Was this your plan from the beginning……?

  Eustasia suddenly sighed as she saw the sword in Sungjin’s hand. It was a cheap sword that gave him no chance of hitting a level 7.

  He didn’t even have a plan to “approach” her. He just bluffed because he knew that Eustasia knew about his excellent swordsmanship.

  He kept his distance to attack her suddenly so that he could finish the fight.

  He thought this was the only way.

  He planted multiple devices to do it—numerous columns that would block her sword, a smoke generator to cover her sight, pipes on the columns to confuse her with the sounds and crystal decorations to make illusionary silhouettes.

  He put a lot of effort into those devices and made a bow-like device to attack her from a distance.

  Everything made her think that he was trying to approach her to attack her.

  But that was not what he planned.

  Everything was simply a deception to trick her into his real trap.

  She cut down the columns only to walk into his trap, just as he had planned. His real plan was to make her use Heaven’s Net and Judgement so that she could exhaust her Heroic Power.

  So when the roof fell down on her, she had no power to stand it.

  The whole battlefield was a trap. The victory was his even before they even started their fight

  Her judgment and reasoning were toyed with.

  Sungjin smiled at Eustasia.

  “Seeing the trees doesn’t make you see the forest.”


  That was his plan for this fight. All the devices and his crossbow were the trees.

  “Good fight.”


  Looking at Sungjin declaring his victory, Eustasia twisted her silver hair with her finger. This was her habit when she was trying to understand something.

  Is this really the end of the fight?

  Did I really lose?

  Was I already defeated as soon as I walked in?

  It seemed there was no way out.

  No. Not yet.

  Her silver eyes shone sharply.

  There was one way out.

  “What about this!”


  Eustasia set off her Heroic Power in a moment to launch herself towards Sungjin.

  In the middle of the collapsing temple, there was no way out.

  No, there was one way out.

  If he didn’t plan to be crushed by the roof with her, Sungjin must have made one safe spot—the spot he was standing on. That must have been the only safe spot that he prepared.

  In the middle of the risky situation, she was able to understand that in a heartbeat and moved to that spot right away.

  Sungjin made one move, so she would answer with another move.

  In the collapsing temple, Sungjin couldn’t approach her as fast as she did. Not because he couldn’t find a route but because he simply didn’t have enough physical ability to do so.

  But she was level 7.

  She was beyond Sungjin’s ability.

  She thought she was turning the game around.

  Sungjin grinned. He was impressed by her quick thinking and bold moves she made in a second.

  “I knew that you would make it in a second.”


  “What?”


  Thinking something was wrong, Eustasia’s sword split Sungjin.

  He was sliced into two pieces, but it was not him. It was an illusion of him.

  S…… stone?

  Looking at a small stone on the floor, she realized what it was.

  It was a cheap item with a simple function of playing pre-recorded visuals under a timer.

  He had already prepared the Illusion Stone, knowing he would have this kind of a conversation with her.

  If…… If he already knew…… and prepared this…… that means……

  It was all a trick to make her stand on the one “safe” spot in the collapsing temple.

  In reality, that was……

  Sungjin smiled outside of the temple.

  “That is the worst spot.”


  She could have survived with her level 7 power if she was standing anywhere else, but not on the spot she was standing on.

  A normal person wouldn’t have been tricked into that spot. Not many people could think like that in a moment of panic.

  But she was not a normal person; she was the greatest general of the four kingdoms. But that is also why she was tricked into the spot.

  They murmured the same words at the same time.

  “If your opponent can read three moves ahead, get them on the fourth move.”


  All Eustasia could see was a gigantic rock covering her sight.

  So that is what he is.

  She was strong, that was true. But she lost because of only one reason.

  He was stronger.

  It was as simple as that.

  He was level 0, but his intelligence defeated her even in a duel.

  This was a great man.

  Her head knew that when he defeated the Blood Ruler, but now she was experiencing it and feeling it with her heart.

  This man is a great man.

  This was the first defeat in her life.

  She smiled.

  “Ha. It was more thrilling than I expected.”


  * * *