Chapter 135

Ludwig dramatically drew his sword.

For a moment, Decio’s gaze was captured by that sword.

The sword of Rohitham emits a white light.

It was the treasure he had been searching for so desperately.

“I know what you want is this sword.”

“You’re clever. I never really hid it.”

Decio sneered.

Ludwig, with his violet eyes, stared at Decio without a hint of agitation.

At that moment,

A transparent wall of magic began to form around Decio and Ludwig.

The royal mages, who had been on standby, erected a defensive spell to prevent Decio’s dark magic from harming the surroundings.

That wasn’t all.

Decio’s subordinates were also restrained by invisible shackles, their limbs bound.

“Adam!”

They cried out, but Decio didn’t even flinch.

It was within his expectations.

If they managed to draw out the leader of the Red Crow, they would have prepared this much.

Decio gazed at Ludwig with an amused expression.

He scrutinized his beautiful face.

Although he was pretending not to be shaken, his face was evidently tense.

His cheeks were pale, and his lips trembled.

‘How pitiful.’

Decio’s lips curled into a smile.

“It seems you’ve made thorough preparations, but you won’t be able to restrain me.”

There was a reason he had been dormant for so long.

He had amassed enough magic to resist the banishment spell and still had power to spare, circulating it throughout his body.

“I know.”

Ludwig extended his arm, pointing the sword at Decio.

“Let’s duel. In this arena prepared for you and me, let’s not harm others.”

A firm resolve was evident on his beautiful face.

Decio found it laughably noble. In truth, he scorned and despised such things.

“As an adult, I will accept the youngster’s proposal…”

Decio trailed off with a chilling laugh.

“But I’m not sure if it will mean anything.”

This place would become his, regardless of the outcome of the fight.

Either way, this area would suffer ‘damage.’

Still, the young man’s determination was admirable, and Decio didn’t dislike a good fight.

“Well, shall we play then?”

Flames ignited at Decio’s feet.

He charged at Ludwig.

Clang!

Decio’s dark magic clashed with the ‘Sword of Rohitham.’

The dark, burning light cast a grotesque shadow on Decio’s face.

Ludwig barely managed to parry his attack.

His cheeks paled, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He bit his pale lips fiercely and glared at Decio.

“Hahaha!”

Decio seemed to retreat for a moment, then created a black orb of magic and hurled it at Ludwig.

The small bomb-like orb exploded in front of Ludwig’s eyes.

The released magic erupted with a blinding light like a flashbang. Ludwig was temporarily blinded.

Decio didn’t miss this chance and rushed into Ludwig’s space.

Clang!

But Ludwig blocked it again.

With his eyes closed, he detected Decio’s presence only by sound and swung his sword to deflect him.

Decio inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘For a mere human, his skills are truly superior.’

It’s truly enjoyable to crush someone like this.

“But it’s surprising.”

Decio launched another attack at Ludwig.

Ludwig barely managed to fend off Decio’s relentless onslaught.

The fact that he could parry those attacks at all was a testament to his excellent martial skills, but it was still insufficient to defeat Decio.

Of course, Ludwig’s skills were outstanding. If Decio hadn’t consumed Oscar, he might have struggled, he thought.

But attacking Decio, who had absorbed his kin and made all their power his own, was certainly foolish.

“I expected you to use a smarter method.”

Decio recalled Oscar’s memories.

At the end of his life, Oscar’s mind was dominated by a woman named Marlena Balthus.

She was resourceful and quite clever, often leaving his grandson flustered.

Watching those life events unfold while he was asleep had been rather entertaining.

In any case, he had thought that clever woman would devise a strategy with Ludwig.

Yet, here they were, facing him straightforwardly.

Perhaps Ludwig’s will strongly influenced this decision.

“Well, any strategy would have been futile anyway.”

Strong firepower, overwhelming attack power!

With that, any ‘strategy’ would be rendered moot.

Decio rushed at Ludwig again.

“Ugh…!”

Ludwig grunted, barely fending off Decio’s attack.

His body was clearly heavier compared to a moment ago.

It was evident that the process of continuously parrying Decio’s sharp attacks had taken a toll on Ludwig’s body.

‘How unfortunate.’

Decio thought coldly as he delivered the final blow.

While Ludwig trembled, struggling to deflect his attack, Decio created a dark magic orb behind him.

And struck Ludwig’s back in one go.

“…!”

Ludwig couldn’t even scream and opened his eyes wide.

An excruciating pain surged through him.

It was a pain so intense that it was hard to breathe.

His consciousness wavered.

“Challenging a sorcerer with a sword, are you out of your mind?”

Decio’s mocking voice reached him.

Ludwig fell to one knee.

Both his back and stomach hurt immensely.

He used his sword as a support, barely keeping his upper body upright, and vomited black blood.

His entire body felt like it was being scorched.

Perhaps Decio was right.

He might not be in his right mind right now.

“But you thought this was the only way.”

Ludwig consoled himself.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He thought of his father, his country, the people who risked their lives to follow him, and…… Marlena.

Now that Ludwig had fully regained his memory, he could love Marlena even more completely.

Come to think of it, had he ever told her that he loved her?

Probably not.

“I must not die. Dying here…”

Ludwig took a deep breath.

“Oh?”

From the other side, Decio let out a laugh of interest.

Ludwig gritted his teeth and stood up.

His legs were heavy, and his arms trembled, but he couldn’t fall yet.

Barely lifting his sword, he pointed it at Decio and spat blood-tinged saliva onto the ground.

“It’s not over.”

To Decio, it seemed like a declaration as noble as it was deceitful.

He might as well flee to save his life.

Was he so foolish as to stake his life on a hopeless fight?

The efforts of his loyal followers to smuggle him out of the country would be in vain today.

Black magic swirled around Decio’s fingertips.

He had used a lot of magic.

Here, in the heart of the Arlo Kingdom, the exile spell placed direct restrictions on his body.

Moreover, Ludwig had held out longer than expected, wasting time.

Even so, it wasn’t a major issue.

Decio was confident he could seize Ludwig’s sword with the next strike.

After that, once the Pandemonium Gate opened, his limited power would fully return.

Today would be the last time his painstakingly accumulated magic leaked away like water from a broken pot.

At that moment, Ludwig charged at Decio.

His feet moved with surprising swiftness for someone who had already collapsed once.

This was the end.

Decio unleashed his black magic on Ludwig.

* * *

The barrier painstakingly erected by the tower’s wizards was now in ruins.

The scene inside was one of despair.

Decio, exuding black magic, stood firmly while looking down at the fallen Ludwig.

“At least your spirit is commendable.”

He took a few steps toward the young man.

Looking down, he saw that the young man was still breathing.

An incredibly tenacious vitality.

It was a strike meant to kill.

But now Ludwig was no longer a threat to Decio’s plans.

The sword he had fought so hard to protect lay three steps away, abandoned.

Decio lost interest in Ludwig and leisurely picked up the sword.

“It’s lighter than I thought.”

This was his first impression of holding the much-desired sword of Rohitham.

He infused the sword with magic and drove it into the ground.

Now, from this spot, the gates of hell would open.

The fallen Ludwig would also be devoured by the monsters of Pandemonium.

The creatures of Pandemonium, who couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe, would attack and devour anyone except the one they recognized as their master.

Even King Karl, the current ruler, would become food for the monsters.

What a destructive romance this is.

But then Decio’s gloating face twisted in an instant.

The sword began to crack.

This was impossible.

The sword of Rohitham couldn’t be this weak!

“What trickery is this?”

Decio asked in a voice laced with anger.

Turning his head, he saw Ludwig, who had been coughing up black blood, smile briefly.

It was then that Decio fully realized what had happened.

“You……! You forged the sword!”