Extra in a Romance Fantasy

196 – King (8)

“What a sight, Ferdion.”

Looking at Wade, drenched in blood, the man said.

“I wonder how long you can hold out.”

With a relaxed expression that showed no trace of the tension of battle, the man suddenly spread his arms wide.

“Now, it’s your turn again, Ferdion.”

In the man’s eyes, there was a glimmer of anticipation.

He urged Wade to attack him, gazing at him with eyes full of expectation.

It was behavior that could only be interpreted as looking down on Wade, yet he did not frown in response.

Instead, he simply drew forth his will, his magical power.

Whooosh—

The sword in Wade’s hand began to vibrate intensely.

And soon, a brilliant light settled upon that sword.

The blade of will, a technique that only a select few among the masters who reached the exalted realm of will could wield, emitted a sharp aura that seemed capable of cutting just by being seen.

However.

“Is it that again?”

The man looked at the light emanating from Wade’s sword with somewhat dry eyes.

As if responding to that voice.

Whooosh—

The cry of Wade’s sword grew even more profound.

And then—

With a flash!

The light of the blade burst forth, coloring the surroundings.

—

As if the aurora were stitching the night sky, waves of light spread throughout the crater.

It was a sight so beautiful that anyone would be captivated by it.

“Hmm.”

Yet, in the eyes of the man watching, there was little interest.

And then.

Swish!

Wade vanished from his spot, becoming a flash of light once more.

After a moment so brief it was hard to even call it a moment.

Wade appeared behind the man.

Holding a sword that scattered light as if to fill the crater.

At last, Wade swung the sword capable of cutting through all things toward the man.

Swoosh—

Everything in the path of the sword was cleaved apart.

The wind, the light, even space itself.

It felt as if nothing in the world could withstand that sword, as if it could easily split anything in two.

But.

The sword that seemed capable of cutting through all—

Thud—

Was simply blocked by the man’s outstretched arm, as if it were nothing.

“……!!”

A look of shock crossed Wade’s face, which rarely showed emotion.

It was only natural.

Wade had poured all his strength into this attack.

Just moments ago, when the man’s attack had annihilated the space within the crater.

Wade had resisted the man’s assault with all his might.

The principle behind the man’s annihilation of space was to gather immense energy and unleash it in an instant.

If that were the case, then cutting through that energy could suppress the annihilation.

Wade had judged this and swung his sword, wrapped in energy.

With the intent to cleave it before it could explode.

And Wade’s plan succeeded; he managed to cut through it before the energy could detonate.

However, what Wade had severed was merely a part, limited to his immediate surroundings.

As for the rest, there was nothing Wade could do.

Thus, Wade was naturally swept away by the surrounding explosion.

Of course, even amidst it all, he took measures to protect himself.

He summoned his will and magic, striving to shield his body as much as possible.

Yet, it was too much to fully withstand an explosion that could even annihilate space itself, and Wade ultimately sustained serious injuries.

At that moment, Wade thought.

This cannot continue.

If the battle drags on, he had no chance of winning.

Therefore, Wade poured all his strength into it.

He channeled everything he had into his sword.

As a result, he was able to unleash a radiant sword aura unlike anything he had ever seen before.

However, the attack infused with Wade’s full power yielded no results.

It was not blocked by a barrier, nor had the man regenerated his body once more.

It was simply halted by the arm the man casually extended.

In that realization, Wade felt an unprecedented shock.

As he staggered from the impact, the man spoke.

“You’ve grown weak, Ferdion.”

The man said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“Right now, you don’t even measure up to your past self.”

It was not mockery; the man was genuinely lamenting.

That the Wade before him fell short of his expectations.

That his strength did not compare to what he had once shown.

“Your past self was strong.”

In a calm voice, the man recounted the past.

“Though you could not kill me, though it cost me my life, your past self had driven me from this world.”

His gaze drifted away, as if recalling the past.

“I was pushed back by a mere human.”

Even as he spoke of his failure to achieve his goal, there was not a hint of displeasure on the man’s face.

No, rather, a serene smile lingered there.

“Back then, you were strong. Despite being merely human, you possessed a strength that transcended humanity.”

But.

“Now, you are weak.”

The man’s gaze directed at Wade sank heavily for the first time.

“Look. Your sword, wielded with all your might, couldn’t even cut my skin.”

Spitting out those words in a voice as cold as ice, the man slowly raised his arm.

“This is your last chance, Ferdion.”

Whoosh—

A foreboding energy surged once more from the man’s body.

“Please, do not disappoint me.”

*

────!

‘…Why?’

As I dodged the explosion, escaping the annihilation of space, I pondered.

Why was it that, despite having bestowed my regenerative power, the man could still regenerate his body intact?

Why was it that my sword, infused with my full power, couldn’t even sever the man’s arm?

I kept thinking about those questions.

…No, in truth, there was no need to ponder.

A simple and straightforward answer already lay before me.

Even if the man had pierced through my sword and regenerated again, the fact remained that my sword, charged with my power, couldn’t even inflict a wound on him.

The shocking outcome revealed one undeniable truth.

It was simply that my strength could not reach the man.

That was both the answer and the truth.

The shadow of despair quietly raised its head within my heart.

If it were merely a matter of my power being blocked, it wouldn’t have been this severe.

The problem lay in how it was blocked.

The man casually deflected my sword.

He didn’t create a barrier, nor did he forge armor with that immense energy.

He simply extended his arm.

There was nothing special about it.

—

Yet, my sword was blocked.

By the arm that merely reached out ahead.

I couldn’t even inflict a wound on that arm.

It was a result so despairing that I couldn’t help but feel the darkness closing in.

Swish!

I swung the sword again. And cut through the energy that threatened to explode.

Even in the midst of despair clouding my heart, I did not stop moving.

However, there was no longer any hope in that movement.

It was merely a reflexive action.

I was just swinging the sword to avoid death.

Originally, I should have been thinking about what to do next, about a counterattack, but my mind was blank.

Slowly, I was sinking into a bottomless swamp of despair.

It was then.

Vroom—

I subtly lifted my head at the vibration I felt in my hand.

“……”

For some reason, the sword in my hand was vibrating.

I felt a sense of wonder.

I couldn’t discern the cause of that vibration.

It wasn’t a vibration I had caused.

It wasn’t the sword’s cry responding to my will and magic.

The sword was vibrating even though I hadn’t done anything.

It continued, continued to vibrate.

*

In what felt like the end of the world, in an explosion that seemed no one could endure for even a moment, Wade was holding on.

He was clinging to life.

Yet, there was no ease in that appearance.

With every swing of the sword, with every defense against the man’s attacks, Wade was growing weary and sustaining injuries.

The man, watching the scene with a dry, expressionless gaze,

Slowly shook his head.

—

“…Is this all there is, in the end?”

He murmured calmly.

In his voice, in the gaze directed at Wade, there was no longer any trace of interest.

Centuries ago, the man had fought against Ferdion.

And as a result of that battle, he had to return to his world without achieving his goal.

The outcome left him deeply shocked.

Shocked that he had failed to achieve his purpose, and that he had been thwarted by a mere human.

To the man, humans had always been like dust.

Creatures so insignificant that they didn’t warrant a glance or concern; that was what humans were.

Yet, he had been forced to yield to such a being.

To him, it was nothing short of defeat.

He had been defeated by the very humans he had looked down upon as mere trifles.

Thus, the man returned to his world, filled with anticipation.

Anticipation that, after some time, the door would open once more.

That he would reunite with Ferdion again.

And that they would battle once more.

Ferdion was dead, but the man knew.

He knew that Ferdion would return to stand in his way again.

And the man’s foresight became reality.

The door opened again, and the man crossed worlds, only to find Ferdion’s reincarnation blocking his path once more.

However, this Ferdion, upon their reunion, was weakened.

His strength, speed, swordsmanship—none of it compared to the Ferdion of the past.

A strike delivered with all his might couldn’t even pierce the skin.

Even so, he was given another chance, but the light attack he executed couldn’t break through, and he was struggling to survive.

At that sight, the man completely lost interest.

“I suppose it’s time to end this.”

There was no time to waste on a fight that held no interest.

The man raised his hand once more.

To bring everything to an end.

Suu─

A surge of energy erupted from the man once more.

Yet, it was different from the energies he had felt before.

The ominous essence remained unchanged.

However, its intensity was different.

Just by existing in that place, it was gnawing at the space around it.

The world was trembling.

That utterly malevolent energy soon transformed into a storm, beginning to swirl violently.

“It’s over, Ferdion.”

With the man’s calm declaration, the storm writhed.

Then, it surged toward Wade.

────!

The dreadfully ominous storm swept through, devouring everything in its path.

The man watched the scene with an impassive gaze.

He thought that the storm he had conjured would soon erase Wade’s existence from this world without a trace.

However.

“……!”

The man’s impassive expression shattered completely in no time.

His eyes widened, and astonishment took root in that moment.

Gradually, the corners of his mouth, which had held only coldness, began to rise.

“…Yes, it can’t be just that.”

Before he knew it, a smile had returned to his face.

Reflected in his eyes, now shining with light, was the sight of Wade glaring at him with sharp eyes like a blade, and the sky split in two by the storm.