Chapter 334: And It Was Winter (10)
Every victory and defeat came with reasons, big or small. It could be because one side surpassed the other in every aspect, or simply due to a difference in condition. However, that was what ordinary people thought. The strong considered only one thing. The reason they absolutely had to win.
Keter was exactly like that. He had created a reason he absolutely had to win for himself. Through Henya, he prepared a trap and devised a decisive scheme, even obtaining techniques capable of killing a divine being.
On the other hand, Eslow also had a reason he absolutely had to win. He had accumulated experience and skill over a lifespan dozens of times longer than a human’s average lifetime. Moreover, his body and senses were those of a demigod.
Such two forces faced each other. As a result, Keter killed Eslow. However, Eslow immediately revived on the spot. Whether this fell within Keter’s expectations didn’t matter. Even if it had been, Keter was no longer in a condition which allowed him to continue fighting.
Blood seeped from his neck that had been half severed and restored. The sealed wound looked ready to split open if he moved too violently. He still only had one arm remaining. The bleeding had been stopped. However, for an archer, losing an arm didn’t mean losing fifty percent of his strength but rather closer to ninety.
He was physically wrecked, but what was unseen inside was even worse. He only remained intact because he had numerous resistances thanks to the effect of Survival of the Fittest. An ordinary Transcendental would have been ground to dust. He had no bones or organs left in proper condition. The fact that he was alive at all was a miracle.
That should be the case...
Eslow, who had recovered more than half his body, stroked his chin. Even if he had been caught in a trap and unable to unleash his full power, he had undeniably been defeated and experienced death at Keter’s hands. That was a fact. However, that was then, and this was now.
He’s a walking corpse.
Keter’s condition was obvious to a Transcendental. He would certainly die within ten minutes if left alone.
Yet Keter still wore a confident expression, as if the fight weren’t over, or as if he had anticipated this situation from the beginning.
Is he bluffing...?