TUK 14

Chapter 14

Crack!!

The moment the sword broke.

Rian’s eyes fixed on Gerard.

In his expression, where blue heat flared, there was no trace of reason.

Blood seeped from between his clenched teeth.

His face twisted in such a way that one could almost suspect a demon had manifested.

His fierce, glaring eyes made it even more terrifying. The sword, glowing with blue light, seemed like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, guiding souls toward eternal death.

I’m going to die.

Everything seemed to move slowly, yet Rian’s body wouldn’t respond, as if cursed to inevitably die.

Shreek—

His neck was cut.

The sharp blade tore through his skin, severing all connections within.

It was a moment where it wouldn’t have been surprising if his vision went black. Yet time still seemed to move slowly.

I’m dying…

Surely, blood should have burst from his severed neck.

But through the still-living gaze, what appeared first was a fountain of blood shooting from Gerard’s mouth—the one who had cut Rian’s neck.

Fwoosh—!!

Only after witnessing that did Rian’s severed head drop, his vision spinning wildly.

Thud—!

The head hit the ground. The fact that consciousness remained until now was no longer surprising.

Half-submerged in a puddle formed of blood and rain, Rian’s remaining eye watched the body collapse.

Over it, Gerard’s body lay atop, as if having finished its task.

He’s dead.

This death included Gerard.

Though their lifelines began differently, they had reached the same fatal line simultaneously.

The blue light he had emitted faded. Only the dizzying rain poured over the stacked bodies, and Rian’s consciousness abruptly ended.

Unknowingly, he had walked the path of life. And he met the death that is equally allotted to all.

Everyone knows that where there is life, death is inevitable.

Yet we forget.

We forget mortality and pursue immortality.

We live as if eternal, only to meet the end of life.

We try to deny the natural cycle of human life and death.

Yes. Humans die eventually. I’ve survived until now somehow, but now it’s over. This is the end—a natural death finally met.

His head was severed.

Even ghouls, when decapitated, wither to ashes. Thinking this way somehow left a bitter feeling in his heart.

Truly, my mother…

His birth was full of mysteries.

The only child to miraculously survive in a witch’s house that had devoured a thousand newborns.

Perhaps he was born through the witch’s dark magic using ghouls as a medium.

Hence, after repeatedly dying and surviving, he now finally met death with his head severed.

Was I destined to die anyway?

The truth could not be known. Even trying to discover it seemed impossible.

His consciousness was cut abruptly. The next thing he awoke to was complete darkness.

A heavy pressure pulled him endlessly into the depths.

Did my body turn to ashes like a ghoul? Maybe that’s why my awakened consciousness is falling into what seems like hell.

Life had ended. There was no hope of a next step. Having severed countless lives with his own blade, he knew the afterlife destination was certainly hell.

Then perhaps this place was the first gate leading to hell.

The landscape of black, deeper than darkness itself, suddenly transformed.

What is that…?

In the unfathomable darkness, where he could not tell if he was falling or pressed down by some force, a single point opened its eye.

Faintly glowing, it was dull and eerie. It vaguely resembled the eyes Gerard had shown at the last moment.

Whick! Whick!

The pale circle rolled its “eyes” left and right, sending waves of terror.

The perspective felt as if looking upward from below, adding to the chilling effect.

I somehow feel I mustn’t be seen.

At that moment, a sound like rolling sand came from beyond the darkness.

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

Simultaneously, the weight of the darkness eased. The eerie circle seemed to close its eyes again, as if it had given up searching.

What… was that?

Becoming aware of the sound made Rian realize that the previous sense of darkness, oppression, and falling, and the white of the circle’s eyes were all part of a dream.

The surrounding darkness seemed to peel away, making the realization stronger.

Was it a dream?

Rian considered all the emotions and sensations from the darkness as a dream.

Layer by layer, the darkness faded, his vision brightened, and his senses returned. What had seemed like certain death was only a dream.

The sounds of bones, flesh, and nerves returning to their proper places echoed vividly in Rian’s ears.

I didn’t die this time either.

Even ghouls die when decapitated, yet he survived with his head cut off.

Not only ghouls: lycans with remarkable regeneration and blood elves who gain near-immortality from human blood also die if decapitated.

Although he felt somewhat pleased to have proven he was not related to ghouls,

Should I be happy or depressed about this?

He hadn’t died even with his head severed. Perhaps this could now be called immortality, eternal life.

The sounds of his body being “sewn” back together ceased. Slowly, he felt his entire body, his heartbeat, his breathing.

He opened his eyes.

Instead of the rain-dark clouds, a pale blue sky appeared. Morning was approaching.

“…It doesn’t seem even a full day has passed.”

His entire body was soaked. The ground was still a mix of blood and mud, and Gerard lay across him, now a cold corpse.

Thud—

Rian pushed Gerard off. The lack of rigor mortis suggested less than a day had passed.

He stood and stared at Gerard sprawled on the ground.

His pale face was frozen in the expression of death, surrounded by pools of coagulated blood. Perhaps his heart had burst due to improper aura control.

If he had survived… would he have become a knight?

Death had come to them simultaneously, but only Gerard had truly perished. Undeniably unfair from his perspective.

The feelings of defeat and guilt stabbed at Rian’s still-beating heart.

He had been a worthy adversary, a terrible human being, one who taught him death and revealed immortality. Rian had taken that life. Given death. Won.

So mourning ended here.

Rian closed Gerard’s eyes, wide open in death.

“I will remember you.”

He completed his mourning. Despite his own decapitation, Rian examined his body.

His reattached arms moved flawlessly, stronger and firmer than before.

He touched his neck. Not a scratch, as if it had never been cut. But the memory of the pain remained.

I never want to go through that again.

The mental anguish of decapitation had far exceeded physical pain.

He felt reborn. Not from the fading of blood, but from the body’s heightened abilities. His perception range had widened. His senses sharpened.

I should figure out why this body doesn’t die.

He thought of people he could spar with, but understanding his current condition was the priority.

I should meet Ellen. My father, who rescued me from the witch, likely knows better. But as a soldier in wartime, it’s difficult to move…

At the end of the path ahead, a silhouette appeared in his view.

“I’ll search as ordered…”

Bonmord, Monclay’s subordinate, had mobilized dozens of infantry to patrol the Green Wave Forest, seeking Rian’s trail.

It was raining lightly, and Monclay had ordered the main force to gather on a nearby hill.

“Perhaps he deserted?”
“……”

Bonmord couldn’t answer easily. Despite losing the entire unit, and despite saving their allies, he was met with neglect.

Even a disciplined man might consider desertion under such treatment.

But he shook his head.

He’s not the type.

Otherwise, he would have deserted from the Dandelion Plains. Yet he had risked his life, disguised as the Imperial army, and killed a wizard.

Rian Cade had saved their allies. He even pursued the retreating Imperial forces to hand over Zion’s disciples and requested troops for ambush preparation.

Such a person deserting? Unthinkable. His gaze had expressed determination to act alone if needed.

The fact that he hasn’t appeared until now may mean he’s already ambushed by expected Imperial forces.

The lookout atop the ridge had mentioned flickering lights in the area before the rain began.

“Search the surroundings thoroughly. The Imperial army might ambush.”

Bonmord raised his voice, increasing the alertness of his lax soldiers.

The rain stopped, and the pale morning sky approached.

Whoosh—

The wind carried the metallic scent of blood to Bonmord, startling him.

The smell of blood?!

He quickened his pace, leading the soldiers. Around a bend in the forest, he saw a silhouette standing amid scattered corpses.

Though the light allowed partial visibility, he couldn’t identify friend or foe. But circumstances suggested Rian Cade. No one else would be alone, mobilizing troops in this way.

“Hey! Identify yourself!!”

Bonmord shouted, closing the distance. The figure couldn’t tell if they were Imperial or Royal. Rian could observe without revealing himself.

The reply was simple:

“I am Lieutenant Rian Cade of Monclay Battalion, 3rd Company, 1st Platoon.”

Bonmord’s tension melted. Up close, it was indeed him. The scattered bodies belonged to the Shadow Unit.

He sighed.

Unbelievable…

Rian had single-handedly defeated the elite Imperial troops, thwarted an ambush, and protected Monclay’s main force.

Even in this number, the entire army could have been thrown into chaos.

Bonmord exhaled in relief. He met Rian’s eyes and silently resolved:

We must report this from the plains to now. Monclay must not take credit for this man’s actions.

Rian, unaware of Bonmord’s conclusion, gave him a casual military salute.