One piece of good news was that Arandel had significantly weakened.
After all, he had spent the entire night wielding his greatsword in battle against the Transcendents. Even a rough count of the Transcendents he had turned into corpses exceeded ten, five of whom were Primordial Transcendents.
For a human, such an achievement could be considered a remarkable feat.
Having fought such an intense battle, Arandel could no longer unleash an overwhelming aura as boundless as usual.
However, the bad news was that despite all the constraints placed upon him, the word "defeat" still seemed nowhere in sight.
Boom!
Arandel's greatsword once again swept across the battlefield, dominating the surroundings.
By now, the others had gathered around Liana, forming a collective front to confront him. But that was all they could do—merely respond to his attacks. They couldn't go beyond that.
Swinging her spear at the front alongside Liana, Silverna shouted in frustration.
"Seriously! Do you ever get tired?!"
Normally, he wouldn't have even acknowledged such a question.
However, due to his subjugation as a vassal, Arandel's lips moved naturally.
"Do not pray for miracles."
"Ugh!?"
The moment he answered, his greatsword swung once more, sending Silverna flying into the air. She tumbled several times before barely landing, losing grip of her spear in the process.
"Tsk!"
Her hand, which had blocked Arandel's strike, trembled in pain. Silverna grimaced, unable to hide her disbelief.
"What kind of monster is this—?"
No matter how hard they fought, victory seemed impossible.
And it wasn't just Silverna who felt this way. The other knights were no different.
At some point, they had all shifted their tactics—no longer engaging Arandel in direct combat, but keeping their distance, barely holding him at bay.
The only thing keeping their morale from completely collapsing was one thing—
The presence of the former couple, who, despite everything, refused to back down even for a single moment.
Boom!
Liana's greatsword clashed against Arandel's once again. She was the only one in this battle capable of engaging him in a direct contest of strength.
Her greatsword surged with crimson aura, while Arandel's, in contrast, remained eerily empty—almost crude in its hollowness.
"You no longer have the strength to wield your crimson aura, do you?"
"That is correct."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One advantage of fighting an opponent bound by subjugation was the access to information.
As if browsing a library, they could easily grasp their opponent's current state and hidden techniques.
Ever since Isaac demonstrated this a few times, the others had also begun using it against Arandel.
"Your sword is gradually catching up to mine, but it's still unrefined."
"...!"
Not only that, but Arandel was even evaluating his opponent's swordsmanship in real time.
Calling Liana's sword crude, he deflected it with ease.
At that moment, Isaac, who had been lurking like a shadow behind Liana, suddenly stepped forward.
Another swift slash.
A single strike, quick and precise, almost like an assassin's.
"Huff!"
But Arandel simply struck the side of Isaac's blade with his left arm, effortlessly deflecting it.
"Predictable!"
It was a technique he had already seen countless times before.
With a sharp rebuke, he sent Isaac flying backward.
Crash!
"I'll cover you!"
"Engage! Don't slow down!"
The moment Isaac was knocked back, Heirad and the other knights rushed toward Arandel.
Their goal was to prevent him from following up with another attack.
This was the strategy devised by the new generation to counter the previous one.
"Pathetic!"
Arandel scowled as he faced their swords.
Boom!
"Clumsy!"
Bang!
"Powerless!"
Not only did he crush their blades with sheer force, but with each strike, he sneered at their weakness, ridiculing them with disdain.
Had this been an ordinary training session, they would have certainly learned a great deal from it.
The moment the knights were forced back, Liana stepped forward once again.
They were filling the gaps left behind, but even Liana was starting to grow exhausted.
"Do not even think of retreating."
Arandel swung his sword as he warned her.
"I will not stop."
"I know that…!"
Liana gritted her teeth. As Heirad and the other knights steadied their stances and charged once more—
Silverna approached Isaac.
"Isaac, can we win this?"
"...."
"If it weren't for Liana, we would've fallen long ago. And now, even she can't get close enough to swing her sword properly."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Is there… any way?"
At Silverna's question, Isaac took a deep breath. He clenched his fist, looked down at his weapon, and exhaled.
"I was too complacent."
"Complacent?"
"We're up against Arandel Helmut. Even if he is waiting for us to kill him—"
No matter what, he was still a man who could be called the strongest in the world.
It was something they had to acknowledge.
Believing the battle was already decided, they had been too passive against a man who had accepted his own death.
"We should have been ready to stake our lives as well."
Isaac's eyes, as he stepped forward, resembled the stars.
They were the eyes of someone who once longed for the sword yet held the pen.
Boom!
Liana was overpowered in a clash of strength and sent skidding backward.
As she caught her breath with a grim expression, Isaac stepped up beside her.
"How is it?"
It was a simple question, but Liana immediately understood his intent and answered.
"I can barely keep up. I'm reaching my physical limits in terms of sheer strength."
"I disagree."
Liana glanced at Isaac.
"I can read his trajectory. I can even predict where his sword will strike. But… I can't keep up with it."
"You've read father's sword?"
"Yeah. That's why… if you trust me—"
"I do."
Without hesitation, Isaac met her gaze.
There was no doubt.
No empty words or shallow reassurances—only the truth.
"We have to stake our lives on this. One wrong move and we could die."
"I already answered."
"…Alright."
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
A raging storm of greatsword swings.
They had to step into it.
Into the domain of Arandel Helmut.
"I can't explain everything in words. Whether we have a bond or not… honestly, I still don't know—"
With a wry smile, Isaac turned to face forward again.
"I'm counting on you, Lia."
Taking a step forward, Liana adjusted her grip on her greatsword and nodded.
"Leave it to me."
Heirad and the knights, unable to withstand the storm of slashes, were sent flying backward once again.
As Isaac and Liana advanced past them, Arandel rested his greatsword on his shoulder and nodded.
"So, you've finally come prepared to die."
"Forgive our rudeness."
"Very well. I did say I would let myself die—!"
Whoosh!
He raised his greatsword high before bringing it down in a vertical slash.
"But do not think you will take it so easily!"
Boom!
The greatsword struck the ground with a thunderous crash.
Liana grabbed Isaac by the waist and pulled him aside just in time to avoid it.
Amid the rising smoke,
Isaac's eyes turned to the other side.
"Right!"
Isaac's blade swung in a cross motion, while Liana's greatsword positioned itself diagonally beside him.
Boom!
A sudden strike came from the opposite side, concealed within the thick smoke from the first impact.
It was as if a beast had leaped out of the dark underbrush, radiating an overwhelming sense of danger.
This was what it felt like to fight within Arandel Helmut's domain.
A massive, formidable greatsword—one could never predict when or from where it would strike.
A single blink, and they would be cleaved in two.
Gulp.
Liana swallowed hard, tense.
Now that she had stepped into this range, there was no turning back.
The aftermath of the previous strike cleared the dust, revealing Arandel once again swinging his greatsword through the scattered rose petals.
"…!"
Clang!
Liana blocked it.
And not just barely—she reacted faster than expected.
Because of that, the strike lost some of its force, and with Isaac joining in, they managed to defend against it much more easily than before.
Arandel said nothing.
He swung his greatsword once more, but the outcome was the same.
The two blocked it together again.
"Heh."
How ridiculous.
"Heh… Heh."
Even Arandel, a man who had wielded the sword his entire life, took a moment to understand the situation.
Liana had begun reading his movements.
More precisely, she was reading Isaac's gaze and predicting where the next attack would land.
"A response born from sheer luck."
Yet, if it kept succeeding, could it truly be called luck?
Clang! Clang!
The sound of greatswords clashing lacked the weight from before.
Moreover, with Isaac reinforcing her, the situation had flipped—Arandel could no longer easily break through their defense.
But.
"Simply blocking won't be enough to take my head."
Arandel smirked at the former couple who were now working together to deflect his attacks.
He wondered how long they could keep this up.
But since they had come this far, he had to consider killing them.
The moment he prepared to swing his greatsword again—
Clang!
A spear shot through the air, striking his raised greatsword.
For a split second, Arandel's attention was diverted.
Seizing the opening, Liana lifted her greatsword high.
A fleeting chance.
Unlike before, when she had no opportunity to strike, this moment was different.
Tighten!
A strike stronger than any she had ever made in her life.
A river unfolded before her eyes.
The sword that had once split its waters and confessed love to him on that day—
Now, in this place, it would be reenacted.
Realizing this was their only chance, Liana gathered every ounce of her strength, condensing her crimson aura into her greatsword.
At the tip of the blade, a rose bloomed.
Even Arandel flinched in surprise—this was Liana at her peak.
"…Ah."
But her arms trembled.
Her hands lacked the strength to hold her sword firmly.
She had raised it high, but she didn't have the power left to swing it down.
The exhaustion from the prolonged battle had accumulated.
Instead of controlling her crimson aura, she was being overwhelmed by it.
Then—
A man embraced her from behind.
A familiar yet dearly missed scent.
"You can do this."
Isaac, having planted his swords into the ground, gripped her greatsword with her.
The greatsword that once split a river—
Now, it was about to cleave through a giant.
Crimson Love's End
A radiant red light spread outward,
Rose petals swirling beautifully into the sky.
At the very end of the strike lay the sorrowful memory of that day.
Even as Crimson Love's End raged on, its crimson afterglow yet to fade, the outcome was clear.
A greatsword, broken in half.
Blood trailing from the lips.
A hunched posture.
A faint smile.
Yet, two legs remained firmly planted on the ground.
Arandel was still standing.
"Ah…"
Liana's face paled. She no longer had the strength to lift her sword. Her body gave way, collapsing in exhaustion.
And yet—she saw someone step forward.
Past her, Isaac strode ahead without hesitation, pulling out the twin blades he had planted in the ground.
"Regrettable."
Arandel murmured, raising his broken greatsword toward Isaac.
"You took too long."
Arandel's Crimson Descent began to return, filling the void left by the prolonged battle.
It was weakened, lacking its former brilliance—
And yet, it was still Arandel's crimson descent.
"You have not surpassed me."
The crimson-stained greatsword swung once more.
Helmuth's crimson descent filled the empty blade, reshaping it into a complete weapon.
Crimson Descent.
The wall they had ultimately failed to overcome.
With the help of Bricarla's Thunderstrike, he had barely managed to break through.
But now, whether due to exhaustion or depletion of power, even the faintest spark refused to appear.
And yet—Isaac still charged forward.
[Chasing the stars, oh pitiful child.]
The Grand Master had once described him this way during his silent sword days. His eyes chased the stars in the night sky, but he could never reach out and touch them.
"Isaac!"
A desperate scream, more like a wail, echoed from behind him, threatening to hold him back.
And yet—Isaac still charged forward.
"Hmm!"
Arandel's greatsword swung without mercy.
And yet—Isaac still charged forward.
Because—
There was a star before him.
A star he had once believed forever out of reach, now shining right before his eyes.
Isaac's twin blades slashed forward—
Not at the greatsword, but at—
[Aura?]
The very pride of Helmuth.
[When one reaches the extreme—]
In his past life,
He had spent countless hours at a desk,
Thinking only of the sword.
Some had mocked him, calling him nothing more than a scholar.
And yet—
Layer upon layer, the time he had devoted had brought him here.
Now—
At last, his fingers brushed against a realm he was never meant to reach.
Kwa-deudeuk!
Fragments of the broken Crimson Descent scattered in all directions.
The shattered edge of Arandel's greatsword grazed Isaac's cheek—
But—
The two twin blades that had shattered the crimson sword—
Had, without a doubt, reached Arandel.
"Truly—"
No falsehood.
No unnecessary words.
"Magnificent."
And with those final words—
Kwoong!
The mighty greatsword fell to the ground.