—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
20 minutes earlier.
Ethan walked through the forest, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
His body ached. The muscles in his arms burned, like after an intense workout.
It was the first time he had used the first form of the Linchester Swordsmanship in a real battle.
Fortunately, his body healed quickly.
He pulled a potion from his pocket and drank it.
He could feel the vitality returning to his limbs, the muscle pain subsiding.
Potions truly were the greatest invention in this fantasy world.
Though they couldn’t alleviate mental fatigue.
He continued walking, following the path Tia had taken.
He spotted a flock of ravens circling overhead.
There were more than a dozen of them.
Were they Tia’s ravens?
Tia had used her ravens to call for help in the novel.
‘What happened this time?’
Ethan followed the ravens.
He found a horde of zombies gathered at the entrance of the castle.
And Tia seemed to be inside the castle, for some reason.
He drew his sword.
He made a mental note to never watch a zombie movie again if he ever returned to his original world.
There were hundreds of undead.
300? 400? He couldn’t tell.
But he still had about 80% of his mana remaining.
“Runtar! I need your help.”
He summoned Runtar.
“I’m going to charge through them and burn them all to ashes.”
―Charge through them and burn them all? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.
“I’m doing it anyway.”
Fire was a zombie’s weakness.
And he had high resistance to fire.
His uniform was also fireproof.
There was no reason to hesitate.
―As you wish.
Flames enveloped his black blade.
“Watch my back!”
Whoosh—
Flames erupted with every swing of his sword, incinerating the zombies.
He carved a path through the horde, turning the area into a blazing inferno.
The zombies stumbled and fell, consumed by the flames.
The stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Ethan reached the entrance of the castle.
He saw Tia, Sepia, and Anya. They looked exhausted.
‘What are they doing there?’
And there was the black knight, radiating a sinister red aura.
“Ethan! Are you okay?”
Ethan couldn’t help but curse.
Why was that bastard still alive…?
“Sepia, Tia, Anya…”
He took a deep breath, trying to catch his breath.
He readied himself for another battle.
“And Lien.”
The black knight’s red eyes were fixed on him.
“Stop picking on them and fight me, you bastard.”
Could he defeat him again?
Ethan tightened his grip on his sword.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Arthur and Tesha ran through the forest, extending their mana outwards.
Their mana brushed against something and recoiled. Demonic energy.
“Tesha, I think I found the demon!”
“Where?”
“11 o’clock direction!”
They ran towards the source of the demonic energy.
They found a figure in a gray robe.
‘It’s a demon.’
It was Arthur’s first encounter with a demon general.
But he had to win.
‘My friends… they’re risking their lives…’
He had to kill the demon.
That was Arthur’s only thought.
The demon hadn’t noticed them yet.
He was surrounded by five ghouls.
Arthur aimed for the demon’s neck.
He had so many questions.
Why had they been attacked?
Why was a demon general here?
The demon attacks had been unusually frequent lately.
‘But I can’t miss this opportunity!’
He remembered Ethan’s words.
‘When you encounter a demon or a monster, you have to fight with everything you’ve got. Don’t hesitate.’
He had heard it so many times that he was sick of it.
Arthur had hesitated after receiving the system.
He hadn’t been sure what to do with his newfound power.
He had been afraid of his growing strength.
Ethan had told him that it was a gift from the goddess.
And he had warned him that with great power came great responsibility.
‘Ethan, if it weren’t for you, I would still be lost.’
I will take responsibility for everything that happens.
That thought brought him peace.
‘I’ll take down the ghouls and the demon in one attack.’
A golden aura enveloped Arthur’s sword.
The system was guiding him, showing him the goddess’s will.
And his current quest was to defeat the demon.
‘Ethan, I don’t think you hesitated to kill. I’ll share this burden with you, as your friend.’
Arthur swung his sword without hesitation.
Bang!
An explosion of golden energy struck the necromancer and the ghouls.
The ghouls were reduced to piles of bones, and the demon was also severely injured.
His gray robe was torn, revealing his grotesque appearance.
Two ram-like horns protruded from his head, his skin a sickly grayish-white, patches of rotting flesh resembling a zombie.
“W-who are you?!”
The demon’s voice was filled with shock and disbelief.
Tesha was also surprised.
Golden mana.
It was the sacred power wielded only by those chosen by the goddess.
“How can you…!”
Murmur hadn’t received any intel about such a powerful individual.
‘That damn Dantalion…!’
He should have warned him!
If he had known, he would have brought more powerful undead.
The demon’s skin sizzled and burned under the holy energy.
But he didn’t have time to think.
Tesha’s shortsword pierced his chest.
It was infused with blue mana.
Cough.
The demon coughed up blood.
“Arthur, please!”
The demon swung his arm wildly.
But Arthur blocked the attack and swung his sword downwards.
Slice!
The demon’s left arm fell to the ground.
Tesha’s mana erupted.
Her shortsword moved so fast, it was almost invisible.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
She unleashed a barrage of attacks, her blade piercing the demon’s body repeatedly.
“Damn you…!”
Tesha frowned.
She felt disgusted.
‘How dare a lowly demon insult a princess…?’
It was strange.
Ethan’s insults had thrilled her.
But now, she felt nothing but disgust.
Tesha stepped back, putting some distance between herself and the demon.
Thwack!
She had retreated to gain momentum.
Tesha lunged forward, her shortsword piercing the demon’s head.
The demon’s red eyes rolled back in his head, losing focus.
“W-wait…!”
“There’s no waiting in battle.”
Arthur focused his mana.
‘I won’t hesitate.’
He repeated the words like a mantra.
Ethan had called him indecisive.
If he let the necromancer escape, his friends would be in danger.
Arthur unleashed another wave of golden energy.
He would defeat the demon, no matter how much mana it took.
The holy energy was erasing the demon’s very existence.
Tesha also released her mana, her shortsword glowing blue.
Their combined power struck the demon.
“Haaa—!”
Arthur gritted his teeth, his body trembling with effort.
The storm of mana subsided.
The demon, reduced to a skeleton, collapsed.
His bones crumbled into dust.
Thud.
The demon medal fell to the ground.
And next to it, a red gem and a skill orb.
“Arthur, we did it! We defeated the demon!”
Tesha cheered.
She had avenged her humiliation during the midterms.
“Y-yeah… we did it…”
Arthur picked up the red gem and the skill orb, still dazed.
The system displayed information about the red gem.
‘Gamigin’s Ruby?’
Arthur read the description carefully.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At Arvis Castle.
Ethan faced the black knight.
“Lien, can you hear me?”
Ethan tried to reason with him.
But there was no response.
Only a menacing aura of demonic energy, a burning fighting spirit.
‘He’s lost his mind…’
Ethan sighed.
He had used his trump card, the Flash, and unleashed a devastating attack.
And now the knight was back, stronger than before.
“If you’re a true knight… shouldn’t you accept defeat and retreat?”
He hadn’t expected an answer.
“Ethan! Look out!”
The black knight charged, closing the distance in a single leap.
His halberd, radiating red demonic energy, clashed with Ethan’s blue blade.
A storm of mana erupted, the force of the impact creating a powerful gust of wind.
Ethan gritted his teeth, matching the knight’s strength with his own.
Linchester Swordsmanship, Second Form!
‘Soul Strike.’
Waves of blue energy surged from his blade, taking the form of a dragon, engulfing the knight.
But it was useless.
The halberd, infused with red demonic energy, tore through the dragon’s jaws.
Linchester Swordsmanship, Fourth Form!
‘Blade Dance.’
Pain shot through Ethan’s body.
He was already exhausted from fighting the undead horde.
But he couldn’t give up.
He would land a blow, even if it meant using all his remaining mana.
His blade was wreathed in blue mana and the flames of Runtar, a chaotic mix of fire and magic.
His blood boiled, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
But his mind was clear.
Adrenaline surged through his body, sharpening his senses.
The knight was stronger than before.
But Ethan had the support of a high-level spirit.
And the Linchester Swordsmanship was a demon-slaying technique.
Its power was amplified by demonic energy.
And the version he was using had been modified by Sylvia, addressing the weaknesses of the original style.
Tia watched the battle unfold, her eyes wide with awe.
They were like gladiators in an arena.
The duel was so intense that no one dared to intervene.
The tension was palpable.
Only the clash of metal against metal broke the silence.
Tia wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Anya and Sepia were also frozen in place, unable to interfere.
Even Runtar could only enhance Ethan’s sword with fire magic.
Clang!
Ethan’s black blade clashed with the halberd, then darted towards the knight’s wrist.
The black knight was stronger.
But strength wasn’t everything in a battle.
Ethan, despite being pushed back, deflected most of the attacks, using the knight’s momentum against him.
He was like a seasoned predator, patiently waiting for an opening.
‘Ethan… he’s getting stronger…!’
He was growing stronger, adapting to the battle.
He had been on the defensive initially.
‘But now… he’s on equal footing with the knight.’
Tia unconsciously clutched her chest.
Her heart was pounding.
Ethan roared, his sword slashing downwards diagonally.
His blade struck the black knight’s right shoulder, a flash of blue and crimson.
Clang!
Clank.
The black knight stumbled back.
His right arm fell to the ground.
The halberd was a two-handed weapon.
This was their chance.
“Go, Ethan…!”
Ethan was about to deliver the final blow, aiming for the knight’s neck.
Suddenly, the red light in the knight’s helmet vanished.
Arthur and Tesha had defeated the necromancer.
Ethan hesitated.
His blade stopped inches from the knight’s neck.
‘It was the perfect opportunity…!’
Tia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was a golden opportunity, one that might not come again.
But Ethan was waiting, his breath coming in ragged gasps, giving the black knight time to recover.
The light returned to the knight’s helmet.
“Ah… where am I?”
His memories returned.
He remembered everything that had happened since he was resurrected.
A wave of shame washed over him, followed by a surge of excitement.
He had another chance to fight Ethan.
He enjoyed the thrill of battle.
The black knight smiled at Ethan.
“Ethan, why didn’t you take the opportunity?”
“Consider it repayment for our last encounter.”
“Is that… why?”
The black knight adjusted his grip on his halberd with his remaining arm.
He readied himself for battle.
“It’s a pleasure to fight a strong opponent, Ethan. Let’s finish this.”
The two warriors charged at each other.
They roared, their weapons colliding.
A deafening shockwave echoed through the clearing.
Clank.
The black knight stumbled back, his red eyes fixed on Ethan.
He seemed to want to say something, but he remained silent.
Cracks appeared on his chest plate, and a deep gash ran across his left knee joint.
His left knee buckled, and his armor crumbled.
Ethan had won.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
