Chapter 644

The overlapping of Thunderous Rend.

The spiked lightning, tearing through the enemy’s flesh and shredding it to pieces, repelled each other yet compressed into one. In the end, its power came infinitely close to the Severance Authority, capable of splitting everything in half.

It was the first step toward the slash of Spatial Severance, a heroic tale wielded by the 12 Knights Rotholandus, engraved within Durandal as a form of authority.

Shredding. A destructive lightning perfected by pursuing that one thing to its extreme.

The swung blade did not reach the level of cutting through the world itself, but it held enough power to split a person’s soul.

The crimson lightning wrapped around the Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon. The extreme killing intent within it pierced Or-han’s soul, tearing through his karma as it split him in half.

The Indestructible Body crumbled.

—

“What… did you…?!”

Or-han looked down at his left arm with a face as if his soul had left his body. His forearm, missing below the elbow.

The severed cross-section was shredded as if torn apart by thousands of needles, making it impossible to reattach even with the greatest divine power.

‘How, why, of all times now…!’

Or-han gritted his teeth, suppressing the bleeding by forcing strength into his left arm. The emotion conveyed by the severe injury after over a decade was not pain but bewilderment.

Though Ha-shal-leur had once hoped that even he could surpass and break the Indestructible Body, he never wished for it to happen now, of all moments.

The heavens are fickle, delighting in toying with people, and indeed, those words rang true. The Reverse Scale that had once helped him break Ludwig’s trap had now become a fang threatening his life.

The left arm torn away, the karma draining away. Even the now-meaningless Indestructible Body. If a slash like the one before were repeated a few more times, Or-han would be buried here.

In a desperate haste, Or-han grabbed the hilt of the Reverse Scale that had crushed Hersela’s thigh and retreated. He defended his upper body with the broad, thick blade as if shielding himself.

However, the second slash he feared did not come.

—

“…What a pity.”

Hersela, who had swung the Reverse Scale to sever the Indestructible left arm.

It was a moment of achieving a feat no one in this era could accomplish, yet her expression was painted not with joy but with frustration, regret, and resentment.

The slash that had shocked Or-han was, by Hersela’s standards, a failed attack. What Hersela had aimed to cut was Or-han’s neck and heart, not the severing of a left arm far from death.

Of course, now that it was proven that the destructive technique she had devised could break through the Indestructible Body, it would be over if she swung the Reverse Scale once more to cut Or-han’s neck or torso.

If only she could swing it.

‘Damn it…’

Hersela looked down at the Reverse Scale clutched in her hands with fading eyes. The blade, now shattered and cracked like a broken saw.

Even the Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon, comparable in durability to Jin’s Silver Sword, could not withstand the pressure of five overlapping Thunderous Rends and the impact of clashing with the Indestructible Body.

Hersela realized. The slash that cuts through space is a technique that places an immense burden on the swung blade, and there is only one weapon in this world that can withstand that pressure.

The unbreakable sword. Durandal.

The reason Rotholandus’s weapon contained the authority of indestructibility was that no other weapon could endure the slash that cuts through space without such authority.

Even Hersela’s slash, which had not yet reached the level of cutting through space, had left the Reverse Scale’s blade in tatters. If she had embodied the slash that cuts through space…

‘The sword itself would have shattered before I could swing it.’

It was fortunate that Hersela’s technique had not reached Spatial Severance. Thanks to that, the Reverse Scale had barely withstood one strike.

In other words, it meant that swinging it once more would shatter the blade itself.

‘No… I don’t even have the strength to swing it again…’

Hersela bit her lip. The sensation of her body’s senses gradually fading, the sense of reality slipping away. The limit of her ability to fight was approaching.

The slash she had just unleashed was a technique that had drawn upon nearly all the remaining power of her Life Force Technique, literally her final strike.

Having staked everything on this one strike, the outcome awaiting her was inevitable.

With the remaining strength, attempting the same feat was out of the question. All she could do was maintain her consciousness to avoid falling into unconsciousness.

[Hey, hey! What did you just do? No, more importantly, are you even conscious…?!]

‘…Shut up. Just prepare to fight.’

Though the first step of revenge had just begun, in the end, she had to leave the final act to someone else.

For Hersela, it was an infuriating outcome.

Overwhelmed by the sensation of her soul being pulled away and the feeling of collapse, Hersela unconsciously closed her eyes halfway—and the next moment, her consciousness was flung backward as if pushed away.

—

======[Ha-shal-leur]======

A sensation as if awakened from sleep by a stab.

The blurred sensations of her body, as if walking through a dream, surged in like a tidal wave. A intense sense of reality struck her entire body.

I blinked open my half-closed eyes and lifted my head.

The lingering heat on the ceiling cast a faint red glow, dimly illuminating the underground cavern where even the embers had vanished. The air I breathed had cooled to the level of a midsummer scorching sun, and the ground beneath my feet had hardened.

My crushed thigh screamed in pain. My torn palm burned as if scalded by fire. The strange stench of blood, sweat, and oil mixed together brushed past my nose, and a metallic, bitter taste lingered on my tongue.

All these sensations were too vivid.

So this is how it ends. The fight I had fought by handing over my body to Hersela’s stubbornness. The conclusion was inevitably Hersela, exhausted, being pushed to the back of consciousness, and me reclaiming this body.

A sense of déjà vu flashed through my mind. It was like this when I faced the Grimnir Church Order. In the end, it was my duty to finish the fight.

Just like back then, with a body worn to its limits.

The injury to my thigh made it impossible to walk or run properly, and the remaining Life Force Technique was so weak that even if I scraped the bottom, it couldn’t replace my injured leg.

My original strength, the feats I had accumulated, were also largely depleted.

Having handed over control of my body, I had been manifesting the Power of Feats throughout the battle to enhance my physical abilities.

Am I supposed to catch Or-han in this state?

…This won’t be easy.

I forced my unresponsive right leg to stand and let out a faint sigh.

I had no way to break the Indestructible Body.

The five overlapping Thunderous Rends Hersela had unleashed were techniques I couldn’t replicate in my current state, and the countermeasures against the Indestructible Body—fire and lava—had been neutralized by a single divine artifact-grade weapon that fell from the sky.

You said it wasn’t a weapon to use against me, but that was a blatant lie. A sword that absorbs fire? This is clearly a counter to Up-hwa.

“…Your momentum has changed.”

Or-han muttered curiously. He took a few steps back, adopting a defensive stance, and looked at me with a puzzled expression as I didn’t charge at him.

My momentum changed? Of course it did.

The being who was fighting you until just now was a filial yet unfilial Traitor Wolf, but the being standing before you now is no longer your child.

“So what? Are you afraid you can’t even defeat a one-armed cripple now that my Life Force Technique is spent?”

I carefully dragged my foot back, creating distance from Or-han.

My retreating steps were heading toward Durandal. The silver longsword that had been flung from Hersela’s hand and embedded upside down in the ground.

Just as Hersela needed the Reverse Scale to unleash her full power, I too needed Durandal to unleash mine.

The Reverse Scale wasn’t a bad weapon, but seeing the blade shattered, it felt like it would break in half after five or six swings.

“Just moments ago, you charged at me like a starved wolf, but now you retreat like a snake. That must mean your strength is spent.”

Or-han’s eyes flashed with a strange light.

For someone who had just lost an arm after his Indestructible Body was broken, his tone was remarkably calm. Perhaps losing his arm had restored his composure.

“Well, if you’re curious, why not test it? I’ll cut off your right arm too and leave you unable to do anything on your own.”

Four more steps to Durandal. I continued moving toward my beloved sword, though my pace was painfully slow due to my shattered thigh.

“Hmm…”

Or-han let out a thoughtful hum, adjusted his grip on the Reverse Scale, and lowered his stance. Was he planning to charge at me?

Whether he reaches me first or I grab Durandal first, what follows will be a clash of blades.

“No, there’s no need for that. If you’re retreating because your strength is spent, then that’s fine. This arm… I’ll consider it the price for failing to raise my child properly.”

Or-han seemed to have no intention of continuing the fight. As if the severed part wasn’t an arm but a middle leg, his face wore the expression of a bowed middle-aged man.

As I created distance and the immediate threat disappeared, the psychological shock he had endured throughout the battle seemed to be consuming his mind once more.

Perhaps he too was bluffing to hide the fact that he had little strength left.

But what to do? I only retreated to reclaim Durandal, but I intend to keep fighting until your karma runs out.

“Isn’t that price too light? You should at least leave your neck behind.”

– Thud.

Good. I’ve reached it.

As soon as Durandal’s blade touched my heel, I reached back with my right hand, grabbed the hilt, and pulled it out.

– Vroom!

The silver blade vibrated lightly as if welcoming me, and a refreshing autumn breeze-like energy seeped into my entire body. My exhausted body began to regain vitality.

Though my shattered calf wouldn’t heal, and my depleted karma wouldn’t replenish.

“I have no intention… of dying by your hand anymore. Ha-shal-leur.”

As if there was ever such an intention.

“That’s not for you to decide!”

Using the Reverse Scale in my left hand as a crutch, I pushed off the ground with one leg and lunged toward Or-han.

“For you, it will be regrettable… but with that leg, you can no longer chase me. This fight ends here.”

Or-han raised the Reverse Scale he held and pointed it toward the ceiling.

“As I said earlier, the Reverse Scale contains the authority of the Fire Dragon. Did you think the dragon’s authority was limited to swallowing fire?”

– Groooowl!

The Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon in his hand glowed a deeper red and trembled. As if a dragon awakened from sleep was growling.

“Roar, Reverse Scale Slaughter Sword-!”

The next moment, all the heat absorbed by the red scales erupted as a pillar of flame toward the ceiling. The breath of the Fire Dragon. Like the absolute destructive flames.

– Kwaaaaah!

Molten lava poured down like a waterfall. The concentrated heat shot out like a beam, piercing through the bedrock blocking the ceiling.

A hole was torn through the ceiling of the underground cavern. A hole so high it seemed to reach the sky. A hole large enough for a person to escape.

“Where do you think you’re running-!”

I roared fiercely and swung Durandal at him. Perhaps wary of being cut again, Or-han leaped back instead of blocking my sword.

Or-han, trying to escape through the hole in the ceiling. I clung stubbornly, trying to stop him, but with a broken leg and depleted Life Force Technique, it wasn’t easy.

There were also unexpected obstacles.

“Kagan, oh Kagan-!”

War Chief Ibamai.

Thanks to the pillar of fire that had burst through the bedrock, Ibamai, who had located Or-han’s position, had flung himself toward us, even giving up his legs to Joshua. He unleashed his heroic tale, Frozen Hell.

– Kwadddddd!

An ice wall as high and thick as an iceberg blocked my path.

“Damn it…! Kenaz!”

Feeling intense frustration, I stretched my arm toward the ice wall and summoned a flame of mana. However, I couldn’t avoid being delayed for a moment.

Ten seconds later. When I melted the ice wall and burst out, Or-han was already retreating far away.

—

Damn, these cripples are fast.