A Battle of Legends

Time continued to pass.

After a little over an hour, a woman descended from the sky, landing gracefully.

She was clad in a flowing green robe, her emerald eyes gleaming with intelligence. Her hair, skin, and even the blade strapped to her back—all green. Pointed ears peeked from beneath her hair, adding to her otherworldly presence. She stood at around six feet tall, her humanoid frame complete with two arms, two legs, and five fingers on each hand. Yet, despite these human-like features, her unnatural skin tone and pointed ears made it impossible to mistake her for a human.

Most people in this land, and other human territories, had long forgotten about goblins. To them, she was an enigma. However, those well-versed in magic would recognize her resemblance to a hobgoblin.

She was Queen Greenblade.

Becoming a ghost had granted her a far longer lifespan—and, more importantly, a glimmer of hope for reaching a rank beyond Legendary. But to achieve that, she had chosen to abandon her human form, reshaping herself into the physique of a hobgoblin.

Humans, after all, were ill-suited to serving the Demon King of Greed. Their bodies lacked the natural affinity to fully harness the power of greed. But goblins and hobgoblins? They were born for it.

Queen Greenblade had no intention of remaining trapped at the legendary rank forever. She craved the mythic rank. That desire outweighed all else, even her own humanity.

She turned her gaze toward Edric, who stood at a distance.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice calm yet commanding.

Edric, taken aback by her appearance, couldn't help but think, "She really has an obsession with the color green."

Shaking off the thought, he spoke directly, "I have a few questions. First, how do I find the Fountain of Greed? Second, why does the Flicker Empire need it?"

Queen Greenblade's expression remained unreadable. "And why should I answer you?" she asked. "What will you offer me in return?"

Edric smirked. "Because if you refuse, I'll simply capture you and force you to answer." His tone was cold, as if stating a simple fact.

"You talk big," she mused, still unfazed. "Is your confidence because of that mythic lance? It's a powerful weapon, no doubt. But do you truly believe it's enough?"

"Enough talking." Edric gripped his lance tightly and charged forward.

Queen Greenblade drew her sword in response. The green blade in her hand was a top-tier legendary weapon—any wound it inflicted would fester and rot, poisoning its victim.

As Edric closed in with terrifying speed, her sharp mind instantly calculated the point of impact. At the last moment, she twisted her body, dodging just in time.

Though mages did not gain physical strength upon breaking through, their minds sharpened considerably. This mental acuity proved invaluable to knights, as battles required precise reflexes and split-second decisions. A knight who was also a mage had an overwhelming advantage in close combat.

Yet, despite her successful dodge, the sheer wind pressure from the lance's strike tore into her shoulder. A shallow cut appeared, sending a jolt of alarm through her.

Her eyes narrowed. "That lance… it's top-tier Mythic rank! Even the air from its swing can cut me?"

She clenched her jaw, a cold sweat forming. "If that thing lands a direct hit, I'll be sliced apart."

Edric was both a legendary knight and a mage, which granted him a quick mind and a powerful body. However, despite that, he lacked real battle experience. When Queen Greenblade dodged at the last moment, he couldn't react in time to adjust his trajectory.

"Mental Blow!"

Greenblade cast a spell, aiming to disrupt Edric's thoughts for a split second—just enough time to land a serious injury.

The spell struck him directly.

For an instant, a powerful force attempted to invade his mind, seeking to shatter his focus. But it failed. Completely.

Edric remained unaffected, his thoughts clear as ever.

He possessed the extreme-rank skill Mental Fortitude—a skill far beyond the capabilities of legendary-tier spells like Mental Blow. For the foreseeable future, no mental or even soul-affecting magic could disturb him in the slightest.

"Mental resistance? No... he has an item that negates legendary mind-affecting spells!" Greenblade's eyes widened in shock.

Such an item could only be mythic-tier or higher.

"He has multiple mythic items? How is that possible? Since when did mythic artifacts become so common?"

Realizing the danger, she immediately jumped back, casting Shadow Jump to retreat faster.

Her entire strategy had hinged on disrupting his mind and injuring him in the opening exchange. Now that her plan had failed, she needed to reassess.

But Edric had no intention of letting her escape.

He swung his lance, aiming to seriously wound her before she could get away.

With no other choice, she raised her weapon—her kingdom's namesake, the top-tier legendary sword Greenblade.

Boom!

The ground shook violently. The impact of their clash sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield.

The earth beneath them caved in, forming a massive crater nearly a mile in diameter. Trees collapsed, and debris scattered in every direction. The energy released was so intense that countless wandering ghosts lurking around were instantly obliterated.

The sheer devastation made it clear—this was the power of two legendary-ranked warriors colliding.

Far away, Alexandra watched from a safe distance. The moment the battle began, she had left, knowing that a fight between legends was not something a mere golden-rank could afford to witness up close.

Then—

Something shot out from the battlefield like a cannonball, crashing into a distant mountain with earth-shattering force. The entire peak trembled from the impact, followed by another deafening explosion.

It was Queen Greenblade.

She had been blasted away.

Blood spilled from her lips as she struggled to her feet, eyes burning with fury. "Damn you!" she roared at Edric, her grip tightening around her sword.

She looked down at Greenblade—her legendary weapon, the symbol of her rule.

It was nearly broken.

Her heart sank.

For centuries, she had wielded this sword with pride, believing it to be one of the strongest legendary-tier weapons in existence. Yet after just a single clash with Edric's mythic lance, it was on the verge of shattering.

Though she had lived for centuries, she had never truly faced a battle against someone wielding a Mythic-grade weapon. This was her first time.

And she had grossly underestimated the power of such a weapon.

What Queen Greenblade didn't realize was that her sword, Greenblade, had actually performed remarkably well. To withstand even a single strike from Edric's lance—a weapon at the absolute peak of the mythic tier, just one step below ultra-tier—was an impressive feat.

Had Edric himself been a mythic-ranked knight, he would have cleaved through Greenblade effortlessly, as if slicing through tofu. The gap between legendary and mythic rank was simply too vast.

"I can only use magic now… but he has complete immunity to mental disruption, extremely high resistance to soul magic, and absurdly strong defenses overall! His mana… wait… he's a legendary mage too?"

She cast a magic detection spell, and as soon as she saw the red glow of Edric's mana, her heart sank. Her expression remained calm and unreadable, but inside, her mind was in turmoil. 

"Where did this man even come from?"

Despite her internal panic, she maintained her composure.

"You're quite strong," she admitted, masking her frustration. "Since you've proven yourself, I'll answer one of your questions."

She spoke as if she had yet to unleash her full strength, trying to regain some control over the situation.

But Edric wasn't interested in words.

"Take this!"

With a single step, he closed the distance between them in an instant, his speed overwhelming.

"Damn!"

Queen Greenblade barely reacted in time, casting Shadow Jump once more to dodge at the very last second.

Edric clicked his tongue.

Now he truly understood why mages were valued far more than knights. They were versatile and capable of devastating attacks and unpredictable escapes.

"Quick Fireball!"

Queen Greenblade raised her hands, summoning a legendary-ranked fireball from the sky. It blazed toward Edric at terrifying speed, nearly striking before he could even think of dodging.

His expression darkened.

"Sh*t!"

There was no time to evade, nor did he have a spell powerful enough to dispel or weaken it. The fireball wouldn't kill him, nor would it leave a fatal wound, but it would burn him terribly.

As a knight, his internal energy could protect his vital organs, his eyes, and other sensitive areas—but large portions of his skin would be disfigured. And without learning a legendary-tier healing spell, there would be no way to fully recover.

There was only one option left.

"Absolute Magical Defense!"

A shimmering barrier materialized around Edric. His once-per-day skill activated just in time—completely erasing the fireball as if it had never existed.

Queen Greenblade's eyes widened in horror.

"What was that?! Another mythic item?!"

For the first time, true fear crept into her heart.

Edric didn't waste a second.

Using his moment of opportunity, he leaped and slashed with his mythic lance. This time, he was too fast.

Queen Greenblade had no time to cast Shadow Jump.

Desperate, she reached into her robes and crushed two of her most powerful defensive spell crystals.

A pair of crimson shields materialized before her—Magic Shields, capable of defending against both physical and magical attacks.

But it wasn't enough.

Red internal energy surged around Edric's lance. With unstoppable force, his attack collided with the shields—and sliced through them as if they were paper.

Next, the lance struck Greenblade—the legendary sword that had once been the pride of an entire kingdom.

Shatter!

The treasured blade cracked, then exploded into pieces.

Finally, Edric's attack reached its true target.

Slash!

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

Queen Greenblade let out a bloodcurdling scream as the mythic lance tore through her chest—splitting her in two.

Her upper body was sent flying through the air, while her lower half crashed into the ground like a cannonball.

A top-grade mythic weapon striking a legendary knight's body was like a hot blade cutting through butter.

...

Even after being cut in half—Queen Greenblade did not die.

"I have to escape!"

Despite her grievous injury, she remained conscious. The vitality of a legendary knight was beyond comprehension. Even a decapitated head could survive for months. For beings of their rank, losing a limb—or even half their body—was not necessarily fatal.

She had already cast emergency spells to stop the bleeding. As long as she had time, she was confident she could regrow her lower body. Of course, the new body would be weaker, requiring decades of retraining to return to peak form.

But that wasn't her biggest concern.

The real danger lay within her soul body.

Edric's mythic lance had cut both her physical form and her soul. Fortunately, she had been cautious—storing her most important memories and emotions within the head of her soul body.

Even so, losing such a large portion of her soul was devastating.

Her ghost rank was bound to drop from legendary to golden. If left untreated, the damage could lead to even worse consequences—memory loss, insanity, or, worst of all, soul infection.

And soul infection was a fate worse than death.

Still, there was some relief.

Even if her ghost and knight ranks fell, she would at least retain her legendary mage rank. She would be far weaker than before, but she would still have enough power to survive.

"No time to hesitate!"

"Meld!"

Without a second thought, Queen Greenblade activated her ultimate ghost technique.

Her broken body—physical and spiritual—vanished into thin air, dissolving into nature itself.

She was gone.

...

Edric scanned the battlefield, his gaze sweeping over every inch of the ruined land. But no matter where he looked—Queen Greenblade was nowhere to be found.

A deep scowl formed on his face.

"Damn it!"

He clenched his fists in frustration.

"She really ran away!"