Chapter 420

Words : 2467 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

In a dark alley far from Royal Street, countless collision sounds burst like fireworks, making the surroundings noisy in a place where even the moonlight of the dark night couldn’t reach. Three shadows danced in the darkness. Every time they crossed and brushed past each other, the air rang like thunder had struck, and sparks flew. The fight itself was in a 2-versus-1 configuration, but surprisingly, it was the two who were in a miserable state. -Huurp! Pantos clenched his fist and unleashed a strike. The destructive power coming from those muscles was enough to crush rocks and punch holes through iron. It wasn’t something an ordinary person could possibly imitate but Luther easily deflected it and, in return, aimed for Pantos’ neck with minimal movement. His intention was to grab and twist it right there. At that moment, a sword thrust out from behind Pantos’ shoulder, knocking away Luther’s hand. Even though it was a sword striking a bare hand, the sword was pushed back more. However, Luther also had a momentary opening, and Pantos immediately followed up with consecutive attacks. -Schwaaaash. Countless straight lines were drawn in the air. The slashing attacks created by the claws that emerged from both hands targeted Luther’s entire body. Luther watched this and lightly twisted his body. One foot forward and the opposite shoulder slightly back. With just that, the lines flowed around his body like water and scattered in all directions. It was the application of force and deflection. Without even using his hands and with just minimal movement, the attacks smoothly missed. However, Pantos didn’t admire or feel disappointed. From the start, it was an attack meant for checking rather than aiming for the opponent’s vital points. It was like it didn’t matter whether it hit or not. Considering the opponent’s skill, attacking too deeply would be a poor move. Seeing this, Luther’s eyes flashed with light. As if something displeased him, the moment his right arm extended and Pantos quickly jumped back but Luther stepped forward as if unwilling to let him escape. With just that, his body stretched long and caught up with Pantos’ movement. He intended to grab his neck after approaching within arm’s reach. At that moment, Alex, who had been hiding in Pantos’ shadow, jumped out and swung his sword widely. Luther had no choice but to withdraw his extended hand. The coordination was dense enough to leave no gaps. He could feel their desperate struggle to not give him any openings. Alex and Pantos weren’t matching their movements for long, yet they moved like one body. When combining the power that couldn’t be produced alone, it expanded beyond double to something more. While feeling a strange satisfaction and joy from this, anxiety also surged in one corner of his mind. ‘It would be dangerous to leave them be.’ He thought they were exceptional from the start, but as they clashed and shared their coordination, that feeling only grew stronger. ‘As time passes, their offense and defense are becoming more precise. They’re developing room in their response methods.’ Alex and Pantos had been blocking him with full power from the start. It was a natural resolve since they would die otherwise, but it was strange how their momentum grew like a snowball as time passed. ‘They’re not pulling out a hidden move. These two are continuously getting stronger through the fight.’ Getting stronger in real-time. Of course, Luther was aware that both had already grasped the clue to reach the next level before this but usually, even if one realizes such things, it takes considerable time to fully digest it as one’s own. Some spend their entire lives with just the clue in their grasp but these two were different. Right now, as they lived and breathed, they continued to grow. -Paang─! The air burst as Pantos’ fist aimed for Luther’s face again. Luther tried to deflect it lightly this time too, but the moment he touched it, he could feel it. ‘It’s heavier than before.’ Luther had no choice but to push Pantos away with more force than before. Even though his attack missed, Pantos seemed to notice something was different from before, judging by his provocative gaze toward Luther. “Hehehehehe.” Luther laughed. Seeing the two gradually growing within this fight, he felt like his heart was being set on fire. He never expected to feel such emotions toward these young ones whose skills were far below his own. He wanted to continue this contest but knowing he couldn’t, Luther felt both joy and sadness in this moment. “If I were a bit more selfish and immature, it might have been better.” Seeing Luther muttering this, Alex and Pantos felt their hair stand on end. Luther casually threw the bread bag he was holding in one hand to the ground. They had forgotten while being immersed in the fight, that Luther had been fighting the two of them with just one hand until now. But now Luther had freed himself from that restriction. Clenching both fists, he lowered his upper body and spread his legs wide. “I’ll end this quickly so I won’t have any regrets.” With those words, Luther vanished from his spot and Alex lost track of his movement. At that moment, Pantos moved. He raised his guard by crossing his forearms, standing protectively in front of Alex. It wasn’t a movement made by thinking with his head, but rather the animal instincts of a beast-kin activating. Right after, Luther’s fist struck Pantos’ forearms. Unlike before when he just lightly extended his arm, this was an attack struck with all his might. -Urgh. Urrrgh. Pantos’ arms were forcefully pushed back. Something could even be heard breaking where the fist met his forearms. This happened despite being wrapped in Spirit. Pantos tried to endure by gritting his teeth and putting strength in his legs, but his body was being pushed back mercilessly. At that moment, Alex swung his sword. He couldn’t miss this moment that Pantos had bought time for. Aura surged in Alex’s sword, dyeing the surroundings bright. It was ash-colored. Luther watched this with cold eyes and lightly moved both hands as if rotating them. Unlike previous attacks that deflected everything outward, this time was the opposite. The sword strike imbued with aura was drawn into a single point as if being sucked in, creating a vortex. “This, crazy.” Not just blocking an aura-imbued attack with bare hands, but drawing it in at will? ‘Even for the Empire’s greatest sword, isn’t this too much?’ But even while thinking this internally, Alex didn’t let go of his sword. The sword tip was caught in the vortex, swirling in the massive energy. This affected Alex’s hand and arm through the sword tip. The moment he let go of the sword here, he saw a future where Luther would kill him. This flow couldn’t be blocked so Alex decided to ride along with it instead. Alex spun his body like a top in the direction the sword was twisting. In the midst of his rapidly spinning vision, Alex slashed his sword precisely at Luther’s heart. It was a counter-attack that could only be shown with extreme tension and concentration. However, before that attack could connect, Luther’s leg kicked Alex’s abdomen first. -Kwajik! Alex spat blood as he flew backward and Pantos rushed in as if taking his place. Though his forearms were broken, swollen with dark bruises, Pantos moved as if unconcerned. Even facing this overheated savagery, Luther didn’t blink an eye. His hands became blurry, leaving countless fist marks on Pantos’ upper body. In that short time not even lasting a second, it was impossible to count how many punches were thrown. Pantos opened his eyes wide and bit his lip. Red blood flowed from his bitten lip but he didn’t fall. He endured by firmly standing with strength in both legs. Just as Luther was about to end it there, Alex, who had been knocked back, charged in again with killing intent. His speed was twice as fast as when he had been knocked away. Alex lowered his posture significantly and approached as if crawling along the ground, thrusting his sword toward Luther’s chin. The ash-colored awl was sharp enough to pierce through anything. Despite likely having suffered internal injuries that should have been fatal, Alex moved at a speed he had never shown before. Luther lightly tilted his head to the side and the thrusting sword slightly grazed his cheek as it passed by. -Phit. A small wound carved on his cheek and a single drop of blood flowed down his cheek from there. Alex despaired at this sight. It was truly his most desperate thrust. Moreover, Pantos had even bought time by taking attacks with his body. It was an unprecedented golden opportunity, yet all it amounted to was a single scratch on the cheek. “Excellent.” Luther honestly praised the two. It had been so long since he had received a proper wound like this that he could barely remember when it last happened. Usually when people see his skill level, most of them break down mentally. They lose their fighting spirit and accept the death that’s about to come but these two were different. Even with internal injuries, broken arms, and the pain of muscles tearing throughout their bodies, the two didn’t stop. “It would have been nice if there were more people like you in this world.” “...It was this world that abandoned us.” Alex glared at Luther with bloodshot eyes. Many emotions swirled in that gaze but there was just one thing that didn’t exist – the fear of death. “Is that so?” But this too ends now. Luther raised his hand. This time it wasn’t a fist, but rather a hand sharpened like a blade. For someone who had reached enlightenment like him, a sword was nice to have but not necessary. With this hand alone, he could sufficiently behead a person. “Farewell.” Even at this sight, Alex didn’t resign himself. He didn’t stop glaring at Luther with eyes full of killing intent and hostility. Luther saw many things in those eyes but didn’t hesitate. Just swinging now would harvest their lives like barley at harvest time. “......” But he couldn’t do it because from far away, something was flying toward them. He saw a pure white light shooting toward them like an arrow. It expanded enormously in an instant. It wasn’t that the light had grown larger, but rather it had flown at Luther at a speed that truly transcended the speed of sound. “A deer?” Luther’s eyes widened when he saw what was contained in that light. Wrapped in pure white light was a deer and not just any deer, but one with golden antlers. That deer rammed into Luther with its antlers. Luther tried to barely hold on by grabbing the deer’s antlers with both hands, but he couldn’t block the force wrapped in enormous energy. A streak of pure white lightning crossed through the dark night sky of Leathervelk. Passersby who were walking on the street looked up at this sight in bewilderment, thinking a shooting star had fallen. -Kwaaang! The flying flash of light collided with the forest near the outskirts of Leathervelk city. A huge explosion mixed with magical power occurred, and a cloud of hazy dust rose. The forest trees swayed greatly outward as all sorts of debris and fragments scattered. Even amid this, Luther stood up perfectly fine. “That stings.” Even though he caught the high-density magic-imbued body slam with both hands, he brushed it off with a light comment. In reality, there wasn’t a single wound on his body. Only his clothes were quite dirty from the explosion’s impact. While feeling regretful about that, Luther couldn’t take his eyes off the deer that appeared through the smoke. “Come to think of it, this isn’t an ordinary beast. I don’t remember Leathervelk being a city where such supernatural beings ran rampant.” Above all, what caught his attention was the black shadow riding on the deer’s back. A deer that seemed to emit light and a human made of darkness. While thinking it was a rare combination, Luther instinctively sensed it. “Ah yes. It’s you. Have you come to save those two?” Rudger silently stared at Luther. Luther Wardot. Even when he saw him once in the capital, he felt he was truly an extraordinary person. When he first saw him, he mistook him for a sword standing there rather than a person. And his skill was such that he could easily suppress Alex and Pantos’ joint attack with bare hands. ‘Moreover, to easily block Hans’ attack after he transformed into the Spirit Deer.’ It was a charge that Hans had unleashed with his eyes tightly shut to protect his colleague who hated fighting. Though it was a rough attack, even to Rudger’s eyes, the magical power contained within it was nothing to scoff at, yet he blocked that with his bare hands. ‘Indeed. The Empire’s greatest sword. The strongest knight.’ Rudger jumped down from Hans’ back. Aether Nocturnus wrapping his body greatly fluctuated as if sensing something from Luther. Luther opened his mouth toward Rudger. “You seem to care for your subordinates more than expected. To make such a flashy entrance.” No. Come to think of it, those two are worth caring about. Muttering this, Luther smiled slightly and stared at Rudger. That gaze was chilling, as if trying to figure out what kind of person he was. “So. What was your reason for fighting my subordinates?” Rudger’s voice rumbled from within the plague doctor mask. “What else could it be? I thought they would be threats to the Empire.” “Do you still think so?” “Still? Of course.” Luther’s gaze swept over Rudger and Hans who had turned into a spirit deer. A huge beast like that exists in the city and people don’t know? This was no ordinary matter. Perhaps it meant part of Leathervelk city was in league with them. Were the city’s mayor and nobles also involved? If so, this was an even more serious issue. It meant such beings were openly running wild under the shadow of the Empire. Then there would be no choice. Luther looked around and picked up a broken piece of wood from the ground. After slightly swinging the appropriately sized club, he nodded in satisfaction and stared at Rudger. “From what I see, you look too difficult to handle bare-handed.” But even though it was just a wooden club, its presence was suffocating in its density.

Chapter 420

Comments (0)