Chapter 355

There was a yellow haze.
The gas flowing in and around the fort was a chemical weapon designed to suppress the Sioux.
Two members of the North Wind Troupe, wearing gas masks, jumped out, teaching a solo dance.
“Kiyaab! Die!”
“Beast, this is your grave—quack.”
Zaifa swung her sword without a moment’s hesitation.
Two heads flew off at the same time.
Three more appeared from the rear shortly afterward, but they too were cut to pieces before they could emerge from the fog.
“It never ends, does it—.”
Zaifa twisted her lips.
It was like watching a cockroach that kept popping out of nowhere no matter how many times I killed it.
The North Winds, gathered from all over the vast grounds, were more numerous than expected.
What’s more, he was practically naked compared to the North Wind Corps, which was armed with all the latest equipment.
A tattered cloak was wrapped around his body, and only a torn piece of cloth covered his face.
“I’m old, too.
But being naked wasn’t the problem.
It was the weight of the years since he became human that truly challenged Jaifa.
My sword feels noticeably heavier than when I started the battle.
Poof!
A single arrow, aimed squarely at him, struck him in the side.
“Ma, I hit it! I got it!”
Cheers came from beyond the fog.
Zaifa immediately leapt in the direction of the arrow and thrust her sword out.
The rejoicing troupe became a headless ghost.
He killed three more people nearby.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, my legs gave out.
The poisonous fog had creeped into my lungs.
Poof!
Poof!
Two crossbow bolts flew through the flailing and struck him in the back and thigh, respectively.
The pain was excruciating, like I had salt on my fingertips.
Then a net spread out like a grasping hand closed in on Jaifa.
“Bullshit.”
Jaifa’s sword drew a cross.
The netting, which had originally cut with a simple knife, was stiffened like glue.
Zaifa frowned, having narrowly escaped the net.
The skin on his right arm was peeling off inexplicably.
The rippling, crimson muscles were clearly visible.
“The human body is—.”
I didn’t even notice the pain anymore.
I was wondering if the dancing was affecting my eyesight.
That doesn’t change what you need to do.
Zaifa swung her sword diligently.
Slashing people, slashing flying weapons.
What I didn’t cut, I hurt myself.
“Push him! He’s almost out of steam!”
“This is the end of your legend!”
Meanwhile, morale in the North Wind Corps was soaring.
In his human form, Zaifa had his own majesty and ambition, but it was nothing compared to his original form.
Wounds that increase as the battle goes on.
The sight of Zaifa struggling in blood and sweat reminded the North Winds that he, too, was a man, not a monster.
“That’s it.
Zaifa, on the other hand, was still in the doldrums.
I was on the verge of death, but I wasn’t feeling it.
He didn’t believe for a moment that his death would come one day.
“–That’s too bad.”
It was just bittersweet.
Warriors had their own set of rules.
If I was going to die in a fight, I wanted to be killed by a top-notch swordsman like Nabirozé, Ronan, or Schlieffen.
But I never thought I’d end up with such an ugly look.
Jaifa was struggling with his back to the wall.
-ShuiBenefit!
A gaping hole in the top of the stargazer’s head.
A long window flew in between them.
It was a little fast, but it was still within striking distance.
Shaking off a neighboring enemy, Zaifa catches the spear.
My hand whined at how fast it flew.
This one looked like it could use some work.
Zaifa, her sword repaired, was about to leap.
Boom!
The wall I was standing against shattered, revealing a spear like a dwarf.
“——cuck.”
Jaifa coughed up black blood.
When I looked down, I saw the metal growing through my stomach.
The sharpened head of the spear was glistening with his own blood.
The body that had once pushed its limits crumbled.
Jaifa collapsed to one knee.
“He’s down! Surround them!”
“Never let your guard down!”
The North Winds, swarming like bees, surrounded Jaifa.
A collective gasp escaped the group as their eyes met.
Zaifa’s enemy’s eyes were still shedding a murderous light at this point.
The uproar was in full swing.
“You look terrible, Zaifa.”
A gravelly voice echoed down the hall.
The commotion quickly subsided.
The group of North Winds parted to the left and right, revealing a middle-aged man in a red coat.
“—you are.”
“So, how do you like the human body?”
The corners of Lethe’s mouth were torn down to the base of her ears.
There before me was the sight I had longed for all my life.
Arrows lodged in his body everywhere, skin discolored by poison.
The bloodied skull of Jaifa doesn’t even begin to describe the look on his face.
Lethe spat as she stopped in front of Jaifa.
“It can’t be. You’re a weakling compared to the mighty beasts. Like the ones you tore apart in the Changeling Realm.”
“Two, boss. It’s dangerous to get too close!”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a paralyzing poison on my spear that will subdue a hundred beasts.”
Lethe calmed his worried subordinate.
The dagger that pierced Jaifa’s abdomen was aimed and fired by him.
The weaponry created to hunt the behemoths of the Alcalto Valley was no match for the human body.
Finally, Jaifa spoke up.
“Were you in Varsa.”
“Yep. You hit it right on the head. You have no idea how long I’ve been looking forward to this moment. Everything I loved was gone that night.”
Boom!
Lethe trampled on the spearhead.
The wound gaped open and blood poured out.
The gurgling blood quickly formed a puddle.
“Ugh—.”
“I’m not going to kill you nice and easy. Your entire body, including your head, will be taxidermied and sent to a museum.”
“Do as you please. But end it with me—don’t take it out on my innocent countrymen.”
“You’re full of shit. Your death is only the beginning, as the skeletons of every mindless, northern brute will be displayed next to yours.”
Lethe snorted.
The guys listening to the conversation next to me laughed in agreement.
They had no intention of stopping where they had just taken Jaifa’s head.
“The North is the land of men. Coexistence with the beasts is not an option, and your sins will not be erased by time. We are its judges.”
“—I guess so.”
Jaifa smiled bitterly.
I’ve heard this before.
It’s only the first time we’ve been pushed to the brink, but we’ve met those who hold a grudge against the Night of Fangs many times before.
“In the end—it doesn’t make a difference.”
I felt something boiling in my chest.
Despite my best efforts, the chain of hate was never broken.
The grudges from decades ago were still stirring somewhere on the continent, waiting to be avenged.
If none of that makes sense, I’d rather.
“You will be executed in front of the Northerners. Your head will be the first to be taken to Barsa–cough!”
Lethe was in the middle of a rant.
Suddenly, Zaifa jumped to her feet and grabbed him by the throat.
Lethe’s face went white from the sheer force of it.
“Doo, boss!”
“Shit! Shoot!”
Screams erupted from all sides.
Northwind, who was holding a crossbow, reflexively pulled the trigger.
Crossbows fired from all directions struck Zaifa.
“——”
The situation was soon over.
The old man’s body, now a hedgehog, slumped forward.
Lethe, barely alive, grabs him by the throat and gasps.
“Cough! Hahhh! You crazy bastard!”
The momentum was unbelievable for a dying old man.
A black gash remained on his neck from the brief hold.
Lethe rushed to check on Jaifa’s condition and was horrified.
The chilled body had already stopped breathing.
“This is why the beasts are—!”
Lethe’s face contorted.
I felt an uncontrollable rush of anger.
Zaifa didn’t scream once until the last minute.
‘I can’t cut off a finger.’
It was a futile end to a lifelong enemy.
Lethe clutched at her hair and growled like an animal.
Things would be so much easier if Blanta was here, but where the hell is this guy?
How long have I been doing that.
One of his clueless subordinates called him out.
“……He, boss?”
“Whoa–what the hell.”
“Something’s not right.”
“Huh?”
Lethe turned her head.
The subordinate stretched out his finger and pointed to Jaifa’s body.
The pale sword lay on the ground in the same position as Nara.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hair is growing—.”
“What…?”
Lethe’s brow narrowed.
Upon closer inspection, he was right.
Jaifa’s hair, which had been short, now covered the nape of her neck.
I could almost see how fast it was growing.
“What the hell is this—?”
Lethe hesitated.
My vision, narrowed by anger, is back to normal.
I could see the panic on my men’s faces.
“Uh, what do you want me to do?”
“Hmm, hold on a second. I’ve never seen anything like this before…”
“That, that!”
Lethe was about to give instructions.
Suddenly, a new scream erupted among his men.
Lethe glanced back, frozen in place.
Zaifa, who was obviously dead, slowly raised herself up.
“——Wow, that’s a strange feeling.”
A low, gravelly voice boomed.
His black hair had grown to his waist.
There was no sign of life on the reanimated body.
“What the hell!”
Lethe was stunned.
The spear that had pierced Jaifa’s abdomen lay on the floor, snapped in half.
Any other arrows or spears were likewise missing from his body.
What’s more, it wasn’t just the scars that disappeared.
There were no signs of aging on his bulging muscles.
His face, revealed through his hair, was that of a rugged young man.
“That’s weird–I thought we were done.”
Zaifa said to herself.
He squeezed his hand in wonder, then repeated the act of smoking.
Lethe and the North Winds stood rigid, unable to take action.
“—Boss. Run away.”
“What?”
“Come on.”
That’s when the subordinate I was talking to spoke up for the first time.
His eyes were fixed on Jaifa, and he was trembling like a rabbit in the face of a tiger.
He’s been mana-sensitive since he was a kid, and he could see it.
Zaifa’s aura is stronger than ever.
The flesh that bloomed over his broad shoulders was vaguely transcendent, even when he assumed the form of a man.
Lethe was about to say something.
“Get the fuck out of here!”
“Wait, you—!”
Zaifa’s form disappeared from view as his men pushed him back.
Walls and ceilings.
A black line was drawn over the chests of everyone in the room.
Lethe fell backwards, her butt hitting the floor.
The lines that had been drawn everywhere opened up at once.
Kaaaaaaaah!!!
Kaaaaaaaah!!!
The two crushed bodies exploded.
The ground around him collapsed in a spray of blood and guts.
Soon after the roar, a snowstorm opened up overhead.
Zaifa’s faded form reappeared.
“So this is it, Nabirozze.”
I loved the panoramic views.
Zaifa licked the blood from the corner of her mouth and smiled wryly.
Kajangchang!
The longsword in his hand shattered like glass.
“Wahhh!! Grrr!”
A pitiful scream erupted from not far away, the collapsed ceiling crushing Lethe’s legs.
Sticky blood was oozing out from under the giant boulder.
There were no survivors except him.
Zaifa glanced at Lethe, then spoke.
“I apologize. It’s my fault.”
“Hmmm…what, what?!”
“I have made many people suffer because I didn’t finish the job properly. I’ve long forgotten that blood must eventually be wiped from the blood, and I will tie the knot of everything here.”
He picked up a longsword that had fallen nearby.
Luckily, it was still in its sheath.
Zaifa’s gaze turned toward the village below the cliffs.
“You’re right, one of them has to go. That’s the answer.”
“That, stop, Jaifa, stop!”
Jaifa tugged on the hilt of her sword.
The sword shaft wrapped around the Auror was pitch black.
The force cutting through space was pulsating, overwhelmingly stronger than before.
“No!!”
“Choices are always painful.”
An entire village would be torn apart like paper.
With both hands on the hilt of his sword, Zaifa was about to parry a sideways blow.
A giant shadow, leaping out of nowhere, blocked his path.
“Hmph!”
The sword stopped slicing through the air.
A sharp metallic sound shook the earth as the blade flew out.
Jaifa looked up and saw a burly Wear Lion.
The lion, with its golden glow covering its entire body, looked vaguely familiar.
Zaifa’s eyes widened as the historic first attack was thwarted.
“What are you?”
“Varen Panasir. Squadron Swordsman.”