Chapter 700

Desperately running through a corridor littered with corpses, I finally managed to catch up with Or-han after chasing him relentlessly.

It’s hard to say I wasn’t too late. By the time I spotted him, the blade of the Reverse Scale Sword was already lunging toward Ludwig.

There was no time to hesitate.

【Reversed Heaven】

I compressed the time it would take to reach him and charged forward. The blade, which had been swinging like a flash of light, slowed down as if moving through molasses. The three seconds of leeway created by the power of Reversed Heaven. I used every fraction of that time to launch myself at him.

Five steps. As I ran, I realized the duration of Reversed Heaven would end just before I reached him. I was granted only one strike. If that single strike didn’t stop Or-han, Ludwig would be split into “Lud” and “Wig.”

A normal attack wouldn’t cut it. If I couldn’t pierce his Indestructible Body, he’d tank my attack and cut Ludwig down.

And there was only one way to break through the Indestructible Body.

In the silent world where even my voice couldn’t echo, I gathered every last ounce of the Life Force Technique into my left arm.

The Life Force Technique, Destruction Star.

Layering and compressing the lightning of killing intent, a destructive force capable of shattering even the will of a hero. Hersela’s ultimate technique, unleashed through the Ice Blade.

“――――!”

With indescribable agony.

—

The destructive technique, Destruction Star, which layers and compresses the thunderous rend of the Life Force Technique, boasts awe-inspiring power but comes with a fatal flaw.

The principle of forcibly concentrating such immense power onto the blade inevitably places an overwhelming burden on the sword itself.

So much so that Leonor, who had been watching my training, joked, “If you use that on a person, won’t they just explode from the touch?”

With the Black Iron Sword, this level of layering was the limit. The pressure of Hersela’s perfected Destruction Star was enough to shatter even the Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon.

So then, what would happen if such a technique were unleashed with a human arm?

[You’re insane…! What are you doing right now!]

Hersela’s frantic shout, the moment Reversed Heaven was released, answered that question.

Of course, by the time she screamed to stop me, my fingertips had already touched Or-han’s back, carrying the completed destructive feat.

– Kkkkkkrrrrk!

The Ice Blade screamed as it writhed against the blackened scales, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.

But the scales of the Spirit Beast, tempered by countless layers of blood, withstood the immense burden that even a dragon’s Reverse Scale couldn’t endure.

The surging crimson lightning. The force shattering the will concentrated at my fingertips clashed with the indestructible feat.

– Kwa-jik!

With the agonizing sensation of my arm below the elbow disintegrating into a spray of blood, the cursed claw pierced through Or-han’s back.

—

“Ha…shal…leur…!”

Or-han spat out a mouthful of blood and turned to look at me.

The claw that had pierced his back, shattered his heart, and burst through his ribs to emerge from his chest. It was undeniably a fatal wound.

Considering the curse carried by the Ice Blade’s claw, leaving him like this would eventually lead to his death.

But I didn’t even have the strength to rejoice in the victory I had finally achieved.

The agonizing sensation of my arm below the elbow disintegrating into a spray of blood wasn’t a metaphor—it was the stark reality.

“Ugh…!”

I groaned softly in pain as I stared at the Ice Blade embedded in Or-han’s back.

Thick blood poured like rain from the gaps between the blackened scales. A gruesome mix of melted flesh and shattered bone, forming a sticky pool of crimson.

I couldn’t feel anything below my elbow. No sense of presence or weight.

It was a familiar sensation. My leg had been like this before.

Thanks to the Ice Blade extending up to my shoulder, it wasn’t visibly obvious, but my left arm had undoubtedly been cleanly severed by the burden of the layered Thunderous Rend.

Ah, damn. It hurts like hell.

Well… considering the price for such a reckless move, it’s relatively light.

That’s why I could still smile.

“It’s not over yet……!”

Until Or-han, whose heart had been destroyed, suddenly raised his Reverse Scale Sword and swung it at me.

“…Huh?”

Whether it was the pain from my shattered arm or the shock of Or-han moving despite being on the brink of death, I reflexively raised Durandal to block his blade, but the force behind it sent me flying backward.

– Koooooong!

“Kuh…!”

A dizzying impact struck my spine, forcing the air from my lungs. I crashed through the walls of the command center, flying several meters before collapsing.

– Krrrrrrr!

Debris from the shattered walls rained down on me. Through the falling rubble, I saw Or-han, spurting blood like a fountain, raising his Reverse Scale Sword high.

“…Huh, a monster, huh.”

Ludwig looked up at Or-han in disbelief, while Or-han, drenched in blood, gasped for breath, growling like a beast.

“Any…last words…?”

“Last words…”

Ludwig laughed hollowly, looking up at the sky.

“Of all people, it had to be you. I don’t know whether to be happy or lament.”

“…Yeah, same here.”

The Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon drew a crimson arc.

—

– Thud!

The upper half of the middle-aged man’s body, split in two, fell with a sickening squelch into the pool of blood.

The intestines spilling from the severed surface twitched and convulsed. The final moments of Ludwig Wilhelm von Landenburg, the Shield of the Empire.

“Damn it all…!”

In an instant, a literal instant, the tragedy unfolded. I shoved myself up from the pile of rubble, cursing.

No, seriously. How does this make sense?

It felt like I’d been headfirst dumped into a cesspool of crap. A truly shitty feeling.

A guy whose heart had not just stopped but exploded was still moving around?

Well, judging by his staggering and pale complexion, he wasn’t exactly fine… but still.

“How the hell…?”

Did he hear my muttering? Or-han, leaning on his Reverse Scale Sword like a cane, turned his head to look at me, spitting out what seemed like gallons of blood.

“Huff… huff…! A fine… fine attack, but you underestimated the life force of the Divine Blood, Ha-shal-leur…!”

…The life force of the Divine Blood?

“Once the wolf’s blood is awakened… you and I… won’t die so easily…!”

“If your heart’s exploded, you should just die already.”

There’s a limit to how tough you can be.

Even Hersela, who had exhausted all her Life Force Technique and was now out cold like a dead flashlight, would’ve said the same thing if she saw this.

“Keh, hahaha… Well, you’re not wrong. As you said, with the heart destroyed, even with the Divine Blood, death can’t be avoided. It just takes a little time.”

What was so funny about my words? Or-han burst into laughter, his blood-soaked beard twitching. It seemed his joy at killing Ludwig outweighed any frustration at his own impending death.

Yeah, you look really happy. Good for you. I’m feeling like absolute crap.

Objectively speaking, Ludwig and I weren’t that close.

He had shown me a lot of goodwill, but that was more of a transaction to secure my cooperation, and I saw him as a capable business partner. Similar to my relationship with Leopold, I guess.

A relationship where we’d cooperate and support each other when our interests aligned, but become enemies the moment our goals diverged. That’s about the extent of our bond.

So I wasn’t enraged by Ludwig’s death. Just deeply, deeply annoyed.

For the sake of the Empire’s future, he was someone who absolutely couldn’t die, and after going so far as to lose my left arm to save him… I never expected him to die in such a ridiculous way at the very last moment.

Damn it. I’m not sure how we’re going to handle this mess.

Damn you, Or-han, you bastard. If you’re going to die, die properly. Don’t screw me over like this.

Gritting my teeth against the rising frustration, I tightly gripped Durandal with my remaining arm.

“…It’ll take some time for you to die, huh? Let’s see how long that lasts!”

The next moment, I kicked off the rubble behind me and charged at him.

A lightning-fast dash. The moment Or-han raised his Reverse Scale Sword to block Durandal’s blade, my right foot slammed into his abdomen.

“Keh…!”

Or-han spat blood as he was sent flying.

Perhaps he didn’t have the strength to use the Indestructible Body. The sensation at my foot wasn’t the usual feeling of striking steel, but more like kicking a sturdy sandbag.

“Or-han-!”

Or-han, who had crashed through the outer wall, twisted his body mid-air to regain his footing.

Whether he was using his muscles to constrict his blood vessels or applying the Power of Feats, the bleeding from his chest had mostly stopped. Though he was still like a candle on the verge of going out.

“Go ahead, go wild! My goal is already achieved, so I have no regrets left!”

“Shut your mouth!”

I swung Durandal down at him as I leaped, but his Reverse Scale Sword intercepted it, causing my blade to slide off. I flipped the sword, hooking it under his blade to stop it, and drove my knee toward his groin.

“Haap!”

Or-han’s reaction was swift. Considering his injuries, it was unbelievable he could still move like that.

He twisted his body diagonally to dodge my knee and headbutted me in the forehead.

– Kwaaaaang!

A dizzying impact struck my skull.

“Keh…!”

“Kyaah…!”

Both Or-han and I groaned simultaneously, staggering. Blood streamed down our broken foreheads.