Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 407 (Part 1):

Helmut did not hesitate. What he had brought today was Darien’s sword.

Like the wind, he dashed forward, drew his blade, and thrust straight for the throat without pause.

*Kang!* Darkness surged forth, swift as a shadow.

Yet, Servant reacted. The moment he parried the blade flying toward him, his entire body prickled with shock.

‘What—?!’

A single strike—both fierce and fast. That alone was enough to unsettle Servant.

Until now, Helmut had never faced an opponent he would describe as troublesome, let alone difficult.

Even Asuka, who had managed to wound him, was no exception. But this—

“Guh.”

A pained groan slipped through his clenched teeth. Almost no time passed between that first sword strike and the second and third, which came pouring in immediately after.

*Kang! Ka-kang!* The moment Servant tried to deflect, the blade twisted back, aiming for his vitals.

A sudden, disorienting shift—like a calm breeze abruptly transforming into a raging storm.

Servant’s eyes widened.

*Kwaang!* The swords collided head-on, his blade slightly recoiling before darting forward again like a viper. Its trajectory was chilling.

Thrust from the right, blocked—then diagonal, upward, downward. The sword moved as if unbound by air resistance, each strike carrying enough force to pierce flesh like paper.

Not because it was imbued with immense Vis. It was simply a refined, serene, yet absolute blade.

He had known his opponent was skilled. But Servant had underestimated him.

If Servant had drawn the horizon, his opponent stood above it—in the sky.

The sacred sword did not merely enhance reflexes or physical strength—it also excelled as a weapon.

It nullified the opponent’s Vis, mitigated incoming impacts, and amplified Servant’s own strikes.

Despite that, it was all he could do just to parry the weight of Helmut’s sword. It felt like being struck by a huge mace. The precise concentration of Vis, honed to a single point, was crushing.

‘Something’s wrong. This is—’

A chill ran down his spine. In that moment, Helmut’s sword vanished from sight.

Acting on instinct, Servant slashed downward to his left. But he barely grazed the sword’s path.

Helmut deftly tapped the ground with his foot to shift his balance.

The ashen sword bared its fangs and tore into the inner side of Servant’s arm.

*Chwak!* Blood sprayed. A long, diagonal gash split the white fabric of the holy knight’s attire.

It was a pleasing sight. Helmut stepped back, eyeing the blood-soaked holy knight.

A destructive impulse swelled within him, spreading like darkness. The enemy—one of Lumen’s underlings—stood right there, someone he wanted to rip apart.

His entire life, raised as a demonic beast, now bared its fangs at Lumen.

Yet Helmut suppressed his desire to hack him to pieces and muttered under his breath,

“You’re even weaker than I expected…?”

Deliberately killing him would violate the rules.

Those who broke the rules could not claim victory. He had the self-control to remember that.

“So you’re supposed to be Lumen’s First Sword? Is that all you got?”

A predator gives its all, even when hunting a rabbit.

Helmut did not let his guard down. However, compared to himself, Servant was weaker, and his experience was too limited to compensate for that gap.

The straightforward, textbook sword style of a Holy Knight. Diligently honed effort and talent. That was all.

Therefore, no surprises. It was easy to predict how he would move and react.

For Helmut, this was an easy target.

“You said defeat wasn’t permitted. But if I’d aimed for your neck just now, you’d be dead already.”

Servant gritted his teeth. The moment his opponent’s blade had pierced his arm, he had sensed something—something vivid. He spat out his words like venom.

“I know what power you wield! The question is how you haven’t lost control with that much darkness inside you, but—”

Rage burned in Servant’s eyes.

“To borrow the power of the Seed of Darkness—how vile.”

He spoke with absolute conviction that Helmut’s strength sprang wholly from the Seed of Darkness.

What else but a wicked power could allow a mere human to threaten Lumen’s chosen First Sword?

Indeed, on rare occasions, perhaps someone could, after a long period of anguish and countless experiences to temper them, achieve such completion as a swordsman.

But the masked man before him—Servant could sense he was still young.

And the sacred sword of Lumen does not choose just anyone.

Only humans with the greatest talent and potential can be chosen by the sacred sword.

So there was no way a human of his age and standing could surpass Servant.

A crooked grin crept onto Helmut’s lips. He spat mockingly,

“If that’s what you want to believe.”

But his words were both correct and incorrect. Helmut was indeed stronger thanks to the Seed of Darkness, yet not solely because of it.

“My mission is to eradicate all demons.”

White light flowed from Servant’s wounded arm. In an instant, his injury was healed.

That was the manifestation of divine power. A tingling sensation spread through Helmut’s chest at the sight.

Alea’s magic had sealed his Seed of Darkness.

“So you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve?”

The moment he said that, a thought struck him that Servant’s sword might be far from ordinary.

A white blade that had withstood Helmut’s strikes directly when it should have shattered under such force.

But Servant had endured, not by his own skill alone, but thanks to that remarkably fine sword.

Not only did it withstand impact, it even rebounded with force. Helmut’s eyes narrowed.

‘If he keeps reacting quickly, it’ll be tough to penetrate that sword.’

He would have to strike a vital point in a single blow, rendering him unable to fight.

Otherwise, he’d simply heal his wounds again.

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