Kyle’s face twisted in a strange way.

He didn’t answer. I didn’t care. I hadn’t expected that pouring out my emotions would miraculously end this fight anyway.

If that were possible, we wouldn’t have come this far.

I kicked off the ground and charged forward. It had been done from the start to create an opening.

Kyle knew me well. He knew I was extremely conservative when it came to emotional transfer.

An opening was inevitable.

In an instant, I stood before him.

I drew my sword upward from below.

Drip.

“Ha!”

I laughed and let out a short cheer.

“Finally!”

CLANG!

Kyle’s hair was cut.

Part of the ends of his black hair—and his upper body, including his arm—had been severed. Even in the First War, when we had pierced each other’s hearts at the same time, we had never managed to cut each other’s hair.

The moment I let out that exclamation, unable to hold it in, Kyle’s brows furrowed sharply and he counterattacked.

A blade drove toward my throat.

CLANG!

I barely deflected it and pulled back, but I couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across my lips.

Of course, that only fueled Kyle’s anger.

BOOOOM!

The moment distance opened, five diverging strikes came crashing in.

I stepped half a step forward and swung my sword.

CLANG!

“More welcome than blood.”

I said, looking at those golden eyes through the haze.

After all, this would be the last conversation we ever had.

As long as I could win in the end, exchanging a few words ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) along the way didn’t matter. At worst, he would die and I would live. Most likely, we would die together. And if things went perfectly, I would throw him into another dimension.

I never even considered the possibility of me dying and Kyle surviving.

I would never allow that.

The black-haired man stared at me and let out a scoff.

“What a fuss.”

He rolled his eyes and muttered,

“You were afraid of getting cut, so you went ahead and cut it first.”

“That’s not it. I cut it to steel my resolve.”

Kyle ignored the calm reply.

Instead, he flipped his sword in his grip and asked,

“How long are you going to keep spewing this filthy stuff?”

“Just take it.”

I answered shamelessly.

“After all, this is the first and last time.”

“It better be the last.”

Kyle frowned.

“You came out here without even settling your emotions?”

“I can’t do it like you.”

With nothing left to hide, I simply smiled bitterly.

“I tried. But I just couldn’t.”

“That’s exactly what humans took advantage of.”

“To be honest, I think I was crueler to humans than you were.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You weren’t cruel to humans—you were cruel to Rei.”

“I know.”

I said as I rushed him.

“I know that too.”

CLANG!

CLANG, CLANG!

Our auras clashed, black and white flames scattering in all directions.

“Hilde.”

Kyle called my name.

The emotion in his voice was unmistakable.

Pity—and hatred.

“The moment Rei died, everything ended.”

CLANG!

I received and deflected.

SHING!

I thrust, then caught hold of the sword he had diverted.

The rally continued. Kyle pressed me relentlessly.

This time, even Rei’s name didn’t shake me. I focused solely on the blade, forgetting everything else for a moment.

Clashing blades was more effective than exchanging strikes.

A slash inevitably lost power as it traveled forward. It couldn’t surpass the concentrated force of aura.

CLANG!

“Don’t spew that bullshit about how Rei wouldn’t have wanted this.”

Our blades locked.

The grinding sound of steel straining against steel mixed with Kyle’s scraping voice.

“You’re not Rei—what right do you have to speak for him?”

CLANG!

The sword that deflected mine downward aimed straight for my heart.

CLANG!

I stared into Kyle’s eyes, where flames seemed to flicker.

“If I were you, I would’ve done the same.”

Rei was dead. No one could ever ask what he truly wanted.

So rather than clinging to some naive assumption that he would have forgiven me, I would have chosen revenge.

“I don’t think I can stop you.”

“What is this disgusting emotion?”

Kyle gritted his teeth and growled.

“Why are you still feeling something that isn’t even hope or regret?”

Because I intend to defeat you and throw you into the dimensional gate, no matter what.

CLANG!

I couldn’t say that aloud, so I simply deflected his blade downward.

As I redirected it, I aimed for his ankle.

Slash!

I cut the tendon—but it reattached instantly.

The pace quickened.

We no longer fought like before, swinging wildly like axes. We were both absorbing.

We had returned to the swordsmanship optimized for each of us—refined over long years.

Our own swords, shaped by our bodies, our personalities, our blades.

Without widening the distance too much, we exchanged blows relentlessly.

Blood burst from wounds across our bodies, but healed instantly.

Internal injuries formed—and recovered just as quickly.

Wound, absorption, recovery, attack.

Again and again.

At some point, I stopped sensing anything except Kyle.

So focused that I could hear nothing but his voice and the clash of our blades.

It felt as if only the two of us remained in the world.

If not for the blackened sclera of Kyle’s eyes, it might have felt like sparring back at the old knight order grounds.

Back then too, once we started sparring, nothing else existed.

Everything around us vanished.

I liked that feeling.

The state of overwhelming immersion.

In that world, there was only me, my sword, and the knight facing it.

I picked up the sword because I wanted the strength to protect those I cared about.

I had been captivated by my master, who protected a flock from monsters.

But before long, I came to love the sword itself.

Even so, my master had said until the very end that I was not suited for the sword.

That one day, I would surely regret ever picking it up.

Hildebert.

For someone like you, it’s one of two things.

You’ll either die young, fighting at the front.

Or you’ll collapse under the weight of what you’ve cut down—and what you failed to protect.

One day, you will surely resent me for teaching you the sword.

Those were the words he spoke to me on the twentieth night after I began learning.

But I have never once regretted learning the sword.

The only regret is that I was not stronger.

If I had been strong enough that we never had to come this far...

“Huh?”

Pointless thoughts now.

“An opening.”

Thud!

A blade pierced through my abdomen.

Not mine—Kyle’s sword had pierced my left side.

But before I could even feel the pain, I swung my arm.

I had deliberately left an opening.

If he drove his sword into my side, even for a moment, his movement would halt.

Thud!

“...So you want us to die together.”

Kyle spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and laughed.

My sword had pierced him as well.

...Failed.

I frowned as I realized I hadn’t pierced his heart.

This method isn’t something I can use often.

I had intended to let him stab my side, pierce part of his heart, and immediately transition...

As if reading my thoughts, Kyle smiled.

He slowly tilted the sword embedded in my side horizontally.

“Not bad. But I have no intention of ending this quickly.”

“...Aren’t you tired of this?”

I muttered, looking at my sword lodged between his ribs.

“Don’t you want to end this quickly like in the First War and finally rest?”

“Not at all.”

“Not at all.”

The knight bared his sharp fangs as he answered.

“Like you said, this will be the last.”

He yanked his sword out roughly.

I spat blood as I pulled mine free from between his ribs.

Then I charged at Kyle again, whose other eye had begun to burn.

***

The rookies reached the front line carrying the Core devices.

At the front of them was Lee Seunghyun. With a balaclava covering his face, he cleared the path so the rookie Badgers behind him could follow.

Since Ska had relayed their position, other Badgers helped open the way as well.

THUD! THUD!

Devices were placed one after another.

The moment the Core devices were set in their designated positions, the lower-ranked Badgers quickly withdrew.

Those capable of operating them immediately took over.

Yun began working on the device at the center.

And while not particularly strong in combat, Badgers specialized in this kind of task moved forward under escort.

The strongest among them guarded those operating the devices.

“Please suspend Center Core operations.”

Yun reported after completing preparations.

“We will begin recalibrating the Core boundary.”

Ska relayed the order to open the sky to the Core construction team.

And soon, a strange sound was heard.

The same sound that once signaled the beginning of territorial reclamation wars resonated.

[The sky is opening.]

As the Core vanished, the dawn sky appeared, clearer than ever.

[Prepare for engagement.]

***

Shu rode her hoverboard toward Black Badger Headquarters.

She didn’t look back as she flew. Holding Cecil tightly, she focused only on her destination.

Of course, she was prepared for any impact that might come at any moment. She had chosen a route where even if she fell, she wouldn’t crash onto civilians.

But there was no attack.

Not even the sound of pursuit.

She didn’t slow down or look back.

In any case, Shu successfully entered the headquarters grounds without being caught.

She slipped through the Core just as it was about to close.

[Core generation complete.]

Shortly after entering, the small Core sealed shut.

The headquarters was in ruins.

Holding Cecil in her arms, Shu wasn’t surprised. When the deafening noise had come through her communicator, she had already guessed the situation.

This was the highest-level emergency mobilization—all Badgers feared it.

There were no civilian staff left in the facility.

Seeing the corpses of Creatures and those barely clinging to life, she understood why.

Just like Code Red... the Center Core must have been breached.

Wooooong...

Looking down, Shu lowered the altitude of her hoverboard.

Then carefully entered the lobby—

CRASH!

She slammed into a wall.

A violent shock tore through her body.

A choked cough escaped her.

Thrown into a corner, she tried to move.

She knew she had to get up immediately, but her body wouldn’t listen.

So they were already here.

...Cecil?

Through the pain, she thought.

Is she safe?

She had definitely fallen onto the lobby floor. Even if Shu wanted to check, her body wouldn’t respond.

What if she hit her head?

What if it’s worse than that?

The mage who appeared at her house... he looked like he intended to kill Cecil.

I have to protect her.

Gritting her will, Shu tried to move her fingers.

That was when she realized—

Her body wasn’t refusing to move because of the impact.

She was still considered a rookie, but she was a specialized Black Badger. Paralysis from shock should have worn off immediately.

But instead, it only worsened.

It felt as though the ashen gray that had covered her lower body had now swallowed her entire form.

Fear overtook her.

She couldn’t tell if it was fear of paralysis—or fear for Cecil.

Either way, for the first time, she experienced breathlessness from fear.

She had never been particularly fearful, but this time, panic swallowed her whole.

My vocal cords won’t move.

I can’t open my eyes.

Am I really going to die like this...?

She lay there, consumed by anxiety and resignation.

Then—

A bright light seeped through her closed eyelids.

Moments later, overwhelming sensations crashed into her.

A massive sound, a blinding light that pierced even through her eyelids—

A helpless certainty that this time, she wouldn’t be able to save Cecil.

The light and sound that erupted in the lobby pounded violently, then suddenly fell silent.

And in the terrifying silence that followed, her despair deepened.

Cecil must have—

“Nabarate.”

Cecil’s voice.

And suddenly, it was right beside her.

“Shu.”

The paralysis broke.

Shu snapped her eyes open.

The lobby came into view—much of it reduced to ash.

The corpses that had been scattered across the wide space, along with the filth spilling from them, were completely gone.

The flowers placed to mourn Hildebert were gone.

The collapsed reception desk was gone.

Only one figure stood at the center.

The mage from before.

Standing alone in the eerily empty space.

Shu jumped to her feet.

“Cecil! The multi-armed mage—!”

“It’s dangerous.”

In the next moment, Shu found herself standing at the entrance to a stairwell where the door had been blown away.

She blinked, staring at the golden-eyed mage who turned to look at her.

Not a figure writhing in madness and chaos—

But one that looked tired, yet filled with reason.

“I’d like to send you farther away, but my mana circuits are twisted. I’m not confident I can send you safely.”

Shu understood immediately.

“Run.”

BOOOOM!

Something crashed down.

A massive shockwave followed.

Caught completely off guard, Shu was thrown into the stairwell.

THUD!

Her back slammed into the railing, and she let out a muffled groan.

She reached out to steady herself—

But there was no floor where she reached.

Her hand had gone toward the descending stairs.

“Ah—!”

The moment she realized it—

A pale white arm grabbed her firmly.

Shu was even more startled than when she had almost fallen.

“Are you alright?”

A woman with pixie-cut hair and red eyes smiled gently.