Chapter 191

“Eating people! So you finally show your true colors, you ugly murderous beast!”

While the ordinary knights were trembling in horror at the gruesome sight, Valenstein felt no fear at all.

In his eyes, the enemy’s condition was crystal clear.

‘Just puffing themselves up with bravado, but the wounds are already near fatal.’

They avoided instant death, but… if left alone, they would lose their life within minutes from the deep sword wound.

Using a standardized method to suppress the wound and stop the bleeding, but that wouldn’t bring back the blood already lost—it was only a temporary measure.

It was surprising that they woke up immediately after losing consciousness, but it was obvious they would collapse again soon.

That’s why he chose a simple stab instead of the Ghost Sword.

He thought it would be enough to subdue a half-dead corpse.

Valenstein’s sword traced a long trajectory as it shot toward Hashalleur.

—-

“Haaaah…!”

Instead of answering, Hashalleur exhaled a heated breath and laughed.

The ironclad rule of fear:

Do not engage in conversation.

Fear stems from the unknown, and it fades as communication begins.

An incomprehensible monstrosity.

She had to become that kind of existence to them.

Her gaze quickly scanned her surroundings.

The eyes fixed on her were still filled with terror, while only a few knights looked at the pitiful old man with anticipation.

A fool who had fallen into depravity, seduced by a middle-aged courtesan—perhaps he had dementia in his old age.

Hashalleur’s evaluation of Valenstein was merciless.

She had no reason to think well of him from the start.

Hashalleur picked up the Black Iron Sword she had been tearing apart and slowly rose to her feet.

The sword inherited from her mother had already been taken… far away, held by a despicable man.

‘How dare…!’

A fierce aura erupted from her eyes.

The only legacy left by her mother, Ai-mel-ra de Median, whom she had never forgotten for a moment.

It was not a sword for trash like them to touch carelessly.

She had to reclaim it.

Suppressing the excruciating pain with hatred and determination, Hashalleur unleashed her life force in one go.

The surging energy of her life force, glowing crimson, roared with excitement as it sharpened its claws.

‘Are you watching? Or are you asleep like last time?’

Hashalleur spoke to her inner self.

Hoping the usurper who had taken over her body would hear her, after repeating foolish actions and reducing her to this state.

The path she had been watching from the depths of her unconsciousness.

No matter how much she advised, it seemed to fall on deaf ears, and whenever her voice almost reached him, he blocked it with some magical device or whatever.

Every time she saw his battles and strategies, she felt like she would go mad with frustration.

If it were her subordinate, she would have torn them to shreds and fed them to dogs.

Hesitating and overthinking, he wasted every opportunity and ended up like this.

His way of fighting was pitiful too.

His swordsmanship wasn’t bad… no, in fact, his talent in swordsmanship was even superior to hers, but the way he wielded his power was utterly crude.

Even after stealing her life force, all he did with that power was rampantly increase destructive force.

It was like giving a supreme sword to a child.

**Life force with form wasn’t meant to be handled like that.**

‘If you’re awake, watch closely. See how foolishly you’ve been fighting!’

Hashalleur thrust her sword forward.

The unleashed life force scattered like threads, then wrapped around her entire body.

The densely woven crimson threads enveloped the Black Iron Sword.

The incredibly sturdy Black Iron trembled, unable to withstand the immense pressure weighing down on it.

“I’ll cut you down along with that sword!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The azure Jin’s sword and the life force-infused Black Iron Sword clashed, tearing into each other.

—-

– Kaga-gaga-gak!

The moment the two swords met, an utterly dissonant noise erupted.

Like a saw scraping against a metal plate, a series of cracking sounds echoed.

Yet, the two swords remained locked, not moving an inch.

“What the…!”

For the first time, Valenstein showed astonishment.

The vibrations transmitted through the sword caused his hands gripping the hilt to tremble uncontrollably.

It felt like hundreds of needles were striking the blade.

And that wasn’t far from the truth.

“Huuuh…”

Hashalleur bared her fangs and laughed.

The threads of life force spinning around her blade turned into hundreds of needles, stabbing into Valenstein’s sword.

Vertically, horizontally, diagonally.

Countless impacts rained down from all directions, scattering the power imbued in the azure sword.

‘Piercing Scatter’

A technique she devised to disrupt the opponent’s sword by stabbing it with finely condensed life force.

It was a method she created to block unavoidable sword strikes.

– Kakak!

Unable to withstand the shaking, the clashing swords separated, creating a tiny gap.

Hashalleur’s eyes gleamed as she seized the opportunity.

The Black Iron Sword struck the azure sword and, like a snake, thrust forward.

“Such bizarre tactics…!”

Valenstein…

Someone hurriedly turned their head to dodge a thrust aimed at their head.

No, it seemed like they dodged.

“Kyaa!”

With a beast-like cry, Ha-shal-leur’s arm twisted strangely.

The trajectory of the thrust was abruptly altered.

“Huh…!”

Valenstein, startled, hastily retreated.

The nape of his neck, grazed by the black iron sword, tore and blood flowed.

It was just a minor wound… but it was the first injury he had sustained since passing fifty.

—-

“Kyaaa!”

A red blade chased after him.

As Jin’s sword swung diagonally to knock down Ha-shal-leur’s sword, her arm twisted again, altering the sword’s path.

Valenstein twisted his upper body to evade.

And once more, the sword’s trajectory changed.

From a thrust aimed at a single point, it shifted to a slash cutting across the flank.

As Valenstein stepped back to dodge, the red trajectory was interrupted, and a thrust aimed at his heart sprang forth.

‘What the…!’

Valenstein was inwardly shocked.

If it were just a light attack with relaxed strength, it might be understandable, but to continuously twist a full-powered sword strike?

He could have done it once, if he were willing to bear the immense strain on his arm and wrist.

The rippling sword that had pierced and torn Ha-shal-leur’s shoulder earlier was a technique based on a similar principle.

But even he couldn’t perform such reckless swordplay repeatedly.

A thrust, which should be straightforward, changed its trajectory as if alive, approaching like a writhing venomous snake.

It was clearly an impossible movement.

“Is this what the manifestation of Life Force can do…!”

Only after turning his gaze from the incoming sword to Ha-shal-leur’s arm did Valenstein guess the principle.

The Life Force energy, coiled like threads around her body, forcibly pulled and twisted her extended arm.

Like pulling the strings of a puppet.

The physical strength of her body and the force of Life Force acted in completely different directions, resulting in a drastically altered sword path.

The power behind each attack was weaker than before, but this made it even more troublesome.

Predicting and deflecting or countering the sword path was now meaningless.

Ha-shal-leur could twist her sword path at any moment.

It was clear that her forcibly pulled bones and muscles were screaming in pain, but the awakened princess seemed not to feel the pain, paying it no heed.

‘Well, no matter how much a twisted arm hurts, it can’t compare to a severed chest.’

Valenstein forced a bitter smile and rolled his body backward.

Throwing aside all dignity, he burrowed into the midst of the knights, covered in dust.

Realizing the principle too late, this was the only way he could dodge Ha-shal-leur’s thrust.

Humiliation washed over his aged body, but it was a small price to pay for the cost of carelessness.

Having dodged, the advantage had returned to him.

Such tricks only work once or twice.

Once the principle was understood, it was no longer a problem.

‘An impressive technique… but ultimately only meaningful in a direct confrontation.’

Can a twisting sword cut down a ghost?

Valenstein smiled coldly and prepared his ultimate technique once more.

—-

‘Finally, the Ghost Sword.’

Feeling Valenstein’s presence disappearing like a mirage, Ha-shal-leur also smiled.

The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

In her memory, the countermeasure for the Ghost Sword that Or-han had devised.

And… the method she had thought of to counter the Ghost Sword.

It was time to test them.

– The Ghost Sword. That wretched old man? Yes. I was indeed at a disadvantage back then. It was my first time encountering such a sinister method.

Or-han’s words flashed through her mind.

– By the time I barely thought of a solution, the tide had already turned, and I had no choice but to retreat. But if we fought again…

Valenstein might think he had won, but if the war had lasted a bit longer, he would have been the one to lose.

Or-han had said so.

– From the start, a man who loves to hide and attack unilaterally should have found it strange to face me one-on-one.

In those words lay the first method to counter the Ghost Sword.

“Kyaaaa!”

Ha-shal-leur let out a fierce roar and charged into the midst of the knights.

A plunderer who cared about others’ gazes would never dare do such a thing.

But for her, it was an act of no consequence.