Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Wood and Iron
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Kwachakakakak!
The slashing wave tore mercilessly across the ground. Even the armored warhorses it touched had their flesh ripped apart, while the knights riding them were flung back like they'd been struck by a blunt weapon, tumbling across the earth or crashing into nearby clustered comrades.
The knights were the lucky ones. The plate armor they wore was forged with a master smith's utmost effort, making it incredibly sturdy, and layered with spells that greatly mitigated external impacts. Thanks to that, they suffered only minor injuries from Judah's slash.
But for the light cavalry behind them, it was a different story. The wave continued onward, engulfing the light cavalry maintaining formation in the rear. Their gear was nothing more than ordinary leather armor and robes—no enchantments whatsoever.
It wasn't nearly enough to block the slash. Blood sprayed across the white snow. The flesh of comrades who'd been with them just moments ago shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere. The snow melted where the hot blood touched it. But no one paid any mind to the melting snow.
"U-Uwaaaah!"
The soldiers, momentarily stunned, plunged into chaos upon smelling the acrid tang of blood. A soldier drenched in the blood of a comrade who'd been beside him moments before let out a disbelieving laugh at the unbelievable reality. The others were no different.
"What... what just happened...?"
A knight standing right beside the knight captain muttered dazedly at the slash that seemed beyond human capability. He was lucky enough not to be caught in it, but the scene felt too surreal to register.
Even so, perhaps because they were knights, they quickly regained their composure. Those in the rear shouted to control the panicked light cavalry, while those at the front drew their swords or leveled their lances toward Judah.
"Enemy! Kill him!"
Finally, someone bellowed with murderous intent. Hearing it, Judah nodded.
That's right.
An enemy.
No mercy for enemies.
Judah immediately activated several skills. The ground, blanketed in white snow, darkened as shadows spread across it, obscuring the blood that had been so vividly stark against the snow.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
A group can sometimes conquer fear. The aura Judah exuded pressed down on the knights like a physical weight, filling them with dread. Yet they overcame it with roars, spurring their horses' flanks. The clash of barding and sabatons rang out metallically.
Hiiihiiing!
Urged on by their riders, the horses reared and charged. One brave knight led the way, and the others followed. Their expressions were hidden by their helmets as they thundered forward. Watching them, Judah summoned Altemia into his hand.
Pat-
From his empty palm, red energy seeped out, forming a dagger in a mere 0.1 seconds. He gripped the completed dagger and hurled it with all his might. A crimson trail arced through the air, embedding itself in the torso of the first knight charging with sword drawn. The impact sent the knight flying backward off his horse.
〈Liberation〉
Before the knight hit the ground, Judah triggered Altemia's skill. The dagger buried in the knight's body unleashed a ring of red lines.
"Ah?"
The knight's eyes widened as the lines burst from inside him, and in that instant, his body shattered into dozens of pieces. Like planets orbiting the sun, the red lines whirled rapidly, expanding their domain. Everything they touched was sliced apart. It didn't matter if they wore armor or not. Chunks of meat rained down, hot blood staining the ground.
An elf watching from behind retched at the sight. "Urk-"
The metallic stench of blood grew thicker. The charging knights yanked their reins, halting abruptly. The initial slash could be dismissed as within human limits.
But this... this felt like something out of a dream.
Would even a demon king from a fairy tale wield such power?
Judah fixed his gaze on one trembling knight amid the fear-stricken group. He appeared to be the knight captain's adjutant.
"......"
Sword drawn, the man stared blankly at his comrades' deaths, as if unable to believe them. Using Shadow Step, Judah leaped onto the man's horse behind him and tore away the robe draped like a cape over his armor. The ripping sound and sensation made the knight gasp and twist around.
"Huh!?"
The figure in front of him had vanished—that alone was shocking—but to find him right at his back made the knight's heart sink.
"If you don't want to die, stay still."
Before the knight could react, Judah slipped his hand between the armor plates at the back of his neck, gripping firmly, then used the horse as a springboard to leap away.
Hiiing!
Unable to withstand the force, the horse's legs buckled and snapped, collapsing. Returning to his original spot, Judah unleashed 〈Shadow Heresy 6th Form - Chain Deployment〉.
Chalaralak!
Chains erupted from the shadow of the knight thrown to the ground, writhing like living serpents to bind his body.
"Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't try anything stupid."
He addressed a few elves, who nodded hesitantly. With a serious glint in his eyes, Judah stared down the knights who neither fled nor charged.
Dancing Wraith Knights—
Black shadowy figures rose from the shadows, coalescing into six wraith knights clad in ghostly plate armor like their foes.
"Go."
As he commanded the wraith knights, Judah charged toward the knights himself. Liberating Altemia was the easiest way to deal with them. The red lines exploding from the dagger ignored Judah entirely but ravaged everyone else. It prevented the knights from bringing their full skill to bear against him. But Altemia was just an excuse—even without it, they were no match for him in prowess.
"......"
Not content with seizing the initiative, Judah exploited their fear-slowed movements. He closed in on a mounted knight and slashed upward with the thirteenth Fragment, Yakal, drawn from 〈Bag〉. The blade, shrouded in dense mana, cleaved through horse and barding alike, reaching for the rider atop it. The knight, startled, channeled mana into his own sword and swung, but it lacked Judah's sharpness and solidity.
Chiiing!
The moment their blades clashed, a sound like shattering glass rang out, and the mana coating the knight's sword dispersed by force. Watching, the knight's eyes bulged in horror. No match at all. He knew it the instant their swords met.
This...
Impossible to win. The overwhelming helplessness he'd felt was something he'd never experienced in his life. He stared at Judah's sword. Ordinary knights who could wield mana typically formed hazy, smoke-like blades. The clearer the mana, the denser it was—and nearly invisible mana blades marked the wielder as a Spirit Sword user. Just like what he saw now.
"Sp-Spirit... Sword user?"
Muttering in disbelief, the knight faced Judah pressing down on their locked blades. Judah's flamberge sliced through sword, armor, and flesh in one stroke, claiming his life. Blood spurted from the gash in the armor. Drenched in it, Judah moved to the next foe. Everyone nearby was an enemy.
Yakal showed no mercy toward the knights, claiming lives without hindrance—as if it approved of Judah in this moment.
The wraith knights were no less active. Gliding like phantoms toward the charging knights, they slipped between them, wielding shield and sword with supernatural grace to cut them down one by one. Above a fallen knight's head, a blade of dull silver descended. Dazed from the fall, he desperately drew his sword to block, only for another wraith knight's blade to sever his neck from behind.
Screams and the stench of blood filled the air. It was less a battlefield than an execution ground. Altemia's immense power rendered decades of knightly training meaningless.
"We have to run."
One of the watching light cavalrymen muttered. Deserting without orders was punishable by death, but here and now, flight was the only way to survive. Quick-thinking cavalrymen wheeled their mounts and fled. They knew the best chance to live was to scatter.
Seeing the fleeing group, Judah immediately invoked 〈Shadow Heresy 8th Form - Penalty: Sickle of Execution〉. Shadow rose from his body like smoke, taking the form of a reaper swinging a massive scythe. Cavalrymen within its sweep were bisected, and sharp slashing waves erupted from lines drawn beneath the feet of those already fleeing.
But he couldn't catch everyone scattering in all directions.
"P-Please... spare me..."
A soldier, leg twisted grotesquely from his fall, pleaded piteously. The wraith knight emotionlessly brought its sword down, splitting his head like an apple. Confirming no survivors, Judah tossed Yakal from his right hand back into 〈Bag〉, removed his mask, and exhaled lightly. The air reeked of blood, making his head spin.
Woooong!
The blade of Altemia in his hand hummed softly, and the surrounding blood vaporized, floating into the air. Blood oozed from severed flesh like poked meat, then dried up. The airborne crimson mist flew straight into the Altemia in Judah's hand and was absorbed. Even the metallic stench faded. Gazing down at the withered meat chunks, Judah reverse-summoned Altemia and turned away.
He caught his breath lightly, deactivating his skills one by one. His head throbbed. Was it from killing people as casually as monsters in a game, or from the future that had gone utterly awry? He couldn't tell. Sighing in frustration, he approached the elves—some of whom looked at him with fearful eyes.
Judah walked over to the knight he'd restrained earlier.
"Y-You demon...!"
Removing the helmet revealed the knight's bare face, slick with cold sweat, pallid as a ghost. No wonder—having watched his comrades and soldiers massacred helplessly. He glared at Judah with eyes mixed of rage and terror.
"What do you plan to do with me?!"
"Extract every bit of information I need from you."
The knight sneered bitterly.
"You think I'll tell you? Kill me instead!"
"I could just kill you, sure... but I need to confirm something first. From what I see, as adjutant, you must know quite a lot."
"Ha! You think a demon like you deserves any information from me?!"
His voice trembled with fear, yet the knight spoke steadfastly. Judah looked down at him silently and drew upon the power of his ring, 〈Carpediem〉. A faint purple aura flickered from it.
"Your will doesn't matter."