Godo had spent his life forging weapons and shields. At a glance, he could naturally see that the craftsmanship of these two weapons was flawless—and they also possessed a certain mysterious power, something he had glimpsed by chance in his youth and now, nearing the end of his life, had almost forgotten.
He could only vaguely sense the existence of such power in a mining cave in the mountain behind his home.
"This is incredible." Godo couldn't help but sigh. "These weapons and shields are truly astonishing. Even I would have to bow in admiration... I wonder if you could demonstrate their strange powers for me?"
"Before I die of old age or illness, I would very much like to broaden my horizons. Consider it fulfilling an old man's wish."
Erica heard Godo say he would "die of old age or illness" and couldn't help but angrily shout, "Father! You..."
Godo also realized he had misspoken and could only smile helplessly.
At that moment, Nidhogg nodded and said, "Alright. I'll let you have a look."
"Perfect timing. Let me be your opponent." Guts smiled and drew his greatsword. "I won some and lost some in the Hawk Company, but I won more and you won less. We've reunited after a long time. Let's compete again today!"
"Fine." Nidhogg readily agreed. This was also an agreement he had made with Guts when he left the Hawk Company.
He thought for a moment, then put away all his other weapons and shields, leaving only Bloodhound's Fang.
This was because Guts had already experienced the power of the Lordsworn's Greatsword, and the Golden Halberd's skills weren't intuitive enough. Bloodhound's Fang was the most suitable choice.
Erica clapped her hands excitedly, eagerly anticipating the battle she was about to witness. Her little face flushed.
She watched Guts train every day, so she knew he was very strong. And judging by those strange tricks, Nidhogg must not be weak either. She wanted to see who would win when they met.
Godo stroked his long beard and said, "Then go outside and fight. Don't destroy my house."
So Nidhogg and Guts went out to the open slope by the house. The wind blew. The atmosphere was perfect.
Guts gripped his greatsword with both hands and stood a few meters away, staring intently at Nidhogg.
Nidhogg drew Bloodhound's Fang, pointing its tip diagonally at the ground. He was ready.
"Start!" Erica, acting as the temporary referee, shouted loudly and jumped up.
She leaped into the air. Before her feet even touched the ground, the two figures had already clashed.
CLANG! CLANG!—
Sword-light and sword-shadows flickered and clashed!
In an instant, Nidhogg and Guts had already exchanged several rounds. The faint shockwave caused Erica to stumble back a few steps after landing.
But Guts was secretly astonished.
He knew very well how much effort Nidhogg had put in to defeat him since leaving the Hawk Company. Even he would have been shocked by Nidhogg's rapid progress over the past few months.
However, Nidhogg's improvement was no worse than his own—if not far better.
In their previous fight, Guts had still held a certain advantage in strength and speed, but he had lost to Nidhogg due to an unexpected strike.
This time, fighting on level ground, Nidhogg fought steadily and was not at a disadvantage at all. Not only did he block all of Guts's powerful attacks, but he also counterattacked swiftly!
Even more frightening was that Guts noticed Nidhogg was constantly accelerating. His Bloodhound's Fang was becoming faster and fiercer.
Guts clearly understood that if he remained locked in a stalemate, he would definitely lose.
"HRAAAH—!" Guts could only let out a loud cry. He suddenly exploded with power, rebounding from Nidhogg's fang. Then he spun, using his entire waist, abdomen, and legs for leverage, and delivered a charged, circular swing!
FWOOSH—!
The sound of air tearing rang out. This slash was extremely fierce, aimed at cleaving Nidhogg in two. Erica, watching the battle, went pale.
Godo remained calm. His swordsmanship was average, but he hadn't just fallen off a turnip truck. He'd seen a thing or two.
He and Guts shared the same judgment: Nidhogg might be able to block this strike with Bloodhound's Fang in time, but he would likely be knocked flying by Guts's fierce circular swing and tumble embarrassingly to the ground.
But what happened next surpassed everyone's expectations.
Nidhogg didn't directly block or dodge. Instead, he also executed a circular swing. His sword arc was agile, clashing with Guts's greatsword and sending sparks flying!
Then Nidhogg, as if riding a kite caught by the wind, leaped and gracefully floated backward.
After landing, before Guts could react, he activated Bloodhound's Step and charged forward!
Guts, having just unleashed his charged swing, had sent Nidhogg flying far away. But he saw no sign of Nidhogg's embarrassment. Instead, he felt a dangerous intuition.
Something's coming!
And indeed, Nidhogg suddenly vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was right before Guts's eyes!
FWOOSH—!
The tip of Bloodhound's Fang aimed directly at Guts's throat—and stopped just inches away!
Guts hadn't seen it clearly. He hadn't seen Nidhogg's movements at all. This was perhaps the most extreme swordsmanship he had ever witnessed—and it didn't seem like a skill any human could use!
The hillside fell silent. Only the trees nearby rustled in the wind.
"Excellent!" Godo suddenly applauded.
Erica, initially stunned by the shock, also reacted and clapped her hands vigorously until they turned red.
Nidhogg withdrew Bloodhound's Fang and stepped back.
Guts's body slowly relaxed. He glanced at the blue sky, then sighed. He slung his greatsword over his shoulder, shook his head, and said, "From now on, the gap between you and me will probably only widen."
In truth, Guts's growth was already impressive enough.
His speed was unmatched among humans. But he had happened to encounter the inhuman Nidhogg, blessed by the golden brand.
However, before anyone could comfort him, he laughed and said, "But I'm not just going to admit defeat and accept my fate. I'll continue my sword training and challenge you again in the future. Nothing's changed!"
Guts was extremely resolute. He was not the type to back down when faced with a fearsome enemy.
"Fine. I'll be waiting for you and our next battle," Nidhogg replied.
Having a tiger like Guts chasing after him was good. It added pressure and motivation for improvement.
Guts nodded satisfactorily and walked over again. "I believe most of what you said earlier. But I cannot accept Griffith's fate."
"In any case, no matter what the Abyss, the God Hand, and the Apostles are, I won't let them manipulate the fate of our Hawk Company—let alone allow Griffith to be seduced by them."
Nidhogg nodded. He also understood that he couldn't convince Guts now. He just needed to remind Guts to be mentally prepared.
So he said, "I have some bad news. You've been living in the mountains, so I'm afraid you haven't heard yet... Griffith and the Hawk Company have already met with disaster."