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As the knights all rushed in at once, a massive sound like a vibration resonated from the gate. Chronos, who had been working behind the gate, burst out with his dual swords and shouted towards Set:
“Your Excellency, all preparations for activation are complete. Now we just need to move…”
Boom.
Before Chronos could finish speaking, Set’s sword energy exploded outward. Just as the sharp sword energy was about to annihilate the knights, a sword that bloomed from Hadad’s hand scattered to meet it.
The air trembled as if an explosive had gone off due to the two sword energies colliding in mid-air. In the next moment, everyone inside had their hair whipped by a powerful wind.
“Haha, yes! This is exactly what I wanted!”
Hadad’s cheerful laughter echoed in their ears. The crimson-colored sword that enveloped his hand like smoke continuously poured out sword energy.
Though less powerful than the initial sword energy, each one was a lethal attack. Instead of meeting Hadad’s sword energy with his own, Set swung his sword to cut down each of Hadad’s sword energies individually.
Because Hadad was firing sword energy without pause, Set had to keep swinging his sword defensively. Set quietly spoke to Shango, who was engaged with the knights nearby:
“Shango. Take Baal, Isquis, and Ji-ho and fall back.”
“…If I withdraw now…”
“Orders on the battlefield are absolute, Shango!”
At Set’s shout, Shango lowered his eyes. Meanwhile, Chronos approached and stood in front of Shango. Finally, Shango also put away the axe he was holding and approached Baal and Isquis.
Shango lifted Baal’s waist with one arm and slung Isquis over his opposite shoulder. Then, he sent a look towards Ji-ho, who was standing at a distance.
“…We must go.”
At Shango’s low voice, Yeon Ji-ho exhaled a trembling breath. After glancing at Set, Yeon Ji-ho finally began to follow behind Shango, who was carrying the injured.
At that moment, Hadad’s eyes, which had been fixed solely on Set until now, rolled towards Yeon Ji-ho. Simultaneously, Set, who had been displaying only defensive swordsmanship, sent sword energy flying towards the area behind Yeon Ji-ho, who was retreating.
“Oh my. Set, as always, you have very good instincts.”
Bang!
Hadad’s sword energy, which was flying towards Shango and Yeon Ji-ho, collided with Set’s sword energy and scattered with a hiss. The sword energies were so strong that blue light burst forth from the collision of the two.
“Hadad.”
“Ji-ho, Ji-ho! I’ll come to save you, so you must…”
Hadad cried out passionately towards Yeon Ji-ho. Yeon Ji-ho, who was following behind Shango, unknowingly turned his head slightly, but upon meeting those frenzied eyes looking at him, he quickly pressed close behind Shango.
“Tsk. I suppose such cliché lines don’t work on Ji-ho since he’s a man after all.”
“Hadad.”
“Hm? Did you call me, Set?”
Eventually, as if switching with Shango, Apophis burst out from behind the gate. As soon as he came out, Apophis began chanting one of the large-scale spells he could perform with his remaining mana.
The momentum of the knights was impressive. However, the beasts of Gorgon were also more capable than anyone in one-against-many battles, and they entrusted their backs to each other as they took down those in front of them one by one.
Among them, Set had been focused solely on Hadad from the beginning. Set scanned Hadad’s entire body with emotionless eyes.
“You’ve changed… a lot.”
“What? Changed? Me?”
Hadad smiled brightly and poked his own chest. Despite the cheerful smile that didn’t fit the battlefield, Set remained impassive.
“There was a time when I envied you.”
“…”
“I thought it was natural for you to be loved by anyone, since you were a human who shone incomparably brighter than me.”
At Set’s monotone voice, Hadad tightly gripped his sword, which he had been holding loosely. Listening to his words, Hadad felt somehow unpleasant.
“But now, you don’t shine much at all.”
“…What?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
Set’s unpleasant odd eyes slowly scanned Hadad from head to toe. At that gaze, Hadad felt an indescribable humiliation.
“Now you’re not much different from others.”
You don’t particularly stand out.
It wasn’t a statement made specifically to upset Hadad. Set was simply stating what he truly felt in a matter-of-fact manner.
Currently, Hadad was surrounded by knights who followed his orders, and the crowd revered him. However, Hadad didn’t shine among them. Despite once being called “the one summoned by the gods” as he swept through battlefields, emitting a vast light.
To Set, Hadad had always been that kind of person. Someone who stood out even when wearing ordinary clothes, with an unremarkable hairstyle, just standing there without doing anything special.
It wasn’t just because of his appearance. Hadad had that kind of aura. Unlike himself, who was said to have always had a gloomy and ominous energy since childhood.
“I don’t stand out?”
At that moment, upon hearing Set’s calm words, Hadad’s eyes rolled back. Hadad’s expression crumpled as if distorted. Enraged, Hadad took a step towards Set.
“Me, I’m ordinary?”
An unbearable anger came over Hadad. An anger he hadn’t felt even when his kind mother was dying before his eyes due to illness, when he was bullied by nobles at the academy, or even when Gliese was taken away, now enveloped his entire body and shook his head.
Perhaps it could have been dismissed as an insignificant statement, but Hadad was strangely infuriated. And he was indignant. To the point where his vision turned red and he couldn’t think of anything.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Set. That can’t be. Me, Hadad, being ordinary…”
I’m angry. I can’t stand it. I feel like I’m going to explode. Don’t hold back. Get angry. Express your anger. So that no one can treat you like this again…
Kill them all.
“…It can’t be!”
Boom!
At that moment, a sword energy of unprecedented size burst forth from Hadad’s fingertips. The sword energy that erupted like an explosion flew towards Set, trampling even the innocent knights near Hadad.
The sword energy Set knew of Hadad’s, and his mana, was a beautiful golden color.
However, the blade created by the sword energy enveloping Hadad’s hand was a dark red color, and the current sword energy imbued with Hadad’s anger was also an ominous dark red.
All Sword Masters retain the color that first appeared when they began handling their sword energy, unchanging even after death. It was an absolute, immutable law. Yet Hadad’s color had changed.
Before he could even wonder about this, Set had to grit his teeth and grip his sword with both hands to meet Hadad’s sword energy.
“…”
The sword energy Hadad had just sent was strong enough to sweep through his own knights. While it was unclear how he had created such sword energy, it seemed it wasn’t an easy feat for Hadad either, judging by how he was kneeling on one knee and breathing roughly.
Set stood firm without a word against Hadad’s sword energy, which wouldn’t easily break, be cut, or retreat. The reason he didn’t dodge, which would have been simple, was obvious. His comrades were behind him.
Grind.
It was then that Set, who had been holding his sword against the sword energy for several seconds, bit the inside of his mouth. Blood trickled from Set’s mouth as he took a step forward.
Crash!
Hadad’s sword energy shattered like breaking glass.
As Set broke through Hadad’s sword energy, his body leaned forward. If he hadn’t planted his sword into the ground with a thud, he surely would have collapsed.
“Your Excellency!”
“Your Excellency, are you alright!”
Chronos and Apophis, who were fighting nearby, sent worried looks towards Set. However, their gazes also held reverence for Set.
The sword energy Hadad had sent was extraordinary even to those who weren’t Sword Masters. That overwhelming force, approaching with the momentum to destroy everything, was something they hadn’t seen even during the last war between Hadad and Set.
“…”
And at that moment, Set suddenly thought:
If he had faced this sword energy during their last war before meeting Ji-ho, he probably wouldn’t have been able to block it.
Set Gorgon, himself… was growing.
