Love Letter From The Future

The blade of the axe rose with fierce speed. The silvery trajectory tore through the void in a straight line, and at the sight of it, Delphine instinctively thought.

If this continues, I’ll be hit. That axe was swung not with the intention of stopping midway. If it had been, it would have had to be a bit slower.

It was a high-speed strike without a hint of hesitation.

There was no time to be flustered. Delphine snapped back to her senses. The axe blade was already approaching, but it wasn’t too late yet.

The aura still clung to her dagger. Though it would be difficult to puncture even the bones of her magically enhanced body in one go, retrieving the sword would not pose a significant problem.

Her body spun, the white robe billowing around her. The dagger and axe crossed with a grace akin to dancing. It was a hair-raising moment.

With a sound like a whisper, her nape was nicked. Blood was sure to ooze forth soon. However, right now, she was in the midst of a desperate battle, where even a moment could determine victory or defeat.

There was no time to worry about that. Delphine swung her dagger, spinning as she did so.

The dagger shot forward like a bullet, tracing a line of golden light. In terms of magical power, Delphine held the upper hand. No matter the disparity in mass, her dagger would not be at a disadvantage in a contest of strength.

The problem, however, was that her body hadn’t yet regained balance due to the sudden rotation.

A body unable to properly stabilize itself could not showcase its full abilities. It became vulnerable to external shocks, and lacking strength from her lower body, her dagger’s effectiveness was further dulling.

Yet, no matter how much it lost its shine, the blade crafted by a master could unleash power at any moment.

Though Ian immediately attempted to follow up with another strike, the speed at which Delphine’s dagger met the axe blade was equal. At that moment, she gritted her teeth and poured in even more strength.

As a result, her center of gravity tilted again, facing towards Ian. It didn’t matter. After all, she would spring back with counterforce.

Delphine paid the price for it. With a thud, Ian’s hand axe was knocked aside. Ian had no idea that the dagger launched from that unsteady posture held this much power, causing him to lose grip on his axe.

The hand axe spun through the air. Of course, Delphine was not unscathed either. Her already tilting body couldn’t fully endure the impact of the collision.

The dagger bounced away. However, it was one thing to drop it from her hand and another to still be holding the dagger. Even as her body leaned slightly backward from the shock, Delphine was confident of her victory.

A rush of exhilaration swept through her crimson eyes. She felt a thrill, similar to the day she first laid eyes on a sword in her childhood.

This man, he is a thing.

From his judgment to launch a surprise attack without hesitation, his decisiveness in sacrificing his own hand, and his nature of not shying away from battle.

Could there be a better candidate as a hunting dog? For the first time in a long while, Delphine sincerely wanted something.

Yet, possession was the privilege of the strong. The weak were possessed, while the strong possessed. That was the universal truth of this world. To take Ian, she first needed to defeat him right now.

Her foot slipped slightly. Then, with a firm press of that foot, Delphine regained her balance.

There was only one thing left to happen next.

Light exploded forth. It was at a speed that didn’t even register in her eyes. That was the end.

Before she knew it, the victory had been decided.

Delphine’s dagger was halted in front of Ian’s throat. If she applied force now, ending his life would be trivial. Nevertheless, Delphine could not utter a word.

Her eyes blankly gazed up at Ian’s face. He was smiling. With a chilling edge aimed at Delphine’s nape.

An awful stench filled the air. The smell of burning flesh, pus, and blood mixed together.

Delphine’s eyes slowly drifted toward her own nape. There lay the blade. Following that blade, her gaze went ever upward. Her eyes fell upon the hand gripping the sword.

It was a hand dripping with blood. The cause of the injury was clear. The one who had created that puncture was none other than Delphine Yuridina herself, so she was well aware.

The reality conveyed by the results was clear. The moment Delphine had knocked away the hand axe, Ian had drawn his sword with his injured hand. That was how, despite Delphine’s superior speed, he could target her nape at the same time.

But, how?

There was only one way. To endure the pain of the mixed flesh and blood seeping from the pierced hand and draw the sword. However, that was merely theoretical.

To make such a decision in that moment was itself abnormal. The human body was fundamentally designed to avoid pain. This was true even in the realm of the unconscious.

Even in sudden situations, humans unconsciously avoid painful choices. How could one muster strength in that hand when they were already suffering extreme pain?

It was horrifying just to imagine. Therefore, Delphine found herself entertaining a nonsensical thought.

What if his sense of pain were somehow numbed?

The reason her eyes were but blankly scanning Ian’s hand and face. Yet, she soon had no choice but to dismiss such a hypothesis.

The trembling hand, the ripples threatened to drop the sword he was holding any moment now. It wasn’t just the hand. The arm supporting the hand and the corners of his mouth, which wore a victorious smile, were all trembling.

It all indicated he was feeling intense pain. He seemed to be pushing himself to the limit, even causing the blade to tremble.

Yet, he smiled. For one simple reason.

“Senior Delphine… my main weapon is not the hand axe, but the sword.”

Delphine Yuridina, if only because he managed to hit her. The man’s smile was clearly transmitting such feelings.

He discarded his own hand just to achieve that. Even though his unconscious mind must have resisted, he gripped the sword with his pierced hand. It was an astounding will.

Or perhaps, he might have even thought about overcoming his unconsciousness. Without that, such a reaction speed would not be achievable. It was an intense drive for victory, one that even overpowered the instincts of the body.

The result was now before Delphine’s eyes. His blade was at her throat and she felt its chilling edge.

Until that point, gazing at Ian with a dumbfounded look, Delphine could only swallow her disbelief and leave behind a single phrase.

“…You madman.”

“What about the madman whom Senior Delphine touched then?”

Though his tone feigned nonchalance, Ian looked like he might drop the sword any moment. Just looking at the cold sweat on his brow made that clear.

Seeing that sight, Delphine felt a strange emotion.

It was like a boiling sense, an indistinguishable feeling of favor or animosity. But one thing was certain.

She wanted him. Even if she had to break him, she wanted this man. The seed of that viscous emotion stirred in Delphine Yuridina’s heart.

And then, another emotion invaded right behind it.

Humiliation. For one who had always written an unbeaten myth, it was an unfamiliar sensation.

Thus, Delphine found herself at a loss for what expression to wear. She merely forced her lips to curl upward, as if trying to mimic Ian.

“Well, are you hoping to become a madwoman alongside me?”

“Not at all. Rather, please provide a judgment first.”

He was a tenacious man. He must have wanted to scream and drop the sword right then, yet he did not let out even the slightest groan. Even with such clear traces of pain.

Amid the clenched silence from enduring the pain, a question was posed.

“…Does this mean I’ve won?”

Delphine paused for a moment.

Did he win? Considering the skill disparity and various circumstances, it was indeed appropriate for Ian to take a clear victory. Yet Delphine Yuridina could not bring herself to acknowledge that fact.

Her first defeat – that couldn’t be.

The only thing that determines win or loss was the last moment. In this situation, where they aimed for each other’s throats, where they could take each other’s lives.

Delphine chuckled softly and said.

“No.”

Ian’s brows slightly furrowed. He must have felt that the evaluation was too lenient. Nevertheless, Delphine always held her ground.

She cast aside her humiliation and flashed a confident smile once more.

“Even if I gave you a good hit, it’d still be a draw….”

And just as she was about to add more words.

With a rustling sound, the robe that had barely draped over her shoulders slipped away.

Delphine’s eyes widened in realization as she watched the robe fall. It had already been loosely draped. As she spun around to fight, tilting and moving, her attire had become precariously positioned.

In that state, she had allowed an unexpected strike. Ian’s hand axe that had grazed her nape.

That had been the decisive blow. With no more support left to drape over her, the robe fell as if it had been waiting for this moment, revealing Delphine’s fair skin to the world.

It was a moment where stillness descended.

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