Chapter 239: Chaos (5)
A sense of something ominous washed over me.
It was a thought that surfaced abruptly in the instant I stood facing the Man without a Head (Male).
It was not a curse, nor some kind of ritual sorcery.
It was something different… if I had to describe it, it felt as though I was unknowingly overlooking something crucial.
“Ts.”
I clicked my tongue quietly and straightened my posture.
Of all times, to lose focus with the enemy right in front of me.
“So that was it….”
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the one losing focus was not just me.
It had come back.
The man who had uttered those words now nodded repeatedly, muttering to himself as if something had finally fallen into place.
“Yes, I think I now understand why you drew so much attention.”
“…….”
I did not respond.
Nor did he seem to expect one, as he sank deeper into his own thoughts, continuing to mumble to himself.
“But just how….”
While he muttered on, I quietly retraced what had just happened.
It was not only him who had uncovered something important.
‘…Popolotuass offered up a part of himself as the price. Talia Poas said so back then.’
If that were the case, then it made sense.
Why a portion of his arm had vanished at some point.
Why he had seen straight through Velita’s methods.
Why he had even attempted to strike first with a surprise attack.
Whether directly or indirectly, he must have suffered greatly because of me.
That was why he had gone back on his earlier words and resorted to a surprise assault.
‘That woman….’
No matter how I thought about it, she would not be able to continue fighting.
Not that I believed for a moment that Velita had died—but the blow I had just sent her flying with had not been light.
The only reason I assumed she was alive was because it was her.
If it had been anyone else…
If it had been me, for instance, I would have surely died or suffered grave injuries.
“…….”
I decided to be even more cautious.
Not only had two become one, but more importantly, I had no idea how many times he had returned.
To put it more accurately, I had no way of knowing just how much he had seen about me.
‘…It’s safer to assume he knows everything about me.’
Having reached that conclusion, I steadied myself once more.
Tak!
Suddenly, the Man without a Head kicked off the ground and moved first.
Without any warning, he simply charged straight at me.
In many ways, it was completely outside my expectations.
‘…What?’
Naturally, I had thought he would keep his distance and use magic, or try some trick like the surprise attack earlier.
But instead, he ran straight toward me in a direct line.
With the clumsy posture of someone who had never experienced real combat.
The way he swung the staff in his hand at random could only be described as utterly amateurish.
“…….”
And yet, that very sight only heightened my vigilance, forcing me to retreat.
I could not grasp his intent at all.
And given who he was, that made it all the more dangerous.
Moreover, I was empty-handed.
Airos’ Sword was buried somewhere out there, and the daggers I had carried had all been thrown earlier while covering Velita.
If there was one small mercy, it was that he was not using magic and was instead charging recklessly.
Had it been an ordinary opponent, I would have reinforced my body with Divine Power or a blessing and rushed in to meet him.
But he was far from ordinary.
I could not afford such a gamble.
‘…What in the world is he aiming for?’
Even as my thoughts raced, his assault did not stop.
And so my footwork changed—just slightly.
I could not continue yielding the flow of battle like this simply because I did not understand his scheme.
“…….”
In haste, I lunged sideways and grabbed one of the iron rods scattered nearby.
Immediately afterward, I infused it—albeit faintly—with the Power of the Sky as a Sky Guide.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, I hurled the iron rod like a javelin.
At the sight of it slicing through the air, the Man without a Head flinched and was forced to halt.
“Kh—!”
Thud!
Twisting his body, he barely managed to knock it aside with his staff.
But it seemed he had not deflected it perfectly, as his body wavered slightly.
That brief opening.
I immediately picked up one of the cursed swords Velita had dropped.
Then, without hesitation, I charged at him.
He, too, readjusted his grip on the staff and rushed toward me.
‘…This is enough.’
The moment I grasped it, I could tell that Velita’s cursed sword would endure my strength with ease—an exceptional blade, not inferior to Airos’ Sword.
‘I’ll borrow this for a moment.’
I murmured that toward Velita, who had been sent flying somewhere far off, as I tightened my grip.
Don’t.
It was then.
It felt as though someone’s voice echoed in my ears.
…You must not confront him.
At the same time, something flashed across my mind like a bolt of light.
I knew this sensation better than anyone.
‘This is…?’
That time’s…
Soon, my vision began to darken.
Slowly.
And yet all at once.
* * *
Before I knew it, the man and I were charging straight at each other head-on.
The distance between us closed in an instant.
Once again, the one who moved first was him.
He swung his staff at me first.
His movements were still clumsy, but what was contained in the staff—more precisely, the Power of the Brand carved into it—was something I could never afford to dismiss.
But I did not dodge.
Because I did not need to.
The staff that had been coming down exactly toward my heart merely swept through empty air and grazed past.
I had used the Power of the Brand a step faster.
“Kh?!”
In contrast, the cursed sword I swung cleaved straight through his body.
It was a strike so lethal and precise that nothing could have been more so.
In the process, the staff he had been holding snapped cleanly into two pieces.
And though I had no idea what method he had used, the mask hanging from his empty left arm also cracked on its own and split in half.
“Kkrrgh…!”
He collapsed with a groan full of pain.
With a hollow sound, the parts of his body scattered across the ground began to crumble into powder, fading away as if blown off like dust.
“…….”
But my gaze was not on him.
It was on his shoulder.
Before I knew it, an Iron Needle of a Strange Shape was embedded deep in his shoulder.
He must have driven it in during that split second when I cut through him.
“Kh….”
Frowning, I tried to pull it out, but it did not budge.
As if it had become part of my body—like it had taken root—it was lodged in place with unyielding firmness.
“What is this.”
I tried to use the Power of the Brand next, but astonishingly, that was impossible too.
The iron needle was suppressing every bit of energy flowing through my body.
The moment I realized that, my legs gave out and I crumpled.
“What… is this…?”
“Heh heh heh heh….”
Then, the man who had been cut in half and fallen to the ground began to laugh—pained, yet satisfied.
“In a fight… I lost.”
Muttering that, he reached out with fumbling fingers toward the staff and mask that had been shattered in half.
“But in the end… the one who achieved the goal was me.”
“…….”
I could not say a word.
I could only stare at him blankly.
“Do you know why I… drove this in here… instead of into my own body…?”
He was not in any better shape than I was.
His body began to crumble like sand, yet his voice was still filled with rapture.
“Because… ah, my.”
He muttered in a small voice, as if he had just realized something.
“It’s too late.”
He was right.
It was too late to hear an explanation.
I could not understand what he was saying at all.
“Your head is something I… will put to good use….”
My vision began to black out.
His hand touched my body, and then….
“……!”
It was only an instant, yet it felt as though an eternity had passed.
Fragments of the future flashed through me like lightning.
It was enough to chill my spine.
Before my eyes, I did not see the man cut in half.
I clearly saw him charging at me with a staff in his hands.
Time had not advanced even a little.
Nothing had happened yet.
Yes—yet.
“……Hup!”
Using the Power of the Brand, I chose not to cut him clean through, but to slice past him as if merely grazing him.
I could not land a fatal blow, but I did leave him with at least one small wound.
And more importantly, the iron needle hidden in the empty left sleeve did not touch me at all—once again, it only cut through the air.
“……!”
When his aim missed completely, his body trembled as if in shock all over again.
He hurriedly retreated, widening the distance between us.
“Don’t tell me, again…?”
He looked as though he could not believe it.
I felt I understood what he was misunderstanding, so I decided not to give him any room.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
When I swung the cursed sword, the segments of the blade spread open against my will, lunging at him like a snake opening its jaws.
Even I had not expected it, so he looked even more startled.
He flailed his hands and began forming some kind of hand seal.
But even I could tell—it contained only a small amount of Magical Power, nowhere near what it had been before.
“I see.”
I whispered as if I finally understood.
Why he had abandoned his own strengths and forced a close-quarters fight he was not even used to.
And why he had tried to use the iron needle—his trump card—immediately.
“You offered up not only your left arm, but even your Magical Power.”
I could not tell whether it was permanent or temporary.
But one thing was certain.
It was good news for me—and bad news for him.
I pressed my attack even harder.
Now, the one being driven on the defensive was him.
Slash!
I swung the cursed sword again.
Just like before, the segments extended—but this time, I struck not him, but some irrelevant spot.
For a moment my body lurched, but fortunately I corrected my stance quickly.
Since I was not used to it yet, I decided I should use it like a normal sword for now, and I infused it once more with the Power of the Sky as a Guide of the Sky.
‘…Good!’
Slice!
Once again, my blade cut into his body.
“Khh…!”
Normally, I never could have won alone.
But now he was drained of Magical Power, and his body was not whole.
It was the best chance I could possibly ask for.
“……!”
As I tried to cut him again, I twisted urgently and moved backward.
Because that strange distortion I had seen earlier appeared on his body again.
I nearly walked into death on my own two feet.
Thinking that, I glanced at him—and doubt flickered at the corner of my eye.
“Ugh….”
The Man without a Head (Male) was clutching the spot where the distortion had formed, writhing in agony.
Had he forced out Magical Power and caused it to backfire?
That thought had barely crossed my mind when—
Riiip!
As if someone were tearing paper, part of his body began to split wide, left and right.
While I was still stunned by a sight I had never even imagined, something even more shocking happened.
“Huh?!”
“Finally…!”
A gap opened in his torn body.
And from that gap, two familiar figures burst out.
They were none other than Lancia Jintia and Artemia Russelant.