The Knight of Death stood up and smiled. The Human King had warned him that something was wrong with Isaac, but this level of power was something none of them had predicted.
"When did you reach the level of Ten Stars?" the Knight of Death asked.
At the same time, he heard the noise of his soldiers.
Half of them were rushing into the city while the other half were entering the forest to aid him.
However, he heard a sharp whistling suddenly.
An arrow.
A soldier fell unconscious.
More arrows fell and knocked several soldiers unconscious.
"Such powerful yet precise marksmanship," Knight of Death said, closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds. "It must be Zara Falcon."
Isaac took out his sword.
Weapon Element flared around him and he was already swinging his sword.
The Knight of Death pulled a bit of Death towards his Magic Core. Humans, by nature, had limiters placed on their muscles.
However, their limiters could be removed unconsciously under the threat of death, as body tried to protect itself and stay alive.
The Knight of Death forced himself closer to death artificially and reached such state.
His speed, and strength exploded. His Death Element was already warning him about the attack trajectory of Isaac.
Now, he could dodge them.
Isaac’s sword swept through empty air, leaving a deep mark on the ground.
The Knight of Death pushed out the remaining Death he gained from his injury. He put it into his sickles, and swung.
Isaac dodged by tilting his head, and moved inwards.
The Knight of Death kicked him in the chest. He was thrown back instead of Isaac.
It was as if he had kicked a wall. The wall wouldn’t move. It would be him who who was pushed back.
He swung his sickles, launching arcs of red lightning—Death—to stop Isaac from following him.
At the same time, he flipped in the air. and landed vertically on a tree.
His knees bent and his muscles contracted. Before gravity pulled him down, he jumped forward.
Isaac, who was facing the arcs of red lightning, swung his sword.
Touching those arcs would reduce his lifespan.
But before they could touch him, his sword cut through them.
The Knight of Death who was flying towards him swung his scythe several times, launching more arcs of red lightning.
Isaac’s sword cleaved through them all.
’What a damned element,’ thought the Knight of Death.
The reason Weapon Element was considered strongest was being displayed by Isaac. It could cut through theoretically anything, even Death. You just needed high enough mastery.
Isaac and the Knight of Death met.
Their blades collided, causing gigantic shockwaves.
The Knight of Death quickly retreated. He pulled out the Death from the tree he had destroyed when using it as a foothold for his earlier jump.
Before he could swing his sickles, Isaac was already in front of him, swinging his blade.
His Death Element warned him of the flow of death.
He blocked his neck with his arm.
Isaac was forced to change the direction of his attack. If he cut through the hand, the attack would lose its power, and wouldn’t be able to cut his neck.
A large injury like sliced hand would also generate a lot of Death.
Isaac ducked, dodging the swings of the sickles. He swung at the legs of the Knight of Death, then suddenly changed the direction of his sword upwards.
His blade flowed like a water, and moved swiftly like a storm.
Yet, the Knight of Death was always one step ahead.
’This isn’t working. He can sense my attacks easily, and set up a meat shield beforehand,’ Isaac thought as he retreated.
He looked around.
Several trees were destroyed.
While dodging and blocking, the Knight of Death had shattered them, then pulled out their Death.
Large bolts of red lightning were flickering around him.
’He is charging up.’
’I need to finish this fast.’
Isaac took a deep breath and made a stance.
During the first attack, he had moved too fast for the Knight of Death to react to.
He had to do it the same time.
Isaac began to strengthen his muscles unevenly.
The total amount of boost he could give his body was fixed.
However, he could cut off the boost from some parts, and redirect it to others. This allowed him to temporarily increase his speed or strength.
"That stance...." The Knight of Death’s eyes flickered. "Isn’t that Tempest Swor—"
Isaac was suddenly in front of him, his blade already half-way through the neck of Knight of Death.
Air exploded around him, lagging behind him speed.
’Fast!’ the Knight of Death thought.
Before Isaac could behead him completely, he exploded all of the stored Death he held.
Isaac didn’t dodge, knowing if he couldn’t kill him now, he would gain a lot of Death.
Red Lightning slithered around Isaac, scorching him and flowing into him.
His lifespan drastically fell, and his arms weakened.
Using that moment, the Knight of Death hit him in the chest, throwing him away.
"Cough! Cough!"
Isaac puked blood. He could feel his ribs had shattered. Worse, the Knight of Death was choking on his blood from his half-cut neck.
The Knight of Death pulled out Death from his neck and Isaac’s chest.
Ginormous bolts of lightning were born.
Isaac frowned. He could feel his injury had stopped worsening. But that didn’t relieve him, knowing it had strengthened the enemy.
"That swordsmanship belongs to elves. How do you know it?" the Knight of Death asked, frowning.
He could talk now because he had pulled out the Death from the injury on his neck, stopping the worsening of injury. Although it had not healed, it would not hinder him anymore.
Isaac did not answer him. He was staring at the giant red lightning bolts. The entire area was now filled with them.
The lightning bolts converging behind the Knight of Death looked the apparition of a Grim Reaper.
"Tell me, Sir Isaac. Do you think hell exists?" the Knight of Death asked as he took a stance.
He chuckled when Isaac remained silent, then added,
"I pray it does."
He dashed forward. His swings were brutal and fast. Isaac cut through them, but there were too many lightning bolts to cut.
Each time he managed to get closer, the Knight of Death caused an explosion of red lightning bolts to throw him off.
Moreover, the Knight of Death was improving in real time.
He was analyzing Isaac’s swordsmanship, learning it, and implementing it into his own bladework.
Shockwaves erupted one after another. The forest was being shattered with each of their strike.
The Knight of Death was confident he could win within minutes with this amount of Death. But victory did not come.
’How many swordsmanship does he know? As soon as I copy one, he uses another.’
’And...’
’He is getting stronger.’
Isaac could now cut through the giant red lightning bolts.
Coupled with the near infinite variations of swordsmanship he held, it was impossible for the Knight of Death to overpower him.
’How is he getting stronger?’ the Knight of Death was confused.
Isaac’s blade was becoming sharper with each passing moment.
The Knight of Death pulled more Death to strengthen his attacks. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he realized what was happening.
"You..." He stared at Isaac in disbelief. "What did you consume? Your organs are melting. You are dying."
However, it seemed the whatever poison Isaac had consumed was also healing his organs.
Destruction and Restoration.
Both were happening at high speed and high intensity.
"You are forcefully tempering your organs to reach the First Layer (Advanced)? That method is... a fool’s way. You will die before you can reach the next realm."
Instead of answering, Isaac was already swinging his sword.
His blade got faster and sharper, nearly cleaving the Knight of Death into two.
The Knight of Death pulled out the Death from the injury, stopping it from deteriorating, and strengthened his attacks.
Isaac attacked again when he was still pulling out the Death.
His speed became overwhelming. His sword attacks left afterimages, giving the illusion that he wielded multiple swords.
The Knight of Death attacked with red lightning bolts, but Isaac cleaved them.
’He is trying to kill me before I can gather more Death! Dammit, his speed is too high!’ the Knight of Death tried to retreat, but Isaac was already behind him.
With Isaac’s mastery of Weapon Element rapidly increasing, the body strengthening boost he could conjure was getting stronger.
The Knight of Death fought like a beast, solely relying on instincts to dodge and attack.
Isaac used speed and precision to cut down everything.
But...
Isaac suddenly felt a large spike of mana underground. He rolled to the side and giant pillars of red lightning erupted from the ground.
Watching dozens of red lightning pillar rise, each as thick as a tree, confused Isaac.
Where did so much Death come from?
He hadn’t injured the Knight of Death to this level. Nor had they destroyed enough trees for so much Death.
Then—
Isaac looked towards the direction of the port.
’Zara should be strong enough to hold back the soldiers.’
’The only one she couldn’t handle was Knight of Death and he is here.’
’That means....’
Isaac’s brows creased.
"Your soldiers did suicide," Isaac said.
"Yes," the Knight of Death said. Pity and sorrow flashed through his eyes. Those emotions disappeared quickly and Isaac wondered if he had been mistaken. "Due to my element, my garrison only consists of average soldiers. Their main job is to give me Death if I’m having a hard time."
Isaac’s brows creased. There was a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
He engaged with the Knight of Death in close combat again, but with the amount of Death lingering around them, the battle was a forgone conclusion.
Isaac decided to put everything into one move.
He refused to die before killing the Knight of Death.
He ran through the lightning bolts, but before he could swing his sword, his blade shattered.
The Death had eliminated the sword’s lifespan.
The Knight of Death’s sickle kept moving. It cleaved through Isaac’s side, and cut through his heart, nearly splitting his body into two.
"What a tough physique. I can’t even cut it in one go," the Knight of Death said, trying to move the sickle that was lodged into Isaac’s chest.
Isaac’s hand swiftly moved, and grabbed the wrist of Knight of Death.
"How are you still moving!? Your heart isn’t beating—"
"You can’t use this hand to block anymore."
The Knight of Death’s eyes widened. He tried to push Isaac away.
But Isaac had already swung his hand, covered with Weapon Element.
Death Elements exploded, but Isaac, already having lost his lifespan, was unaffected.
His hand kept moving. It separated the Knight of Death’s head from his neck.
Until the end, the Knight of Death had a shocked look in his eyes, unable to believe he was killed in a battle he had won.
The head fell to the ground. Blood poured out from the headless body. The red lightning pillars in the surrounding lost cohesion and went berserk.
They exploded, killing everything in a huge radius.
When dust cleared, Isaac was still standing.
He grabbed the headless body of the Knight of Death and moved, dragging the corpse behind him.
"Isaac!" Zara shouted, seeing Isaac step out of the forest. "You won—"
Her words died in her throat.
She saw the sickle lodged in Isaac’s body and the path it had carved, cutting through his heart.
He kept walking and placed the corpse of the Knight of Death on the horse. The soldiers were already dead so no one stopped him.
Zara approached him. Her lips were trembling.
"When did you reach First Layer (Advanced)?" she asked, trying to keep her voice stable.
Those who reached First Layer (Advanced) in Weapon Element could strengthen their organs. They could stay alive for a day even if their organs were destroyed.
"During the battle," Isaac said, breathing heavily.
He looked at the screen before his eyes.
[Weapon: First Layer (Intermediate) → First Layer (Advanced)]
The Weapon Element was strengthening his heart and forcefully making it beat. But it was no different from grabbing a heart and pumping it. His heart could no longer beat on its own.
"C—Come with me," Zara said, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt.
Her head was lowered, hiding her face. He could only see the tears falling to the ground.
"C-come with me, please," she repeated.
"..."
"I still haven’t apologized to you. S-So, don’t die. Don’t die."
Her words were becoming an incoherent mess.
"Come with me. We w-will get you a healer."
She started sobbing.
She gave many more excuses.
She kept crying, holding his sleeve like a little child.
After she was too exhausted to say anything, and could only cry, Isaac spoke,
"Zara."
She flinched.
"Look at me."
She slowly raised her head. The fear, and the guilt was clear in her eyes.
He wiped her tears.
She trembled, but didn’t pull away.
"Go, and live. It’s time for the ships to sail."
"B-But—"
"I don’t have lifespan left. Even if I did, healers can’t heal dead people."
She broke down again.
Isaac patiently wiped her tears.
He didn’t know what kind of life Zara had lived. He didn’t know if she had been punished by others for what she did to him.
But what he did know what that Sylvie had taken revenge for him in his last life. He could tell Zara had lived for years in guilt in this life.
Two lives had passed. He had gotten his revenge.
So, maybe, it was time to let go.
"I forgive you."
Zara flinched. She looked at him, still crying.
"You protected the citizens while I was fighting the Knight of Death. That’s the repayment I needed to forgive you."
"Isa—"
He gently tapped her shoulders, cutting her off.
"Go."
Zara bit her lips, unable to hold back her tears.
She understood Isaac didn’t want her to see his ending moments. As long as she didn’t see him die, she could always hope he had somehow survived.
Tears kept falling from her eyes. She could only lower her head and return to the city.
After watching her leave, Isaac climbed the horse that had the corpse of the Knight of Death.
He had one day left.
It was just enough time to do one last thing.
...
Isaac reached Merlin’s grave before the dawn broke.
He threw the corpse of the Knight of Death into the second grave. He had built this one when he dug the grave for Merlin.
He fell to the ground, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
The sickle had fallen somewhere during the journey that lasted nearly one day.
Blood had poured from his injuries and stained his clothes.
His eyes were cloudy, as he took his last breaths.
"I killed that bastard for you," Isaac said, staring that grave of the protagonist.
What would the protagonist have said if he was alive?
It would probably be something like, [Revenge isn’t important. It’s empty. You should live a meaningful life instead. Don’t throw away your life for revenge.]
Isaac chuckled.
He could hear those words in Merlin’s voice.
"You see, Merlin. I’m a petty person."
Isaac had to exert every ounce of his strength to speak one word. It was painful, and exhausting.
Yet, he spoke.
"I hate it when someone takes me for granted, or someone destroys something I like. I hate it when people do something to me, and think I’m too weak to fight back."
His vision was dimming, barely able to see Merlin’s grave.
"But I will always pay back my grievances and my debts. So...."
Thank You.
There was a lot Isaac wanted to say.
But he had no strength left.
He took deep breaths, as if trying to save them and live for one more second.
He waited patiently for the sunrise.
The dawn finally broke.
The sunlight illuminated the surroundings, and the sun peeked out from the horizon.
It was Isaac’s third time seeing the sunrise from here.
The first time, it was warm yet silent. The second time, it was cold and empty.
Today, it was radiant and beautiful.
A smile appeared on Isaac’s face.
"It’s really different each day."
Finally, he had done everything he wanted.
His body relaxed. His Mana stopped moving. His heart no longer beat.
Light disappeared from his eyes, and his final breath left him.
Isaac Hargraves was dead.
...
Author’s Note:
Send Golden Tickets and Powerstones if you are enjoying the novel.