The Swordsman Genius Returnee Even Swallows Immortality

34

Having resolved the matters of information and elixirs, two days passed by in the blink of an eye.

Dante returned to Habel shortly after.

Dante had spent the past two days finishing up the processing of byproducts and reports.

“Habel.”

“You seem mentally prepared.”

At Dante’s call, Habel started walking.

“Let’s go.”

The two of them headed to a plain a little further out from Babel’s city center.

The ground was firm and solid, and the plain was wide open.

It was perfect for a training ground.

On that plain, Dante and Habel faced each other.

“I don’t have to show you any mercy since you were the one who asked for this duel, right?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Dante’s expression was surprisingly calm.

However, it wasn’t the look of someone who had given up.

Standing face to face with Dante like this, Habel was reminded of their first day, when they had dueled to confirm Habel’s level.

‘Back then, he was the one testing me.’

Of course, Habel had also been checking Dante’s level.

Now, he would be confirming Dante’s determination.

“Habel, before that, please take a look at this.”

Dante handed something to Habel.

Habel’s eyes widened slightly when he received it.

“This is…”

“It’s a cloak with the emblem of Vandelion. I received it from Sir Arthur in advance.”

He had prepared something like this?

“I really wanted to give it to Habel. Would you accept it?”

He himself was no different from a ghost of the past.

Therefore, it was Banpelion that he had intended to entrust to them.

“I became a mercenary for Banpelion because of my sense of guilt and responsibility for ruining Banpelion.

If I receive this, I will once again become deeply involved with Banpelion.

Perhaps this might be the last line.

Habel remained silent before that line.

Then, he received the mantle from Dante.

Dante’s eyes widened as Habel received the mantle.

“Please convey my gratitude.”

“…Yes!”

He then replied with a more powerful voice than ever.

The fact that he had just received the mantle meant that Habel would continue to stand by Banpelion’s side.

Habel folded the mantle neatly and put it in the subspace.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Habel took out a single coin of the same color.

Then he flicked the coin with his thumb.

“The match begins when the coin lands.”

The difference in their abilities was clear.

So Dante would have to give it his all at this moment.

The coin spun around and around.

Finally, it hit the ground.

Thud!

At that moment, Dante imbued the sword he was holding with his full power.

Unlike the smoke-like aura he had seen before, worthy of the Sword Gardner’s domain.

A thick, liquid-like aura shone.

Soon, a great light was sucked in around Dante.

His full-power aura had created the dawn.

It was the Dawn Sword that he had learned so much about under Habel.

Habel would know the sword best.

But Dante was a knight of Banpelion.

So he ran at Habel with the Dawn Sword in hand.

Habel was reflected in Dante’s eyes.

Habel watched Dante calmly, his sword lowered.

However, it was not because he was off guard or anything.

Habel was the sword itself.

That meant he could wield the strongest sword in any stance.

Dante knew this, and Habel’s figure seemed like a mountain to him.

No weakness was revealed anywhere he looked.

A perfect sword.

Dante realized what that meant as he ran towards Habel.

Dante bit his lip.

The duel he himself had asked for.

He mustn’t lose his nerve.

‘I will climb to the top with Mr. Habell.’

He would climb to the very top, and standing next to him as a knight of Van Pell.

Dante’s eyes burned brightly.

The day he was guided by Habell’s dawn.

His determination was still firm even now.

“Dante.”

As if responding to that realization, Habell raised his sword.

“What the real dawn is.”

At the same time, Habell’s sword began to bear the dawn.

It was a dawn that had gathered much faster than Dante’s.

However, the intensity of that light was different.

“What kind of dawn you should pursue.”

Habell raised his sword towards the sky.

Just then, the setting sunlight was hidden by Habell’s dawn.

Havell’s dawn had reached a realm where it could devour even the light of the sun.

An endlessly long shadow fell behind Habell.

It seemed to show the unreachable difference between Habell and Dante.

Realize it yourself.”

In front of Habell.

Dante swung his sword with all his might.

The light that came out of that sword was the most dazzling dawn in Dante’s life.

And in front of that.

As the dawn broke, the sunlight fell.

——–!

A dawn that even swallowed the sound covered the field.

Before one knew it, the sun had set, and the night sky had surely fallen.

However, the field shone like dawn.

The dawn that shone in place of the sun made those who saw it have the illusion that night had not yet come.

The moment the light of dawn gradually faded.

Dante was kneeling in front of Habell.

If he wouldn’t let his sword go until the end.

Dante was holding his sword with all his might.

However, Dante’s spirit was no longer there.

His eyes were rolled back, and his mind was blown away.

What Habell had cut was only Dante’s willpower.

Even in front of the Berserker, he had risen with endless willpower.

However, in front of Habell, he couldn’t even become a candle in the wind.

“You worked hard.”

Even Dante’s boasted mental strength couldn’t keep up with Habell.

The meaning was simple.

If he kept climbing the tower with Dante, he would die.

Habell took out the elixirs one by one from the subspace ring which he had bought in advance.

Then he puts down the paper with the instructions for use.

“Dante.”

Habell patted Dante’s shoulder, who was still unconscious.

“Live with your back straight anywhere like a knight of Vanpelioni.”

Habell turned around after leaving those words.

Dante would understand the result when he woke up.

“Ah, Mr. Bell.”

At that moment, Dante’s voice was heard before Habell had walked a few steps.

I didn’t think he’d regain consciousness this quickly.

As expected, Dante was a specialist in mental strength.

“I will definitely come back after clearing the Labyrinth Island.”

Was his consciousness fading away again?

Dante tried to show his will, uttering his voice with difficulty.

He didn’t know if Austria would be able to clear the Labyrinth Island.

However, Habell thought that a guy like Dante would be able to do it.

Just like he did.

After all, the one who could go all the way was the strongest.

“Don’t be late.”

Habell turned around, leaving Dante who was collapsing.

As always, to climb the tower.

* * *

The tower he climbed for the first time.

Habell arrived at the 5th-floor safe zone, Saltron.

The place where the plains and barracks could still be seen.

Habell passed the plains and headed for the 6th-floor entrance.

Now he had to do everything on his own.

Of course, what he had to do was no different from before.

Habell opened the subspace he had purchased in advance.

Then he took out a cloak from the subspace and put it on his back.

Carved on the cloak was a silver lion on a sun.

It was the emblem of Vanpelioni that had been passed down for a long time.

The moment Habell tried to climb the 6th floor with the cloak on,

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, a man with a fireball appeared with a scream.

He had tied red hair like a ponytail and glared.

“Dante, today I’ll really give you a piece of my…”

His voice gradually trailed off.

Because he knew it too.

That Dante wasn’t here.

His true identity was none other than Azaris Ignore.

A direct descendant of the Ignore family, known for their flame sorcery.

“H, hey, mister, where did Dante go?”

Despite being struck by Havel twice.

He asked with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t remember anything.

Havel looked at him with annoyance.

“How would I know?”

Then he waved his hands as if he was bothered and started to walk.

He was finally mastering the determination to climb the tower.

When a monkey-like guy showed up and started messing with his emotions.

Havel started walking, feeling annoyed, and Azaris chased after him.

“Hey, mister, you hang out with Dante all the time, right? You really don’t know where he went?”

“I said I don’t know.”

“Don’t play around! Where did Dante go!”

Havel raised his hand.

At that moment, Azaris immediately put a lot of distance between himself and Havel.

His face was covered in cold sweat.

As if he had just seen death.

He didn’t even emit any killing intent, yet he reacted like that.

It seemed that while he didn’t remember, his body did.

“W, what?”

Then, Azaris himself seemed puzzled by his own actions.

He looked like he didn’t know why he had put so much distance between them.

Meanwhile, Havel started walking again.

Even that annoying guy wouldn’t be able to chase him up to the 6th stage right away.

Clank, clank!

However, Havel’s expectations didn’t last long.

As luck would have it.

For some reason, more annoying guys showed up.

There were knights there.

A pattern of a serpent coiling around a hammer.

And gleaming plate mail engraved with those patterns.

Shields and maces in their hands.

It was none other than the White Dragon Knights of August.

While Havel frowned at them blocking his path.

A very large man walked out from between the knights.

With his short, gray hair and bold features, the man stood out.

It was Pembola August.

He glanced around after spotting Havel.

“Hmm, I thought you came here because Azarias ran off like a madman.”

Apparently, he had also come looking for Dante.

Havel realized that Dante’s name had grown considerably.

He had intended for that to happen, so he had no complaints.

Meanwhile, Penbola approached Havel.

“Oh, excuse me for blocking your way. I’m Penbola August.”

Despite his appearance and stature, he apologized to Havel with great politeness.

Then he told his knights to clear a path.

“I had some personal business to attend to while climbing the tower, and it seems I’ve gotten in your way.”

“I understand.”

Havel tried to leave again, as if he didn’t want to listen any further.

“Ah, wait a moment. Are you perhaps climbing the tower alone?”

Havel was without Dante.

And he was headed for the entrance to the 6th Layer.

It was definitely not normal behavior.

“So?”

“Well, it’s not unusual for people to come this far with these artificial beings, but…”

Penbola seemed hesitant, as if he were concerned about Havel going alone.

Havel let out a hollow laugh.

“Isn’t that rich, coming from someone who hasn’t even cleared the 6th Layer yet?”

It had been years since the tower had been stuck on the 6th Layer.

The tower was effectively at a standstill.

Penbola was well aware of this fact.

‘Where does he get that confidence and composure?’

Penbola’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He had relatively little information on Havel compared to Dante.

This was their first meeting.

When he first saw him, his presence had been weaker than a wisp of smoke.

But his confidence and composure far exceeded that weak presence.

This created a strange sense of dissonance.

He had a good intuition.

Sometimes, these dissonances brought great opportunities.

‘I have a feeling. I have to get my hands on this guy.’

His mind began to race.

‘But how do I do that? What can I say to get his attention?’

Then his eyes fell on Havel’s back.

The emblem of Panpelion was engraved there.

Habel was clearly a mercenary hired by Panpelion.

However, if I look at the crest, it meant he had come as a representative of the Pampelion.

His head rolled quickly.

Knight Dante was not here.

But why was Habel, a mercenary, climbing the tower as Panpelion?

‘I may not know the reason.’

I knew Habel was trying to represent Panpelion.

And.

“If it’s me, I can help spread the name of Panpelion.”

His rolling head was optimized for seizing opportunities.

The words that must be said at this moment.

At the moment he uttered the words, Habel’s footsteps stopped abruptly.

After a while, Habel looked back at him.

His expressionless eyes felt strangely intimidating.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

Penbola swallowed his saliva unconsciously.

Habel’s words were on a different level than before.

The sensation weighing down his body was the fear that was the essence of a living being.

Perhaps he had mistakenly provoked a terrible monster.

But Penbola was an opportunist.

“I guarantee it.”

He continued speaking with lips that had barely parted.

“It will exceed expectations.”

And Habel didn’t hate this curious creature as much as he thought he would.

“Take good responsibility.”

Habel gave him a chance.