Chapter 19: Battle on a Bridge (5)

A skilled archer could shoot fifteen arrows per minute, and a knight using the power of aura could shoot sixty. However, Katherine, a master archer, unleashed fifteen arrows at Keter in just five seconds. Although the accuracy was low, with only eight arrows heading toward Keter, it was impossible for him to block them all—he had to dodge.

Twang.

While Katherine shot fifteen arrows, Keter only shot one. Even if the arrow was invisible, it was still just a single shot. It was common sense that one arrow could not block all fifteen arrows. However, Katherine did not trust her own archery skills.

Why does it feel like they’ll all be blocked?

Katherine’s unease became a reality. The first arrow she shot was knocked out of the sky. It was a brief moment but as Katherine focused her aura on her eyes, she began to see the path of Keter’s invisible arrow. It was more like she could sense it than actually see it.

Oh...

Katherine was amazed. She could only watch in awe as Keter’s arrow struck down all of her arrows. The arrow Keter shot moved like a snake; it struck down every single one of her arrows with movements and angles that were not possible for an arrow.

Ting ting ting ting ting!

While the time it took Katherine to shoot fifteen arrows was nearly instantaneous, Keter knocking down all fifteen was even faster.

“...”

The soldiers stood with their jaws on the floor, unable to speak.

What on earth just happened?

No one understood except Katherine.

The fifteen arrows that Katherine shot scattered in all directions as if caught in a typhoon. The soldiers might have understood if they could see Keter’s arrows. But as they were invisible, they had no idea what was going on.

“Ugh...”

Katherine groaned and covered her left eye with her hand. Blood trickled through her fingers.

“My lady!”

As the soldiers rushed toward her in concern, Katherine reached out her head to stop them.

“It’s nothing serious. It’s just from focusing the aura on my eye too much.”

Keter chuckled softly at Katherine.

You’ll regret it if you don’t treat it now.

Keter could clearly see the state of her injury. Although she was one hundred meters away, that distance was meaningless to Keter. Keter’s vision—or rather, the power of the Sefira eyes—was so remarkable that he could see even the fine hairs on Katherine’s face.

Keter had learned medicine in Liqueur, and he knew that Katherine could go blind if she wasn’t treated now.

As Katherine wiped away the blood that was obscuring her vision, Keter shot another arrow.

Thwack!

Blood splattered everywhere as the arrow cut Katherine’s calf.

One of the soldiers, who secretly admired Katherine, shouted in anger, “Lord Keter! Isn’t this cowardly? The lady has an injury in her eye! Letting her have some time for first aid would be...!”

Keter scoffed at the soldier.

“If you don’t like it, why don’t you try me yourself?”

Twang.

Keter shot an arrow at the soldier.

Thwack!

Thud.

The soldier suddenly fell backward. Without a sound, the soldier fainted, and a large bump appeared on his forehead. Keter looked around at the other soldiers.

“Don’t just say it’s cowardly, but come at me. I’ll take all of you on at once.”

As the soldiers hesitated, Katherine, having regained her composure, shouted, “Wait! Please hold on. I apologize on behalf of my soldiers for their rudeness.”

Katherine was able to stop the bleeding from her eye, thanks to the soldiers buying her some time. However...

If I keep going like this, I might lose my sight.

...Katherine could sense the danger. But that didn’t matter; she couldn’t admit defeat here. Even if it cost her life, she couldn’t fail the mission. That was the duty of a knight. Katherine was given the chance to live by the Sefira family, so she would have no regrets about returning her life for the family.

“Let’s finish this. I haven’t lost yet.”

Katherine stared at Keter with blurry vision.

Twang!

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Keter shot an arrow and nonchalantly said, “Of course, that’s how it should be.”

Blood splattered again, this time from Katherine’s right thigh. She still couldn’t react, as she couldn’t see the arrow. The wounds continued to grow, and the bleeding worsened.

However, Katherine didn’t give up. She used every skill she had learned until now.

She used Aries Archery, the first archery skill, which fired arrows rapidly at the target point. Next, she used Taurus Archery, the second archery skill, which fired three arrows simultaneously in a triangular formation.

But none of them worked. Nothing could compete against Keter’s miraculous archery. Without being able to see, no one knew what was happening, which added to the frustration and suffocation Katherine was feeling. Even the soldiers watching were gripped by an unknown fear.

Katherine grabbed an arrow, then hesitated. It was her last arrow. According to the rules of defeat in the Battle on a Bridge duel, the one who ran out of arrows first lost. Katherine could tell without even having to look: Keter had far more arrows left than she did. If she couldn’t defeat Keter with this single arrow, she would lose.

Katherine stopped herself from shooting the arrow. She then silently held her stance.

“My lady...!”

The soldiers were heartbroken. It was clear that Katherine was defeated. If she admitted defeat, she could receive treatment, but Katherine did not shoot the last arrow. This meant she intended to endure all of Keter’s attacks.

“Is there anything more you want to show me? Are you done now?” Keter said leisurely.

“Come at me. I’ll take your arrow, even if it means dying.”

“No, you can’t die without my permission. You’re my slave.”

The sun was starting to set. Keter didn’t waste time and shot an arrow. It looked invisible to others, but this time was a little different. Although the duel was short, Katherine had grown and could faintly sense the point Keter’s arrow was aiming for.

It’s coming for my neck.

Katherine wondered if Keter was deliberately revealing the arrow to scare her into dodging.

If that’s your intention, you’re wrong. I won’t dodge.

Katherine found her failing sight bothering, so she closed her eyes. She didn’t care if her neck was pierced and she died. That was what being a knight was all about.

Whoosh!

However, Keter’s arrow just grazed past her again.

Again? Why?

It was at that moment that Katherine felt something wrap around her neck. She felt like a condemned prisoner being hanged. Then, her body was pulled backward. She couldn’t resist, as the force was comparable to a horse.

My legs...

Keter had constantly attacked her lower body, which was the strategy he had used for this very moment. With the continuous bleeding, Katherine couldn’t resist the pull and fell backward.

Thud.

Katherine fell hard on her backside. She quickly felt around her neck, but there was no rope or anything like that.

“My lady!”

The soldiers rushed to Katherine.

“Are you alright?”

“We’ll stop the bleeding!”

At that moment, Keter calmly walked over and said to Katherine, “Who won, Slave?”

“...”

Katherine and the soldiers all stayed silent, and the soldiers only watched Katherine. Even though Katherine had her eyes closed, she could feel the soldiers’ gazes. They were filled with a desire for her orders; they looked as if they were willing to give false testimony for her sake.

However, Katherine shook her head at the soldiers.

“I lost.”

The soldiers, seeing Katherine admit defeat so easily, lowered their heads in silence. To step forward now would only bring shame to Katherine.

* * *

After the duel, Keter carried Katherine to the infirmary, and the soldiers returned to their quarters. The Second Shooting Range, bathed in the orange glow of the sunset, was already cleaned up and empty.

That was when...

Swish.

...a man suddenly appeared from thin air bent down and picked something up from the ground. Although the floor appeared empty, the moment his hand touched it, it revealed its true form. It was an arrow—a wooden arrow without an arrowhead. It was the arrow Keter had shot.

“Keter...”

The man murmured that name in a thin voice. Shadows began to cover the shooting range due to the sunset, and in the darkness, the man’s eyes glowed. His pupils were purple, and his irises were golden—this mysterious figure was a member of the Sefira bloodline.

However, very few people knew of his existence. Even Besil, the current patriarch, had only heard his name and had never seen him in person. Ricotta, the former patriarch, had only seen this man once when he was very young.

The man walked through the darkness, collecting all the arrows Keter had shot. The arrows remained invisible until they reached his hand, but once he held them, they became visible.

The man who appeared under the orange sunset looked young. He appeared to be about twenty years old, with a slender, tall build. Though he looked male, his beauty was striking enough to be considered a woman, and his ears were exceptionally long.

The world called these beings elves.

“Keter.”

The man softly whispered Keter’s name once more. His transcendent eyes gazed at the mansions below the shooting range. His name was Endymion El Sefira. He was the guardian god who had protected the Sefira family for nearly two hundred years.

Endymion was recorded in the history of Sefira as a High Elder. This position, which had power equivalent to that of the patriarch, was created solely for him.

It had been one hundred fifty years since he last revealed himself to the Sefira family. This was not simply because he had lived for over five hundred years and found life meaningless.

“Lillian, I told you, no matter how much you try to control me or the world, you cannot stop the flow of time.”

Queen Lillian feared humans growing stronger, which would threaten the position of gods. Thus, she limited magic and suppressed technological advancements. The reason Endymion could not reveal himself or act was due to Lillian’s threats.

“Endymion. It would be fun killing you, but it would be more entertaining to make you watch the Sefira family slowly crumble. Still, if you’re eager to die sooner, then go ahead and try to intervene.”

Even knowing that the Sefira family would fall, Endymion couldn’t act. If he started taking action, Lillian would send the lords—the Four Lords who wielded the great power of Ein, just like her. Endymion wouldn’t be defeated easily, but he couldn’t keep fighting to protect the family forever. So, he could only watch from the shadows, hoping the Sefira family would grow on its own, seizing the opportunity amidst crisis and realizing the existence of Ein.

Then, Cherbyl appeared in the family, the greatest genius in the history of Sefira. Cherbyl was a child of infinite possibilities, with the potential to grasp Ein, the power of the void, on his own.

But today, Endymion happened to see a kid named Keter, who was even more exceptional than Cherbyl. Keter was closer to the realm of the Ein than him.

Keter’s archery, which was elevated to a higher level using mana, was also a guide towards the power of Ein.

“Keter.”

Endymion called Keter’s name for the third time. Although it was certain that Keter was a talent surpassing Cherbyl, Endymion looked far from delighted.

Elves naturally had foresight. Although they could not foresee at will, it suddenly occurred to them unexpectedly, and it wasn’t clear when it manifested, Endymion saw the future through Keter.

A burning mansion.

The Sefira mansion, which was visible below, was engulfed in flames. In the garden, a group of people were watching the mansion burn, and at the forefront of the group...

It was Keter, with an evil smile.