CHAPTER 87: ALVARIC IS THE HOPE

The two fought fiercely. The clash of their attacks made the room tremble. They seemed evenly matched, but Alvaric was slightly disadvantaged because he was slower. Several times he was struck and ended up being thrown back violently.

His body slammed against the wall, leaving cracks behind. Just as his opponent was ready to slash his head, Alvaric quickly rose and dodged.

He possessed super regeneration. That allowed him to respond faster when the second strike came. It was also the very thing that enabled Alvaric to keep rising and fighting.

His opponent stroked his chin. "You are truly interesting. No matter what I do, you always recover. This really is..." The demi-human suddenly fell silent. "Ah, I think I know who you are."

When the demi-human slightly loosened his stance and attacks, Alvaric took his chance. He vanished—or rather, he ran so fast that it seemed like he disappeared. In just a fraction of a second, he was already behind his opponent.

Without hesitation, Alvaric swung his blade toward his opponent’s neck. Yet, the demi-human only gave a small smile.

"If I’m not mistaken... your name is Alvaric, isn’t it? You are the one who killed my comrade," he said casually.

Just as Alvaric’s strike was about to land on the demi-human’s neck, he suddenly leapt back, stopping his own attack. His heart pounded furiously. He reached for his chest—no wound, no blood.

"Damn it. He’s strong," Alvaric muttered.

The Eye of Monarch allowed him to see five seconds into the future. A moment ago, his eyes had shown him his chest being crushed and his head shattered by a counterattack. It was no illusion, but the future that would have happened had Alvaric not withdrawn.

It did not necessarily mean death, but he could still feel the pain. Alvaric was used to pain, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

He steadied his breathing again. He realized that the Eye of Monarch was somewhat disadvantageous for him, because whenever he glimpsed a future where he was injured, fear was triggered within him. That tendency made him retreat.

"As I suspected, Aerozar did not die out of mere misfortune. He died because his opponent was strong," the demi-human said, walking leisurely toward Alvaric, showing not a trace of fear. "I didn’t particularly care about Aerozar’s death, since I never liked him. But our lord has given the order to kill you. There’s no other choice, is there?"

His relaxed gaze suddenly turned sharp. He took his stance again. This opponent of Alvaric was very different from the three main generals he had fought before. This one seemed so calm, his face almost friendly—despite his terrifying power.

Perhaps, he was the strongest among the main generals.

Alvaric had steadied his breathing. He was calmer than before. "Old man, you are indeed strong. But this victory belongs to me," Alvaric declared.

The demi-human laughed. "Oooh, so confident, huh! How amusing."

He stomped his foot. A second later, he vanished from sight. Alvaric immediately activated the Eye of Monarch. In less than a second, he spun around and blocked the strike of the demi-human’s staff.

Alvaric pushed back the staff with great force, forcing his opponent to retreat. But only a second later, a spear of wind appeared behind Alvaric.

"Got you!" the demi-human shouted.

Slash!

Alvaric managed to dodge the attack. But more came from other directions. This time, seven wind spears shot toward him at high speed. Not only that, his opponent also advanced, attacking Alvaric directly.

The number of attacks Alvaric had to endure was overwhelming. His eyes kept moving. The Eye of Monarch helped him immensely, because without even turning his head, he could see the strikes coming from behind. Although sometimes his movements lagged behind and he still got injured, it was better than taking a fatal blow.

The demi-human squinted. "Why are all my attacks being dodged? Even the ones aimed at his blind spots. What’s happening?" he muttered in frustration.

As they continued to fight, clashing blow for blow, the demi-human kept studying Alvaric’s movements. His eyes constantly searched for what was unusual about him—the very same thing Alvaric was doing in return. Their battle raged with intense ferocity.

***

In the same place, Velka dragged Serya’s body and the unconscious soldier. The soldier’s condition was truly dire. Blood kept pouring from his body. Velka tried to pull him further away from the battlefield.

She propped Serya and the soldier against the corridor wall. When she checked the soldier’s pulse, there was no response. Velka quickly leaned closer, checking his breath... nothing. The soldier was dead.

""No... it can’t be..."

Velka immediately turned to Serya. She pressed her young lady’s pulse. When she felt it still beating, relief washed over her. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the floor. She lay down for a few seconds, closing her eyes, before finally rising again and walking back toward the soldier.

Velka closed the soldier’s half-open left eye. She clenched her hands and prayed—praying for the soldier’s soul to rest peacefully in heaven, and for him to find a better life in the next world.

"... Thank you. Lady Serya and I will never forget what you have done," Velka whispered.

She honored the soldier because he had fought until the very end. He may not have contributed much in battle, but at the most crucial moment, he was the one who sacrificed himself to protect Serya. That was a deed that could not be dismissed.

After praying and paying her respects, Velka walked a little further. She looked into the room again and saw Alvaric fighting the goat-type demi-human. Their battle was so intense that the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling had cracked and broken in several places.

Seeing this, Velka swallowed hard. "This is insane." She shook her head, both baffled and in awe. "They really look evenly matched. I don’t know who will win, but... I hope Alvaric does."

As she said that, Velka suddenly froze. Her expression grew grim. She realized she was nothing but a burden. She hadn’t been of much use. In this dungeon, she had only fought once. She kept relying on and hoping for Alvaric to carry everything.

Velka clenched her fists so tightly that blood dripped from her palms. "This is frustrating," she muttered.

She turned around, looking at Serya who lay unconscious. Velka took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I have to become stronger. I must be able to protect Lady Serya," she said to herself.

She nodded firmly, full of resolve. "I promise."