The battle continued.
Time had long since lost all meaning.
A minute?
An hour?
He had no idea.
Time flowed differently when you stood in the heart of a battlefield.
It slowed while you dodged a strike, then raced forward while you were still gasping for breath afterward.
The only thing he knew—
He was still alive.
With great difficulty, he managed to kill another soldier.
Then another.
Then a third.
Each kill felt closer to luck than skill.
A strike at the right moment.
A retreat at the right moment.
Survival more than victory.
He breathed heavily.
Blood covered his hands, his sword, and even his face.
He had no idea how many he had killed.
Five?
Maybe.
He raised his gaze toward Amy.
She moved with astonishing speed.
Light.
Precise.
Deadly.
Her body flowed between enemies like water finding its way through rocks.
Her short sword flashed with every strike, and with each gleam, another soldier fell.
Ten?
More?
He wasn’t sure.
But he was certain of one thing—
She was terrifying.
Truly terrifying.
The strange part…
The feeling of horror was beginning to fade.
That disgust.
That crushing weight that had tormented him after every kill.
It wasn’t as strong anymore.
He paused for a moment and stared at his sword.
Five people…
Was that all it took for a human being to grow accustomed to killing?
Then what about those who had killed dozens?
Were they even human?
The thought didn’t shock him.
He simply accepted it.
In this world, monsters existed naturally.
Then suddenly—
A feeling.
Heavy.
Dark.
As though something was watching him from afar.
As though a cold shadow had brushed against his back.
He turned immediately.
Amy was staring in the same direction.
Her eyes had narrowed slightly.
So it wasn’t just him.
There—
A man.
Massive beyond what should have been possible.
His armor was forged from solid steel—dark, thick, and imposing, nothing like the light leather armor worn by ordinary soldiers.
His weapon…
A sword of unbelievable size.
The kind of blade that demanded the strength of both hands.
And his presence…
It was different.
Different in a way words could not define.
He wasn’t an ordinary soldier.
He was a disaster.
He moved—
And soldiers fell around him like autumn leaves.
He struck—
And those before him died before they could even think of retreating.
No hesitation.
No pauses.
No telltale signs in his movements revealing what he would do next.
Too fast to follow.
Too deadly to resist.
A nightmare…
No.
Worse than a nightmare.
Nightmares end when you wake up.
Cold sweat slid down Daron’s back.
His legs trembled in a way he couldn’t hide.
This wasn’t an opponent that could be fought.
This was death walking on two legs.
Then suddenly—
The man looked at him.
Cold eyes.
Empty eyes.
Devoid of anger, hatred, or even the desire to fight.
There was only one thing within them—
The end.
The eyes of someone who didn’t see a human being before him.
Only an obstacle.
Daron nearly collapsed on the spot.
Then the man moved.
Toward him.
At a terrifying speed.
Before he could reach him—
A force yanked him backward.
He hit the ground hard.
Amy.
“What are you doing, you idiot?!”
Her face hovered above him, carrying both terror and fury.
“Run!
He’s a Knight!
You’ll die!”
Everything inside him screamed the same thing.
Run.
Run.
This isn’t your enemy.
He’s beyond you.
But he didn’t move.
If he ran…
She would remain behind.
She would fight him.
And she would die.
His grip tightened around his sword.
No.
He wouldn’t run.
And just as he expected—
Amy charged.
Fast.
Sharp.
Like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow.
Her blade shot toward the Knight’s neck with incredible precision.
He blocked it.
Effortlessly.
As if her attack were moving in slow motion.
A kick—
And she was sent flying several meters away.
She crashed onto her back, yet immediately rose again like someone born knowing how to fall and stand.
She was skilled.
But he was a monster.
The Knight rushed forward.
His massive sword descended with terrifying force.
Amy tried to evade.
She moved with every ounce of speed she possessed.
But she couldn’t escape completely.
The blade tore through her shoulder.
From the top of her shoulder to the middle of her arm.
A deep wound burst open, sending blood spraying out.
Daron froze.
Amy was being killed.
Amy, who had saved him twice.
Amy, who had sat beside him while he cried without saying a word.
Amy, whose words had nourished him more than any bowl of soup ever could.
I have to do something.
No—
I have to kill him.
At that moment, something exploded inside him.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Will.
Pure will.
A will that knew nothing of calculations or reason.
He charged.
He wasn’t as fast as the Knight.
Not even close.
But he was faster than before.
Faster than he had ever been.
With a clean, sharp strike—
He cut the Knight’s face.
Just a scratch.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Silence.
Then the Knight’s attention shifted entirely toward him.
Every ounce of focus.
Every shred of intent.
Every bit of pressure.
All directed at Daron.
The Knight lunged.
And in that instant—
Daron felt it.
Not the attack itself.
The intent behind it.
The path it would take.
As if something inside him could sense an action before it happened.
He raised his sword—
And blocked.
The impact was monstrous.
The force crashed through his shoulders and chest, rattling his bones.
It forced him back three full steps.
But he didn’t fall.
Another strike.
The same sensation.
He saw the trajectory.
He dodged.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He was reading the Knight’s movements.
Not attacking.
Reading.
Then—
A subtle signal from Amy behind him.
A gesture from her left hand.
He understood.
She wanted him to be bait.
Daron rushed the Knight.
He pushed his legs to their limit and attacked relentlessly, forcing the Knight to focus entirely on him.
To see nothing else.
Then—
For a single instant.
An opening.
And from behind—
A short sword pierced the Knight’s throat.
Amy’s sword.
The giant froze.
Then slowly collapsed.
Daron fell with him.
Amy collapsed beside him.
Their breaths burned in their lungs.
The exhaustion wasn’t ordinary.
It was nearly fatal.
He turned toward her.
She looked back at him—
And smiled.
Despite the blood pouring from her shoulder.
Despite the pain clearly written across her face.
“We won…”
“We survived…
by a miracle.”
Daron looked at her.
And for the first genuine time since awakening in this world…
He smiled.
“Yeah…”
“We’re alive.”
“Thank you.”
She stared at him in surprise for a moment.
Then she laughed.
“So you finally smiled, you gloomy idiot.”
It wasn’t long before the sound of a retreat horn echoed across the distant battlefield.