Chapter 114: Protect the Prince (3)

Belmond, the King of Domination.

He was a historical figure who transformed a kingdom — which was once just one of the many small nations on the Gritia Continent — into an empire. 

Although recorded as a tyrant, his leadership in ruling the Empire was arguably the greatest in history.

However, what I considered his greatest strength was actually something else.

“Step.”

The Emperor emerged from the darkness. 

Surprisingly, he was wearing thin clothes made of material similar to a royal robe, something unimaginable for a conventional Knight.

For a Knight, their personal Martial Power is important, but they must also pay great attention to the synergy provided by their Knight Sword and Armor. 

This is why “Numbering” equipment exists, allowed only to those with the highest skill on the continent. 

Only those with outstanding skill can claim such treasures.

A Numbering is a powerful weapon granted through the qualification of strength. 

From that perspective, one might think that Belmond, dressed in a royal robe rather than armor, didn’t care about such things at all.

However.

‘Not at all.’

That is the talk of fools who are deceived by appearances and do not know Belmond’s sinister schemes. 

Thinking that something isn’t armor just because it doesn’t look like it is a mistake made only by idiots.

What is the definition of armor? 

It is something that protects the wearer from enemy attacks, acting like an extra life that takes hits to vital points. 

In that sense, the royal robe Belmond was currently wearing was a piece of defensive gear that perfectly fit the definition of armor.

The Emperor’s Armor.

That was the name of the armor he wore. 

Even though it looked like a thin, flexible material that would flutter in the wind, its defensive power was the highest among all Knight Armor. 

This didn’t just refer to physical defense. 

It granted powerful resistance against physical attacks, magic, and all attributes. 

To put it simply, whoever wore that armor was unlikely to die from any ordinary enemy attack. 

It boasted formidable defense and resistance against everything.

“Do you not bow your head even after seeing me?”

His gaze was arrogant. 

That look, which seemed to contain the abyss, was quite familiar. 

It was because those eyes were very similar to mine. 

Our physical appearances were completely different. 

However, those eyes and the atmosphere emitted by emotions worn down by time made it feel as if I were looking at a twin.

But.

“Why don’t you… stop acting?”

I was one who knew his true identity, the truth. 

That was why the heavy atmosphere felt so awkward.

Belmond stared at me for a moment.

“Did you notice? You’re quite a quick-witted one.”

Instead of his arrogant, overbearing tone, a somewhat frivolous way of speaking popped out.

“Phew. I thought I was going to suffocate. Acting like a great emperor and dictator isn’t an easy task.”

His relaxed demeanor made him look less like a resident of the Gritia Continent and more like a modern youth. 

It made sense. 

The current Belmond was the one from the early days, just beginning his war of conquest. 

He was bound to be more frivolous and lighthearted than he had been in the past.

“But how do you know my identity? I’ve never shown my true self to anyone.”

That was likely true. 

I was the first and last person to see his true form. 

During the final war, while confronting him, I finally discovered his secret.

“Because I am the same as you.”

“The same… as me?”

At first, he didn’t seem to understand. 

Then, soon after.

“Are you, perhaps…?”

“Yes. I am also a Dimensional Transmigrator like you.”

Dimensional Transmigrator. 

It refers to those who have moved through dimensions and dropped into a world completely different from the modern one. 

Initially, I thought this was a blessing and a curse granted only to me but it wasn’t.

Belmond, he was also someone who had transmigrated across dimensions like me and had lived through 1,000 years. 

However, unlike me, whose modern body was moved as it was.

‘The only difference is that he possessed the perfect body of Belmond.’

I was the pathetically weak Kim Si-won, moved with my modern body intact. 

But Belmond was different. 

We both transmigrated to the Gritia Continent. 

However, only his soul was moved, and that soul inhabited the body of Belmond, who possessed perfect talent. It was closer to the form of “possession” often found in novels.

Having inhabited Belmond’s body, he used his innate talent, treasures, and modern mindset to grow rapidly. 

By the time I was struggling as a mere soldier on the battlefield, he had already started as the prince of a nation. 

It was a tilted playing field; our starting points were completely different.

We were both Dimensional Transmigrators. 

But we had walked completely opposite paths.

However.

‘In the end, the victory was mine.’

I, who started from the bottom, had suppressed the one who started at the top and that wouldn’t change now.

“A Dimensional Transmigrator. Well. I did feel it from time to time. That there must be someone else who crossed over from the modern world to the Gritia Continent like I did. But to think I’d meet them here?”

Normally, since we shared a modern life, we might have considered each other allies.

However.

“That’s all the more reason to get rid of you. You might become an obstacle for me later, right?”

He had already perfectly adapted to the continent. 

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he had finished adapting to the persona of the King of Domination, Belmond. 

A human who lived in the modern world? 

Such a person wasn’t a comrade; they were merely a hurdle to be removed, an obstacle interfering with his grand achievement of unifying the continent.

That thorough personality might be what created the current Belmond and the Galas Empire.

Therefore.

“So, just die.”

The person who, just moments ago, seemed happy to have met someone from the modern world was gone. 

In his place was the tyrant known as the King of Domination.

And then.

-Flash!

It was the linear trajectory of a sword. 

Having already anticipated it, I took a step back and avoided the path of the blade.

But.

“Rip.”

I had definitely dodged it. 

Yet, my sleeve fluttered, cut by something sharp.

“Oh? You dodged that?”

Belmond, who had swung the sword, wore a thin smile.

“Don’t tell me, do you know about this sword too?”

He raised his weapon. 

At a glance, it looked like an ordinary longsword, but it wasn’t. 

It was his exclusive weapon, used only by Belmond.

The Emperor’s Sword.

It was never assigned a Numbering. 

However, as the weapon of the Emperor of a nation — a formidable being who started the Thousand Year War — its power transcended all Numbering. 

The most concerning aspect of it was.

‘The distortion and compression of space.’

The Emperor’s Sword, also known as the Space Sword, caused a loss of the sense of distance through the distortion and compression of space. 

This meant that even if you dodged to a distance where the attack trajectory shouldn’t reach, he could manipulate space so the sword would strike there. 

Since it was a sword that could literally manipulate space, there was only one way to block it.

‘Foresight that can even predict that spatial manipulation.’

Foresight that was close to prediction, achieved through incredible experience and the Karma of Martial Power. 

Through that, I had to read his thoughts and escape the trajectory. 

It was truly a battle of wits. 

If I lost the psychological battle even once, the worst-case scenario where my body was split in half could occur.

“Well, it’s not the first time. There have been quite a few who dodged my sword like you. It might have been luck, or it might have been skill, but in the end, the result was always the same.”

That wasn’t a lie. 

Belmond was able to rule as the King of Domination and found an empire entirely because of his Martial Power. 

He had fought tens of thousands of duels and he had won every single one of them. 

It was proof that he had walked a path entirely different from mine, as I had lost tens of thousands of duels.

The secret to his victory lay in his skill, but also in the Emperor’s Armor that blocked all attacks and the Emperor’s Sword, which possessed the absolute trait of manipulating space and piercing all defenses. 

He was a being with perfect offense and defense.

“I wonder how long a fellow Dimensional Transmigrator can hold out against this invincible offense and defense? I’ll look forward to it.”

Having said that, Belmond began to rush forward, folding space as he moved.

-Whoosh!

It was like a bolt of lightning, his skill level could be gauged just by that sequence of movements.

Fortunately.

‘He isn’t at the level he was in the past.’

That was only natural. 

The current Belmond had not been transmigrated for very long (though he was still a monster). 

Moreover, this wasn’t reality but a Trial of the Tower. 

Although the troublesome Emperor’s Sword and Emperor’s Armor were present, his personal Martial Power was significantly lower than its peak.

That was why I was able to parry and deflect all his attacks. 

Neutralize them? 

Impossible. 

Even if it were Anus, its will would be cut by the Emperor’s Sword. 

That was the nature of an absolute attribute. 

It was an absolute attribute that could cut through literally anything.

Because of that, I didn’t dare face it head-on and continued to dodge. 

It would have been an impossible evasion if not for the accurate prediction of his attacks through the Insight Eye.

“This too! And this! And this!”

It seemed that such a defense had touched Belmond’s pride.

-Whoosh, swish!

His attacks gradually grew faster. 

That was also one of his characteristics. 

It wasn’t a typical movement where one gets tired the more they attack, but a bizarre trait where he grew faster the more he swung.

However.

“Clang!”

Even if I launched an attack to block him, it was no use. 

No attack could pierce through him while he was under the protection of the Emperor’s Armor. 

In that case, should I aim for his eyes or other vital points not protected by the armor?

Not at all.

“Clang, clang!”

My attacks aiming for his eyes were blocked by the Emperor’s Sword, which he held at an angle. 

While I had to focus all my attention on his unpredictable attacks that I couldn’t even parry, he was different. 

The only place he had to worry about was his face. 

Therefore, if a trajectory headed toward his face, he just had to block it.

And since he defended with an absolute weapon like the Emperor’s Sword, I could even lose my own weapon if I made a single mistake. 

In a fight between masters, focusing only on the face instead of the entire body? 

That was practically as good as having won half the battle already. 

Because the range of defense was extremely limited while the range of offense was infinite.

Just like…right now.

“Squelch!”

“Drip —”

I ended up allowing his attack to hit my wrist. 

Of course, it wasn’t a deep cut.

However.

Even though it wasn’t a severe wound but just an attack that grazed the skin, blood began to gush out. 

It poured out as if it had no intention of stopping. 

It had to be that way.

“That’ll be hard to treat. The Emperor’s Sword is also enchanted with a status ailment called Bleed.”

Various spells were imbued into the Emperor’s Sword. 

Among them was Bleed. 

Wounds cut by this sword do not heal. 

This was why even strong individuals who could dodge his attacks were bound to lose. 

It was because a single mistake led to a result like this.

“I told you. Consuming your mental energy like that won’t last long. The same goes for you.”

Attacking and defending while consuming mental energy. 

However, Belmond made all those moves relatively freely. 

Since I couldn’t even pierce his defense, I would eventually have to admit defeat as I felt the gap widen over time, especially with the presence of the Emperor’s Armor.

“So just stop and die!”

-Flash!

The sword drew a trajectory once again.

His sword rushed in, certain of victory.

“I don’t know about that. Those are the words I wanted to say.”

Absolute attack? 

Absolute defense? 

The way to break them was extremely simple. 

Through his movements up until now, I had accurately predicted his next action. 

It was foresight through the Karma built up in countless battles.

I dodged his incoming sword by the narrowest of margins.

“Thud!”

I struck his wrist, forcing him to drop the sword.

“Grab.”

After catching the sword as it fell through the air.

“Stab!”

I attacked immediately.

A sword that can pierce anything. 

An armor that can defend against anything. 

The victor was the sword. 

Just like the result that had occurred in the final war of the past.