Rumble-.

Black thunderbolts stormed in.

I frowned at the thunder that swept across the battlefield like a beast howling.

It was a sound like someone was blessing a death.

I gritted my teeth.

Crete wasn't dead yet.

He had collapsed after the Sword Saint's attack, but he wasn't gone.

That meant there was still a chance to save him.

...Or so I believed.

I kicked off the ground and ran.

Rene was heading towards Crete while I was busy healing myself.

The distance between us was agonizing.

Anxiety gnawed at me.

If I couldn't stop Rene...

An ominous premonition gripped my mind.

I glanced back at Kyle, who was following close behind.

I pulled out an antidote marked with a specific location and tossed it to him.

"I'll go ahead. Take Lady Rene to this location."

"W-what? H-hold on...!"

Kyle started to protest, but I had already activated Position Exchange.

Move-.

I teleported again and again.

...Finally, Rene's back came into view.

"My Lady!"

I shouted, hoping she would hear.

But it seemed my voice didn't reach her.

Or perhaps she chose not to hear.

Maybe the thought of saving her father consumed her so entirely that she had no room for anything else.

The important thing was…

“Crete…”

…that the Black Dragon, bleeding and broken, was now within my sight.

His usual arrogance was gone, replaced by shallow breaths clinging to a thread of life.

Crete,

He was on the verge of death.

And the Sword Saint, standing over the once-proud dragon, raised his sword high.

‘Dangerous.’

The Sword Saint’s strike.

If it landed, both Rene and Crete would be swept away.

I couldn't let that happen.

Why had I come all this way, risked my life, only to fail?

It was unacceptable.

Crete hadn't paid the price for what he did to me, to the people of Bares.

He could only die after atoning for his sins.

‘…I’ll use it.’

I sacrificed one of my senses as payment.

I didn't know which sense I had lost.

The only fortunate thing was that I hadn't lost my sight, a crucial sense in battle.

‘At least I avoided the worst.’

In exchange for my sense, I was able to erase my existence from this world.

Absolute Stealth.

The power that distorted the rules of the world began to take hold of my body.

No one could perceive my presence.

Not even the Sword Saint, the absolute being, could see me.

He was solely focused on bringing his sword down on Crete’s neck.

Woong-.

As Absolute Stealth activated, I also activated the Eyes of Arrogance.

Everything slowed down.

The Sword Saint's strike, faster than sound, now descended at a snail's pace.

At least, it was slow enough for the Eyes of Arrogance to process.

I analyzed the situation, thoughts racing.

‘Three seconds until the Sword Saint’s sword reaches Crete.’

I had to save him before then.

Move-.

Move-.

Move-.

With the Eyes of Arrogance active, I repeatedly used Position Exchange.

And the moment Absolute Stealth wore off…

Woong-.

…my figure reappeared.

“You…!”

The Sword Saint’s eyes widened in shock.

It was understandable.

I had bypassed the senses of an absolute being and appeared right before him.

He had every right to be wary.

However, I didn’t choose to attack and subdue him.

I knew my attacks wouldn’t faze him.

My top priority was…

…rescuing Crete and Rene.

“…Black Rose.”

I muttered quietly.

I didn't need to defeat the Sword Saint.

I just needed to block his vision, if only for a moment.

As if on cue, a single rose bloomed on my hand.

Kugugugugu-.

The black petals unfurled and swept across the surroundings.

“Petty tricks.”

The Sword Saint’s voice, laced with anger, reached my ears.

He was enraged.

Naturally, my body trembled.

But I suppressed my fear and scooped Crete into my arms.

There was no time to waste.

We had to escape this cursed battlefield as quickly as possible.

“My Lady, run!”

I shouted to Rene, who had arrived later than me.

Perhaps it was the unexpected sound of my voice, but Rene’s shoulders trembled.

She looked at Crete, who was on my back, and then turned to run.

Seeing that Crete was safe, she turned and fled.

But that wasn't enough to escape this place.

Grab-.

I grabbed Rene's wrist.

"It'll hurt, but you need to endure it."

"...What are you...?"

Rene tried to ask what I was doing, but I had no time to answer.

Woong-.

I channeled all the mana in my body to my arms and legs.

Then, with a strength I had never felt before, I threw Rene.

She flew through the air like a projectile, quickly escaping the battlefield.

In the distance, I saw Kyle catch her perfectly.

‘Rene’s safe for now. He’ll take her to the location I marked.’

As I watched Kyle run with Rene in his arms, the voices of the human soldiers reached me.

“Their Lord has fallen!”

“Don't let those rats escape! Capture them!”

Bonus chapter on reaching milestones. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button!

Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel.