I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

101 – 5# Tempestuous Eve (4)

Siegfried.

Isaac had never read about his settings or how he died. But he didn’t think it was necessary to explore them either.

The first to attack has the advantage.

Following this principle, Isaac swung his fist. On the other hand, Siegfried, who had clashed with Isaac’s fist, didn’t show any signs of surprise, but was secretly astonished.

“Could it be that a hero like this was born in such a short time?”

It had been around 6 to 7 years since he left. During that time, Isaac thought he was the only hero who had killed a dragon. But it seemed that was just his arrogance.

The evidence was right in front of him.

Siegfried’s overwhelming power was enough to push Isaac back. Defeated in terms of strength, Siegfried chose a different method – drawing his sword.

The sword blade that was pulled out from his waist swiftly cut through Isaac’s skin. The sound of flesh being torn apart and the splattering of blood accompanied it. Isaac clenched his teeth from the pain that spread throughout his body.

It wasn’t just the pain that was the problem. Up until now, there were only a few people who had managed to pierce his skin, and even that was mostly done through brute force.

“But this guy is different.”

Isaac was certain of it. The sword Siegfried wielded was not an ordinary one. Even though it was just a normal sword, it had managed to pierce his skin. While others had reached the peak of strength, Siegfried had reached the peak of technique.

“It’s not just any sword that can be called a dragon slayer’s sword.”

“I’ve never heard of that name before.”

“Maybe it’s the work of the one-eyed man.”

Siegfried thought it was a cheap provocation and brushed it off lightly. But Isaac was serious. He had never heard of Siegfried before, neither in the original story nor in the setting.

“Not even in personal broadcasts!”

“This is provocation, isn’t it?”

Their differing thoughts crossed, and the fight continued. Siegfried’s swordsmanship could certainly deal significant damage to Isaac, but Isaac’s fists were also extremely threatening.

Was he going to slowly whittle him down, or would he take the first hit?

This was the path that would decide victory or defeat.

“I’ve got a read on that guy.”

On the surface, he seemed like a martial artist, but according to the information given by the one-eyed man, he was a unique type of hero who only drew his sword against those he had determined were absolute evils.

In reality, Veronica herself almost never drew her sword until she was on the brink of victory. That foolishness could be seen as a kind of conviction. A very firm conviction.

“If he draws his sword, his win rate is at most 1%, close to a miracle.”

That was only possible because Siegfried had reached the peak of technique as a swordsman. If it weren’t for someone like Siegfried, the outcome would be already decided.

And that conviction created a small variable in the fight. It was only natural. You couldn’t believe in your opponent’s conviction and bet your life on it, so you had to be a little cautious.

That would soon become an opening. Although Siegfried was superior in terms of speed and technique, Isaac was not far behind. His fist grazed Siegfried’s side.

“His speed is getting faster and faster.”

He was already strong, but he was getting even faster. He was truly a hero beyond the norms. At that moment, Siegfried’s movements stopped. What was this?

“What are you doing?”

“I told you earlier, my goal isn’t to kill you guys.”

“I already know that.”

Isaac agreed with Siegfried’s words. If Siegfried had aimed to slaughter, there would have been numerous casualties. It was a perfect ambush to that extent.

However, Odin’s order was clearly to annihilate the Iron Shield. The evidence was Veronica, who had come back to life and was attacking with all her might. She was somehow enduring, but…

Just as Isaac was about to attack Veronica, her neck suddenly snapped off in mid-air. It was obvious who did it without needing to be said.

“Siegfried?”

“You’re interrupting our conversation.”

“What’s your plan?”

Isaac gazed at Siegfried without relaxing his tension. Just like I didn’t use my full power, Siegfried also didn’t use his. It was a battle between monsters.

Naturally, there would be numerous casualties in the process. And that wasn’t what Siegfried wanted either. Siegfried, who had sheathed his sword, got straight to the point.

“To be blunt, I need your help, Isaac Silverter.”

“You’re asking for cooperation?”

“That’s right.”

There was no deceit in Siegfried’s voice. Isaac nodded in response. After all, he was called the Dragon Slayer. He was a hero who had been brought to this point by Odin’s workings.

“Can we just kill that Veronica?”

“She’s just a doll, no more. She had some use in the past, but now she’s just a hunting dog that follows Odin’s orders. She can be discarded at any time.”

“What nonsense. You can just recreate such a monster anytime?”

The sound of Yulina’s heart breaking could be heard from just moments ago, when she had barely defended against the fake Veronica’s attack. Isaac also didn’t expect this situation.

In the original story, the Einherjar created by Odin had limitations. They could only implement about 50% of the original hero’s abilities, and even that required a corpse.

However, the Einherjar Veronica created by Odin this time had achieved at least 80% of her abilities, as far as Isaac could see. And she could be created without a corpse.

‘It’s fortunate that mass production isn’t possible.’

But how was that possible? The answer wasn’t far off. It was with Siegfried, the protagonist’s father, who didn’t appear in the original story.

“Didn’t we agree to cooperate?”

“That’s right.”

“So, how are we going to stop Odin?”

“What are you talking about?”

But Siegfried showed a reaction different from Isaac’s expectations. Seeing Siegfried’s puzzled expression, Isaac wondered if it was true. And it was.

“We need to cooperate with Odin to prevent the apocalypse.”

“You’re speaking nonsense artistically.”

Cold, sunken eyes. Isaac, who had been in this world for 5 years, couldn’t help but sense it. Those were eyes that would stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

“But it’s strange. Einherjar don’t have free will, do they?”

“Do I look like a doll to you?”

“Not that, but are you following voluntarily?”

“That’s correct.”

Isaac was taken aback by Siegfried’s affirmation. Somehow, despite reuniting with his long-lost child, he didn’t even bother with a proper greeting. Isaac had thought it was strange from the beginning.

“You have nothing to say to your child, whom you’ve reunited with after so long?”

Isaac, sensing Siegfried’s mood, asked him a question, gritting his teeth. As he said, Siegfried wasn’t doing anything. He was just watching the situation unfold.

It was understandable.

The father who was thought to be dead had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. No, if you listened to Sieg and Zieg’s words, Siegfried was like a trauma to Sieg.

[You must be a man. That’s the only way you’ll be of use!]

Thinking back to how Zeke became obsessed with cross-dressing, it was all because of Zekfried. He couldn’t be called a good parent. Zekfried opened his mouth.

“Are you talking about Zeke and Ginny? I don’t have anything to say.”

“Are you serious? You have nothing to say to your children?”

“Is this the right time? We can greet each other later.”

Zeke’s lips tightened at Zekfried’s cold response. Even knowing that he was that kind of person, why did it hurt so much?

“That’s right, that’s your answer.”

Isaac straightened his posture, his battle-ready stance making Zekfried raise an eyebrow. They had already taken the first step, and even shared their goals.

“I don’t understand. You don’t know anything about the end?”

That was the highest conclusion Zekfried could draw. The prophecy of the end, the final war that would destroy the world. If you didn’t know about Ragnarok, it was possible.

“No, I know all about the end.”

“Then why do you insist on doing this?”

“Of course.”

From Zekfried’s perspective, it seemed foolish. Even if they combined their strength, they wouldn’t be able to stop the end. It was a waste of powerful forces fighting each other.

But Isaac couldn’t back down either. Isaac was furious right now. And even if he set aside his emotions, the opponent was someone he couldn’t trust.

“How can someone who can’t even protect their own family try to save the world?”

Isaac openly sneered at Zekfried.