CHAPTER 73: TIRAN VS THE GREEN ONE

(Third Person POV)

In truth, ever since Alice entered the room, she had been activating her ability constantly to read the prince’s inner thoughts.

And the moment she realized he was preparing to kill her, she placed him in an illusion to protect herself while Tiran was busy fighting.

"I wonder what kind of illusion he’s seeing now? I’m not skilled enough to know... I really need more training."

A faint smile appeared on her face before she turned her gaze away from him and looked at the hole in the wall.

Meanwhile, in the city, people saw a giant man chasing someone known as the Green One.

The giant was carrying an enormous sword and was leaping across rooftops with an agility that looked odd given his size.

"Haa."

Tiran swung his sword at the Green One, who was standing on a house ahead of him.

But, as before, space began to crack around the Green One, and he vanished from his place, reappearing several buildings away.

’This is annoying. His ability is difficult to deal with like this... I need to find another way.’

Tiran thought as he tightened his grip on his sword and charged at the Green One with great speed.

"What’s wrong, Duke? Looks like you can’t even hit me. I guess the rumors about your strength were exaggerated."

The Green One taunted as he watched Tiran approach rapidly, then raised his bow and quickly fired several arrows at him.

Tiran deflected the arrows with a sideways sweep of his sword and continued advancing.

But this time, instead of swinging his sword, he threw it like a spear with incredible force toward the Green One, startling him slightly.

Whoosh!

He quickly jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the sword that sliced through the air mere inches away.

"That was close... but you’ll have to try harder than that, Duke."

Tiran stopped two houses away from the Green One, a strange smile forming on his face.

Suddenly, the Green One heard a sound behind him. He turned his head in shock to see the sword he had just dodged flying right toward him.

Space cracked again as he teleported to a farther distance to avoid the attack.

But when he reappeared, a surprise was waiting for him.

"Ha ha ha ha! Using the same trick over and over again is something you should never do in battle."

Tiran’s voice came from behind him, and before he could react, Tiran punched him hard in the face, sending him flying through several walls.

Booom!

Tiran’s sword returned to his hand as he slowly descended from the rooftop and approached the Green One.

Amidst the rubble, a figure stood up with difficulty. His mask was shattered, revealing his face.

The right side of his face was swollen from Tiran’s punch, and his mouth was bleeding—he’d probably lost several teeth.

Upon seeing his face, Tiran was slightly surprised.

"Oh ho... I didn’t expect the third prince of the Southern Empire

to be part of this filthy organization. What a surprise."

The Green One couldn’t hear Tiran—he was still dazed from the blow.

"How? How did you hit me?"

As he regained his senses slightly, he uttered those words, prompting Tiran to look at him with dull eyes.

"Did you think I was someone who just swings his sword around like a madman? Kid, you’re really dumb."

Tiran sighed as he looked at him with pity, which only enraged the Green One further.

"You—"

"Alright, if I were like that, I would’ve died a long time ago. To become a perfect warrior, you need to be flawless in all aspects of combat—not just swordsmanship or magic."

Tiran interrupted him, causing a vein to bulge in the man’s forehead.

"Wh—"

"When we started fighting, I was attacking you cautiously to analyze your abilities. I wasn’t using my full strength; I was preparing for any sudden moves."

Tiran interrupted again, ignoring his frustration.

"Then I discovered your secret. You can only teleport in one direction, and there’s a cooldown for a few seconds. That’s why you were trying to keep me at a distance."

The Green One’s eyes widened in shock at the revelation of his ability, and he looked at Tiran with new respect.

"From our short exchange, I also realized you lack experience. So, I threw my sword to distract you while I attacked you myself. Simple as that."

The Green One clenched his fists tightly, remembering what happened.

"But there’s something I don’t understand. How did your sword return to you? The only one who can use control magic is Orlax Tirshtain... so how?"

"Oh, you mean that? My sword is an artifact. If no one’s holding it, it returns to its sheath—which happens to be inside my body. So, it came back."

Tiran answered carelessly, causing the Green One to feel suspicious.

"You’re awfully honest..."

"Ha ha ha! Even if I told you my every move in advance, you still wouldn’t beat me."

The Green One sighed and raised his bow.

"That was your mistake for underestimating me. Don’t blame me when you die."

Light began to gather around his bow, more intensely than before.

Tiran narrowed his eyes, sensing danger from the new arrow.

"Oh ho... this looks a bit dangerous."

He raised his sword and braced himself, firmly planting his feet.

Whoosh!

The arrow shot out with such high speed that Tiran could barely track it.

Boom!

The arrow collided with his sword, forcing Tiran back several steps before he stopped.

"And this is just the beginning."

Tiran looked to where the Green One had been—but he had already moved, now standing atop a house.

He raised his bow to the sky and began firing arrows upward at insane speed.

After a few seconds, a rain of green arrows began falling from the sky, targeting Tiran’s location.

He didn’t move. He stood still, watching with a wide smile on his face.

"Finally, this is getting fun."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each arrow that hit the ground caused a small explosion, tearing up the terrain.

Tiran blocked most of the arrows aimed at him, but he was hit in the leg and his right arm.

"Well... I guess it’s my turn now."

He leapt into the air, ignoring the arrows embedded in his body, rising high above.

[Great Sword: Earth Breaker]

Tiran suddenly vanished and reappeared behind the Green One before he could react, striking with his sword to send him flying—

Or so he thought.

Before his sword could land, space cracked around Tiran, and he vanished again.

He reappeared in a dark space with nothing visible around him.

"You know... we thought long and hard about how to fight people who reached the Grandmaster level."

The Green One’s voice echoed from all directions, making it hard for Tiran to locate him.

"In the end, we couldn’t find a way to kill them."

Whoosh!

Before Tiran could block the arrow he heard from behind, it had already pierced his right side.

"Those who reach that level have bodies unlike normal humans... and they see things we don’t."

Whoosh!

Another arrow appeared, then disappeared—striking his left leg from behind.

Tiran’s body was now riddled with four arrows, bleeding heavily.

"And the most annoying thing is... they possess a power called ’Right,’ which we know nothing about."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two more arrows struck his left arm and left side.

"Ugh..."

Tiran groaned in pain, but still clutched his sword tightly.

"But it seems the world didn’t want us to fail. It gave us a gift."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three more arrows struck him, leaving him barely able to stand. He used his sword to support himself.

"We found a treasure belonging to someone who called himself ’The Great One.’ Inside were unimaginable weapons—and this bow I now hold."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A flurry of arrows flew at Tiran. He raised his sword to block—but the arrows seemed to have their own will, dodging his blade and striking directly.

Tiran fell to his knees, too wounded to stand.

There was a strange expression on his face as he looked around.

"This bow lets me bend reality and create a space like this where I can defeat any opponent—no matter their strength. And at last, we’ve found the solution to our problem."

The Green One appeared before Tiran, smiling proudly as he looked down at him gasping on the ground.

"So? Do you still think you can beat me like this?"

Tiran remained silent, which irritated him.

"Hey! I’m talking to you, why aren’t—"

"This isn’t fun at all. You’re using a weapon’s power, not your own."

Tiran interrupted him, slowly rising to his feet.

"I thought you were a warrior... but you’re just a coward relying on weapons. This is so disappointing."

There was a sad expression on Tiran’s face as he stared at the Green One.

’Has he lost his mind from blood loss? Let me end this quickly.’

The Green One raised his bow. Green particles gathered into an arrow.

He released the string—the arrow shot toward Tiran, who didn’t even raise his sword.

The arrow vanished... and reappeared behind Tiran, inches from his head.

Whoosh!

But this time, it didn’t strike.

Tiran caught it with his bare hand, completely unharmed.

"I’m really angry now. I’ll kill you quickly so I can get back to my mission. I’ve lost interest in this fight."

The Green One’s eyes widened as he stared at the arrow in Tiran’s hand.

"What?! How did you stop it?! That arrow pierces space itself—no one should be able to stop it!"

Sweat poured down his forehead as a terrible feeling crept in.

Tiran raised his sword, looked at it briefly, then turned to the Green One.

"That was a terrible fight, you bastard. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on someone as pathetic as you."

He slashed his sword sideways, returned it to his body, and began walking away.

"What? Are you running away now? How hilarious... Tiran Valdrik, the great warrior, running from a fight! Hahaha!"

Tiran didn’t turn around. He cast a sideways glance and said:

"Since when could the dead speak?"

"Huh? What are you talki—ni—"

His sentence was cut off.

A red line appeared across his entire body, slicing him cleanly in half.

He raised his hand as if trying to hold himself together—but it was useless.

His body split perfectly down the middle and fell to the ground, his face frozen in a clueless expression, not even realizing he was dead.

"Wait, this might actually be useful."

Tiran returned, picked up the bow from the ground, and stored it in his spatial ring.

"I’ll give it to the Emperor when we return. Maybe someone worthy can use this weapon."

Tiran walked slowly, pulling out the arrows embedded in his body.

With each arrow he removed, the wounds closed rapidly—visible to the naked eye.