Chapter 41

It was Hektor who made the first move.

He moved to a position where he would not be within the range of Lamber's massive greatsword, trying to gauge his opponent's next move.

However, just a moment before he completed his movement, Hektor's instincts, which had helped him survive countless dire situations, sounded the alarm.

Hektor shifted his center of gravity to land early, held his sword in front of him, and leaped backward.

The spot where Hektor had been standing a moment ago was crushed by Lamber's greatsword.

Lamber repositioned his sword almost too quickly to see, and launched a quick thrust forward.

Hektor blocked the blade and, using the momentum from his toes planted on the ground, retreated to absorb the impact.

But in doing so, the blade of the sword he used to guard shattered cruelly.

He would have died.

If he had made even the slightest mistake in his movements just now, he would have died twice over.

Without a moment to savor the aftermath, Lamber launched another attack.

Hektor simultaneously drew two swords from their scabbards and dropped them to the ground.

"This isn't the time to be cautious."

Hektor was, by nature, a dual-wielder.

However, he had long sealed this skill because there were hardly any opponents who could stand against him in a fair fight.

"See how this works!"

Against Lamber's godlike speed, Hektor faced him with two swords, his talent, and his senses.

He read Lamber's sword movements almost by instinct and dodged them.

Hektor had always improved himself in battles against those stronger than him and had always emerged victorious in the end.

Facing Lamber's overwhelming power, Hektor's movements were approaching the divine realm.

Hektor managed to dodge Lamber's three consecutive strikes.

Even Hektor himself did not think he could dodge them all.

The excitement and thrill of his own movements produced endorphins in his brain, and he was immersed in a sense of pleasure.

He could see things he had never seen before and move beyond the limits of his own body.

Pain and fatigue were swallowed by the whirlwind of excitement, and he felt nothing at the moment.

There should have been a brief moment of stiffness after Lamber swung his greatsword.

Now, right after dodging, he could strike at that opening and thrust into the narrow gaps in the armor's joints.

But his instincts warned him.

Even if he thought he could exploit the opening, if he went on the offensive, his body would be cut in half in the next instant.

He jumped to avoid Lamber's greatsword, twisted his body to spin, and prepared for Lamber's next attack.

He kicked the tip of the greatsword, which had been embedded in the expected position, to create distance again.

The floor where Hektor had been standing exploded from Lamber's strike.

Hektor had instinctively sensed that the attack was coming, but he had not seen Lamber's swing at all.

He could not clearly explain why he had been able to dodge it.

If the same attack came again, he would most likely not be able to dodge it.

It was the fastest strike in all the sword clashes so far.

After repositioning his sword, Lamber tilted his helmet and looked at Hektor.

Lamber had intended to finish the fight with that attack.

"Remarkable."

A brief compliment came from Lamber.

Though they were enemies, Hektor genuinely appreciated the praise from such an overwhelming opponent.

In the brief respite amidst the intense exchange of life, Hektor calmed his mind and organized his thoughts.

To Hektor, that moment felt like ten seconds or even a minute.

"Heh... hehehe..."

Hektor, who was usually emotionless due to the constant exposure to life-threatening situations in his childhood, was now immersed in the excitement of the life-and-death struggle against Lamber, and his emotions were showing.

His pale skin was flushed red with rushing blood, and veins were visible on his arms and face.

The extreme excitement and the continuous movements beyond his limits were placing a heavy burden on Hektor's body, but he felt no pain or heaviness at the moment.

He did not care what would happen to him after this fight.

Blood was streaming from Hektor's nose.

But he did not even bother to wipe it away.

Hektor lowered his sword stance, let his arms dangle, and laughed.

Lamber, in response, slightly lowered his sword.

"I get it now! You are indeed Lamber Dracow! There's no other way to explain this level of strength! I never thought I'd be this overwhelmed by a sword! This is amazing, you're amazing!"

Hektor shouted, not hiding his excitement.

"I'd love to keep this up forever, but if it drags on, I'll be the one who falls apart. I know that much."

As Hektor said, he was barely managing to dodge Lamber's strikes.

He had no room to launch an attack.

Even without the mithril armor, he knew he would die the moment he attacked.

He was far from fighting on equal terms.

"So, I'm going to turn the tide and go on the offensive! Lamber Dracow!"

In the midst of the battle, Hektor had approached the divine realm and discovered a higher level of his sword skills.

Hektor had mastered the ultimate technique, "Forty-Nine Sword Rain," which had been developed by the Sword Saint and passed down to his descendants, but he had not thought it would be useful against Lamber.

The technique was not designed for an opponent protected by such a large suit of armor.

"Forty-Nine Sword Rain" was a technique that reduced the opponent's options by continuously attacking, forcing them to make movements that left them vulnerable to an inevitable series of strikes. It was considered the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the most flawless technique in the history of swordsmanship.

However, Lamber, protected by his armor, did not need to guard his body, and with his massive frame, it was almost impossible to unbalance him.

Therefore, significant improvements were needed to use it against Lamber.

Hektor had thought it impossible to develop such a technique in the midst of battle.

But Hektor's innate talent, his extreme excitement, and the sword skills honed to the limit by Lamber had transformed "Forty-Nine Sword Rain" into a more refined, Lamber-specific series of strikes, completing it in the heat of battle as "True Forty-Nine Sword Rain."

Based on the premise of continuously attacking, "Forty-Nine Sword Rain" required Hektor to land the first strike, which Lamber would have to block.

Under normal circumstances, a single strike to force a block, even with a significant power difference, would be sufficient if delivered from outside the range, with a feint.

However, if Hektor's sword clashed with Lamber's greatsword, it would be shattered.

If his movements were even slightly off, Lamber's greatsword would easily cut him in two.

Count Oubock, whose life was on the line, could only watch the battle, which was at an incomparably high level.

However, Count Oubock could not even properly follow the movements of either Lamber or Hektor.

The same was true for Almer, who had arrived late to watch the battle, following Lamber.