172: Make up the Will (1)

Irene Pareira, Karakum, and Gorha came down the mountain where the tomb of Gurgar was present.

If it was a fight between ordinary people, then the location didn’t matter, but this was a fight between Masters.

Anyway, there were a lot of vacant places at the bottom of the mountain, and it was the optimal place for a match, especially since there were no people looking.

However, in that brief moment, Karakum could clearly see that something had changed in the young man.

‘It seems as if the flower bloomed in an instant.’

Looking at Irene Pareira, who stepped forward, Karakum recalled the days when he wandered in human society.

Was it because the territory of humans was larger than that of the orc tribes?

There were so many great people on the continent, that it would be hard to count with just hands.

It wasn’t just about being a Master of swordsmanship.

Aside from the huge external strength that they possess, they also have a naturally built-up dignity that was formed after years of carrying heavy burdens and responsibilities.

Or the people who endured the harshness of the world by sticking to their own beliefs and will.

He felt the will and atmosphere that only such people could have in this young man.

‘Even if his swordsmanship level had risen, it wouldn’t be surprising anymore…’

But, he still didn’t know what kind of person Irene Pareira was.

This was why Karakum accepted Irene’s challenge. There was always something more that an old warrior like himself could learn.

And if that wasn’t enough, he could have a conversation with Irene, not using words, but their swords.

Karakum, who was thinking about that till then, looked at Gorha, who was walking behind, and asked.

“Why are you following us?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“Well, nothing like that.”

“I want to see. How beautiful the flower that bloomed is.”

“… that is a rather disgusting expression to use between three men.”

“Haha. Then I guess I will just watch quietly.”

And as they chatted, they reached the foot of the mountain.

Irene Pareira, who looked up at the blue sky for a moment, turned to Karakum.

Karakum nodded and spread his arms towards the ground.

Jjkkk

Crack!

The sound of sharp friction was heard from the ground, which started rising upwards, forming cracks all over.

Moments after the dust rose and then settled, Karakum stretched out his hand and grabbed an object that came flying towards him.

A double-edged axe; It wasn’t split into two as a hammer and a one-handed axe.

Irene realized that his opponent was going to be serious right from the start, and summoned the great sword with a serious expression.

Swosh!

Grab!

He held the sword which he wielded every day, but it felt different from usual.

Did the sword change again? No…what changed was himself.

He was able to feel it more thanks to his heightened senses now, especially after he witnessed his previous life.

He realized that his current sword wasn’t the sword of the man in the dreams, but rather a sword formed from the remnants of the old man’s will, which still existed within Irene.

‘Maybe, just maybe…my relationship with him doesn’t end here.’

“… Hum.”

Irene Pareira, who looked at his sword, raised his aura.

As the golden light rose on his sword, a wonderful feeling arose, and even Gorha admired it.

Of course, Karakum didn’t have that kind of sentiment.

Woong!

Like Irene, he too, raised his aura.

And when the black axe blade was added with aura, it gave off a crude feel.

And Karakum said.

“Come.”

“I will not back down.”

Phat!

Irene nodded and ran towards him.

There was no change to that attack, and no deception. It was an honest and straightforward charge.

However, nobody could ignore the power he held.

If gauging his skill was ambiguous, then understanding the power behind the attack would have been even more difficult.

But it wasn’t like that for Karakum.

Rather, Karakum was at a level where no one other than the strongest in the entire continent could compete with him.

He took a step ahead and swung his axe at Irene’s sword.

Kwaang!

An unbelievable sound came following the clash of the human and an orc.

Gorha frowned at the sound of the metal resounding around him.

However, this was just the start.

The two swung their weapons wildly, like a battle between those who were hungry for a fight.

In particular, Irene was more aggressive.

Bang!

A continuous attack that kept swinging back around after every exchange.

As if trying to crush down the wall called Karakum, the mercilessness in Irene’s sword could be felt.

But the warrior of Durkali didn’t feel any threat.

Although the difference in skill was huge, he was now focused on defense without an intention to counterattack.

Even if Irene’s sword skills soared a lot, Karakum would still not be embarrassed from someone from the younger generation.

No, it was more likely that it would be Irene who would get embarrassed.

Unlike him, who kept revealing his complete power and skills, Karkaum hadn’t even shown anything except for remaining in the defensive.

Drrr!

The spirit of earth had the best balance among the five spirits.

If one could use the aura of the earth spirit, it would be fine to take on the sharp attacks, and no matter how heavy an attack was, the damage would always be reduced.

Of course, that was only if there was enough land to use; if not, and the land was insufficient, it would put pressure on the body of the Earth spirit user, and cause the body to handle half the damage, and this could cause muscles to be hurt or even torn, but there was no reason for Karakum to worry about this since he was facing an opponent who was weaker than him.

But still, it would be easier and less risky to use the aura of water.

Karakum, thinking this, used more energy.

Swosh!

The energy of the roots of the trees grew, and the roots in the ground began to give out water.

The aura, which spread out, as if it was in the ground, added more stability to this.

Operating the aura in this way would make Karakum lose his mobility, but this was perfect for standing his ground.

And as unsurprising as it was, Irene, who was attacking, seemed frustrated.

And Karakum said.

“For an exciting term like match… this is nothing.”

Kwang!

As soon as he said that, Karakum swung his axe.

It was a strong attack that seemed as if it could tear down the sky and earth!

And it was all thanks to the stability that the land gave him.

With a stable center, large movements that required a lot of balance, could be performed in an instant.

Irene took ten steps back as he was hit by Karakum’s attack. Blood flowed out of his mouth.

“Sorry. But please continue.”

“Good!”

Karakum nodded and sprinted towards Irene, and he finally began to take the lead in the fight.

Of course, taking the lead wasn’t as easy as just hitting the opponent. Karakum, too had to put in consistent effort into this match as well as his actions.

Despite his blunt tone, Karakum liked Irene.

The dignified appearance he had, the lack of skills, and the sincerity he showed indicated that he wanted to learn, he watched this young man for days since he had come here, and each character he showed was worthy of him being a role model.

Controlling his output, Karakum used the energy of the Five Spirits Divine Technique, moderately.

He stimulated the battle flow so that it exactly matched the purpose of the match, considering that it was possible to experience the fusion of spirits along with aura in actual matches.

Woong!

An Aura of water, that softer than Bratt Lloyd’s, harassed Irene’s sword.

Thud!

A metal aura which was as hard as Irene’s but more refined, attacked Irene’s whole body.

And the last one was the fire aura.

Karakum, who was hot and ferocious like Judith, pressured his opponent harshly.

Although it wasn’t like metal, Karakum knew that the fire aura was something Irene could confidently handle.

However, the opponent had a weird reaction from what he expected.

Bang!

The axe and the sword collided. The sparks which burst out along with the red and gold aura felt intimidating.

Bang!

The second attack poured in. This time, Irene didn’t back down.

Karakum’s eyes widened as he saw Irene stepping forward for the confrontation instead of receiving the attacks and defending himself like he thought the human would.

There was a spark inside Irene’s eyes. A spark that was bigger than the one before.

Bang!

After that, and even after the next exchange, Irene didn’t back down.

The axe and the great sword competed against each other without moving back even an inch, and at the same time, the size of embers that were burning increased.

After about a minute had passed, Karakum pulled back his axe and looked at the young man.

His complexion that looked tired and pale due to the rapid decline in physical strength, was what first caught his eyes.

However, what stood out even more than that was the golden flame flowing through the sword in a menacing shape.

Wheik!

Looking at Irene Pareira, who had awakened the aura of flame, following the aura of metal, Karakum asked.

“The match won’t end here. I can’t stop now and stand aside because I am too curious.”

“Pant, pant… what?”

The young blonde man was breathing heavily.

However, he didn’t withdraw the sword.

Seeing Irene looking at the flame he lit proudly, Karakum tried to calm down his expression.

He couldn’t lose his calm in such a situation.

And he said,

“I understand that you have gained something from your past life’s memories. I know that through something, the shattered hearts in your heart were united into one.”

“Huh, Phew… right. Right. As the great warrior said, we were able to unite the flames which had been spinning around without a center.”

“Right. Congratulations. At the age of just over 20, you have a strong conviction to make the flames your own. That is an achievement which is incomparably faster than people of even the Durkali tribe.”

“You are exaggerating.”

“You shouldn’t be so humble… coming back to the point. I don’t know about your past life. I don’t even want to know…or so I thought, but now I am curious.”

“…”

“But I even know that asking it is rude. And in fact, there is something I am more curious about than that.”

“That…”

“Your will, your belief. Can you tell me what it is?”

Wheik!

Asking that question, Karakum’s eyes shone.

He didn’t have the same enthusiasm and ambition when he was young.

He was too old for that. The age of his mind didn’t match his body.

However, seeing the young genius bloom, sparks rose in his heart, and even warmed up his heart.

Karakum stared at Irene with interest and curiosity.

Facing those gazes, the young man with his sword pointed to the ground remained silent.

And then thought about the path of the man in his dream, or rather, the man who was his past self.

Losing his family.

Losing the trust of everyone he loved.

The hatred and anger which grew out of sadness and loneliness to sustain his life, and the strength he gained to persevere through countless illusions.

However, this person, who was stronger than Irene, had broken through his own limits through a more beautiful will rather than the negative thoughts that plagued him.

The image he showed had enough power to unite the sparks, which were stagnant and separated in Irene’s heart.

“I.”

Beyond the love for family.

Beyond the friendship between close friends.

He wanted to reach out to people who were wider than those around him and make sure these people were happier.

After saying that, Irene’s eyes blazed with flames darker than Karakum.

Upon hearing that, Karakum frowned.

“… that is great. Your aspirations are… it is much bigger than simply saying that I will be the strongest.”

“…”

“It sounds like something which no one can easily put into words, as if walking down the path of a hero. Did you understand that and then speak those words?”

The aura around them turned heavy.

Neither Karakum, Irene, nor Gorha spoke.

It felt like gravity, which was several times stronger, was weighing them down.

Irene who was sweating at the aura from the great warriors.

Didn’t back down from his will.

And didn’t even hide it.

Raising his sword again, he raised the aura and then said.

“It is embarrassing to say.”

“…”

“If my words mean that I will walk down the path of a hero, then I will gladly walk that path.”

Wheikl!

In front of the blazing golden flame, Irene Pareira made a vow.