MTLNOVEL Chapter 283
Chapter 284. How to Protect What’s Precious (8)
Keter and Kreight finally met.
Keter was the first to speak.
“Is that… Mail?”
A question, not an introduction. Instead of answering, Kreight lifted Mail up, showing his face.
“It’s Mail. You didn’t kidnap him at first sight, did you? Surely he’s not a hostage.”
“Surely is what catches people.”
Slap!
Since a hostage is only valuable if alive, Kreight slapped Mail’s cheek to wake him up.
“Ugh… huh?”
Mail, waking up in a daze, first felt someone gripping his neck, then saw Keter.
‘So they didn’t kill me to use me as a hostage.’
Mail quickly understood his situation.
“Keter, don’t mind me. Attack.”
“Wait a second. Don’t make me look like trash, okay?”
Thud!
Kreight’s leg struck Mail’s side.
Mail collapsed, gasping in pain. Kreight stepped on his back and spoke to Keter.
“Gulrag, the Blood-Drinking. You should know who you’re dying to.”
“Kreight. I fell for you at first sight.”
“Huh?”
The five Grandmasters, who had become spectators, were baffled by Keter’s words.
“Just looking at your face, I can tell. You’re a bad guy. You’ve probably killed thousands, right? For no reason. You’ve earned the hatred of countless people. Am I wrong?”
“Sharp eyes. Yeah, I don’t know exactly how many, but I’ve killed tens of thousands. For no reason.”
“I really like guys like you. Because no one cares if I kill you. No one steps up to take revenge.”
“Heh, you’re insane. But I know even lunatics like you have a shred of humanity. For example, if I threaten to kill this guy…”
Kreight applied pressure to Mail’s back, and a sickening crack echoed.
But Keter’s expression didn’t change. Not even a twitch of his eyebrow. Kreight’s brow furrowed instead.
“Well, I expected as much. A lunatic like you wouldn’t risk your life to save a brother. I’m not greedy. So, I’ll compromise with just one finger.”
“One finger? Here, take one as a service.”
Keter extended both middle fingers to Kreight. Kreight forced a laugh.
“Try joking again next time. I’ll snap his spine.”
“So, when are we fighting?”
Keter, bored, picked his ear. Kreight, no longer delaying, got to the point.
“Give me your index finger. Then I’ll spare this guy. It’s just one finger to save your brother. No tricks. I’ll even swear not to kill him if the deal goes through.”
The offer to release Mail in exchange for one finger was utterly despicable. Even Jordic, who called him, felt ashamed.
‘A Prime, called a Transcendent Being, resorting to hostage-taking and threats.’
If Keter refused the deal, he’d be seen as a parricide who killed his brother over a finger.
Moreover, Kreight’s demand wasn’t severe. Just one finger. Compared to a life, it seemed trivial.
Of course, in battle, even one finger makes a huge difference. Balance, psychological factors—none can be ignored.
Kreight, despite being a Transcendent Being, felt no guilt using kidnapping and threats for even the slightest advantage against Keter.
And Keter was no different.
“Why should I sacrifice myself to save a weakling taken hostage?”
Whoosh!
Keter pointed at Kreight with his thumb and index finger. An arrow appeared on his finger.
Kreight lifted Mail, using him as a shield.
“You’d kill your own brother over one finger? With your own hands?”
Thok.
Instead of an answer, an arrow flew. Kreight’s eyes widened as he saw its trajectory.
‘This guy, he’s shooting at his brother’s chest?’
And behind him was Kreight. Meaning, he intended to kill Mail and attack Kreight in one shot.
Despite Keter’s ruthless attack, the onlookers didn’t believe it. His arrows could change direction at any moment. Surely, at the last second, he’d redirect to spare Mail.
Kreight didn’t trust Keter either. Realizing Mail had no value as a hostage, he threw Mail toward the arrow.
Thud!
Keter’s arrow easily pierced Mail’s chest, aiming for Kreight behind him.
“You madman! Your own brother?!”
Jordic, horrified, shouted. Keter shrugged.
“Half-brother.”
Keter, without blinking, shot an arrow at his own brother.
Kreight’s face twisted like a demon’s. This was why he was called the Demon Face Killer.
A face of an Evil God. It appeared when things didn’t go his way, when he was truly enraged.
“You’d kill your own family? You trash, I’ll never forgive you!”
Though his voice rose in apparent excitement, Kreight was utterly rational. Thus, his Authority manifested.
Eye Encounter, Immediate Kill.
An Authority that delivers infinite slashes to any being that recognizes the sword’s existence.
Kreight acknowledged it. Keter was a Strong One. Not just strong and fast, but one who knew how to survive in a fight to the death.
A man who would do anything to survive. That’s what Kreight considered a Strong One, and Keter was of the same breed.
Thus, Kreight’s sword strikes were filled with full power.
The problem was, those strikes also affected the five defeated Grandmasters watching.
“Gah!”
Pressed by Keter’s momentum, the five quickly retreated. But even from a distance, the slashes kept coming.
Eye Encounter, Immediate Kill. No matter how far, the moment you recognize it, the slash comes.
Experiencing an Authority in battle for the first time, the five faced death at every moment, even though they weren’t directly fighting.
The slashes came without warning, carrying the power of a sword, and their target was only revealed just before impact.
Defending required full strength, and it seemed impossible for anyone to block.
“This… this is the Authority of a Transcendent Being!”
Kreight didn’t even swing his sword. If he did…?
Jordic unconsciously gripped his neck. Just imagining it made him feel like his head was being sliced off.
‘Two seconds. No matter how long I last, it’s two seconds.’
A Prime was someone who could kill a Grandmaster in two seconds.
Boom! Crash!
Even hundreds of meters away, the ground split, and the forest crumbled.
“Where did that Transcendent Being even come from?”
As the slashes stopped, Rajis muttered, regaining his composure. Jordic swallowed hard.
“Jordic, you didn’t…?”
Rajis didn’t miss his reaction. Jordic snapped back.
“Why are you looking at me like that? If I hadn’t called Kreight, we’d have suffered under Keter for three days and nights. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
“Is that what you’re saying now? Gulrag is a mass murderer who’s killed thousands. Even I, not a mage or sorcerer, felt the sorrow of the dead. What did you offer him to hire him, Jordic?”
“…Get to the point, Rajis. Neither of us can match Keter’s toe. As I expected, only a Prime can face Keter. And now’s our chance.”
“Chance?”
Jordic, gripping his spear tightly, looked at the other Grandmasters.
“Even if Kreight is a Prime, he can’t kill Keter without losses. He’s surely injured or at least exhausted. That’s when we kill Gulrag. Then everything’s solved. We take down both the tiger and the lion.”
Win the war, capture the murderer, and gain honor.
Except for Rajis, the other three seemed to think, ‘Good idea.’
“Truly a masterstroke. Lord Baydant’s foresight is astounding.”
The Taesa Clan Leader agreed, and the Typhoon Knight Captain added.
“Enduring Keter’s humiliation was for this moment. I’m impressed.”
Of course, Jordic had no idea what Kreight would do. He just tried to justify his cowardly act by making it sound like a plan.
The other Grandmasters, knowing this, let it slide. It didn’t harm them. Except for Rajis.
Rajis glared at Jordic with a blank expression. But he didn’t outright refuse.
Either way, Gulrag had to die. That was certain. He was a top wanted criminal in the Kingdom.
But what about Keter? While he wanted to stop him before more sacrifices, he didn’t want to kill him.
“Kreight must die. But Keter shouldn’t.”
“Rajis. You’re bleeding from your forehead. Maybe you should rest.”
“As Lord Jordic said, we should replenish our energy. If Gulrag kills Keter too easily, we’ll be in danger too.”
Tesla naturally bet on Keter’s defeat. The Prime’s overwhelming presence, even briefly experienced, was too much.
Keter was strong, of course. But a Transcendent Being’s Authority defied the world’s logic. It was the difference between doing the impossible and making the impossible possible.
Boom!
Then, a massive explosion occurred. It came from where Keter and Kreight were fighting.
Whoosh!
The shockwave hit the party hundreds of meters away. The force was so strong that trees were uprooted and flew into the sky.
After the clash completely subsided, the five swallowed hard.
‘It’s over!’
Had it only been three minutes? The battle was decided in that time.
‘Keter, you monster. Lasting three minutes against a Prime.’
Jordic naturally assumed Keter was dead. Even Rajis, the only one who sided with Keter, was certain of his death.
‘Damn it, I hesitated again. I should’ve acted instead of talking.’
He should’ve helped Keter kill Gulrag. But a moment’s hesitation decided the outcome.
As Rajis blamed himself, Jordic shouted.
“We don’t have time to waste here. Before Gulrag recovers, let’s go—”
Then, Tesla interrupted, pointing his sword.
“Wait. Someone’s coming this way.”
As the others readied their weapons and looked around…
Whoosh!
Something Tesla mentioned flew from the sky and landed at their feet.
“……?”
It wasn’t a living being, so they didn’t attack immediately. It was something furry, and Jordic, who identified it first, was horrified.
“F!”
It was a human head.
Of course, Jordic wasn’t so weak-hearted as to be shocked by a severed head. The problem was whose head it was.
“Gu… Gulrag?”
Rajis stared at the head in disbelief. Though he’d only seen that face briefly today, how could he forget? That demonic, twisted face was unforgettable.
And now, that face, tongue sticking out and bloodless, was rolling on the ground, sending chills down their spines.
“Ke… Keter won?”
“No way! Ah! Self-destruction. Keter must’ve thought he had no chance and self-destructed. That massive explosion, right? There’s no way Keter survived that!”
“Indeed. Now that you mention it!”
“You wish I was dead?”
“Of course not!”
“Huh?”
“What?”
A voice that shouldn’t be heard in the conversation—Keter’s voice—was heard.
They looked at each other. There should’ve been five, but there were six heads.
Jordic, Rajis, Zion, Gargant, Keter, Tesla.
“……?!”
Keter, covered in blood from head to toe, stood between Gargant and Tesla, putting his arms around their shoulders.
“Sorry for coming back alive?”