In the courtyard of an ordinary yet stately mansion—a space sprawling enough to have been built for dueling—Buldrokk and Yujin stood facing each other with weapons drawn.
In the chilling silence, Kalaisha stayed tucked in a corner, nervously watching her Master. Theresia and Theresis, meanwhile, were clearly uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere.
How did it even come to this? Theresis thought, arms crossed as he watched the two prepare for battle.
It wasn't their fault. No, they simply lacked the power to speak up. No one could find the courage to argue when faced with the overwhelming presence of the man standing on the sidelines.
Strength and lineage—the two things the Sarkaz prioritize above all else, and the two things necessary to reach the heights of power. The man possessed both in spades. He was an ancient monster, the one known as the King of the Nachzehrers, the King of Rot. And he had made his judgment clear.
"Not you."
Those were the first words Netsalem had uttered upon hearing the reports from Kalaisha and Buldrokk.
While he accepted Theresia and Theresis as his disciples without hesitation, he had rejected Yujin instantly.
"Where does a thing of nothing find the audacity to mimic others?"
Neither Theresia nor Theresis understood what he meant by that, but they immediately took a dislike to him for saying it.
Kalaisha and Buldrokk, being his students, couldn't voice their complaints directly. But there was resistance. Kalaisha, feeling guilty for her poor performance on her mission, sheepishly offered her opinion, while Buldrokk argued that the boy deserved at least one chance to prove himself.
And so, this "chance" was arranged: a duel with Buldrokk.
Yujin didn't know if he just had to win, or if there was something else he had to demonstrate. Perhaps the enigmatic King had proposed such an ambiguous goal just to ensure his failure. Still, Theresis suspected that a King of such stature wouldn't speak so lightly.
"…Who do you think will win?" Theresia asked, her hands clasped tightly as she watched Yujin.
"I don't know," Theresis replied. "They're similar in some ways, but fundamentally different."
During their journey there, they had encountered a group of mercenaries who specialized in raiding nomads and messengers between cities. The result? Total defeat for the mercenaries. Theresia, who didn't yet understand how to control her Arts, had stayed back; the battle had been handled entirely by Buldrokk and Yujin.
Buldrokk possessed a body of near-impossible durability. Even a sword thrust to the chest didn't stop him—his skin remained unmarred, a flawless shield of iron.
Yujin was different. While Buldrokk took hits and ignored them, Yujin ensured that no one could land a hit on him to begin with. Their styles were so distinct it was impossible to gauge where they truly stood. And yet, at the end of every fight, Yujin's blade would always be covered in hairline fractures.
"Begin."
The moment Netsalem spoke, his voice bored and detached, Buldrokk lunged forward with his massive frame.
Master-level Arts users existed on a plane far beyond ordinary humans. They were entities that defied common sense, and Buldrokkas'tee was no exception.
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion shook the courtyard. It was merely the shockwave of Buldrokk's feet shattering the earth as he took off. Despite his size, he moved faster than anyone could react, thrusting his long spear toward Yujin.
The spear, wreathed in a terrifying red light, let out a high-pitched whistle as it closed in on Yujin's throat. Yujin chose not to meet it head-on; instead, he threw his body to the side in a desperate evasion.
Dust kicked up from the trampled ground. Like a maddened bull, Buldrokk pivoted instantly and charged again. Yujin threw himself into another roll.
"Tch."
This was a disadvantageous battlefield for Yujin. In an environment with cover or varying terrain, he could use his unorthodox movements to gain an edge. Here, in this open courtyard, there was nowhere to hide.
Unlike Buldrokk, who had activated his Arts from the start, Yujin only now began to summon his platinum light.
Hummmmm…
Yujin's sword began to vibrate quietly. A low hum resonated from the black blade as the platinum light wove itself into the metal, erupting into a brilliant glow.
Having stored his power to the limit, the sword prepared to meet Buldrokk's accelerating spear.
Clash! In a single flash, the long spear and the sword collided. A screeching sound, far more violent than anything from his fight with Tarkan, tore through the air.
Netsalem's brow twitched. He watched the exchange with a twisted expression. A power struggle against a Wendigo? Has the boy lost his mind?
There was a saying among the Sarkaz: "Three Wendigos can lay waste to a small city." They were considered physically superior even to the Vouivre, the race widely regarded as the strongest in Terra.
As a cloud of dust rose, the red and platinum lights continued to clash. In the middle of the haze, the two remained locked in a raw, brutal struggle of strength.
Reinforced by Arts, their bodies pushed past human limits. However, Yujin soon realized that matching Buldrokk in brute force was a losing game. He broke the lock and retreated.
Buldrokk, refusing to let him go, swung his spear in a wide arc, but Yujin leaped into the air, spinning mid-flight. When the spear struck the ground and the recoil pushed it outside of Buldrokk's guard, Yujin lunged for the opening.
"…I told you, I'm not built for a blade like that to work on me."
Yujin's thrust was aimed perfectly at Buldrokk's neck. But Buldrokk didn't even bother to move. He took the strike head-on.
CLANG!
The sound of metal hitting solid iron rang out as Yujin's blade was deflected.
"You've got to be kidding…!"
His blade had struck human flesh, yet the feedback felt like he'd hit an armored tank. Even though it had been a hurried strike, he hadn't expected it to fail to leave even a scratch.
As Yujin landed, Buldrokk capitalized on the momentary vulnerability, thrusting his spear again. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Yujin swung his sword against the shaft of the spear, parrying it just enough to alter its trajectory.
It was an incredible display of reflexes. Few warriors were insane enough to perform such acrobatic stunts in the heat of battle.
Projecting overwhelming force, Buldrokk charged again, looking ready to crush everything in his path. The red energy at the tip of his spear intensified. Responding in kind, Yujin stomped his foot and flooded the field with platinum radiance.
As their mutual acceleration reached its peak, Buldrokk plowed ahead, but Yujin suddenly dug his heels into the dirt, bringing his movement to a screeching halt. Using the snap-back momentum of his own body, he swung his blade in a horizontal sweep.
Screeeech—!
The spear tip and the blade ground against each other with a sickening, metallic shriek. Their respective Arts lashed out, swirling violently. Yujin's feet were pushed back through the dirt, creating furrows, but he gritted his teeth and held his ground until the very end.
At that moment, the tension snapped. Their trajectories diverged.
The two crossed paths, each ending up on opposite sides of the field.
The spear had only grazed him, yet Yujin's side was already soaked in blood, his nerves screaming in pain.
The only consolation?
He wasn't the only one bleeding. Buldrokk turned around to face Yujin, and blood began to seep from a shallow cut on his waist.
Buldrokk stared at the wound, touching it briefly and looking at the red on his fingers.
"Heh."
Buldrokk dropped his head, feeling the faint throb of pain.
"Haha… Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Suddenly, he erupted into a manic laughter. He looked at his bleeding side as if he were having the time of his life. He locked his wide eyes on Yujin. How long had it been since he had felt a sensation like this?
He had fought because it was his Master's order. He knew Yujin was a good person, and he genuinely liked him. But he had wondered: Did this boy truly have the power Kalaisha claimed?
Buldrokk felt a spark of pure, unadulterated battle lust. A sensation he only ever felt against his Master or his own kin. He raised his long spear and roared.
"I am Buldrokkas'tee, the Last Pureblood Wendigo!"
"…Wait a minute."
"From this moment on, I shall face you with everything I have!"
"Hey, isn't this supposed to be a spar!?"
Yujin shouted in a panic, but Buldrokk was already beyond listening. Kalaisha buried her face in her hands.
"…Master, how are you going to stop this?"
"I… didn't think he would go this far," Netsalem muttered.
"Don't give me that! You're the one who needs to take responsibility!"
Even Netsalem couldn't hide his surprise. He hadn't expected Yujin to be this skilled, let alone actually wound Buldrokk. Harming a body as tough as a Wendigo's was no small feat.
Buldrokk charged again, laughing like a maniac. Yujin tried to roll out of the way, but at the last second, Buldrokk adjusted his strike through sheer, brute strength, tracking Yujin's movement.
"Oh, for heaven's—!"
Yujin barely ducked by dropping to his knees. Netsalem sighed, realizing that unless someone was on the verge of death, this fight wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.