Klaus listened to the heavy, rhythmic thrumming of his own heart.
It felt as if something other than blood was being pumped through his veins—a torrent of something as hot as lava, circulating through his entire body. His every muscle bulged like an active volcano.
(Ah, power... I can feel it welling up!)
This was on a different level entirely compared to the secret medicines he had used before. He felt as though his very body had evolved into a different entity.
His vision was sharp; he could even see the distortions in the air. Every muscle twitched with a life of its own, primed for explosive power.
What a sense of omnipotence!
Like a starving beast, Klaus lunged at Albert.
"Albert von Kronstadtttttt!"
Now, finally, he could repay the humiliation he’d suffered at the summer training camp.
He activated his family heirloom, the shield Tria Petal, equipped on his left arm. Of the shield's five metallic petals, three began to glow, further augmenting Klaus’s physical abilities. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
He brought the Black Sword Venom Edge crashing down.
A mediocre fighter—no, even a reasonably skilled warrior—would have found the blow impossible to dodge.
But Albert reacted, catching the dark blade with his own sword.
"U-Uoh...!"
Albert let out a grunt of agitation. He was being pushed back.
(Hahahaha! I’m winning! I’m actually winning!)
This minor victory elated Klaus. Albert had always been a distant figure, like a star unreachable in the night sky. But now, he was within his grasp.
"Damned brute strength!" Albert spat, trying to disengage.
That was the mindset of someone in retreat!
Klaus swung Venom Edge relentlessly, a flurry of vertical and horizontal strikes. Albert parried with his sword, but—
With a sickening crack, Albert’s sword snapped in two. Klaus had likely shattered it through sheer force, battering it with the heavy, dull edge of his own blade.
"Dammit!"
In a desperate move, Albert hurled the hilt of his broken sword at him.
(As if that’ll do anything!)
Ignoring the projectile, Klaus pressed the attack, swinging Venom Edge again. But the distraction had done its job. In an instant, Albert was wreathed in a golden radiance.
"Spell: Thunder Beast Shroud."
Resembling a Golden Beast, Albert vanished. Venom Edge sliced through nothing but air. Before Klaus could even register the miss, Albert had already closed in, slipping past his guard.
But Klaus's enhanced senses could track him. He could react.
"Don’t look down on me, Albert!"
He raised Tria Petal to block Albert’s right fist, which was wreathed in golden lightning. The impact caused an explosion of sparks, sending bolts of electricity scattering into the surroundings.
He wouldn't lose a trial of strength. Grunting, Klaus shoved Albert back with the shield. He drove Venom Edge into the opening he’d created—only to find Albert already gone.
"Over here, you ox!"
Albert had already circled to his right. A lightning-clad fist slammed into Klaus’s ribs.
"Gah!"
As a knight, Klaus possessed enough mana to act as a barrier. While he wasn't directly electrocuted, he still felt the searing heat and the crushing impact. More than that, it was a blow from Albert—the man who had once systematically dismantled him. The power behind it was immense.
Yet, Klaus’s reinforced body held firm. Thanks to the secret medicine’s numbing effects, the agony was reduced to a dull throb.
"Nuaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
He roared, swinging his sword with reckless abandon instead of flinching. But Albert had already retreated.
(This speed!)
Klaus realized he was in trouble. Between the mysterious, massive Physical Enhancement magic and the Armor of Lightning, Albert was moving at a speed that even Klaus’s enhanced vision could barely track.
He let out a guttural roar, flailing with Venom Edge, but he couldn't land a single hit. Albert exploited every opening, landing quick, sharp blows. The calculated, provocative nature of the strikes grated on Klaus's fraying nerves.
He couldn't pin him down.
(Even with all this power, I still can't reach him?!)
Every time he thought he had caught up, Albert pulled away again. Impatience merged with his drug-addled mind, festering into a dark, twisted resentment.
(Why? Why are you always ahead of me?)
Even after I’ve sacrificed everything... how can you just obtain new power so effortlessly?!
"How much more are you going to mock me?!"
"I couldn't care less about your problems."
Albert didn't miss the opening when Klaus’s rage made his swing go wide. Dodging the blade, he hammered a series of punches into the knight before sending him flying with a powerful kick. The force of the blow sent Klaus crashing into the stone wall.
"Gah...!"
"Just stay down. I’m not going to kill you."
Albert pointed his index and middle fingers toward Klaus like the barrels of a gun. Golden Lightning crackled at his fingertips.
(If that hits me, it’s over!)
Klaus ground his teeth. He wasn't in any condition to stand, let alone dodge.
Inevitability. The realization made his skin crawl.
(No, no, no! After everything I’ve sacrificed? After tearing my own soul apart? After taking the forbidden drug? Am I really going to lose again?!)
Was there no other way?
No—there was. It was right there, strapped to his left arm. The heirloom shield, Tria Petal.
—Never attempt to draw upon the power of the fourth or fifth petals. Do not forget this.
His father’s warning, the Knights Order Captain, echoed in his mind. Even the strongest man he knew had forbidden it. That meant now was the time to use it.
A knight of the Kingdom would normally hesitate to touch something so taboo, but...
"Forgive me... Father! I must win!"
Klaus leveled Tria Petal at Albert.
"Fourth Petal, Release!"
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
"Fourth Petal, Release!"
—What?
The moment Klaus spoke, the world shifted. Just a second ago, they had been fighting in a dingy, stone-walled chamber. Now...
I stood in a Vast Flower Field beneath a starry sky dominated by a brilliant full moon. In the distance, a Jet-black Forest loomed. Klaus was gone. There was only me and...
"My, my. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guest."
A beautiful, tanned woman stood before me, dressed in the revealing, airy silks of a dancer. She flaunted her voluptuous figure without a shred of modesty, a bewitching smile playing on her lips.
I knew this feeling.
Ah... this was another manifestation of the Will of the Ancient Magic.