Chapter 220

The smell of grilling meat wafted through the air, teasing the appetite.

The burning horse’s scream pierced the sky.

Flames crept through the gaps in the armor, scorching the body, while red-hot iron plates seared the skin like a branding iron.

Havar’s horse, writhing in agony, rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, but the blazing armor wasn’t going to come off that easily.

Before long, the horse collapsed with a tragic final cry, now well-cooked horse meat lying on the ground.

—

“Ha-shal-leurrrr!!”

Havar, who had been slammed into the ground, gritted his teeth and stood up. His face, twisted like a demon’s, turned red and blue with rage beyond limits.

His scaled armor was caked with dirt, just like mine.

Havar raised his glaive and charged.

I barely steadied my breath, which had risen to my throat from the intense movement, and rushed to meet him.

– Claaaang!

Like hitting a xylophone with a hammer, a clear metallic sound rang through my one remaining eardrum.

Indeed, Havar, now dismounted, wasn’t showing the same power as before.

“You cowardly wench!”

“Cowardly? Now it’s just fair!”

He had the nerve to call me a coward after attacking me two-on-one.

The glaive swung in wide arcs, accompanied by the sound of splitting air.

I parried, blocked, and deflected each heavy strike with my longsword, advancing step by step.

Every time I blocked the glaive, my wrist screamed in pain, but I didn’t stop moving.

– Clang! Clang! Clang!

With each step, the chipped blade and the blue sword clashed fiercely, sending sparks flying.

Shattered pieces of metal scattered in all directions.

“Calling a sorcerer during a duel, and now using the Empire’s swordsmanship…! Where did the honor of the great warrior go? You should be ashamed!”

“I quit being a warrior! I’m a knight of the Empire now!”

[Who said you could quit…!]

Whatever. It’s my decision.

Ignoring Hersela’s sigh, I gathered all the remaining strength I had.

My original power, the clear energy I had built up, now filled the blade.

The sword of oath vibrated as if welcoming me, amplifying its power. Sharper. Stronger.

– Crack!

Finally, the blue teeth of my sword bit into the glaive’s blade.

The wide blade split, nearly halfway through. One more swing, and it would shatter.

“You traitor!”

Havar gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Traitor? I’m a patriot! I’m fighting invaders for my homeland!”

I unleashed an Ice Blade toward his head.

My nails, dyed red with Life Force, were powerful enough to pierce his skull.

Sensing the danger, Havar turned his head in a panic, but he was half a beat too late.

My fingertips grazed his cheek.

The skin tore off completely, and blood spurted out.

“Gah…!”

Through the hole in his cheek, his blood-stained molars were clearly visible.

“What… what is this…!”

Havar clutched his cheek and staggered back.

“How’s that? Refreshing?”

The curse within the Ice Blade, the chill of the underworld, drained the color from Havar’s face.

The freezing cold flowed through the wound, gnawing at his life.

“Ha-shal-leurrr!”

Havar, gritting his teeth, threw the half-broken glaive.

I batted it away like a baseball and charged. He drew the sword at his waist.

“How much longer can you hold out before you drop dead?”

“Long enough to kill a traitor like you!”

Sword and blade clashed like a storm, leaving brilliant trails.

Torn pieces of armor flew, and missed strikes gouged the ground.

Scattered droplets of blood stained our bodies red.

“Haaaah!”

Havar’s attacks were as straightforward and decisive as his temperament.

He swung his blade with speed and force, using the elasticity of his waist, as if wielding an axe rather than a sword.

The only problem he faced was that I surpassed him in strength, speed, and even skill.

Then he should just die.

“Kyaaah!”

Durandal twisted and deflected his strike, while the Ice Blade, with claws extended, shredded his scaled armor.

A crimson line of blood spurted, and the cold seeped deep into his body.

Havar’s attacks grew slower.

“Not yet…! Not yet!”

Havar gritted his teeth. Blood vessels burst in his eyes, and tears of blood streamed down.

The curse turned his veins blue, making him look like a monster rather than a man.

“Even if I die, I’ll take you with me!”

– Claaaang!

With a force that could crush his own teeth, he swung his blade with all his might.

The impact shattered his sword into pieces.

“Kuh…!”

Durandal was knocked back, and my right arm was flung high. My entire arm tingled.

This wasn’t an attack meant to be blocked with one hand.

“Khaaaah!”

Then, as if to say “stab me if you dare,” he charged recklessly, throwing a punch.

The sound of air being pierced was terrifying.

“You think that’ll work?!”

I swung my left hand in response.

A crimson wave wrapped around the Ice Blade, creating a whirlwind.

Our fists collided mercilessly.

A deafening explosion rang out.

The shockwave swept across the shattered ground.

Like a sandcastle kicked apart, Havar’s right arm disintegrated.

“Gaaaaah!”

Havar’s scream was more of a howl.

Even with his right arm completely gone, he didn’t retreat but charged forward.

From the start…

As if he was ready to give up an arm.

“This bastard!”

Reflexively, Durandal swung. Havar extended his remaining arm to block the sword.

Even as the blade dug into his palm, splitting the bone in half and cutting through to his shoulder, Jin’s momentum didn’t falter.

Damn it…!

Giving up both arms and even his life, aiming for just one strike.

An attack fueled by a resolve to die broke through my defense and reached where he intended.

The great warrior’s knee drove into my abdomen.

“Kahak…!”

The impact felt like my lower abdomen exploded.

My back bent sharply, forcing the air out of my lungs.

“Ugh, agh…!”

A groan escaped involuntarily.

If I hadn’t wrapped my highly compressed abs with Life Force to block it, my stomach might have literally burst.

The pain turned to anger in an instant.

“You damn bastard!”

Responding to my rage, a crimson energy fiercely erupted and condensed.

Sharp as a spear, thick as a stake.

The Life Force’s thorns, writhing like tentacles, pierced through Havar’s entire body.

He vomited blood and groaned weakly.

It seemed he had poured all his energy into that last attack, leaving no strength to resist.

I lifted his body up.

Both arms severed, his body riddled with red thorns, a gruesome sight.

Cursed blood, tinged purple, cascaded down like a waterfall.

“Haa… haa…”

Wiping the blood trickling from my mouth, I slammed Havar’s limp body into the pool of blood he had spilled.

With a squelch, a splash of blood sprayed up.

He was still breathing, but he wouldn’t last more than a minute.

“…So, how does it feel to fail? Seems like you’re the only one dying here.”

“…Why did you betray us…!”

Havar barely lifted his head and muttered weakly.

With his arms severed and spine pierced, no matter how much he tried to rise, his body wouldn’t obey.

“The Khan cherished you… Yet, his daughter betrayed her own father…!”

Betrayal, huh? Still on about that?

Should I enlighten you as a parting gift?

“It wasn’t me who betrayed. It was you. To be precise, you, Amin, and the White Flag Troops betrayed Or-han.”

“What nonsense…!”

“You broke the peace treaty and recklessly tampered with the Barrier, didn’t you? Or-han had no choice but to return. Once he’s back… the chance to conquer the Great Plains will be gone forever.”

He might live another thirty years, but the Empire’s borders won’t loosen in that time.

The tribes of the Great Plains would also be on high alert against Or-han.

Back to square one.

The time when Or-han couldn’t move east, wary of the Empire’s rear attacks, and just spent years in Ordos.

Now, there’s only one way for Or-han to conquer the Great Plains: to attack and destroy the Empire.

Even if he leads his army east, he won’t dare attack the empty Ordos.

“Congratulations. You’ve completely shattered Ser Khan’s ambitions, an achievement no one in the Empire could accomplish.”

I clapped my hands in mock celebration.

Finally realizing how things would unfold, Havar’s eyes shook.

“No, that was… Ser Khan’s order…!”

“Did Or-han himself say that? No way. He’s probably out there somewhere in the Great Plains, causing chaos. So… it’s obvious. You blindly believed in some forged order by Amin, thinking it was Or-han’s command, and marched without a second thought. Right?”

Wasn’t the enemy’s leader Amin? If he’s Or-han’s son, forging orders would be within his capabilities.

It was Hersela’s deduction, but it was highly plausible.

“From the start, knowing I was in the Empire, there’s no way he’d attack without telling me. Unless he intended to kill me too.”

“No way…! Then, I…!”

Whether it was the chill of the curse or the shock of realizing the truth, Havar’s body trembled.

“You can brag in the afterlife. The only warrior who stopped Or-han! The savior of the Empire and the Great Plains, Havar! A tale that will be told for ages, right?”

Havar’s face twisted in shock and regret.

Yeah. This is the expression I wanted to see.

That’s why I kept talking in front of this half-dead corpse.

[What a bad taste.]

Hersela muttered in disgust.

Bad taste? As if you’re any better.

If this guy had even a shred of judgment, the Ka`har wouldn’t have attacked the Barrier, and Randenburg wouldn’t have been tied down.

Then, the civil war wouldn’t have happened, and I could have smoothly taken down Isabella.

In a way, this was just me venting.

“My Khan… I…!”

Havar’s head slumped weakly as he muttered.

The faint heartbeat I heard earlier was now silent.

He’s dead.

Well, he got what he deserved.

I kicked the lifeless body aside and charged forward again.

While I was busy fighting him, the battlefield had already reached its climax.

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