The glint of Alencia’s blade, which should have beheaded the Crest Master.

However, what fluttered into the air was not the Crest Master’s head, but the tip of Alencia’s sword.

The culmination of their exchange went beyond Alencia’s understanding.

“…W-What… just happened—”

“That was the effect of my Absolute Defense tattoo!”

Just then, the Crest Master swung his scimitar while still sitting on the ground.

Under normal circumstances, Alencia would’ve easily been able to dodge such an attack, but—

his discomposure slowed his reaction.

Alencia and his elite soldiers focused on mobility for this battle, so they equipped themselves with light armor.

The scimitar’s sharp blade gouged into Alencia’s unprotected right thigh. 

“Argh!?”

Feeling an intense pain in his leg, Alencia staggered backward.

“LORD ALENCIAA!”

The elite soldiers let out a shriek.

Alencia hurled a question more akin to a curse at the Curse Master, his piercing glare never once moving from him.

“…Absolute Defense tattoo…? What does that mean…?”

“The name says it all: Absolute defense. I’m able to cut 99% of the power from both physical and magical attacks.”

The Crest Master leisurely stood back up while speaking.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? Even though I have all these tattoos carved onto my body, I have nearly the same physical strength as a normal person.”

The Crest Master laughed evilly.

“The answer to that is Absolute Defense. Just for the sake of Absolute Defense, I engraved all of these tattoos onto myself. Getting to this point was real tough work. But it paid off—It’s a whole 99% cut, you know? That’s what you call invincible. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The Crest Master’s loud laughter resounded.

Only those who were assured in their own victory could laugh like that. Alencia ground his teeth together while drowning in the Crest Master’s laugh.

You…! So you dueled me because you knew how it’d end!

For what reason?

To toy with Alencia. 

To make Alencia see the illusion of his own victory, even for an instant. 

And finally—

To ridicule Alencia as he did now.

“You bastard! YOU BASTARD YOU BASTARD YOU BASTARD YOU BASTAAARD!”

“Oh, that’s nice! That’s it, that’s the reaction I wanted to see!”

While the Crest Master was joking around, Alencia slashed at him.

Intense pain pierced his body, and his gashed right leg spewed blood. Even so, Alencia never stopped.

Him! At least him! I’ll kill at least him!

With the visage of a demon, Alencia slashed at the Crest Master.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

He swung his broken blade down over and over and over again.

He swung at his face, his shoulder, his chest, his arm, his waist, his legs.

Each and every slash was like lightning, guaranteed to kill if they hit.

However, no matter how many blows Alencia landed, the smile on the Crest Master’s face never faded.

“Come on come on, do your best. I could just be saying it’s a 99% cut, and I might actually be at the limit of my power, you know?”

In total contrast to his words, Alencia’s slashes only continued to tear his clothing. There wasn’t a single wound on his tattoo-covered body thereunder.

“…Shit, shit… SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!”

Failure was as plain as day. Alencia’s intelligent brain told him: there was no longer any way to turn things around.

Where did I go wrong?

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

He was supposed to exterminate the lizards, take the Crest Master’s head, and triumphantly return to the capital while everyone sang his praises.

Where did I go wrong?

The future of becoming the household successor.

The future of managing the internal affairs of the kingdom under the king’s favor.

The talent that Alencia had believed he had, and even his own life—it all vanished like mist.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Where did I go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

Alencia’s heart gradually sank into darkness, steeped pitch-black with wrath. Bleak emotions and nihility itself spread its wings within his heart. 

For the first time since birth, Alencia came to know the name of its existence.

Its name was despair.

It was an executioner, one that felled a guillotine onto the future of those who met it. 

I’m done already.

There’s no point.

Having surrendered in his mind, Alencia had abruptly stopped swinging his sword.

“Haa… haa… haa… haa… haa…”

Alencia struggled for air, his sword slipping from his hand. 

“Ya done, little boy?”

The Crest Master kicked at Alencia’s right thigh. Completely exhausted, Alencia tumbled to the ground, unable to stand.

We can’t stand to watch any longer—

Having decided like so, Alencia’s elite soldiers went on the move.

“WE WILL ASSIST LORD ALENCIA!”

The soldiers ferociously rushed at the Crest Master.

“Hah!”

The Crest Master laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Even though you’re the ones who said they wouldn’t accept stopping midway! That’s how it always is! It’s always you guys that tell lies!”

The moment after he spoke, the Crest Master whistled.

The lizardmen who were silently watching began moving. In order to protect their master, the Crest Master, they sprung at the elite soldiers.

It became a free-for-all.

Alencia’s elite soldiers were killed in the blink of an eye. The lizardmen’s swords and claws were stained crimson one by one.

They couldn’t be blamed.

Alencia’s squad was indeed strong, but only if they fought with a composed spirit. By no means could they exhibit their original power while impatiently rushing in to protect their lord, shaken by the figure of their master on the verge of death.

Alencia watched as his subordinates died.

With each life that met its end, another torch of hope was extinguished.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah…!”

The spectacle which unfolded in front of Alencia was that of despair.

Defeat—

Death—

approached Alencia, one step at a time. Once they finished reaping the lives of his subordinates, they would undoubtedly come knocking on Alencia’s door.

He felt his spine freeze over. His shoulders trembled without reason. His heart ached as if it were pierced by a stake.

…Escape! I’ll escape!

After Alencia tottered to his feet, he turned his back to his dying subordinates and attempted to run.

However, his right leg wouldn’t move as he wanted.

“Uaa!?”

Letting out a scream, Alencia inelegantly fell over.

The Crest Master noticed Alencia’s movement and laughed mockingly.

“My my? You plan on deserting the subordinates who are fighting for your sake? I like that! That is the true nature of humans! Struggle little boy, struggle! You never know, a miracle might occur?”

The Crest Master’s taunting fell on deaf ears.

…I don’t wanna die…! I don’t wanna die! I’m the prominent nobleman, Alencia Luminous! I’m not someone who should be dying in a place like this!

Alencia tottered to his feet once again.

The Crest Master turned a coldhearted gaze at Alencia’s back.

“You won’t be going anywhere.”

At that moment, the lizardman standing in front of Alencia hurled its spear. The spear punched through Alencia’s abdomen, pushing him over and staking him to the ground.

“AH, AH, AH, AH, AH!”

Alencia squirmed, losing himself in the intense pain. He couldn’t comprehend what just happened. Before he knew it, he was looking up to the sky and vomiting blood. His body didn’t move, regardless of his attempts to escape. Moving would only serve to spread the pain throughout his body.

The lizardmen approached the unmoving Alencia. In their hands were various weapons—swords, hatchets, spears.

The Crest Master laughed.

“A prominent noble who knows not of hardship, raised surrounded by sweet dreams and easy work. I’ll do you a favor and kill you painlessly.”

The lizardmen imposingly stared at Alencia with unreadable facial expressions. 

The fear of inescapable death swelled throughout Alencia’s body.

“STOP, DON’T GET NEAR ME! YOU LOWLY LIZARDS! I AM ALENCIA LUMINOUS! THE ONE WHO WILL SUSTAIN THE NEXT ERA OF THE KINGDOM! DYING IN A PLACE LIKE THIS—IN A PLACE WHERE YOUR FILTHY HANDS—!”

The lizardmen swung their weapons downward.

A pain intenser than any he’s ever felt traveled throughout Alencia’s body. His was flesh cleaved open, his internal organs were cut apart, and a river of blood streamed from his body.

“Guh… ah…”

Alencia’s consciousness rapidly faded away.

Having lost his future since long ago, he squeezed his glory-filled past from his mouth.

“I am Alencia… I live… in a different world from you all—!”

Blood overflowed from Alencia’s mouth.

A lizardman’s large foot filled Alencia’s field of vision.

“You… noi…sy”

The lizardman spoke, using the few human words he was able to say.

The lizardman’s foot swung downwards like a guillotine, crushing Alencia’s head like an egg.

That was the end of the great nobleman, Alencia Luminous.

---

Aaaand he’s dead. Next chapter coming later today. See you guys then.