A wave of flames burst in Gabriel's general direction. The Elder immediately conjured a barrier, causing the flames to split, rushing in two opposing directions. Gabriel then placed his finger on the barrier, causing it to vanish.
'What the…'
What he saw after de-summoning the barrier caused his eyes to widen to the size of saucers. With a stupefied expression, he watched as the tip of Arthur's sword pierced Feyright's temple, drawing blood.
He tried suppressing his shock but to no avail. The sight was beyond his comprehension. The world around him spun violently, while adrenaline surged within his body. His rival was finally dead.
Yet, not a shred of happiness could be felt.
'Why am I angered at his death?' Gabriel wondered, clutching his forehead to try to suppress the searing pain that coursed across it. Veins bulged from his tensed muscles, while immense killing intent manifested, oozing off his body.
Unable to sort his emotions, Gabriel simply let out a bitter chuckle.
'I guess you were the first to die,' he muttered internally, staring at the sky with an undecipherable expression. His tone was intended both to mock and mourn Feyright's death. He didn't wish to feel the emotions that coursed across his mind any further.
Then, his eyes focused on Arthur's figure. A murderer… That was what Gabriel suddenly thought of him.
It was utterly stupid. But at that moment, Gabriel couldn't maintain his rationality.
With an ear-piercing shriek, he rushed towards Arthur.
*
Arthur withdrew Skofnung, allowing it to consume Feyright's blood. The Demonic Blade transmitted pleasant feelings to the crimson-eyed man while voraciously devouring the scarlet liquid.
[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' urges its wielder to decapitate his other foe.]
[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' wishes for another meal.]
'This sword is such a pain,' thought Arthur, shaking his head. Praising himself for performing such intricate movements in such a short span of time, the crimson-eyed man glanced emotionlessly at Feyright's corpse.
Although his eyes were wide in horror, a tiny smile still hung on his bloody lips. Arthur formed an expression of dissatisfaction, finding the late Elder to be creepy. How could one value one's amusement over life?
Even after accepting the rapidly approaching sensation of death, it was still unusual for someone to be so detached from reality.
To be so uncaring of what lay after crossing the Yellow River…
'Now, shifting my attention to that guy…' Arthur turned his head, casting a glance at Gabriel. Suddenly, the former's eyes glowed a slightly different color. Their intensity rose, and a great sense of fear materialized in Gabriel's body.
He was stunned by Arthur's abyss-like eyes, to the point where he let down his guard for a split second.
'[Searing Gaze] is truly useful,' thought Arthur, taking advantage of the opportunity. He rushed forward using [Ethereal Glide], traveling several meters in barely a second. Color returned to Gabriel's face, and he quickly realized what had happened.
With a determined gaze, he thrust his black lance forward.
"You fucking murderer!" Gabriel shouted, each word containing immense power that caused Arthur's heart to shake. Sparks of Sword Aura emanated from the black lance but were not too visible.
The Sword Aura became tangible, wrapping across the black lance while resembling a snake, preparing to strike Arthur.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly, and he conjured a massive boulder using Earth Magic. He hurled the boulder at Gabriel, and at that very second, the snake-like Sword Aura let out a deafening hiss, shooting forward.
Arthur spun, using his heels to his advantage. As the snake collided with his boulder, the latter shattered on impact. But, by then, Arthur had already escaped its trajectory and was rushing at Gabriel.
Sword Spirit spun around Skofnung as Arthur swung the sword horizontally, slicing even the air that it passed through. Particles of orange, red, and black energy burst from the swing, rushing towards Gabriel.
Gabriel nimbly avoided the particles, closing the distance in mere milliseconds.
At that moment, Arthur activated [Searing Gaze] yet again, causing the Elder to stumble. The former swung at the black lance, pushing it to the side before extending his arm in desperation, and placing it on Gabriel's neck.
The battle was over.
"Got you," Arthur whispered in Gabriel's ear. The latter shuddered, feeling the wind tickle the inside of his ear. Shivers shot down his spine and he attempted to retaliate, but to absolutely no avail.
Suddenly, his power drained.
[Judgment Regeneration has been used.]
[The Sins and Virtues of the target are being examined.]
[Target has 64% Sin and 36% Virtue.]
[Mediocre de-buffs are being applied.]
Gabriel's face paled at a rapid rate, causing his body to convulse. Such a drastic change in the composition of his body caused a great deal of pain to assault him. Foam escaped his mouth while Arthur strengthened his grip on his neck.
"I told you, Gabriel," Arthur whispered, laughing softly while caressing the man's neck. "If I survived that, I would destroy both you and your village. Well, I didn't tell you, but I told myself that."
Gabriel let out undecipherable sounds.
"Now, do you regret taking advantage of me?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your deed almost indirectly spelled my death. Had I died, however, would I have received the sweet opportunity to strangle you like this?"
Silence.
"Answer me… Would I have?"
"N–Gurk… No…"
"Good boy," Arthur replied, patting Gabriel's head before finally loosening his grip. The latter collapsed to the ground, gripping his own throat while gasping desperately for breath.
'I guess this is the end…' Gabriel thought as his entire life flashed before his eyes. The joy, pain, happiness, sorrow… His mind felt several emotions simultaneously, and eventually, a regretful expression appeared on his face.
'Even this guy… How can they be so calm while dying?' Arthur wondered. When dying, Arthur's expression was ferocious, while his heart was racing. But these people… they were strangely uncaring.
They didn't seem too perturbed. Their hearts didn't seem to race.
As if death was but an inconvenience.
