Chapter 219

Chapter 219
## God’s Flesh Hybrid

A solitary flash.

The only thing the onlookers could perceive was Batus starting his charge.

They couldn’t even process the sight of Batus’s head hitting the dirt and rolling away.

“……”

The King of Balan was struck dumb.

His pupils, however, would not stop shaking.

Wasn’t that man undeniably a master of sword aura?

A warrior at the peak of his craft, wielding energy as resilient as tempered steel.

The belief that he was the realm’s greatest protector crumbled in under sixty seconds.

‘Is that man truly the weakest of King Friedrich’s circle?’

It was inconceivable.

Perhaps there was some deception involved.

He hadn’t even witnessed the blade leaving its sheath.

“Your Majesty. He utilizes a high-speed blade technique pushed to its absolute limit. It has been quite some time since I encountered a practitioner of battōjutsu.”

“…Abdullah. You actually saw it?”

“I did. Furthermore, battōjutsu leaves the practitioner entirely exposed if that initial strike misses its mark. It is essentially a gamble on whether that one blow is parried. Batus did not fall due to a lack of skill.”

Abdullah, the King of Balan’s personal guardian, spoke with unwavering certainty.

He urged the King not to ruminate on the loss.

It was simply a high-stakes collision of single-strike kills.

Not a reflection of weakness.

Yet, in contrast to Abdullah’s professional view…

“…Tragic.”

King Friedrich’s judgment was ice-cold.

His face remained a mask of eternal boredom.

Everything was proceeding exactly as he foresaw.

What point was there in this contest?

It wasn’t merely tedious—it was soul-crushing.

“I am amending the format. We shall move from a tournament to survival. The fighting continues until Shala is slain. If the five champions you brought cannot overcome a single Shala, then this realm has no justification for its continued existence.”

“So suddenly…?!”

Tinkering with the rules in the middle of the event.

It was an insult.

Just as the Balan King prepared to protest…

“Your Majesty. This is actually quite fortunate.”

His personal knight, Abdullah, wore a thin smile.

A blueprint for triumph had formed in his mind.

The Balan King looked at him, confused.

“Fortunate?”

“We have already analyzed Shala’s method. We can secure this win with ease.”

“You are certain?”

“Completely. The second bout must be ours. Only then can we reclaim the kingdom’s spirit.”

Batus had perished too quickly for any morale to build.

The King gave a slow nod.

He placed his faith in Abdullah.

And with good reason—the man was a powerhouse.

‘There can be only one: The King’s Direct Knight.’

That title alone was a testament to his prowess.

Only one person could hold that specific rank.

In reality, Abdullah was the most formidable warrior outside of the Knight King himself.

Even surpassing Serengeti.

He had simply been absent from the great crusade because his duty was to remain at the monarch’s side.

Abdullah would undoubtedly bring home the victory.

“Long live the Balan Kingdom! Glory to our realm!”

“Sir Abdullah!”

—

Through the deafening cheers, Abdullah walked calmly into the fighting pit.

It wasn’t a matter of whether he could succeed.

Failure was not an option.

“I see. Shala’s next opponent is the sovereign’s own shadow.”

King Friedrich gave a quiet, mocking laugh.

The meaning behind the smirk was a mystery, but he seemed genuinely entertained by the turn of events.

‘If only Wilhelm were standing here…’

Knight King Wilhelm.

If he still drew breath, would King Friedrich dare mock the Balan Kingdom so openly?

Could he maintain that smug posture?

Abdullah regulated his breathing as memories of Wilhelm surfaced.

In those days, fear was a foreign concept.

No one would have dreamed of disrespecting the Balan Kingdom.

It felt like only yesterday they were charging across emerald plains as brothers in arms.

Now, Wilhelm was gone.

Reduced to a memory.

Abdullah hadn’t been there for the end.

He had hidden behind the duty of guarding the King.

If he could turn back the clock… Abdullah would have marched in that crusade to shield Wilhelm.

He realized too late that protecting Wilhelm was the true way to protect the King and the country.

‘Can I ever fill that gap?’

No.

He knew he couldn’t.

The world heaped praise upon him, calling him the King’s Knight, but Abdullah knew the truth.

His skill couldn’t even reach the shadow of Wilhelm’s feet.

Despite a life of constant labor, Wilhelm’s talent was a fathomless ocean.

That crushing power.

Very few had actually seen the true depth of Wilhelm’s strength.

He was a modest man who never paraded his genius.

‘I am sure of it. He could have even brought down the Demon King.’

He was convinced Wilhelm wouldn’t have faltered against such a foe.

…So why had he never come home?

He had intended to throw a massive celebration and listen to war stories over cold ale.

Had even Wilhelm’s might been insufficient to slay the Demon King?

Just how terrifying was that creature?

Could the human race even hope to prevail?

‘Because I was afraid. I was too terrified… to even ask Serengeti.’

Serengeti had come back alive.

The only member of Wilhelm’s inner circle who had been by his side.

He wanted to ask.

How did Wilhelm fall? What were his final moments?

But the words wouldn’t come.

No one in the palace had the courage to ask.

Not even the King.

Wilhelm was more than a man; he was the kingdom’s soul, its greatest legend.

They simply weren’t ready to live in a world where their hero could die.

“I am Abdullah, Direct Knight to the King.”

…Abdullah finally spoke as he squared off with his foe.

The questions could wait until the duel was over.

The kingdom’s safety was the priority.

“Shala.”

The opposing warrior spoke at last.

It was a mesmerizing, melodic voice.

A woman’s voice so enchanting it made his pulse quicken just by the sound of it.

“Show me your technique, if you would.”

A slight nod.

Shala gave a tiny movement of her head.

She looked completely open.

Her posture was identical to the one she used against Batus.

‘Vacuum Sword.’

*Shiiiing!*

Abdullah’s blade hummed violently, wreathed in his unique sword aura.

His signature style, the Vacuum Sword, could shatter an opponent’s internal balance through mere contact.

‘A style I developed specifically to challenge Wilhelm, but…’

Not to kill him.

Just a desperate attempt to land one single blow.

On that frustratingly calm face—that man who always felt like he was wearing a mask, someone he could only look up to—he just wanted to prove he could touch him.

Now, there was no one left to witness this blade…

*Clang!*

the metal shrieked.

In the same breath, Abdullah lunged.

As he pierced Shala’s defensive perimeter.

*Flash—!*

A streak of light ignited.

The blade was out and carving a path in an instant.

But a quick-draw trick seen once would never work on a true veteran.

*Ziiing!*

The second the blades met, a heavy vibration thrummed through his bones.

Abdullah parried the lightning-fast draw, pulled his hilt to his sternum, dropped his center of gravity, and struck back before she could reset.

‘She won’t be moving so easily now…!’

Having felt the impact of the Vacuum Sword, she should be reeling from internal trauma.

She wouldn’t have time to dodge the next hit.

*Slash!*

…But his strike was knocked aside.

Abdullah had to twist in the air and land awkwardly to regain his footing.

‘What was that?’

His left shoulder was already drenched in red.

It looked as if a razor-thin aura had carved through him.

That wasn’t a standard sword.

“A dual wielder…?”

Shala had produced a secondary, much smaller blade.

Abdullah was momentarily stunned; he had never seen a quick-draw specialist utilize dual blades.

‘A parrying dagger for defense. A backup for when the draw fails.’

But the surprise was over. He wouldn’t be fooled again.

‘I see your pattern now.’

Abdullah adjusted his stride, taking shorter, more controlled steps.

He had mapped her reach and identified her hidden weapon—victory was now within reach.

Shala.

She could no longer touch him.

…That was the exact moment the world changed.

“Why is Sir Abdullah hesitating?”

“He’s just stopped moving?”

Confused murmurs rose from the stands.

Abdullah, who had been closing in on Shala, had come to a dead halt.

A look of pure shock washed over his face.

‘My body…’

His limbs were refusing his commands.

There was only one explanation for this sensation.

‘Venom!’

The dagger had been laced.

A dishonorable tactic for a knight’s challenge.

This was no knight.

But he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even twitch.

Even though a man of his caliber should be able to purge toxins with his mana.

This was a neurotoxin. Something so virulent that mana couldn’t wash it away.

*Swish.*

Shala began to glide forward.

A battle that ended only in a corpse.

Shala swung her blade casually, aiming for Abdullah’s throat.

*Clang!*

Abdullah forced his body to move through sheer willpower.

With a pained snarl, he knocked the blade aside, but his reflexes were agonizingly slow.

*Thud!*

In the following exchange, Abdullah’s left arm was hacked off.

…It was over.

He had lost because he failed to prepare for every dirty trick.

This wasn’t a fair fight; it was a war for the kingdom’s survival.

‘Ah.’

Crimson energy pooled on Shala’s edge.

I can’t stop this…

Shala swung with a horizontal arc meant to decapitate him.

*Slash!*

In that fleeting second,

The connection was severed.

‘Wait.’

He thought his head had been taken.

But when he blinked, Abdullah found himself standing in a different spot.

“……I will take over from here.”

“……Serengeti?”

He was standing where Serengeti had been.

Her unique ability—the position swap—had been triggered.

However, Serengeti had paid a price.

Shala’s blade had carved a jagged canyon across her chest.

She had dodged a killing blow, but if the bleeding wasn’t stopped, she was a dead woman walking.

“Why…?”

Abdullah barked at her, horrified by the sacrifice.

Serengeti gave a tired, faint smile.

“You aren’t allowed to die yet, Sir Abdullah.”

“You are our final card—why would you do this…!”

Even at full strength, she faced an uphill battle. Now she was mutilated.

Serengeti dismissed his concern.

“Don’t you have a reunion waiting for you?”

“What… what does that mean…?”

Someone he had to meet?

Surely she didn’t mean…

But that was a fantasy.

He had fallen during the crusade.

“And don’t you worry.”

*Whoooosh!*

A torrential downpour of aura exploded.

It was the purest white, radiating an untainted, blinding light.

A massive surge of power that dwarfed the energies of Batus or Abdullah!

The light flared out like celestial wings, painting the entire arena in brilliance.

In that luminous state, she turned to face Shala.

She threw a defiant, sharp look at King Friedrich and made her proclamation.

“I am winning this.”

—

The Abyss.

A realm of suffocating darkness where sight was a luxury.

A place where a lost continent was consumed, leaving behind a wake of impossible phenomena.

Logic held no sway here.

“……Sir Randolph. Are you not concerned for the Balan Kingdom?”

I was navigating this void alongside Isabella.

The group had been scattered the moment we crossed the threshold.

“You mean because of King Friedrich?”

“He is… the embodiment of pride. He has the Empire’s backing. He doesn’t even respect the Church. Marquis Wyzer and Serengeti are in danger…”

“They’ll be fine.”

“Pardon?”

Isabella looked at me, her head tilted in confusion at my lack of worry.

But I meant it.

The reason wasn’t complicated.

“Serengeti is resilient. Have faith in her.”

I wasn’t just talking about her combat stats.

Serengeti was strong in character.

She was like a midday sun that refused to be eclipsed, shining even more fiercely when the shadows lengthened.

Of course, that wasn’t my only reason for confidence.

“Even if things go south, the absolute worst-case scenario won’t happen.”

“…You seem very sure.”

“I bought an insurance policy.”

“……?”

Isabella still looked like she thought I was speaking in riddles.

I let out a small chuckle.

I’m not the kind of person who hears about ‘Pride’ at an imperial summit and then sits around doing nothing.

Naturally, I had made preparations.

A failsafe that guaranteed we wouldn’t lose everything.

But right now, the Abyss was the more pressing issue.

‘God’s Flesh Hybrid.’

…This dark expanse was its house.

Back at the Marquis’s estate when we were heading to Serengeti, the monster that tried to crawl out of the sinking warp was the God’s Flesh Hybrid.

It was tied to Main Quest 4: ‘Fill the Gap in the Dark Space.’

Luckily, we sealed the warps in time, keeping the Hybrid trapped.

If it had made it through then, I’d be a corpse.

‘I definitely recognized its gaze during the Jeju Island event.’

Later, after I took down Baal in the Abyss, a multitude of ‘Abyss Dwellers’ had watched me with predatory interest.

Its eye was among them.

That thing had been observing me with a disturbing level of fascination…

‘As if it recognized me.’

Looking back, it felt like it knew who I was from the very beginning.

《’God’s Flesh Hybrid’ is watching you, waiting for its moment.》

That message had appeared ever since I cleared Main Quest 4.

Long before I ever touched the Fragment of Ruin!

Why would the sovereign of the Abyss take a personal interest in a human? It was unprecedented.

And this trip into the Abyss felt exactly the same.

Finding ourselves in its territory didn’t feel like a stroke of bad luck.

…God’s Flesh Hybrid.

The entity hailed as the progenitor of all mixed breeds.

What exactly was it?