The Enigmatic Jurgen

Jurgen. I don't know who she is, where she was born, or what kind of life she lived. I only know that she, now confined to a sickbed, possessed Commander-level Martial Prowess and was once a renowned Mercenary.

Honestly, I've never really been curious about her.

Why should I be curious about a woman approaching the age of *forty*? Honestly, she seems to have aged quite gracefully, but... I have no intention of pursuing someone in their thirties when I could go for someone in their twenties. She's probably not far from menopause either.

I'm just a little curious, though. Despite possessing such Martial Prowess, why did she not dedicate herself to the Nation, but instead began to believe in Demons?

Jurgen reveres Martial Prowess.

Fortunately, Livia seems to know about it. After all, she was a Lemegeton Executive until a few months ago.

Having been part of the organization for over ten years, she naturally knew a fair bit about Jurgen.

I heard she was born in some secluded tribe... where combat was an everyday occurrence.

I don't have a hobby of listening to the past stories of *Aunties* in their thirties, so, to summarize, the top priority in her life was none other than power. The reason is simple. She was born in such a place. From a young age, she was indoctrinated with the idea that Martial Prowess was everything, and she lived her life accordingly. Fortunately, she was talented and seemed to have a great interest in becoming stronger herself.

As a result, she easily became engrossed in power, survived countless real battles, and later earned the title of Mercenary King.

But Jurgen didn't seem satisfied with that. No matter how strong a Human becomes, they are still just a Human Body/Mass.

There's a limit to how far one can attack at once, and one gets tired after a burst of movement. If their heart is pierced or neck severed, even a superhuman cannot avoid death.

They say she felt a sudden disillusionment with that obvious truth. Demons, and became greatly interested in their stories, as they were almost Transcendent Beings. That's how Jurgen joined the Lemegeton and became a Branch Leader.

Honestly, it's not much of a story... but her Skill is genuine. She's a Human who's only ever fought since childhood, after all.

Livia said that, her expression hardening. Though anger flickered in her red eyes, she didn't lose her composure. It meant she saw her Opponent as that dangerous.

Honestly, I was feeling a bit tense too. Jurgen was definitely included among the few dangers in this Labyrinth. She was a strange Human who even used Sword Qi.

It was hard to guarantee a win against her, so I couldn't just let my guard down.

There were even two more people around her.

I don't know what those two were doing, but... with added variables, caution was definitely necessary.

Still, I was confident. Having watched her fight to the point of boredom last time, I realized that using Sword Qi didn't make her invincible.

Of course, if I only fought with simple weapons, I might lose, but I possess an awesome ability to control blood at will.

*It's definitely not inferior to Paimon's abilities.*

Of course, it's not that versatile, and it's a pain-in-the-ass ability that requires me to cut myself every time I use it... But it's still the King's Power, so its quality won't be inferior. Probably.

Anyway, we started moving.

The plan was quickly decided.

“As soon as we break through the wall, unleash your strongest Magic first.” “Got it. I'll burn everything.”

The goal was to land the First Strike as powerfully as possible.

Fortunately, they hadn't noticed us yet.

This meant it was a golden opportunity to deliver a surprise Strike.

We intended to use the advantage of the First Strike to completely disorient them from the start.

Is that cowardly, you ask?

I have no connection to these bastards, and they're enemies, so I have no intention of being gentle with them.

So we ran in their direction. To make as little noise as possible, we sometimes jumped over the walls in between. The walls were quite high, making it more cumbersome than just breaking them, but it was more stealthy as it didn't draw aggro.

As we got closer, their voices gradually became audible.

Oh, come on... Even if we're Guards, how many more hours do we have to wander around? Don't complain. Are you just going to wait around while the enemy is closing in?

The voice of a complaining Follower and Jurgen's chiding.

No, it's just... I'm bored. Because I have been stuck in the Labyrinth for over a month, my body feels restless. Bear with it. We have to hold out here before Lord Paimon expands his Faction further.

It sounds like they're employing a Hold Out Strategy here, but of course, we had no intention of just watching. Livia also began to prepare her Magic around that time.

Muttering incantations continued from her lips. At the same time, countless small sparks of fire appeared in her hands.

Crack-crack- Like watching Fireworks, it was dazzling and brilliant Magic. Like the flames that burned the Adventurers who captured her as a child, the flames rooted in her mind were beautiful and dangerous. They wouldn't stop burning people like firewood.

Hum-hum-An unusual energy surged in the nearby atmosphere. Perhaps the Opponents also sensed that danger, as the voices of those who detected the anomaly could be heard.

“Wait, do you hear something?” “Indeed. Something sounds like it's popping...” “...Hold on.”

But it was already too late. By then, we were already right next to them.

Everyone, prepare! Protect your Body/Mass as much as possible!

I could feel them rapidly drawing up mana from beyond the wall. Without hesitation, I immediately tore down the wall.

CRASH-! The wall shattered into pieces with a loud sound. And Livia's Magic shot forth at the same time.

─Album Phosphoro.

Pure white flames flew like fireworks shooting straight ahead. Unfortunately, I couldn't properly see the flames exploding.

WHOOSH! As if to convey the heat contained within, the world was instantly dyed pure white. It was an overwhelming amount of light, enough to blind one. It was a moment that made me understand why Livia usually wore sunglasses.

“Aaaargh!”

“Fuck! My eyes! My eyeeees!!”

Their screams echoed in my ears. I wished they would all burn to ashes like this, but surprisingly, there was a presence charging through the light.

THWACK! Honestly, I couldn't see. Livia had warned me beforehand, so I had my eyes closed. But I felt that murderous aura, so I merely held my spear shaft horizontally to block.

CRASH!

“Ugh.”

At the same time, a heavy impact was transmitted. As the amount of light transmitted through my eyelids gradually decreased, I opened my eyes, and saw Jurgen, her face contorted like a Demonic Visage.

It seemed she couldn't have come through the flames unscathed either. Ugly, distorted skin was visible on her shoulder blade. Burn marks were where her skin had melted and stuck.

Despite what must have been considerable pain, the aura emanating from her was incredibly fierce. She glared at us and spoke.

...You reacted to that? I even took a hit myself, charging in to split both of you in half.

...I just have good Combat Instinct, you see.

Though I said it calmly, I was honestly quite startled. What if my reaction had been even a second late?

Livia, having just unleashed a powerful Magic spell, was extremely exhausted. Even if she were fine, she truly would have been split in half.

Anyway, that's quite a violent greeting. You're just a young punk. Where did you learn such bad manners?

Even amidst that, Jurgen's Attack continued.

CRACKLE-!

The mana Jurgen drew up coalesced thickly, and soon took the form of Sword Qi. Her Pudao slowly gnawed at my spear shaft.

This spear shaft was made by melting down some pretty expensive metal, you know...

At this rate, my spear shaft might actually be cut off. Feeling a sense of crisis, I immediately pulled back.

As I did, I quickly surveyed my surroundings. Livia was in need of rest, and the two Followers Jurgen had with her were Eliminated.

For now, I had to face Jurgen alone. Indeed, Jurgen was a tough opponent, as if her position as 1st Branch Leader wasn't won in a card game.

SWISH-! SWISH-! Her sword cut my skin like a snake. I tried to counterattack with my spear, but it wasn't as easy as I thought. Her movements were difficult to predict.

*Fast and free.*

Her stance was unstable and staggering. Though it seemed utterly inefficient, its unpredictability was extreme precisely because of this.

Thanks to this, I fully understood why she was called Drunken Sword. This wasn't a sword style learned from someone else. It was the movement of someone who had survived on their own and embodied their talent.

*...So this is what it feels like to fight her directly.*

But her unpredictable movements were just one of many annoyances. If I had to pick the most threatening thing, it was still the Sword Qi she used.

Another sword is formed by gathering and intertwining mana-drawn energy. The Profound Truth of a Martial Artist is ultimately reached by those who hone their bodies.

I didn't know her past life, nor what philosophy she lived by. And I had no particular interest. However, the unique realm she had reached was certainly worthy of respect.

SWISH-! THWACK-! It was sharp and hard. Even a mere graze would tear my skin. If I took a direct hit, losing a limb would be nothing.

Her Attack even cut through my Blood Mass. My blood, which could even dent steel, seemed to be nothing more than a nuisance to her.

The most dangerous moment was when her Pudao grazed my neck.

SWISH-!

Whoa, fuck-.

With a chilling sound, a thin line appeared on my neck. I quickly drew up blood to block it, but I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat at that moment.

“Good reaction. Is this what they call a Manifestor?” “Yor, just a little more! I'm preparing magic!”

Jurgen's and Livia's voices overlapped. The sensation was like the Grim Reaper's scythe grazing my neck. The sense of alarm awakened my mind once more.

A chill ran down my spine, but I felt I could handle it.

She's tired too.

I wasn't the only one who took an attack. Though I sustained far more injuries, I inflicted a few minor scratches on her too.

And strangely, the Sword Qi she used didn't seem so out of reach anymore.

My mana reserves seemed greater, and after recently consuming an elixir, my Body/Mass felt much more vibrant.

The only thing I lagged behind in was enlightenment. But even that, I felt I was starting to grasp after continuously observing it and clashing with it.

Don't people grow through real combat? Especially in a life-or-death battle like this, there's so much more to learn. My senses become incredibly sharp.

WHOOSH─

I concentrated even more mana at the spear tip. Flowing through the highly conductive Mithril spear shaft, a vast amount of mana converged into one point.

Sword Qi was by no means a Technique that seemed to have good Mana Efficiency.

To condense mana, increase its density, and forge its form, it required dozens of times more mana than Sword Aura.

Of course, Jurgen seemed to reduce that enormous consumption with her own Technique... but unfortunately, I hadn't learned to that extent. I just blindly poured in mana and condensed it, enough to make me dizzy.

WHOOSH─As I endlessly gathered mana like that, the shape of the spear tip began to change before I knew it. Instead of a shimmering blue aura, it took the form of a sharp, defined blade.

...!

Suddenly, Jurgen's eyes widened. It was almost to the point of shock. Without hesitation, I swung the blue-tinged spear blade.

SWISH-!

At the same time, her Body/Mass was cut. Like a tree trunk hewn by an axe, a chunk of her side disappeared.

There was almost no resistance felt at my fingertips. It was as if I were stirring the end of a stick in water, feeling only a very faint resistance.

...How?

Watching her cough up blood, I replied casually.

I don't know. I just kept watching, and then I could do it.