Murphy, of course, hadn't fled far.
He hid like a ghost behind a dense thicket of bushes. Though he couldn't see the clearing as he fled, the sharp whistle of Tommy Han's Longsword cutting through the air reached his ears clearly.
Just from the sound of that swing...
A chill went down Murphy's spine. 'The follower is indeed strong.'
Even with both legs broken, sitting on the ground, he was still an immense threat.
Then, Tommy Han's roars, filled with contempt and venom, echoed from the clearing.
"You bastard who wallows in dung heaps, you with your filthy manure-scooping hands, you gutter rat, you maggot from the dirt...!"
The sharp insults pricked him like needles.
Murphy's breath hitched. A ripple of emotion rose, irrepressible, from deep within his heart, but it was instantly frozen over by a deeper chill.
His eyes grew colder as he peered through the gaps in the leaves toward the source of the voice, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a dead man.
'I absolutely cannot give him a moment to recover!'
As the thought flashed through his mind, his gaze fell upon a dead branch he had prepared earlier, one as thick as a man's arm.
He silently picked it up, testing its weight in his hand.
He had approached empty-handed before to strip the man of his Armor and lower his defenses.
Now, his objective was achieved, but the crisis was far from over!
'I can't let Tommy Han get a chance to reach that pile of armor.'
'Even if he's immobilized and it would be incredibly difficult for him to don the armor, I have to extinguish even the slightest possibility!'
But he couldn't be too hasty, either.
Right now, Tommy Han was like a wounded, crazed beast at the peak of its rage.
He had to wait. Wait patiently for him to vent his anger, for his taut nerves to slacken from exhaustion and despair.
The clearing gradually fell silent, leaving only the sound of Tommy Han's ragged, pained gasps.
He stared intently at the thicket where Murphy had vanished, his hawk-like gaze seeming as if it could set it ablaze.
The wound on the side of his neck throbbed with pain, and a persistent numbness left his right arm feeling sore and weak. His vision blurred intermittently, a constant reminder of one fact.
That lowly Groom actually wanted to kill him!
'He hasn't gone far.'
Tommy Han was almost certain of it.
'Even if he has left, I have to act as if he hasn't. Any wishful thinking could lead to my doom.'
He simply couldn't understand when he had developed such a deep-seated, mortal hatred with this Groom, who was usually so meek and subservient.
But that didn't stop him from raising his guard to the absolute maximum, every nerve straining to sense the slightest danger in his surroundings.
After the intense emotional outburst, his training as a follower forced him to calm down and rapidly analyze the situation.
'First, strength.'
'Murphy is far weaker than I am. The fact that his sneak attack failed to kill me in one blow is proof enough.'
'If he had the strength of a follower, combined with that ambush, I would have had no chance of survival.'
'Second, his methods.'
'A ranged attack is highly unlikely.'
'Even ignoring the question of whether Murphy has the arm strength for a longbow or heavy crossbow, where would he find a proper ranged weapon in this wilderness?'
'Rocks?'
'A limited threat.'
'So, what is Murphy's advantage?'
Tommy Han glanced at his own legs.
'Freedom of movement.'
'Meanwhile, I'm stuck here, my legs severely injured and my mobility completely gone.'
'That's the most fatal part!'
'Murphy can use his mobility to constantly harass and test me, draining my stamina and spirit.'
'He doesn't even need to risk getting close again. All he has to do is drag this out...'
At the thought of the consequences of "dragging this out," a cold sweat broke out on Tommy Han's back.
The Activated Armor that could pursue them at any moment, Miss Douglas's party that might be searching for him, and the wild beasts of the forest drawn by the scent of blood...
The arrival of any one of those could be the final straw.
'I can't let this drag on!'
'I have to break this stalemate!'
An idea flashed through his mind like lightning.
'I have to expose an opening—a fatal flaw so tempting that Murphy will feel he must attack immediately with all his might, or else lose the opportunity forever!'
'Only then can I lure him closer, into the range of my longsword, and then—'
'A single, killing blow!'
His eyes involuntarily fell upon the Chain Armor on the ground, which shimmered with a metallic glint.
'Put on the armor?'
The thought was immensely tempting.
'Armor means better protection, but it also means... what looks like a perfect opportunity to attack.'
Hidden in the shadows, Murphy's heart skipped a beat when he saw Tommy Han struggling to reach for the heavy Chain Armor.
'He's actually thinking of putting on his armor?'
'Why?'
'At a time like this?'
But Murphy quickly figured out the ploy.
He instantly saw through Tommy Han's intention. 'He doesn't want to be stuck in a standoff with me anymore!'
'He's scared!'
'Not of me, but of the other dangers that might appear if this drags on.'
'Unknown enemies, Miss Douglas's party, or beasts from the forest!'
Murphy tightened his grip on the thick branch, the rough wood splintering into his skin.
'Just as I thought, Option Two isn't that simple. Completing it will take everything I have.'
A flicker of anticipation crossed his mind. 'I really wonder what that [Breathing and Guiding Technique "Initial Glimpse"] actually is.'
'Something that requires me, at my current strength, to risk my life...'
Murphy's thoughts turned, his resolve hardening.
'Since you're deliberately showing me an opening, I'll take it, just as you wish.'
'Otherwise, once you're really inside that iron shell, or once other people arrive, I'll never have another chance!'
In that moment, the two men, locked in a struggle to the death, reached a surprising, unspoken understanding.
Murphy held his breath, meticulously observing Tommy Han's every action. He watched as Tommy Han tugged at the Chain Armor, his face twisting in pain as the movement pulled on his neck wound, his actions becoming obviously sluggish. He kept watching as Tommy Han attempted to lift the heavy shirt of iron rings over his head, a moment when his neck injury, failing strength, and likely impaired vision would leave him wide open—his most vulnerable instant.
'Now!'
A vicious glint flashed in Murphy's eyes. Like a leopard ambushing its prey after a long wait, he burst from his hiding place, brandishing the thick tree branch!
The very instant Murphy's figure shot forward, a sharp light glinted in Tommy Han's eyes.
'He took the bait!'
He sneered inwardly as the posture of someone completely focused on donning his armor instantly dissolved.
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
Tommy Han didn't move rashly. Instead, like an experienced hunter, he calmly judged the trajectory and speed of Murphy's charge, even though the wound on his neck made it difficult to turn his head and track his target.
Only when the figure, radiating a frenzied killing intent, charged into the inescapable range of his longsword did Tommy Han finally burst into action.
He unhesitatingly abandoned the heavy Chain Armor, letting the shirt of iron rings fall to the ground with a CLANG.
At almost the same instant, his left hand shot out with astonishing speed, grabbing for the Knight's Longsword that had been hidden by his side, flat against the ground!
"Die, you bastard!"
Tommy Han let out a savage roar. The look of feigned exhaustion and pain was gone from his face, replaced by a bloodthirsty, arrogant, and cruel delight, though the wound on his neck made his voice hoarse and distorted as he yelled.
He could already picture the scene: this Groom who dared to offend the dignity of a follower, his throat torn open by the sharp Longsword!