Chapter 62

What in the world is happening?

After managing to somewhat tame the Paleord, Asulin and I returned to the room.

Just like always, I held her tightly with my arms spread wide open as she asked, then drifted off to sleep.

I had wished for a better tomorrow than yesterday, hoping for good days to keep flowing.

But when I woke up, I couldn’t find Asulin who always shared her warmth with me. The darkness that greeted me didn’t even let me see the familiar ceiling.

Well, it’s fine. It’s just that my body somehow moved to a strange place while I was sleeping.

However, there was one thing that flustered me more than any situation I’ve been in before.

Kwaaang!!

“There! Stop right there!”

A voice compressing hostility and shouting as if seeking revenge hit me, though I couldn’t see who it was.

I could guess who it was roughly.

“You were talking big about throwing me into molten iron with your mouth, but now that we’re face-to-face, you’re only thinking about running away. What a pitiful creature!”

Judging from the mention of molten iron, it had to be the Paleord. It was clearly the self-awareness housed within the Paleord.

Though I couldn’t see their appearance and it was hard to tell their gender or age from their voice, especially since they were speaking directly into my mind.

“Don’t run away! Come here!”

Not only did they seem to be enraged like an erupting volcano, but the chilly coldness I felt from the compressed hostility made it clear who the opponent was.

Unfortunately, knowing who the opponent was didn’t help me navigate this situation at all.

Kwaaang!! Kwaaang!! Kwaaang!!

The compressed hostility, which could be considered a formidable weapon on its own, came flying towards me with the intent to slice through my body, missing me and instead gouging the floor of this unidentified space.

Looking at the marks left by the slash, it seemed that if I had stood still, I would have been in a position to scream out in agony.

“Huh…”

I involuntarily gasped.

I had intentionally used provocative language mixed with cheap talk to try and start a conversation with the Paleord, but I never expected to be dragged into this space and subjected to its one-sided attack.

But regretting endlessly wouldn’t change what had already happened.

“Well, I’ll know whether to go or stay once I can see.”

I stopped moving and lightly complained.

While the voice of the Paleord emitting hostility confirmed their anger, I didn’t feel any lethal intent from the hostility directed at me, so I called out tentatively.

Tssss…

My call seemed to have no effect as the Paleord’s hostility surged from afar with high density.

“I see you’re there.”

I turned my body towards the center where the hostility was gathering.

Despite not having a moment to feel the compression of the hostility coming from various points, making it hard to discern where the opponent was, the surge and energy I felt as they prepared to deliver a powerful blow indicated where the Paleord was.

I ran. The refined hostility, purified and surging through my core with lightning speed, filled me with immense power.

I infused my legs with the strength needed to reach a point that human bodies could never reach instantly.

Running like this, my vision wavered, yet my eyesight sharpened enough to perceive what was in front of me, something I couldn’t confirm with my eyes shaking.

‘…It’s coming!’

One thing was certain: the Paleord had gathered hostility with full determination, and it was charging at me with a force unlike anything I had faced before.

Slash!

‘…My left cheek was slightly cut.’

I narrowly avoided the sharp hostility that would have sliced my neck if I hadn’t been prepared.

Even though I barely managed to dodge the blade of hostility aimed to pressurize me, and saw the figure of the Paleord blurred by shadows, I could tell it was small, thanks to my sharpened eyesight.

‘…Small?’

To the point where I instinctively questioned its size after seeing it with my own eyes, it seemed tiny, perhaps only reaching my waist.

Thinking it would be a massive presence with self-awareness like the two swords that achieved the great feat of slaying dragons, I felt a sense of disappointment at how small it actually was.

“Hmph!!”

As if sensing my approach, the Paleord sneered, not even bothering to make a move, but compressing hostility to the limit and shaping it into a blade-like form before hurling it at me.

The precision with which it emitted hostility from a point outside its body was fascinating, almost to the point of marvel, but I had no time to admire it.

I started preparing to dodge the incoming hostility.

Swoosh!

The exquisite technique sent chills down my spine, and even though I felt it, I couldn’t afford to admire it now. I needed to focus on dodging or countering the incoming hostility.

Wooong!!

It started with both arms. Mimicking the assassins of the League in the Western Continent and the martial artists of the East, who hone their bodies into weapons with extreme hostility manipulation.

“Hmm…”

The voice, presumed to be the Paleord’s, finally calmed down.

My arms filled with hostility looked quite intriguing, leading to such a reaction.

“But…”

The Paleord’s voice trailed off, showing confidence that I wouldn’t be able to avoid or withstand the blade of hostility they were about to unleash.

“It’s only that much…”

“Only that much? We’ll see.”

“…What?”

Of course, regardless of whether the Paleord was impressed or not, my priority was to prepare to counter the hostility aimed at me.

I raised my right arm wrapped in hostility. Just like holding a sword, the task with this right hand was clear and simple.

Swoosh!!

As the blade of hostility approached, I swung my arm and pushed the condensed hostility into my fingertips, raising its density and intensity.

Clang!!

When it struck the ground, I heard a metallic clash rather than an explosion.

“…It hurts.”

“…Ugh!”

Seeing the blade of hostility shattered into pieces, our reactions were polarized, and at that moment, our distance had narrowed to the point where a single breath could bridge it.

I could see the silhouette. I could touch the Paleord with a mere stretch of my arm. And amidst the clarity, I could also discern the hazy true form of the Paleord.

Now, I extended my left arm. The hostility had already been contained. With precise and concise movements, I aimed to snatch the opponent’s neck, knowing that excessive hostility would hinder me.

“…”

The Paleord sensed my unusual movement and hastily tried to evade.

“Caught.”

My movement was faster.

“Let’s see what you look like. Consciousness of the sword.”

With a voice filled with anticipation, I examined the form of the Paleord held in my hand.

“…Let go.”

A young girl with puffed cheeks, full of complaints, appeared before me, aligning her eye level with mine.

“…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

“Eh! Let go!”

The Paleord’s consciousness, embodied in the young girl, tried to break free from my grip.

Her movement to use her relatively free leg to strike between my left arm and armpit was obvious, but there was no particular malice, so I released her neck to throw off her balance and dodge her attack.

“Hey!”

Angry at not breaking free, the Paleord attempted to cross her limbs wildly to escape, but due to her restricted movement and small size, her attacks didn’t reach me.

Actually,

“What is this harmless little creature?”

Due to the tension dissipating because of the sight and the feeling of hostility that had threatened to tear me apart, I relaxed.

“…”

“…Hey! Don’t look at me like that! Do you understand how disrespectful that is?!”

Since being caught by the neck, the Paleord could no longer make any threatening moves, and I could only casually observe her with puffed cheeks.

Where am I? Who is here?

“Let go! Let go! Do you think I will lend you my strength despite your insolence?!”

Is this really the Paleord?

…Sigh.

Ah, I want to go back to the room.

I miss Asulin, who always greets me with a bright smile every morning.

I miss Asulin, not this bratty kid who whines for release after being caught.

Sigh…