CHAPTER 107

The verdant oak, seen through his world, was crying.

In the face of unjust violence beyond remedy, all one could do was cry out in pain and thrash about.

"······."

Vlad saw a shining bead in the gaping wound of the tree.

It bore a resemblance to the yellow amber stone now adorning the hilt of his sword.

Vlad could see and feel the sparkle.

He knew he had come to the right place.

"I think I know what you were trying to do."

The troll brandished his axe, and the tree wept.

Children's breaths were hanging over the bell tower and their parents were crying.

No matter how brightly one holds something, if there's no power to protect it, it can only be taken away.

This world is full of people sitting on those stolen tears.

"I have business with this tree as well."

Vlad raised his sword in place of the weeping tree.

He was wielding the sword in place of a being with no means to defend itself.

"So don't interfere."

The Swordmaster's discipline calls it knightly.

※※※※

Kwahng-!

Vlad swiftly rolled between the troll's legs, leaving the exploding ground behind.

A moment of fleeting opportunity born from daring advancement.

Though his posture was a mess, Vlad didn't miss the moment.

"Hup!"

Blood gushed out along with the sparkling sword light.

Ahhhh!

Amidst the sharp cut, the troll's muscles twitched.

"That's······."

Vlad, who was about to deliver a follow-up blow to the staggering troll, quickly raised his sword at the chilling sensation creeping up on him.

Kwaang-!

"Ugh!"

It wasn't an ordinary attack.

It felt as though viscous malice adhered to the axe.

Though he managed to block with his sword, the force he couldn't deflect sent Vlad rolling mercilessly to the ground.

"······Unbelievable."

The troll's neck in the distance began to laugh out loud as it looked at Vlad, who was confused.

The sword wound was completely recovered before he knew it.

Moments ago, his muscles were clearly trembling, but now there was no trace of the sword passing through him.

'His recovery rate is insane.'

Trolls are not monsters active in the North.

Yet, it wasn't an easy opponent one might encounter in the central region either, so it was understandable that Vlad, seeing a troll for the first time, would be taken aback.

Grrrr.

The troll, who had already picked up his own head and stuck it into his neck, began to look at Vlad with bloodshot eyes.

The eyes of the troll, filled with bloodlust, exuded an intensity that made it hard to meet his gaze, yet Vlad spat out and casually faced it.

"You ugly bastard."

Vlad doesn't know what he's up to, but he does know he has a damn impressive recovery rate.

Now that he knows that fact, it's time to see if the troll will die even if something other than his neck is severed.

"Let's see if this does the trick."

After completing his preparation, the aura that he could not contain in his sword began to rise like smoke from Vlad's left eye.

Even the troll, who had been smiling leisurely until now, was taken aback by the extraordinary aura emanating from Vlad.

※※※※

Kyu-uh.

The mole was no longer a shining being.

Because there was no one to recognize it.

No matter how extraordinary a being may be, if no one recognizes it, it is merely an ordinary mole.

But the human with the golden light was different.

A person who exuded the same smell of his own kind from the armor he wore and the sword he held.

He was someone who recognized him, even though his gaze was faint.

"You are not dying. Take this!"

No matter how solid the world may be, it won't be able to stop the guy in front of him.

No matter how good the attack is, if it is of a different level, it will not be able to reach it.

This human's level hasn't yet reached the point of breaking the curse of immortality.

Kyu!

In that case, I might as well lend a hand.

Some humans burn forests and cut down trees to expand their fields, while others offer a single raspberry even when hungry.

I can only hope that the knight with the golden light is a human worthy of raising the stakes.

※※※※

He severed arms, he severed legs, he split waists.

He pierced hearts, he burst lungs, he rummaged through entrails.

Vlad's battle was already testified by his blood-drenched blond hair.

"······This guy's insane."

In the gradually sinking mud of the duel, Vlad was becoming increasingly anxious.

He had to find an answer somehow.

Before he collapsed from exhaustion.

'The voice did it.'

It was a faint memory, but he knew that the voice he borrowed had brought down the headless knight.

Although he didn't finish it off, given time, he could have ended it.

'······Maybe my world is still too shallow.'

Vlad bit his lips as he looked at the troll, who had recovered and assumed its original form.

Now that he had progressed one step, there were still too many things in the world that he didn't know.

He was now beginning to understand why Josef had banished him from Shoara.

"Don't you dare split. Bastard."

But he had to do it.

There was still a contract he hadn't kept.

Vlad didn't want to part with the voice that couldn't even have a name.

The current swing was for himself, not for the weeping tree behind.

"······!"

If cutting or stabbing wouldn't work, then this time, he would just sever the limbs and scatter them far away.

The moment Vlad made up his mind and bit his teeth fiercely, a cluster of sparkling lights began to shine from the forest in the distance.

'What's that?'

A light that he couldn't recognize because it was far away.

Vlad, faced with the peculiar troll, quickly assumed a defensive stance, thinking another strange entity was emerging, but it wasn't that.

Heee-hing-

The spirit of the grassland, running without hesitation, doesn't tolerate obstacles in its path.

Even if it's a troll that doesn't die.

"Noir?"

Kwaang!

Noir, rushing at a speed that no one could react to, rammed into the troll's side as if there was no need for hesitation.

The impact of their collision was so intense that Vlad had to momentarily close his eyes.

Gaaah!

The incredible speed, the distance covered by the leap, and even the white horn on his forehead—all combined to create Noir's powerful charge, forcing the troll to tumble to the ground without mercy.

Your world and my world become more perfect by coming into contact.

Noir, who crossed the forest to find a more perfect self, finally found the golden knight.

Heeing!

"How the hell did you get here!"

Vlad quickly got on Noir without hiding his joy and hurriedly widened his distance and looked at the troll.

Unlike when facing Vlad, the troll hurriedly took a step back and picked up the ugly internal organs sticking out of its side.

'Why?'

If the internal organs have not yet found their proper place, it means that they are not recovering properly.

The attack from Noir's horn had certainly dealt a significant blow to the troll, unlike with Vlad.

'Then!'

Perhaps it was the blood of the spirits that Noir had.

With that judgment, Vlad grasped Noir's reins and began to ride around the troll aggressively.

"Now!"

Heeing!

With Noir taking the lead, there was no need to forcibly create openings.

The troll hurriedly struck down the axe at the two who were running at him, but Vlad was on top of Noir.

Kkaaang!

Thwack!

Blocking with the knight's sword and ramming with the spirit's horn.

The speed combined with the weight of the horse caused the troll to roll around on the ground, feeling pain as if it were going to die.

'It's working!'

The pierced abdomen is not closing again.

This was an effective attack.

"Again!"

As Vlad stepped back to widen the leap distance, the troll quickly began to devise a plan.

The tree it had been chopping down just moments ago.

The troll quickly ran over, stood with his back to the tree, and opened his arms, ready to grab Noir.

Grrrr...

If it couldn't avoid it, it would catch it.

Even if it got pierced deeply, as long as it stopped the charge of that black horse, the knight above wouldn't matter much.

"..."

As Vlad rushed towards the troll, he bit his lip as he saw the monster spreading its arms.

He knew it was an unusual monster, but this judgment went beyond what monsters could normally make.

"...?"

In the moment of hesitation about whether to continue his charge or not, Vlad felt a strange heaviness in his sword.

"What is this?"

The glowing mole suddenly crawled out from inside the armor.

The mole hanging on the amber stone Alicia gave him waved one hand at Vlad, who was looking down at him.

In human terms, it looked like he was giving a thumbs up.

"What is this thing doing..."

As he was trying to hurriedly remove the mole, which was exhibiting incomprehensible behavior, from the handle, Vlad felt a strange sound coming from the sword he was holding.

'What?'

A familiar yet unfamiliar sensation.

It was similar to when the white snake of Hainal embraced him.

Alicia's amber stone was glowing.

When worlds intersect, they either clash or expand each other.

Noir did that, the white snake did that, and the voice did that.

"This is..."

And now, the glowing mole was doing the same.

The mole's protection, which started from the amber stone, began to rise through the surface of the sword.

The land's blessing, which anyone who walks on the ground can feel, was on Vlad's sword.

The land is the foundation that bears everything in the world.

Like a forgotten treasure sunk deep in the sea, the blessing of the land reached down to the deepest recesses of the spiritual world, allowing Vlad to peer into the depths of his own world.

"Let's go!"

At the command to charge, there was suddenly an animal-like growl mixed in with Vlad's voice.

Just moments ago, the troll seemed like an unstoppable force, but now it appeared nothing more than a rag doll rolling on the ground.

How dare you challenge me.

Ahhhh!

The troll, seeing Vlad approaching, found itself involuntarily roaring in fear.

Suddenly, the man's momentum soared to the heavens.

The black horse's white horn and the shining sword were intimidating, but what was truly terrifying was the gaze of the man charging towards him.

"Now, die!"

With the blessing of the spirits, the troll let out its final scream as Vlad's sword struck.

Feeling death at the sharp edge of the world, the troll remembered the last gaze of the knight who had passed by him.

In the cold blue eyes, there was a ferocity so perfect it was daunting to behold.

※※※※

Huff-

In a dark room.

In a place full of burning candles but not shining, there was one candle that suddenly went out.

"..."

The woman with hair that started blue and ended black gazed intently at the extinguished candle.

It was the light that signified the troll she had sent to the forests of Dobrechti.

".....There can't possibly be anyone of such high stature in some rural corner."

Only a soul that transcended limits could break her curse.

The woman who knew this moved her toes that were out of reach and shook the small bell.

"Did you call, Lady Ramashtu?"

A knight entered with the sound of the bell.

Emblazoned on his chest was the emblem of Baron Utman.

"Please verify and come back."

The woman tossed the already extinguished candle to the man as she spoke.

"Change your appearance as well."

"Understood."

If one possesses something shining, they should be able to protect it.

And that story also applied to Vlad.

In the dark room, amidst the flickering candles, the woman, whose feet did not touch the ground, silently gazed towards the direction of Dobrechti.

※※※※

A young girl sitting in a small cave.

Surrounded by raspberries left by someone, she managed to avoid hunger, but her swollen ankles looked concerning.

"Sniff."

She couldn't sleep last night.

She just cried at the strange noises coming from the forest.

It sounded like the cries of the strange giant she had seen back then.

She wishes even the kind mole would come back quickly.

"Captain, is this the right place?"

"Arguing with a mole."

"Now you're even talking with moles?"

"I talk to you too, don't I?"

Hearing the conversation coming from a distance, the girl stopped breathing and widened her eyes.

If she could be sure they were villagers, she would shout to let them know she was here, but she was too overwhelmed by fear because of the troll to make rational judgments.

However, the footsteps, as if knowing where the girl was, confidently approached the entrance of the cave.

"······!"

Trembling, the girl held her hands tightly together, filled with fear.

Finally, the man who appeared before her was a handsome young man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

However, what put the girl at ease was not the man's appearance but the mole perched on his shoulder, waving its hand at her.

"Kid, let's go home."

Both Vlad and the mole were exhausted, but they still had enough strength to muster a faint smile to reassure the girl.

Warmth was coming from the body of the girl he was holding.