A single word: sorry.
Along with it, the shattered barrier.
Or perhaps, abandoned trust.
Crash—!
"…!"
Kim Jangcheol's eyes snapped open.
He understood the situation immediately.
'The barrier…'
It had shattered.
Into complete and utter pieces.
Without even a sliver of hope for restoration.
Through the fragments scattering like broken glass, Artanis's hand reached toward him. That motion appeared slow. But his body moved even slower.
'At this rate…'
Something truly terrible was going to happen.
Where that woman was aiming.
Where her hand was reaching.
He realized it instantly.
'The heart.'
Right.
She said she needed to take his heart out herself.
She also said she needed his heart to break the seal artifact on her mouth.
'…Damn it!'
Kim Jangcheol stomped the ground. He tried to retreat, but Artanis's ambush was far faster.
At this rate, he'd be taken down without a chance.
Too late to dodge.
So…
'Hup!'
He swung his arm. He knocked aside Artanis's reaching hand with his forearm.
And then, he was engulfed by a tremendous shock.
Thunk—!
"…!"
Why did it make such a sound when their hands and arms clashed? Why did his vision suddenly black out, just from a collision?
…Beeeeee—
Even a piercing ringing filled his ears.
His sight went dark,
his ears rang,
and he couldn't tell whether he was floating or slammed into the ground.
'Don't tell me.'
Was he dead?
He genuinely started to panic.
Fortunately, it didn't last long.
…Thud-thud!
Soon, the coarse but familiar sensation came through both feet and legs. The feeling of touching solid ground. The sensation of being pushed back, digging trenches into the earth.
His vision and hearing returned.
And thanks to that, he could see.
The lightning-like charge of Artanis. The terrifying spectacle of dozens of chain tendrils stretching from her dress like venomous snakes.
'...'
Crazy.
The moment he saw it, a curse sprang to mind.
At the same time, a memory surged to the forefront.
It was from the game Paladin of Blood, where he had fought her nineteen times—Artanis, the challenge boss in the Sealed Ruins.
'That… it's like her basic charge pattern.'
Exactly.
He could feel it.
The posture of Artanis launching herself into the air was just like it was in the game. The only difference was the sheer number of chains and the vastly expanded attack range.
So…
'Right now, she's basically the same as her in-game version—just with enhanced effects and a wider area of effect.'
If that's the case, he could handle this.
It wasn't completely overwhelming.
He'd trained against a weaker version of this nineteen times. It was like a vaccine.
Which meant…
'The key to defeating challenge boss Artanis: never retreat. Never flinch. Keep fighting as if you'll always advance, no matter the situation.'
Retreat and you die.
Dodge sideways and you die.
Do that and you'll be shredded by her insane, unfair combo patterns.
Advance, no matter what.
Even if your skull cracks—keep going forward.
That's the only way to survive.
Tah!
Realizing that, he lunged forward.
From that moment on,
he charged, parried, and pressed.
Blocked, staggered, and pressed again.
Even while doing that, he didn't stop trying to resolve the situation verbally.
"Do we! Really! Have to do this!"
Shwik!
Two chains flew at his throat and heart. He threw himself forward. Rolled. Got back up and charged again.
"Is this! Really the only! Way!"
Ching!
Artanis leapt back to widen the distance. That space allowed her chains to rampage freely.
Kim Jangcheol desperately closed in again.
Practically throwing himself at her.
Recklessly.
He shouted.
"Even if it seems hopeless! It's not like we actually tried working together! Damn it, bountiful harvest! Blessing!"
He shouted the command.
A portal opened.
A farming tool chair fell from the sky.
No time to check what it was. He grabbed whatever tool he could and ran. A pickaxe and flail ended up in his hands.
Ka-ang—!
He swung the pickaxe.
He channeled strength amplified by the Mana Seed.
The pickaxe struck a chain and shattered instantly. Dodging the shards, he dove into Artanis's space. He swung the flail.
Whooom—!
"So stop with the 'kill or be killed' nonsense! Can't we put our heads together and figure something out!"
...
Artanis didn't respond. She simply threw a heavy, sinking gaze his way.
Her answer came only after Kim Jangcheol had blocked five attacks and dropped the shattered flail.
No. There is no other way.
"Have you! Actually checked that for sure!"
Of course.
"But still, you haven't tried figuring it out with me, have you!"
Even if I did, the result would be the same. Nothing would change.
"Where in the world is anything ever that fixed!"
At times, there are absolute laws that do not bend. Regrettably for you, this seal artifact upon my lips is one such law.
"What even… guh!"
A chain struck him, and Kim Jangcheol was thrown back toward the farming tool chair. He grabbed a shovel and sickle and rushed back in.
Artanis's gaze toward him was tinged with complicated emotions. So was her hand, writing words into the air.
I too find this sorrowful truth displeasing. So, with sincerity, I promise you again.
Shwaeeak—karrrrk!
Dozens of high-speed chains shot out. But her chains didn't touch the surrounding fields, the neatly stacked compost piles, or the startled, scattering farming corps members.
They chased only him, with relentless focus.
Today, I will kill you. But… I will not harm the fields you treasure. Nor your subordinates.
"What… the hell…!"
Furthermore, I will grant you the swiftest, cleanest, and least painful death possible.
"That's… already not painless! Gah!"
Kwa-tang!
His shovel and sickle broke.
Kim Jangcheol's body was thrown backward again.
He could feel it.
'This… isn't working.'
Really.
It wasn't enough.
Even knowing the attack pattern wasn't enough.
'The basic stat difference… it's too much.'
Kim Jangcheol gasped through his shoulders and looked up.
He stared at Artanis.
She looked completely fine.
As if she were on a stroll, or enjoying a breeze. So calm it was hard to believe this was a battle. Her eyes, her gestures—nothing seemed like they were in combat.
"...…"
And himself?
He was already a wreck.
His breathing was ragged. His legs had long since started trembling. With these shaking hands, how many more farming tools could he even swing?
'Mana Seed… I've been running it at full power since earlier.'
Even so, he was in this state.
And so, it felt hopeless.
How much longer could he hold out?
Could he convince her before he collapsed?
'Honestly… I'm losing confidence.'
A bitter smile escaped him.
Artanis felt the same.
'......'
Wasn't he called Credos?
Honestly, it was surprising—truly surprising.
Artanis watched Kim Jangcheol from within the seal artifact, a bitter smile curling on her lips.
And she thought.
That boy was far stronger than she'd expected. Honestly, she hadn't thought he'd last this long. At this point, even if she went all out, she might not be able to subdue him in a short time.
'…To be fair, maybe it's something like 100 to 110.'
Credos and herself.
The gap she felt after clashing directly with him—only that much.
It wasn't a big difference.
Maybe that's why.
Why she hadn't been able to take down someone who looked like he might collapse any second. Why she was starting to feel anxious.
'...…'
Let's admit it.
He has grit.
Even if he looks like he's about to fall over, he's the kind of person who doesn't break easily. The kind with a strength that can't be seen.
So… let's not torment him any further.
Let's end this as quickly as possible, with everything I have.
That would be the proper courtesy to someone who has shown me nothing but goodwill.
It's sad, but…
We might have had a better relationship. It's unbearably sorrowful that this is how we must end.
'I… can't betray my loyal followers.'
The three who had never once abandoned her, even when sealed away in the ruins together. Her cherished companions who never once voiced complaint.
They wanted only one thing.
For her to break free from the seal artifact and reclaim the power of melody. They gave their loyalty for that alone… and she could not ignore them.
'…I'm sorry.'
Flash.
Artanis's gaze shifted.
She cast off the lingering guilt and sad hesitation. With cruel resolve, she reaffirmed her purpose.
And she stepped forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Slowly.
But without stopping.
She walked toward Kim Jangcheol, the final destination of her unwavering will.
It looked like a mere unhurried walk.
But the change in her chains was anything but ordinary.
…Chrrrrrk.
One step.
Two steps.
Consistent.
And overwhelming.
The dozens of chains that had once thrashed about calmed. Then, they began to merge. Gathering and fusing, all for a single strike. Containing their lady's steely determination.
They took the form of a massive iron mace.
And it pointed at Kim Jangcheol.
The moment he saw it, Kim Jangcheol instinctively realized.
'…I'm screwed.'
That was a pattern he didn't recognize—one that wasn't in the game. He had no idea how to respond to it.
Should he dodge?
Confront it?
Could he block it?
Probably not—no.
'What do I do?'
Until now, he'd somehow managed because he recognized the patterns. He could avoid critical hits.
But this? He had no clue.
And Artanis had already finished preparing the attack. She was moments away from charging!
"…!"
Right.
Charge in.
If he backed off and gave up momentum, he'd lose everything. Even if it meant head-on collision...was the resolve he was steeling when—
"Oh Demon King! I, Asurat of the Four Heavenly Kings, will fight at your side!"
A valiant shout came rushing in.
Someone stood beside him.
He turned to see the dirt-covered figure of Asurat. It seemed he had rushed here after hearing the news while working in the fields nearby.
And at that moment—
Kwaang—!
Artanis, having completed her iron mace, stomped the ground. Her figure surged forward in an instant!
'Shit!'
Kim Jangcheol's heart dropped.
That clueless bastard, Asurat.
Of all times.
He showed up at the worst possible moment.
Ran up and stood beside him, right in the most dangerous moment. What was he thinking? Was he trying to die too? Had he gone mad?
'No matter what…'
Even if he took the hit, he couldn't let this guy get caught in it too. That was his responsibility to the ones who followed him.
So…!
Kim Jangcheol looked back at Asurat in panic. He reached out. To push him away. To get him out of Artanis's attack range.
…And then he saw it.
'Huh?'
He noticed.
Asurat, standing right next to him.
Fired up, ready for battle.
And behind his shoulder, Kim Jangcheol caught a glimpse of the scene.
Everything was intact.
The rows of corn standing tall in the field?
Not a single stalk had fallen.
The wide, flat pumpkin leaves on the ground?
Not a single one had been torn.
Even the thin, delicate green bean vines were untouched.
The neatly stacked compost piles near the field were the same.
And beyond that, the farming corps members flailing and shouting in alarm—of course, they were fine too.
No one was hurt.
Nothing had been damaged.
'We were just fighting in the field, weren't we?'
They had clashed and dodged and lunged all over the corn stalks and pumpkin leaves. The farming corps had scrambled nearby to evacuate.
But no one got hurt?
"...…"
He had been careful not to harm the fields or the corps members. So maybe that was possible.
But… Artanis too?
If that's true…
'That promise earlier—was she really keeping it all this time?'
It came to mind.
Before, and just now too.
The promises Artanis had stated unilaterally.
That she wouldn't touch the fields or his subordinates. That she would never harm them.
'I thought it was just talk.'
That she'd try to go easy, or not be completely ruthless… something vague like that.
But he had been wrong.
Looking now, it was clear.
She had been keeping her word—down to the letter.
'Which means…'
In that single, fleeting moment—
As Artanis rushed in—
Kim Jangcheol's mind raced.
Instant calculations.
Weighing possibilities.
Reaching a single conclusion.
The most effective way to block her deadly strike. The way to ensure safety, and seize the advantage.
And that was…
…Fwoosh!
Kim Jangcheol's hand, which had been about to push Asurat away, suddenly changed course. It curved sharply in midair. And grabbed the back of Asurat's neck.
Thunk!
"Eh?"
Asurat flinched in surprise.
But Kim Jangcheol didn't care.
He lifted him up.
And shoved him forward.
He used Asurat as a shield.
And declared proudly:
"Come at me! Hahaha!"
"...!"
Asurat, suddenly thrust out as a meat shield. Artanis, now faced with a shield she absolutely could not harm.
Eyes of both of them wavered wildly in shared, utter confusion.
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]