A thin stream of blood trickled down the corner of Baylor's lips, yet his smile remained.
"No doubt… you will."
In response to her swords, Baylor unleashed his full strength, summoning an equal number of spears.
Then, in an instant, the battlefield was filled with the clashing of weapons. Blades and spears shattered against one another, leaving hundreds of streaks in the air.
Every time one was destroyed, both Rem and Baylor would immediately recreate their swords and spears.
The relentless exchange of attacks continued.
At times, one of Baylor's spears would slip through—but before it could reach its target, it would dissipate upon nearing Rem's barrier.
Meanwhile, Rem's swords occasionally found their way toward Baylor. Though he either dodged or deflected them, the fact remained… he had been wounded.
He had already stopped the bleeding from his initial injury, but that didn't change the reality—he had been struck.
Yet, the sinister lord of Moonlight simply smiled as he fought on.
Every now and then, he launched explosive attacks at Rem.
At times, he even fought with his bare fists.
His combat style was versatile and relentless.
But even with all his adaptability, he couldn't crack the mystery behind Rem's strange defense.
On the other hand, Rem's attacks were simple—yet devastating.
Time passed swiftly.
I had no idea how many hours had gone by since the battle started.
The spears and swords embedded everywhere, the scars of their ongoing clash—all served as constant reminders.
This was a war of attrition.
Hours passed…
One after another.
Yet Baylor and Rem continued to fight with the same efficiency, as if the battle had only just begun.
A battle at the highest level…
Baylor, with his immense experience and mastery of techniques, versus Rem, with her unparalleled control over aura.
Then, After hundreds of clashes and strikes…
Carmen was the first to notice it.
"Baylor's ice…"
We all turned to her.
A small smile appeared on her lips before she uttered her next words.
"It's weakening."
Baylor's ice was still immensely powerful.
But… after that relentless confrontation, it had weakened—if only slightly.
And in battles of this caliber, even the slightest shift could accelerate the end.
Rem would never fail to notice what Carmen had.
Without hesitation, she intensified her attacks.
And an hour later…
Blood once again stained the cold floor of the library.
It happened when a second sword pierced Baylor's chest.
For a moment, he simply stared at the ice blade lodged in his body.
"…Haha… Seriously?"
Slowly, he pulled the sword from his chest.
"Just how vast… is your aura reserve?"
With a sharp strike to his wound, he froze it completely.
"…"
Rem said nothing.
She simply continued her assault.
More hours passed…
Baylor being wounded became a recurring sight.
He gave everything he had, but none of his attacks ever reached Rem.
On the other hand…
He had already been impaled fourteen times by her merciless swords.
His upper armor had been completely shredded, and he barely managed to conceal his injuries.
He possessed the vitality of an SS-rank Awakened, but in the end…
He was a Wave Controller.
And physical endurance… was not his strength.
And within mere minutes…
Baylor collapsed to the ground.
All his spears and ice dissipated as he fell.
On the other hand, Rem's swords were still floating around her with the same strength as when the battle had begun.
"From the moment you set foot in this place… you had already lost.
Baylor."
Rem was the Ice Shard left behind by the Institution—the First Lord of the Moonlight Family, Semiramis Moonlight.
Rem was incredibly powerful… but that explosive strength came with a condition—she had to be inside the Ancient Library, where she could draw upon its power and her very life force.
"Within this library… I've been granted aura equivalent to what Lady Semiramis herself once possessed.
Aura that has accumulated over the past 400 years…
There's no way I would lose a battle of attrition against someone of your level."
Baylor let out a hearty laugh, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Amazing."
The Fifth Lord collapsed unconscious onto the library floor, a final sword piercing his heart, ending him completely.
From start to finish… he had never been able to touch Rem.
The words I had just heard kept echoing in my mind.
Aura equivalent to Semiramis… It might be on the same level as the SSS-ranked aura within me.
This wasn't a joke.
Rem could continue fighting at full efficiency for far longer… this battle had ended in an overwhelming victory for her.
Though, I had my doubts about that.
After all, she had taken numerous hits from Baylor throughout the fight…
She may have blocked them all, but there was no way she could keep going forever.
The one thing Rem had surpassed Baylor in was the sheer quantity and control of her aura.
I let out a deep breath.
That didn't matter now.
All that mattered was the fact that she had won.
"Father!!"
A loud scream caught me off guard.
I turned to see Frost desperately trying to break through Rem's barrier, panic written all over his face.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel as I watched him.
But I simply ignored it.
And so did the others.
Rem turned to us with a gentle smile.
"I apologize, everyone… I made you watch something quite unsightly."
Her words were warm and comforting, given the situation.
"If this is what you call 'unsightly,' then maybe I should just retire already..."
Carmen grumbled.
Everyone smiled at that moment.
Perhaps it was the first moment of peace since this entire nightmare had begun.
But at the very least…
"It's fine… we won…??"
I must have been hallucinating.
But the looks on the others' faces proved that I wasn't.
"Huh?"
Rem looked confused as she stared at the spear embedded in her fragile body.
"How…?"
For the first time… her barrier had failed to block an attack.
Maybe it had been too powerful.
Maybe she had let her guard down.
But she had been hit.
Cracks began forming across Rem's body, as if she were nothing more than a fragile ice doll on the verge of shattering.
At the same time, laughter echoed throughout the entire room.
"Ah… You really did it, Ice Shard."
Baylor had risen once more, a twisted expression on his face.
"I really thought I was going to die there."
Baylor's body…
It was completely clean.
All of his wounds had vanished.
Instead, we saw them clearly—
Those black markings covering his body.
The surging aura, the rapid regeneration…
I had seen those markings before.
The same ones that had once covered that bastard Feyrith.
This was nothing but—
"A Demonic Contract."
Before us… stood an SS-ranked Contractor.
Rem shattered the spear lodged in her body as she refocused on her opponent.
She was in real danger now.
Baylor's sick grin remained unchanged.
"Looks like I'll have to bury quite a few people today.
Shall we begin?"
"By ripping you all apart!"