Chapter 191
Chapter 191: Everyone Get Away From Me! (2)
Jaimon still felt like the current situation was a dream.
The enemy’s strategy and tactics were bizarre enough to seem unworldly, but the destructive power and speed of the invaders were unbelievable.
The number of Penris soldiers charging toward the castle walls was only a handful, barely totaling a few dozen.
In contrast, our own forces that had set up defenses were several times that number.
‘Yet they break through so quickly! Where did such knights come from in Penris!’
Most of Count Cabaldy’s soldiers were heavily armed heavy infantry from head to toe. This allowed them to put up a strong defense.
No matter how skilled a knight was, they couldn’t possibly kill heavy infantry this fast.
‘Are they all of elite knight caliber? No, that can’t be right. It’s the ones at the front that are the problem.’
Jaimon glared at the knights leading the charge: Gillian and Kaor.
Gillian was particularly fearsome in the chaos of battle.
During the last war, he had mainly served in a protective role behind Ghislaine, so he hadn’t had a chance to shine.
But this time, he was leading a unit to attack, revealing a completely different side of himself.
He appeared adorned with various weapons and demonstrated his skills without holding back.
Pah!
Before he even got close, thrown weapons pierced the enemies’ heads.
Each time he swung his sword, the heads of the foes charging at him flew off.
Attempts by the Cabaldy soldiers to strike with spears and swords were uselessly met by Gillian’s shield.
“B-back off!”
“It’s a monster!”
“We can’t fight this enemy!”
There was no way to find a way to counterattack.
Even a little wound would have given them the strength to keep attacking.
Fearful, the enemy retreated, lifting only their thick shields.
Their intent was to hold on and buy some time, no matter what.
With an arrogant sneer, Gillian threw down his sword and shield and pulled out the axe strapped to his back.
Kwah!
“Ugh!”
Their shields were utterly useless. Gillian’s axe split the enemies in two along with their shields.
With every step he took, enemies were swept away like autumn leaves.
Was this really the elite heavy infantry renowned in the North?
Eventually, three knights who commanded the other soldiers rushed over to stab Gillian with their swords.
Clang!
As Gillian dodged, the blade nicked his cheek, blood oozing out.
Seizing the moment, two of the knights attacked from either side.
“Die!”
Knights from the North were known for being rougher than those from other regions.
Indeed, the Cabaldy knights attacked Gillian recklessly, true to their northern style.
However, Gillian’s counterattacks were even more ferocious.
Without even thinking of dodging, he swung his axe at one side.
Kwah!
The axe shattered the enemy knight’s sword and struck through to his chest.
“Kugh!”
With a scream, the knight fell, his chest split open.
Another knight tried to take advantage of the opening to strike, but Gillian twisted his body and deflected the knight’s blade with his thick forearm.
Thud!
The sword was blocked with a dull thud.
“What the…?”
The Cabaldy knight was dumbfounded. How could one block a mana-infused blade with an arm?
It was made possible by wearing vambraces crafted from Blood Python leather that emitted mana, but the knight could never comprehend that.
Crack!
In that exact moment, Gillian’s axe flew to split open his head.
“You bastard!”
The remaining knight, with rage in his eyes, swung his sword with all his might.
Gillian narrowed his eyes and stared at the knight. This knight had been the one to nick his cheek on the first attack. Clearly, he seemed to command the others.
Clang!
Gillian blocked the incoming sword with his axe. Then, without missing a beat, he swiftly pulled out a shorter, broader sword from behind his waist and sliced open the knight’s waist.
Splurt!
That was the end of it.
Seeing their commanding knights fall in an instant sent the soldiers into a panic as they retreated even further.
Gillian didn’t stop, wielding both axe and sword, as he resumed annihilating the enemies.
Kwah! Kwah!
“Ugh!”
“Run! Run away!”
Every movement left paths wide open behind him.
Thanks to Ghislaine, Gillian’s skills had grown tremendously; he was a true destroyer of the battlefield.
As Gillian easily shattered the enemy’s defensive line, it became easier for the Penris knights to fight.
They still lacked the capability to break through the thick shields in one go.
With Gillian clearing a path, the knights following him could quickly rush through the defenses in front of the castle walls.
On the other side, Kaor’s speed was no less impressive. In fact, he was perhaps even faster.
“Hurry up! If you’re slower than the old man, you’re dead in my hands!”
Kaor urged the knights on with fervor.
While Gillian smashed everything in front of him like a massive hammer, Kaor was like a sharp pointy spear.
He relentlessly penetrated the enemy formation, causing their allies behind him to find themselves flanked by foes on either side.
Naturally, their speed in breaking through was quicker than Gillian’s, but it also made them more vulnerable.
Yet, Kaor’s expression never lost its grin.
“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve fought. Feels incredible!”
He had an inherent thrill-seeking personality, and his knights were no different.
The knights who had once belonged to the Mad Hounds followed Kaor without question.
“Ah, this is the taste of battle!”
“Indeed, sticking close to our lord means exciting adventures await!”
“Flying through the sky! Slaughtering enemies! Whoa, this is the true life of a man!”
They were mercenaries who had lived rough lives in the North fueled by adrenaline. Their nature of enjoying risk hadn’t changed, even after becoming knights.
They swung their swords wildly, unafraid of getting wounded, pressing closer to the enemy.
Kaor’s tenacious demeanor even caused the Cabaldy soldiers to hesitate and back away.
Three knights rushed out to try to stop Kaor.
“Ha! Finally, some worthy opponents have arrived.”
Excited to the core, Kaor grinned cruelly as he squared off with the three knights.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After several exchanges, Kaor, whose skills had developed remarkably since before, easily brushed off the knights’ attacks.
Kaor’s fighting style differed significantly from Gillian’s. He didn’t immediately counterattack; rather, he surveyed the knights carefully.
Like a predator hunting its prey.
He didn’t miss the moment an enemy knight exposed a small opening.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
Kaor’s lightning-fast sword pierced through the enemy knight’s throat.
As the remaining two knights charged at him, Kaor grabbed the dead knight’s body and used it as a shield in front of him.
Clang! Clang!
The knights’ attacks were halted by their fallen comrade’s body.
“What the…! What sort of trickery is this?”
“Desecrating a knight’s body! Do you have no honor?”
The Cabaldy knights were taken aback. They never imagined that someone who looked like a knight would resort to such dishonorable tactics.
And Kaor didn’t let the opening they presented slip away, swiftly lunging his sword from behind the corpse.
Thwack! Thwack!
Targeting vital points was his specialty. The two remaining knights collapsed, their throats pierced.
Wiping the blood from his face and spitting, Kaor wore a satisfied grin.
“What does it matter to quibble over the body of something already dead? No matter how I think about it, I feel like I’m the strongest. Hehe.”
With sharp eyes, he surveyed the terrified Cabaldy soldiers around him.
“Hey, I’m heading out first, so you lot better kill the rest quickly and catch up. There’s no time.”
With that, Kaor turned his attention back to the big picture and dashed forward. It seemed he only thought about reaching the castle walls first.
Thanks to Kaor’s exploits, the path ahead was wide open. The Cabaldy defenses were already in disarray.
It was not difficult for the remaining Penris knights to finish off those who remained.
“Easy pickings! Kill them all!”
“Charge! Charge! Hahaha!”
The Penris knights ruthlessly slaughtered the demoralized enemies as they dashed forward.
This all happened in just a few minutes.
Seeing the Penris forces rapidly breach both castle walls, Jaimon felt a chill run down his spine.
‘The walls are done for.’
The walls would soon be occupied, and the command tower he was in would be attacked as well.
There was only one hope remaining.
Somehow, they needed to hold out without opening the castle gate until their allies arrived.
But that was merely Jaimon’s hope.
The forces killing off the troops near the castle gate were far more brutal than those in both walls.
Jaimon screamed in a panic.
“Hold them back! For heaven’s sake, don’t let them through the gate!”
A fierce battle erupted near the castle gate, fiercer than that of the walls. They had poured in even more soldiers than at the walls.
Yet, despite having fortified their defenses, they were being overwhelmed with no way to counter.
Kwah!
“Ah! A monster!”
As Ghislaine bellied forth with glowing red eyes, the Cabaldy forces crumbled into nothingness.
Ghislaine moved like lightning.
Having ingested Blood Python’s poison, his mana had skyrocketed. To control that mana, he had tirelessly trained his body.
Finally, the power he had been building every single day exploded right here.
The Cabaldy soldiers couldn’t even think of approaching Ghislaine. Even if they wanted to encircle him, they couldn’t.
Crack!
Every time the red line moved in the shadows, some soldiers’ heads tumbled off.
Following closely behind, the Penris knights also charged at the Cabaldy forces without holding back.
Seeing Ghislaine, the Cabaldy knights began to sharpen their focus on him.
“Get out of the way! Fall back!”
Five Cabaldy knights released from combat dove towards Ghislaine.
They knew Ghislaine was no ordinary knight and aimed to surround him right from the start.
To turn the tide, they had to take down that monster.
It was only natural for the strongest to guard the most critical position.
As knights who seemed more than formidable approached, Ghislaine waved his hand to shove the Penris knights back.
Clang!
In an instant, a space opened, and a fight began between five knights and one.
The knights wielding swords against Ghislaine couldn’t believe their eyes.
Every single attack from the five was effortlessly evaded or blocked by Ghislaine.
And then came the counterattack.
Swish!
As Ghislaine’s sword twirled in his hand, one knight’s head rolled away.
The knight trying to capitalize on the opening was left crying out in bewilderment as a flash of red light danced in his eyes before fading into unconsciousness.
The remaining three knights realized without a doubt that they couldn’t handle him.
In terms of speed, strength, or technique, they were no match.
While Cabaldy’s knight captain was praised for his skills, he didn’t hold a candle to the one standing right in front of them.
Slash!
Without even knowing when it happened, another knight’s head fell from his shoulders.
With every movement Ghislaine made, beautiful red lines painted the air.
The lines danced as if painting through the darkness. They were reminiscent of a fierce melody.
In the knights’ eyes, nothing existed but that red line. If there were a definition for ultimate technique, this was surely it.
Slash!
As they stood mesmerized by the beautiful line without moving, yet another knight’s head dropped.
“Swordmaster….”
The last remaining knight couldn’t even muster the courage to attack, lowering his sword and muttering.
He had never seen a real Swordmaster before, but if someone exhibited such techniques, who else could deserve the title of master?
If someone had to be given the title of master, it had to be the one standing right before him.
This was clearly the one who owned the sword.
Again, a flash of the red line surged forward.
The Cabaldy knight, resigned to his fate, closed his eyes.
He had always dreamt of the ultimate attainment of a knight’s sword. And right now, he bore witness to it with his own eyes.
Slash!
There was no regret. That was his final thought.
