‘Did Grid learn his swordsmanship from Asmophel?’

Resh’s misunderstanding was natural. Asmophel’s swordsmanship, which depicted the birth and death of a flower, looked like the final evolution of the Flower sword dance that Grid introduced recently.

Fire Sword Asmophel...

The skills of a person hailed as the pillar of the empire along with the current legend Piaro were as great as claimed by the rumors Resh had heard. The bud that blossomed in Kyle exploded. The destructive power that didn’t allow any screams stirred the forest.

In the midst of the explosion, the ragged Kyle popped out. He didn’t lose any momentum despite his body being covered with blood.

The eyes of Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante shook.

“W-What? Why is he fine?”

“Well... he seems to have pushed the exploding force away with his own power.”

“...”

The three knights knew. In the past, Asmophel had remained as number two because of the limitations of his swordsmanship. Asmophel’s swordsmanship produced a powerful explosive force using sword energy and had a strong wide-area destructive power, but it was relatively weak against single targets and consumed a lot of health.

It was why Asmophel lost every time he faced Piaro. Yes, Asmophel had never won against Piaro. However, with the exception of Piaro, he didn’t lose to anyone. Why? Piaro had the unique ability to disperse the explosive force of Asmophel’s swordsmanship.

That’s right. In the memories of the three knights, Asmophel was the ‘man who couldn’t cross Piaro but who put the world at his feet.’ Now, Kyle was a monster if he could deal directly with the sword energy of a great swordsman.

‘Piaro-grade...’

The former emperor, Juander—the incompetent and foolish man who sent all of them away had actually chosen Kyle with an accurate perspective...? The three knights were engulfed in displeasure and bit their lips.

Meanwhile, Kyle was tangled up with Asmophel. He used his superior form that overwhelmed the single digit knights. Swinging his entire body, he did not show Asmophel any gaps. A diagonal elbow struck Asmophel in the shoulder. Asmophel’s sword stabbed at Kyle’s abdomen while he aimed his fist to the other side of the sword. Kyle raised his knee to block Asmophel’s sword as he concentrated the electric currents in the elbow that was crushing Asmophel’s shoulder. Asmophel’s body was briefly electrocuted.

With an appearance that was obviously from a noble lineage, Asmophel’s fine face was punched and crushed while his blue cloak was covered with dirt. Kyle caught up with Asmophel and pulled the fluttering blue cloak. Then Asmophel’s body was trapped on the ground, and he was slammed, slammed, slammed against it! Kyle’s fists started to fall in succession.

“Hahat! Hahahahat!” Kyle was in a frenzy, and he recalled the moment when he received the divine message of the martial god. The great god had presented Kyle, who had been shabby in comparison to the other pillars, with the ultimate martial arts after he lost one arm to a monster and completely lost his confidence.

Kyle had learned seven secret techniques as he wandered around the ruins in the past few months and experienced the miracle of a god. Not only did he recover his lost arm, but he was also able to further strengthen the currents flowing through his body and control them freely.

This was the power of a great god. In the long run, Kyle would jump over the grandmaster and no longer feel afraid of the monster who took away his arm. The moment he received the ultimate martial arts, he would go to the heavens...

Kyle believed this and became convinced of it at this moment. He was certain that he could realize his faith. The fact that he alone was overpowering the single digit knights, who had led the empire’s golden age, caused him to feel ecstasy.

“Hat...?” Kyle, who had been swinging his fists excitedly, stopped laughing. He suddenly felt a sense of alienation. It was because Asmophel’s condition was relatively fine. Asmophel continued to be hit by Kyle’s fists, but his nose wasn’t even sunken in, let alone his skull.

‘The skin of transcendence?’

Had Asmophel risen to the point of transcendence with pure talent? No, it was impossible. He wasn’t that great. Kyle’s sharp gaze turned to the blue cloak that covered part of Asmophel’s face.

‘Don’t tell me...?’

Was that cloak absorbing his attack power? This mere piece of cloth? Despite his denials, Kyle grabbed Asmophel’s cloak and stripped it off. A blade rose through the gap in the swirling cloak.

“Don’t touch it. It is a treasure that my king gave me,” Asmophel’s voice only continued after Kyle’s chest was pierced with the sword.

Asmophel rose as he pushed at Kyle’s shaky upper body, drawing a half moon with his sword and throwing his sheath. The moment Kyle was cut, he released an electric current that blocked the sword energy released. The sheath that was thrown two meters into the air never fell back to the ground.

The shockwave and magnetism generated by the two men caused the sheath to continue dancing in the air. Several flowers bloomed during the dozens of collisions. Asmophel’s biting sword energy was quickly drained.

On the other hand, Kyle was currently emitting a turbulent electric current, and he didn’t lose momentum. For Kyle, the electric current was a constantly circulating force. It wasn’t consumed. It was an infinite power. Asmophel’s sword energy bloomed, obstructing Kyle’s vision and sweeping at Kyle’s collarbone. It was deflected and Asmophel hurriedly moved back. Kyle’s Force Palm was persistent and struck Asmophel’s chest. The sheath that danced in the air finally fell.

“Cough!” The shaking Asmophel swallowed his screams, but he was bloody. He felt the pain of his intestine being torn and realized something. This wasn’t the young man who used to be daunted. Kyle was stronger than Juander had hoped he would be.

There wasn’t the number two person who kept following the back of the number one person. Asmophel was no longer number two. He wasted a lot of time regretting everything and became stagnant.

‘If only I had met King Grid a bit earlier...’

No, if only he had awakened before King Grid came to him. No, if he hadn’t fallen for Marie’s tricks. No, if he hadn’t been jealous of Piaro in the first place...

It was a life marked only with regrets. The shameful past went by him like a kaleidoscope. At this moment...

“...” Asmophel’s eyes lost their light.

Resh turned pale when he saw Asmophel fall, and he urged Mercedes and the three knights, “You should help him!”

“...”

“You’re his colleague!”

There was no imperial knight who didn’t know Asmophel—the corrupted hero and the jealous traitor who sold his friends and colleagues. Asmophel’s reputation had been turned upside down after the new empress, Basara, revealed the entire truth. He was no longer hailed as a hero.

Still, the knights in this place had started to admire Asmophel again. Being with the colleagues he betrayed meant he had been forgiven for most of his past sins. Resh and the Sword Knights were vaguely aware of how much courage he needed to seek forgiveness and how much sacrifice and pain he had suffered. The knights felt that Asmophel was truly great and cheered for him to wash away the mistakes he made through the hard-earned opportunity.

However, Asmophel was going to die.

“Haven’t you already forgiven him?”

“...”

“Then why...?! Why are you turning away without helping?” Resh shouted as he denounced them.

He had no affinity with Asmophel, so he shouldn’t have felt great emotion when Asmophel was struck. Nevertheless, there was a reason why he felt resentment toward Mercedes and the former single digit knights who were just watching the battle.

Resh’s gaze was aimed at Mercedes as he shouted, “No matter how much you hate him...! A knight shouldn’t abandon their colleagues!”

Mercedes was the only knight that had been trusted by the emperor who distrusted knights, and she has been sent to the Overgeared Kingdom after becoming a legendary knight. Resh admired Mercedes, which meant he couldn’t tolerate her cowardly behavior even more.

Mercedes, who had been staring silently, finally opened her mouth, “You...”

There was a dazzling smile on her face. “You don’t know.”

The three knights continued the conversation like they had been waiting to do so.

“Do you think the deputy chief would be beaten so easily?”

“He is the most insidious person I have ever known. That’s why he betrayed us.”

“Killing the deputy chief... It will be us.”

“...?!” Resh was bewildered by the hard to understand words when his eyes widened. Asmophel, who allowed Kyle’s attacks in succession, rolled a few laps on the dirt floor and lost his sword. For a knight to lose his sword—it meant death.

“This is the end!”

Convinced of his victory, Kyle continued to release the current. He collected it at the end of his hands and shot it at Asmophel. No, he groaned before he shot it. It was because Asmophel threw the sheath at Kyle’s eyes.

“Kuack! Y-You cowardly bastard!”

Asmophel acted like a dog begging for life just to reclaim the sheath that he had thrown away earlier...? He lost his sword just to lower Kyle’s vigilance and to grab the sheath...? The reason he constantly exposed his belt during the battle was for this moment...? He was a terrible guy.

Kyle lost his sight and stepped back.

“You wished for fairness from garbage like me?” Asmophel’s indifferent voice rang out. All emotions had left the moment his eyes lost their light. He abandoned his morals just like the day he betrayed Piaro and his associates. The difference was that today he was acting for Grid, not himself.

“My king has commanded me to come back alive. Therefore, I can’t die yet.”

Honestly, he wanted to die. He felt ashamed, sorry and pained. The moment he made eye contact with his old colleagues, he felt the desire to bite his tongue and kill himself. However, the words of his king were still with him. King Grid had told him not to die. Thus, Asmophel had to put up with it. He had to live. He had to win.

[Your knight Asmophel has exhibited the unique characteristic ‘Power of the Number Two!’]

“...Asmophel?” Grid had just arrived at the World Tree’s Forest when the notification window popped up.

Far away from Grid, Asmophel was asking Kyle a question, “Do you have the intention of withdrawing? The empire and the Overgeared Kingdom have formed an alliance. I don't think we need to fight for our lives.”

“What nonsense are you talking? You have hindered my way and tarnished my honor. Above all, you are weaker than me. It makes sense to die according to the providence of power.”

“I see. I’m sorry. You are stronger than me, so it will be hard for me to subdue you without killing you.”

In his prime, Asmophel had never lost to anyone except for Piaro. It was because his ‘standard’ was Piaro. He might be weaker than Piaro, but Asmophel was confident that he could beat his opponent if he could only follow half of Piaro’s skills.

[Your knight ‘Asmophel’ is thinking of the back of the number one goal.]

“Free Farming Altered Style.”

A large shadow devoured the area, and a pillar as large as the branches of the world tree could be seen falling from the sky. It was a concentrated body of pure energy, not sword energy.

“W-What is this?”

The shadow engulfed Kyle.