Chapter 567
Chapter 567: If We Run Now, We Can Survive (4)
“Guh!”
Another priest, sensing something amiss, quickly dodged to the side.
Only then did he realize.
“Cough, when…”
That his side had been slashed deeply.
Fortunately, he was not dead. The priest gathered his energy and staunched the wound.
Half of his side had been cut off. If the attack had gone any deeper, his body would have been split in two.
Yulien stared blankly at the priest.
‘Still not enough.’
That fleeing priest was slightly stronger than the dead priest. That’s why it hadn’t been cut down in one blow.
Yulien had previously sliced a superhuman in half in a single strike. Even though he was considerably exhausted from fleeing, and had let down his guard against Yulien, a superhuman was still a superhuman.
The fact that even a weaker half-hearted priest survived meant that Yulien had not yet reached a level he was satisfied with.
Even now, it might seem incomprehensible to others.
“Y-you, who are you…?”
The priest asked, clutching his side with a trembling voice.
Yulien did not answer but moved his sword again.
Swick!
“Graaaah!”
One of the priest’s arms was severed. He had managed to barely avoid it.
In truth, the priest hadn’t sensed anything; he had just instinctively moved as soon as the opponent raised the sword.
Yulien raised his sword once more.
“…”
It was clear that the opponent was better than the dead one. As a result, he was expending significantly more mana.
The technique itself consumed considerable mana, so this aspect would need to be further reinforced in the future.
Yulien focused a bit more and drew his sword through the air.
Swick.
The third strike could not be avoided, and the priest’s head fell.
Yulien paid no further attention and continued to ride.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
He glanced briefly at the cavalry of the Atrode Army spreading out on both sides, raising his sword to his shoulder.
Gathering strength, Yulien maintained that stance for a moment before swinging his sword widely.
Pach!
Once again, something unbelievable occurred.
Those in the midst of the Atrode Army suddenly collapsed as their bodies were sliced apart.
Heeeing!
Horses fell, and severed bodies dropped to the ground.
“Ughhh!”
Cavalrymen rushing from the rear halted in shock at the scene.
“W-what is this?”
The middle of their ranks was shattered. They had succumbed to an attack they couldn’t even comprehend.
As a result, only the front line cavalry continued to charge. Only then did the allied cavalry spread out widely to engage the enemies.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Yulien quickly urged his horse toward the enemy commander.
Seeing him approach, Count Strooke shouted, his face pale as he witnessed Yulien’s unbelievable power.
“M-mage! That guy! Kill him first!”
The mages, terrified, released their magic circles and extended their hands forward.
They too realized that something nonsensical was happening.
Overwhelmed by sudden fear, they unleashed all their mana without holding back.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The horse enveloped in Yulien’s blue mana moved at tremendous speed.
In an instant, Yulien was close to the mages and swung his sword through the air.
Swick!
The moment the mages turned blank expressions.
“Huh?”
“Magic… why?”
“Did he sever my mana?”
The magic that was about to activate, bending the rules of this world, became nullified. The flow of mana they had been controlling was cut off.
Magic is achieving reality through a spell based on the wizard’s knowledge and mana.
Thus, until a spell activates, magic is merely the mage’s will. Sealing magic ultimately dismantles the activated spells of other mages.
But Yulien had cut what could not be seen or severed. It was only natural that the mages would be astonished.
“W-w-what is this…”
The mages fell into chaos, unable to take any action, even as Yulien raised his sword again.
Swick.
The mages’ heads fell one after another. The mana they had gathered violently dissipated into the air.
‘It worked.’
Mages are dangerous beings in wartime. If not properly contained, allies could suffer severe losses.
Thus, Yulien continually pondered how he could block their magic.
Dashing in and killing them wasn’t difficult. However, if he were to delay even slightly and allow their magic to activate, the soldiers would suffer.
As he contemplated, one method occurred to him.
He could infuse his will with mana. Thanks to that, he could sever foes across space.
‘Then…’
If his will was resolute, perhaps he could sever anything?
Even if it was just a concept that didn’t physically exist.
He felt it was possible. No, he even felt like he had already done it once before.
So he cut, and he succeeded.
‘For now… around the 4th Circle to the 5th Circle…’
As the mages’ realms increased, so did their will. It seemed it would be a bit more challenging starting with 6th Circle mages.
Moreover, he had consumed more mana than usual. With the recent clash against the infantry, Yulien had less than half of his mana remaining.
The techniques he employed required an immense amount of mana.
But it was fine. He had gained new realizations and found ways to improve.
Clop, clop.
As Yulien slowly advanced, Count Strooke trembled.
Initially unaware of who it was, he suddenly recognized the face. He had confirmed his portrait several times.
‘Prince Turian.’
A being rumored to have strength equal to that of Duke Penris. He was certainly a worthy opponent, but that was all.
After all, a single superhuman couldn’t end a war.
‘I thought Duke Penris would be the biggest obstacle…’
Duke Penris was well-known as one of the strongest figures on the continent. While his combat power was tremendous, his strategic execution in wars was even greater.
Still, Count Strooke believed it would be worth a try. They had strong armies, superhumans, and strategists themselves.
They were also overflowing with confidence, believing they would understand once they faced off.
Yet the being before him was on another level. The power he wielded was incomprehensible.
“Die!”
The guard knights of Count Strooke rushed at Yulien.
But as soon as Yulien swung his sword, their bodies were split apart. No one stood in his way anymore.
Count Strooke swallowed hard.
‘This guy…’
There were numerous strong individuals on this continent, but no one knew who the strongest truly was.
That’s why the title of Greatest Sword of the Continent did not exist at this moment.
But Count Strooke was certain now.
‘This guy is the true Greatest Sword of the Continent.’
His mind was engulfed in confusion.
He felt like kneeling and bowing his head before that powerful being.
Count Strooke was afraid even more than his soldiers. Reaching a realm far above them, he could see much more.
Crack!
However, Count Strooke soon clenched his teeth. How could he be so afraid as to submit to the enemy?
Clop, clop, clop, clop.
As Yulien drew closer and regarded Count Strooke, he took a deep breath.
‘Those eyes.’
At first glance, one couldn’t perceive any emotion. But on closer observation, there was something strangely resonant within.
That gaze, like an abyss, seemed to contain an unfathomable darkness he could never comprehend.
The moment he realized that, a chill ran down Count Strooke’s spine.
‘What are we… fighting against right now?’
No matter how strong or exceptional Duke Penris was, that confrontation was ultimately a battle between humans.
That’s why he had wracked his brain searching for a way to win.
But the figure before him was not human.
‘A monster…’
No, he could hardly express it with just the term ‘monster’. That was something that was human yet not human.
Who could withstand such ridiculous power? Perhaps that individual alone could end this battle?
Did war and armies even have significance before such a being?
The overwhelmingly astounding power of Yulien instilled an indescribable fear in Count Strooke.
But even being afraid, he could not readily extend his neck out for slaughter.
Unlike other commanders, he was a devout follower of the Salvation Society. He was always ready to give his life for the church.
Count Strooke leaped off his horse and stepped back.
‘This life, for the church!’
Kraaaah!
Suddenly, a black energy surged violently from his body.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
His body twisted grotesquely, swelling up rapidly.
“Grrr!”
A holy knight created through the Salvation Society’s secret. Once he unleashed his power, he was sure to perish.
But he could unleash a strength several times greater than his original power.
As an excellent knight, he had just acquired power bordering on that of a superhuman.
“I’ll… kill you!”
He didn’t think he could win. He just intended to inflict even a small wound to help his allies.
“Graaah!”
Count Strooke let out a beast-like roar, lowering his body.
The moment he exerted explosive power into his legs and was about to leap out—
Yulien lightly swung his sword.
Swick.
Thud.
The head of Count Strooke, transformed into a holy knight, fell to the ground.
Pach!
The black energy that had enveloped his body hurriedly escaped, losing its destination.
Ultimately, Count Strooke’s body shriveled up and collapsed.
“Holy Knight.”
Yulien muttered to himself, unusually.
He had seen them a few times during Turian’s civil war before. Yet upon meeting Ghislaine, it felt different than back then.
Holy knights wielded power differently than priests. They felt more akin to the power Ghislaine had.
“…”
For a moment, Yulien looked down silently at Count Strooke’s corpse before turning away.
Kraaaang!
The allied cavalry was pushing back the cavalry of the Atrode Army.
The moment the middle ranks collapsed, the rear cavalry could not move properly.
There were only a few left charging from the front.
After all, the Atrode Army had started with significantly fewer numbers. They were incapable of defending against the attacks from the allied cavalry.
“Ughhhh!”
“Form ranks quickly!”
“Move!”
The commanders of the Atrode Army shouted from everywhere, but it was already difficult for them to regain their lost mobility.
The 6th Legion of the Atrode Army had completely collapsed, and they fell one by one, ultimately being annihilated. Very few managed to escape.
Despite their recent victory, they had failed to inflict any damage on the allied forces.
It was only natural, as Yulien had eliminated all risks alone.
“…”
As Yulien quietly gazed at the corpses, he turned his head again.
Dark was soaring through the air.
“Gah! I found you! There’s quite a distance, but those guys might be heading this way too.”
Yulien nodded.
The scale of damages to the allied forces was not small. With the forces they had encountered, it was a record difficult to match.
He expected that there would be another army coordinating with them from the traces left behind. Ghislaine had mentioned that possibility as well.
The enemy’s objective was clear. Ghislaine had intentionally used spies to leak false information.
‘…Displeasing.’
Up until now, others thought of themselves as the same side and fought together.
The spy had betrayed their trust.
As that thought crossed Yulien’s mind, he felt slight displeasure for the first time since joining the allied forces.
It felt unfamiliar. Did he still harbor feelings about such matters?
Perhaps it stemmed from the painful memories of childhood when everyone had ostracized him.
Or perhaps it was because he felt a sense of kinship in joining together to save the allied forces and people.
Or perhaps…
Dark’s voice broke his contemplation.
“Ugh! Yulien, I don’t think I can last much longer.”
Dark No. 28 had shrunk significantly. It was because his mana had been gradually depleting as he moved.
There was no helping it. Dark’s clone could only be maintained through Ghislaine’s replenishment of mana.
Suddenly, Yulien thought, perhaps he could replenish mana for him. He had an intuitive feeling that he could.
“Hold still for a moment.”
“Why? I’m a being that can’t stay still for even a moment! Because the world won’t leave me be!”
Yulien ignored Dark and simply grabbed his torso.
“Gak! You insolent being! Let go of me at once!”
Yulien slowly infused his energy into Dark. The unfamiliar energy soon flowed out from Dark’s body.
Yet Yulien did not stop there. He wished to merge with Dark’s energy, embedding his will into it.
At some moment, Dark’s body began to grow larger.
“Huh? Huh? What’s happening?”
Dark was flustered.
He could only exist with his master’s energy. Within his consciousness, he had merged into one, and his energy was also possessed by Ghislaine.
Yet gradually, the drained energy was being replenished.
“W-wow! Yulien, what’s up! What are you doing?!”
Seeing Dark grow sturdier than expected, Yulien ceased to inject energy.
“Done.”
“How did you do that?! Huh? Why is this possible? Huh? It makes no sense!”
“Let’s go.”
Yulien offered no explanation. He simply infused his will because it felt like it would work.
And it truly worked. As if Dark’s energy and his own had always been one.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Yulien and the allied forces moved to the next location. Having spent little energy, the horses needed just a quick break.
Dark sat on Yulien’s shoulder, chattering away.
“Wow! This is so amazing! What can’t you do, Yulien? Being ugly? Not cool? Being mediocre? You can’t do those, right? I can do them.”
“…”
“By the way, this energy feels really strange! It’s almost like we were one! You know, I felt comfortable being around you! Were we lovers in our previous lives?”
“…”
“Listen up. I used to be in the body of a little brat named Edwin! It was comfortable back then too, but…”
Dark chattered incessantly. He rivaled Claude in verbosity.
“…”
Yulien ignored him completely and simply continued on. He merely thought that perhaps he should not have bothered for even a second.
