Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Pirate Empress (2)

The Calav Archipelago, made up of hundreds of large and small islands.

Among them, the island at the center—‘Skull’—was an enormous landmass that accounted for over sixty percent of the archipelago’s total area. True to its name, when viewed from above, it took on the shape of a skull.

At the nose of this skull-shaped island, a tall hill jutted upward. Upon this hill stood a massive mansion, which had long served as the residence of the ruler of Calav, almost as if by tradition.

In the front yard of that mansion—

“Damn… Just look at that height, Beryl hyung.”

“Yeah… Hell of a view.”

Beryl and Mikkelsen blinked in awe, taking in the vast scenery of the Calav Archipelago stretching out before them.

Thanks to the incredibly high elevation, the surrounding view was completely unobstructed. Combined with the meticulously maintained garden—aside from the fact that it was decorated with the skulls of various marine monsters—it gave off a strangely surreal atmosphere unlike anything they had seen before.

However, if there was one downside—

‘If only it weren’t under these circumstances… it would've been so much better.’

‘What’s the point of a nice view anyway… Damn it…’

The two let out heavy sighs and turned around, worry clouding their expressions.

In the center of the garden, in front of a massive sculpture made from a fish skeleton—

Hardin and Redrose stood face to face, both with intense focus in their eyes.

Slaaash!

Redrose gripped a whip in one hand and let out a sly grin.

“You ready, brat?”

“Well, nothing to prepare, really. I just have to do it.”

Hardin shrugged as he replied.

This whole situation had unfolded due to a proposal Redrose made a little while ago inside the mansion.

---

– The duel will go like this: no mana allowed. If you manage to land even a single clean hit on me… I’ll honor the promise your family made with my grandmother.

– Just once? You really think that'll be enough?

---

In short, the two were about to duel… and Hardin had to land a single blow on that monstrous Pirate Empress.

Beryl and Mikkelsen narrowed their eyes.

‘Can he really pull that off?’

‘…Even for that guy, this seems like a bit much.’

They knew better than anyone—having experienced Redrose’s overwhelming strength and presence—that…

Even without mana, even for someone like Hardin,

Facing her in a duel was far from a wise decision.

And if, by some slim chance, Hardin were to lose that duel—

---

– Hahaha! Feed him to the sharks!

– Eeeek! Please, have mercy! Pirates, sirs!

---

It was painfully clear what kind of outcome would follow.

“All right then… Let’s begin.”

Admiral Redrose raised her whip, a smug grin spreading across her face.

Slaaaash!

Then she swung it forward with force.

Perhaps it was due to that well-trained body of hers—

Even without a trace of mana, the whip cut through the air, leaving behind only the sound as its form vanished.

Hardin instinctively thrust his sword forward, but the whip coiled around the blade like a snake, and his hair whipped violently in the gust.

“Hey, let’s take it easy, yeah?”

“Getting cocky already?”

Hardin grinned and yanked the sword toward him, while Beryl and Mikkelsen’s faces turned pale.

‘What the… it already looks like it’s over?’

‘Can he even break out of that?’

From the very start, Hardin’s weapon had been sealed.

And no matter how you looked at it, there was no way—at least in terms of sheer strength—that he could overpower that human ogre, no, Redrose.

Just as Hardin and Redrose stood locked in a standoff with the whip stretched between them—

Tap!

Hardin sharply kicked a pebble that had been lying near his foot.

As it flew straight toward her face, Redrose immediately threw out her fist—completely free of mana.

Crackle!

The rock turned to dust, scattering into the air.

“Hyup.”

Hardin used the moment the whip loosened ever so slightly to free his sword and dashed forward, quickly closing the distance.

And just as he extended his sword—

“Not happening.”

Redrose grinned, twisted her upper body to deflect the attack, and immediately threw a punch.

Clang!

Sparks burst from the blade, and with a loud crash, Hardin’s body was knocked backward.

The force of it left his hand numb in an instant.

‘Man… blood really is something else.’

Hardin let out a hollow chuckle as an old memory flickered in his mind.

---

– Hahaha! Take this, kid!

– Hey, can you please go easy! Just a little!

---

Redhoop, wildly charging in with that sword of his that whipped like a lash.

The way he fought back then looked exactly like the monster in front of him now.

No—if anything, she might be worse.

Even the great Redhoop had never done anything so insane as to block a sword with a bare, mana-less fist.

“Let’s really play now!”

Redrose’s voice rang out louder, and the whip lashed even more violently.

Clang! Clang!

Block. Dodge. Retreat.

The unrelenting wave of whip strikes grew ever faster, leaving Hardin with no opening for a counterattack.

Even if neither of them was using mana…

‘The difference in our physical condition is massive.’

No matter how much he had trained since entering this body, the gap between a wreck of a descendant’s frame and that monstrous beast’s physique was as wide as the heavens and the earth.

To be blunt, purely in terms of power, the difference was hopeless.

And yet, somehow…

‘This is… kinda fun.’

Hardin couldn’t wipe the smile off his face the entire time.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Redrose swung her whip without pause, closing in on Hardin without giving him a moment to breathe.

Boom! Boom!

“Ahaha! Ahahahahaha!”

The force behind her strikes was so fierce that the trees and decorations around the area shattered and scattered in all directions.

Just brushing against one of those whip lashes wouldn’t end with mere scratches—it would be far worse.

Hardin’s eyes glinted with sudden realization.

‘She’s stronger than Redhoop.’

If Redhoop overwhelmed his opponents with brute strength and instinctive combat prowess, this one’s attacks felt more refined, as if they had been polished.

And beneath that technique… he could sense someone else’s influence.

---

– Hey, noona. Don’t just swing wildly like that… You should try learning proper swordsmanship.

– Swordsmanship? Why bother? I win just fine without any of that!

– Ugh, come on. If a strong person learns it, they’ll only get stronger, right?

– Hrrrrmmm… That so?

---

‘Guess what I taught… might not have been a complete waste after all.’

But now wasn’t the time to get sentimental. The longer the fight dragged on, the more certain his defeat became.

‘Young Master’s being pushed back.’

‘Ahh… So this is how it ends, huh.’

Despair surfaced on the faces of Beryl and Mikkelsen as they watched.

Whiiip! Whip!

Hardin kept retreating, barely managing to deflect the attacks, but his cheek was already scratched in several places, red blood trickling down. His clothes were starting to tear apart.

He had held out well up to this point, but if things continued like this, anyone could see that the outcome was inevitable.

‘Guess it’s about time… I gave it a shot.’

While retreating, Hardin kicked another shard of debris forward.

Crack!

But this time, it didn’t even reach Redrose. It was caught by the tip of her whip and crushed into powder.

“Brat, the same trick won’t work twice.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

In the end, there was only one move left.

“Hyup.”

Hardin suddenly thrust his sword forward.

Not aiming at Redrose, but rather deliberately shoving it into the range of her whip.

Swish! Crack!

Just like a child’s wrist being twisted, the whip coiled around Hardin’s sword and sent it flying into the air.

“It’s over.”

Redrose scoffed, about to fling Hardin’s sword away.

‘No… now it begins.’

Dash!

Taking advantage of the moment when her whip attack paused, Hardin lunged forward.

“Wh-what the hell?”

“Young Master?!”

Charging in without a weapon?

Beryl and Mikkelsen’s jaws dropped.

“What the hell is he doing?”

“Beats me. Maybe it’s some kind of new suicide technique.”

Even the watching pirates let out scoffs of disbelief.

‘What is he thinking? Don’t tell me… is he planning to take me on with his fists?’

Clang!

Redrose furrowed her brow, retracted her whip, and slammed Hardin’s sword to the ground.

“Hyup.”

At that moment, Hardin reached for his waist and pulled out a dagger from behind.

A “borrowed” item from Jerry.

Then, before Redrose could lash out again—

Slash!

Hardin threw two daggers with both hands.

“…A shallow trick.”

Clang!

With a smirk, Redrose casually flicked her whip, swatting both daggers out of the air.

At that very moment—an instant in time—her gaze remained fixed on the tip of her whip.

“Hm?”

When she turned her eyes back forward, Hardin, who had just been standing there, was nowhere to be seen.

Redrose's face twisted.

A presence behind her—she could feel it clearly, even without eyes on her back.

Hardin was approaching, fist clenched, closing in from behind.

“…Hah!”

With a bold laugh, Redrose swung her fist backward in one sweeping motion.

Hardin ducked just in time, barely evading the blow, then surged in further, throwing a punch aimed right at her chin.

‘This bastard… isn’t sane.’

He was narrowing the gap on purpose—against her. He must have a death wish.

Excitement deepened across Redrose’s face.

Smack!

With one arm, she easily blocked the incoming punch.

Hardin then lashed out with a kick, aiming at the arm holding the whip.

“Hmph!”

In response, Redrose let go of the whip herself.

Whack!

Hardin's foot struck the abandoned whip, sending it flying into the air.

“You should be aiming at me, not the whip, brat!”

The thrill on Redrose’s face only intensified.

“Goddammit…”

Hardin scowled and reset his stance.

What followed was a repetition of the same flurry of movements.

Whack! Smack!

A nonstop storm of fists and kicks.

Redrose blocked and dodged them all effortlessly with nimble footwork and a solid guard.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

It was as if he were standing before a living iron fortress.

In contrast…

“Huff, huff…”

Hardin, despite being the one launching the attacks, had sweat beading on his forehead, and his breath was beginning to grow ragged.

To anyone watching, the outcome seemed clear.

‘Still… he gave me a good time, at least.’

Hardin threw another punch.

Thwack!

Redrose knocked it away with an upward motion of her arm, leaving Hardin’s torso wide open.

“Let’s wrap this up!”

She grinned and drove her fist forward.

A flawless opening—he couldn’t possibly block or dodge this one.

‘I’ve lost!’

‘It’s over.’

Beryl, Mikkelsen, and even the pirates watching all knew.

This was the end of the duel.

But then—

As Redrose’s fist closed in—

An inexplicable smile suddenly spread across Hardin’s face.

The moment she saw that smile, Redrose felt it—pure instinct.

There were no words spoken—there wasn’t time—but somehow, she could sense it.

Hardin was certain of victory.

‘A bluff?’

As Redrose committed to her strike—

Tap.

“…Huh?”

Something struck the crown of Redrose’s head—just enough to make her fist stop.

Had it been a second later—no, even a fraction of a second—Hardin’s face would’ve been completely shattered.

Sweat dripping down his face, Hardin gently pushed her fist aside and spoke.

“Phew… I win. Right?”

“…What?”

As Redrose slowly tilted her head, her pupils flickered like lantern flames.

‘What is this…?’

Lying on the ground was the very whip Redrose had been using earlier.

The object that had struck the top of her head just moments ago—was most likely… that whip.

‘No way…’

When Redrose stared at him with wide, stunned eyes, Hardin shrugged and answered.

“Yeah, that whip… I kicked it into the sky. Aaaall the way back then.”

A memory flickered in Medeia’s mind—something that had passed during the fight.

---

– Hyup!

---

In the midst of their fierce exchanges, Hardin had suddenly thrown a seemingly meaningless kick into the air.

At the time, she’d thought it was just a mistake and hadn’t paid it any attention. But now, it seemed that was when he’d launched the whip skyward.

‘You’re telling me… he planned all of this from the start?’

Could something like that even be calculated?

Narrowing her eyes at this absurd, first-time-in-her-life situation, Redrose asked,

“From the very beginning… you rushed in with this plan in mind?”

“Well, yeah. Didn’t seem like I’d get anywhere fighting you head-on. Oh, and this counts as a clean hit, right?”

“…Haaah.”

What kind of lunatic…

Redrose let out a deep sigh and lowered her fist.

Then, massaging her brow with tightly shut eyes, she spoke.

“Fine. I’ll acknowledge… your win.”

Hardin raised one corner of his mouth in a grin.

“…Huh?”

“He… he actually pulled it off?”

Everyone watching was frozen, their expressions overtaken by pure shock.