Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Five City Gates (3)
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I charged toward the Steel Wall blocking my path ahead.
The hand gripping my sword blurred as ferocious sword energy extended outward.
The night sky split open under beams of light shooting like a meteor shower.
They pressed in close to heighten the barrier's strength and block it.
Kwaaaang!
The straight-extending sword energy collided with the iron wall, producing a deafening roar. The rebound force from the blade traveled up my arm.
Ziiing-.
The sword trembled and vibrated. It had been a while since something blocked my strike. Faint steam rose from the wall that had withstood the sword energy.
They had been pushed back three or four steps from their original positions, with furrows gouged into the ground by their feet ahead of them, but in the end, they had blocked my sword.
"Iron Wall Compression! Advance!"
At the commander's shout, the lined-up wall surged forward with a momentum like a living thing.
Sharp spear tips protruded from the gaps between shields. It seemed like a formation that dominated space with shields and pierced with spears.
Kugugugugu.
Their momentum enveloped me, crushing the entire area.
The pressure was substantial enough to hinder movement.
The Steel Wall moved organically like a living creature, charging ferociously like an earth dragon coiling around its prey.
Pabat!
Rather than confronting it head-on, I leaped into the air, vaulting over their wall and landing.
Then, the second row waiting behind pressed in as if they had anticipated it.
There were quite a few of them.
Fifteen per row across four rows made a total of sixty.
All four walls writhed simultaneously to surround me.
I had deliberately jumped into the center.
Kwakwakwakwang!
The sword strikes radiating outward battered the encroaching walls from all sides, pushing them back.
But even their walls could not be cleaved apart.
I curled up the corner of my mouth.
Among the Special Task Forces I had encountered so far, this was the best strategy against me.
The 'Plains Wolves' excelled in joint techniques due to their emphasis on individual strength, but their power density was weak, while the 'Royal Knights' were organized but formed centers per group, allowing for divide-and-conquer tactics.
But the 'Steel Wall' moved as if the whole was one entity.
Their defense-oriented tactics added to it.
Their forces would be efficient in group battles as well, but they showed movements highly useful for pressuring an overwhelmingly superior individual.
So, they were bound to be trickier than the previous ones.
But that was the extent of it.
Heavenly Spirit Divine Art, Swordsmanship Chapter.
Thunderclap Chapter: Thunderclap.
The moment the blade whitened and distorted, blue lightning erupted fiercely like wildfire.
Kwajajajajak!
Forked lightning split outward, emitting light.
It was as if bolts struck horizontally.
Kwaaakwakwakwang!
With a deafening roar that tore at the eardrums, the lightning-infused sword energy ripped through space.
It instantly shattered their scale-like sturdy walls and spread in all directions.
Rather than bother slicing, I crushed them with sheer force.
Guoooooo.
Deep furrows etched haphazardly into the ground spread like veins. Corpses lay scattered in between, spilling blood.
Sword strikes infused with lightning exploded in an instant.
The scene that greeted the blue flames of light, followed by thunderous explosions, was this.
The area had been reduced to scorched earth in a single blow.
“…….”
The front line swept by the lightning could no longer be called a wall.
It had completely crumbled, and those who survived the glancing lightning stood amid the devastation.
Their pupils shook violently.
They seemed unable to believe they were alive or the scene unfolding before them.
To such people, I said curtly.
“You were quite impressive.”
Even I had to exert some effort to dismantle the Steel Wall.
I walked through the survivors just like that.
Those whose consciousness had half fled could not even grab me.
The gate was visible in the distance.
That was the final gate between the Governor's Residence and me.
* * *
Aide Alsredo urgently prodded Halent.
“Governor! You must evacuate immediately. The enemy is already close!”
The rumbling booms that had echoed faintly from afar now sounded right in front of them.
Halent ground his teeth, gazing at the rising clouds of dust beyond the walls.
“Damn it! How can one man reduce us to this?!”
“The enemy's movements are incredibly swift. Every report shows him breaching another gate. At this point, there's no way to stop him…….”
Alsredo said gravely.
The contents of the continuous reports were utterly despairing.
It was hard to believe even though it was happening right at the Governor's Office.
The White Lion's path of punching straight through from the main gate lacked any sense of reality.
How could a human possibly become that strong?
The reports described a level unimaginable for the same species as humans.
The Governor's Office, composed of five barriers, crumbled helplessly like a sandcastle swept by waves.
This was the moment he felt the might of a Sword Master on his skin.
Alsredo, regaining his composure, said.
“Please move quickly. Secure your safety first, then plan for the future.”
“Damn it. Let's go!”
Halent buckled on the sword at his waist and irritably turned.
Even if he fled like this, his head would likely roll eventually, but what choice was there?
With the forces he currently had, there was no way to stop the White Lion. Even if reprimanded, escaping now was the right call.
‘Damn it!’
Halent gnashed his teeth.
He had never anticipated the White Lion striking the Governor's Residence this quickly.
Who in their right mind would expect a single man to assault it alone?
If he had known, he would have slipped away beforehand somehow.
But regrets were too late now.
He bit his lower lip and moved hastily.
Once decided on evacuation, speed was essential.
‘But even if he's a Sword Master, is this realistically possible right now?’
While heading to the secret passage hidden in the palace, Halent fell into thought.
Having never seen a Sword Master in person, he couldn't accurately gauge their power, but reaching the Governor's Residence required overcoming countless obstacles.
Just breaking through the five gates reinforced with layered magic would consume immense mana.
Add to that the numerous knights blocking the way, the twin ogres, and the remaining mages from the magic division.
And the Special Task Force, Steel Wall to boot.
Piercing through all that alone in such a short time—did that even make sense?
If nothing else, the Special Task Force wasn't called that for nothing.
It was an asymmetrical force formed to counter asymmetrical threats.
Their power should at least be enough to cling on, even if not to win against a Sword Master.
By the time the White Lion faced them, his stamina and mana would already be considerably depleted.
That's why he had held them back until the end instead of deploying earlier, yet even they collapsed so futilely……
Even if he was a Sword Master, was he this strong?
It was incomprehensible, but what use was dwelling on it now?
All defensive lines were breached, and preserving his life was the best he could do.
Dying like this would be a dog's death if there ever was one.
Cheolk.
With the sound of seams opening, the wall parted like a door.
This was the secret passage known only to past kings.
Once here, he wouldn't be caught by that guy.
No matter how skilled, he couldn't discover this secret passage.
He took hurried steps into the dim darkness.
* * *
I passed through the final gate and walked the path.
An all-too-familiar route stretched out long before me.
The road leading to the palace where my father had been.
Much had changed, and the building exteriors were different, but the layout and paths remained the same.
Whiiing.
A chill night breeze brushed past my hair.
I closed my eyes and walked slowly, savoring the path.
It felt as if footsteps from my previous life overlapped my own steps.
I had walked this road even on the day the palace burned.
The sounds that had filled this place back then echoed in my ears.
The clash of weapons mixed with shouts and screams.
Intermittent explosions and the rumble of collapsing buildings.
My final memory of the palace was filled with the noises of battle.
Recalling those sounds, I also remembered the somber expressions of the palace servants and knights looking at me.
And my father's face at the end of this road.
-Fear not.
Even facing Francia's downfall, my father maintained his dignity.
-You are the crown prince.
He wished to die as the king of his country to the end.
-Thus, do not lose that dignity even before death. We represent the people of this nation. Our deaths will symbolize the Francia royal family.
My father smiled bitterly, his eyes filled with regret yet resolute as he spoke firmly.
-If this is Francia's end, let us send it off splendidly.
I didn't understand back then, but with age, my father's words now resonate deeper in my heart.
Having witnessed countless deaths, I knew well how hard it was to decide one's own end.
-But your death has not yet come.
I halted my steps forward and slowly opened my eyes.
-This is my end, not yours.
Before me stood a strange building in place of the palace where my father and the knights had been.
-Survive. If you survive, you will naturally know what to do. And remember this.
Yet my father's voice still rang clearly in my ears.
-All the choices you make from now on will be right. So, in any situation, follow your own will.
My father's words held worry for the nation and concern for his child.
Only now could I fully feel the meaning of those words, that profound love.
I stopped walking.
Around me, soldiers gripping swords crowded densely.
They kept their distance, swords aimed at me, but dared not approach.
They were gripped by fear.
I paid them no heed.
Standing before the Governor's Residence, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Halent Barrein-!!”
The sound wave infused with vast inner power spread transparently.
Patsuk.
Faint cracks appeared on the building's outer walls touched by the vibration, and protruding or weak parts crumbled down.
The soldiers nearby all clutched their ears and collapsed.
It was the Lion's Roar technique.
It was impossible for it not to reach him.
Yet the Governor's Residence remained silent.
“Where is Halent?”
At my question, the one wearing a colonel's insignia aimed his trembling sword and bellowed.
“You bastard! Do you even know where you are?!”
It meant he wouldn't answer.
I swung my sword.
Pishut!
His head rolled straight off.
At that moment, the soldiers dropped their sword hands.
They had completely lost the will to fight due to the overwhelming gap.
They held their swords, but none had the intent to battle.
I stepped into the building.
Those blocking the way parted left and right, clearing a path on their own.
My heightened senses swept the quiet interior.
Halent had undoubtedly fled.
How far had he fallen?
It felt empty.
Halent Barrein.
The man who was once my uncle had been one of Francia's premier knights.
Before inheriting the Barrein family, he had served as a knight in the Leonir Lancers, his prowess outstanding, already at the pinnacle of Expert when I was young.
I learned a knight's mindset and basic swordsmanship from him.
Thus, I knew his beliefs as a knight and remembered his teachings.
So, I had thought at least he wouldn't flee.
But he did.
To the point I questioned if it was the same man I knew.
I headed toward the secret passage Halent would have used.
He must have known I'd pursue, so it was obvious he'd take that route.
The structure had changed slightly, but finding the secret passage was not difficult.
After all, my past self had escaped the palace through it.
Cheolk.
With the sound of seams opening, the wall parted like a door.
A long corridor stretched out.
Faint clusters of light fell from crystal orbs intermittently embedded in the ceiling.
I could easily tell someone had passed through recently.
No doubt, at the end of this path waited the Governor, Halent Barrein.