A blizzard descends with a barrage of holy light.
Each time the pure white light strikes, the sound of flesh cooking fills the air. The flesh that had been bubbling and growing bursts open, releasing a foul odor.
It was a grotesque yet captivating sight.
It felt similar to bursting an insect’s egg sac. For those with strong stomachs, it was a spectacle worth seeing.
What poured down from the sky was not only the holy power’s holy light.
Arrows, lightning, and everything else that could be used as weapons were being mobilized. It was indeed a massive air raid that could be described as a “total war.”
In truth, it was a scene that could not be orchestrated.
“What nonsense…!”
Even Leorick, driven mad by the frenzy, could only shake his head in disbelief. If any shred of reason remained, one would have to grasp the reality.
The area occupied by the boiling flesh was immense.
Even if I had been delayed by dealing with the snake’s head, I was a martial artist who had reached the Expert level. It took such a figure several hours of sprinting at full power to arrive at the epicenter.
This place was likely in the heart of the coniferous forest.
Though it was not visible now, the mounds of flesh suggested the remnants of fallen trees scattered about. It was a location generally considered impossible to snipe.
Yet Leorick now faced a barrage of firepower.
This was an undeniable reality. It was unnecessary to mention how crucial it was to deal a blow to the heart of the enemy, not just the outskirts.
I stood back, retracing my memories.
Yes, it was that night.
The night I shared a second bed with Senior Delphine.
After all moments of passion had ended, the blonde woman buried her face in my chest. Her tired, gasping breaths were seductive.
The woman smiled faintly as she spoke to me.
“It was worth the effort, wasn’t it, my dear husband?”
I stroked Senior Delphine’s hair in silence. Her alluring legs traced across my body, intimately delivering warmth from her breasts to my arm.
Tonight was impulsive as well.
However, there was a greater reward, and with a wry smile, I replied.
“Anyone would think you had a husband.”
“I don’t have a husband, just so you know.”
Her delicate white finger playfully traced my chest, gradually moving up to my throat.
After a moment of looking at me, Senior Delphine burst into an adorable laugh.
It was a pure smile.
One free of any calculation or ulterior motive, a testament to happiness.
Objectively speaking, the reality I shared with Senior Delphine was grim.
Yet I wanted to believe. That we had the right to enjoy this fleeting happiness. Especially Senior Delphine, who had endured so much pain.
Some of it was inflicted by me.
Looking back, it could not be anything but a connection that brought cold sweat.
Why had I been so violent back then?
In truth, it wasn’t my fault.
The one who was at fault was definitely Senior Delphine. If I were guilty, it was only for responding with excessive violence.
Such as leaving countless axe marks on skin as pure as white jade.
Thinking back, I was indeed the trash.
I decided to change the subject before Senior Delphine could come to a similar conclusion.
“By the way, how did you manage to escape?”
Her bright crimson eyes stared at me blankly. I couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute she looked.
Maybe I should pinch her cheek.
Of course, I had no intention of executing that out of respect for Senior Delphine’s last shred of pride.
“About that. I sustained serious injuries, yet how did you…?”
“I paid a high price.”
With a meaningful smile, Senior Delphine spoke.
“Do you know about teleportation magic?”
After that, a brief explanation followed from Senior Delphine.
In essence, she mentioned that there exists magic that connects places.
It seemed like a remarkable form of magic at first glance, but it had its drawbacks.
First and foremost, precise coordinate settings were essential. If even a slight error occurred, one could not guarantee life, and the accuracy decreased as the number of subjects increased.
In other words, only a few individuals could benefit from it.
Moreover, the cost was exceedingly high. If even Senior Delphine uttered the word ‘burden,’ its value was clear.
I remembered then.
What if coordinate confusion didn’t matter?
For example, transferring low-value inanimate objects fell into that category. There would be no concern of losing life, and even if lodged somewhere unknown, losses could be minimized.
And if the quantity was overwhelmingly large.
It was a plan devised with Reto and leveraging long-distance communication magic.
As a result, I had to endure Reto’s long-winded speech, but I gained a sense of assurance to be here.
Especially when facing Leorick, this means was extremely useful.
Boom! An explosion erupted from the base of the flesh.
The morsels, touched by holy power, turned white and scattered. It resulted from the holy light moving inside the flesh due to teleportation magic’s coordinate confusion.
Once more, the area occupied by the boiling flesh was vast.
Thanks to that, even if coordinate confusion occurred, the chaos was minimal. At times, the side effects could function as advantages.
“Graaaah!”
Leorick now had his eyes rolling back, suffering in pain.
The white radiance covering his eyes gradually brightened. Soon, that light became so intense it seemed to pierce Leorick’s skull at any moment.
The bombardment continued for a long while, yet Leorick’s main body remained intact.
He could only moan in pain.
“Life, life, life! Pain, agony… it’s dreadful, Emmanuel! The Lord has given me trials, commanding me to survive!”
I subtly tightened my grip on the axe handle.
I didn’t think this would end here.
It was a well-known fact. Even though I was bombing the core of the flesh, it didn’t necessarily mean victory.
The center of the boiling flesh always had the potential to change.
Its unlimited regeneration ability was threatening. Just looking at the corpse giant showed that clearly. Leorick had one more terrifying trait.
He could use the corpses he consumed as materials.
It meant he could change his main body as desired. Furthermore, recent reports suggested he seemed to gain the abilities of the corpses he ingested.
What I primarily worried about was the latter.
Step, step, step.
Leorick’s main body crumbled, and several chunks of flesh began approaching me. At first, they looked clumsy like clay molded by a child, but with every step, their outlines sharpened.
Death was approaching.
The dying cries echoed. With every broken scream, the face contorted, revealing a new visage.
It was Leorick.
“Oh, oh… horrendous, lamentable, wretched, this, oh!”
There wasn’t even a sound of footsteps anymore.
I immediately followed the breathing technique I learned from the elves. My breath sharply diminished, and the sense of presence faded in an instant.
They were elven sword-wielders.
However, the reason they were truly terrifying was different.
One of the sword-wielders bit his tongue amidst the pouring holy light.
In it emerged a grotesque mass of flesh.
It was ‘Benediction.’ Unlike corpses, the flesh monster could replicate all the abilities of the ‘materials’ it had absorbed.
And the powers of ‘Benediction’ were limitless.
It was power received from the evil god at the cost of their soul. Naturally, its strength was terrifying. A pitch-black hemisphere appeared in the sky as if to flaunt it.
Boom, boom!
The dome-like barrier trembled as if it would collapse at any moment. Yet, there were no signs of it shattering just yet. I drew my sword and axe.
It was the last stand.
A fierce line formed at my lips.
“Come at me, you bastards.”
Then, swords clashed against swords.
It felt as if the blade was bleeding.
Amidst the sparks flying in my vision, I fervently wished.
That the time I had been waiting for was approaching.
That expectation did not betray me.
The world began to fade with a hum.
The monochrome night had begun.
It was the true final battle.
“Yuridina never loses.”
The clash of swords dragged through the snowfield. If someone had seen it, they would have exclaimed that it was not even the basics of a swordsman’s technique.
Be it blade or tip, it remained a sword.
The more it was dragged on the ground, the duller it became. It was common sense. In a swordsmanship contest where minute differences determine everything, such carelessness was unacceptable.
However, the opponent was no rookie.
“It’s the law of the North… I don’t think that’s wrong. It was created by our distant ancestors, and they believed it was the right way.”
Marquise Yuridina.
A monster poised before the Master.
Having thoroughly suppressed the frequent elf attacks that struck the North, she drove them into the coniferous forest. Among the 5 noble families of the Empire, she ranked at the top in terms of martial prowess alongside Duke Luphemion.
Delphine caught her breath.
She would win.
“So prove it.”
She would achieve victory.
“That you are worthy to be Yuridina’s master.”
With the snowfield at their center, Yuridina and Yuridina faced off.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime contest.
