Sparks fly, and in between them, breath flows.
Swinging spears clash and fall once more, the thrusting spear tips knocking away shafts as they repeatedly spark anew.
In that space, countless flashes of lightning would rise and vanish like thunderbolts.
The two streaks of golden and blue lightning clashed and fell repeatedly, blazing with their respective hues.
Naturally, it was the blue lightning that held the upper hand in that exchange.
The two warriors wielding the spears were aware of this fact.
“Ugh…!”
Through gritted teeth and suppressed groans, Lumel swung their spear.
A short, slicing swing, closer to a thrust than a slash.
Omul easily deflected the attack.
Though the resounding clang wasn’t light, Omul remained unmoved.
The blue and gold lightning that sparked between them never reached Omul.
Thus, while brushing aside the judgmental spear tip as if gathering it in, Omul swung their left arm.
Goooooo!
With a roar that echoed like thunder, Omul’s left arm shot forward.
As the embedded Maan lit up, the arm seemed momentarily wrapped in a violet hue and accelerated.
Kwaooo!
This counterattack, hastily formed though it was, carried no light weight.
It was unseen, unreadable, and impossible to block. Still, Lumel managed to narrowly evade purely because they had seen through Omul’s psychology.
‘This power is no ordinary thing. A single hit and it’s over.’
As Lumel leaned back to avoid it, Omul’s arm tore through the air, cutting straight across the space right before them.
The mana contained within that arm was of the type that destroyed space itself.
It was undoubtedly mana manifested by the Maan.
A means that Lumel could barely guess at.
Yet, without fear, Lumel surged forward.
Just as Omul retracted their arm, Lumel lunged again, jabbing with the spear.
And once more, the spears interlocked, sending sparks and flashes of lightning flying in all directions.
The dim and vast mine tunnel blazed brightly with the lightning, and beneath its glow, Lumel continued fighting, unable to hide their troubled expression.
What followed was an exchange of sharp and precise attacks, colliding several times in the span of a single breath.
An exchange that appeared equal on the surface but was not in reality.
Swinging and maneuvering the spear shaft between waist and elbow, using the other hand to grip and confuse before striking.
Easily blocked by Omul’s shortspear. As the shortspear attempted to sweep the spear blade away, the pressure threatening to tear apart Lumel’s grip forced them to retreat a few steps and withdraw their spear.
To the retreating Lumel, a falling meteor-like assault came hurtling down.
A simple trick of raising the shortspear and striking down forcefully.
Even so, it was something Lumel had to desperately evade.
Barely throwing their body out of the way, the mine tunnel groaned as dust exploded violently around them.
Lumel rolled along the ground to land just as Omul thrust their shortspear forward.
The incoming shortspear. Trusting in the solidity of judgment, Lumel planted the spear’s end into the ground to parry it, causing their limbs to creak under the strain.
Lumel couldn’t push the shortspear away. Instead, they had to move their body to avoid the direction it was tilting toward.
Thus, equilibrium was not easily regained.
But there was no choice.
This was the only method available.
While Lumel’s technique was clearly superior,
Their opponent held the advantage in means and sheer strength.
Because of this simple fact, Lumel was struggling.
Had it been anyone else from their traveling party, they would have surely suffered serious injuries. Even holding their own in such a fight would likely be possible only for someone like Aslan.
Such was the sharpness and strangeness of Omul’s attacks.
Hence, even maintaining the current situation was difficult.
And now, even this balance was tipping.
Lumel had blocked the spear tip aimed at their head multiple times with the judgmental spear.
Kang, kagagagang, kang!
Nausea rose, and Lumel’s stomach churned.
Each incoming attack possessed enough force to kill Lumel.
Lumel deflected a thrust aimed at their head with the spear tip, blocked a strike aimed at their body with the spear shaft, and evaded a slash targeting their side by tapping it away with the spear’s end, retreating afterward.
The arms and legs grew rapidly fatigued and worn out during this exchange.
They creaked, as if about to break at any moment. Indeed, they must already have cracks in them.
Thus, defense alone could not suffice.
Despite knowing this well, Lumel could not turn the tide of the battle.
“Haaat!”
With a shout, suppressing labored breathing, Lumel thrust the spear with their creaking arms.
Omul avoided the spear tip by stepping back half a step, then countered with a thrust aimed at Lumel’s head.
This thrust did not reach Omul.
Space itself crumpled under Omul’s left hand, and the trajectory of the spear was sharply deflected, embedding itself into the ground.
A failed critical attack soon became an opening. Though Lumel hastily pulled the spear to block,
Gooooo, Kwaahaaaang!
When the purple-stained palm struck the spear shaft, Lumel’s body was violently hurled backward.
Kwaang, kwarrrr!
Lumel’s consciousness faded momentarily, only to return sharply with the pain upon hitting the ground.
Rolling along the dusty ground, Lumel didn’t even have time to wipe away the flowing blood.
Lumel had to move immediately.
Even before fully rising from rolling on the ground, Lumel tilted their head back.
“―Ugh!”
Together with a fleeting premonition, a boulder soared toward Lumel’s head.
Barely evading this attack, Lumel stood up instantly and swung the spear.
Omul, who had closed in unnoticed, was already swinging their spear.
Kaang!
A spear aimed at Lumel’s head. Barely fended off with the spear.
Chheok!
A kick aimed at the body. Blocked with the shaft, Lumel was pushed back.
What followed was a barrage of thrusts. Had they all connected, Lumel would become a corpse whose identity couldn’t even be confirmed.
Lumel managed to block all these attacks as much as possible.
Swinging the spear, deflecting, thrusting, and intertwining it with another before bending and repelling it.
By the end, Lumel’s breathing had grown ragged, escaping as harsh wheezes.
Throughout this process, Lumel steadily moved closer to defeat.
The enemy, Omul, was strong.
In fact, Aslan had referred to him as a priest, meaning he was overwhelming Lumel without even using divine powers.
Omul was overpowering Lumel, who had a body reinforced by divine power, simply with what he possessed in life.
If this fight continued, it would inevitably end in Lumel’s tragic death. And Lumel could not let that happen.
During the confrontation with Omul, Lumel had read many things.
From this reading, Lumel was confident.
Omul was not particularly skilled with spears.
He was almost completely unfamiliar with them.
He was merely covering for his lack of skill with superior physical abilities. In terms of spear mastery, he was practically a novice.
Then, responding with attacks that Lumel could foresee but not avoid would suffice.
Committing everything to one move, Lumel exploited the gaps in Omul’s spear techniques.
More accurately, Lumel loosened their defense.
Especially around the chest area.
No sooner had Lumel exposed this opening than a thrust aimed directly at the heart came rushing in.
A thrust that was straightforward and had a predictable trajectory after repeated encounters.
Lumel read this invisible thrust, grasped the spear tightly, and blocked it.
More precisely, intertwined with it.
What followed was the most basic and typical spear technique.
Pushing the spear aside to gain the upper hand in the exchange.
Being fundamental, it was something Omul could not possibly know.
Kagagagaga!
As the spear blades met, sparks flew wildly in all directions, and amidst them, Lumel aimed their spear at Omul’s heart.
Omul’s shortspear was pushed aside, and judgment advanced toward the heart.
It would hit. It had to. Lumel was certain.
Lumel’s certainty was shattered easily.
Kuuuung!
A heavy sound. The spear Lumel had thrust was caught in Omul’s hand.
The arm adorned with numerous Maan. At the last moment, the spear tip blurred like mist and was seized.
Before Lumel could flip the spear to cut off the hand, Omul swung the captured spear.
Screaming loudly, Kwaagagang!
Thrown, Lumel collided with the ground.
Making a sound that Ados would describe as akin to being hit by a dump truck, Lumel bounced off the earth.
The force with which Lumel was thrown was extraordinary, and thus, the airborne Lumel lost consciousness as they were struck directly by the lightning Omul summoned.
Kwarrrrrrrng!
The spacious underground area was brightly illuminated as lightning scattered in all directions.
As the Maan dimmed, Lumel was flung away, rolling across the floor.
Cough, cough.
With a cough, blood spewed from Lumel’s mouth, staining the ground.
Following the dripping sounds, all that remained were Lumel’s painful gasps.
At the last moment, Lumel used judgment to minimize the effects of the lightning on their body.
Even so, the minimized impact was considerable damage that Lumel couldn’t endure.
Twitching due to residual lightning, paralyzed and unable to move.
Blood streamed from the mouth due to the pain and shock reaching the internal organs.
It was a severe blow.
Health rated at only three points, Lumel couldn’t withstand such an attack.
Shaking faintly was only natural, yet Omul spoke aloud with obvious disappointment.
“You’ve grown weaker, Ados.”
Approaching, Omul said.
The blue lightning crackling in the shortspear spread around, and the arm filled with numerous Maan stared down at Lumel without any sign of fatigue.
“Why can’t you even respond to the very technique you devised? This is certainly your method. The very skill you prepared to capture me.”
His voice tinged with overt disappointment and frustration.
Since Lumel couldn’t respond, Omul approached, extending the arm filled with numerous Maan.
Then, red light ran along the arm.
Whatever means it was, it would surely be enough to finish Lumel.
It was a situation where a sense of crisis should arise.
However, Lumel couldn’t take their eyes off the sudden question that arose.
Lightning.
The champion who served the God of Law and Order apparently used such lightning.
And both before the fight began and now, Omul had called Lumel “Ados.”
As far as Lumel knew, there was only one person with the name Ados.
The hero who served Law and Order and recreated its punitive lightning through magic.
According to what Lumel knew, Ados had never been mentioned as a champion of Law and Order.
Only the tale of recreating the punishing lightning of Law and Order through magic.
If Omul’s words were true, she was indeed the champion of Law and Order, capable of wielding lightning.
Here, Lumel wondered.
It was unclear why it was necessary to replicate something she could already use.
Unable to find a purpose for reproducing what she could already handle.
So the question that arose lingered as Lumel faced the red light forming in the Maan.
In the fleeting memories that flashed before their eyes, Lumel found themselves in Gerné, the territory of the Holn family.
Inside the castle of Gerné, a woman was fleeing.
Lumel, who still couldn’t wield a spear and hadn’t yet participated in the mission against the gods.
Lady Lumel van Holn of the noble house.
She was escaping, evading mercenaries and martial monks in pursuit.
Even while fleeing, secret passages hidden within the castle were being pursued by mercenaries.
If caught, she would die. Perhaps dying after being violated would be the better outcome.
With such desperation, Lumel pushed their feet.
In the midst of this escape, Lumel suddenly saw a faintly remembered portrait.
At first, Lumel thought it was their own portrait—a large painting of a woman with brown hair and copper-colored eyes like Lumel’s.
A painting of a woman with a striking silver streak in her hair.
Even now, Lumel believed it was their own portrait.
However, the painting bore an ancient style.
A style that could only be found in the southern continent after reaching the empire.
When Lumel asked, the emperor casually replied that the painting was from before the ancient times.
Thus, Lumel realized.
The painting was not of Lumel but of someone from before the ancient times.
The painting depicted a different woman with fierce and stern eyes unlike Lumel’s.
Suddenly, Lumel realized who it was.
It was the portrait of Bishop Ados.
That Omul still mistakenly called Lumel “Ados” made it clear.
Ados resembled Lumel to an astonishing degree.
And this was no mere coincidence.
Suddenly, Lumel intuitively understood that the ancient hero must surely be a distant ancestor.
There was no other way they could resemble each other so closely, and even if the Northern Empire was halted, there would be no reason for the Calus Empire to grant a title to just anyone.
If not, there would be no way a single human could wield a spear and slay countless individuals, including generals of the Northern Empire.
It was undoubtedly the power or obsession stemming from the lineage of the hero that created such a phenomenon.
At the moment this realization dawned, Lumel was discovered by the mercenaries in the memory.
The mercenary approached Lumel with a revealing grin, and reflexively, Lumel lifted the ceremonial spear hanging in front of the portrait to confront him.
The spear fit perfectly in Lumel’s hands, surprisingly.
The mercenary retreated astonishingly.
Lumel’s spear tip pierced the vital spot with bewildering ease.
In the flash of this memory, Lumel perceived the scent of blood.
The scent that had led Lumel here.
The scent that turned a lady into a mercenary, allowed her to avenge her family, and led her to meet Aslan and embark on the mission to kill a god.
All these coincidences were guiding Lumel to grasp the spear.
Even if all this was coincidental, from the moment Lumel took hold of the spear, they were destined to reach this point.
“…Are you still standing? You sadden me, Ados.”
Lumel recalled someone.
A certain hero.
And the more accurate, more lethal stance and technique that hero might have taken.
Breathing heavily, spilling blood, Lumel rose.
“Seems like you’ll keep going, huh?”
Casually ignoring Omul’s words, Lumel raised their spear.
The golden spear crackled with electric currents, leaping forth.
The bishop Ados lost an arm to Omul and met her end.
But in Lumel’s view, that loss and death weren’t intertwined.
They must have occurred at separate times.
Then, what had Ados experienced in between?
It was simple.
Ados had lost an arm, lost the spear granted by the deity, and lost the qualification given by the deity.
Yet, driven by a desire for revenge and restoration of honor, she must have sought to recreate the punishment of law and order—the lightning.
But no matter how much she trained her mana and recreated the lightning, it wouldn’t have reached Omul.
Because that lightning was fundamentally a counterfeit, nothing more than a crude deception.
She yearned for lightning.
Further, she aspired to become lightning itself.
Thus, she became obsessed with lightning and ultimately failed.
A human cannot become a deity.
Through the ways of a deity, one cannot replicate the power of a deity.
Thus, Lumel realized.
The path Ados should have chosen was the one Lumel currently tread—
The human path.
Pajik, pajijik.
Lumel recalled a man.
A man who, with a human body, touched the skills of a deity—Aslan.
Lumel wished to become like that man, employing every technique they knew.
Lumel’s superhuman intuition and genius combined with their spear mastery.
The sensations gained from battles fought until now coursed through Lumel’s body, awakening the spear.
The lightning nested within the judgment.
Electric currents enveloped Lumel’s body.
The lightning flowed through Lumel’s skin.
Amidst it, the woman murmured.
“Summon… Lightning.”
It wasn’t meant to be swung or fired.
It existed to surround.
Thus, she touched the lightning.
The special domain Aslan called divine.
And finally, humanity grasped the lightning.
“Still standing… You sadden me, Ados.”
