Bitan and the Black Knights (1)
"Ah... fuck. This is some real bullshit..."
The metallic clanking made me turn my head with a sinking feeling.
Sure enough, the exact worst-case scenario I had been dreading had just appeared.
I broke into a cold sweat as I stared at the black knights advancing toward me.
"These... goddamn..."
The moment our eyes met, the urge to run flashed through my mind.
But I quickly gave up on the idea.
In my current state, another chase like before would knock me unconscious in seconds.
Besides, I didn't think I could outpace these undead anyway.
Fuck... Fast undead. Of course.
"Pyren... what kind of twisted hybrid did that son of a bitch cook up...?"
Did that senile old fart finally get excited about showing off his skills after all this time?
I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth and cursed the absent creator of these monsters.
"Haa... Hoo..."
Steadying myself on my trembling legs, I tossed Bitan, which I'd been using like a cane, into my sub-space.
I bought a sword from the shop and quietly raised it.
My arm muscles kept convulsing, making the blade tremble uncontrollably.
The excruciating pain wracking my entire body twisted my face into a grimace.
"My condition is absolutely lethal..."
One solid hit and I'd probably drop dead.
Two days of accumulated insomnia and minor injuries had pushed me to my limit.
Of course, the things in front of me wouldn't give a damn about any of that as they leveled their blades.
-Clank. Clank... Shiiing!
The black knights, realizing I wasn't going to run, drew their swords and assumed combat stances.
"......Isn't this a bit much?"
Thirteen blades aimed at my throat.
After a brief standoff, the one who appeared to be the leader stepped forward.
It was the bastard with Professor Lucas's severed head tied to the end of his spear.
"Your escape ends here."
"You don't need to tell me something I already know...?"
I answered irritably, gripping the sword with both hands.
Maybe it was the exhaustion, but the weapon felt unusually heavy.
To buy even a moment of rest, I pointed at the head dangling from his spear shaft and asked.
"Professor Lucas's head... Why did you hang it up like that?"
"A common sight on the battlefield. Hanging an enemy commander's head in plain view lowers their army's morale."
The black knight raised his spear high.
He shook Professor Lucas's head lightly and laughed at me in open mockery.
"It can also deliver a mental blow to your opponent."
"......"
"I saw it clearly. The way your eyes shook violently the first time you witnessed this... Was he someone precious to you?"
"......You insane bastard."
"Don't get too angry. It's all merely part of the strategy."
The knight pranced about, clearly trying to provoke me.
I had no choice but to admit it.
His tactic was working perfectly.
Since encountering the Seekers, this was the angriest I had been.
I wanted to rip that disgusting mouth to shreds right then and there.
But I couldn't show it.
That would be one step closer to defeat and death.
I kept my expression blank with great effort and focused on the sword.
"Hmm... You're no ordinary opponent. At this point you should have lost your mind and charged."
"You think I've only dealt with one or two trash-talkers in tournaments?"
"What?"
"Your provocation is pathetic."
Having grown up listening to my father's constant verbal abuse, there was no way cheap taunts like these would shake me.
I had grown far too numb to emotional turbulence.
To me, rage was simply fuel that sharpened my performance.
"Come."
"Haha...! Splendid!"
When I tilted my sword into a basic kendo stance, the knight burst into loud laughter.
He swung his spear shaft and charged at me with terrifying speed.
The other undead followed right behind him.
-Thud. Thud. Clack. Clatter!!
Heavy footsteps rang out, and the next instant, a horrific cacophony of metal smashing against metal exploded through the autumn-tinted bushes.
Meanwhile, at that same moment.
At the entrance to the forest where the children were in danger.
"Yah!"
-Neighhhh...!
The thunderous sound of hooves pounding the ground cut through the air.
Two horses raced across a sea of red fallen leaves, slicing through the wind.
On their backs rode a bronze-skinned, bald professor and a girl with platinum blonde hair.
Aaron shook the reins nonstop and shouted at Lucy, who was pulling ahead.
"Your Highness! Slow down! It's dangerous!"
"We don't have time to dawdle! You said Raiden might be in danger!"
Lucy ignored Aaron's cry and accelerated even more.
Aaron let out a small groan at the sight of the disobedient princess.
Originally, Aaron should have gone alone to rescue the students.
But Lucy had overheard the professors' conversation and stubbornly insisted on coming along, throwing the entire plan off course.
It was enough to drive him crazy.
The girl, who was favored for her deep empathy and gentle nature despite being royalty—unlike her sibling Neria—had turned completely stubborn the moment Raiden's name came up.
Even when Sharon explained the severity of the situation and scolded her, Lucy refused to back down.
Please... I'm begging you.
I've only just gotten him back. I can't lose him again...
The girl had only sobbed, speaking cryptic words.
She seemed to have lost her reason.
Afraid of what she might do if left behind, Aaron had no choice but to allow her to accompany him.
Of course, on the condition that her escort knights came along.
Calm down, Aaron.
With you and the escort knights, it should be fine.
They're all skilled. It might even be safer than the base camp.
Aaron recalled Sharon's comforting words and glanced behind him.
About ten escort knights were following on horseback.
Each one possessed strength on par with an academy professor.
Drawing comfort from their presence, Aaron shook his reins.
When he spurred his horse and pulled up beside Lucy, she turned to him with a fierce gaze.
"Where was the last location of Young Lord Lisite's signal captured?!"
"The middle of the forest! If we keep riding, we'll soon reach a large canyon, so we should follow the ridgeline!"
-Clop, clop...
The sound of hooves thundered through the bushes as the professor and the princess continued racing forward, searching for the missing children.
At the same time Lucy and Aaron were charging through the forest.
In the heart of the woods, a boy was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Haha... This isn't something I should be doing anymore..."
Shattered trees and fragments of boulders lay scattered miserably before the boy.
He lightly kicked away the jet-black armor touching his feet, swept his bangs back, and let out a hollow laugh.
"The silence after battle is always so empty."
Gold Tae-yang muttered as he brushed off his charred right arm.
He withdrew the electric current lingering at his fingertips.
As the flickering blue sparks scattered, his hair gradually shifted from white back to gold.
Yet his aura remained unchanged.
The usual playful expression was gone, replaced by a cold chill on the boy's face.
Gold Tae-yang remained silent, as if recalling something.
Suddenly, he coughed up blood.
"......Cough."
He lowered his head and vomited thick clots of blood.
It seemed the backlash from using that power after so long had finally caught up to him.
Every time he retched, dark red stains spread across his white shirt.
"Tsk..."
Gold Tae-yang wiped his mouth and clicked his tongue softly.
A ferocious lightning-shaped scar ran across his forearm.
A wound he had carved himself while vowing revenge for his clan.
With a faint sigh, the boy hid it beneath his sleeve.
Once the scar was out of sight, he returned to his usual lighthearted demeanor.
He picked up a sword lying on the ground.
It belonged to one of the undead that had turned to ash moments ago.
Gold Tae-yang stabbed his own abdomen a few times with it, deliberately creating a wound.
"Haa... All done. Time to head back to base camp~?"
Even as blood poured from the injury, the boy's expression remained relaxed.
He lightly pressed on the wound to stop the bleeding and began walking.
"Now that I think about it... I wonder what happened to that bastard?"
Leaves that had lost their green and were soaked in crimson.
At the edge of the forest where such autumn foliage fluttered like red waves in the wind.
Leaves swam through a sea of trees, and the rustling sounds spread softly.
And beneath them...
-Clang! Grind!! Boom!
"Damn it...!"
The explosive sound of metal colliding against metal rang out.
I was retreating while deflecting the sword strikes flying at me from every direction.
The black knights pressed me harder, as if determined not to give me any room to escape.
-Clang...! Crack!
"Haa, haa...!"
Swinging a sword with this battered body was pure torture.
Amid the countless silver lines slashing through the air, all I could do was dodge.
"Hup!"
When I knocked away one incoming surprise attack with a rough shout, the others' coordinated follow-ups immediately poured in.
Their attacks flowed like water, all aiming for my neck.
This is why fighting multiple opponents is so damn hard...!
I kicked one of the approaching knights and leaped backward.
-Ting! Shiiing!!
The occasional arrows slipping through the gaps were incredibly annoying.
To block the archers' lines of fire, I had to keep using trees and rocks for cover while fighting.
"F-fuck...!"
My lungs burned like a furnace.
Every muscle in my body was screaming in agony.
It felt like someone was stabbing an awl into my side.
I fought back the fading consciousness and raised my sword.
-Clank. Clank...
The knights' footsteps were starting to sound terrifying.
Clutching the shoulder that had been cut by the previous strike, I cursed inwardly.
I might actually die here if things kept going this way.
The situation was turning sour.
While the fight itself was more manageable than expected, their numbers were the problem.
Thirteen of them.
Don't these bastards feel any guilt about ganging up?
"Haa... No way out of this..."
As I muttered in frustration, a single thought flashed through my mind.
It seemed the time had finally come to pull out the cards I had been saving.
The hidden aces I had kept in reserve for various reasons.
Each carried significant risk, so I had tried to avoid using them if possible...
"......But I'm about to die."
I needed to survive first.
I resolved to pull out one of my spare cards to overcome this shitty situation.
There was no need to deliberate over the choice.
The card that would help most in the current battle was obvious.
"Haa... I really don't want to do this..."
With a groan, I threw the shop-bought sword onto the ground.
Clang!
It must have reached its limit too; the moment it hit the ground, it shattered into pieces.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the enemies, I reached into the air.
I pulled a single sword from my sub-space.
-Krrk...?
The bizarre reaction came as the weapon revealed itself to the world.
I gripped the trembling hilt tightly.
Blue aura was already creeping out between the scabbard and the blade.
-Clank...
The black knights stopped walking and stared in this direction.
Specifically at the vivid blue dawn light blooming from my fingertips and the sword.
-Shiiing...
I put strength into my arm and slowly drew Bitan.
The sword's black body gradually emerged from its sheath.
At the same time, a dazzling flash of light swirled around us.
-Whoooosh...
The autumn wind that had been circling the area answered the call of a god and spiraled violently.
The blindingly bright aura writhed brilliantly, proclaiming that it had descended.
I exhaled within the swirling maple leaves.
"Hoo..."
Bitan had completely freed itself from the sheath that had been suppressing it.
It was the first time I had fully drawn it since obtaining the blade.
-Kiiiiiiiiing!!!
The divine artifact that had poked its head into the world let out a savage roar toward the enemies.