“Ugh, who the fuck are you now?” Mars turned to the red-eyed individual and felt like his body turned colder when he saw his eyes. “Red eyes. Another vampire? Fucking great.”
“Hmm?” Rocinante turned around and smiled curiously. “Oh, he must be a Mist-Follower. How interesting.”
Mist-Follower were the vampirekind who had reached high enough strength for the mist of Nightdale to follow them around. It was one of the highest honors a vampire could receive.
Reinhardt turned into the crimson light, flew past Mars and Rocinante, then appeared in front of Ambrose, towering over him with his impressive build.
“I have fought here every single moment after your disappearance.” Reinhardt said coldly with a menacing look. “It’s worse than torture, and that is coming from someone who enjoys proper fighting, and this is all because of you.”
“Hah, it makes me happy that you are enjoying your time here.” Ambrose said coldly.
“Hmph.” Reinhardt pressed his dark-hilted katana against Ambrose’s throat. “I shouldn’t have killed you last time. I should’ve kept you as my food reserve.”
“…” Ambrose’s gaze stayed unwavering as he stayed silent.
At that moment, a rusty blade appeared near Reinhardt’s throat.
“He is my vessel; hands off, vampire.” Rocinante said with a slight amusement in its tone.
“A crude weapon.” Reinhardt said and quickly flicked his wrist, moving his katana to redirect the rusty blade away from his throat.
“You are a nice swordsman, it seems.” Rocinante’s hollow eyesockets had a small glowing orb inside, which glowed with otherworldly light. “It’s been some time since I have faced someone who is nearly equal.”
“Near equal?” Reinhardt lifted his katana high and slashed it down. “I am Reinhardt, the World’s Strongest Swordsman!”
An invisible slash separated the ground in half and smashed into Rocinante’s rusty sword.
“World’s Strongest Swordsman?” Rocinante spoke with some surprise before a small smile crept up on its mouth. “So, you are this era’s best swordsman. This made the fight even more interesting!”
Rocinante deflected the invisible slash effortlessly.
Then, a flash of crimson light appeared in front of Rocinante, and from there, Reinhardt appeared and stabbed his katana towards its skeleton head.
Rocinante quickly blocked it, but then Reinhardt flicked his wrist, made his katana dodge the rusty sword, and smashed it into the skeleton’s chest.
Rocinante was launched high into the sky like a shooting star.
Reinhardt used crimson light and appeared above Rocinante in the air.
“Omnidirectional Stab of the God!” Reinhardt grabbed the katana with both hands and stabbed through Rocinante’s body.
Both of them fell from the ground like a burning comet and crashed into the ground, creating an enormous dust cloud that swept across the destroyed forest.
After the two dangerous swordsmen disappeared, Ambrose looked towards Mars, who was holding his stomach in agony.
“I suppose it’s only you and me, Mars.” Ambrose approached him with slow yet steady steps.
In his mind, the faces of Apollo, Loki, Damian, Jake, Ors, and Henri flashed by. He remembered their late-night talk sessions, which made the time in Black Heart not bad.
He had never lost anyone in his life before, if his family didn’t count, who simply abandoned him.
Now, he lost, and they were NPCs.
He never expected to care about some NPCs before he started Martial Online, but now he found himself deeply invested in their lives.
“Argh…” Mars looked at his bloodied hand and wiped it off his tattered trousers. “Ambrose, I regret meeting you on Borneo Island; I truly do.”
Ambrose narrowed his eyes.
“You have ruined everything.” Mars said painfully. “You must’ve convinced others to steal the heart, didn’t you? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have done it. I am just surprised they decided to listen to you.”
“You underestimated their hate towards you.” Ambrose said. “They were ready to die as long as you fell as well.”
“Heh…” Mars remembered the face of the veiled beauty in the New North and wondered. “I wonder if she hates me as well.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Ambrose said and removed his suit’s jacket. He was still wearing his fancy suit from the auction. However, it was now covered in blood and holes. It was only a shadow of its former self.
Mars cracked his knuckles and put his arms in front of his body. It looked like he went into an orthodox boxing stance, but this world didn’t know anything about boxing, so he took this stance instinctively.
Ambrose moved his left foot forward and put his swords in front of his body. He took a very aggressive stance. It was clear that his only goal was to kill Mars, no matter what.
‘I need to be careful not to die. I managed to die the last time. I need to ensure Mars’ death. If I die, I’ll get spawned back on the Black Heart ship, and since Reinhardt didn’t die here, Mars might survive as well…
‘That is unacceptable. How can I face Leon and Zero knowing that this bastard is still alive.’
The atmosphere turned tense as the golden man and black-haired young man looked at each other.
It had been a long fight.
It started a few hours after the auction and had been lasting the entire night. The fight started when it was pitch-black in the town of Haventown.
After the destruction of Haventown, the battle between Mars and Black Heart members truly started. There were thunderstorms and crazy rains that even made artificial rivers that ran through the destroyed island.
It had been a very long fight, and now the final one was about to begin.
It might end in a single strike or last another few hours.
In either way, the winner would be decided now.
“Whoo…” Ambrose closed his eyes and then opened them peacefully.
He was ready to face his opponent.
‘I trust in your judgment, grandmaster.’ Ambrose thought, and shockingly, he took another scabbard from the inventory, then tied it to his left waist.
He then slipped both red swords inside and grabbed them with a reverse grip.
He was now taking a quick drawing stance.
This was his first-ever proper quick-draw attack.
Since he was forced to learn quick drawing from the Wisdom King, he never stopped learning until he could do it even with his eyes closed.
‘This is also the last technique I learned from Mortal Style. I trust in this technique.’
Mars clenched his right fist, and it suddenly started growing enormously large.
“Mercury Death!”
His fist resembled that of a giant’s fist, and it was the strongest attack in his arsenal. This attack had never failed him before.
It was also the final attack that took his brother’s life.
“Mortal Style…” Ambrose whispered gently.
A small leaf fell from one of the floating islands and landed softly on the ground. It was almost as if it acted as the bell, signaling the start of the battle.
Mars and Ambrose lunged forward at the same time!
“Raaaah!” Mars screamed from the bottom of his lung and threw the enormous punch with all his power behind him.
‘Kill him!’ The Eye of Shimon shouted inside his mind.
As his fist approached Ambrose, Mars saw the face of his smiling brother.
‘Fuck off, I ain’t joining you!’ Mars screamed.
Ambrose looked at the enormous fist and drew both of his swords at the same time. He drew them out of the scabbards with such speed that they glinted in the light.
“Fate Killer!” Ambrose screamed the final attack’s name and swung his swords with all his might.
Kachwing!
Boom!