Chapter 149

“The man who will become the Divine Warrior himself.”

Abel could see Fernandez’s swordsmanship breaking through the boundary called ‘realm.’ It was like a kind of magic performed through physical skill. A warrior is a seeker who crosses realms and advances through the long, treacherous path to the pinnacle.

Fernandez was underestimating his own talent. At least, that’s what Abel thought. He had faced countless heroes in his past life, and through battles with them, he had harshly grasped the domain of swordsmanship and talent.

To Abel, his talent was closer to martial arts. Magic? It was undoubtedly an astonishing achievement. But that achievement was the product of his efforts built over a long life of struggle, pursuit, and escape.

He must have had exceptional talent too. But in the early part of his past life, he was solely focused on survival.

Throwing daggers, ambushes, poisonings, and schemes. Even if these were the methods all dark mages chose to survive, how many of them truly lived long enough to accumulate experience? In Abel’s eyes, what sustained him through that process was his innate talent for martial arts.

-*Kaaang!*

Watching Richter’s arm fly off, Abel was convinced in that moment. Fernandez had been underestimating his own talent. But now, with the blessing of immortality gone, the talent buried in his instinctual realm was awakening.

-*Kwadududuk!*

At first, she thought the lingering traces of Dain’s soul melting into his body were helping to enhance his swordsmanship. But no. If Fernandez had picked up the sword in his past life just to survive, his life would have been entirely different.

If he had met a slightly better teacher, grown up in a better environment… If only…

‘How pitiful.’

Tears streamed down Abel’s cheeks. Knowing his life, every moment of it pained her. He could have had a more glorious ending. He could have been a hero, acknowledged and loved by all.

Instead of a heart that grew cold with regret and lament, he deserved the rights he should have had. If some malevolent fate hadn’t twisted his life…

‘If I had been by your side.’

If I had been by your side in your past life, you would have become a hero. Abel, vaguely aware of the regrets he carried, felt her heart ache at the thought.

‘But now I am by your side, Fernandez.’

-*Kwadududuk!*

As she watched the greatsword slice through Richter’s neck, Abel wiped her eyes. Her eyes glowed blue. Did you think there was no fate? No, that’s not it. The rights given to you, the talent you possess—that was your fate.

‘Me too.’

I hope so.

*

-*Pududuk.*

As Richter’s body was torn apart, it transformed into a swarm of bats and scattered, only to regroup a short distance away. Richter, bleeding profusely, glared at him while gasping for breath.

“Let’s see how many more times you can survive like that.”

Fernandez swung his greatsword in a wide arc and strode toward him. Richter flailed his arms and shouted.

“Stop him! Stop him!”

-*Pududuk!*

With his shout, the bats descended upon Fernandez. Each one transformed into a vampire, wielding swords, spears, and axes against him.

-*Kaaang!*

Fernandez’s heightened spirit, sharpened to its peak by the threat of death, sensed every attack and drew the optimal trajectory. He swung his greatsword along that line. It was a half-instinctive counter.

-*Kwaduduk!*

Blades shattered, spears were smashed. With each swing, one, maybe three or more. The vampires couldn’t stop his advance even a single step.

Sparks flew, blood and flesh scattered in all directions. Slashing, chopping, smashing, deflecting, swinging. Every attack flowed seamlessly, each strike carrying the force to obliterate limbs.

In that moment, he advanced like a storm forged of steel. He drove his elbow into an enemy who had overextended, swung his greatsword in the same motion to decapitate two, and split the next enemy’s skull.

In this moment, as he walked the path of martial arts with a thread of divinity, these lowly vampires were no different from ghouls to Fernandez. Richter had only a year, and the high-ranking vampires he could prepare were insufficient.

Richter gritted his teeth as he watched, then transformed into bats and scattered. Fernandez saw him fleeing while slaughtering the approaching enemies. The man climbed the outer wall of the flagship, reaching the top of the outer tower, and shouted.

“You! Don’t think that kind of swordsmanship was all I had!”

Sure, whatever. Fernandez stabbed his greatsword into a vampire lunging at him and chuckled. Of course, Richter must have mastered the unique magic of vampires.

The unfortunate thing for Richter was that magic was actually more familiar to Fernandez than swordsmanship—

-*Buuuuu!!*

Once again, the ship’s horn echoed across the horizon. The blizzard had grown fiercer, and Malerun’s flagship was now close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

‘They’re here.’

-Finally.

Also, if there was a flaw in Richter’s strategy, it was that the sword fight with Richter was merely a stalling tactic—

-*Kwaaaang!*

A loud cannon shot rang out from Malerun’s flagship. The sound of cannonballs tearing through the air echoed, and soon.

-*Kwajijijik!!*

“W-what?!”

It struck the outer wall where Richter stood. The continuous bombardment began to destroy Richter’s flagship. The massive outer wall was repeatedly struck by cannonballs, cracks growing larger and larger.

“Why, why are you attacking me, Malerun?”

“After seeing you hunt a divine being without prior notice, what did you expect a god hunter to think?”

Fernandez chuckled. Malerun’s goal was to hunt gods, and unfortunately, there were three divine beings on this fleet: Abel, Fernandez, and Melisildur.

Abel and Melisildur were almost invisible in terms of presence, but Fernandez had successfully exaggerated his divine presence through hours of preparation. This was the bait to lure Malerun.

“And what did you think Malerun would think upon seeing the Eternal King’s flagship?”

Seeing Guimerin’s flagship, Malerun must have felt threatened by Richter. If such a being was hunting gods behind his back, of course—

“Opportunism, killing two birds with one stone, sowing discord. Whatever it is.”

-My specialty.

Faijashi cackled. Using the enemy’s blade to cut the enemy’s throat. It was one of his favorite strategies in his past life.

-*Kwaaaaang!*

Once again, cannon fire rang out from Malerun’s flagship. Richter’s flagship, Guimerin’s fortress, no longer had any of the protective spells it should have had in the past. It was just a tattered facade.

Originally, it should never have been destroyed by such physical bombardment, but now the flagship was being shattered in real-time.

The vampires began to scatter in panic across the battlefield. Richter’s control was crumbling. Watching Malerun’s bombardment, Fernandez spun his greatsword and sheathed it.

“Now all that’s left is to deal with that bastard.”