Ch. 108
Chapter 108
I took a step back and spoke.
“Really…… was this all you had?”
A murmur spread through the stands.
“Is it just me, or does Lin Winterbell, the one called Winterbell’s mad dog, look like she’s being pushed back…?”
“No way, another upset isn’t happening again, right? Damn it! I bet my entire fortune this time!”
They could feel it too. The sight of that ruthless Mad Wolf’s sword collapsing helplessly before Lord Ran’s blade.
“Damn it! You son of a bitch!”
Lin’s sword split the air once more. Her strike, loaded with explosive force, was as sharp as the claws of a beast. A piercing sound rang out as it tore through the air of the training ground.
But to my eyes, everything moved slowly.
The instinct forged from my previous life read through all of her movements.
‘Has she regressed all this time? Or is she hiding her strength? She doesn’t even live up to the name of Mad Wolf.’
I muttered as I slipped past her blade.
Lin’s swordsmanship was certainly powerful.
But right now, it was nothing more than the simple release of strength. Rather than swordsmanship, it felt closer to reckless swinging.
True swordsmanship required more than that.
“Noona. Really…… is this all? Did you provoke me with only this level of skill? It seems far from enough to back up the words you spat out with that foul mouth.”
“It seems you truly wish to die.”
“Do you really think that level is enough to make it happen?”
Lin Winterbell’s eyes flashed. Her sword surged toward me with even greater ferocity. A barrage of consecutive strikes poured down like rain.
The sound of clashing blades filled the training ground. But her attacks only made her weaknesses more apparent.
A sword driven by anger had far too many openings.
Swiing-!
My blade slipped past her attack and, in turn, aimed for her thigh.
“Kuugh!”
Lin barely twisted her body to avoid it, but the hem of her clothes was torn. Gasps erupted from the audience.
“Incredible. Ran Winterbell!”
The Mad Wolf of Winterbell had been pushed onto the defensive.
Her voice trembled.
“…You’ve grown this strong in such a short time?”
It seemed her pride had been wounded. But that was only natural. She, who had once been the pride of the family, was now showing such helplessness before the sword of her abandoned youngest brother.
I smiled as I spoke.
“I didn’t expect your skills to be at this level, Noona.”
“Shut up!!!”
Lin’s sword flashed once more. Her body spun as she unleashed a flurry of strikes. It was a dazzling technique, delivering three attacks in a single step.
But now, I no longer felt any threat from her attacks. Rather, her movements appeared even clearer to me. As if I were watching in slow motion.
“When you get angry, your sword falls apart, Noona.”
At my words, Lin’s face twisted even further.
Her sword moved faster, but it only served to exhaust her more.
Then—
“!”
“You filthy bastard…….”
The look in Lin’s eyes changed.
A cold killing intent rose from her entire body.
My body instinctively tensed.
‘Yes. That’s it. This is what Lin Winterbell should be.’
Her movements changed.
No longer emotional attacks, but the instinctive swordsmanship born from the blood of Winterbell had begun.
Swaaaak-!
Lin’s blade cut through the air.
It was a completely different speed from before.
It was so fast that the trajectory of her sword could no longer be seen.
‘That was dangerous.’
I hastily twisted my body.
Her blade grazed past my shoulder.
A vivid wound was revealed through the torn fabric.
“Are you finally going to show your true self now?”
“……”
Lin did not answer.
Instead, her sword answered.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
A barrage of consecutive strikes poured down. Each swing was so powerful that every motion tore through the air, producing explosive sounds again and again. Not a single movement was wasted.
If the first strike was blocked, the second followed. If that missed, the third was already waiting.
‘Ferocious beyond measure. It’s hard to believe she’s the same person from just moments ago.’
Only now was I fully realizing why she was called Winterbell’s Mad Wolf.
Within her blade coexisted pure violence and genius.
It was a swordsmanship that belonged to her alone—something no one else could replicate.
‘What astonishing talent. To think all of them are born within a single generation, in one family.’
Why so many people howled the name of Winterbell.
Why they coveted their blood.
I could feel it to my bones.
Lin Winterbell’s blade brushed past my neck.
I barely avoided it, but cold sweat ran down my back.
Had I been even a moment slower, my head would have been severed.
“Haah… haah….”
My breathing grew ragged.
This was no longer a situation where I could afford composure.
Lin Winterbell’s attacks were growing faster, and their power was only increasing.
‘Her mana is clearly sealed…….’
It was hard to believe she could produce this level of strength and speed with pure physical ability alone.
This was the true power of Winterbell blood.
Swaaaak-!
Once again, her blade cut through the air.
This time I ducked to avoid it, but a few strands of my hair were sliced away.
A cold smile formed on Lin Winterbell’s lips.
“Just a moment ago, you were running your mouth like you were something special. Why are you keeping it shut now?”
“……”
“There’s nowhere left to run, youngest.”
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Our blades collided in midair. Lin’s relentless assault continued, and I was gradually being pushed onto the defensive.
Even with her mana sealed, the pressure emanating from Lin Winterbell’s sword was overwhelming.
“That’s—!”
“Is Winterbell’s Mad Wolf finally showing her true power? So she was holding back until now.”
“But Ran Winterbell isn’t ordinary either.”
“To think it would be at this level…….”
Gasps continued from the stands. It was a battle no one could take their eyes off. Especially the gamblers, who watched the movements of the two with bated breath.
Lin Winterbell’s blade grazed my left arm.
The fabric tore, and blood seeped out.
First blood had been drawn.
A cold smile lingered on Lin’s lips. Her sword grew even faster.
“Is this all you’ve got? No, it isn’t. Show me more. More!”
An overwhelming sequence of strikes—five attacks in a single step. The trajectory of her blade was so fast that only afterimages remained. I barely raised my sword to block, but her monstrous strength forced me backward.
“…Kugh.”
What tremendous power.
My palm had turned red and swollen. Pain spread through every joint of the fingers gripping my sword. Even my bones trembled.
“I-Is that even possible?”
“How can she have that kind of strength without mana……?”
“As expected of the Mad Wolf. Truly incredible.”
“Maybe we expected too much from Ran Winterbell after seeing just one match…….”
The stands buzzed with noise.
Each time I took a step back, trembling cheers erupted.
It was the moment the fate of the bets was being decided.
Moonlight reflected off Lin Winterbell’s blade.
Sharp strikes, like the claws of a wolf, continued to descend.
Wounds began to accumulate across my body.
Shoulder, forearm, thigh.
Although the wounds were not deep, as their number increased, it was inevitable that my movements would grow sluggish.
‘This kind of monstrous strength is suddenly appearing?’
Cold sweat ran down my forehead. It was hard to believe that such power and speed could be produced without mana.
This was the moment when the physical blessing of Winterbell was being fully displayed.
I was gradually being pushed back by Lin Winterbell’s overwhelming offensive, driven toward the edge of the training ground. There was no sign of her attacks slowing down in the slightest.
“Have you been hiding your strength until now?”
Lin’s cold voice rang out.
“While you were growing, did you think I was just sitting around doing nothing? You pathetic bastard.”
A laugh escaped me without realizing it.
I had known from the start.
That she wasn’t going all out.
Even now, she still wasn’t using her full strength.
Just like me, she was looking down on me.
At her core, she believed she held the advantage.
And that was only natural. No matter how extraordinary my recent growth had been, the children of the Winterbell family were all geniuses by default.
Born with talent bestowed by the heavens and bodies granted by the gods, there was no way they would feel inferior to someone like me, who had lived as a cripple my entire life.
“Go on. Struggle all you want.”
Lin Winterbell’s blade split the air once more. This time, the strike was even more powerful.
The moment our swords collided, a shockwave spread outward.
“……!”
My foot slipped. Pushed back by Lin Winterbell’s monstrous strength, I nearly dropped to one knee on the training ground floor. I barely managed to steady myself, but the situation was steadily worsening.
Lin slowly approached.
Her eyes were filled with certainty of victory.
The gaze of a predator that had locked onto its prey.
“Shall we start wrapping this up?”
I looked at her and, instead, smiled.
“Haha! …You’re laughing? Has this lunatic lost his mind? You’re still laughing in a situation like this?”
How could I not laugh?
Watching my sister act so arrogantly without even knowing her place.
It felt as if Cecil’s voice echoed in my ears.
-Young Master. You truly have poor taste. Stop dragging this out and finish it already.
Right.
This friendly match was a tournament format anyway.
Even if I defeated Lin Winterbell here, monsters like Ryan Winterbell and Lux Winterbell were waiting above.
No matter how fast the body could recover, mental fatigue was not so easily resolved.
To prepare for the next match, the most efficient choice was to end this one as quickly as possible.
My aura changed.
As if Lin Winterbell had noticed it as well, she suddenly began to create distance from me.
Thump. Thump.
My heart began to pound violently.
Hoo. Hoo.
My breathing grew rough, and blood surged throughout my entire body.
A sensation as if my whole body were burning.
My perception speed rose rapidly.
The surrounding view seemed to freeze, as if time itself had stopped.
“……”
Right.
There was no need to drag this out.
I had been curious how strong she had become, and what kind of stimulation she could offer me……
But I could confirm that later.
Crack.
As I stepped down, spiderweb-like fractures spread across the floor of the training ground.
In the next instant, I kicked off the ground.
My figure disappeared.
No—
It hadn’t truly disappeared; I had simply moved so fast that it appeared that way for a moment.
“……!”
The next moment, I appeared at Lin Winterbell’s right side. Without a shred of hesitation, I swung my sword toward her flank.
Kwaang!
“Oh? You blocked that?”
Lin Winterbell stopped my blade with beast-like reflexes. From the impact, her body was pushed backward, and from the arm gripping her sword came a crack—.
Had she been even a moment slower, her side would have been cleanly cut open.
“Now then, let’s do this properly, Noona.”