Lili somehow managed to find a path to survival.

A path where that king would become understanding and not kill her. But if she were to kill his subordinate, then that path will likely take a sharp turn. In that case, she had to defeat the swordsman in front of her without killing him.

But could she do it?

The swordsman was strong. If she were to be honest, were this merely a contest of sword skill alone, she was not strong enough to reach him. No. She was not even fit to touch his feet. The only reason she was able to compete with him here was because of her skill in handling her magic sword.

If it was not possible to slay the flesh, then she had no other choice but to slay the will.

She decided to aim for his sword. Normally it would be impossible to cut the sword of someone more skilled that oneself. But she had a skill that could do just that.

—Iron Decapitation.

That was a skill that she gained while fighting Gi Ga.

“I’ll be relying on you again.”

As she muttered that to herself, she stepped forward.

She quickly closed the distance between them with her Echo Steps. Until now she has only been moving her whip sword only a little, but this time she raised it up high. In response, Vashinant became a three-stranded whip just like a tornado and attacked Gi Go.

The blades unleashed a three-step-linked blade toward Gi Go.

Moerover, each step was a three strike combo, resulting into a total of nine strokes. There was no longer any place to escape in the battlefield demarcated by red branches. When the spectators saw that, the snow demons (Yugushiva) cried out, while the soldiers cheered.

“Interesting!”

Gi Go grit his teeth and held his ground. It was true that the storm of three-strand whip blades was a powerful attack. If he tried to dodge it, he would surely incur a fatal wound.

If so, then…

He had no choice but to return them.

He stepped forward with his right foot as if to grasp the ground. Then he shifted from a mid stance to a high stance and exhaled a little. After that he filled himself with air, and…

“GURUuUoOAAAA!”

As he let out a powerful voice, he struck down the storm of blades.

But that was exactly what Lili was waiting for.

And there was no way she was about to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. An opportunity to strike down Gi Go’s curved sword.

The moment their blades touched, she knew that she had cut his blade. In the next moment, however, Gi Go’s sword descended, cutting down even the air itself, and striking down Lili’s magic sword.

Lili couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her shock lasted only for an instant, but Gi Go did not miss that opening. Immediately, Gi Go closed in on her and pointed his curved sword at her neck.

“I win.”

“…Yes. I’ve lost. Please spare my people and my soldiers’ lives.”

Lili sighed deeply, then dropped Vashinant and knelt.

“Why did you aim for my sword?”

“You can tell?”

“I don’t enjoy being looked down on.” Gi Go glared sharply at Lili.

After a moment of silence, Lili answered. “…I am a knight who must protect the people that cannot fight. That is an oath I can never break. I thought that if I killed you, your king will take it out on my people.”

“Now you’re just insulting me and my king.”

That honest answer roused Gi Go’s fury, but eventually, that fury cooled down and he asked again.

“I’ll grant your request and spare your people and soldiers. So, what about your own life? Do you not need it?”

“…”

Lili quietly hung her head and Gi Go patiently looked down at her. But he sheathed his curved sword and turned his back on her.

“The king will be coming soon. I’ll leave your fate to His Majesty. Still, to think that a duel between swordsmen would be decided not by fate but by circumstance…”

The snow demons (Yugushiva) apprehended her, but she didn’t show any signs of resisting.

“Don’t be rough with her.”

The snow demons (Yugushiva) obeyed Gi Go and the northern soldiers were stricken with Lili’s defeat.

10 days after their duel, the Goblin King arrived at the north, and the northern region officially surrendered. The northern region came under the rule of the goblins in a relatively peacefully compared to the rest of Germion Kingdom.

◆◆◇

An army was headed west.

The Holy Shushunu Kingdom’s army that was meant to conquer Germion Kingdom numbered 6,000 with its sorcerer cavalry (mana guard) as its main force. At the heart of that army was none other than the War Princess, Blanche Ririnoie, herself. At the young age of 18 years old, she is a talented woman who has inherited the highest position of nobility within the strongest country at the center of the continent, the Holy Shushunu Kingdom.

Already they have broken through the borders. The eastern soldiers meant to defend the borders had been sent to fight the goblins. This was all in order for the man known as Sivara Bandier, to whom the eastern region had been entrusted to, to be able to receive the citizens fleeing from Germion Kingdom.

Gradually, the townscape of the eastern region finally became came into the view of Blanche and her people. When she saw that, she smiled a sadistic smile from atop her horse.

“Take over it… Quickly now.”

At her behest, several soldiers were dispatched as messengers.

Her army showed no signs of slowing down at all as it spread itself into both sides. After taking over the city of the eastern region, Urubanshu, that was basically the eastern region’s entrance, Blanche sat herself in the central government and lorded over the government officials.

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