Isaac’s gaze was directed at the ground.
Blood was dripping from his nose and falling onto the floor.
The nosebleed was beginning to stop quickly.
Before facing Red, Isaac used a recovery kit.
It was a healing potion that swiftly healed certain wounds.
The effect manifested immediately in his body.
The strangely bent arm bone returned to its original position, and the wounds from the blows were healed.
However, the pain remained in his body, causing saliva to dribble from his mouth. His mind wasn’t quite functioning properly.
Isaac gritted his teeth and shouted with veins protruding from his neck.
“Ugh… Cowardly… Sneaking up on me!? You! How could you do this!!”
“What cowardice or whatever? The conversation is already over. Besides….”
Ignoring Isaac’s furious anger, Red glanced around casually and continued speaking.
“I don’t think the one who prepared this kind of thing should be the one saying that.”
At Red’s point, the confusion swirling in Isaac’s mind began to clear.
His expression regained a semblance of calm.
Still, the fog lingered.
The situation was still tilted in his favor.
He thought the earlier attack was something allowed because he had let his guard down.
But now it was different. There would be no more underestimating.
A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Isaac’s mouth.
“Hehe. I was going to end this comfortably, considering our relationship…. But if you’re going to act like that, then I won’t show any mercy.”
With those words, magic power surged from Isaac’s body.
A cold aura spread out.
“Haah!!”
A chilling wind raged around Isaac as he became the center of the storm.
As the coldness emanated and froze the ground, Red quickly stepped back to avoid it.
In that moment, Isaac quickly concealed his body within the fog.
“I told you. I know you better than anyone! This is an absolutely unwinnable fight!!”
As Isaac moved his hands, the cold air solidified into hundreds of ice arrows that rapidly formed behind him.
He swung his hands forward, and all the arrows flew toward Red.
Noticing something was coming, Red nimbly jumped back.
The arrows raining down in the front row struck the very place where she had just stood.
Red turned her body and leaped.
“Useless.”
The remaining arrows altered their trajectory and fiercely pursued her back.
Isaac wore a cruel smile on his face.
There wouldn’t be any way to escape.
Isaac manipulated the arrow storm to hit her from all directions, and at that moment, Red glanced toward where she felt confident.
For the briefest moment, their eyes met.
With a chilling gaze, Isaac was struck with a wave of fear.
It couldn’t be.
He thought that way.
After all, the fog was obstructing her view. It was fog that completely concealed both her presence and magic. There was no way she could know.
Just as he tried to shake off the uneasiness and move the storm of arrows as planned.
Suddenly, Red kicked the ground, sending a head-sized shard into the air while spinning her body to kick the fragment floating in the air.
With a deafening sound that ripped through the air, shards were shot from her feet.
Sasa─!
The fragments pierced through the ice arrows as they flew.
The wind pressure created by the fragments shattered all of the arrows.
One of the shards grazed past Isaac’s head.
His expression twisted, and the cheeks that were grazed by the shard stung.
Isaac touched his cheek.
He felt a damp sensation on his palm, and it stung as it made contact with his skin.
The wound disappeared almost instantaneously.
Isaac’s face turned pale. A chill ran down his spine.
Had it struck him properly in the head, it could have exploded like a firework.
As that horrifying scene flashed in his mind, he felt nauseous and covered his mouth.
Isaac gritted his teeth.
As if to shake off the fear, he swung his hand violently, and this time, ice spears were formed. There were many more than before.
“Uaaaah!”
Letting out a beast-like roar, Isaac swung forward with his fist clenched.
Unlike before, Red bent low to the ground, striking the floor.
Red charged forward, dodging all the incoming ice spears.
Realizing that the spears would be ineffective, Isaac concentrated his magic in one spot.
“Then how about this…!”
Behind him, a massive ice eagle with blue feathers appeared.
Following his will, the ice eagle spread its wings powerfully and flew in a straight line.
The overwhelming size and power emitted a tremendous sense of pressure, overwhelming any ordinary person in front of it to the point of submission.
Just by flapping its wings, the area it passed was swallowed by ice, and its power contained the ability to freeze its opponent’s body, mind, and even soul.
It could be called Isaac’s trump card.
His face was filled with confidence.
Red narrowed her eyes slightly.
The air had changed.
Even though the fog obscured her view and presence, she sensed something was rushing toward her.
But Red remained unfazed.
Red raised her arm, snatched an ice spear, and swung her arm forcefully while still running.
Blue light flickered, followed by a sound of shattering.
A blue trajectory soared from the fog toward the ice eagle.
Kwah─bang!
The spear knocked the eagle down.
Isaac stared with his mouth half-open, watching the disintegrating eagle while facing forward.
In an instant, countless fragments crossing through him caught his eye, and just as he realized what was happening and tried to respond, her fist came flying in.
“Cough!!”
Having struck his abdomen, his handsome face was severely damaged as he was sent flying.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
After tumbling several times on the ground, Isaac regained his senses.
He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Then, he slammed his palm into the ground with force.
Ice spikes shot up from beneath Red’s feet.
Of course, Red dodged them with ease, charging toward him.
‘How does she know where I am?’
Breathing heavily, Isaac struggled to get up.
Veins stood out on his neck.
He lifted his head, glaring with wide eyes and roared.
“Is it just you who thinks you’re good at close combat!!”
A cold wind surged, wrapping around Isaac.
As the coldness that enveloped him dissipated, a noble knight clad in splendid ice armor emerged.
This was the winter general mode.
A skill that increases all stats, including speed, power, stamina, and simultaneous stamina.
“I’m coming!!”
Isaac swung his fist at Red, who was charging at him.
Red also plunged her fist.
When their fists collided, the heavens shook.
The air was pushed away, and the ground cracked.
“Gah…!”
Isaac frowned.
Even with armor on, the impact surged through his arm.
And then, crack! The entirety of the arm he had swung showed signs of splitting.
With scratches appearing on the armor, Isaac’s eyes widened.
That’s impossible.
His insides felt shocked as the cracks began to heal. He sighed in relief when he saw it mend.
“Right. If it’s like this, I can win.”
He had grasped all of Red’s techniques.
Since their physical abilities matched closely, Isaac was confident he could take her down.
With a smug smile, just as he was about to make a counterattack.
Pach!
“Wha…?”
A strange sound rang out.
Isaac belatedly realized that one of his legs had sunk to his knee.
What on earth was happening, he thought, just as pain surged through his face; something had slapped him.
Isaac staggered.
In his dizzying view, Red could be seen, her fist clenched.
“You’re such an idiot.”
Red mumbled softly before launching a relentless assault.
With no respite, her punches and kicks rained down.
Each one was fast and accurate.
Impacting vital areas, Isaac gasped and groaned.
Even with the armor protecting his body, he felt his insides being shattered and bones breaking.
The wounds healed almost instantly. And they quickly broke again. They healed, then broke again.
Curiously, the recovery kit he had used was interfering with his rest.
As he was getting pummeled by Red, Isaac could not understand the situation at all.
He thought he knew her well. He believed he always won whenever they faced off in the game.
Even if it wasn’t overwhelming victory, at least a closely matched battle should have occurred.
But this wasn’t even a fight.
At that moment, amidst infinite pain, Red’s voice rang in his ears.
“You say you know me well? You claim it’s an unwinnable fight? Ha, let me turn that around on you. You will never defeat me.”
Isaac felt anger rise at her condescending attitude, but the continuing pain quickly dissipated it.
“Do you know why? It’s because you have no talent for fighting whatsoever.”
No! he thought.
He wanted to retort against Red’s words, but the relentless attacks kept him from moving his mouth.
“You have more magic power than others. You received excellent training, and your physical abilities are outstanding. But that’s it. Everything else is trash. Your body reacts slowly, your situational judgment is lacking, and you haven’t learned any proper combat techniques. What good is excellent physical ability if you don’t get used to your own body?”
Isaac wanted to shut her up, but Red didn’t give him a moment’s pause and kept attacking.
“And when we were working together, I repeatedly told you to train. But what did you say? Oh, right. You said it was fine.”
Red listed his faults one by one, like a teacher lecturing a student.
Such behavior only made Isaac feel more miserable.
“Sure, you might intimidate those weaker than you. But what do you think will happen when you face someone of equal or greater strength? This is what it looks like.”
The fatal blow to his defeat.
After possessing Isaac, the man reveled in Isaac’s talents.
The problem was that he regarded Isaac’s talents as his own and became complacent.
That arrogance created the current situation.
Of course, even now, in this very moment, Isaac still didn’t realize it.
Red channeled power into her fist.
With invisible speed, her fist struck Isaac’s abdomen eighteen times.
His armor shattered completely, revealing Isaac’s true form.
As Red prepared to deliver the final blow, Isaac, barely holding onto consciousness, grabbed her arm.
A broad smile formed on Isaac’s lips.
Red’s arm was ensnared in the cold.
Just as he was about to raise his magic power to freeze her whole body.
Red twisted his arm with all her weight.
“Ahh!!”
As his joint twisted beyond its limit, he cried out in pain.
Even with his face completely drenched in tears, Isaac stubbornly reached out with his other arm toward her.
As he opened his palm, the released coldness enveloped her.
Close enough that she couldn’t avoid it.
Gasping for breath, he smiled with joy in victory, but suddenly took a hit to his side, letting out a groan.
“I’ll at least give you credit for your perseverance.”
Turning her head, Red stood there unscathed.
As Isaac snapped his fingers, weapons of ice formed behind him and were about to come crashing down at an angle.
Red lowered her body, placing her hands on the ground, and made a wide circular kick at his feet.
Isaac’s body swayed.
In that moment, she did a handstand and delivered two kicks to his head. Then she quickly stood up and kicked his abdomen.
Pach!
Isaac’s body was sent flying, crashing into the ground and toppling over.
He lay completely sprawled out.
The fog dispersed.
Red slowly approached him.
“It’s over.”
As Red stepped on him and raised her fist.
“No! It’s not over yet!!”
Isaac’s magic exploded in an instant.
Red raised her head.
A dozen meters above, Isaac stood.
“I am the protagonist! The protagonist of this world!! I will never lose!!!”
His bloodied face was distorted with obsession and madness.
As Isaac stretched both arms upward, more than a hundred ice pillars emerged above him.
Filled with anger, resentment, and all his emotions.
With all his strength, Isaac brought his arms down, and all the ice pillars rained down toward Red.
Red jumped and dashed toward him, stepping on the falling ice pillars.
“Wait…?”
The attack intended to finish her ironically created a path for her.
Isaac’s face turned ashen.
“Don’t come near me….”
His teeth were cracked and missing, his voice trembling softly.
“Don’t come near me….”
As he watched Red approaching closer, he was consumed by fear.
“Don’t come near me!!!”
With his last desperate attempt, he stepped on the last ice pillar shot upwards.
Using every ounce of magic, he encased his body in coldness.
As if trying to protect himself from an external threat, sharp spikes erupted on the surface of the ice.
Isaac intended to seize the opportunity to counterattack when Red faltered.
The future he envisioned sparkled before his eyes.
Saving the world and receiving accolades.
Living a happy life with heroines.
If he could just get past this hurdle!
He could obtain it!
Isaac believed in his victory.
After all, he was the protagonist of the game.
Protagonists always win.
“I am here to save the wo….”
“No!!”
With those chilling words, cracks formed in the ice barrier.
Isaac’s eyes widened.
As the barrier shattered, the illusion shattered alongside it.
Amidst countless fragments of his dream, a fist appeared.
Just moments later.
The fist struck Isaac squarely in the face.
“You are no hero.”
The man, who had taken victory in the game, knowing full well the sacrifices of others.
By the fist of the solver, which upholds justice.
He plunged to the ground.
