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Chapter 180:

Deep sleep chipped away at his fragment of awareness in a sea of emptiness.

That’s it… Keep going…

His eyelids twitched.

Keep going? For how long? Would he ever wake up if he gave in to the allure of that voice?

Why can’t I wake up? A small light flared in the corner of his awareness. I can’t sleep forever.

Eternal sleep was basically death. What would happen if he did die? He lived his life touching only iron, suffered like a dog, and then died alone in a canyon that didn’t even have a name—he never even held a woman’s hand before he was 30.

His wouldn’t be the only corpse memorializing this tragedy.

- Here lies the noble knight Cain. -

In my future life, please reincarnate me as a groundbreaking archmage—

“This frickin—”

Cain’s eyes snapped open, reddened and watery as they were.

Are you going to accept this?

He managed to gather himself and looked around. The scenery was moving, despite his leaden limbs. Cain was startled to find that he was being dragged along.

I… I’ve never let anyone… my body— The fact that someone was holding him was more surprising to Cain than the fact that he’d survived. He wasn’t pleased about it, either.

Oh, but maybe if it’s a woman?

Cain cut that train of thought off immediately. He couldn’t imagine a young lady handling his body.

I’m sure that at the last minute… His forehead wrinkled. The last memory he had before he passed out was of someone clad in all black.

“It’s Barbarian.”

Cain’s eyes were firmly shut as they thumped along, rattling his aching head.

“Are we there?”

A thousand thoughts raced through his fuzzy awareness, particularly his regrets. What a shame that he wouldn’t be able to meet his master again after all he’d done. What a shame he’d never live happily ever after. Standing at the side of the best man on the continent, meeting a beautiful, kind wife, and having at least five little kiddos…

I finally managed to see what bits Icarus had under those clothes. (Not really.)

“Damn it.” Cain could feel the darkness closing in.

Suddenly, he felt himself stop, and he was lobbed into a corner.

“Oh my god—” Cain slammed head-first into the ground with an audible thud. He managed to lift his head.

Master…? The dark silhouette was oddly familiar. No, not the master, I’m afraid. This presence felt grittier and darker, and his physique wasn’t quite right.

“Dark Knight of Dennis River!”

Dark Knight?

“Ah-hah.” Cain grinned with relief.

A few days ago, he became like a ghost to the Pontier family, the trump card of Icarus’s hand. The knowledge that Cain was watching over them was a huge boost to their morale.

How odd… Cain’s vision blurred as his awareness began to wane.

He remembered a monster dripping with black smoke wielding an enormous ax, a strange warrior who soared through the dust.

“Say your goodbyes, my brave soldier!”

The massive ax thundered in, heralded by the howls of ferocious beasts. He felt a strong jolt, and then nothing.

“Arm… right…” Cain’s eyes narrowed. His rescuer had used his left arm to carry Cain—but his right arm was… gone.

“To rescue me…” Cain bit his lip and groaned.

His savior was a swordsman of no less than A-Class. Cain knew just how much work it took to reach that level and what it meant to sacrifice his arm.

Cain… are you really so pitiful? He clenched his hands until his nails drew blood from his palms. This man lost his arm to save someone, but here Cain was dreaming about women… I have to step up. His eyes glowed with determination as he gazed at the cloaked man’s wide back.

Don’t let yourself become a burden to others, no matter what you do. Cain had made his choice.

He forced his jaw open. “Leave me.”

Cain didn’t care that his voice sounded like a rusted hinge.

“I don’t know who you are… but I will repay you for saving my life. I don’t know that I’ll make it, though, so… go. Now.” Cain’s eyes were locked on the other man’s back, but he didn’t receive a reply.

“…Hello?” Surely this knight, who was apparently stronger than Cain was, would have at least realized that Cain was awake by now.

Am I talking to myself?

He stared at his savior for a moment. It didn’t take Cain long to realize that the knight was emitting some kind of energy that grated on his nerves and burned his muscles.

“Is that… your arm?” Now that he was more aware, the man’s right arm wasn’t quite gone.

He thought it was just a distinct flavor of mana—but there was only one thing that felt as sticky and dreary as this.

“Magi?”

The stump of his right arm dripped with a steady stream of dull smoke.

One month had passed since Marquis Crombell began his attack.

“Greetings to the new king of Reinhardt.”

“Greetings to the new king of Reinhardt!”

The audience was quick to follow the commentator.

“As the victor of the Master Battle, the King may issue a fresh challenge to standing Master. This includes, of course, the great Nine Stars and Twelve Superhumans, a time-honored Master Battle tradition.”

The crowd roared with ecstatic excitement.

A new power. A new messiah. A new trial.

The new King was young and so handsome that even the legendary elves had to fold.

“Oh, my King!” someone cried, “Ignore the politics, if you can, and choose an opponent!”

Historically, most Master Battle victors saw the other Masters in their Battle as obstacles. The challenge was an excellent opportunity to cut the enemy’s power. If the challenged failed to respond within a month or declined the challenge, they would immediately lose the rank of Master. The same held true even for the Nine Stars and Twelve Superhumans.

“Okay! What happens when a Master defeats another Master? Let’s look forward!”

“We want Joshua in the Twelve Superhumans! We want Joshua in the Nine Stars!”

“I don’t even want to get to the Nine Stars this fast, so let’s take it slow!”

Joshua absorbed the crowd’s eager shouts and stepped forward.

“I’m up for the challenge.”

The audience erupted into a fresh round of exclamations. Lilith and the six judging Master, who had yet to depart, watched Joshua tensely.

“I speak to the people of the entire continent: my next opponent, as the new king of Reinhardt, is…”

The cheering subsided as the audience swallowed nervously.

“Barbarian of the Twelve Superhumans, and the apex of a million mercenaries. He is my next opponent.¹”

1. TL/N: im seriously having some youtuber boxing matches vibes here ️