Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 10: Surpassing the World (2)

A sacred beast.

A mere ordinary creature that has lived for an extremely long time, reaching an extraordinary realm.

Such beings are sometimes worshiped as gods and, at other times, become terrifying monsters that threaten humanity.

However, one thing remains common among them.

They are beings that mere human strength cannot overcome.

That was why the Silver Chimera was confident that its existence would be a disaster for them.

'How long have I been asleep?'

It was distant and vague.

It must have been at least several thousand years.

Power surged through its entire body.

It had rested well, and over the millennia, its body had grown massive, rivaling the size of a small mountain.

Moreover, the accumulated and condensed mana signaled that it was now ready to ascend to a divine state.

Thus, before soaring toward the world, it decided to first open the lunchbox laid out before it.

The Duchy of Axen.

Inside its long walls made of old bricks, there was an abundance of delicious things.

Most likely, it was full of weak prey with tender flesh.

However, even as the Silver Chimera moved toward these frail humans, it remained cautious.

For some reason, old memories surfaced.

'He must be dead by now. After all, he was just another creature beneath the feet of a god.'

The one and only ruler of the North.

The giant king who ruled over both humans and beasts.

Because of those memories, the beast moved rather carefully.

Terror etched into one’s bones is not easily erased.

But that was an unnecessary concern.

Before it could descend upon the human villages, the knights they had sent were utterly incompetent.

'Not even half of what they should be.'

They were not even half as strong as the giants from the past.

There was nothing to worry about. It could proceed and feast upon the humans without hesitation.

And then...

Kwaaaaaaaa!

A dazzling light appeared in the chimera’s vision as it headed toward Axen.

"Stop right there, you damn bastard."

Small.

Among humans, he seemed rather large, but compared to giants, he was nothing.

And yet...

Tremble.

What was this overwhelming pressure?

"You’re just a boss monster meant to drop an item and disappear."

An incomprehensible, foreign language.

This one was different.

The Silver Chimera decided to heed its instincts and follow the warning they provided.

***

Grrrrrr...

Gathering all its mana, it unsheathed its claws.

This one was not ordinary...

The chimera resolved to tear him apart with all its might.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Had I ever felt my heart pound this fast before?

Right now, my heart was accelerating at a terrifying rate.

The most severe symptom of my Mana Heart Angina—excessive heartbeats.

Swoosh.

'Was the Giant King of old like this too?'

Did he also fight while feeling these uncontrollable heartbeats?

Srrrrrng!

Eagle stance.

I assumed the most fundamental posture of swordsmanship.

'Perhaps this is why.'

Yes, maybe I am a beneficiary of Mana Heart Angina.

Because whenever my Mana Heart began to beat faster, I always felt this sensation.

My heart and entire body accelerated wildly, and as a result, the world seemed to slow down around me.

I was breathing within the same time frame, but I was not living at the same speed.

The disease that made Johan Kraubitz terminally ill yet granted him an extraordinary ability.

Crackle!

Swish!

I dashed toward the chimera's torso with my sword.

Kaaaah!

Its massive jaws and fangs lunged at my entire body. However...

Slash! Bang!

I struck its snout with my sword, using the rebound to propel myself into the air.

For a brief moment, I must have disappeared from its field of vision.

Standing atop its gigantic head...

Thrust!

Crunch!

Before it could shake me off, I drove my sword deep into its skull.

"Krrgh!"

Even with the monstrous body of the Northern Grand Duke, the strain was immense.

The massive longsword cleaved through its bones, sending shockwaves through my own body.

Crack!

I could feel the fracture in my arm from just a single strike.

But I could not stop now.

This beast would not die so easily.

To prevent it from descending upon the territory, to save the knights, and to obtain what I needed—I had to endure.

Swoosh!

As it swung its flexible arms to sweep at its own head, I leaped into the air to evade…

Puhhhhhk!

I was struck by the long tail flying toward me and went tumbling down.

The tail, which had the head of a snake, moved as if it had a will of its own.

'It's fast.'

Fast enough to rival my enhanced body. Also...

'It's strong.'

Strong enough to shatter Johan's mana-enhanced body.

"Lordddddddddd!"

I could hear the knights shouting at me.

I saw those bastards, who couldn't even move properly, staggering to their feet and fumbling for their swords.

"……Idiots."

Their foolishness, always willing to sacrifice their lives for their lord, was truly laughable.

Even if I died here, no one would know. They could just make an excuse, saying, "We failed to protect our lord," shed a few tears, and be done with it.

But they forced themselves up, bloodshot eyes wide open, determined to protect the lord who would soon return to reality.

Victor was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding.

So—

I had to stand up.

If those idiots got themselves hurt, they'd truly be beyond saving.

Stagger.

Blood covered my chest, and my broken arm dangled limply.

On top of that, the muscles that had clashed against the beast's body screamed that they had reached their limit.

However—

Boooooooom.

I had the blue flame, which for the first time since I had survived, had become one with me.

'So this is the true power of mana.'

Crackle.

Uncontrollable mana burned through my body.

How could I say I lacked strength?

Kaaaaaaaaah!

I answered the beast's roar.

"I am… the rightful ruler and guardian of the Duchy of Axen. The honorable Grand Duke of the Prohatska Empire…"

Srrrrrring!

"Johan Kraubitz. Come. Here and now, we will face the end of our worlds."

So come.

I must end you here, and I must also bring this long, long wandering to an end.

The twelve years I have survived through bitter cold…

The countless memories I have built in my beloved land…

Now, I will put them all into a single strike.

Flaaaaaaash!

I squeezed out the very last of my strength and leaped into the air.

Swaaaaaaaash!

The Northern Grand Duke's body shot forward like a cannonball, and at that moment, the falling snow seemed to freeze in place.

A body accelerated to the extreme. Mana pushed to the absolute limit, bursting forth.

For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of what the Giant King's power must have been.

And then—

Kaaaaaaaaaah!

As if sensing that this was the end, the Silver Chimera gathered all of its magic to clash with me.

The mana unleashed by the massive beast distorted the very 'laws' of movement, and so—

Ssssshhhhhh!

Its grotesque fangs and my longsword collided directly.

Boooooooom!

A deafening explosion rang out.

No—more than that, I could feel the energy wave ripping through my entire body.

"Khhhhh."

Standing in the middle of that massive explosion, I felt as if I would lose consciousness.

The sheer strength of the beast I clashed with in midair was nothing short of a calamity.

However—

Thud!

I grabbed hold of my longsword, which I had almost lost—

Swiiiiish!

And wrapped my arm around the beast's neck.

Twisting my body in the air,

"Right here!"

I stabbed directly into the life vein beside its neck, where its beautiful silver fur grew thickest.

Puuuuuuuk!

Bit by bit, ever so slowly, my longsword burrowed deeper into the beast’s throat.

Kaaaaaaah! Kaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The beast thrashed, trying to strike me with its two arms.

However, I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding its blows.

“Haaaaaahp!”

As I pierced through its tough throat, my arms swelled as if they were about to burst.

Facing that excruciating pain, I drove my blade through its throat to the very end.

It was only natural that I forced my eyes wide open to avoid losing consciousness.

And finally—

Srrrk.

Thuuuuuuuuuum!

The beast’s massive body collapsed toward the earth.

At that moment, the snow atop the mountains burst into the air, triggering a massive avalanche.

And as the beast gasped for breath and crumbled—

Swaaaaaaaash!

I violently pulled out my longsword.

“Lord! The beast is still alive. You must finish it! You must not pull the sword out yet!”

Victor staggered to his feet and shouted.

Grrrrrk!

Just as he said, the Silver Chimera was still heaving, taking ragged breaths—it had not yet completely perished.

So Victor was right. If I wanted to ensure its death, I shouldn’t have removed my sword yet.

However—

‘The reason the original Johan Kraubitz failed to use the item obtained from this beast… The reason he failed to use that dimension-traveling artifact to restore his Mana Heart…’

Was because he personally killed this beast with his own hands.

To use the ‘Essence of the Northern Continent’ hidden within the body of the Silver Chimera, the beast’s keeper must not be slain.

At least, one who stains their own hands with its blood cannot wield its power.

So I must be different.

I must—

“Any knight who can move, come here!”

I must not be the one to execute this beast.

Stagger.

Hearing my command, Krum used all his strength to crawl toward me.

“Lord! I will do it.”

That loyal knight struggled and dragged himself to my side.

Standing over the Silver Chimera, I gave my order to Krum.

“Stab its throat. Let it leave this world and find peace.”

“Yes!”

He did not ask why.

My knights usually never did.

With this, I could also grant Krum the honorable title of the one who slew the Silver Chimera.

Kruuuuuuuuugh!

Krum gripped his greatsword with all his might.

Then, his blade soared through the air, drawing a massive arc.

What goes up must come down—the ultimate law of the material world.

Krum’s greatsword descended toward the earth—

Kruaaaaaaaang!

And completely pierced through the Silver Chimera’s throat.

“Khhhhhgh.”

……

The once-mighty beast breathed its last, and Krum collapsed to the ground, clutching his arms.

And then—

Fwooooooooosh!

At last, I came face-to-face with the very thing I had sought for so long.

The ‘Essence of the Northern Continent,’ glowing with a brilliant blue light.

The artifact that held the power to transcend dimensions hovered before my eyes.