Chapter 541

Book 1 Chapter 541

541.

Leo launched himself off the dirt.

He erased the space separating him from Berkhia with astonishing velocity.

The swiftness of his advance appeared to completely defy the very idea of momentum.

Clang—!

Right then, an obstruction met Leo’s blade.

He slightly closed his eyes to focus.

Without him even noticing, Berkhia had already drawn a weapon into his grasp.

Ring-clatter-shatter—!

Brilliant embers erupted where the metals met.

Right then, Leo’s eyes dilated.

‘Super-senses.’

In a flash, he unlocked that heightened state of perception.

Simultaneously, he funneled his internal energy across his entire physical form.

Strike after strike echoed continuously!

Within a microscopic fragment of time, a dozen flashes flared, forcing both combatants’ blades to rebound off one another at the exact same moment.

Leo focused his gaze.

A total of ten strikes had been traded during that single breath.

Thump—!

The moment his boot made contact with the earth, Leo lunged directly at Berkhia once more.

Pointing his weapon, he delivered a piercing strike.

Berkhia, completely averting his gaze from his foe, pirouetted sharply in reverse using his anchored leg as an axis.

His edge sliced directly toward Leo’s throat.

Thump—!

Right then, Leo flattened his hand against the flat of Berkhia’s blade, exerting pressure.

The weapon refused to budge, feeling as immovable as an immense mountain ridge.

Yet, Leo remained perfectly calm.

Altering the trajectory of the strike had never been his goal anyway.

Swish—!

Leo propelled himself skyward with immense speed.

Leveraging the sheer resistance of Berkhia’s guard, he lifted his weight into the air to dodge the incoming slash.

Clink—!

Berkhia rotated his hand, aiming to sever Leo’s fingers.

Shoving the opposing steel aside, Leo created some breathing room.

Zip—!

Seizing the opening, Berkhia instantly pressed forward to close the gap.

Whoosh-whoosh-snap—!

The sharp whistle of a weapon slicing empty air filled the space.

‘There is a total void.’

He could sense absolutely nothing behind the trajectory of that weapon.

There was no fury, no fervor, and not a trace of murderous desire.

This made complete sense.

The entity that was once Berkhia had completely lost his mind.

All that survived was the primal drive of an undead ghoul, seeking to drag the living down into the abyss with him.

Therefore, an absence of malice was perfectly logical.

Leo slid his hand further up the handle, securing his stance.

He repositioned his fingers so that his thumb and index finger were nearly brushing the metal itself, effectively extending the leverage of the handle’s base.

Thump—!

Leo plunged straight back toward Berkhia, who had already arrived right before him.

Clack! Clash!

Steel met steel in a relentless rhythm, sending shrill echoes through the air.

A rapid-fire succession of metallic rings pierced the atmosphere as the edges grated against each other.

Shards of weaponized aura erupted into the surrounding space, shredding the immediate environment into ruins.

Rip— tear—

Stray shards of refined energy sliced through Leo’s skin.

Crimson liquid began to flow from numerous small wounds across his flesh, yet he remained utterly indifferent to the pain.

In that exact fraction of a second.

Leo relaxed his fingers, easing his hold.

The weapon shifted slightly along his palm.

As a result, the tempo of his offensive slightly.

Very slightly, delayed.

It was an incredibly reckless gamble.

Amidst such an unrelenting flurry of strikes, even the slightest miscalculation could mean having his weapon knocked away entirely, but Leo’s focus never wavered.

This miniscule yet deliberate disruption in his rhythm threw off Berkhia’s perception of proximity.

The strategy itself was straightforward.

But it was an unconventional gambit that left absolutely zero margin for error.

A failure here would prove deadly, but the potential reward was equally guaranteed.

Rip—!

Leo’s edge sliced through the forearm of Berkhia’s weapon arm.

Under normal circumstances, this would mark the end of the duel.

Yet Berkhia showed no pause whatsoever, pushing even closer into Leo’s personal space.

Crash—!

Utilizing his remaining intact hand, he hammered down on the rear of the hand Leo used to grip his weapon.

Leo absorbed the brunt of the blow with his defensive gear.

Even so, his left hand holding the hilt felt utterly shattered.

To any standard martial artist, such damage would be completely debilitating.

Yet Leo didn’t even flinch, driving his knuckles straight into the midsection of the advancing Berkhia.

Crack—!

Accompanied by a strange thud, Berkhia was launched backward.

Yet, even while airborne, Berkhia managed to grab his own severed hand as it drifted through the air, simultaneously delivering a brutal kick to Leo’s upper limb.

Snap—!

The bone inside Leo’s right arm fractured completely, leaving it limp.

Smash-shatter-boom—!

The hurtling form of Berkhia smashed through nearby structures, bringing multiple walls tumbling down.

Eiran and Chen Xia watched with wide, stunned eyes as the confrontation played out.

“They operate on a completely different level,” Lunia whispered, her voice shaking.

Though she possessed no training as a warrior, she could easily perceive the incomprehensibly elevated tier of the duel happening right before her eyes.

From her vantage point, the clash truly belonged to an entirely separate league.

“It goes far beyond mere skill levels,” Eiran added, gulping nervously.

“We are looking at an entirely separate realm of existence.”

“Precisely,” Chen Xia agreed, following Eiran’s thought.

She tightly balled her hands into fists.

“They exist in separate realities.”

‘This is the clash of individuals forged by that harrowing age.’

She finally comprehended the deeper meaning behind Leo’s previous statements.

Their life paths were fundamentally distinct, and there was no changing that fact.

‘They belong to separate generations. The conflicts they endured and the frequency with which they looked death in the face simply cannot be compared.’

The world is full of powerful figures.

However, a war zone is an environment defined by infinite unpredictability.

It acts almost like a shifting beast that continuously consumes human existence.

Having power does not secure your survival in the trenches.

By the same token, lacking strength does not automatically doom you to perish there.

Yet, those who manage to rise above the chaos of conflict are truly formidable.

‘This is a fundamental, immutable fact.’

This realization was the reason Chen Xia used to believe she might eventually catch up to Leo.

He simply appeared to be far ahead, separated by a massive distance.

However…

‘That is an insurmountable barrier.’

Chen Xia bit down on her lip.

Simply surviving skirmishes and putting one’s life on the line wasn’t enough to bridge the gap.

She understood now that only by breaking past that specific barrier could she ever hope to stand beside him.

Both Chen Xia and Eiran had witnessed Leo’s blade work on numerous occasions.

On every occasion, they found themselves in awe of his mastery.

Although his slashes appeared straightforward, an immense amount of tactical deception was woven into every motion.

Yet, observing him today made her realize there was a much deeper layer to his art.

‘It is due to the fact that his foe is Lord Berkhia.’

This bore no resemblance to his practice match against Arion.

During that encounter, neither fighter was genuinely trying to kill the other.

This time, however, the stakes were entirely real.

Leo’s genuine lethal resolve was channeled directly into his blade.

These were weapons wielded by survivors of a cataclysmic age, intended to end lives.

‘This transcends random elements or unpredictable strategies… those notions are irrelevant here.’

Hadn’t Arion mentioned that his heightened perception allowed him to anticipate future events mid-fight?

In the eyes of Eiran and Chen Xia, Leo appeared to be achieving an identical feat.

By manipulating circumstances and forcing irregularities, he dictated his opponent’s movements perfectly.

In essence, during those brief split-seconds, it was effectively equivalent to clairvoyance.

The distinction laid in the fact that Arion’s precognition was an innate gift honed to perfection through grueling practice, whereas Leo’s version was an artificial replication of a talent he lacked inherently.

‘Now it makes sense why Young Master Leo claimed he stood no chance against Lord Arion.’

Against Arion, the latter would simply foresee the coming seconds through his advanced senses and evade accordingly.

Facing that genuine prophetic gift, Leo’s simulated technique would fall short.

Yet, that reality didn’t diminish anything.

Eiran and Chen Xia felt an even greater sense of awe toward Leo’s capabilities, which mirrored innate genius solely through unmatched dedication.

Furthermore, their adversary was also a factor.

Berkhia was operating within that identical transcendent space.

“Can such a thing truly be achieved?”

“Logics and standard rules went out the window a long time ago,” Chen Xia replied to Lunia’s query.

“What do you mean by that?”

“At this moment, Lord Berkhia’s conscious mind is entirely gone.”

“I understand that.”

“Which signifies that nothing but the raw impulses of an undead entity are left.”

“Correct. He is completely lost to rage, isn’t he?”

“Precisely. Yet despite being consumed by madness, he isn’t merely swinging blindly; his execution of the blade perfectly mirrors the precision of Young Master Leo, doesn’t it?”

That observation was entirely accurate.

Usually, a mindless undead simply wreaks havoc indiscriminately.

A crazed sorcerer would flatten everything with chaotic, crude bursts of energy.

A legendary figure of Berkhia’s status possessed enough raw destructive power to wipe multiple kingdoms off the face of the earth single-handedly.

Instead, Berkhia was demonstrating incredibly refined blade techniques, as though guided by conscious intent.

He was matching Leo blow for blow on a leveled playing field.

This was an entirely unprecedented sight for Lunia.

Up to this point, Leo had always overcome adversaries with superior energy reserves by relying heavily on his tactical knowledge and seasoned expertise.

Yet Berkhia, despite lacking any conscious sanity, exhibited a level of mastery that rivaled Leo’s own.

It indicated that Berkhia’s deep-seated reflexes were inherently attuned to this masterful standard.

“Can that… really happen?”

“Given that he is executing it before us, it clearly can.”

Chen Xia tightened her grip into solid fists.

She could not fathom the sheer volume of training required to embed such movements into one’s very reflexes.

It borderlined on supernatural perfection.

‘And here I believed I was narrowing the gap.’

She felt a surge of self-derision for ever harboring such naive thoughts.

Nonetheless…

‘I refuse to halt my progress.’

Chen Xia kept her focused gaze locked onto Leo’s figure.

She wasn’t alone in this sentiment.

Both Lunia and Eiran were also transfixed by the clash between these two titans from the age of devastation, each harboring the quiet aspiration to one day stand beside and defend that unyielding, solitary figure.

“How does the combat look right now?”

“…Had Lord Berkhia been among the living, Leo’s previous maneuver would have granted him a decisive advantage. However, in his current undead state, Berkhia…”

“Damn it…!”

Lunia pressed her teeth against her lip.

“Is there truly no way for us to assist?”

“At the moment…”

Eiran’s features tightened with irritation.

“It appears… we have company.”

“Pardon?”

Hearing Chen Xia’s alert, both Lunia and Eiran stared in shock.

They followed the path of Chen Xia’s gaze, turning their eyes upward.

Out of the heavens, a vanguard of armored warriors and spellcasters was making its descent.

Lunia’s expression darkened instantly at the sight.

“The Templars of Elden.”

Having personally witnessed the corruption hidden beneath the foundations of Elden, Lunia felt an immense loathing for them.

Her companions shared this sentiment, as a collective wave of revulsion spread across the expressions of Eiran and Chen Xia as well.

While Chen Xia monitored the descending forces with an icy stare, a sudden vibration occurred.

Hum—!

Hidden against her chest, Bihare’s dagger began to thrum with energy once more.

Surprised, Chen Xia wrapped her fingers around the hilt.

In that very instant, a mental transmission leaked from the weapon:

Master… Berkhia…

Utter confusion washed over Chen Xia’s features upon hearing the entity speaking through the relic.

‘Could this individual be…’

“Forebear?”

Refrain from addressing me by that title, the tone echoed with profound solemnity.

For I have forfeited any right to it.

Leo squeezed the fingers of his weapon hand into a tight knot, battling a wave of agonizing torment.

‘The skeletal structure is completely pulverized.’

He glanced down toward his primary hand before shifting his gaze to his opposite limb.

The agony radiating from his right side easily matched the throbbing in his left hand.

His right arm hung completely limp, resembling a snapped twig.

‘This limb is undoubtedly fractured as well.’

Leo surged his internal energy outward.

Snap! Pop! Grind—!

Tendons and muscle tissue reinforced by pure aura violently locked the shattered pieces of bone back into alignment.

Restorative sorcery was not his forte, though with sufficient breathing room, he could typically piece skeletal damage back together.

However, Leo abstained from that course of action.

In the brief interval required to manifest such spells, Berkhia would immediately exploit the opening.

Furthermore, the strange physical sensations of cellular regeneration would disrupt his combat rhythm.

Naturally, using raw energy to forcibly bind structural damage generated incredible agony.

Yet to Leo, physical suffering could not derail his concentration; it was a deeply accustomed companion.

The journey he had undertaken throughout his life had been far too brutal for mere physical trauma to slow his steps.

Wounds, in truth, felt like old acquaintances.

A sudden chuckle leaked from his lips despite the circumstances.

This wasn’t out of appreciation for the agony, but rather because this intense, relentless duel sent an exhilarating rush through his veins.

“Your growth is truly remarkable.”

It felt completely out of place given their life-or-death struggle.

Even so, witnessing the exceptional strength attained by his former student brought him genuine satisfaction.

‘An outside observer would certainly brand me a lunatic.’

Yet such opinions carried no weight.

Without a touch of madness, surviving that dark historical epoch would have been an impossibility.

“I truly wished to share a war zone with you, Berkhia, after you reached your prime.”

He spoke aloud, knowing his voice could no longer penetrate the target’s mind.

“I similarly desired to fight alongside Bihare, stepping out from the shadows to stand proudly as a champion.”

Expressing a longing that was forever out of reach, Leo leveled his blade once more.

“We are far from finished, correct?”

Rumble—!

Seemingly in answer to his challenge, a torrential mix of mana and aura erupted from Berkhia, whose separated hand had already seamlessly bound itself back to his arm.

Note this development, Leo remarked,

“Show me the absolute limit of your power.”

Right as Leo prepared to discharge his elemental energy, a new presence made itself known.

“My, my, what a pity.”

A voice laced with mock sorrow drifted over.

“To think a legendary pillar of the esteemed elven race has been reduced to a foul corpse.”

Leo shifted his gaze toward the source.

Approaching their position was a young elf wearing the attire of an academic.

“A truly lamentable turn of phrase.”

The newcomer, Ulein, maintained a sorrowful look while addressing Leo directly, ignoring Berkhia’s presence entirely.

“I have long sought an audience with you, Leo Flobe. I am known as Ulein, the presiding Speaker of the municipal council here…”

Whiz-clash—!

In a flash, Leo launched his weapon straight at Ulein’s skull.

Shattering through the protective warding, the tip of Leo’s blade ground to a halt a mere inch from Ulein’s nose.

Having hurled his primary weapon, Leo stared ahead with a completely vacant, cold countenance.

“Repeat that. Which individual did you just call foul?”

Ulein gestured toward Berkhia while offering a strained grin.

“I was referring specifically to that entity over there.”

An icy, murderous aura instantly locked onto the elf from Leo’s gaze.