If there’s someone who can teleport without using magic… this must be what it feels like.

“Just as expected, you’re the spitting image of Or-han from head to toe. Superhuman physical abilities and sharp senses… especially the part where you rely solely on your body to fight.”

Valenstein calmly pointed his sword at me. A cold smirk lingered at the corner of his wrinkled mouth.

“…You seem to know my father very well. You’ve been talking a lot since earlier, are you some kind of secret friend? Ah, could that be why he never married even at that age…?”

“Was the princess’s mother married to a man who preferred men?”

“……”

I tried to mock him, but got double the comeback. Not that it did any damage to me, though.

After all, neither Or-han nor Ai-mel-ra were my real parents.

“Or-han was an astonishingly tough opponent. We only fought once, but… I still remember it vividly. His body was so resilient that my blade couldn’t even pierce it properly. No matter how much I slashed, he just wouldn’t fall…”

Valenstein muttered softly, in the weary tone of an old man reminiscing about the past.

…This guy fought Or-han?

This was the first time I’d heard of it. Well, considering they were the empire’s greatest knight and Ka`har’s strongest warrior, it would make sense if they clashed during a war between the two nations…

“From what you said about my father being called ‘foam,’ it seems like you lost pathetically. Lucky to have escaped with your life, huh?”

“Or-han didn’t tell you, did he? Well, that’s understandable. It’s not exactly a story you’d want to share with your daughter—being slashed without drawing a single drop of blood, then retreating when the battle turned unfavorable. Must’ve hurt his pride quite a bit.”

Valenstein answered calmly, lifting his longsword to shoulder height.

“…My father lost?”

“He held out well, but how could he defeat me without landing a single blow? Back then, I wasn’t as easily fatigued as I am now.”

Valenstein’s presence began to fade again. Even though he was standing right in front of me, his sound and scent slowly disappeared.

…What kind of trick is this? Even face-to-face, I couldn’t comprehend it.

Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just have to keep clashing with him.

“Did you fight this cowardly back then too? Hiding your presence and sneaking around like a thief!”

I kicked off the ground and charged like an arrow. Durandal shot forward, aiming for his head.

If he disappears the moment I blink—then I’ll just have to keep him in my sight and hold on!

“Barking like a scared dog. Are you afraid?”

Valenstein’s sword drew an arc.

– Kaaang!

A lightning-fast strike was effortlessly deflected.

“Kaaah!”

I gripped the hilt with both hands, forcibly twisting the blade back into position.

The next slash followed. A blue arc descended toward Valenstein’s head.

“Father and child, both like wild boars struck by lightning.”

Valenstein tilted his longsword, deflecting Durandal.

Smoothly, Durandal’s blade slid to the side. I tried to twist my wrist to entangle the blades, but Valenstein was a step ahead in skill.

The two longswords twisted strangely, then separated with a clear clang.

“You’ve learned the empire’s swordsmanship well. But your adaptability is lacking.”

“Ah, is that so?”

I swung my sword faster than my reply.

– Kagagagakang!

Instead of a powerful strike, I unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes. The relentless storm of attacks was all blocked and parried, scattering dazzling sparks.

“Your attacks are too light. Are you afraid of being knocked back and separated again?”

Valenstein calmly hit the nail on the head.

“Ha, are you getting impatient because you can’t fight dirty?”

As long as I couldn’t figure out the principle behind his ability to erase his presence… sticking close was the best strategy.

If I made a big move and got knocked back like before, I’d lose sight of him.

I planned to keep fighting like this, waiting for his stamina to drop or for the Mark of Fire to activate. If all else failed, I’d just set the surroundings on fire—he wouldn’t be able to hide then.

“Not a chance. Everyone who fought me ended up like this.”

Valenstein bared his teeth in a grin.

The next moment, his sword curved like a wave.

“What the…!”

The undulating blade tip leapt over Durandal and shot toward me. Caught off guard, my reaction was half a beat too slow.

– Schwaak!

My shoulder was slashed, spraying blood. The pain of flesh being torn made me instinctively glance at the wound.

“Where are you looking?”

Oh no…!

I messed up. I quickly turned my gaze back, but Valenstein had already vanished.

“Human instinct is always like that. You can endure pain you’ve prepared for, but unexpected injuries make you instinctively check the wound. Even the princess is no exception.”

A cold laugh echoed in the air. I couldn’t even tell where it was coming from.

“Did the Ghost Sword seem too light to you, thinking you could neutralize me in close combat?”

“Ghost Sword…?”

What’s that? I pressed down on the bleeding wound in my shoulder and asked.

“Yes. I earned the undeserved reputation of being the empire’s greatest swordsman at the age of forty. Before that, everyone called me that. I actually preferred that nickname over ‘Empire’s Greatest Swordsman.'”

Invisible death.

Valenstein, the Ghost Sword.