Bajar frowned as he stared at the man before him.

White hair.

Bright blue eyes with flecks of golden flames.

And the sword he held.

The radiant light radiating from it was blinding.

Everything about this guy, in retrospect, pointed to one undeniable truth. His face turned to shock.

‘…I can’t possibly believe this.’

The Holy Sword was in pieces.

And to top it off, it had even been corrupted, turning into an item no one could wield anymore.

Not just the sword, though; the light brought into the world by the legendary hero connected to the Light God—all of it, gone from existence.

That connection had become a bondage, used by various mechanisms and sorceries to manipulate the Light God.

Now the Light God couldn’t even bless the hero.

It should have been that way.

No doubt the now-missing Holy Sword had regained its appearance imperfectly but had been purified.

And even though the Light God himself was now unable to bestow blessings, an immense divine power emanated from that man.

Before him stood a bona fide hero.

A being who should never have returned had made his appearance once again.

The light of that sword.

The golden flames in his eyes.

In the unaltered mind he held, memories remained intact.

Yet there was one thing he didn’t understand.

“…Who on earth are you?”

The identity of that guy.

That face was one he had never seen.

He thought maybe it was someone connected to a past hero, but there was no correlation at all.

So, Bajar unleashed his killing intent and asked, but—

There was no answer coming back.

It was as if the man simply walked closer to him without acknowledging his presence.

The face carried a distinct expression of anger.

Considering the situation, it was crystal clear what could have triggered that anger.

‘Is he a companion of that girl?’

The acting was extraordinary.

Surely there were ways to handle the situation more flexibly, yet he was sacrificing himself to avoid the slightest risk.

Bajar had suspected she was hiding something crucial.

But to think it had to do with the hero.

“…It seems you have no intention of discussing things with me.”

Was hurting that woman a real thorn in his side? He was glaring intensely at Bajar, evidently

Then again, Bajar thought it was going to be hard to sway him.

“Well, no worries there.”

Honestly, he never thought he could grill this guy into submission through a mere conversation.

Slips of charm were not his specialty, after all.

Right in front of him was a clear enemy.

Then, it was time for blades, not idle chatter.

“Come at me.”

There was no reason to hesitate any longer.

*

The man in front took his stance, steadying his breath. Just that alone made everything around him feel like it was trembling.

He had transcended humanity to an unimaginable level.

A state where he had become one with his divine sword, to the point of barely distinguishing between the world and himself.

…As expected, he was not an easy opponent.

The mana in the air.

Even the mana dwelling within him was controlled by that guy.

This was exactly why fighting a Swordmaster up close was tantamount to suicide.

Unless one reached the level of a Grand Mage, mana would always be siding with him.

But…

Despite that!

I kicked the ground and charged at him.

I briefly caught a glimpse of confusion on his face.

Which made perfect sense.

After all, it’s practically impossible to generate such power without reinforcing mana.

But I was different.

‘I didn’t need mana in the first place.’

Without forming a circle.

Though I had learned how to empower my body with mana, I hadn’t reached that high a level.

So, not having access to mana didn’t set me back much.

On the contrary, this absurdly strange body of mine could demonstrate insane strength even without any mana.

Though I hadn’t fully mastered wing control yet, honestly, I didn’t need complex maneuvers.

All I needed to think about was moving forward.

Zero hesitation.

In less than a split second, the distance between us closed in.

Without a hint of doubt, my sword swung.

Yet, even in that brief moment, that monster perfectly countered.

A loud crash echoed.

His sword met mine in a clash.

The blade from a Swordmaster fueled with all his aura.

Against the frail strikes of mine, given my six-month-long swordsmanship history, this was a no-brainer.

The original calculation was crystal clear. It was a given that the Swordmaster’s blade could effortlessly slice through even mystical artifacts.

Yet, despite everything.

My sword wasn’t going to be cut.

He glared at me with a clenched jaw.

Taken aback by what had just happened, he looked lost.

But it was an obvious outcome.

This was a sword prepared for the protagonist.

The center of this world.

This was an item designated for such a being.

Even shattered once, the power embedded within it would remain unchanged.

No matter how powerful or vicious his blade was, it couldn’t affect the Holy Sword at all.

My vow.

As long as my will remains unyielding, the Holy Sword would never break.

Of course, there was no way I would lose to any sword.

“What the hell… are you?”

Disregarding any words from him, I squeezed every ounce of strength to continue pushing him.

He deflected my attack, desperately trying to keep his distance.

His face twisted in humiliation.

He had realized it as well.

That he could never win in a direct confrontation.

From a distance, he unleashed a flurry of sword energies directed at me.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of slashes charged toward me.

Each attack had the potential to shatter my body completely. Yet, they were all useless.

‘This guy may think I’m a rookie.’

But sadly, I was not.

This was just the painfully difficult hidden boss; I’ve dealt with its patterns over and over.

Not only would I recognize the types of attacks unleashed, but I had memorized them all.

And thanks to the mobility from my wings, of course.

It was impossible for any of his attacks to land on me.

As I dodged thousands of slashes without receiving a single scratch, he gnashed his teeth in frustration.

“What kind of cowardly trick is this?”

His face was marred with anger as Bajar demanded answers.

He questioned how I knew about his sword. Everyone who had seen it should’ve perished. This shouldn’t be possible.

“…Is the hero someone who doesn’t understand the concept of honor?”

The moment he found himself in a tough spot, he started yammering about honor.

There wasn’t a trace of knightly goodness, and honestly, that might have been expected.

Anyone truly fighting to uphold chivalry, knowing the value of honor, wouldn’t stand with the Empire.

No matter how glorified it may seem, he was just a thug.

Pretending it was a noble duel, he would butcher any opponent he didn’t fancy.

As I pondered that…

I soon realized what move he was about to take.

“Well, if that’s the case, I have no sense of restraint either.”

With those words, he swept the blade with full power.

However, it wasn’t aiming for me.

He directed the attack toward the bound Ruby.

I gritted my teeth and positioned myself in front of Ruby.

That attack was filled with his genuine intent.

I exerted all my effort to counter and nullify the blow.

But, as expected, the process would take time…

And that bastard wasn’t about to miss the opportunity.

Once again, thousands of slashes came rushing at me.

*

The mansion had turned into a warzone.

Before long, the dust settled, and Bajar’s eyes fixed on that damn man.

How long could that twisted body withstand?

Even after taking the blow full force, he stood, supporting himself with his sword.

He had received those strikes head-on just to protect that woman.

But… his struggles had to end there.

Using grotesque strength and an unknowable technique to perceive all my swordsmanship,

those tricks were no longer an option.

Bajar swiftly sank his sword into the boy’s heart.

And thus, the battle concluded with his victory.

Shamefully so.

To achieve this, he had to resort to rather unjust means, sullying his own honor.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Evil tricks could only be countered with evil means.

As Bajar reflected on that, he withdrew his sword from the boy’s heart.

There was much to report.

With that, Bajar gathered the unconscious girl and prepared to leave the mansion.

…Or so he planned.

Laughter echoed through the surroundings.

A snicker that was intensely irritating.

“…What’s so funny?”

The victory had already been decided.

Whatever that guy babbled about was surely just a loser’s nonsense.

I had no obligation to listen to the last words of someone about to die.

Yet, for some reason, that laughter grated on his nerves.

“Do you know? You just made the worst choice ever.”

As expected.

The ridiculous words spilling from that guy’s mouth were utterly incomprehensible.

Which made total sense.

It would certainly sound like nonsense.

“What? Don’t think of it as unfair. You were the one who started the scam in the first place.”

There wasn’t a trickle of blood.

His heart had been pierced, yet no blood flowed from the wound.

Heart, muscles, skin.

All of it, like a lie, regenerated once more.

“If you used a cowardly trick first, you should’ve been ready for a cowardly trick in return.”

A burning sound blared.

The ‘black amulet’ hanging from the man’s neck shone ominously as it ignited.

A massive shadow loomed over the man.

From beyond, an ominous energy surged forth.

Something…

Something terrifying was approaching this place.

“What did you do?”

Bajar asked, cold sweat trickling down his spine.

In response, that man laughed mockingly and opened his mouth.

“Still clueless, huh?”

He raised his sword again, just as he had done before.

As though that last brawl hadn’t even happened, he stood there unscathed.

Even better… he had three accomplices standing by him.

“Phase 2 begins. You prick.”