Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Boom!
The first clash occurred.
A sword imbued with crimson blood energy collided with a sword containing silver madness.
A thunderous roar, like lightning striking from the heavens, shook the training ground.
The shockwave spread in all directions, cracking the floor of the arena.
Boom!
The second clash.
An even more intense roar resounded.
With a sound as if the air itself were tearing apart, the two swords collided again.
Crimson blood energy and silver frost swirled, trying to devour each other.
The vibration reached even the spectator stands.
Boom!
The third clash was incomparably more intense than the previous ones.
A deafening explosion as if the sky itself were splitting apart.
The moment the two swords collided, a flash burst forth.
Crimson and silver intertwined, engulfing the entire training ground.
Continuous explosions rang out without pause.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was like thunder and lightning striking at the same time.
A vibration that shook the earth.
A sharp metallic sound that cut through the air.
Everything mixed together, creating a dreadful dissonance. Each time the swords collided, shockwaves spread outward.
The floor of the arena cracked like a spiderweb,
and shattered stone fragments poured down like rain.
The spectator stands fell into complete silence.
“……”
“……”
Unable even to breathe properly, everyone simply stared at the spectacle unfolding in the arena.
The betting slips clenched in the gamblers’ hands trembled violently. They were curious about how the match would end, but an even stronger thrill dominated their bodies.
Money no longer mattered.
All that remained was the desire to witness this moment in its entirety.
The faces of those seated in the nobles’ section turned pale.
The swordsmanship they knew was nothing like this.
The overwhelming spectacle made it hard to breathe.
Some unconsciously gripped the armrests of their chairs, while others broke into cold sweat, unable even to think of standing up.
‘This, this… is this the true power of Winterbell?’
‘The bloodline of Halla… to think it was this great.’
‘How marvelous. Just witnessing this scene makes the trip worthwhile. When I return to my territory, I must raise the level of my knights.’
‘It makes me want to take up the sword again.’
The thoughts of those seated in the Winterbell family section grew complicated.
The Ran Winterbell they knew was not like this.
The abandoned youngest. Half-crippled. That was about the extent of his evaluation.
But what they were witnessing now was a marvelous spectacle born from the pure blood of Winterbell and the blood of Halla.
Boom!
At the explosive roar that rang out once more, the hearts of the spectators trembled.
It was hard even to breathe.
Someone tried to speak, but no voice came out.
They could only watch the sword dance of the two, overwhelmed with awe.
From afar, Cecil’s gaze deepened.
She knew.
That this was not the end.
That the real battle was only beginning.
‘Young master. No, Van. It’s about time…’
Since it was a friendly match fought purely with swordsmanship and the body, with mana sealed, it might actually be difficult to steer things exactly as intended.
The tension in the stands reached its peak.
Amid the mingling of crimson blood energy and silver frost,
Ran Winterbell and Lin Winterbell.
The two siblings of the Winterbell family looked at each other and smiled. With blood filling their mouths and countless wounds covering their entire bodies, the sight of them smiling now resembled a pair of beasts.
The momentum of the Mad Frost Sword Dance reached its peak.
The light of reason completely vanished from Lin Winterbell’s eyes. With only pure madness remaining, her sword raged like a storm.
“Hahahaha! This is it! This is the kind of battle I’ve been waiting for!”
Her laughter rang out, bleak and piercing.
The blood-stained sword split the air.
A barrage of consecutive strikes poured down like rain.
Not a single movement was bound by rules or form.
A mad sword dance, driven purely by instinct.
But I did not evade.
Instead, I met it head-on.
Boom!
Even against Lin Winterbell’s overwhelming strength, I was no longer pushed back.
No—rather, I overpowered her with sheer force.
The moment silver madness and crimson blood energy collided,
our swords clashed.
The two forces exploded outward as if detonating.
Blood scattered in all directions, dyeing the training ground red.
It was a shocking sight, impossible to believe this was a duel without the use of mana.
“Uaaaaaagh!”
With Lin Winterbell’s scream, her strikes grew even fiercer.
Her silver hair whipped through the air as she danced in madness.
Ten strikes in a single step.
Dozens of killing blows in a single spin.
My sword received them all.
The trajectory of my blade, scattering blood, created a dazzling crimson lotus.
“More! Show me more!”
Lin’s sword grew even faster.
Having lost all reason, she now resembled a complete berserker.
A ruleless, formless, madness-driven sword dance completely dominated the arena.
Swaaak—!
Blood sprayed from my sword.
The blood energy flowing from my tattoo ran along the blade, blooming crimson flowers in the air.
A sight both beautiful and horrifying, like a painting drawn in blood.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Continuous collisions followed.
Every time our swords met,
blood scattered in all directions.
The floor of the training ground was completely stained red.
“Hahaha! Good! This is it!”
Lin’s laughter rang out even more tragically. From the repeated impacts, every joint in her body trembled. Her side had been completely gouged out, and her left ankle was crushed to the bone, yet she did not stop.
Her eyes were now filled with nothing but madness.
Her silver-white hair fluttered, as if dancing beneath moonlight.
But I had no intention of retreating. I dug deeper into the storm of her strikes, colliding with even greater force.
Each time I swung my sword, blood scattered,
and that blood flowed back along the blade, generating even greater power.
“Are you really trying to die?”
“Die? Who? Me? You? Hahahaha!”
“……You’re completely intoxicated.”
From my perspective, Lin Winterbell already seemed prepared to die. As if only one of us could leave this place alive, she ignored all pain and wounds and charged forward relentlessly.
Our mad battle continued.
Each strike we exchanged crossed the boundary of death, and the blood we scattered turned the arena into a crimson canvas.
The entire training ground was filled with the desperate beauty created by two forms of madness.
Whoooom!
A red trajectory split the air.
At the same time, Lin’s left arm flew into the air.
From the cleanly severed cross-section, blood spurted like a fountain.
Swaaaaa—!
“Kraaaaaagh!”
Yet the madness in Lin’s eyes did not fade.
If anything, it grew even more intense.
“Hahaha! You bastard! You youngest brat! You worthless worm actually cut off my arm! A cripple who couldn’t even walk on his own cut off my arm! My arm! My arm! Ihihihi!”
Dropping her sword, Lin Winterbell quickly extended her other arm and grabbed it again.
“You think this is enough to stop me?!”
She gripped the sword with her right hand.
Even as blood poured out, even as she staggered, she continued her assault without pause.
Most of the spectators in the stands felt an indescribable terror at the sight.
That… was a ghost.
A ghost mad with the sword.
…An evil spirit.
“I won’t stop until I cut off your head! Younger sibling! My damned younger sibling! More! Do more! Prove to me that you’re not a cripple, but the Wolf of Winterbell!!!”
Even after losing one arm, Lin Winterbell’s sword grew even sharper than before.
Her madness-filled silver eyes gleamed eerily. The gaze of a predator hunting its prey.
Even in a disadvantageous situation, Lin Winterbell still considered herself the predator.
Was it something she was born with?
Or something she acquired later?
Whatever it was, anyone could tell it was close to madness.
Swaeek!
The sword she swung with her right arm traced a chilling arc as it aimed for my neck.
Blood continued to pour from her severed left arm, but she didn’t seem to care at all.
“This is the true sword of Winterbell!”
Her laughter rang out bleakly.
“Even if I lose one arm… even if I lose both arms… I won’t stop!”
Her strikes came relentlessly at a speed that was hard to believe for someone with only one arm. The impact on her entire body must have been immense, yet it was hard to understand how she was still moving.
‘No matter how consumed by madness she is, unlike me who has strengthened my body, Lin Winterbell…’
Her silver hair, drenched in madness, gradually turned crimson like blood as it danced wildly.
My gaze turned cold.
“So you’ll only stop after seeing the end. You insane bitch.”
“Show me that end, younger sibling.”
Swaaak—!
My sword once again traced a red arc. But Lin did not evade.
Instead, she crashed into it with even greater force.
“Hahaha! Good! That’s it! That’s it! More! Show me more!”
“……The more blood you shed, the deeper you fall into madness, the stronger you become. Ridiculous.”
Lin’s manic laughter echoed through the arena.
“This kind of battle… this kind of thrill. This is exactly what I wanted!”
The floor of the training ground was now completely drenched in blood.
The blood flowing from Lin’s left arm.
The blood scattered each time our swords collided.
All of it mixed together, turning the entire arena into a vivid crimson hellscape.
But Lin did not stop.
Rather, she swung her sword faster and stronger.
The mad wolf of Winterbell who did not stop even after losing an arm.
The killing intent emanating from her sword grew even sharper.
At that moment,
my sword surged forward like a flash of light.
Lin Winterbell also instinctively swung her sword with all her might.
Boom—!
At the moment of collision, it felt as though time itself had stopped.
A silver sword filled with madness,
and a crimson sword drenched in blood.
At the point where the two swords met, a burst of light exploded outward, illuminating the entire training ground.
A brilliance like the rise of a new sun.
A radiant glow created by crimson and silver intertwining.
Within it, the figures of the two of us were clearly revealed.
“This ends now.”
My voice rang out coldly.
The tattoo engraved on my back emitted an even more intense crimson light.
The blood vessels flowing beneath my skin glowed like molten lava.
Swaaaaak—!
Blood burst forth from my sword as if exploding.
Crimson blood energy poured down like a waterfall, completely engulfing Lin’s blade.
Like chains of restraint forged from blood, that power began to bind her sword.
“Kuugh…!”
Lin’s sword was pushed back.
The muscles in her remaining arm swelled as if they would burst.
Yet she still did not retreat.
Instead, she let out a maniacal laugh.
“Uahahaha! Hahahaha! Uahahahaha!”
Her silver hair, drenched in blood, fluttered wildly as if dancing.
“So this is that cripple! You, who were called the disgrace of Winterbell, have grown this much!”
That was the moment.
My sword pushed her blade aside and traced a new trajectory.
A single flash of light streaked forth.
A beauty both brilliant and desperate, like a falling star.
Slash!
Lin’s right arm was severed from the shoulder.
Crimson blood bloomed in the air.
Her broken sword spun midair, drawing a half-circle.
“…Haha! Fuuuuuck!”
A final smile hung on Lin’s lips.
The madness faded from her eyes, and for the first time, a clear light returned.
Having lost both arms, her body slowly collapsed backward.
Moonlight illuminated her hair.
Upon the blood-soaked training ground, the mad wolf of Winterbell finally fell.