I’m being overpowered.

The moment I realized it, I twisted my wrist, trying to deflect his blade.

But the overwhelming difference in strength made it impossible to completely redirect the attack.

CLANG!

“Ghk.”

The impact I failed to deflect slammed through my body.

I was thrown backward, then crashed heavily into the ground. Fortunately, everything around us had already been reduced to powder from our fight, so there was nothing left to be impaled on—

Except Kyle’s sword.

THUD!

His blade drove into the ground right beside my neck.

I barely avoided instant death. The skin of my neck tore, but the major vessels remained intact. I rolled sharply, then pushed off the ground with both hands and feet, widening the distance between us.

He immediately pulled his sword free and pursued.

I swung upward in a swift arc.

BOOOOM!

The slash erupted from the ground and surged skyward.

Like standing behind a waterfall, the white brilliance swallowed my vision.

For an instant, it blocked the blade flying toward my heart.

CLANG!

I knocked aside the tip of his sword.

Now.

Time to absorb.

There was no room for luxury. I had to heal the internal damage from that strike I failed to deflect. Kyle was not someone who would tolerate injuries and fight through them.

Grinding my teeth, I began absorbing through the foot planted on the ground.

Zzzzzzt!

The tip of Kyle’s sword, positioned at the upper right of my vision, caught the light like a star.

No way he’d miss this opening.

CLANG! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Our blades collided.

At close range, his sharp eyes gleamed. His long black hair whipped in the wind.

Again—I was losing in strength.

The energy I absorbed went into recovery, while Kyle used his to amplify his physical power. Naturally, I fell behind.

He had always been stronger than me in raw strength.

And even now, that fact still leaves a bitter taste.

Krrrkkk...

I gripped my sword with both hands and endured.

I was barely holding him off—but at this rate, I would be pierced soon.

If my throat were struck by that aura-wrapped blade, I’d die instantly.

Sorry—but I can’t let that happen.

First, I have to stop the rampage.

Absorption is fine.

But once absorption stacks and turns into a rampage, that’s when catastrophe begins.

I barely managed to stop mine before—but that was because I was pushed to an extreme. And even then, it required immense willpower.

Kyle wouldn’t try to stop it.

He would embrace it—burn everything down.

I know.

You came here to die the same way Rei did.

Not going with the others of our kind—that was your last selfish choice.

Just like I’m being selfish now, trying to save you—

You came here with nothing but the obsession to kill me, even if it means burning yourself alive.

CLANG!

An immense force surged into Kyle’s blade.

Our crossed swords were forced downward.

But this time, I redirected it—sliding my blade along his, then pulling it aside the moment I felt the shift in his wrist.

I kicked off the ground and created distance.

My wounds had healed—I moved much faster now.

The moment I gained enough space, I steadied myself.

A sword strike.

Split into multiple arcs.

BOOOOM!

Kyle answered with his own.

Our slashes tore across the battlefield.

I watched as opposing colors carved through the ground toward each other—

And collided.

BOOOOM!

Bracing my legs, I endured the raging wind.

The moment the shockwave weakened enough that I wouldn’t be blown back, I charged forward.

Smoke and debris blurred everything ahead.

But I swung my blade toward where Kyle had to be.

CLANG!

He deflected it.

I didn’t stop moving—I pressed the attack.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

「Ah.」

Kyle’s voice echoed from within the thick smoke.

「So that’s what you’re doing.」

A movement stirred within the haze.

I twisted my body, preparing to meet it—and Kyle burst through the smoke.

「Trying to stop my absorption?」

He smirked.

CLANG!

CLANG! CLANG!

Sharp metallic echoes rang out as I focused on deflecting his relentless strikes.

We both wielded large blades—but his was slightly longer.

Even that small difference in reach became deadly when skill was evenly matched.

And with his continued absorption, the gap in strength was widening.

That meant I had to rely on speed.

I shifted my swordsmanship—prioritizing speed over strength.

Deflect the edge before it reaches my body.

Redirect the force along its path.

Twist—

CLANG!

I slipped behind him and cut diagonally.

CLANG!

So close.

If I’d been just a bit faster, I could’ve halved his hair.

CLANG!

Kyle blocked my blade at the last possible moment, then turned fully and charged.

Our swords crossed again in an X.

Closer than before.

Our bent elbows pressed tight to our bodies.

「You’re forcing it with brute strength.」

I complained, arms trembling as I held him back.

「That’s not like you.」

「I’ll do anything to kill you.」

Kyle grinned.

「I can be as pathetic as I want.」

That sharp, refreshing smile—

For a moment, my chest tightened painfully.

Something strange brushed past my mind.

I ignored it.

Focus.

At a certain angle, I twisted my body and broke away.

Then I sprinted, widening the gap again.

I need to change the battlefield.

Even for a moment—stop his absorption.

「Petty tricks.」

I heard Kyle mutter behind me.

No time to respond.

I scanned the dark battlefield.

A building.

If I get to the rooftop, absorption will stop for a while.

I don’t want him to rampage.

Absorption and rampage are completely different.

Once absorption stacks and the body begins to burn—

Children of the World Tree unleash catastrophic power, burning everything around them.

Just like Rei did in the First War.

If we were still inexperienced knights who couldn’t even release sword strikes, it would be different.

Everything would end within three hours at most.

But both Kyle and I are Swordmasters.

If we wanted, we could sustain a rampage for a week.

I don’t want to drag this out that long.

And if he dies in a rampage—

None of what I want will be achieved.

End this war as quickly as possible.

Minimize casualties.

Outlive Kyle, even if only by a moment.

And then—

Force him into the dimensional transfer gate.

If possible, transfer him first—like in the First War.

I know how cruel that is to him.

I know how much the Black Badgers would hate me for it.

Whoosh—

A building still stood.

The moment I leapt onto the surrounding ruins to climb to its roof—

Kyle’s slash from behind cut through both the ruins and the back of my ankle.

I jumped off the collapsing debris and immediately began absorbing.

I didn’t look back.

I ran, focused only on reaching higher ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

My back and legs tore open—but I sealed them instantly with absorption.

BOOOOM! Kuuung...

Kyle’s missed strike surged ahead and smashed into the building before me.

Right in front of me, it crumbled into dust.

There are still more buildings.

Slice!

I cut down the Creature blocking my path.

Then sprinted toward another structure.

This time, just before reaching it, I twisted and met the incoming slash head-on.

Kyle’s claws.

BOOOOM!

I unleashed a strike to block in front of the building.

The moment I secured it, I kicked off the ground and began scaling the wall.

It wasn’t that tall—and there were plenty of handholds.

I reached the rooftop in one motion.

Come up.

Standing at the edge, I looked down over the battlefield.

Please—come up.

I saw him.

Kyle stood below, sword in hand, looking up at me.

His hair swayed in the night wind.

The ground beneath him was blackened and burning.

In the blue-tinged darkness, his golden eyes shone brightly.

His sword, wrapped in black aura, was firmly gripped in his right hand.

The gold earring at his ear swayed.

He simply looked at me.

That quiet expression—free of hatred or rage—

Made me suddenly miss the past.

The good past.

I should’ve done this back then. I should’ve done that instead.

I’ve thought it so many times it makes me sick.

No matter how much I pray until my hands wear down—

I know I can’t go back.

So I let myself feel miserable.

At the same time, I looked over the battlefield—and felt anger toward Kyle.

And yet—

I despise myself for not being able to hate him completely.

My communicator wasn’t fully broken, so I could roughly grasp the situation.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Some Badgers had fallen.

Some of our kin as well.

I tried not to think too deeply about it.

Nothing would change.

I forced myself to process it objectively—

And waited for Kyle to come up and kill me.

But he didn’t move.

What?

As I frowned, Kyle grinned.

My heart dropped.

Ah.

No.

「Kyle!」

「Hilde.」

He laughed.

「Kyle! Don’t do it!」

「Let’s see the end.」

The ground beneath him began to wither at a terrifying speed.

Faster than anything before.

「Like Rei.」

Kyle began absorbing violently.

For one purpose—

To trigger a rampage.

「You and me.」

I kicked off the rooftop.

Cursing in the imperial tongue, I threw myself down.

And I absorbed.

With every step toward the knight trying to enter rampage, I devoured energy.

Each absorption made nausea surge.

That rising rejection turned into dizziness—

And began to steal control of my body.

The speed of absorption ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) increased.

But it wasn’t a rampage yet.

Both of us still held onto control.

So I gritted my teeth and charged at Kyle.

Before the whites of our eyes burned away.

Before I was too late—

I raised my sword.

Pouring everything I had absorbed into it.

「Kyle!」

The knight smiled—white and bright—and raised his blade.

CLAAANG!

I swung.

***

[Reorganize the Core boundary inside the 10th-class Creature zone.]

Ska Owen issued orders to the Black Badgers across the battlefield.

[Prepare support for Core installation teams.]

An aide reported.

[As in the First War, all Creatures—including 10th-class—are to be kept outside the Core.]