Chapter 238
Chapter: 238
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 238
>Chapter Title: Sword Master (2)
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Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Fifty ice monsters closed in from all sides, marching in perfect formation.
"Ah..."
"Lord God..."
Powerless sighs echoed here and there, but Lady Ilma couldn't even muster the thought to rally them.
Thanks to the four Vins controlled by Prince Mores, they had been pushing through despite being outnumbered.
That high morale made the enemies' appearance all the more devastating. The overwhelming force they had wielded against the foes had returned tenfold.
"Ugh, we're done for! It's all over!"
"Has the Lord God finally abandoned Zigsmu nt?!"
The terrified soldiers began retreating one by one.
Clang! Clatter!
Some, frozen in shock, even dropped their weapons from limp hands.
Snapping to her senses, Lady Ilma belatedly bellowed at the top of her lungs.
"What are you all gaping at like fools?! Reform the ranks! The Glacier Trolls are coming! Are you going to stand there and watch our territory get trampled?!"
But her fierce shout wasn't enough to shake the soldiers awake.
Why would it be?
"Captain! This is..."
Even the elite Wolf Knight Order trembled, cowed by the enemy's might.
Grrrrr—
In that gap, the Lycanslopes, their eyes fully recovered, regained their composure.
Crunch. Crunch.
The wounds from blades and spears contracted with bulging muscles, stemming the bleeding.
The soldiers' eyes filled with terror as they watched the beasts move as if unharmed. They knew of their regenerative powers, but had they ever seemed this threatening?
'Even for His Highness, that many is too much!'
Sir Oscar, who had fought alongside Seongjin at the canyon fortress, turned back with a despairing expression.
When one Vin suddenly charged the enemy with ferocious momentum, he had hoped the prince would pull off another miracle.
But that hope was short-lived; the Vin had vanished into the horde, surely overwhelmed.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The Glacier Trolls lumbered closer with slow steps.
Of course, the controller struggled to designate group targets, but the people of Zigsmu nt had no way of knowing that. To them, it looked like the monsters were savoring their victory.
The worst came from the north.
The lead Glacier Troll's fist was smeared with unmistakable bloodstains and chunks of minced flesh. The truth it implied was singular.
"...The canyon fortress has fallen completely, Captain!"
"Wiped out in an instant, without even time to send word?!"
Despite the garrison, they couldn't hold.
No surprise; without Prince Mores, it would have fallen long ago.
"At this rate..."
Grit.
A harsh grinding sound escaped Lady Ilma's teeth.
She had to make a decision.
Their forces were woefully inadequate against the frontal assault, but ignoring other directions would lead to collapse from the rear.
Right then.
"I'll go, Captain!"
Slash!
Old Vincent, having beheaded a charging Lycanslope, shouted in fury.
His eyes, still flushed red, blazed with unquenchable fighting spirit.
"The Wolf Knight Order must not abandon this position. Once we give ground, it'll be impossible to hold! I'll block the north alone, so Captain, take the troops and head southwest!"
The southwest, where they had skimped on palisades assuming no beasts could reach, was the priority.
Sir Sebastian, grasping old Vincent's intent, nodded grimly and turned.
But then.
"...Huh?"
The old man's eyes widened at something, his body stiffening in shock.
"What is that? Who could have such presence...?"
Old Vincent muttered in a trembling voice.
At the same moment, his volcanic fighting spirit visibly ebbed. Unheard of for a Decaron Knight, he seemed almost cowed.
"...Sir Vincent?"
And soon, they had their answer.
Boom!
From the direction the old man stared, a blindingly azure aura erupted.
It was a flash like dawn tearing through darkness.
"......!"
The destructive light pierced the heart of an approaching Glacier Troll from the north in one strike.
Rumble.
The ice monster collapsed without a proper cry, shattering into scattered chunks amid a haze of ice mist.
"...In one blow?"
"What the hell...?"
But the anomaly didn't end there.
Whoosh, whish!
With a deceptively light sound for its power, a silvery-blue vortex coiled up another ice monster's arm.
Crack! Crack!
After the storm-like swirl passed, the monster's icy arm fell in smooth chunks, revealing a clean cut.
"...Aura Blade!"
The group doubted their eyes.
Incredible as it was, a vivid sword aura clearly emanated from someone's blade climbing the monster's arm.
Though bizarrely wide-ranged for a normal swing.
Whish—
The Aura Blade shredded the ice monster's arm in an instant, pausing at its shoulder.
Then, the swirling aura abruptly converged to a point—
Boom!
It punched through the giant's chest center, pulverizing its heart.
The now-powerless giant staggered before crumpling like a marionette with cut strings.
Boom!
The impact of the near-ton mass shook the ground like an earthquake.
"......!"
As all gaped in shock, one recognized the aura's source.
"...Could it be Prince Logan?"
The unique silvery-blue aura, fused with potent holy power.
Masaine couldn't miss it. It was his younger cousin's aura, honed together in the Azure Rose Palace since childhood!
'I don't know how he's here now, but...!'
Quickly organizing his thoughts, Masaine shouted.
"Lady Ilma!"
Exhausted from the prolonged intense battle, his knightly eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Prince Logan is here! With him, the north is secure. We defend here and cover the south without gaps!"
"...What?"
Lady Ilma asked in bewilderment.
"How could that aura's master be Prince Logan? It looks like a Decaron Knight."
Indeed. Only one at perfect aura balance could unleash such massive external energy repeatedly.
Yet Prince Logan, a genius or not, was still a boy not yet twenty.
But Masaine's face brimmed with conviction as he shook his head.
"Sir Sebastian alone can't hold the south, no matter how many troops he takes. He'll only delay the beasts briefly. So Sir Vincent and Sir Sebastian should block the south together!"
"......"
"Trust me! That Decaron Knight is Prince Logan."
"But..."
"Even if I'm wrong, since he's turned his sword on the Glacier Trolls, nothing changes, right?"
Irrefutable. Old Vincent, hesitating briefly, soon turned south with the captain.
"We focus on holding here!"
Shouting that, Masaine charged the Lycanslopes, thinking.
Could Logan be a Decaron Knight?
Yes.
Hard to explain, but Masaine was certain.
Since childhood, Logan had dazzled with genius, hogging praise.
Yet Masaine vaguely sensed more; his mature young cousin hid something deeper.
How could he not, after spending days glued together in the Azure Rose Palace?
The boy's humbly displayed talents veiled something far greater.
"Brother Masaine, I've told you many times it's too dangerous for you yet. 'Aura Burst' demands extreme control. One slip, and it explodes in your hands."
When youthful Masaine clumsily mimicked holy techniques, his worried little brother would intervene.
If Masaine stubbornly vibrated his aura, Logan sighed reluctantly, tapping his arm and sword.
"Here, here, and here—it's disrupted."
Then, miraculously, the aura stabilized.
Masaine's proficiency with Aura Burst owed much to Logan.
Of course, he hadn't grasped its significance then.
But reflecting now, Logan adjusting external aura so adeptly had long surpassed Masaine's current level.
"Your Majesty! Prince Logan is a once-in-a-generation sword genius. Will you waste that talent? Bruno as instructor? Even as a Decaron Knight, he's still lacking for His Highness's master!"
He recalled continent's top knight Balthazar, spotting Logan's talent, pleading before the Holy Emperor to take him as disciple.
The Holy Emperor's quiet mutter, overheard by Masaine:
"Who teaches whom? Nonsense. Even Sword Masters have grades."
Then, it sounded like Balthazar fell short even for a genius son. Now, probably not.
'His Majesty knew Prince Logan's extraordinariness from then. Better a moderately lenient Bruno than overzealous Balthazar.'
Logan hid his true strength for practical reasons, so Masaine pretended ignorance.
But now.
'Prince Logan has decided to hide his limits no longer!'
Realizing that sent shivers through Masaine.
What would this unfathomable boy show them?
* * *
'Just like Seongjin said. Their reaction to targeting specific attackers is painfully slow.'
Since the controller grouped them, rapid target shifts were hard to counter.
Seongjin had explained, though Logan didn't fully grasp it. Still, following the advice, he felled the front three Glacier Trolls in one go.
Groooar—
The remaining Glacier Trolls faltered, confused.
Casually surveying them, Logan raised Arjuna toward his next target. Sensing a familiar presence behind, he turned with a brief smile.
"Ah, Young Duke Zigsmu nt."
"Logan... Your Highness! How in the world..."
Orden's face was ashen.
Rushing north blindly when the trolls appeared, he witnessed Logan's prowess head-on.
And it was beyond astonishing—terrifying.
'That's Prince Logan's true power!'
It clicked.
The inexplicable unease every encounter with Logan.
Like a serene lake surface, but one step in, dragged to abyssal depths.
'Prince Logan is a Decaron Knight!'
He always kept his aura activity slightly below Orden's.
Of course!
With perfect aura balance, shaping it at will was natural.
"Glad I ran into you."
Logan, smile fading, eyed the inwardly stormy Orden.
His slightly drooping eyes gave a strangely cold impression.
"Could you and nearby knights assist me? I hear the Wolf Knights fight Glacier Trolls in teams."
"...Yes, that's right."
An immense pressure, unlike even from his grandfather, emanated from the much younger prince.
Straightening instinctively, Logan nodded.
"Good. I'll clear this quickly. I'll leave one or two trolls for last—can you handle them?"
"Of course!"
"Dependable. I'll trust you."
Leaving Orden, Logan launched toward the next Glacier Troll.
Roooar!
Dodging the mindless fist lightly, he leaped, scattering aura to pulverize the monster's fist to ice dust.
Kwah-kwah-kwah!
The sharp aura layered rapidly, blooming a massive silvery-blue flower on the fist.
-Listen well, Logan. You're the only one who can sense and track their demonic energy now.
While carving through beasts, he mentally reviewed Seongjin's warnings.
-I nearly caught the demon, so its guard is up. It probably hid elsewhere from before. Won't show unless heavily damaged.
Seongjin's hand clutching his sleeve trembled badly. Yet ignoring his state, he stressed Logan's tasks.
-First, thin the Glacier Trolls as much as possible. If you sense it, chase at all costs. If not, I'll help.
-You?
-Yeah. Bing-su No. 1 got smashed unfortunately, but others are under my control.
-Vins? What's that?
-Bing-su! My pet Glacier Trolls. I'll give you one later.
-...No thanks.
Logan couldn't make sense of Seongjin's words.
He just pitied the guy, unable to rest even now.
-Idiot. In your state, who helps whom?
Feeling Logan's worried tone, Seongjin smirked confidently—annoyingly so amid crisis.
-Don't worry. Happened before; Dad fixed me right up.
You call that talk now?!
Shut up and lie still!
Reprimanding and pressing his head, Logan felt slight relief; maybe not wasted words.
Come to think, similar when palace monsters appeared. Seongjin might recover!
Forcing acceptance, Logan finally tore himself away.
And realized something.
'Had I not believed the Holy Emperor could fully heal Seongjin, could I have left him and moved?'
He relied on Delcross's Holy Emperor more than thought.
Not wanting to burden him with Ortona’s fall. Nor incur debt for not truly being his son.
Subconsciously distancing. Thought he walled emotions thoroughly.
'Am I an idiot...?'
A wry chuckle escaped.
Hadn't noticed allowances creeping up under pretexts.
When big trouble loomed, Holy Emperor's face first in mind—unnoticed.
If not spoiled, what was?