Kaor’s reckless actions, taken without any consultation, prompted Gillian to stride toward him with a stern expression.
“What do you think you’re doing? Unauthorized actions won’t be tolerated. Finish this up quickly—we need to move.”
“Don’t interfere, old man. I’m going to break through my limits this time.”
“With that mindset, it’s impossible.”
To become a transcendent, one must establish their own unique worldview. But Kaor had always acted selfishly and lacked even a small amount of personal conviction.
Such a mindset made it difficult to gain confidence in oneself.
“After the war, spend time meditating and calming your mind. That would be far more helpful.”
Kaor had indeed become stronger, but it was largely due to Ghislain’s strict training. Ghislain had forcibly beaten discipline into him, dragging him forward despite his natural limitations.
As things stood, Kaor wasn’t ready to surpass his limits. He needed more training and self-reflection.
Kaor growled at Gillian’s blunt words.
“Don’t look down on me! You and the butler both managed to become transcendents, didn’t you? Why should I be any different? This is my chance to make it happen!”
Gillian furrowed his brows and raised his hand, ready to stop Kaor by force if necessary. Such behavior at a critical time like this was intolerable.
Surprisingly, an unexpected voice came to Kaor’s defense.
“If he’s that determined to try, why not let him? Surely he’s earned the chance to give it a shot?”
“Your Highness.”
The one who stood up for Kaor was none other than Elena. Gone was the trembling girl from earlier; she now stood confidently, her body stained with enemy blood.
Her calm voice carried weight as she continued.
“Sir Kaor has fought alongside us for a long time and contributed so much. If we can’t believe in him, who will?”
Her words made Gillian feel a twinge of shame. He had always dismissed Kaor as a troublemaker, but there was no denying that Kaor had become one of Fenris’s greatest assets.
Though he grumbled about the harsh tasks assigned to him, he always completed them in the end.
If someone like that wanted to fight, there was no reason to deny him the opportunity.
‘The princess is more mature than me.’
He had always seen her as a child, but she was proving to be a capable and discerning leader, much like her father and brother.
Gillian slightly bowed his head toward Elena.
“Understood. As you wish, Your Highness.”
With Elena and Gillian’s approval, no one else could object. They simply clicked their tongues and resigned themselves to the unfolding scene.
Elena, who had been standing resolutely moments ago, suddenly slipped away, retreating to a group of knights. Her actions seemed as though she was embarrassed about stepping in.
Once among the knights, she lowered her voice and spoke.
“Well, it’s done. The duel’s happening. Who are you betting on?”
“Ha! As expected from the princess. I’m betting on the priest.”
“Same here. No way Kaor can win, even if the priest’s only a half-baked transcendent.”
The knights were placing bets among themselves. Elena had supported Kaor only to ensure the duel took place so she could join in on the gambling.
Like brother, like sister.
Her dream of becoming a refined noblewoman grew ever more distant, but she remained blissfully unaware.
Most of the knights bet on the priest. After a moment of thought, Elena made up her mind.
“I’m betting on Kaor.”
“Really? No take-backs.”
“I’ve got a good feeling about this. I was right when I bet on my brother during his duel with Cain, wasn’t I, Skovan?”
Skovan scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well... yes, technically...”
That victory had been due to Elena already knowing Ghislain’s capabilities, but she chose to trust in Kaor’s potential this time.
Skovan and Ricardo followed her lead and placed modest bets on Kaor as well. Arel, unable to stop the princess from gambling, stood by nervously.
The atmosphere grew livelier. With the duel decided, everyone seemed eager for some entertainment.
Piote stood nearby, ready to intervene, while Gillian and Belinda prepared to step in at any moment. Kaor might have been foolish, but they couldn’t let him die.
Elena’s support had inflated Kaor’s confidence. He faced the priest and declared loudly:
“There are no more distractions. Let’s settle this, just the two of us.”
“You insolent fool...”
The priest gritted his teeth in humiliation. How lowly did they think of him to turn this into a one-on-one duel?
But he had no choice. His army was annihilated, and he was surrounded by enemies.
Fighting all of them meant certain death. His only chance of survival was to win the duel.
“If I win, you’ll really let me go?”
“Of course! What, never been lied to before? Ha!”
Kaor tossed aside his helmet and even shed his armor, leaving it in a pile nearby.
He wanted to fight purely with his own strength, free from the advantages of his gear.
The priest, seeing this, gathered his energy.
Rumble...
A dark aura began to surge around him. Though he was exhausted, the priest was still a transcendent.
With a killing glare, he spoke.
“You’ll regret this.”
BOOM!
The priest lunged forward, his attack swift and powerful. Kaor barely managed to block but was repeatedly forced back.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Urgh!”
Kaor gritted his teeth. The disparity in strength was painfully evident. For every two attacks he blocked, he took one direct hit.
Thanks to his hard-earned combat experience, Kaor avoided fatal injuries, but it was clear he was outmatched.
The onlookers sighed and clicked their tongues.
“It’s hopeless.”
“A transcendent is still a transcendent.”
“How long can he even hold out?”
Despite Kaor’s abrasive personality, he was on their side. Watching him struggle wasn’t exactly satisfying.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kaor swung his sword with all his might. Occasionally, his wild attacks startled the priest, but they posed no real threat.
To the priest, Kaor was nothing more than a weakened predator—a wolf with dulled fangs.
No, perhaps not even that. At this point, he was more like a troublesome dog.
The priest, though exhausted himself, still held a commanding advantage over Kaor.
THWACK!
“Urgh...”
Kaor took a heavy blow to his stomach and was sent sprawling backward.
The priest deliberately held back, worried that killing Kaor outright would lead to the others ignoring their agreement and executing him.
“The fight is over. Stand down now. I’ll leave as promised.”
“W-Where do you think you’re going...? This isn’t over yet.”
Kaor gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
Everyone was watching. To collapse like this was too humiliating. Why couldn’t he achieve what Gillian had?
Unable to bear it any longer, Piote spread a field of holy energy.
Sizzle...
Kaor’s wounds began to heal slightly, while the priest’s power was suppressed.
The priest frowned and spoke coldly.
“So, you’re breaking your word? Is this how you planned to gang up on me all along?”
Kaor’s face twisted with frustration as he shouted.
“Don’t interfere! I said I’ll handle this myself!”
“...Fine.”
Piote reluctantly withdrew the holy energy. She couldn’t go against Kaor’s wishes after such a declaration.
Briefly rejuvenated, Kaor raised his sword once more.
“Let’s go again. This isn’t over.”
The priest narrowed his eyes. To him, this wasn’t perseverance—it was arrogance.
A non-transcendent challenging a transcendent was absurd from the start. Kaor’s claims of breaking through his limits were nothing but hollow stubbornness.
The priest spoke slowly, his voice tinged with irritation.
“I was an instructor for novice priests before becoming a judge.”
“And so?”
“I’ve seen many like you—those with ambition that outpaces their abilities. They inevitably succumb to their own inadequacy.”
“Shut up! I don’t have any inferiority complex!”
“Stand down. At your current level, you cannot defeat me. Be grateful for what you’ve achieved—it’s already exceptional for your age.”
The priest’s words carried genuine concern. Though they were enemies, he hoped Kaor would retreat, allowing him a chance to escape.
But Kaor wasn’t known as a fool for nothing.
“Shut your mouth! I’ll take you down myself!”
Kaor charged at the priest once more.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The two continued their battle, each blow draining them further. For Kaor, the fight was especially grueling.
Keeping up with the speed and strength of a transcendent was pushing him to his limits.
THUD!
“Argh!”
Kaor spat blood as he was knocked back again.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Beaten down repeatedly, Kaor’s body was now covered in blood. Still, he stubbornly forced himself to stand, staggering as he did.
“Huff... Huff... This guy’s persistence is incredible.”
The priest scowled. He was exhausted, covered in wounds himself. His opponent showed no signs of giving up, and it was wearing on his nerves.
Even attempting to knock Kaor unconscious was proving difficult in his current state.
“Hrrrgh...”
Kaor staggered toward the priest, spitting up blood but refusing to collapse. The priest gathered the last of his strength and launched another punch.
Thwack!
Thud!
Kaor flew backward, landing heavily like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Blood poured from his mouth as he twitched on the ground. The priest, panting heavily, glanced at him and spoke.
"By our agreement, I will now leave."
Belinda stood with her arms crossed, biting her lip in frustration. Anyone could see she was debating whether or not to end the priest’s life then and there. Gillian’s expression was equally grim. Letting a superhuman enemy escape was a dangerous gamble. If the priest reunited with his army, he would become a devastating force against them.
Some watched Kaor with pity; others shook their heads in silent disappointment.
From the ground, Kaor stirred again. Despite his trembling limbs, he forced himself upright. His face, swollen and bloodied, scanned the surrounding faces. The sight of their disapproval burned into him.
"Why... why can’t I break through?"
Kaor’s voice cracked with anger and sorrow. Was this truly his limit?
Kaor’s swollen gaze darted around the battlefield. He caught glimpses of Belinda, Gillian, Piote, Arel, Alfoy digging his nose absentmindedly, and Claude yawning like nothing significant had occurred. Their expressions blurred together, filling Kaor’s heart with an oppressive weight.
‘A world...’
What did that even mean? Why couldn’t he build his own world like the others?
Gillian had his unwavering loyalty to Ghislain, an anchor that gave him purpose.
Belinda had cast off her inner doubts and found freedom through her belief in Ghislain.
Vanessa’s boundless intellect drove her to explore the truths of magic and the world itself.
Tenant carried the heavy burden of repentance, seeking redemption for his arrogance.Kaor finally realized the glaring difference between himself and everyone else. They all had something he didn’t.
“I... I don’t have anything like that.”
Superhumans built their worlds on firm principles, clear goals, or unwavering beliefs. Without any of these, Kaor’s attempts were futile.
Kaor’s life lacked a mission, a binding principle, or even a compelling reason to repent. He hadn’t uncovered any profound truths about life. He was just someone who enjoyed having fun, sometimes fighting, and living for simple pleasures.
“Have I been wrong this whole time?”
Kaor muttered under his breath, staring at the ground.
Did life really have to be lived with such gravitas? Did he have to toil and suffer just to climb higher?
Kaor’s thoughts drifted to his grandmother, the woman who had raised him with warmth and care. Whenever he felt lost, he thought of her words.
Kaor raised his head, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Grandma, you were right...”
Why did life need to be so complicated? Couldn’t he just live in the moment and enjoy himself? Wasn’t that enough?
Strength welled up in his chest. He gritted his teeth and bellowed for everyone to hear.
“Who says life needs some grand purpose?! What’s wrong with just living happily day by day?!”
The battlefield fell silent. Even the priest, poised to deliver a finishing blow, hesitated. Only Alfoy nodded in enthusiastic agreement, his face lighting up with understanding.
Kaor’s tirade continued, his voice growing louder with each word.
“Why does everything have to be about goals or beliefs? Can’t I just live? Isn’t that a revelation in itself?”
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“Who cares if I screw up sometimes? Who cares if I want to have fun? Life is short, damn it! I’ll live it how I want!”
The onlookers were dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open at Kaor’s words. Even the priest seemed momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Belinda and Gillian exchanged bewildered glances. Claude, however, gave a slow, approving clap, and Alfoy wiped a proud tear from his eye.
The priest finally found his voice, snapping, “You fool! That’s the thinking of a beast! Humans must strive for more—more discipline, more enlightenment, more—”
Kaor interrupted, lifting his sword as he sneered. “Shut it, old man. I’m done listening to lectures. If I don’t become a superhuman, so what?”
Kaor’s mind was made up. He didn’t need to prove anything anymore. His doubts, fears, and self-loathing melted away, replaced by a newfound confidence.
"A superhuman? Screw it. I’m fine as I am."
He gripped his sword tighter, took a step forward, and «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» smiled. "I’ll fight till I drop. And if I die, at least I’ll die having fun."
At that moment, a blazing blue light erupted from Kaor’s sword.
It wasn’t the light of desperation or frustration. It was the light of someone who had finally embraced his own unique path.
Kaor had found his world.