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“You, you bastard!”

Another man hurriedly swung his sword down at Ghislain. Ghislain easily dodged and tapped the side of the blade with the back of his hand.

Tang!

With a light sound, the man’s arm, still gripping the sword, was flung upward, exposing his upper body.

Grab!

Ghislain seized the man’s face and slammed him into the ground.

BANG!

A thunderous sound echoed as the back of the man’s head became half-buried in the dirt. Blood started to seep out, possibly from a cracked skull slowly.

However, Ghislain didn’t stop. He continued to grab the man’s head and pound it into the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang! BANG!

After repeating this several times, the man’s head was completely smashed.

Crunch!

Even the front of his face was utterly crushed by Ghislain’s fist.

Ghislain slowly stood up.

When their eyes met, Frank’s face stiffened. It had all happened so quickly that he was left dazed, unable to respond.

‘What kind of look is that…?’

Ghislain was staring at him with a blank expression.

Frank felt chills run through his entire body. Ghislain resembled a beast, starved for blood. Frank had killed many people in his time, but he had never seen anyone exude such terrifying intensity.

According to the plan, this shouldn’t have been difficult. They had assumed that once Jamal and Philip were dead, no one would be left to interfere.

‘Tsk, the intel was completely wrong.’

For a brief moment, Ghislain had clearly used mana. There was no other way he could have moved with such strength and speed.

‘To think someone that young can already use mana.’

There’s a vast difference in power between those who can use mana and those who cannot. A blade infused with mana is solid and sharp enough to cut through even the most rigid steel.

‘Even so, those two went down far too quickly. Were they careless?’

Frank narrowed his eyes, comparing the information he had with the scene unfolding before him.

‘He didn’t even hesitate to kill someone. That’s rare for someone his age. So, despite his reputation as a wastrel, was he always this cruel by nature?’

According to the rumors, the Grand Duke of Ferdium had never killed anyone and had spent all his time in his territory. Yet, here he was, ruthlessly taking lives as if it were second nature.

If this really was Ghislain Ferdium’s first time killing, then he was undoubtedly a born murderer.

‘When I return, I’ll have to deal with the intel department myself.’

Despite his reputation for incompetence, Ghislain had just taken down two knights who could use mana in the blink of an eye.

It was an unbelievable situation, but Frank could only conclude that the information they had was entirely wrong.

Elena, too, stood there in shock, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

I shuddered at the cruel sight unfolding before my eyes, but more than that, I was astonished by the fact that my brother had such skill.
‘Did he really get that strong after just a few days of training? Does that even make sense?’

Elena was momentarily shocked but soon felt relieved.
‘Well, at least it’s a relief. We’re alive for now.’

No matter how he had honed his abilities, survival was what mattered most right now.

Frank swallowed nervously and slowly opened his mouth.
“Grand Duke Ghislain of Ferdium. This doesn’t match the information we had. Were you hiding your skills?”

At that moment, Ghislain straightened his posture fully and drew his sword.
“Whether I was hiding my abilities or not is irrelevant. Let me ask you once more—who ordered this?”

Frank shook his head at Ghislain’s question.
“There’s no need for you to know. Your skills are quite impressive, but you’ll die here anyway.”

Though surprised, Frank knew he had to manage the situation.

He hadn’t expected Ghislain to possess such force, but he didn’t think it would be enough to make him a real threat.

Ghislain nodded.
“Right, I didn’t expect you to talk so easily. Villains usually don’t.”

“Don’t get cocky just because you beat my men. I’ll admit your skills are remarkable for your age, but you won’t defeat me with that level of experience and maturity.”

Ghislain let out a dry laugh. Who was this guy to talk about experience and maturity?
“I’ve probably lived more days than you have.”

“You’re quite the foolish one.”

Frank raised his sword and took a stance. It wasn’t in his best interest to stay here for long, so he was determined to finish this quickly and return.

Ghislain also raised his sword, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“Then, let’s begin.”

Pahng!

Ghislain was the first to make a move.

Frank quickly blocked the attack and immediately attempted a counterstrike.

Kwaang!

The two swords clashed violently.

Elena, her heart pounding with anxiety, clasped her hands together tightly. If Ghislain lost, she was as good as dead, but she could do nothing to help. She could only shuffle her feet in panic.
‘Sh-should I run?’

Maybe going to call for help would be the wisest thing to do. But the thought of leaving her brother behind weighed heavily on her. Plus, she didn’t know how many more enemies lurked around.
‘If I act on my own, I could end up in even more danger.’

Unable to decide, Elena slowly began to back away, trying to stay unnoticed. She figured that if things didn’t look good after watching a little longer, she’d rush back to the castle and ask for help.

Kaang! Kaaang!

As Elena wrestled with her decision, the battle between the two men grew fiercer.
‘Of course, Jamal and Philip would’ve been easy opponents.’

From Ghislain’s perspective, Frank was an outstanding knight. The amount of mana he emitted and how he utilized it was far superior to most knights.

No wonder he had been confident enough to come all the way to the Ferdium estate.
‘The longer this drags on, the worse it’ll be for me.’

With only a week’s worth of accumulated mana, it wouldn’t be easy for Ghislain to handle Frank.

Ghislain, lacking physical abilities and mana, could only hold his ground thanks to his exceptional swordsmanship.

Frank was thinking along similar lines.
‘What kind of swordsmanship is this?!’

Ghislain’s swordsmanship was so brutal and practical that it went beyond frightening— almost awe-inspiring. His sword wasn’t like the typical knights’ swords, nor did it follow the techniques of the Ferdium family. It was ferocious, filled with a thick killing intent, and its movements were unpredictable. Just when Frank thought he had blocked an attack, the blade glided along his own, aiming for vital spots from unexpected angles.

No knight would wield such a cruel sword.
‘This is definitely not the Ferdium family’s swordsmanship. How on earth did he master such techniques at his age?’

To Frank, Ghislain’s swordsmanship was a few, if not several, levels above his own. If it weren’t for his body, which was greatly strengthened by his superior mana, he would have been torn apart and killed long ago.

‘But I’ll still win.’

Frank drew more mana to hasten the battle’s end. As time passed, wounds began to accumulate on Ghislain’s body.

Kaang!

Ghislain barely managed to block the incoming blade, his eyes locked onto Frank’s. He was trying to gauge whether his family’s enemies were involved in this incident.
“Shall I guess who’s behind this? The Duke of Delfine? No, it’s more likely Count Desmond.”

Count Desmond managed the northern territories under the Duke of Delfine’s command. No matter how powerful the Delfine Duchy was, it was difficult for them to handle every estate personally. Attacks on smaller territories were often delegated to other families loyal to the duchy.

It was possible that the Duke of Delfine had directly sent underlings, but Ghislain doubted they would have cared enough about Ferdium to intervene personally. Either way, whether it was the duke or his lackeys, they were all in league together.

Frank’s eyes widened in shock at Ghislain’s confident tone, but he quickly recovered, masking his expression as if nothing had happened.
“You’re a dangerous man.”

Without saying more, Frank swung his sword again.

But Ghislain had already seen enough from that reaction.
“Heh, I knew it. So it was you lot.”
“Shut up.”

As expected, his family’s downfall resulted from those bastards’ scheming. It confirmed his suspicions that all the conspiracies had begun with Elena’s death.

Now that he had his answers, it was time to stop them before they could make another move.

Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed violently, filling the air with the unpleasant screech of metal. Ghislain gritted his teeth and smirked.
“There’s nothing left to confirm. Let’s end this.”

“Don’t be stubborn. Your swordsmanship is impressive, but you still can’t defeat me with that amount of mana. Whatever you think you know, it won’t matter once you’re dead.”

Frank responded with confidence.
Ghislain had already suffered many injuries. If just a bit more time passed like this, Ghislain would draw his last breath.

Rumble!

The two men glared at each other, channeling mana into their swords with all their might. Ghislain’s sword was gradually being pushed back. Frank was sure of his victory.

It was at that moment.

“The fight’s not over until the end. Don’t you think?”

Ghislain’s eyes suddenly flashed red.

Frank tried to summon all his strength to push Ghislain back, sensing an ominous premonition.

At that moment.

Wooong!

A second core inside Ghislain began to spin, unleashing a torrent of mana. A vivid red light, incomparable to Frank’s mana, enveloped Ghislain’s sword.

“Ugh!”

As Ghislain’s strength surged, a groan escaped from Frank’s mouth.

“What… What the hell is this!”

Frank shouted in disbelief.

Ghislain slowly pushed his opponent’s sword back, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

“You spent your life in regret, never knowing who the real culprit was. If only you had known, you would’ve done anything to hunt them down and kill them.”

“What?”

“You were one of my biggest regrets.”

Frank couldn’t understand what Ghislain was saying. It didn’t matter, though.

Even as the years passed and he grew older, this memory had never faded. Every time he thought of Elena’s death, he drowned himself in alcohol and stayed up all night.

He always regretted it, but the past was something he could never change.

“This time, it’s different.”

Now that he had returned to the past, all that pain and fury had become pure ecstasy. He could barely contain his joy at the thought of severing the starting point of all his nightmares and exacting his revenge.

Ghislain laughed as he detonated his third core.

Boom!

He unleashed a power several times greater than the mana he had, driving Frank back relentlessly.

“Argh!”

Unable to withstand that overwhelming force, Frank was thrown backward.

“What is this…?”

Frank quickly regained his stance, but he staggered back in fear.

No matter how much mana one drew out, it was impossible to amplify one’s power to such an extent. At most, it would make you slightly stronger than your usual capabilities.

But the power Ghislain was displaying far exceeded that level.

‘Was he hiding his strength from the beginning? No, then why did he endure all those injuries?’

Frank was thrown into confusion, unable to understand the situation.

Ghislain didn’t miss that brief opening.

“Do your best.”

Bang!

Ghislain closed the distance instantly and swung his sword with tremendous speed.

Clang!

Frank barely managed to block the strike, but another attack came before he could gather his senses.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ghislain’s relentless sword strikes rained down without stopping. Frank had no choice but to give ground, overwhelmed by the man who swung his sword wildly, red light gleaming in his eyes.

‘This is impossible! How could he have gained this much power all of a sudden!’

Now, regarding speed, strength, and skill, Frank was utterly overpowered by Ghislain.

Boom!

Ghislain continued his assault like a storm, driving his opponent back.

The time Ghislain could sustain such immense power wouldn’t last for long—just a few minutes. He had to finish the fight within that time.

Clang!

Ghislain’s sword came crashing down on Frank’s sword with tremendous force.

Once again, Frank managed to block it, but Ghislain didn’t stop.

Sizzle!

Mana erupted wildly from Ghislain’s body, creating a tangible aura.

His body, covered in blood from the wounds inflicted by Frank, began to emit a crimson mist.

He looked just like a red reaper.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed fiercely again and again.

Crunch.

At some point, Frank realized that something was wrong with his sword.

But his head would fly off if he didn’t block Ghislain’s next attack. He had no other options.

Clang!

As their swords collided once more—

Crack!

Frank’s sword could no longer withstand the force of Ghislain’s attack and shattered.

Among the scattering fragments of his sword, Frank murmured in disbelief.

“How… How could this happen…?”

Ghislain met his gaze and spoke.

“Don’t think you’ll die so easily.”