With a piercing sound that tore through the air, Ian charged.
The Lunar, who had been held like a staff, transformed into the form of a complete sword.
It was an attack that seemed to take advantage of the opponent’s momentary lapse.
But.
— Tsuzuzuzut!
Richard calmly deflected the sword with a simple downward motion, as if brushing off dust.
Thunk!
Ian’s sword, deflected by Richard’s gesture, fell powerless to the ground.
Some shattered Lunar fragments, unable to withstand Richard’s force, grazed Ian’s cheek.
Trickling.
Warm blood flowed from the opened wound.
Richard’s eyes gleamed brightly as he observed it.
“Quite a flavorful blood scent you have.”
Ian wiped his cheek with his hand.
It was just ordinary blood, with a strong metallic scent.
‘Why are you so obsessed with this?’
Ian wondered as he flicked his hand, causing the transparent frost on the ground to turn crimson.
“Leave the feasting to other humans. There are plenty of corpses here.”
“Even if you combine them all, they won’t match your worth.”
A fleeting madness passed through Richard’s seemingly composed face.
‘… In Fanta X Aca, the Northern Duke may seem arrogant, but there are many crazies with intense obsessions.’
Now, a traditional cliché of some genre finally crossed Ian’s mind.
Did he attach that condition of complete submission if he couldn’t defeat him within seven moves for no reason?
That’s when he hadn’t seen those lustful eyes flashing with desire.
Why did he suddenly recall an image of himself trapped in some dark place, shackled, and having his blood drawn?
“Tsk.”
Ian shook his head dismissively.
Anyway, the condition didn’t matter.
Within the remaining six moves, he would exploit Richard’s most fatal weakness.
Ian looked down at the sword embedded in the ground.
And there, at close range, were Sharon Pierce’s unfocused pupils as she lay collapsed.
Unlike the other bodies with frost on their wounds, Sharon Pierce’s wounds were clean cuts.
“…”
Without saying a word, Ian transformed and withdrew the Lunar pierced beside her.
“You have quite an interesting fighting style.”
“I didn’t expect you to block.”
“Pretending to be a mage and luring the opponent into complacency before striking. Understanding your advantages clearly is also a skill.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Ian and Richard distanced themselves.
Yerina Pierce, who had been watching, narrowed her eyes.
‘Richard is completely toying with him.’
It seemed like praise, but it wasn’t.
Teaching your opponent in a one-on-one fight is the utmost contempt.
It means seeing through everything about you.
And Richard did just that.
After just exchanging one attack, he had already grasped everything about Ian’s abilities and fighting style.
Such an overwhelming gap.
But it wasn’t because Ian was weak. It was because Richard Pierce was strong.
‘So far away.’
What surprised Yerina was when Ian rushed at Richard immediately upon emerging from the gap in space.
His prison was clearly destroyed to the point of being shattered.
She had thought there was some chance, but it was futile.
Even Yerina herself, who was considered one of the strongest in the North and reached the level of 5-Star, found Richard Pierce to be far beyond.
It was strange that even considering the humans he had swallowed, he didn’t seem so distant.
That’s why.
Yerina kept anxiously watching Ian, worried, realizing the difference in their ranks.
‘You must have noticed the difference in ranks as well.’
Ian is a bright kid.
He must be aware of Richard’s strength.
At least, he would have felt it clearly with the recent exchange.
Even Yerina, with Ian’s lightning-fast strike that barely managed to be blocked, couldn’t help but see how effortlessly Richard deflected it, as if swatting a fly.
‘What exactly are you aiming for, Ian?’
Yerina swallowed dryly.
Ian’s provocation of Richard with himself as the condition, leading to seven opportunities for attack, clearly indicated that he was aiming for something.
It wouldn’t be the same sudden assault as before.
Six moves left.
All Yerina could do was watch, hoping that Ian had a way to defeat that monstrous man.
◆
The first encounter in battles between individuals is often a reconnaissance.
They gauge each other’s strengths by clashing weapons and sometimes sense the outcome sharply.
In Richard’s case, he sensed victory. No, it was more like confirming the obvious, given his inherent strength.
However.
‘My blood is boiling.’
His heart, which always seemed frozen, began to beat.
Richard had maintained calmness even in situations where his prison was shattered by a futile trap.
But now, his heartbeats were gradually quickening.
The reason?
It was obvious.
The only thing that had changed from before was one child.
Ian Blackangers.
That’s the reason.
Ian’s recent strike had truly been astonishing.
Was it a staff or a sword?
He had initially judged Ian to be a mage, but his confusion started from the moment he transformed the staff into a sword in an instant.
What followed was even more astonishing.
Without any apparent use of mana or any movement to indicate, he simply floated a step in the air and then charged forward.
In knight combat, it is customary to focus on the opponent’s feet for responses. There are even cases where one only looks at the opponent’s feet during battle.
If Richard hadn’t far surpassed that level, it would have been dangerous.
‘A big if.’
How rare it is to entertain such assumptions in one’s mind.
‘I must restore the prison first. I can’t take my eyes off him.’
What lay before him was talent.
A bundle of talent.
So deep and splendid, he knew why the Blood Witch was so obsessed.
‘But at the same time.’
He wanted to devour it.
The blood scent flowing between those parted cheeks was exquisitely flavorful.
He wanted to absorb everything, feeling the peculiarly human pungency.
Originally, he had intended to produce offspring from his dignified bloodline, but now they had drifted away from Richard’s interests.
Look at this being from another dimension.
He would savor it slowly and thoroughly.
The family’s cellar would surely yield well-aged wines.
Richard’s eyes began to gleam with desire.
The mask he had kept so coldly in place was melting away.
But he endured it.
Just for now.
It was merely indulging in this little game.
A sort of searing. It wasn’t difficult to wait a little longer for the banquet to ripen.
Richard took out his mask again.
What Richard felt in the first move against Ian was exactly that.
So, he asks.
“Yeah. What did I feel in the first move?”
Ian raised the corner of his mouth wordlessly.
‘I’ll never admit that I confirmed the key to defeating the final boss.’
Richard knew how to block.
The first move was a planned strike.
He wanted to see Ian’s response.
The result.
A low chance of success, a small piece of the puzzle confirmed.
However, it seemed like the middle-aged man’s gaze had become quite dangerous… But anyway.
For Ian, the first move was enough.
It confirmed the possibility of success.
Was Richard Pierce overwhelmingly strong?
So what?
He’s supposed to be the final boss of one scenario.
Just exploit his weaknesses.
First and foremost, the biggest conundrum.
Why was that Northern Duke so calm even though his prison was shattered?
And he confirmed the reason for that in the first move.
The remaining moves would be dedicated to exploiting that.
Or rather, it was more like persuasion than exploitation.
He just had one wish.
‘Realize it as late as possible.’
That’s all Ian himself can hope for in the task he’s undertaking—to delay that damn final boss from realizing it as much as possible.
Swoosh.
Ian once again forged his sword with Lunar.
It was slightly smaller than before, but Ian didn’t mind.
The swordsmanship he had mastered, it was like a winter tree shedding its leaves, starting anew.
Ian assumed a straight posture.
“……”
Ignoring Richard’s cold silence, Ian focused on his posture and mindset.
It was time to recall the swordsmanship he had learned from his master.
Her actions.
Her values.
With all her teachings in mind, he struck with his sword.
Clang.
Richard effortlessly blocked it without any change in expression.
This strike was nothing extraordinary.
“……”
However, Richard’s reaction was different this time.
His brow furrowed momentarily.
“What a clumsy swordsman.”
“Yes.”
“However, this sword isn’t aimed to cut me.”
The quick-witted middle-aged man.
At a glance, vitality emanated from him.
“It’s not about ignoring me.”
“No.”
“In that case, what are you aiming to strike?”
“……”
Ian’s silence drew Richard’s gaze.
His cold eyes glanced briefly at Sharon Pierce, lying on the ground.
“Did you catch on?”
“Yes.”
“……”
Richard fell silent.
The vitality emanating from him confirmed his anger.
Well, it’s understandable.
The fact that Ian noticed Richard’s biggest weakness and that Richard noticed Ian noticing—that’s the situation.
‘Why is this so complicated?’
Anyway.
That’s Richard’s weakness.
With his prison destroyed, he’s currently using Sharon’s prison.
I don’t know the method. Perhaps it’s related to the magic he used to devour the snow field as his prison.
That’s why Ian was confident in front of Richard.
The difficulty level is decreasing.
It’s not about defeating Richard, it’s about defeating Sharon Pierce.
If Sharon’s prison is destroyed, so is Richard.
The eerie madness emanating from Richard’s eyes was not without reason.
In such a situation, Ian boldly spoke.
“Please keep your promise to endure seven attacks.”
“You’re indeed an interesting guy.”
“After all, Richard, you won’t let that Sharon girl slip through your fingers, will you?”
“Well, of course. However.”
Richard’s pupils glowed ominously red.
“Instead, my condition has changed. After the remaining five attacks, I will devour you. Of course, I’ll ensure your survival, so it won’t violate your condition of wanting to stay alive no matter what.”
Damn it.
‘I knew you’d do that.’
He really intends to devour him.
Indeed, there are many crazies among the Northern Duke family.
Ian swallowed dryly.
“Furthermore. From now on.”
Richard’s vitality turned into frost, instantly freezing the surroundings.
“After your attack, I’ll retaliate.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
Instead of answering, Richard’s finger snapped.
Just that, but it sent shivers down Ian’s spine endlessly.
Ian immediately leaped to the side.
