Chapter 687: Chapter 687

Tyran couldn’t answer Ghislain’s proposal right away.

‘When… was the last time I fought without using mana?’

It had to be at least over twenty years ago. No one who could use mana would ever choose not to.

Anyone capable of wielding mana would feel an intense unease if they didn’t use it.

It was only natural. It was like taking off a layer of armor meant to protect oneself.

Yet, the opponent was suggesting just that.

In truth, what mattered most in this duel wasn’t superior skill.

It was nerve. The kind of nerve that didn’t fear death.

All the mercenaries turned to look at Tyran. Their expressions showed curiosity wondering if he would accept the offer.

“Khk…”

Tyran felt, once again, like he had been played.

What if he refused now? It would seem like he was backing down out of fear and that would damage his authority.

For someone as prideful as Tyran, it was a proposal he simply couldn’t refuse, even if he didn’t like it.

‘These bastards…’

His insides were boiling. Every time he exchanged words, he found himself getting tangled up with that cheeky little mage.

He wanted to refuse a hundred times over, but in the end, Tyran had no choice but to nod.

“Fine. We’ll do it that way.”

He gritted his teeth and steeled himself. Still, he believed he held the advantage.

Compared to that guy Julien, he was far bigger and more muscular. That lean guy didn’t look like someone who could possibly be stronger than him.

It was just a matter of how skilled and bold the opponent was.

‘That guy won’t have it easy either.’

Even if it was their side who proposed the rules, it was probably half bluff. From the look on his face, he seemed slightly nervous too.

When Tyran accepted, Julien nodded as well. Then he pulled out a dagger and bandages, beginning to wrap his hands.

Deneb hurried over to help tie the bandages, whispering anxiously.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“Why are you even trying to fight this way?”

Her face was full of worry. Ghislain had warned her in advance this would happen, but even now, Deneb couldn’t understand why they had to fight like this.

Julien chuckled softly and replied.

“Who knows? I’m not really sure either. But if it’s something Ghislain planned, then I’m sure there’s a reason.”

After spending two years together, Julien had come to trust Ghislain even more. The harsher the training, the stronger he had become in reality.

And he was starting to get a vague sense of why they had to fight like this.

‘To handle rough mercenaries, you have to show them something more than just skill.’

If they fought with their usual abilities, someone was bound to argue over who had trained longer, or who had the stronger mana refinement technique, claiming it had been an unfair match.

But by fighting in the manner Ghislain proposed, only their honed techniques and courage would be put on display.

And most of the mercenaries who couldn’t use mana would be deeply impressed by what they saw.

Deneb gripped Julien’s hand tightly, repeating herself several times.

“Be careful. If it looks dangerous, just surrender. I don’t care what mercenary corps we end up joining.”

“Got it. Don’t worry too much.”

Julien answered calmly. Their eyes met warmly as they looked at each other.

Seeing that, Ghislain narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“What’s this? Suspicious. Don’t tell me you two are…”

There was a peculiar vibe between them. While Ghislain drifted into his own thoughts, Julien and Tyran finished their preparations and stood face-to-face.

Everyone present watched the two with tension. But neither of them noticed the crowd’s gaze.

Now, in their world, only the two of them remained.

Tyran raised his dagger and asked,

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Swoosh!

Even before the words were finished, Tyran moved. His dagger shot toward Julien’s face like lightning.

Julien twisted his head and dodged. Tyran didn’t stop there, he launched a relentless flurry of attacks.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

In a dangerous duel like this, dragging it out brought no advantage. Tyran committed to the offensive more fiercely than ever before.

Anyone watching could see how bold the attack was. It looked like he wasn’t even thinking about defense.

The onlookers watching the fierce assault couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.

“As expected of Tyran.”

“He doesn’t look the least bit afraid of such a dangerous fight.”

“He’s always been fearless. That’s how he became this strong.”

But contrary to what the spectators thought, Tyran was feeling extremely uneasy right now.

Only the sound of air being sliced filled his ears. Even with their hands bound, Julien was evading every attack.

Tyran realized Julien’s skills were far more formidable than he had assumed.

Frustrated, he growled and taunted Julien.

“How long do you plan on dodging? If you’re scared, you shouldn’t have suggested fighting like this.”

Instead of responding, Julien launched a counterattack.

Swoosh!

Tyran felt a chill down his spine from the breeze brushing past his ear. He hadn’t sensed a thing until the blade was right in front of his eyes.

The attack was so fast and silent that it made him wonder if mana had been used by instinct.

“You bastard!”

Tyran’s dagger flew toward Julien’s shoulder. As Julien twisted his body to dodge, Tyran yanked hard on the rope binding their hands.

Losing his balance, Julien left his side exposed and Tyran’s dagger struck again, this time at his flank.

Slash!

Blood burst from Julien’s side. Tyran smiled involuntarily.

‘As expected, I’m stronger!’

Given that he had a whole head’s height advantage, it went without saying that Tyran held the upper hand in strength. His confidence surged.

Without pause, he pressed the attack. With overwhelming force and size, he intended to crush his opponent in a single breath.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Tyran’s relentless assault left more and more wounds on Julien’s body. Deneb’s face turned pale at the sight.

Tyran’s attacks looked confident, almost dominant. Even the spectators began to assume Julien wouldn’t last much longer.

But Ghislain didn’t see it that way.

“He’s getting impatient.”

Tyran’s dagger work had become so wild it bordered on reckless, far from his usual skill level.

Though Julien appeared to be barely fending off the attacks while getting hurt, not a single wound was truly critical.

Just as Ghislain had predicted, Tyran felt more anxious than ever.

‘Why? Why won’t he take a solid hit?’

Tyran could tell from their clash that Julien’s technique was impressive. But overwhelmingly better? Not at all.

Tyran himself was a seasoned warrior honed through countless real battles. If anything, his adaptability in combat was superior.

Which is why he couldn’t help but feel confused at his inability to land a decisive blow on Julien.

Clang!

Their daggers clashed with a spark. And in that instant, Tyran saw it.

Unlike himself growing more frantic, Julien’s eyes remained utterly unshaken.

“You…”

He faltered for a moment, startled by that gaze.

In that moment, Julien’s dagger flew toward Tyran’s throat like a bolt of lightning.

Slash!

“Ghk!”

Tyran barely dodged, but couldn’t avoid having his neck grazed.

And then, Tyran felt something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

‘It’s… cold.’

Though it was only a shallow cut, the sting was sharper than anything he’d felt before.

Tyran was bewildered.

Throughout his long mercenary life, he’d taken far worse wounds. He had even come back from the brink of death.

So why did this minor injury send such a chill down his spine?

‘No way… am I…’

When he fought with mana, no matter how painful it was, he could endure it. He never feared pain.

His mana-wrapped muscles were tougher than anything, and he had always believed they would protect him under any circumstance.

But now?

No matter how much one trained their muscles, if born human and stripped of mana, they wouldn’t even be able to block a mere peasant’s spear.

Let alone a sword wielded by someone trained in swordsmanship one solid hit, and it could be fatal.

‘Am I… actually feeling fear?’

Realizing this truth threw Tyran into disarray.

He had lived his life fueled by pride and confidence yet here he was, feeling fear in a mere duel!

Slash!

Julien’s dagger once again grazed Tyran’s body. His clothes tore, and his skin was cut.

Tyran clenched his teeth. In a battle like this, losing momentum would mean certain death.

Slash!

Blood spurted from Julien’s body as well. But his gaze still held no sign of wavering.

Their movements grew fiercer. With their hands bound, there was a natural limit to how well they could dodge or block.

As time passed, both of them became increasingly soaked in blood.

The spectators couldn’t even breathe properly. Just watching the bloodied fighters gave them goosebumps, and each time someone was cut, it felt as if their own bodies had been slashed.

“W-Whoa…”

“How are they even fighting like that…”

“Just watching makes my whole body ache.”

In this fight, strength, size, or skill didn’t matter anymore.

They were simply trying to avoid vital points while slicing each other’s bodies to pieces.

Their movements became faster, more violent, and increasingly unpredictable.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The two clashed fiercely, relentlessly targeting each other’s weaknesses. A suffocating silence hung over the crowd.

Only the sound of flesh tearing continued to ring through the stillness.

‘Ugh… why is this damn brat…’

As the wounds increased, Tyran felt his head spinning.

It hurt. Despite all his experiences, he couldn’t recall ever being in this much pain.

He had to endure. This was a fight where whoever tired first or lost their nerve would lose.

The opponent had to be in agony too. Surely, he was just pretending to be fine, bluffing his way through.

So, he had to hold on, no matter what…

That’s what Tyran was thinking when he locked eyes with his opponent and flinched.

‘Those eyes…’

Julien’s eyes, fixed on him, were the same as at the start.

In contrast, Tyran’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The one truly bluffing and putting on a front was him.

That brief hesitation decided the outcome of the fight.

Swish!

“Huh?”

Julien suddenly yanked Tyran’s arm. Tyran instinctively bent his body, and in that instant, Julien’s dagger slashed through the air.

Slash!

“Grrkh!”

The sharp tip of the dagger grazed Tyran’s cheek. Had he turned his head a moment later, his neck would’ve been deeply cut.

He should’ve launched a counterattack immediately, but Tyran’s mind was filled with only one thought.

‘I’m going to die.’

At last, the fear of death filled Tyran’s mind.

They were both in the same situation, yet his opponent showed none of that fear. With those cold, steady eyes, he continued to target every part of Tyran’s body.

‘Why? Why?’

He was clearly the bigger, stronger one.

So why did his opponent seem even larger?

Those eyes terrified him. It felt like a massive being, devoid of any emotion, was looking down on him.

To shake off the fear, Tyran let out a roar.

“Raaaargh!”

He wildly swung his dagger again, a frantic thrashing to drive away the looming specter of death.

But such a reckless assault couldn’t possibly work on Julien. He remained just as calm as he had been from the start.

Thunk!

Julien’s dagger stabbed into Tyran’s side. Tyran swung desperately in return, but Julien had already withdrawn.

Again, Julien’s dagger slashed Tyran’s shoulder. Then it stabbed into his abdomen, followed by a slice across the thigh.

Each time a gap opened, Julien’s dagger found its mark stabbing and slicing Tyran’s body without fail.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Tyran howled in pain, trying desperately to land a hit on Julien.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They exchanged a brief flurry of strikes once more, but now, Julien was deflecting all of Tyran’s unsteady attacks.

Tyran’s body was a canvas of wounds. With his fighting spirit crushed, his famed battlefield prowess, massive build, and strength meant nothing anymore.

Slash!

His flailing dagger grazed Julien’s shoulder. At that moment, Julien hooked Tyran’s knee with his foot and pulled.

“Huh?”

Too exhausted to hold himself up, Tyran stumbled and collapsed backward.

With the larger man collapsing, Julien, still bound to him was pulled forward. He used that momentum to drive his dagger down with force.

Screeeech!

As the dagger sped toward him, Tyran froze completely.

‘I’m going to die…’

But scarier than the incoming dagger—

Was Julien’s cold, unblinking gaze behind it.

Tyran, his will completely shattered, even forgot to use mana. All he could do was surrender and close his eyes.

That dagger was about to pierce right through his forehead.

Tap.

A faint sting touched his forehead. Tyran, confused, opened his eyes.

The dagger was pressed directly against his forehead. Julien hadn’t followed through.

“Why…?”

Tyran murmured, full of doubt. If it had been him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to drive the blade in.

Julien looked at him for a moment and spoke in a low voice.

“Come with me.”

“What…?”

“Let’s save the world together.”

Tyran’s face went blank.

It wasn’t about making a fortune or seizing power, he was talking about saving the world?

Of course, it wasn’t an incomprehensible notion. The world was a mess.

But what business did a mere mercenary corps have doing something like that? Was it even possible?

Even an ambitious man like himself had only ever dreamed of forming the strongest mercenary corps in the kingdom. Even reaching the top of the kingdom was a goal hard enough to dedicate a lifetime to.

But saving the whole world? That dream was incomparably bigger than his own.

And yet, Julien’s eyes were sincere. Forgetting his pain for a moment, Tyran asked with a stunned expression,

“You really… think that’s possible?”

“Yes.”

“Mercenaries like us? People who just take orders and fight for money? Even if we teamed up, we’re just a few hundred at most.”

Tyran’s words were true. Anyone would think it sounded insane.

But Julien didn’t see it that way. Now, he finally understood Ghislain’s intent.

Ghislain would one day leave. He had always made that clear.

In the end, Julien would have to become the center of it all. That’s why he had set his own goal.

“It’s possible. Because I…”

With unwavering eyes and a resolute voice, he declared:

“…will become the King of Mercenaries.”

That was the goal Julien had set for himself.