Side Story – Farewell [1]
[41]
Yohana Defensio, Marquis of Defense.
A figure renowned as the current Empire’s foremost swordsman, having amassed numerous accomplishments on the frontlines adjacent to the Demonic Realm.
However, after an incident that occurred approximately two years prior…
Whispers spread across the continent, claiming Yohana’s achievements were nothing more than a false illusion.
The fact that Yohana, supposedly injured, had secluded himself without any explanation only fueled these whispers.
The current Empire had always relied on the strength of one lone powerhouse—’Luna’—to maintain its foundation.
To address this imbalance, many believed the Empire had fabricated and exaggerated a hero, only for the truth to come to light. Many mocked both the Empire and Yohana, believing he was nothing but a bloated myth.
Despite the mocking public opinion spreading far and wide, the Empire did not respond aggressively.
Thus, now many firmly believed Yohana was truly a fabricated hero.
But what they didn’t know—that ignorance and complacency were foolish assumptions—was being revealed in the capital of the Sacred Country, Kailum.
!!!!!!
Yohana’s body became a flash of lightning.
This wasn’t some exaggerated metaphor meant to embellish speed; it was literal.
In the criminal’s line of sight, Yohana genuinely transformed into a flash of lightning.
Even fairly strong warriors observing from a safe distance couldn’t properly capture Yohana’s movements within their vision.
The scenery shattered violently along the trajectory of his sword swings… overwhelming everyone’s sight.
It was a sword strike no one could face head-on.
Not even the vaunted High Templar or Royal Guard would dare claim they could withstand Yohana’s swordsmanship directly.
And yet, standing before the thunderous strikes Yohana unleashed…
Speira faced him head-on with her Sacred Sword.
!!!!!!
Speira Prizzran.
The symbol of hope in this dark era.
Few people who expected great martial prowess from her were left disappointed because Speira, though praised as a prodigy alongside Yohana, had become more of a symbolic figure rather than one known for her combat abilities.
Yet here she was, clashing swords with Yohana instead of quietly holding the throne and guiding the Sacred Country from behind the scenes.
She wasn’t overwhelmed by Yohana’s devastating sword strikes but was actively moving her Sacred Sword against them.
!!!!!!
The commoners of the Sacred Country could do nothing but watch the clash between the two young figures who appeared to be barely adults.
There was not a single person in Kailum capable of intervening in their battle.
Yohana and Speira were locked in combat at such close range that their breathing almost touched.
Their movements and the trajectories they carved were so fast and destructive that it was impossible to intervene on behalf of either.
Perhaps someone with the skill of a Royal Guard might have been able to throw themselves into the fray, taking a gamble, but only just.
Still, Faula, one of the Royal Guards, remained rooted in place, sharpening all her senses.
“…”
An odd sensation crept over her.
Certainly, the radiant glory surrounding Speira was holy and majestic.
The slight shadow cast over the radiance only enhanced its brilliance.
Yet… Faula felt something strange emanating from the darkened glow.
Memories of that day in the Demonic Realm kept resurfacing, tickling her skin uncomfortably.
Faula briefly recalled the absurd rumors that had gained traction due to their similarity.
The rumor that Speira had fallen and become a hybrid.
It was laughable—a completely baseless and malicious rumor.
It had to be.
Kwaang!!!!!!!!!
The ground where Yohana’s sword struck cracked and turned to dust.
Yohana did not stop his dual blades.
This was enemy territory. If he allowed any distance between himself and Speira, interference from all sides was inevitable.
To fight Speira without interruption, he had to maintain close proximity at all costs.
In reality, it wasn’t that difficult.
Except for the peculiar nature of the dark radiance, Yohana surpassed Speira in every aspect: speed, swordsmanship, and even the performance of his artifacts.
Of course, Speira’s dark radiance was powerful enough to nullify all of Yohana’s advantages, but Speira seemed to restrict its use, perhaps out of consideration for external perceptions.
Yohana’s goal was to unmask Speira.
Recalling his purpose, Yohana spun his body and overlapped the trajectory of his sword three times at the same point.
Cheung!!!!!!!!
Speira barely managed to deflect the attack by twisting her Sacred Sword.
Unable to withstand the shock, Speira slipped backward, but Yohana quickly closed the gap.
With both speed and swordsmanship inferior to Yohana’s, Speira had only one thing to rely on: the special power of her dark radiance.
Without utilizing the unique properties of her dark radiance, there was no way Speira could reverse the current disadvantage.
Yohana pressed down on Speira, forcing her to tear off her own mask.
Kwaang!!!!!!!!!!
“…”
“…”
This was the limit.
Both Yohana and Speira understood that continuing this exchange with restricted dark radiance was no longer possible.
Yohana’s strategy was sound.
Speira acknowledged that she had reached a point where she could no longer retreat and lightly gripped her Sacred Sword.
Tsjuk!!!
Yohana sent down a bolt of lightning toward Speira, urging her to rip off her mask.
This bolt, unlike any Yohana had unleashed before, traced a distorted trajectory, leaving a dazzling afterimage as it descended upon Speira.
In response, Speira’s Sacred Sword carved a straight, heavy path.
A storm erupted.
!!!!!!!!!!
The result of the collision between the two ultimate trajectories drawn by the individuals was…
Perfect cancellation.
Since the initial assault, Yohana had relentlessly pushed Speira without even pausing to regulate his breath. But now, he momentarily halted the flow of his sword.
In the previous clash, Speira hadn’t negated Yohana’s attack through sheer force; she had technically canceled it.
“…”
That should have been impossible.
Given Speira’s level of swordsmanship, she shouldn’t have been able to cancel Yohana’s attack so elegantly.
Was Speira hiding her true swordsmanship? That too seemed impossible.
While Yohana had endured countless brutal battles, Speira had merely sat on the throne.
Given that their talents were considered equally remarkable, experience should have created a clear gap in their capabilities.
So how… did she manage to technically cancel the last blow?
As Yohana gazed at Speira with confusion, Speira idly fiddled with the hilt of her Sacred Sword and moved her lips.
“Did you think I was just drunk on overflowing power and arrogance?”
I’m not that stupid.
Speira muttered this while calmly smiling.
“Yohana… I am an Apostle.”
Not just a mere follower, but an Apostle chosen by transcendent beings.
One of the defining privileges distinguishing a simple ‘follower’ from an ‘Apostle’ is… ‘assimilation of experience.’
Through divine relics or artifacts under Speira’s dominion, the experiences of their past owners were…
Being assimilated into Speira at this very moment.
Until now, Speira had suppressed this assimilation but now embraced the bloody histories flowing through the artifacts.
This process of assimilation, resonance, or perhaps erosion, was something ordinary individuals without talent couldn’t handle properly.
They lacked the will and talent to absorb and utilize the vast histories transmitted through the artifacts.
Ultimately, if one lacked the ability to understand and apply those experiences properly…
Even with assimilation achieved, attaining extraordinary heights would remain impossible, as seen in Crown Prince Ray’s case.
“…”
In the past, Resina concluded provisionally that the strength of an Apostle directly correlates with the magnitude of talent inherent in the chosen individual.
Resina’s conclusion was largely accurate.
The more talented an individual, the more they could achieve rapid growth through the assimilation of experience.
And Speira…
Was a prodigy of unparalleled talent.
Having begun the assimilation, Speira started real-time refining of the immense histories and experiences, constructing them into necessary forms.
While adjusting the angle of her grip on the sword, Speira stepped forward and whispered to Yohana.
“Yohana, no matter how long you wander the battlefield… achieving superiority in swordsmanship against me will prove exceedingly difficult.”
Cheung!!!!!!!!!!
The two clashed again.
Most conditions remained unchanged.
Speed and artifact performance favored Yohana.
The concentration of the dark radiance enveloping Speira stayed the same.
However, there was one difference: the balance of swordsmanship began tilting towards equilibrium.
“…!!”
Then it flipped.
Yohana sacrificed finesse for speed, and Speira began detecting the gaps created by this sacrifice.
As the critical balance of swordsmanship tilted, the entire dynamic of the battle reversed.
Kagagagak!!!!!!!!!
Yohana slid back, scraping the ground.
It was still manageable. However, Yohana needed to overwhelm Speira and tear off her mask.
He absolutely had to. Yet, despite Speira restricting the use of her dark radiance, she was gaining the upper hand.
For the first time during the battle, Yohana’s calm demeanor cracked as his eyes became bloodshot.
Speira didn’t miss this waver.
Hooouk!!
The Sacred Sword carved a heavy path towards Yohana’s chest.
Focused on speed, Yohana failed to fully cover his openings and allowed Speira to land a hit.
Kwaang!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yohana slid back quite a distance.
Speira’s strike was blocked by the active defense artifact protecting Yohana’s shoulder.
The artifact, which was highly regarded even among top-tier defenses, absorbed the impact and was utterly destroyed.
“…”
The distance between Speira and Yohana widened, and this was enemy territory.
Yohana was instantly surrounded, and in the next moment, attacks poured in from all sides.
Yohana exhaled roughly.
No clear solution came to mind to break this situation, causing a headache and tightening his chest.
He had to unmask Speira, but as it stood, achieving that objective seemed impossible.
Just as Yohana clenched his teeth in frustration…
A voice rang out.
[You declared the end of our history.]
The voice from the day he renounced immortality… sounded again.
[Do not disappoint us. And remember…]
Even in the darkest of battlefields…
“…you are not alone.”
Facing the descending bombardment, Yohana pressed his face with the hand gripping his sword.
His opponent was an Apostle, a manifestation of unreason born from the collusion of transcendent beings.
Therefore…
Yohana also had to utilize every means at his disposal.
“The history forming the soul…”
[The history forming the soul will stand by you.]
Recalling the vow of that day…
Yohana began confronting and accepting the history embedded within his soul.
It was undoubtedly akin to erosion, irreversibly damaging Yohana’s self-identity.
However, driven by a madness-filled will, longing, and incomprehensible talent…
Yohana began refining the flowing history of the soul, constructing it into necessary forms.
“I won’t… stop.”
The field of vision brightened.
Massive firepower rained down on Yohana.
Though he could block it with his body, if he let himself get surrounded, he’d lose sight of Speira.
Even if he broke through the encirclement and reached Speira, he’d have to slaughter countless troops of the Sacred Country.
The operation would then be considered a failure.
To evade the falling firepower and accelerate towards Speira again, magical assistance was needed.
Yohana’s variable core temporarily split in half.
One of the halves pierced his heart and expanded, eventually mimicking the form of a circle—the very circle experienced in the life of a mage within the history of the soul.
Mana currents expanded around Yohana.
!!!!!!!
“…?”
Speira narrowed her eyes as she watched the bombardment raining down on Yohana.
Some kind of magical effect countered and deflected the falling bombardment.
Moments later.
A streak of lightning wrapped in mana ascended skyward and then plummeted like a meteor towards Speira.
“Hah…!”
Detecting some kind of ‘change’ in Yohana, Speira smiled knowingly, unable to do anything but accept the challenge, and gripped her Sacred Sword again.
Her expression genuinely seemed quite pleased.
“Truly…”
We were alike.
In the frozen space where everyone in Kailum stood in awe.
The history of the Apostle chosen by transcendental beings…
And the cyclical history built by the souls of mortals…
Collide.
