Chapter 168: Mad King, Ignel

“Ignel, why are you so eager to die today?”

Igrel said to Ignel with a sigh.

Unlike her, who looked like she had rolled around on the ground a few times, Igrel hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Ignel glared at him with a grumpy face, then jumped to her feet and lunged at him.

He dodged a light punch, then he caught her by the back of the head, slamming her to the ground once more.

“Your attacks are still so obvious. Try fighting while guessing your opponent’s thoughts.”

“Shit–“

“Enough of this. Let’s go. Mr. Vick’s been hunting red-horned buffalo for a while, and if we stay late, there won’t be any tasty cuts left.”

As Igrel removed his hand from her shoulder, Ignel swiftly got up and grabbed his hair.

The two wrestled on the ground for a moment.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Refusing to let go, she held onto his hair persistently until Igrel kicked her away.

Grumbling, Ignel got up again without getting discouraged and rushed at him once more, laughing when she saw Igrel’s disheveled hair.

“Look at you! Pfhaha!”

“Are you having fun?”

Igrel swept his hair aside and looked at her with pity.

Then, at the sound of Ignel’s refreshing laughter, he couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Oh, shit. My whole body aches from laughing. I’m so beat up.”

Ignel slumped to the ground, exhausted. Igrel crouched down next to him.

“With this, it’s 305 wins for me and 305 losses for you. When will you win once?”

“Shut up. You were born with the ‘Spirit of Sacrifice’. That’s why you’re so strong.”

“When will you stop believing in such superstitions?”

Ignel, who had been staring blankly at the sky, asked.

“Hey, Igrel. What did the chieftain tell you when you were summoned yesterday?”

“It was nothing special.”

“You may be able to deceive others, but you can never deceive me. Who do you think I am?”

Facing Ignel’s intense gaze, Igrel smiled as if he couldn’t resist and replied.

“Ah, okay. I understand. You probably have already guessed, anyway. He told me that he’s almost decided to pass on the next chieftain position to me.”

“Hmm…”

“Such a dull reaction. Your brother could become the leader of all the warriors in the tribe, you know.”

Even as he said that, Igrel couldn’t help but wonder why she was reacting that way.

Since she was young, Ignel had a stronger competitive spirit than anyone else in the tribe.

Although she hadn’t said it aloud since her brother was right there beside her, it was hard to believe she had no interest in the position of the chieftain. After all, the chieftain was the most powerful warrior among all the members of the tribe.

Ignel snorted.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Igrel.”

“Huh?”

“Chieftain? I’m not interested in such a position. Even if you become the chieftain, I’ll become the strongest warrior in the tribe someday.”

Igrel let out a small gasp.

“Is that possible? While you become stronger, I won’t be just idling around.”

“Of course. Then you have my word: When I am one day the strongest warrior in the Great Forest, I will be your older sister. Don’t be a jerk and treat me like an older sister.”

Igrel made a bewildered expression at her unexpected words.

If we were to insist on ranking their relationship, Igrel was born a few minutes earlier than Ignel.

Of course, Ignel had never treated him as an older brother before.

“If you can’t keep your promise, what will you do?”

“Huh? There’s no need for that. The deadline is until I die.”

“You’re just going to do whatever you want, anyway.”

Igrel clicked his tongue, but eventually nodded.

“Very well. Here’s the deal. I will be chieftain, and you, Ignel, will one day be the strongest warrior in the Great Forest.”

The two siblings locked eyes and chuckled.

***

Bang! Roar!

A deafening noise echoed each time I blocked the fists flying at me.

I stumbled backwards, parrying or knocking away the fists of the Mad King as they flew at me without pause.

Had it been my own body, not Igrel’s, I would have been crushed to the bone already.

Has this person gone crazy?

The Mad King attacked me like a rampaging monster.

With the power of the original Igrel, I could have easily subdued her, but I couldn’t do it now.

The duration of the mystery was nearly at its end, and my strength had been greatly depleted from the attack that had knocked down the Fogwigg earlier.

…More than anything, what made me flustered was my current mental state.

There was no reason for me to face the Mad King barehanded.

I could evade it like before, using space leaps or blocking with the floating veil.

So why was I doing this?

The emotions I felt right now were not confusion or bewilderment, but rather excitement and a sense of thrill.

Every time I blocked with my fist, the shock ringing through my body felt refreshing.

Not just standing there to block, I wanted to counterattack immediately and smash that arrogant face.

And then I realized it. It wasn’t me; it was Igrel.

The soul of Igrel, fused with my consciousness, wanted to fight her one last time before completely vanishing.

“Ignel, what are you doing?”

At that moment, the attacks from the Mad King ceased for a moment.

Other beastmen, including the chieftain, stood in front of the Mad King to protect me.

“Get lost, you old ones! Don’t interfere!”

I observed the scene and spoke up.

“It’s alright, everyone step aside. Don’t stop her.”

The beastmen who turned their gaze towards me wore puzzled expressions.

After a hard-fought battle, they probably wondered what was going on again.

However, the chieftain seemed to sense the atmosphere between the Mad King and me and willingly stepped back.

“Everyone, move aside.”

Thus, the interference vanished.

I faced the Mad King, who was breathing heavily as if she could rush at me any moment, and stretched out my hand.

“Come at me with all you’ve got.”

Thanks to Igrel’s power, I was able to bring down Fogwigg.

If this was his last wish, I would grant it.

At my words, the Mad King charged, laughing like a maniac.

“That’s how it should be!”

Kwaaang!

In an instant, the Mad King, who came close enough for her fist to reach my nose, attacked.

I returned the favor with a fist of my own.

A heavy shock ran down my arm.

The Mad King bent her arm and took another step inward.

At the same time, a hand came flying from the side, open-palmed rather than in a fist.

I lifted my elbow to fend off the hand that was blatantly trying to grab my collar.

As both of her attacks were thwarted, she followed up with a swinging punch, and I leaned back, raising my knee.

Blood splattered into the air.

A barely missed blow grazed the tip of my chin, and I stepped back and shook my head.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, a single exchange of blows.

Wiping the blood off my chin, I faced her again as she launched another attack.

This time, it was head-on, but her movements were more intricate.

Feinting like a pro, her hands and feet followed paths that confused my vision during the attack.

Her extraordinary body defied the conventional laws of physics with ease.

Even in what seemed like a simple punch, there were countless intricacies.

The exchange continued.

Thud!

Our fists collided, hitting each other’s faces.

Both Ignel and I quickly turned our heads and clashed again.

Chasing her attacks with my eyes, I boldly retaliated.

I blocked, evaded, and intentionally allowed her to hit me so I could return it with a bigger counterattack.

A low kick aimed at my calves, and I retaliated with the same move on her other leg.

Next, she aimed for my chest with her fist, and I returned the favor by landing a punch in her abdomen, twisting my body to do so.

“Kihak…!”

The Mad King emitted an eerie noise, somewhere between a gasp and a laugh, and then slammed into me, knocking me back.

With another burst of acceleration, the Mad King attempted to attack again, but I stepped back, anchored my center, and grabbed her.

Then I lifted her up and threw her.

She smashed through several trees in her path before coming to a screeching halt against a rock.

“Ha! Huhak!”

This time, it was clearly a laughing sound.

Mad King burst into laughter, pushed the fallen rubble off her body, and got up.

I spat out the blood that had pooled in my mouth and turned my stiff neck.

Though our physical abilities were similar at the moment, Igrel surpassed the Mad King in the sense of combat and every other aspect.

But that wasn’t the point.

This wasn’t a fight to win.

30 seconds.

Now, there were roughly 30 seconds left. Would it be enough?

Such thoughts disappeared quickly amidst the thrill of battle.

Neither I nor the Mad King stepped back or created distance.

It was as if we were fighting surrounded by cliffs on all sides, only engaging in close combat where our arms could reach each other.

A battle of pure physical strength with no weapons, magic, or abilities.

Of course, I didn’t use any of my mysteries either.

While fighting, at some point, the Mad King’s appearance seemed to overlap with that of another figure, becoming blurry.

I realized that it was the younger version of the Mad King.

It’s Igrel’s memory.

The fist flying toward my face changed course midway.

I snatched the frantic hand that tried to hold my neck, and kicked her in the stomach once more, muttering to myself.

“It’s so obvious what you intend to do.”

The Mad King laughed loudly.

“Then how about this? Is it any good?”

Mad King lowered her posture and aimed for my lower body as if tackling.

As I tried to block her by pushing against her forehead, the Mad King suddenly lifted her head, opened her mouth wide, and bit into my wrist.

I swung my arm and slammed her down on the opposite ground.

Kwaaang!

The Mad King groaned as she was pinned to the shattered ground.

Then she staggered and got up immediately.

She had an endless amount of stamina.

10 seconds.

Now there’s only that much time left.

If that time passed, the power of Igrel embedded in my body would cleanly vanish along with his soul.

I gathered up the last remaining strength.

Crimson mana enveloped my whole body.

Mad King, who had been standing still, also raised the corners of her mouth and gathered her mana.

As if sensing that this was the end, she assumed a stance and slowly extended her fist.

“Come at me with all your might. It doesn’t matter if I die.”

And then, both I and the Mad King leaped at each other simultaneously.

Our fists collided, and our powers clashed.

Then a massive explosion engulfed the area.

“……”

My vision returned to normal, and I withdrew my fist.

There was no strength in my body as it returned to its original state with the final blow.

Igrel’s soul had completely vanished with this.

I stared at the Mad King as she bounced off into the distance, feeling drained and ready to collapse at any moment.

In the final moment, I had no choice but to spread my barrier to protect myself.

I attacked with the thought that it wouldn’t matter if the Mad King died.

But just as my power was about to overwhelm her and sweep her away, Igrel withdrew his power.

The forest fell silent.

Even the beastmen and elves who had been watching the battle from a distance did not utter a word.

I approached the fallen Igrel to check her condition.

Not long after, Igrel, who had opened her eyes, looked up at me.

“……You’re the Seventh Lord.”

Having confirmed that she was alive, I sat down beside her without saying a word.

I could barely stand anymore. As she lay there, she asked me.

“What did you do with the core of the World Tree?”

I answered obediently.

“It’s my ability. I accepted Igrel’s soul and borrowed his power for a moment.”

“What happened to Igrel’s soul?”

“It completely disappeared as the price for the ability.”

I spoke like that and subtly observed the demeanor of the Mad King.

It was hard to anticipate what reaction she would show.

Fortunately, the Mad King didn’t reveal any enmity or hostility towards me.

Instead, she seemed rather satisfied.

“Seventh Lord.”

After a brief silence, the Mad King spoke.

“Thank you.”

I turned to look at her and then turned my head away.

The sun was already rising over the ruined forest.