Note: The Novel Will Be Corrected Until Chapter 105, After That Chapter It Will Be All MTL
C97 - 98 - 99
Episode 97
“Those were the ones who fled with their tails between their legs! Let’s kick them in the behind again this time!”
“Yes!”
With the knight’s spirited shout, the soldiers on the walls once again became busy with their preparations.
The soldiers, emboldened by the victory of the day, were able to forcibly forget the fear of death remembering that triumph.
Furthermore, the relatively bright moonlight and starlight illuminated the contours of the enemy forces charging beyond the torches.
The knightly order of Bifrost was still leading the charge, as always.
However, unlike during the day, they now held variously shaped iron and wooden shields obtained from who knows where.
Moreover, it was only a part that was charging towards the western wall.
The Bifrost forces were already encircling to the north and the south, and even to the east, into their new positions.
Unlike the first battle, they were fully prepared this time.
Just by that, it seemed like they wouldn’t be easily defeated as before.
‘The soldiers can’t help but be scattered.’
It was inevitable that the firepower of the shots would reduce as a result.
Logan sighed quietly, thinking it was going to be a long night.
Thud, thud, thud.
“Waaaaah!”
With the thunderous sound of galloping hooves, the enemy soldiers who charged with shouts came into range.
The soldiers, with sweaty palms, awaited the command and began to fire their crossbows at the signal.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
“Argh!”
“Kugh!”
The sharp screams echoed through the night sky.
But the faces of the crossbow-wielding soldiers, the knight who was commanding them, and even Logan, began to harden.
The power of the crossbows should have been even more formidable in the night than during the day.
Instead of aiming at specific individuals, the targets were large as they aimed at the entire military force, and conversely, these targets had to face arrows flying out of the darkness.
However, only a very small number were falling behind in the beginning.
It was too different from the day when over fifty casualties had been inflicted, even with shields ready.
Moreover.
Tatatatang!
“They, they blocked it!”
Some of the cavalry following close behind the knights even managed to block the crossbow bolts with their shields.
Considering that most of them were carrying crude wooden shields, it was even more bizarre.
‘How is this possible?’
Even if the soldiers were more scattered compared to during the day, reducing the effectiveness of the volleys, far too many of the enemy forces were approaching the walls without significant damage.
And it was only when they came close that Logan sensed something out of place.
“Magic!”
“What?!”
“It’s magic! They’re using magic!”
From the rear of the troops, Roger Bifrost and about twenty mages followed.
Logan could clearly feel the formless energy emanating from them, enveloping the entire enemy force.
‘It’s wind magic.’
He didn’t know exactly what kind of magic it was, but the effect was unmistakable.
However, even knowing didn’t mean there was an immediate way to counter it.
Moreover, since the attacks weren’t completely ineffective, they couldn’t just give up.
“Damn it! Keep firing! Aim for the soldiers!”
“Aim for the soldiers!”
At Logan’s command, the knights repeated the order, and the soldiers changed their target.
It was a completely different tactic from the day.
With the weakened power of the crossbows due to magic, aiming at the knights was pointless.
They had no choice but to focus on cutting off the follow-up forces.
Logan then shouted to the knights.
“Prepare for defense, knights! Break their heads before they climb up!”
“Yes!”
Logan, who was shouting, and the knights responding, all had tension in their voices.
Although many of the Bifrost knights had died in the hard-fought battle of the day, there were still at least half more knights compared to those of Maclane.
Moreover, the stronger Bifrost knights, classified as mid-level or higher, didn’t die as much during the day.
Knowing this, it would have been strange not to be nervous.
A qualitatively different and grim battle awaited them compared to the day.
Bang!
“Aargh!”
Explosions and screams erupted here and there against the walls.
The mud and oil smeared on the walls along with the moat were doing their job impressively.
The lower-level knights were forced to break through the walls and climb up, and boiling oil and stones poured down relentlessly on them.
Only the knights of Maclane who somehow reached the top of the wall had their heads smashed down.
Despite being sealed off from their main weapon, the repeating crossbow, and being clearly outnumbered, Maclane’s forces managed to defend the walls.
Ultimately, the balance in this fierce standoff was broken once again by the strongest of Bifrost.
“Damn it! All the Bifrost twins are here!”
On the opposite side from Logan, an outburst like a scream rang out from the eastern wall.
It was where a majority of mid-level knights were positioned, instead of Logan’s father in the north, himself here, or Heinke in the south.
‘Those damned bastards!’
It was infuriating that the enemy he had been seeking to find had actually appeared on the side opposite him.
“Hold on!”
Logan left that single word behind and vanished from the western wall as if by magic.
It was a movement like a whirlwind, maximized by the Phantom Shadow’s art of movement and the Boots of the Wind God.
“Damn it!”
The moment Ailen received orders to defend the wall on the exact opposite side of where the enemy was advancing, her thoughts could be summed up in that one phrase.
She wondered if she was being underestimated because she was a woman, and now, with a completely different meaning, the same curses burst out of her relentlessly.
“Damn!!”
Slash.
Crash.
The light sword that grazed by ripped off an entire side of the breastplate and carved a deep wound on the side.
“Ha, not bad for a girl.”
Was it a problem that she was the first to notice the high-ranking knight in red armor who suddenly appeared amidst the enemy like lightning?
Or was it a problem that she failed to remember his name and just screamed, “Monkey!” on impulse.
Even though there were other mid-level knights on the wall, this ‘monkey’ was focusing solely on attacking Ailen.
No, to be precise, he was toying with her.
‘That damned man!’
To have achieved a respected position yet engage in such petty pranks in the midst of a fierce battlefield.
She could have consoled herself that the high-ranking knight was preoccupied playing with her alone, leaving him less helpful on the battlefield…
‘Could she really? Madness!’
Blurgh.
“Kugh!”
“Why, getting upset because you got beaten by a mere monkey? You should just endure it. From now on, you’ll be the monkey’s toy. I’ll play with you over and over.”
That’s what the problem was, this detestable guy.
Though she wanted to shout back defiantly, pain from the blow to her solar plexus made it impossible for her to speak properly.
What was truly the worst was the fact that right before her, evoking a vicious look filled with murderous intent, it seemed that this man, who didn’t use any assassin techniques, was seriously considering capturing her.
She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen after being captured.
‘I’d rather die.’
Ailen clenched her teeth, trying to lift her trembling body to stand again.
But.
Click.
“Cough!”
“Prepare yourself thoroughly. I’ll treat you real pretty.”
Aslan, whose hand seemed unusually large compared to his body, grabbed Ailen’s throat, and his eyes were seething with a murderous rage that contradicted his words.
“Ptui!”
“…”
“Rubbish…”
“Heh. Hahaha. You crazy wench…”
Aslan wiped the spit from his face and forcibly suppressed the urge to kill her on the spot.
‘Slowly. I’ll show you slowly, a living hell.’
Ailen’s face, clad in knightly armor, reminded him of the multitude of women who had belittled him decades ago with nothing but their looks.
It felt like it might be time to resume his old hobby, which he had put aside for so many years after becoming known as the Bifrost Twins, the Knights of Swiftness.
At that very moment, while Aslan was immersed in a cruel fantasy of dismembering Ailen…
“Monkey! Play with me!”
With a yell that overturned his insides, a golden radiance flew at him.
Kwaaaang!
An impact transmitted with a blast.
Definitely, he was the one who had launched the surprise attack, but his hands were tingling with pain.
‘This monstrous guy.’
Across the red sword raised lightly, the brown eyes that appeared showed no sign of haste unlike during the day.
His shoulder that had been injured during the day showed no trace of the wound after some treatment, and the sword that blocked Logan’s strike was firm and unshaken.
If there was any consolation, it was that he had managed to save Ailen.
“And here, too!”
Kwaaaang!
Not far away, Logan’s father had blocked Flantz, who had been slaughtering the soldiers on the eastern wall.
This prevented the eastern forces from collapsing all at once.
‘Now the northern and western walls are the problem.’
He refrained from imagining the situations where his father and he had left their positions.
Worrying was of no use; he just had to think of ways to deal with the enemies right in front of him as quickly as possible.
‘To face an enemy higher in rank than me, as quickly as possible?’
The situation was grim, and it was almost laughable. There seemed to be no choice but to take a gamble.
‘As quickly as possible.’
With cold brown eyes staring at him, Aslan did not expect Logan to charge in an unexpected way, at an unpredictable timing.
‘Right now!’
Logan suddenly rushed towards Aslan’s front.
Aslan, who had been watching Logan coolly, instantly responded.
His red sword stabbed toward Logan’s heart, which moved quickly towards him.
Though his injured shoulder slowed his reaction just a tiny bit, the acceleration of Logan’s charge made it look as if Logan was throwing himself onto the sword.
But Logan’s sword was also aimed at Aslan’s heart.
As if there was no thought of evading, as if suggesting a mutual death.
In a very brief moment, the clear brown eyes and the blazing red eyes met, and…
The wielder of the red sword shifted his body slightly.
Crack.
“You crazy bastard!”
Logan’s sword, made of magnesteel twice as tough as normal steel, shredded Aslan’s side armor to tatters, chilling his chest.
“Are you trying to die together?!”
Aslan shouted, losing his composure to Logan’s seemingly reckless behavior.
However, Logan showed no reaction and simply swung his sword again.
As Aslan also lunged in aiming for an opening, Logan once again ignored his attack and maintained his own onslaught.
Sharrrrk!
Another side of the armor split open, exposing bare flesh.
At that moment, Aslan’s brown eyes visibly shook.
“Kugh! You, you crazy…”
He never imagined that a noble lord would push so aggressively on the offense, even betting his life.
It wasn’t easy to perform a life-threatening attack in the middle of a battle.
Especially for someone raised in a noble family.
‘It’s a bluff, just a bluff! It’s just my haste!’
While looking at Aslan’s crazed red eyes, he clenched his teeth.
Born a commoner with a monkey-like appearance, Aslan had fought his way up to his current position driven by pure tenacity.
There was no way he could accept losing a battle of nerves to a nobleman.
Nor could he accept that this mere superior knight had dragged him into a brawl like this.
Aslan, grinding his teeth, glared back into Logan’s eyes.
And so, in the moment when the red sword and the golden sword crossed.
Fwook.
Paak!
“You really are insane…”
Cough.
Aslan sank down, pulling the sword that had pierced his side while coughing up blood.
“Heh. But I win.”
Shakily standing up, he was convinced of his victory.
In the moment they exchanged blows, the unconscious kick he delivered caught the enemy off-guard.
They both may have fallen, but he had only given his side, whereas the enemy had been impaled in the abdomen.
In this battle of nerves, he had won.
The memory of flinching at the last moment and stabbing the stomach, not the heart, had already vanished from his mind.
Conversely, the sword of the enemy had aimed straight for his heart, and had it not been for the mithril heart protector inside the red steel armor sliding the sword away, it would have pierced his heart.
“Now, just go die… Huh?!”
Flash.
Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed from the fallen enemy’s right arm.
‘No!’
Aslan instinctively suppressed the pain and lunged to finish off the enemy, even though the enemy’s sword now in his hand felt slightly awkward to wield.
He believed it was enough to finish off the fallen enemy.
He believed that.
------------------------------
Chapter 98: Surprising Angles!
The sword rebounded from an unexpected angle.
A pale but smiling face.
Clearly, the red-haired specter that had been pierced through the stomach with armor and all, stood unfazed in front of him.
“You, you fiend?!”
Moreover, what shocked Aslan even more was something else entirely.
Crrrk.
“Now, let’s switch weapons for round two.”
The enemy ground his teeth, uttering these words, and Aslan’s face hardened.
In the enemy’s hand was his own beloved sword Velocitas, the artifact that granted him the title of the Knight of Swiftness and had penetrated the foe’s gut.
The strange red aura flickering around the enemy’s body was something Aslan knew all too well.
Even the retaliation just now had only been possible due to Velocitas’s abilities.
Aslan’s complexion turned ashen.
‘An artifact, huh. Still, something isn’t quite right.’
Logan held the red sword that had been stuck in his abdomen and glared fiercely at his opponent.
There was a certain disjointed feeling when wielding a different sword than his Lux, custom-fitted to him.
However, there were definitely benefits as well.
Vvuum.
The moment he infused the sword with his force, an alien power, mana, spread throughout his body, accelerating his consciousness.
“Ho-how ow-could yo-you…”
Aslan’s voice stretched out strangely, as if time around him was slowing down.
Not an artifact like the Boots of Wind, boosting physical abilities— but one enhancing cognition and thought dramatically.
‘So this was the power that made Aslan known as the Knight of Swiftness.’
Logan understood why Aslan felt significantly faster and stronger.
And now, that power was his.
“Let’s finish this!”
Despite the bracelet of regeneration struggling to heal his gut—and a lingering pain that was still present—there was no hesitation in his movements.
The enemy’s condition was far more critical than his own.
The royal treasure, the bracelet of regeneration, ranked alongside high priests’ holy spells, he’d won meeting the king, had worked its precarious magic.
Clang!
Boom!
Snap.
With only three strikes, he cut through the side previously pierced by Lux, and the enemy’s distorted expression was clear to see.
Though unaccustomed to the accelerated cognition, making his movements awkward, this was negligible compared to its utility.
“Begone, vile wretch…”
Thunk.
He had aimed for the heart, but instead pierced the other flank—a mistake born from his inexperience with this new sensation.
But it was only a matter of time.
‘This time, I must catch it!’
The golden force flared on the red blade, targeting the enemy’s staggering vulnerabilities.
No matter the effectiveness of the bracelet of regeneration, instant recovery from a pierced belly was impossible.
Though Logan himself wasn’t in top shape either, the opportunity to eliminate Aslan of Bifrost, one of their greatest strengths, meant forcing himself to continue the onslaught.
Clash!
And as he saw Lux, held by the enemy, flung helplessly into the air after colliding, his determination seemed finally rewarded.
However.
“ASLAN, DEFEND!”
“WHERE?!”
“CURSES!”
Despite the slow passage of time, a peculiar chaos broke out around him.
During the clash, Bifrost’s troops, who hadn’t dared to interfere, now began to charge in.
Perhaps it meant that they, or Aslan’s movements, had become slower since the beginning.
The sight of bloody Eileen, struggling to fend off enemy knights and failing to stop some from reaching the other side, was perceived slowly yet clearly.
“Damn it!”
Just a little more and he could kill him.
A blade was already flying towards his nape.
“Damn! Damn!”
One gamble was enough; he couldn’t accompany Aslan to the afterlife.
The bracelet wouldn’t function for days.
Logan’s sword, aimed at Aslan’s heart, now turned towards the knights charging at him.
Crack.
Crrunch.
“AAARGH!”
“AAAGH!”
Wounded and fatigued, but borrowing the artifact’s power, he consecutively downed three knights.
But in that moment, the others had already whisked the fallen Aslan away.
Bloodied belly, coughing blood—a fatal wound for any ordinary man, but not enough to kill a high-grade knight.
More enemy knights appeared, obstructing him.
Logan, grinding his teeth in frustration, stopped.
Vvuum.
“Ugh!”
A sudden wave of dizziness—the result of unconsciously retracting the force infused in his sword.
The cognitive boost faded back to normal, leaving side effects easily sensed, but blades were already flying at him from all directions.
Clang, clang, clang!
“Ugh!”
Fortunately, someone leapt in front of him in a flash, deflecting the falling blades.
‘Eileen.’
Logan struggled to lift his head, and a pale-faced Eileen, wavering on her feet, was fending off the attacks aimed directly at him.
She looked strained even to block the enemies’ attacks, but that alone was enough.
“Get lost!”
His dizziness was temporary, and despite his wounds, a high-grade knight like Logan could easily overpower three average knights.
Whoosh!
With a bellow, Logan lunged forward, repelling their assaults with a single swipe of his sword.
Staggering Eileen then lunged again, burying her sword into the heart of one of them.
Thunk.
“UGH!”
Following closely behind, as if by magic, Logan struck, severing the necks of two wide-eyed knights.
Slash!
“Well done!”
Exhausted, Eileen collapsed, and Logan shielded her, raising his sword and shouting with all his might.
“I’ve felled the Knight of Swiftness!”
The shout, reddening his own face, seemed pointless at a glance, but it was a necessary act.
From the east wall, where the troops had been consumed by the immediate battle, the message spread rapidly throughout.
The details varied but the essential message was the same.
Bifrost’s strongest had fallen!
Bifrost’s troops hesitated briefly, and MacLaine’s found new strength—a small shift.
But the resulting overall change in the tide of battle was significant.
What had been a tenacious hold on the east wall, now leaning toward Bifrost, reversed—feeling an utter rout after losing their strongest in the west and north walls.
The retreating front line began to hold its ground.
And with Logan helping his father corner the Lunar Knight Plantes, MacLaine’s mood surged even more.
– We are winning.
In all places but the east wall, where MacLaine’s forces had been falling back, they started to gain strength in this illusion.
On the other hand, Bifrost’s army began to panic.
Having boasted of two swords—one fallen and the other being pushed back—was enough to forget the previous advantage.
– Could we be losing?
The two misconceptions from either camp interacting caused a drastic turnaround, which was visibly clear to one observer from afar.
“How’s Aslan?”
“According to the knights’ hand signals, he seems to be unharmed for now. However, since Lord Aslan used the highest-grade potion earlier, for this battle, he’s unable to…”
“Ha. It’s ridiculous. Stupid mice taking it too seriously. There’s no need to overdo it. Retreat!”
“Yes!”
“Hmm. Let’s see how long they can hold out.”
A touch of satisfaction faded from the confident face of Roger Bifrost, replaced by a twinge of irritation.
“They’re retreating!”
“HOORAY!!”
From afar came the announcements of Bifrost’s withdrawal, as all around roared with cheers.
Despite corpses scattered around the torchlit walls, those who stood on them managed forced smiles.
Among them, Logan looked at the rising moon, calming his restless heart.
‘Only one day. It’s just a one-day difference.’
The moon, full just yesterday, had waned much like his inner turmoil.
But he couldn’t show that worry outwardly.
“Everyone rest! Treat the injured and maintain vigilance, take turns for rest!”
The only thing was to survive.
With that single thought, Logan shouted to his troops.
The next day.
An uncertain moment could bring another enemy assault.
Most of MacLaine’s soldiers, who had spent a sleepless night with their eyes wide open, were completely worn by fatigue.
“The enemy! Reinforcements! Their flag… The eagle atop flame… Pheretta! It’s the army of the Count of Pheretta!”
Dismal news of the enemy’s reinforcement arrival spread.
MacLaine’s exhausted forces could have been easily invaded in their weakened state, but since all of MacLaine’s key figures were gathered in Tomodo Castle, defeat in this battle would effectively be the end for MacLaine—it seemed Bifrost had opted to send their army here to make a statement.
Since then, a somewhat different battle had begun, not like the day before.
* * *
“My lord! It’s the east again!”
“Damn these wretches!”
Logan ground his teeth yet had no choice but to respond.
Sprinting across the ramparts, he saw Bifrost’s knights who were about to ascent instead hastily retreat.
‘Again!’
They only feigned climbing before retreating.
Among them was even the Lunar Knight Plantes.
Their eyes met; he sneered and vanished.
This tactic had repeated for days, and Logan was exasperated with this nonsense.
After two initial all-out attacks and with reinforcements from Count Pheretta’s army arriving naively only to be repelled by the chain-bolts’ bitter taste—they now merely teased to test the waters without a full-on assault.
The issue for Logan and MacLaine’s forces was that they had to respond.
Casualties had ceased, but the situation was far from favorable—not just the mounting psychological fatigue.
“My lord, the magazine is running low. At this rate, we won’t have supplies within a day or two…”
Countless magazines, along with other resources brought in place of food, were showing their bottoms after just five days of battle.
“Stored food in the fortress is also depleting, my lord. How dare those scoundrels leave us next to nothing, right after harvest?”
Fury over the food situation was boiling over.
What weighed most troublingly on Logan’s mind was…
‘It’s been over four days already. What went wrong?’
He agonized over the overdue news of the king’s passing.
The slowly tapping sound was persistent.
“Hold! Firm!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“No, my lord! Everyone knows you’ve not slept, working tirelessly…”
“Enough. Save your strength rather than wasting words. Rest.”
As the soldier, already strained, attempted excessive courtesy, Logan stopped him and gazed out at the now dark world beyond the burning torches.
Night attacks were common, at least once a day, so they couldn’t afford to slack off tonight.
Any sign of weakness and the entire enemy force would advance immediately.
With a heavy heart, he looked up at the sky—where the waning moon could no longer be called full.
‘Has something variable occurred…?’
He wondered if it had been a mistake to rely solely on memories from his past life.
Anxiety continued to eat at him.
“That bandage alright? You’ve been shot by an arrow!”
“What can I do at a time like this? Be thankful it’s not the leg.”
“I wish I had been severely injured too…”
“Oh, stop it! You’ll be gone with that kind of talk. Nowadays, you can’t just lay down with minor injuries. Do you know how much the knights press on?”
A soldier on the ramparts reprimanded another softly who was on night duty.
“But my crossbow string is broken. I’ve run out of magazines. At this rate…”
“Hold on, just hold on. Grab a spear and stab if you must. Do you think everyone else is fit?”
“Will we survive, us…?”
“…”
“That’s the thing. Given the situation…”
“…It’s an enterprise of the grand duke. Surely, there’s a plan.”
Despite saying this, the worry was just as deep in the soldier’s eyes.
“Does this look like there’s a plan to you?”
“What other choice is there, kid! Especially now!”
“Why did the grand duke even start this war to begin with…”
“Quiet, for heaven’s sake! The mood is already tense!”
The soldiers, keeping a distance while on night duty, brought heavier gloom to Logan’s heart with their chatter.
‘…Damn it.’
Sensory enhancement felt like a curse at times like these.
Unable to approach them, he merely stood stupefied on the ramparts.
“Logan. We should talk.”
A tired but familiar voice reached his ears.
“Father…”
“You know as well as I do; we can’t keep this up much longer. I want to know what your next plan is.”
His father looked at him quietly with dark-circled eyes and a haggard face.
His conscience poked at him, but he couldn’t possibly reveal his worry.
“Just a few more days, we need to hold out just a bit longer. It’s still too early to say…”
He repeated what he’d said many times, unable to look his father in the eye.
A moment of heavy silence passed.
“… I see. Then we’ll have to continue.”
His father somehow accepted this absurd excuse, nodding his head again.
The hand patting his shoulder felt unspeakably heavy.
‘I must endure. If only we hold out…’
He simply brainwashed himself, clinging to a thread of hope.
And so, two more days passed, and both food in the fortress and the chain-bolts’ supplies were utterly exhausted.
-------------------------------
Episode 99
“The strange arrows no longer fly towards us.”
“What are the odds that this is a trick?”
“None. Even if it were a trick, it’s unlikely they have much left in their arsenal.”
“Right. They’re trapped on all sides, and now they must be running out of supplies. They’ll destroy themselves if we leave them. Won’t they?”
“That’s correct. Within a week, no, a few days, I expect them to come out on their own.”
“Hmm. We just wait and strike them down when they’re exhausted.”
An overwhelmingly advantageous situation.
But Roger Viproz had no intention of waiting those few days longer, as his anger had already been held in check long enough.
“There’s no need to wait to catch a toothless, clawless mouse. Flantz!”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for the order.”
A determined voice.
Not just the McLine camp had been stressed by the recent retreat tactics—it had affected everyone.
“Those rats dared to invade my land. I will personally tear them apart.”
With a declaration filled with murderous intent.
“Full assault. Bring me the heads of the McLine father and son to my feet!”
“Yes!”
Tomodo Castle was once again plunged into turmoil.
“They’re all coming! We’re surrounded on all sides!”
Even without the soldier’s near-scream, everyone could see the enemy forces pressing in from all directions.
As Logan watched the enemy’s all-out assault, his eyes twitched.
‘We must hold out. We have to hold on somehow!’
Despite the unexpected turn of events, he had no other choice but to rely on his memories from a previous life and hope the enemy would delay a bit longer.
Of course, he couldn’t just lie down and die.
“Wait for my command. We’ll pour everything we’ve got into them when they get close.”
“Yes!”
With hushed responses, instructions quickly spread in all directions.
They had deliberately refrained from using rapid-fire crossbows since the day before, saving whatever power they had for their last counterattack.
‘I didn’t expect we’d have to use it this quickly.’
Logan’s eyes darted about, assessing the momentum of the enemy knights scattered on all sides.
He was trying to pinpoint Aslan, Flantz, and the positions of their elite knights.
But of course, in such a vast army, it was a daunting task to find those who were determined to hide.
Even the most conspicuous knight among them was the same case.
‘Has Aslan discarded that armor? Or is he really gone?’
But Logan’s thoughts concerning the missing elite knight didn’t last long, as Roger Viproz’s voice, amplified by magic, signalled the enemy’s full-blown attack.
“Fire!”
Pabababak!
“Argh!”
The last remaining cartridges of the rapid-fire crossbows proved their value at the very least.
The enemy mages were persistent, but since their disruptions were focused around their knights, the last volley aimed at the enemy cavalry and infantry behind them had greater impact than expected.
Of course, that didn’t change the tide of battle.
“Die….”
Chjeooeeuk!
Logan split a knight’s head that had just surfaced over the ramparts with a swift blow, then quickly looked for the next sacrifice.
Chwaaaak!
“Argh!”
“Once you run out of arrows, grab a spear! Even the enemy’s sword will do—thrust it in!”
Logan shouted with a furious voice, prioritizing the enemy knights that were climbing up.
With all his senses heightened, he scanned his surroundings.
“It’s Mun Knight! Stop him!”
On the southern rampart, a detestable knight had appeared among the intermediate knights.
However, Logan was unable to move.
“McLine! I’ll take your head!”
“It is the will of Viproz!”
“Die!”
Five elite knights, most of Viproz’s remaining high-ranked knights, were rushing towards him.
In a way, the power they represented was more daunting than even the might of a single top-ranking knight.
There was no time to worry about any other fronts.
Especially since someone had already been assigned to handle Flantz.
“Hold as long as you can!”
Logan clenched his teeth and braced himself, swinging his golden sword.
“This time, it ends!”
Flantz swung his beloved sword Glacies fiercely, the chill it unleashed adding potency to the silver-whip-like force blades.
The over 3-meter-long silver whip writhed irregularly, and the soldiers caught in its wake were torn apart and froze without understanding their doom.
As Flantz devastated the southern rampart, a red blade flew towards him.
“Not so fast!”
Kwaang!
“Hmph. An amateur…”
After a few clashes confirming his superiority over his enemy, Flantz sneered at the appearance of his opponent, Padric McLine.
However, that sneer was short-lived when he caught sight of the familiar blade in Padric’s hand.
“That sword…!”
“A fine sword, isn’t it? It’s called Velocitas. Let’s finish this.”
Padric grasped the artifact his son had passed on, withdrawing as much force from it as he could.
– It doesn’t quite suit me.
There was no way he didn’t understand that his son’s words were out of concern for him.
Despite a gap in their true capabilities, unlike his son who had defeated an elite knight of the highest order, he felt his own inadequacy compared to someone of Flantz’s rank.
But with such an artifact, he could smash at least one wretch in front of him.
It was essential. It would make all the difference in their unfavorable situation.
Padric, drawing upon the artifact’s power, charged at his foe with all his might.
Logan was fighting splendidly, even if he did say so himself.
He was not only repelling the combined assault of five knights of equal rank but had killed one of them.
However, he couldn’t use Metal Cleaving, which had been effective initially, and was in no condition to wield the energy-intensive Divine Sword Vision.
He could only stretch himself to his limits, relying on the power of Ghost Shadow and Wind God’s Boots to withstand the remaining knights’ attacks.
Logan’s complexion grew increasingly strained, but the same was true for the elite knights assaulting him.
“What a monster…”
“How can he be so strong at his age!”
“We must kill him here!”
Ignoring the enemy’s taunts, Logan focused on the onslaught of attacks and waited for a chance to turn the tide.
‘Just a little longer, just a little more!’
Most of McLine’s overwhelmingly disadvantaged forces had gathered around him, and now enemies were ascending the wall, not just knights but soldiers too.
A desperate situation. Yet Logan’s eyes did not relinquish a glimmer of hope.
“Krak!”
_One fell brother-in-arms screamed while fighting back to back.
Ronian, in turn, thrust his sword into the face of the smug enemy.
“Cough!”
Immediately sensing a new attack aimed at his side, he rolled onto the ground.
“You rat-like!”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Sgak.
Grateful for the enemy’s foolishness, Ronian sharply countered by slashing his thigh, sending the enemy into a rage.
Using the enemy’s outburst to his advantage, Ronian cooled his mind and jabbed his sword precisely at every vulnerability presented by his adversaries.
He barely moved from his spot but struck relentlessly in every direction as if his eyes were everywhere, stirring up the battlefield.
Ronian’s actions were the epitome of what could be witnessed in the chaos of battle.
‘If we hold on, we can win. My brother said if we hold on, we can win. I must endure with a resolve to die if necessary!’
Unbeknownst to him, his talent as an Aura User, once known as the Iron Fortress, was blossoming involuntarily.
However, not only on the eastern wall where he stood but everywhere, the tide turned increasingly against McLine.
‘More! More! More!’
Victor, as if forgetting his physical exhaustion, moved faster and faster with each blow he received.
His lord, whom he had sworn fealty to, was right in front of him, dealing with formidable enemies in a desperate struggle.
Victor yearned to help but could only follow the movements with his eyes.
Yet, lay within him a sense that his lord’s situation was dire.
‘No!’
The thought of again becoming a lost sibling without a protector should his lord fall flashed through his mind.
His younger sibling still needed protection, not from a poor brother like himself but from the family and lord.
‘You must not fall, my lord.’
So Victor earnestly desired the strength to join that fight, to aid his lord.
‘More, faster!’
Fortunately, Victor possessed the talent to fulfill his seemingly impossible wish.
As the melee continued, his body began to accelerate incrementally without his awareness.
Finally.
Poof!
As something within him seemed to burst, Victor realized something had changed.
The flaws of those surrounding him and the movements of those assaulting his lord became clearer.
Immediately, Victor jumped into the fray to assist his lord without even understanding what the change meant.
‘I can handle one more!’
By taking down even one enemy, his lord would have a chance.
He would be able to suppress at least those troubling his lord.
A grayish force began to dimly accompany Victor’s blade.
“Taa!”
He let out a clear shout as he lunged for one of the elite knights, a foolhardy move for a surprise attack, but it drew the necessary attention.
The focus of Parion, one of Viproz’s elite knights already engaged with Logan, suddenly shifted.
And then he recognized his predicament.
‘This darn dog.’
An underling he would ordinarily not even glance at had targeted his back precisely when he was under attack.
For the underling, it was the luck of a lifetime; for him, it was the worst scenario.
As a result.
Chwaaaak.
He felt a sharp pain grazing his neck, followed by a golden blade, and his body rapidly lost strength.
‘This unlucky…’
The last thing he saw before his vision blurred was the interloping brat being overwhelmed.
‘Good job, Victor!’
Unexpected assistance allowed the defeat of another elite knight.
The battle seemed to become easier, but enemies targeting Victor now ensnared Logan.
“Victor! Fall back!”
“But!”
Stubborn though he was, the reality was they couldn’t continue the fight.
Looking around, he saw the McLine forces tightly clustered at the center, forming a makeshift barricade to fend off the enemy.
It was time to play their final card.
Logan bellowed, slashing fiercely at the enemies and shouting with force-imbued command.
“Retreat, all troops!”
His voice echoed throughout the castle.
The remaining McLine forces, who still had their wits, heeded Logan’s words and began to cry out in various places.
“Retreat! Soldiers first!”
“Knights, hold back the enemies!”
Late to ascend the walls, Viproz’s forces were baffled by the shouting.
‘Knights sacrificing themselves for soldiers?’
‘What madness is this?’
While Viproz’s knights, already confident of their victory, snickered openly, the McLine knights formed a minimal barricade, securing the stairs below and evacuating their soldiers off the wall.
‘What are they doing?’
A similar thought crossed the minds of Viproz’s knights.
However, their enemies’ folly only favored them more, and they roared even louder, almost as if to let their awaiting leader below know.
“The enemies are retreating!”
“Uproot them!”
A robust defense simply meant perfect capitulation.
Viproz’s knights banded together, aggressively pressuring the densely-packed McLine knights.
And then.
‘Now!’
As the majority of McLine’s soldiers had retreated into the interior, Logan gave the final signal.
“Let’s finish this!”
With that, he raised his sword high, and a powerful golden light surged like a giant’s blade.
Then, Logan brought the sword down with all his might.
“Impossible!”
“Stop!”
If it were a deadly strike, the preparation was far too grand.
The elite knights facing Logan all evaded its trajectory.
As a result, for a brief moment, the focus of fire on Logan waned.
Seizing that chance, Logan reeled in his giant’s blade, grabbed Victor, and leaped off the wall.
“What’s going on?”
It was just an intimidating display using Earth Cleaving as a signal.
Immediately following the flow of dense mana along the wall.
Urrurururuung.
Tomodo Castle’s walls began to crumble all at once, as if it were a lie.
