I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Isn’t It Exciting?

***

“Hah…!”

A body, full of traces of brutal battle, filled his vision. The leather armor was torn and scratched all over, soaked in blood to the point where its original color was unrecognizable. Blood constantly flowed from unhealed wounds, pooling on the ground.

Her once white skin had grown so pale it seemed as though all color had drained from it. Her face was twisted in pain, and soft gasps escaped from between her lips, as though she were trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake.

Lian quickly approached her and laid her down flat. Her breathing was irregular, and just by touching her briefly, his hands became sticky with blood. Some of the wounds looked like they had been there for a while, with scabs falling off.

‘Thank goodness. She’s not dead yet!’

Lian sighed in relief, gently placing his left hand over the area just above her solar plexus.

“Ahh…”

A faint groan escaped her as though the spot was also wounded. At the same time, a warm light flowed from Lian’s hand.

[ Ugh…! This feels awful! ]

The demon sword, unable to tolerate the intensifying divine power, far stronger and denser than before, moved away from Lian. He looked down at his left hand with a dazed expression.

‘Why is it so much flashier now?’

The intricate pattern on the back of his hand had transformed into a complex and ornate magic circle, and three identical magic circles hovered just slightly above it. The impact was several times stronger than before.

It was proof that Pia’s teachings were progressing smoothly.

*Shhhh…*

As much as the appearance had changed, so had the power. Small wounds began to close one by one, as if time were rewinding. The more the wounds healed, the more the Duke’s pained expression eased.

Once all the minor injuries healed, the larger wounds began to recover as well. As the healing neared completion, the tension in Lian’s body melted away, replaced by a wave of relief.

Just as Lian softly smiled and shifted his gaze to check her face, his vision blurred.

“Ungh…!”

A strong grip seized him by the collar and threw him harshly to the ground. He rolled like a bowling ball, hitting a nearby wall with a thud! If there had been others, they too would have been knocked aside like bowling pins because of Lian, but unfortunately, only the two of them were present.

“Huff…”

Even though the biggest wound in her abdomen hadn’t yet healed, her body still pulsed with waves of pain. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t bear it. After getting into a proper kneeling posture, the Duke scratched the back of her head and glared fiercely at Lian, who struggled to rise.

“Ha… Are you a man this time?”

Her soft, white hair, meticulously groomed, now flowed freely, and the brilliant golden eyes peeking through gleamed like pure gold—a signature trait of the Duke’s bloodline.

Smooth skin and noble features, as if sculpted, were characteristics impossible for anyone but aristocrats to possess.

To the Duke, who had fought for days against imitations of her own child, Lian was no different from those. Only the gender was different.

‘I’ve killed the ones appearing as my daughter, and now they show up as my son?’

Iris had disappeared shortly after being born. The only ones who knew Iris’s gender were the midwife who had helped with the delivery and herself. That was it. The midwife had passed away a few years ago from an illness, leaving only the Duke as the one who knew Iris’s gender.

She looked at Lian and let out a savage smile.

‘As expected -… this is a trap someone has set for me.’

Her reason had been whispering that this place was a trap ever since falling into this situation. However, part of her still clung to the thought, ‘…Could it be the curse cast by my child, who died so painfully?’

Losing Iris had left a deep scar in her heart.

“Sigh…”

The Duke inhaled deeply, brushing off the ashes of her scattered emotions. Then, she staggered to her feet and stared at Lian, who was still scratching the back of his head.

“Oh…”

Unlike the previous impostors, the thing standing before her looked dazed, making a dumbfounded sound while staring blankly at her, blinking rapidly. His lips moved as if pleading for some clumsy mercy.

Lian stared at the Duke, still dumbfounded, and thought to himself:

‘That person… or rather, Her Grace… right?’

Only now did Lian catch sight of familiar features as he focused on the face of the person he’d been too focused on healing to examine properly earlier. Despite the ends of her hair being drenched in blood and dirt, her brilliant white hair and sharp golden eyes, reminiscent of a snow-covered mountain, were enough to identify her as the Duke, even from 100 meters away.

Once he realized this was the Duke, the terrifying reality hit him hard.

‘Wait… Her Grace got hurt this badly? Is that even possible?’

Recalling how she had looked like a near-corpse, his face paled.

‘That means something strong enough to push the Duke to the brink is lurking in this forest…!’

He suddenly realized how perilous their situation was—everyone, scattered in various directions. It felt as if he were the lone character left at the start of a horror movie. Mini versions of Lian raced around in his mind, screaming in chaos.

Starting to bring his chaotic thoughts under control, Lian took a deep breath.

‘…First, I need to finish healing Her Grace and then get out of here.’

Just as he cobbled together this sensible plan, a burst of white light exploded before him.

Clang!

The demon sword was already in his grasp, and in that moment, Her Grace had rushed toward him. Their swords collided fiercely, with the Duke’s sword meeting the demon sword between them.

Though Lian’s face was on the verge of displaying confusion, the demon sword forbade it. His expression turned blank and his composure returned in an instant.

‘Phew… I almost said something ridiculous.’

If the demon sword hadn’t intervened, he may have really spit out something utterly foolish like “Uh… huh?” Relieved, his body automatically engaged in a fierce clash with the Duke.

The two moved swiftly, with blows too fast for the untrained eye to follow. The demon sword, which had spilled the blood of countless humans over the decades, displayed savage yet elegant swordsmanship, while the Duke’s techniques were disciplined and refined.

Though the demon sword was capable of overwhelming Her Grace with brute force, it didn’t. Even with its immense power, it chose not to simply crush its foe.

The resounding clash of steel rang through the air, the precision with which they fought resembling an intricate dance. Finally, both fighters recoiled, leaping backward almost simultaneously.

[ Haha… It’s been a while since I’ve felt my blood boiling! ]

‘You don’t even have blood.’

[ I’m talking about your blood, partner! Doesn’t this get your heart racing? ]

Lian remained silent, his lips slightly pressed together. His lips were indeed tinged with a subtle red, just as the sword had pointed out.

The more blood the demon sword absorbed, the closer it became with Lian. They shared a bond tight enough that they could understand each other’s thoughts without needing to speak aloud. Because of this connection, Lian instinctively knew the demon sword’s intentions with each movement before they occurred.

Knowing how your body would move like that gave a thrill that was nearly indistinguishable from controlling yourself.

The fight against such a formidable foe, Lian had to admit, sent an electric rush through his veins, just as the demon sword said. But he couldn’t easily give in to that feeling.

‘Could I really tell Iris’s mother that I’m excited? No, there’s no way…’

As Lian wrestled with his thoughts, the Duke rushed at him again. Their swords clashed as they readied for another intense bout.

“Mom.”

“…!”

“….?!”

From behind the Duke’s back, a small shadow formed, revealing a creature barely tall enough to reach her knees.

“Mommy -…”

A child, resembling Iris, appeared, grinning brightly as she clung to the unguarded Duke’s leg.

Crunch!

The Duke’s calves and thighs were suddenly pierced by black spikes that jutted out like hedgehog quills from the child’s body.

“Argh…!”

Her Grace collapsed, falling harshly to the ground.

[ How dare this counterfeit interfere with such a noble fight?! ]

Furious over the interruption, the demon sword instantly slashed through the creature.

“Kyaaak!”

The usual illusions that had scattered away previously now let out a scream, turning to white dust and crumbling onto the floor. It was the final death of the doppelganger that had continued to appear again and again despite being struck down.

“Your Grace!”

Lian immediately rushed toward the Duke, who was still lying on the ground, unsteadily trying to push herself up, using her sword as a crutch.

“Ugh… Damn it!”

She spat out profanities, forcing herself up, but her body betrayed her efforts and crumpled again. Blood gushed from her wounds, soaking the ground. Lian, rushing to her side, tried to channel his healing power, but as he approached within a meter, the Duke’s eyes flared and, despite her condition, she stood defiantly.

The sudden movement caused even more blood to spill, staining the ground. If she hadn’t viewed Lian with hostility, she might have been treated as an ally, and her injuries would have been far less severe. However, because she saw Lian as an enemy, the wounds had worsened compared to usual.

Had Lian not considered her an ally, it’s possible the Duke’s gag filter may have activated, leading to his death as he bled out from innumerable wounds.

Unaware of all this, the Duke glared at him like a wild animal would a veterinarian holding a syringe.

End of Chapter