"I don't remember ever taking a disciple. You don't need to call me 'Master'."
Revy refused coldly, his tone indifferent. At the same time, the Tang-style blade in his hand trembled slightly. Snow Princess — Yukihime — shimmered with a piercing light as if responding to its master's excitement and killing intent, letting out a faint hum.
A hum of bloodlust.
The Swordmaster's pupils contracted.
He felt it — a fear from deep within. The fear of standing before someone whose swordsmanship was far superior to his own.
Every muscle in his body trembled. It was as though the blood in his veins had frozen in a cold wind. But at the same time, an overwhelming thrill surged through him — admiration for a true master, the desire to challenge him, and a longing for the slimmest chance of surpassing him.
So, the Swordmaster moved.
He ran his arm lightly along the edge of his blade. The moment blood touched it, the twin swords ignited like wildfire, bursting into crimson flame. With a single powerful step, he launched forward — both swords roaring toward Revy, burning with unshakable will.
"Blood Offering!"
The blades, sharp enough to cut steel, ignited the air itself. Heat stirred the previously still wind, and the warped air blurred the surrounding battlefield.
But Revy simply swung once.
Just one slash.
All that warlike intent, all that heat — the air-splitting edge, the roaring flames — vanished.It was as if the Swordmaster had crashed into an invisible wall — he and his flaming blades were flung backwards.
"You've gotten stronger."
Revy didn't pursue. Yukihime hung by his side, its tip touching the ground. A fine red line ran along its edge, and a single drop of blood fell to the floor.
"Hah… hah…"
Panting heavily, the Swordmaster finally caught himself, straightening into another stance.
"Not strong enough. If I were, I wouldn't have been sent flying by a single blow."
Revy fell silent.
Truth be told, he didn't dislike the Swordmaster. His obsession with strength might border on madness, but his dedication to the art of the sword — that, Revy could respect.
That was also why, back during the Kazdel civil war, Revy had taken the initiative to guide him, helping him refine his technique.
"Swordmaster... I've only ever called you that. Don't you have a proper name I can address you by?"
"Hah… so I'm not completely worthless after all, huh?""At least I've earned the right to give you a name, Master?"
A grin tugged at his lips as a flicker of excitement danced in his eyes — the excitement of being acknowledged by someone stronger.
"Call me Yan Ke. I don't have a real name. That's just a code name, but it'll do."
"Yan Ke, is it? I'll remember that—"
As he spoke, Revy's arm moved. His blade swung backward in a single sweep, splitting an incoming grenade in two. His figure vanished from the spot, reappearing a few meters away as he stared coldly toward the distant figure of W.
"Yo yo yo~ Chatting on the battlefield? This is what you get."
W smiled wickedly, raising her grenade launcher once more and aiming at Revy.
"Or what, has your long career as a 'Courier' made you forget what war feels like?"
"A sneak attack only counts as such if it has a chance of success. Otherwise, it's just a clown show."
Revy's cutting words made W's expression shift slightly. But she quickly returned a saccharine smile.
"Talk like that… guess we'll just have to keep going. I've got plenty of time to waste."
Revy didn't reply. He simply tightened his grip on his blade.
"Swordmaster, don't tell me you're switching sides to help him? I'm gonna be real upset if you do~"
Though her voice was teasing, there wasn't even a flicker of concern in W's eyes.
"Tch, I'm not that low." Yan Ke raised his swords again.
"I hate working with you, but if I can't beat him alone, then so be it."
"'Only by breaking through suffocating chains can I improve' — so you're using him as your new grindstone, huh, Swordmaster?"
Revy frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mercenaries closing in. Though Rhodes Island had support from Blacksteel and Penguin Logistics, they were clearly being overwhelmed by superior numbers and equipment.
The next second — a grenade exploded beneath Revy's feet. He dodged cleanly to the other side of the battlefield and cast a cold glare at W.
"You seem awfully relaxed. Not worried about your teammates at all?"W's voice held a note of pride."If you don't break through soon, my people will wipe out Rhodes Island."
"Is that so—"
CLANG!
Yukihime clashed with the massive black cleaver, sparks flying. In Yan Ke's eyes, obsession and bloodlust consumed all reason.
Revy sighed lightly.
"You and Yan Ke… Honestly, you're way better than Skullshatterer and the Regicide duo."
"But hold me back? Just the two of you?"
His eyes flashed open. Yukihime became a blur, countless afterimages slicing through the air. Even the wind was shredded by his strikes — the sheer pressure of his blade filled the battlefield.
"Ugh—!""What…?"
Yan Ke and W both froze — their lungs suddenly constricted. It dawned on them in an instant:
Revy had locked onto them. His killing intent bound them like chains.
(Shit—! Attack now!)They exchanged a glance — then launched forward without hesitation.
Yan Ke abandoned his massive blade, grasping his longsword with both hands. Flame burst from its edge, his figure vanishing into a blur as he charged.W backed off quickly, but in the blink of an eye, grenades, bombs, and landmines materialized around Revy — as if summoned from thin air.
"Who the hell do you think you're looking down on?! — Bastards!"
Revy swung.
With a single slash, the air stilled. The oppressive heat vanished.
Yan Ke managed to swing only half a foot before his blade shattered — piece by piece. A deep gash opened across his chest, blood bursting forth as he fell to his knees with a grunt.
W, farther away, couldn't avoid the strike either. The wind of the blade kissed her throat — had she not thrown up her launcher in time, she would've been beheaded. Her weapon, now cleaved in half, clattered to the ground.
Revy sheathed his blade and stood coldly in place.
—The fight was over.
But just before the Rhodes Island team could cheer — before the mercenaries' fighting spirit could be snuffed out — one person moved.
To be exact: a mercenary. A completely unremarkable one.
He had blended in so well, he'd only ever been seen as cannon fodder. By sheer luck, he had survived this long — and somehow made his way to the frontlines.
And now, he made his move—
"No! He's after Misha!"
As frontline defenders, Liskarm and Croissant instantly sensed the killing intent. They dashed toward Misha, raising their shields to block the threat.
BOOM!
It felt to Liskarm like being hit by a truck.
And normally, even a truck would've been stopped dead by her defense. But this time, to her horror — she was the one sent flying.
What about Croissant—?
Barely managing to stay upright, she glanced at her teammate. Croissant, who relied mostly on racial strength rather than trained technique, fared even worse: her shield had been bent into a distorted "く" shape, and the Minos girl had collapsed — coughing blood, unconscious.
Two heavily armored defenders. Completely blown away by a single strike.
That wasn't something a normal mercenary could do.Even Blacksteel's elite few would struggle to manage that.
"Misha… Run…!"
Liskarm, barely conscious, could only whisper these final words before blacking out.
Now, the mercenary was less than 20 meters from Misha.
"За Родину!! (For Ursus!!)!"
A blade flashed — cold and sharp — and drove forward like lightning. It pierced the flesh and blood of its target—
In the next moment, Misha's scream echoed across the battlefield:
"—ALEX!!"