Benson had never trusted the word "karma."
Despite his reckless behavior, he walked a smooth path thanks to his father, a knight, and became a knight under the powerful Barco in the northeast region.
Perhaps because of this, he took great pride in being a knight.
He lived enjoying powers that commoners could only dream of, and he did his best for Barco, the embodiment of that power.
His actions towards Kevin were an excessive display of loyalty.
He never imagined that mocking his opponent, fueled by his rising pride, would lead to such a result.
"Is this what karma is?"
His vision darkened.
He had often accompanied Antoni Barco and had met Roman Dmitri many times.
Although the incident with Blood Fang had changed his image, Benson did not believe the rumors.
It was a reasonable judgment.
From what he had seen and experienced, Roman Dmitri was a fool, and he thought it was acceptable to cross the line.
But reality was different.
Roman Dmitri had cut down Homeros.
Watching the bloodshed, Benson felt chills run down his spine, even though he had not fought himself.
"I really made a big mistake."
If only he had known Roman's true nature, Benson would never have touched Kevin.
He would have done everything possible to align himself with Dmitri instead of Barco.
But the water had been spilled.
His life as a knight of Barco held him back, and his arrogant actions had come back to haunt him.
The command from the Barco lord to step forward as the last great warrior was something he could not refuse, and he walked out with a pale face like a condemned man.
"Damn it."
He did not look up at the people's gazes.
Instead of cheering for the knight of Barco, they seemed to regard Benson as a corpse.
"I am Benson of Barco."
He struggled to suppress his trembling voice.
What kind of master would come out? He had heard there was a two-star swordsman in Lawrence, and the moment he appeared, he knew he would not escape death.
"Oh God, please let me live just this once."
At that moment, a figure stepped out from the Lawrence camp.
A familiar face.
A small stature.
Benson could not help but burst into laughter.
"Could it be that guy is my opponent?"
It was clear.
The boy soldier who had slapped him in the face.
Seeing that kid step forward as the great warrior, Benson looked up at the sky and clenched his fists.
"Oh God, thank you so much."
He thought he was alive.
In his eyes, Kevin looked like a pardon.
The final duel began.
Benson's tension completely dissipated.
The flag signaled the start of the battle, but instead of rushing in, he took a relaxed stance.
"At first, I doubted my eyes. No matter how much this fight was predetermined, I never thought they would send someone like you as the last great warrior."
He smirked.
One side of his mouth lifted, unable to hide his joy.
"Well, you probably wanted revenge. But whether by your own will or someone else's, you have been abandoned by your lord. Think about it. Would you, if you were in command, send someone as weak as you, who can barely wield a sword, as the last great warrior? Of course not! This means you are that useless, and from the moment you accepted the order, your future was sealed."
He drew his sword.
Until then, Kevin had been quietly watching Benson.
With his legs spread at a suitable distance, he aimed his sword precisely at Benson, his sharp gaze unwavering.
"You arrogant brat."
Perhaps it was the relief of being alive, but his pride was wounded late.
Seeing that kid glaring at him as if he could defeat him, Benson stomped the ground with a fierce expression.
"Die!"
His movements were slow.
The previous two duels had been on a completely different level, so to the spectators, he did not seem fast.
Yet, no one doubted Benson's victory.
Kevin, his opponent, was clearly a boy soldier, while Benson's physique completely overwhelmed him.
The difference in power was evident.
As Benson swung his sword with heavy movements, Kevin slightly tilted his head and instead dove into Benson's embrace.
Splash.
Blood splattered.
A line of blood appeared on Kevin's cheek, but he paid no mind and aimed for Benson's chin, stabbing upward with his sword.
The chin was an area that armor could not protect.
It was a threatening attack.
Benson raised his arm to block the sword and simultaneously struck Kevin's abdomen with his other arm.
Clang! Puhak! Kevin's attack was blocked.
A sword without aura could not pierce steel, and his expression twisted slightly from the blow to his abdomen.
However, he did not retreat.
Kevin, without a single groan, swung his sword again towards the gap in Benson's defense.
The speed of the sword was faster than expected.
The muscles trained from farming and menial labor exerted their strength, accurately slicing through the connection between the armor's forearm and torso.
Swish!
"Ugh."
Benson swallowed a groan.
An unexpected counterattack.
He charged into Kevin's body.
Kevin was knocked back, rolling on the ground, and Benson rushed in to stab down from above.
"Die!"
Thud! It was a close call.
Thanks to Kevin's quick dodge, the sword struck the ground, and Kevin sprang up, closing the distance to Benson.
He was relentless, refusing to give any space.
Kevin and Benson.
The physical difference between a boy and an adult was significant, and their attack ranges were markedly different.
Kevin instinctively knew he had to get close to his opponent, and even as his face was cut and he was slammed into the ground, he never lost his balance.
Clang! Clang! The swords clashed wildly.
Clearly, Benson had the physical advantage and was overwhelming his opponent, yet a decisive moment did not arise.
"You brat!"
Benson's face turned red.
His pride was wounded.
The opponent was a boy soldier.
While he had earned his title as a knight through an elite course, Kevin was a nobody.
Yet he still could not finish this fight.
Anger boiled within him.
Normally, he would play around a bit before ending it, but the venomous look in Kevin's eyes changed his mind.
"I will kill you."
He changed his mindset.
Even if he got hurt a little.
He wanted to punish this ignorant brat thoroughly.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Whoosh.
As Benson swung his sword with all his might, Kevin leaned back.
At that moment, a chill ran down his spine.
Benson charged in like a storm, launching a series of attacks while somewhat abandoning defense, and Kevin staggered backward, blocking the attacks.
With each strike, Kevin's body swayed.
Even though he blocked the shock transmitted through the sword, he was pushed back toward the crowd.
The outcome was clear.
Benson's victory.
No other result could be expected.
The physical difference was overwhelming, and there was no way one could grow strong enough to defeat a knight in just a month or two.
Clang!
"…!"
Kevin's arm was flung away.
He could not withstand the opponent's strength.
Benson seized the opportunity and attempted a follow-up attack with all his might.
Swish! The sword sliced through the air.
It was a life-or-death crisis.
Seeing Kevin attempt an attack as well, Benson decided to give his chest and finish it.
"That sword can't pierce my armor anyway."
A battle without aura.
The presence of armor could not be ignored.
Just before Benson's sword pierced Kevin, suddenly, Benson's eyes widened.
Swish! Splash! The red blade.
Kevin's sword sliced through Benson's armor, and dozens of droplets of blood splattered before Benson's eyes.
Roman had said that the Demon Soul Martial Art was a path to grow faster than any other method, at the cost of pain and sacrifice.
Those words were true.
From the day he had cut off his own arm, the Demon Soul Martial Art had taken root in Kevin's mind.
-Kill, kill, kill!-
-That brat is hurting you right now!-
-Revenge immediately!
The voices of the Demon Soul Martial Art echoed in his head.
It was an illusion.
A cost of the Demon Soul Martial Art that did not exist, swirling in his mind.
With eyes glowing red, Kevin faced Benson.
The pain in his body was nothing.
Even if Benson's massive fist struck his abdomen, it was nothing compared to the pain of cutting off his arm.
He endured it.
Suppressing the pain, he closed the distance to his opponent.
-Up!-
-Be careful!
His instincts warned him.
The opponent would swing his sword from above.
Kevin believed the words of the Demon Soul Martial Art and narrowly dodged the attack.
Benson's sword passed viciously before him.
In a moment where he could die if he let his guard down, Kevin felt alive.
"I want to be a useful sword for my lord."
Chris had been chosen as the great warrior.
Seeing him confidently claim he could defeat a three-star knight made Kevin feel envious.
He wanted to follow Roman before Chris.
But he was angry that he could not be favored due to the difference in talent.
His family had received favors from Roman.
Yet what was he doing for Roman? He wanted to earn Roman's trust and carry out his orders, just like Chris had shown, but all he had done was stand by and take hits while watching Benson insult Roman.
It could be called inferiority.
It might also be excessive loyalty.
Kevin wanted revenge.
He wanted to tear apart Benson's mouth, which had insulted Roman, and prove that he too was a useful sword.
At that moment.
Swish! Benson's attack.
The opponent was confident of victory.
He believed he could win by sacrificing his chest, but that was a mistake made because he did not properly gauge Kevin.
"Demon Soul Martial Art."
-Kya ha ha ha!-
-Kill him!
A hint of mana.
A red aura rose from the sword.
Although it was a power he could only use for a brief moment, it certainly had the strength to split steel.
Swish! He sliced through the armor.
Beyond that, he cut through skin, and red droplets of blood splattered into the air.
"…!"
Benson's face showed panic.
He grimaced in extreme pain but swung his sword at Kevin in a hurry to survive.
He did not dodge.
Flesh was torn from his shoulder.
Benson's sword turned the weak body into rags in an instant, but in exchange, his chest was completely exposed.
Charging Kevin.
Even as the flesh of his shoulder was torn apart with each movement, all Kevin could see was the wound on Benson's body.
Once, he had panicked over a mere cut on his finger.
The child who had lived under the love of his parents had grown up completely differently through the storms of life.
Kevin's expression turned vicious.
In an instant, he locked eyes with Benson.
The face that had looked down on Kevin turned to one of fear, and without a moment's hesitation, Kevin stabbed at the wound.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Benson screamed.
Now he had no strength left to use mana.
He had to settle this with only physical strength, and Kevin climbed on top of Benson, who was collapsing, and pressed down on his upper body.
Then he grabbed the blade and relentlessly stabbed at the wound.
His hands were cut, and pain surged, but he was solely focused on killing his opponent.
Thud! Thud! Splash!
"Ugh."
With each pull of the knife, blood splattered.
Benson, who was foaming at the mouth in pain, pushed Kevin away with his bloodied hands, struggling to survive.
But that was all.
His pitiful attempts could not stop anything.
Even if Benson poked his eyes and clawed at his head, Kevin continued to slash at the wound.
Benson's body trembled.
There was no more resistance.
After stabbing the wound several times, Kevin finally lifted his head, panting.
"Hah, hah."
Benson's condition was so terrible it could hardly be called a human body.
In the final duel, the victor was Kevin.
Everyone held their breath.
Kevin's appearance was like that of a demon.
No matter how much it was a fight to the death, some people covered their mouths in horror at his brutality.
Kevin staggered to his feet.
His face was drenched in blood.
Blood dripped from his torn shoulder, but he walked as if the wounds meant nothing.
All eyes were on him.
With each labored step he took, the people's gazes followed.
How long did he walk? Kevin arrived in front of Roman.
Looking up at Roman's indifferent gaze, Kevin, like a child seeking praise, looked up at him.
"I’m back."
At those words, Roman rewarded Kevin.
"You did well, Kevin."
That alone was enough.
Kevin smiled brightly as if he had gained the whole world.
The battle was over.
The duel between Lawrence and Barco's great warriors.
Everyone had said Barco would win, but the result was enough to shock the Kingdom of Cairo.
Three matches, three victories.
A crushing victory for Lawrence.
And at the center of it all was Roman Dmitri.