Winnie’s mana was running out.

[Frost Snow Flame] had strict requirements for both fire and ice elements, ice needed to be at [Excellent] level, while fire affinity affects its duration.

Although powerful, this spell consumed mana at a terrifying rate.

The frigid ice-flame and blazing fire wheel collided, initially erupting with overwhelming force, then gradually weakening as their energies depleted. At the center, the intertwined ice and fire magic energy resembled a yin-yang sphere, on one side, a deeply frozen glacier; on the other, a volcano ready to erupt. The two opposing forces, evenly matched, maintained a brief equilibrium, yet both sides continued growing stronger.

Such an unstable energy construct was destined to explode and collapse at the final moment.

A thunderous detonation erupted, forming two massive peaks, one frost-white, the other lotus-red. Winnie was flung backward by several shards of ice and snow, while Charon was thrown aside by scorching heatwaves.

Both suffer backlash from their own spell, though only from the residual shockwaves of the collision.

Clearly, after previous injuries and the spell’s aftermath, Winnie was in far worse shape than Charon.

Previously burned, then instantly frozen, Winnie’s two severe injuries flared up. Half-kneeling on the ground, he could barely rise.

In contrast, Charon appeared nearly unharmed, calmly walking toward Winnie. The golden-rimmed ruby ring on his right hand glinted, evidently, this high-tier fire-resistance ring had played a crucial role.

Winnie’s Carillian Academy uniform was half-scorched, half-coated in frozen ice clumps. His skin was the same, severely burned on one side, grotesquely frostbitten on the other. The magic’s immense impact had shattered his internal organs, causing him to continuously cough up blood.

And this was only from the shockwave. If he had been directly hit by the spell, Winnie would’ve been blown into grotesque fragments.

Seeing Charon step closer, Winnie tried to stand and fight back, but unfortunately, his magic and stamina were completely depleted, and his body was riddled with wounds.

“Truly unexpected. Never thought a good-for-nothing bastard could learn such an outrageous spell and put up this kind of resistance.” Charon glanced at his own minor burns. “I really underestimated you, Winnie.”

“If only this brat had a weapon, I wouldn’t let you strut around like this,” Winnie shot back, though powerless, his mouth still worked fine.

If only [Frostfang] hadn’t been frozen, the outcome might still be uncertain.

Even though he was one rank below Charon, Winnie was fully confident he could fight him.

“You’re always the most stubborn with words,” Charon sneezed. “I thought when pushed to the edge, you’d beg on your knees for me to spare your life.”

“Ah, if you did that now, who knows how things might end?” Charon mocked. “After all, we grew up in the same city, fighting since childhood. Aside from that, we do share some sentiment, right?”

“Charon, you’re truly disgusting. Maggots in sewers aren’t as vile as you.” Winnie spat, disgusted. “You don’t seem like a human, you seem like trash. I know exactly what kind of person you are. Saying this now, making me think you’d spare me? I guess I still treated you too much like a human before.”

“Treated like a human? Winnie, the only one here unworthy of being called human, is you.” Charon loomed over him, stopping five steps away.

He could clearly see Winnie had exhausted all magic and strength. He wasn’t worried about any real resistance.

“Normally, your constant foul language is incredibly annoying. But since these are your final words, I’ll let you babble a bit longer. Doesn’t matter anyway.” Charon’s lips curled.

“So, is this your final statement? Winnie, say more, like you usually do. Don’t you usually talk a lot?”

Hands behind his back, Charon stood before Winnie like a victor, mocking him.

“Come to think of it, Winnie, how many fights have we had since childhood?” Charon continued, seeing Winnie stay silent.

“Who knows? Did anyone ever count?” Winnie suddenly lifted his head, a smirk on his lips. “I only know one thing, this last fight? I won.”

“? Did your brain get burned?” Charon frowned, but dismissed it as Winnie’s bluff.

At the same moment Winnie spoke, a golden-red six-shot revolver appeared in his hand, aiming straight at Charon.

“Charon, I guess you’ve never heard this saying, villains die from talking too much.” Winnie pulled the trigger.

Charon’s eyes widened. He had no idea what this sudden object was. According to his intel, Winnie only had a powerful enchanted ice spear, nothing else.

The golden-red revolver spun, golden sparks trailing as the barrel unleashed a torrent of crimson flame, rapidly expanding in his vision.

The tiny flame instantly grew into a fireball large enough to swallow him whole.

What… is this?!

Until the very end, Charon still didn’t understand what the object in Winnie’s hand actually was.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!” Watching the violent explosion and flying sparks, Winnie twirled his gun and blew away the smoke from the barrel.

No wonder they always say technology changes destiny. An enchanted weapon could drastically boost one’s strength, instantly reversing the tide of battle.

Charon assumed Winnie had no magic left, so he let his guard down. Even if Winnie tried a surprise attack, casting a spell required incantation, Charon would’ve reacted in time.

But enchanted weapons were different, draw, pull trigger, done. And the power far exceeds the ordinary spell.

Now, Charon was probably blown into ash.

Winnie stared at the swirling smoke.

This bastard wasn’t meant to be judged by him, but since he’d fallen this far, there was no choice.

This shot will settle all scores.

Yet soon, Winnie realized something was wrong. He heard a sound, like blood vessels inflating, amplified a hundredfold. [Sixfold Hell] , it seemed to strike the explosion itself.

As the smoke cleared, Winnie stared in shock at the familiar crimson magic sword now before him. It had swollen like a sponge soaked in water, expanding into a massive shield.

Its surface was splattered with blackened blood, a deep, charred crater forming where the explosion hit, clearly torn open by [Sixfold Hell] .

Behind it, Charon was protected, shaken but completely unharmed.

‘Heh, young master, I told you, didn’t I? You lack nothing, except a proper weapon.’ The gem on the sword’s hilt, covered in grotesque veins, flickered on and off, as if speaking.

‘See? Because you didn’t have a proper weapon, you nearly capsized in a ditch. If I hadn’t interfered in time, you’d be a pile of charred meat by now.’

“You… how did you get here??” Charon, recovering, standing at the crimson sword in disbelief.

‘Do you even need to ask, young master? Naturally, I’m here to protect you. See? I was right, your weapon is severely lacking. You were clearly a cornered prey, even being in below strength, yet he had just one [Magic Artifact]-grade enchanted firearm, you are already helpless.’

‘Young master, the facts are right before your eyes.’

“…This doesn’t concern you.” Charon fell silent for a moment, gripping his broadsword tightly.

‘I know, I know, you can handle it yourself, right? But you can’t deny, you don’t have a single good weapon on you, right?’

“I just didn’t expect this bastard to have a hidden trick. He’s covered in enchanted weapons,” Charon growled. “Without these bizarre enchanted tools, he wouldn’t even rank in the top twenty-three.”

“Enough. Step back, this is between him and me.”

‘Oh my, young master Charon, so heartless? After I just saved your life? Discard me once I’m used up, no more value?’

“What more do you have to say? This no longer concerns you. Get lost, don’t interfere with me dealing with this bastard who ambushed me with enchanted weapons.” Charon frowned.

‘Young master Charon, you still don’t grasp the current situation, do you?’ [Bloodied Debt] teased.

‘What if I choose to help your opponent right now, how would you respond?’

“You dare?! I still haven’t dealt with you for hiding inside me!”

‘Young master Charon, your commanding tone makes me quite uncomfortable. Ahh, indeed, you’re the most entertaining one after all, Winnie.’ [Bloodied Debt] suddenly shifted focus to Winnie.

‘How about taking a good thought right now? You’re in mortal danger. Even if you won’t consider cooperating, at least survive this first, right?’

‘With me, no one can harm you. You could even easily kill anyone you hate.’

“Bloodied Debt, is this your idea of cooperation?” Charon realized he had to speak up or the situation would spiral.

‘Not my fault, young master Charon. You failed to seize the opportunity yourself. Besides, weren’t you the one who refused our cooperation? Now, the chance has come to Mr. Winnie?’ [Bloodied Debt] mocked.

‘Ah, so stubborn. You do things even I, the magic sword hailed as the most heretical, can’t bear to watch. Yet you refuse to tear off that final mask. No matter what, you must maintain your ‘knight’ and ‘hero’ image, as if losing it means losing your very foundation.’

‘Young master Charon, if your existence is nothing but a thin mask and others’ praise and admiration, how truly pathetic.’

“Shut up!” Charon roared.

‘Heh, to be honest, I prefer you over him.’ [Bloodied Debt] turned to Winnie.

“What do you mean?!” Charon tightened his grip on his sword. “Are you switching sides right here?”

‘Let me reiterate, young master Charon, I never intended to join your side. You gave up the chance for cooperation for your own superficial dignity. So, I never picked a side.’

‘Or rather, from the start, I’ve only been using you to achieve my own goal. You were never my ideal candidate, understand?’

“You!” Charon finally realized, [Bloodied Debt] had done this deliberately. It saved him, pushed Winnie into a corner, forced Winnie to choose cooperation.

And Winnie had no choice but to accept, because refusal meant death.

‘Even if you reject me, I’ll still give you one last chance, Winnie.’

Winnie could feel the living crimson sword’s gaze upon him.

‘Choose, final chance. Cooperate with me, or die in the wilderness.’

Life, or death.

The crimson sword’s voice fell silent.

Winnie remained quiet for a moment, then let out a dry, indifferent laugh.

“I see. Charon, you’ve been framing others with your own experiences from the very beginning.”

“The one truly conspiring with the [Heretical Weapon] , willing to pay any price for power, was you.”

“Are you blind? I never cooperated with it, never forged a contract! It’s you, Winnie, only scum like you would abandon principles and do anything to survive!” Charon shouted.

“Charon, you don’t need to provoke me.” Winnie lifted his head, giving Charon a cold smile.

For a moment, Charon felt looked down upon.

On a human level, looked down upon by him.

“This world is strange. Truly kind people are oppressed, excluded, treated like vermin. While the utterly wicked, those with filthy, rotten hearts, are knighted, hailed as geniuses, admired and admired.”

“What’s wrong with this world?” Winnie lowered his head, hiding his expression.

‘Exactly. This world has never been fair. They branded me a heretical weapon only to block this fast path to power. But true, do they really care about methods?’

‘Want to change this world? Lack of strength? I’d be delighted to lend you a hand, Winnie.’ [Bloodied Debt] interjected.

Winnie stayed silent, then suddenly dashed to the side and fired another shot at Charon.

“Boom! Boom!!” Of course, the bullet was once again blocked by [Bloodied Debt] . Large patches of blackened flesh and deep craters covered its surface, veins charred and oozing.

Burnt blood vessels and flesh fell away, regenerating instantly into fresh, living tissue.

‘Is this your answer?’ [Bloodied Debt] said meaningfully.

“Charon, you’re the most disgusting, detestable person to me.” Winnie stared at him. “You use your knight’s status to commit evil, yet feel no guilt, deceiving yourself and everyone else, claiming your actions are righteous.”

“To settle personal grudges, you even collude with [Heretical Weapon] to harm your own kind. So, what were you thinking? Did you believe I’d fall just like you, rotten, filthy, willing to do anything to achieve my goals??”

“Charon, as a human, you’re utterly inferior.”

########

I got some Winiya images I will try to upload by tomorrow

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep