Chapter 596
“Here I come.”
For the briefest moment after Roland’s declaration, Su-ho tensed.
Bang!
A rough launching step.
Roland closed the distance first.
Kwaaang!!
Their swords collided.
It was the heaviest strike he had felt so far.
His fingertips went numb to the point that his forearms ached.
But exhilaration surged through him.
Because until now, it had felt as though Roland had been holding back, and only now did it feel as though he had finally drawn out his true strength.
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
Roland pressed him relentlessly without pause.
It was overwhelming.
It was difficult.
But at the same time, they were not attacks he absolutely could not handle.
There was simply a physical difference between them, making things extremely tight.
‘They say battles between masters are decided by a sheet of paper’s worth of difference.’
Roland received Su-ho’s attacks as smoothly as flowing water, but Su-ho also managed, barely, to receive Roland’s attacks.
Which meant it was manageable.
As that thought repeated itself, it felt as though he was forcing some composure into existence.
No.
He deliberately struggled to carve out composure where there was none.
And with that artificially created breathing room, he once again targeted the waist of Durandal.
Of course, Roland had no intention of simply allowing it.
If Durandal happened to break, then things would truly become troublesome.
Perhaps because of that—
At a glance, the battle looked as though Roland was overwhelmingly pressuring Su-ho, but if one looked carefully, it was actually Roland who seemed to be getting chased around, almost like a game of tag.
Then, in the middle of that—
Su-ho’s sword grazed Roland’s chin.
It was only a very shallow wound, but he had succeeded in carving a sword line into Roland’s chin.
“......!”
Roland’s eyes widened.
Su-ho’s eyes widened as well.
Both had widened their eyes, but the emotions they felt were different.
Kwaang!!
Roland swung his sword again and drove Su-ho far away.
However, like a starving demon from hell, Su-ho immediately sprang back in and targeted Roland again.
It was not that adrenaline had made him stronger.
The force Roland used to repel him had weakened.
There was only one reason.
It was not because his chin had been cut.
Roland had unconsciously held back his strength out of concern that the accumulated damage to the sword might suddenly explode.
Su-ho noticed that change with monstrous sharpness.
And so, with exhilaration filling his eyes, he charged at Roland like a demon.
Kwaang!! Kwaang!! Kwaang!!
The tide of battle changed.
What had once merely looked like Roland pressing him now truly became a game of tag.
And Su-ho was the one chasing.
A tiger hunting with everything it had.
Roland’s expression twisted.
It was the first frown he had shown.
It could not be helped.
His composure had long since vanished.
There was only one reason.
Because this was the first time something like this had happened.
Roland had crossed swords with countless swordsmen.
But this kind of situation was a first for him.
Because most swordsmen lost before things ever reached this stage.
‘So battles between strong people really are decided by a sheet of paper’s worth of difference.’
He had never considered Su-ho weak.
If anything, he thought Su-ho was the best among the swordsmen who had challenged him.
But he had believed Su-ho still could not defeat him, and that confidence had turned into arrogance, preventing him from anticipating a variable like this.
And yet, when he thought about it, it had been a variable he should have expected.
Perhaps because of that, composure disappeared from Roland’s movements.
He avoided clashes between their swords as much as possible and instead increased his evasive movements, leaning his body away to dodge.
At the same time, he tried to somehow find an opening and land a decisive blow.
Impatience unbecoming of a professional.
And that impatience led to mistakes.
Those mistakes consumed his composure even faster, and finally—
Kwaang!!
This time, it was Su-ho who violently pushed Roland back.
“.......”
Roland had failed to dodge and blocked with his sword, but unfortunately, the targeted point had been Durandal’s waist.
So he had blocked with another part of the blade, failed to distribute the force properly, and ended up getting pushed far back.
Craaack—
A fracture.
The sound came from Durandal.
The impact point had been different, but the damage that had been received traveled all the way to the cracked waist of the blade, widening the fracture even further.
Silently, Roland looked at his sword.
Su-ho also stopped attacking and looked at Roland.
After some time passed in silence, Roland finally spoke.
“I have lost.”
“Your sword hasn’t broken yet, though?”
“Yes, it has not broken yet. But it will break before long. And I think it would be difficult for me to watch my sword break.”
Durandal.
The first sword granted to him by his lord.
It had spent his entire life beside him as his partner.
Some people would say:
A tiger fights with its full strength even when hunting a rabbit, and one never knows the outcome of a battle until the very end.
Both Su-ho and Roland knew that well.
And yet Roland acknowledged defeat because he treasured his sword just as much as the result of victory or defeat.
Su-ho understood completely.
To a swordsman, a sword was nearly everything.
‘I’ve had an experience like that too. A time when I declared defeat because it felt like my sword would break.’
Of course, there had been swords he treasured.
But in his previous life, after conquering a Big Gate, he had been attacked by the comrades he trusted, and his sword had broken.
Thanks to that, he had awakened the Formless Sword, but after that day, he stopped becoming greedy over swords.
That was one of the reasons he carried the Blood Sword.
And that choice had proven its worth many times.
Especially now.
Su-ho gave a short bow.
“If it had been an ordinary sword, I would have lost.”
“Thank you for saying so. However, this battle was also the result of my own arrogance in not restricting all skills from the beginning.”
Roland was the kind of admirable adult who knew how to acknowledge his own mistakes.
Which was why Su-ho also showed him proper respect.
Then Roland smiled and said,
“This is the first time. Since coming here, this is the first time I have lost to someone.”
“It’s an honor.”
“The honor is mine. Thanks to you, I now look forward to it. The new Pantheon that the newly elected Pope will create.”
Pope.
He had definitely called him that.
And so Su-ho smiled.
Come to think of it, Roland had shown courtesy throughout, but he had never once called Su-ho “Pope.”
He had only called him “you.”
But now he had called him Pope.
Which meant he fully acknowledged Su-ho.
Roland spoke formally.
“I offer all teachings contained within the Paladin Stone to the Pope. In addition.”
Raising Durandal and pressing it against his chest so the blade passed before his face, Roland continued,
“I also pledge that all Paladins of the Pantheon will become loyal and powerful swords for the Pope whenever and wherever you desire.”
The oath of Master Roland, called the first Paladin and the strongest Paladin.
At last, it was the moment Su-ho truly gained one of the pillars supporting the Pantheon.
Immediately after Roland’s acknowledgment—
[ You have earned Roland’s acknowledgment. ]
[ The Paladin Stone is being unlocked. ]
[ You have accomplished a truly remarkable achievement that no Player has ever achieved before. ]
[ The system acknowledges your supreme accomplishment and grants you 20 bonus stats. ]
System notifications.
The moment he gained Roland’s acknowledgment, the system rewarded him for the achievement.
It felt good.
Su-ho asked Roland,
“How should I address you?”
“Please call me however is comfortable.”
“This is my first time being Pope, so wouldn’t it be a little awkward to keep calling you sir?”
“Haha, then use the formal title. Later Popes addressed former Popes and Masters by title and name together. In my case, that would be Master Roland.”
Master Roland.
It certainly felt more properly organized.
Of course, it was still awkward, but he would have to grow used to it now.
“I will do that, Master Roland.”
“Thank you, Pope.”
“Then does that mean I can now learn the powers of the Paladins through the Paladin Stone?”
“Yes, you may learn every technique. However, since you are someone who pursues strength, I would recommend learning only the few most efficient techniques.”
“What kind of techniques?”
“Will you learn them now?”
“I’m not sure. It seems better to postpone that until later. I still have a mountain of tests left to pass.”
“Then visit the other places first. Everything will naturally become clear afterward.”
As expected of Master Roland.
Gentle and kind.
When Su-ho nodded, Roland opened the paths leading toward the next testing grounds.
He did not ask who came next.
A Pope asking that kind of question would look pathetic.
“Then I’ll see you again next time.”
“Yes. I hope we meet again soon. At that time, instead of the Blood Sword, let us prepare identical swords and have a proper match.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Then I too shall look forward only to that moment.”
After exchanging farewells, Su-ho headed toward the next place.
The moment he entered the portal, a shining path unfolded before him.
At the same time, a familiar voice rang out.
—Ahem, mic test.
“So the audio’s back?”
—Yeah, looks like you can hear me now. Damn, I thought I was gonna suffocate. Because of whatever effect that sacred domain thing had, all I could do was sit there and watch, and it drove me crazy.
“I guess that would be torture for someone with your personality. Still, imagine if you couldn’t even watch.”
—Then I would’ve gone insane from frustration. Anyway, you really do need to practice your swordsmanship like that old man said.
“So it looked that way to you too?”
—Was Roland the only one who said it? That old man Sword Demon said the same thing. Said you got so busy learning side arts that you neglected the swordsmanship that’s supposed to be your foundation and capital. Situations where I get sealed off are probably gonna keep happening from time to time, so if you don’t wanna suffer every single time, train diligently.
“Yeah, you’re right. I should.”
Since it was true, he could not really argue.
It really did feel as though situations where all his skills were sealed were happening more and more often lately.
—And you know, right? If it weren’t for the issue with the sword’s durability, you would’ve definitely lost.
“But I still won, didn’t I? The arrogance, mistakes, luck, and everything else that happened during the process—that’s all skill too.”
—Well, that’s true too.
Jack nodded.
Then, as Su-ho entered deeper into the path of trials, brilliant light spread around him, and a vast desert appeared.
An endlessly stretching desert.
Then, from the opposite side of Su-ho’s vision, someone appeared.
“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”
Turning toward the voice, Su-ho saw an old man standing barefoot with his palms pressed together.
He wore orange kasaya robes of the sort monks often wore, draped over one shoulder.
Compared to his bald head, his white eyebrows and beard were unusually long and thick.
The old man approached Su-ho, bowed with his palms together, and said,
“I greet the new Pope. I am Master Pyo, the one who teaches the Monks.”