Idun bared his teeth viciously as his sword clashed with Ghislain's.
"Duke Fenris, forcing me into a corner like this—I'll give you credit for that much."
The 2nd Corps had been annihilated so easily it was almost laughable. Idun hadn't managed to sufficiently weaken his opponent's forces.
The priests had drained some of Duke Fenris's power, but Idun himself had also expended significant strength fighting Vanessa.
In other words, both were now equally depleted.
But Idun believed himself to be the most noble and extraordinary man in the world. Such trials were mere hurdles for someone like him to overcome.
Pushing his sword forward slightly, Idun spoke again.
"Duke Fenris, there are two types of men in this world."
Ghislain smirked at the statement. He had heard it in his past life as well.
Ignoring Ghislain's reaction, Idun continued, "Me, and every other man who isn't me."
"..."
No one could match Idun's self-confidence.
For all his flaws, his unshakeable belief in himself was something to be admired. It was that self-belief that had elevated him to superhuman levels.
Ghislain couldn't help but wonder, though, if Idun would say the same after encountering Yulian.
Idun gritted his teeth, and a tremendous aura began emanating from him.
"Today, I will become a legend."
His army was destroyed, the enemy forces remained intact, and he stood alone.
But this duel, initiated by Duke Fenris, was a golden opportunity.
If everyone had attacked him together, Idun would have been worn down and killed.
But if he killed Duke Fenris here, then escaped through the enemy forces to survive,
He would truly become a legend.
This was nothing more than a small trial bestowed by the heavens out of jealousy. No, it was a stage prepared to elevate him into legend.
Rumble!
Idun's overwhelming presence began enveloping Ghislain.
The excitement of becoming a legend erased all of Idun's fears and doubts, focusing his entire being on killing his opponent.
Ghislain gritted his teeth as he matched Idun's aura with his own.
'He really is a remarkable opponent.'
That level of focus, as though only the two of them existed on the battlefield.
Not many could maintain such poise while standing alone in the face of overwhelming odds.
Idun was filled with unshakable confidence that he would kill Ghislain and escape alive.
His skills were formidable enough to justify such confidence.
But Ghislain was equally confident.
"I will win."
He had never fought with the expectation of losing. In any situation, he was certain of victory.
Especially in a one-on-one duel.
"I've prepared so much just to defeat you."
Ghislain knew how Idun fought. His past-life experience made that clear.
Idun's strategy was to grind down his opponent with waves of soldiers and knights before stepping in to deliver the final blow himself.
In his past life, Ghislain had wiped out Idun's army and the Silver Knights but had ultimately fallen due to exhaustion.
This time, he had done things differently.
His artifact-armed Mobile Army had worn down the enemy forces, and the Fenris Knights had dealt with the Silver Knights.
'I always thought about it.'
How he should fight Idun when they meet again.
And now, with overwhelming preparation and strategy, Idun had been left alone.
Ghislain could have finished him off easily by overwhelming him with his forces.
'But I can't let that happen.'
Such a tactic would result in heavy losses among his Mobile Army and knights. Idun was that skilled.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
This was a grudge that spanned lifetimes.
An opportunity to fight one of the few true powerhouses on the continent.
Ghislain's burning desire to prove himself left him with only one option.
'I'll kill you with my own hands.'
How long had he waited for this moment? How much had he wanted to face Idun again?
Now it was time to finally determine who was stronger.
BOOOOM!
Ghislain's eyes glowed red. His five mana cores activated, unleashing immense power.
His aura aggressively consumed Idun's, as both of their swords moved to target each other's vital points.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Red streaks danced erratically, encircling Idun's body.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blue streaks countered them, driving Ghislain back in return.
Each clash of their swords sent shockwaves rippling outward, overturning and breaking the earth beneath them.
Yet neither retreated.
It was as though the two were trapped within a web of red and blue light.
The battle was perfectly matched.
Whoooom!
A storm of mana surrounded the two, its intensity devouring even the air, creating a vacuum-like space around them.
Idun's sword, enveloped in blue mana, sliced toward Ghislain's head.
Unyielding, Ghislain's red blade met it head-on.
BOOOOM!
The clash of their blades produced a blinding explosion of light.
Onlookers stared, their expressions blank with awe.
"A-amazing…"
"Their movements are completely invisible."
"Who would've thought the enemy commander was this powerful?"
To them, Ghislain was an undefeated lord. They believed that in a one-on-one fight, no superhuman could stand against him.
After all, he had grown even stronger after defeating the Lutania Kingdom's Finest Sword, Kaien.
Now he was even killing the superhuman priests with ease. He was incomparably stronger than before.
Yet here was someone fighting Ghislain as an equal.
The realization left the onlookers shaken to their cores.
If this man had joined the battle earlier, half of them would already be corpses.
The Fenris knights were even more stunned. Their increased skills had sharpened their perception.
'There really are monsters like this in the world.'
They had grown strong enough to challenge most superhumans, but this enemy commander was no ordinary superhuman.
Even if they all attacked together, they felt they wouldn't win. The gap between them and this opponent felt like an insurmountable wall.
They clenched their fists and gritted their teeth.
They vowed not to forget this battle. They needed to train harder and improve further.
Clang! Clang! BOOOOM!
The intensity of the duel only escalated. Their blows grew stronger and stronger, seemingly without limit.
The earth trembled from the sheer force of their strikes.
BOOOOM!
A massive crack split the ground, and boulders were sent flying into the air.
Red and blue light danced endlessly toward each other. Each clash of their swords brought bursts of light and violent explosions.
But such intensity couldn't last forever. Gradually, both began accumulating injuries.
Slash!
Idun's sword cut into Ghislain's arm, the sound akin to slicing through stone.
Slice!
In turn, Ghislain's blade carved into Idun's arm with ease.
Their blades grazed each other as they created some distance.
Ghislain glanced at his arm.
Blood dripped from the wound, but his extraordinary regeneration quickly sealed it.
The techniques he had practiced for years proved useful, a skill inspired by Gordon's novel and refined into a reality.
The mana flowing through his body gathered instantly, making it easier to block attacks.
Though Idun's strike was powerful enough to break through, the injury wasn't severe. However, it had drained a significant amount of his mana.
"Hm."
Ghislain twirled his sword and narrowed his eyes, examining Idun's injuries.
Though the cut was deep, Idun's arm bore only a thin wound.
But then—
Pop!
Blood erupted from an uninjured area on Idun's opposite arm.
It made no sense.
Idun smirked as he turned to face Ghislain.
"Impressive. To think you've forced me to fail to deflect properly."
The phenomenon would have been incomprehensible to most observers, but Ghislain wasn't surprised.
Idun's secret, unknown to many, was something Ghislain had already uncovered.
"You're not just deflecting. You're dispersing the damage internally, aren't you?"
Idun's eyes widened slightly in surprise. How did Ghislain know the hidden secret of his mana cultivation technique?
As Ghislain had said, Idun's mana cultivation technique had a unique property.
Idun's mana cultivation technique allowed him to deflect attacks. If the force was too strong to deflect entirely, it dispersed the impact internally.
This ability meant Idun rarely sustained injuries from most attacks.
However, Ghislain's strikes were so powerful that they caused minor injuries elsewhere on Idun's body as the impact was distributed.
Idun narrowed his eyes in curiosity and asked Ghislain, "How do you know? You couldn't have figured it out from just one look."
For a skilled swordsman, deflecting an opponent's attack was not particularly difficult. Idun's swordsmanship had reached such heights that the effects of his cultivation technique were nearly undetectable.
Moreover, Idun intentionally withstood most minor injuries without activating the technique, making it even harder to discern its nature.
Ghislain smirked and replied, "I know everything."
In his previous life, Ghislain had been utterly baffled by the technique. Attacks seemed to have no effect, causing injuries in random areas instead.
At first, he had thought his exhaustion was the cause, but the results were too strange. After much deliberation, he finally uncovered the technique's effects.
"Crazy bastard," Idun said, grinning as he adjusted his stance.
If it was Duke Fenris, it made sense he would figure it out. After all, Ghislain was a renowned warrior across the continent.
"You've got some strange abilities yourself," Idun noted. "Your skin's as hard as stone, and you heal instantly… is that a result of your mana cultivation technique?"
"That's just a skill I gained through training," Ghislain replied casually.
Though he spoke lightly, it was a power gained at the risk of his life, enduring excruciating pain, even implanting daggers into his heart during his training.
This ability had saved him countless times, granting him overwhelming combat power against weaker opponents.
Still, Idun wasn't fazed.
"There's no way something like that comes without a cost. It must drain a considerable amount of mana, doesn't it? All I need to do is keep slashing until you can't recover anymore. Or, I'll just sever your neck or pierce your heart in one strike."
Ghislain smiled. Idun was correct: maintaining his regeneration required mana.
As expected of a formidable foe, Idun had identified the technique's weakness so quickly.
Eventually, as the fight dragged on, both of their mana reserves would be depleted.
The only way to settle the fight would be for one of them to land a decisive strike—to pierce the heart or sever the neck.
But their skills were so evenly matched that such an outcome seemed impossible.
There was only one option left.
They would have to keep trading blows, wearing each other down.
"Shall we continue?"
Ghislain grinned savagely, his mana surging anew. Idun responded with a similar smile.
At that moment, both fighters forgot everything else—the war, the people around them—all that mattered was defeating the opponent in front of them.
And because of that, they were exhilarated by the fight.
BOOM!
With every clash, powerful shockwaves rippled outward, causing their bodies to jolt from the impact.
Their disrupted stances didn't matter. Both fighters were so skilled that they immediately regained their footing and resumed their attacks.
CLANG!
Neither the speed nor the force of their strikes exceeded the other's. They were perfectly matched in every way.
It was as if this battle was the culmination of their lives, each pouring every ounce of strength they had into it.
CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
At one point, a red line appeared on Ghislain's cheek.
Soon, his shoulders, arms, abdomen, and legs were covered in countless lacerations, blood flowing freely.
Idun wasn't unscathed either. The internal shock he had been suppressing began to overwhelm his ability to deflect it.
SLASH!
As one wound appeared on one side of his body, another burst open on the opposite side.
The once-pristine white armor was now soaked in blood.
HISSSS!
Red steam rose from Ghislain's body as the strain of his five cores power began taking its toll.
Idun, too, was gasping for breath, blood pouring from his numerous wounds.
Clinging to consciousness despite the dizziness, Idun stepped forward.
THUD!
"I… am a man destined to become a legend!"
This was his pride, his goal—the very thing that sustained him.
He had worked tirelessly to achieve that dream. He couldn't fall here.
ROAR!
Idun's sword descended toward Ghislain, still gleaming brilliantly with its blue aura.
Ghislain took a step forward as well.
THUD!
"And you… will die here today!"
His blade moved to meet Idun's strike, a fierce red aura still surging violently around it.
CRACK!
In that moment, Ghislain's arm twisted slightly, the amplified power too much for his muscles and bones to endure.
The two swords clashed once more.
BOOOOM!
A brilliant light erupted, brighter than any before, as the sheer force of the collision reverberated across the battlefield.
"Urgh!"
Idun coughed up blood as he staggered backward.
And then…
"Gah!"
Ghislain, stumbling, fell to one knee.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]