Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Raven Knight Order (2)
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‘What the hell is going on?'
Teder stared at Jenesis, feeling a bizarre sensation as if death were crawling over his entire body.
It was like sticky, dark hands dragging him down to the bottom of an abyss.
His comrades, gripping their sharp swords, began surrounding Jenesis in layers.
The backs of his fellow soldiers, with whom he had shared countless battlefields.
Today, those backs he had always trusted and followed looked precarious.
The solid encirclement formed by his comrades felt like a sandcastle.
Jenesis's relaxed smile kept lingering in his mind.
Even when he had entered the enemy camp, his lips had curved in a long arc.
And it was the same even in that moment, surrounded by the Raven Knight Order.
* * *
"You must have worked hard getting all the way here."
I commended their efforts as they charged fiercely toward death.
They must have come a long way, and it was just pitiful that it ended in death.
As expected of renowned warriors, they swiftly formed ranks and encircled me in a circle.
Unfamiliar faces shrouded the forest that was darkening with twilight.
Pushing through the layered encirclement, one man revealed himself.
"Squad leader, it's Russell."
He looked at me and asked.
"Did you come alone?"
"As you can see."
I shrugged and replied.
Russell's brow twitched.
"Your confidence borders on arrogance."
"That's fair."
I gladly agreed with his rebuke.
It must be hard for him to accept my actions, given his pride.
"We won't go easy on you just because you're alone."
"I never asked for mercy."
"Form the Raven Hunt formation."
No sooner had he spoken than the encirclement writhed and began to take shape.
Russell also retreated into the flow.
It was as if a black wall had risen around me.
Among those I'd met so far, these were the most competent.
The thick killing intent and domineering aura they exuded pressed down on my entire body.
I faced that heavy hostility head-on and smiled in satisfaction.
It had been a while since I'd encountered such blatant and raw killing intent.
They fell far short of the Demonic Cult bastards, but they weren't riffraff either.
It had been ages since I'd felt this thrill.
After becoming the supreme under heaven—no, even before that—no one in the martial world dared challenge me.
No one could bare their hostility before me.
They knew my strength too well.
But on the Valencia continent, these nobodies point their swords at me and talk of death.
And yet, why does it feel so good?
Perverted as it sounds, it irritates me but isn't entirely unpleasant.
It feels like I've returned to being a true martial artist.
Just facing this provocative aura quenches the thirst I've felt for so long.
At my gesture, the Thundercloud Sword revealed its pale form.
The sunset glow crumbled along the blade.
The pressure crushing my body merely from holding the sword upright began tearing apart like paper.
"Begin the hunt!"
With a shout echoing through the air, the battle commenced.
The enemies, writhing like coiled snakes around me, shot toward me from all directions.
Meticulously trained movements.
No gaps.
Their reputation was no fluke; the sword strikes covering the surroundings were razor-sharp.
It's been a while—time to move diligently.
Following my will, my inner energy rose like a great wave, flowing turbulently from the Sea of Qi at my spine through the meridians to the Bubbling Spring at the soles of my feet.
My body became lighter than a feather, time splintering and splintering until it seemed to halt before my steps.
My unique art, the Celestial Decree Divine Art, bore the arrogant name implying it embodied the heavens' edicts. It was divided into five parts: swordsmanship, footwork, lightness skill, profound arts, and machinery.
Crimson clouds drifted across the reddening sky.
I looked up at them.
Those ruddy vapors would scatter at a touch, graspable by no one.
Just like my steps.
Celestial Decree Divine Art: Footwork Chapter.
First Form: Scattering Clouds.
In an instant, my form dispersed like clouds.
The blades pouring toward me all cleaved empty air.
Countless swords lost their target and flailed futilely.
I drifted freely among them like clouds.
Psssh!
Blood sprayed simultaneously from spots all around, then fell as bloody mist.
The Thundercloud Sword, unleashed at full speed after so long, drew straight lines slicing through space.
Followed by fierce whooshes of air.
Countless lives shattered before the sharpened blade.
The layered walls crumbled in a flash.
"Raven Three Formation!"
At the command, the Ravens' movements surged dramatically.
Those who had ringed me like a wall scattered and regrouped sporadically.
The crushing pressure on my shoulders vanished, replaced by needle-sharp auras piercing my entire body.
Yet the outcome remained unchanged.
The gap between them and me was crystal clear.
Their swords still couldn't track my true form, and whenever the Thundercloud Sword moved nimbly, a cloud of blood trailed behind.
Then, my steps halted.
Where the clouds had dispersed, I stood alone.
The knights who had surrounded me all lay scattered on the ground, lifeless.
All except one.
"...Who the hell are you?"
Russell asked.
He seemed unwilling to believe the scene before his eyes.
A hollow gaze devoid even of vengeful will reached me.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Draw your sword."
"I've been discourteous."
Only then did he realize how dazed he'd been, gripping his sword tightly.
His sword, pulled back to his right shoulder, brimmed with blue aura.
Sword qi.
He was the first among those I'd met to emit proper sword qi.
It was a well-refined energy.
Russell's sword thrust forward.
A lightning-like stab.
I lightly stepped back, evading its path.
In that instant, his sword tip quivered, trailing a deep sword shadow as it descended.
It created the illusion of three swords falling simultaneously.
Ignoring the incoming strike, I thrust my sword toward him.
A flash engulfed him.
The vivid sword shadow vanished, and Russell collapsed on the spot.
Thud.
The forest fell silent once more.
I retrieved the national seal from his possession.
Twilight, dragging darkness in its wake, settled over it.
* * *
Pitch-black darkness, a cool night breeze piercing my clothes to brush my skin. Occasional unidentified sounds echoed, but the late-night forest was quiet.
I knelt and examined the traces left on the ground.
Even the impenetrable blackness, untouched by moonlight, couldn't hinder my vision.
From the trampled grass, I knew Allen and the others had passed this way.
And soon enough, I encountered them.
"Lord Jenesis!"
Allen, on night watch, greeted me like a man reborn.
Judging by his fuss, I'd died several times in his head.
Freddy and Ches also jumped up, welcoming me with startled eyes.
Considering they'd been resting comfortably twisted something in me.
But it was my karma, so I'd endure.
"No one will be chasing us anymore. Go back to sleep."
As I'd said, we wouldn't encounter pursuers until crossing the border.
Geography dictated it.
This borderland was far from the capital.
By the time the current situation was reported and a new pursuit force assembled, we'd have crossed.
"Did you really fight the Raven Knight Order?"
Allen, preparing my bedroll, scanned me up and down in disbelief.
And rightly so—I was spotless despite the battle.
"No, it's just... I can't believe it."
The preemptively terrified Allen hurriedly made excuses.
"But Lord Jenesis, just how strong are you?"
Ches asked from across the way.
Beyond the flickering campfire, his eyes gleamed with curiosity.
What should I say?
Should I state my realm clearly? Instead, I twisted it to match my irked mood.
"The supreme under heaven."
"Pardon?"
They echoed in confusion.
Because of the Central Plains tongue.
I explained.
"It means the strongest under the sky."
"...A novel expression."
Leaving the dumbfounded group behind, I slipped into my blanket.
Closing my eyes brought the thoughts I'd pushed aside flooding back.
Francia's reality, as I'd seen it yesterday and today, pricked my nerves like a thorn under my nail.
I pondered what I could do in this situation.
The answer was set.
Time passed.
Days and nights flipped several times.
Along the journey, I witnessed and heard of the current state of affairs.
The people's lives I'd experienced firsthand were more wretched than imagined, and the empire's tyranny more vicious than rumored.
"It's almost over now."
Freddy turned back with affectionate eyes.
We had reached the border between Francia and Juraden before we knew it.
No line was drawn, but the land we stood on marked Francia's end.
The majestic rock towering before us proved it.
I turned and gazed at Francia.
Beyond the vast plain stretched towering mountains undulating like waves.
"Ha, freedom's just around the corner!"
Allen spread his arms toward Francia.
"Freedom from what?"
At my question, his face paled.
"...You know, now that we've crossed the border, no need to worry about pursuit. Freedom from being chased, right? Haha."
He forced a satisfactory smile.
I cut that smile short with a single stroke.
I knew the truth behind his words exactly.
"There hasn't been any pursuit for a while now."
"Ah, but I was still worried. You guys too, right? Felt like someone could catch up any moment. Admit it."
Freddy and Ches ignored Allen's flailing hands, pretending not to hear.
They sensed the noose tightening around him.
I stared at him steadily.
Feeling the weight of my gaze, he finally confessed his true feelings.
"Aw, come on, you think I'd mean freedom from you, Lord Jenesis? I'm not an idiot."
"True enough."
"Exactly! Sure, you're a bit picky and have a weird personality, but not that bad."
I let out a chuckle.
Lately, feeling more at ease, Allen had taken to such pranks occasionally.
"You know it's a joke, right?"
I nodded, then mercilessly flicked his head.
Screaming, Allen clutched his head and yelled.
"You knew it was a joke!"
"I never said I'd let it slide."
I laughed lightly and turned my horse's head.
Grumbling came from behind.
"Lately, I feel like my brain's getting dumber because of you, Lord Jenesis."
"When were you ever smart? Don't worry needlessly. My flicks clear the mind."
"Really?"
"Want another to test it?"
Allen finally shut up.
But I wasn't joking.
My flicks actually worked.
I mixed in the famed Pursuing Blood Point Strike. The more you took, the sharper your mind.
I hit them because I cared.
Those I didn't care for, I didn't bother hitting.
I killed them.
So he should be grateful for my blows.
Though they'd hurt like hell.
With that threat as the finale, we proceeded quietly.
In the silence, I recalled Francia's scenery from moments ago.
Vast fields spreading like the sea, mountains surging like waves beyond.
Crossing the border for the first time, but that majestic landscape wouldn't differ much from ten years ago.
Yet what it contained had changed vastly from the Francia I knew.
A nation torn asunder by merciless war.
People stripped of peace and hope.
Imperial troops ravaging them.
Traitors who sold out their country.
Things absent in my lifetime.
That's why I intended to turn it back.
To the Francia I knew.
A cool breeze swept my hair.
I entrusted my vow to it.
Hoping my voice would reach every corner of Francia.
I would return soon.
And then.
They would lose everything.