The ability granted by the fifth Transcendence has a key point to remember.
It's not about completely erasing buffs, but temporarily disabling them.
'Kill as quickly as possible.'
I realized that Nosfeld Primora hadn't reached that level naturally but had regained his youth through some special method.
No need to be curious about anything else. I can't miss this opportunity.
Rohan stepped forward with Corner-to-Corner Steps to close the distance and raised his sword with a flash.
His killing intent spread, determined to split the man in half like firewood.
"You bastard...!"
Nosfeld Primora forcibly moved his aged body.
His entire body felt like iron. His muscles screamed in pain and tore from the excessive movement.
[Moon Flash Kick]
The clan head's kick lacked the sharpness and speed it had earlier. It was just a desperate struggle in the face of death.
Rohan's sword spewed flames, cutting through the clan head's mana like butter.
The leg he had swung separated from his body.
"Arghhhh!!!"
"What's a rabbit doing making noises like a squealing pig?"
The clan head lost his balance and collapsed after losing one leg.
Rohan gripped his sword tightly and strode forward.
"No time to waste. I'll make it clean, so stop resisting and stick out your neck."
Toying with a weakened opponent wasn't his style. Right now, all he could see was resolving the situation.
Rohan stepped on the clan head's back to pin him down as he tried to crawl away.
"Eek!"
As the clan head flailed his arms and scratched at the ground, Rohan swung his sword unhesitatingly toward his neck.
Just as the blade was about to penetrate the neck, Rohan sensed an unknown attack targeting his own neck and used Corner-to-Corner Steps to create distance.
As he moved back, three beast-folk landed beside Nosfeld Primora.
"Behold the arrival of the Vadim clan head!"
"...Azanja."
"Not bowing before the Juksen clan head? Those proud Orion Academy students must be lacking in etiquette lessons."
"They probably don't recognize us because we look younger now. Puhahaha!!!"
One was a bandit-like bear beast-folk, another a skinny snake beast-folk, and the third held a short sword.
Perhaps the one with the short sword was the leader of those wolverines who had attempted suicide.
The characteristics of these beast-folk were similar to those who had been hiding and got caught. But their skills were completely different.
"Where is Ravanchi! I need him to fix my leg...!"
"Ah, that one? He's fighting with Clan Head Randolph. They've been enemies for a long time, so he wouldn't want to miss the opportunity."
"Don't worry about that. Instead, think about what you'll offer us in return."
"When this is over—"
Nosfeld Primora's words were cut short.
—Pik! Rohan's mana bullet pierced through Primora's head.
He was definitely dead.
Though he had missed the first opportunity, he didn't miss the second.
The eyes of the snake beast-folk called Azanja and the clan heads of Vadim and Juksen turned toward Rohan.
"Shooting while adults are talking? You need some education."
"Indeed, quite rude."
"...Quite skilled."
Each of them was similar to or slightly stronger than Primora.
They hadn't even tried to block the bullet that had flown toward Primora. I wonder what kind of relationship they had.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
How many forces had infiltrated the mountain range?
Rohan kept them at bay while reaching out with his consciousness.
He could sense it. Carrot was gaining the upper hand. She seemed to have sensed the presence here and was forcibly shifting into a higher gear.
But Rohan wasn't the only one who could sense Carrot and Kalt Primora.
The snake beast-folk flicked his split tongue and looked in Carrot's direction.
Then he began to slither away.
"...Two of us should be enough here. I'll go enjoy myself with that woman."
"We should all attack together. Don't try to slip away and have all the fun."
Just as Rohan aimed his gun, the bear beast-folk Vadim and the wolverine Juksen leaped at him.
Rohan dodged the punch and blade with Corner-to-Corner Steps.
With positions reversed, Rohan kicked Nosfeld Primora's corpse toward the beast-folk.
The body was torn to pieces in their hands and scattered on the ground.
'This isn't good.'
Rohan felt the pressure. Carrot's fight had become a 2-on-1.
Though parts of Kalt Primora's body were broken and his face was mashed, he was still moving violently, perhaps due to the power of doping.
The snake beast-folk who had joined midway was using Kalt Primora as a shield. His skills were no less than those of Primora, pushing Carrot into a defensive position.
Rohan focused his consciousness on what was in front of him.
Showing more concern for Carrot would only acknowledge that he was worried.
'I need to deal with these two as quickly as possible.'
Whether it was possible or not wasn't the question. He just had to do it.
..
..
The snow freshly piled by the blizzard was stained with blood.
Rohan and the two beast-folk continued their fierce battle.
"Hup!"
Rohan thrust his Gwanghwi, which he had shortened to dagger length.
Vadim sacrificed his thick forearm to catch the blade, while Juksen leaped in like a wolverine and slashed Rohan's back deeply with his short sword. The scabbard tied to Rohan's back split and fell off.
Ignoring the attack, Rohan focused only on Vadim.
He twisted the dagger while intensifying the flames. As he pushed it in, he extended the blade to target the heart, but Vadim escaped by damaging his wrist.
"Urgh! You're tough. Without the blessing, you'd be crying like a child."
"Indeed, he's not someone a rabbit can defeat. He's dangerous for the future, so we must kill him."
Thanks to Rohan's efforts, only Vadim had been affected by the weakness debuff.
The buff they called a "blessing," whether it was a drug or some kind of surgery, was being erased based on probability, but it hadn't triggered yet.
The occasional debuffs that did trigger were barely keeping Rohan alive.
'How deep is the cut? My health must be in danger.'
He was certain that if he opened his status window and looked away, his opponent would seize the opportunity.
Rohan first spat out the blood clot caught in his throat.
"Hoo! *cough*...!"
Now he could breathe properly.
Despite the adrenaline acting as a painkiller, his entire body felt like it was about to break.
His left wrist was damaged, making it impossible to hold his gun. He couldn't move his fingers either. The gun was just hanging from his bent fingers.
"Look there. Azanja is about to finish too."
"Vadim. Three of us won't have fun. Let's end this quickly."
Kalt Primora was already dead on the ground. Seeing his cleanly severed neck, it seemed the snake beast-folk, not Carrot, had killed him.
Carrot was already covered in blood. It seemed impossible for her to turn the tide.
In this worst-case scenario.
"Hey."
He didn't know why.
In this life-or-death moment, Rohan was having the strange experience of his mind working with perfect clarity.
Various memories were forcibly flashing through his mind.
"Oh, finally decided to talk to us? You've been so quiet, we thought you might be deaf."
"If you're begging for your life, we'll judge by your actions. First, cut off your left arm voluntarily and throw away your sword."
Rohan lowered the sword he was holding.
Somehow, he could see something.
"When I was struggling at the bottom as a Hunter, there are things I still remember. They say human memories are volatile and disappear quickly, but I still remember."
"Juksen. Why do you think he's acting like this? A Hunter, from a hunting family?"
"He seems to have lost his mind from blood loss."
The beast-folk smirked, thinking it was over.
"It's not like embarrassing memories that I don't want to recall. The memories I can never forget are different. They must be loyal, without regret or attachment."
"I'll put him out of his misery."
"Let's do that."
Carrot fell down, spilling blood from Azanja's blade.
"They're happy memories. Every time I recall them, I've overcome a crisis."
Ignoring the two in front of him, Rohan kicked off the ground with Corner-to-Corner Steps at full power.
The beast-folk's eyes widened. They showed signs of trying to follow.
Rohan caught Carrot in mid-air.
He wrapped his left arm around Carrot and searched for a place to stab his blade with his right hand.
Crack!
He drove Gwanghwi into the mountain wall. They slid down, moving quite fast.
Despite using mana, his right arm felt like it was about to burst. His wounds opened, and blood streamed out.
"Urgh!"
Rohan clenched his teeth and applied force. Carrot opened her eyes at the shaking.
There was no usual vitality in her eyes. The light was about to go out.
"Wooow... did you come to save me...? Like a prince..."
Blood flowed from between Carrot's lips.
Her organs were completely damaged by the blade.
"I'm sorry. I'm a failure as an instructor..."
"Instructor, you just need to take a nap and wake up. I'll wake you when this is over."
"That's cool... Haa, I wanted to have a normal family too..."
"You will. What's stopping you?"
When Rohan answered with certainty, Carrot slightly raised the corners of her mouth and closed her eyes.
Her heart stopped.
Carrot's body, depleted of mana, grew cold in the climate. The chill transmitted through the skin made his bones ache. Rohan tightly closed his eyes and landed.
After carefully laying Carrot down to one side, the three beast-folk landed.
"Puhaha! You can't escape!"
"He was spouting nonsense and then did something strange."
"...That woman is already gone."
Rohan gripped his sword tightly.
The path to survival was narrow. But he was satisfied just by the fact that it existed.
'Even thinking about distributing mana is a luxury. I need to kill all three at once.'
Now, with the beast-folk close together, was his chance.
What did he need to do that?
He needed to properly execute a complex sword technique that he had never successfully performed.
He needed to achieve harmony (é å), which he had only managed twice even with sword techniques he had mastered to the point of being able to use them in his sleep.
It was nearly impossible. But not entirely impossible.
— The various elements that follow to create a result. When they harmonize without resistance, true power emerges.
Juyeon's advice, which he had mulled over hundreds of times, gave Rohan a new resonance.
'Are timing of mana and body movements really the only elements needed to create a result?'
Rohan reflected on the past. He understood it differently now.
The fog lifted from the things he couldn't fully digest and had left vague during his training with Ichinose Jun.
The current situation was the optimal material for creating results.
He had confidence. Because he had faith, he could act.
Fragmented movements, scattered consciousness, the will aimed at completion.
The preparation was sufficient. He believed.
Conviction would soon become action.
Action is the beginning that calls for results. Only those who act can produce miracles as results.
"..."
Rohan slowly inhaled.
The flow of mana and the beating of his heart, the subtle tension at his fingertips transmitted through numbed senses.
The enemy before his eyes and the coolness pressed against his neck.
Everything interlocked.
He demonstrated his conviction through his sword.
[Five Swords - Heaven Sun Light Wheel]