Persian sat behind the long desk piled with documents. With a serious expression, he swiftly and calmly wrote a letter detailing the circumstances of Governor Gennon's death, then sealed it in an envelope with wax.
"Send this letter. Use the best carrier pigeons. Get it to the royal capital immediately." Bosco handed the envelope to his attendant beside him. "Handle it yourself. No mistakes."
The attendant accepted the order, tucked the letter away, quickly left the study, and closed the door behind him. Soon, his footsteps faded away.
In the vast study, only Persian remained. The flickering candlelight cast his shadow across the room like a second person.
He touched his chin, pondering various questions.
Who is the assassin? Who sent him? How did he get into Doldrey? Where is he hiding now? Why, after a full day of searching, are there still no reports?
Where else could this assassin possibly be hiding?
Just as Persian was deep in thought, he suddenly heard two muffled thuds from outside the study. It sounded like someone had fallen to the ground.
He couldn't help but frown. Before he could call out, he saw the door swing open, and a young knight carrying a greatsword walked into the room.
The young man surveyed the room, then walked directly toward Persian.
When Persian saw this, how could he not react?
"You're the assassin?" Persian slowly rose. Out of caution, he had not removed his heavy armor, and now he was glad for its protection. "What happened to my guards?"
"Dead, of course." Nidhogg tucked a bloodstained throwing knife into his belt buckle, then looked at Persian. "Didn't you say that guards who fail to protect their general are guilty?"
"What crime did they commit? Naturally, a crime punishable by death. I'm just following your rules."
Persian's eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he understood.
"You never left this mansion from the start. You let those boys go and opened the secret passage door—it was all a diversion. You were nearby the whole time, listening to everything I said."
"Correct," Nidhogg replied.
He had actually been hiding on the roof above the balcony, quietly listening to the movements in the room. Then, throughout the day, he had tracked Persian's location and observed him.
"I don't think we need to waste time with words." Nidhogg looked at Persian with burning eyes, like a predator eyeing its prey. He gripped his Lordsworn's Greatsword and advanced toward him.
Persian was not afraid. He even stepped forward with a hint of contempt, hefting his battle-axe. "Once the fighting starts here, the noise will soon attract my guards."
"But you don't need to worry about that, because you won't last that long. Soon, I'll have your head. And at that moment, you'll realize your own insignificance and powerlessness. You'll understand just how foolish this assassination attempt truly was."
He spun his axe and charged down the steps with astonishing speed. Despite his heavy armor, he moved like a giant, closing in on Nidhogg.
Nidhogg realized that Persian was likely the most formidable opponent he had ever faced—the most terrifying gatekeeper standing between humans and monsters.
He needed to be careful. But he was also excited.
Nidhogg wasn't just leveling up for its own sake. He wanted the power to control his own fate before the worst happened in the future.
If some people's way of defying fate was to become demons, then his way was to overcome demons and become something beyond them.
Fwoosh!
Nidhogg cautiously threw several throwing knives. Persian casually deflected them with his axe. The knives clattered to the floor like harmless toys.
Throughout the exchange, Persian remained calm and unmoved. The knives hadn't even disturbed his stance.
The distance between them shrank until they stood face to face. Persian towered over Nidhogg, looking down at him with arrogant contempt.
Then Persian raised his axe high and swung with devastating power!
"Die—"
CLANG!
At the last moment, Nidhogg produced his brass shield and firmly blocked the thunderous blow. But the force drove him back several steps, his arms numb, as if stung by a thousand ants.
Nidhogg looked at his shield. A crack had formed in it. His heart tightened.
This strike was too heavy. He couldn't even attempt a parry, and his shield was damaged.
But it didn't matter. Damaged weapons, shields, armor—they would slowly repair themselves, just like the tears in his Flask.
"You have tricks like that?" Persian was momentarily stunned but didn't dwell on it. "It doesn't matter. Whether it's a shield or a Kushan war elephant, it won't change the fact that you're going to die."
Nidhogg dismissed his brass shield. It was useless now, and its weight would only hinder his dodging.
Persian saw Nidhogg abandon his shield after surviving his axe blow. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Courage is admirable... but pointless!"
He roared and charged at Nidhogg again. The entire study seemed to tremble at his approach. His axe swung wildly, ready to end this farce tonight.
CRASH!
Nidhogg dodged nimbly, letting the terrifying axe shatter the floor tiles!
Stone fragments flew everywhere. The axe carved a small trench in the ground. Nidhogg was unharmed, now standing close to Persian.
Even Persian found his eyes widening slightly. He frowned and used the momentum to raise his axe, swinging it at Nidhogg and tearing up more floor tiles!
Nidhogg calmly gripped his Lordsworn's Greatsword with both hands, using it like a shield. With a resounding CLANG!, he blocked the axe's long handle, stopping its blade from reaching him!
Persian was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Nidhogg to read his strike so well.
But in a contest of pure strength, he was still superior.
Creak... creak...
The axe, pushed by both hands, slowly drove Nidhogg back step by step. With brute force alone, Persian intended to lift Nidhogg off the ground and decapitate the assassin!
Then, Nidhogg exploded!
BOOM!
An astonishing surge of power erupted from Nidhogg and his Lordsworn's Greatsword, like a whirlwind.
In that moment, he channeled all his strength and actually broke through Persian's axe, swinging his greatsword upward!
Skill: Stamp (Upward Cut)!
Persian was shocked. He felt the terrifying force coming through his axe—it actually lifted him, a giant of a man, along with his weapon!
The greatsword swept upward with savage speed. With a wet SCHLICK!, it carved a bloody gash from Persian's chin up to his right eye!
"Ghh—!" Even Persian staggered back several steps, clutching half his face in agony.
At that moment, the knights who had heard the commotion finally arrived. They saw the dead guards outside and rushed into the study, only to witness this scene.
Their general, Persian, was fighting the assassin.
And the invincible General Persian had actually been wounded—his face slashed, a deep gash pouring blood. His right eye looked unsalvageable.
Everyone was horrified by this unexpected turn of events. A suffocating dread filled the room.
What the hell is happening?!