Chapter 406: The Reinforcements' Dance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 406: The Reinforcements' Dance
Krais decided that reinforcements were necessary, but he also believed they didn't need to be a large-scale force.
‘Are they short on supplies?’
Probably not. The Kingdom's army wouldn't have charged in without at least that much preparation.
Then, could sheer numbers alone turn the tide of battle?
He didn't know. It was hard to predict, as Count Molsen’s moves were impossible to read.
It was only natural. Count Molsen had prepared something that blended magic and sorcery, and he was currently painting the battlefield in blood. Even so, Krais predicted that the opponent would pull out something unexpected.
His mind, which always prepared for the worst-case scenario, proved brilliant once again. If his intuition was right, the only logical move was to send the fastest and strongest forces as reinforcements. After all, it was those possessing extraordinary martial power—even in small numbers—who overturned the tides of war.
Audin, Sinar, and Teresa.
Krais had provided two sturdy, fast horses for each of the three. That was how Audin and Sinar had managed to arrive here so quickly.
*
Encrid took a step back. Audin had gently gripped his shoulder and pulled him behind him. There was no reason to resist.
"Now, just watch. I watched earlier, too," Rem said, seeing Audin step forward. With a sharp clang, he crossed and clashed the weapons in his hands.
In his right hand was his usual long-handled axe, and in his left was a short-handled hammer he had scavenged from somewhere. Encrid knew that Rem wasn't picky about weapons; if he was dual-wielding, it was safe to assume he was in peak condition.
"Do I just need to cut them down?" Ragna asked, dragging the tip of his sword along the ground.
Whatever he had been doing, the edge of his blade was completely chipped, resembling a saw-toothed sword more than a knight’s weapon. Yet, because it was held in Ragna's hand, it was terrifying. Even if he held a wooden stick, he would still be a threat.
Today, that was especially true. A vivid determination to cut down anything that dared block his path radiated from him.
Audin, who had pulled Encrid back, smiled gently. "Father, here are those who must be sent to Your side for judgment."
In his fanatical tongue, it meant he would soon kill them and send them to the afterlife. Audin's two fists were the perfect tools for the job. He wore leather gauntlets on both hands that looked as if they had been meticulously stitched, piece by piece. The finish was thorough, and they looked incredibly sturdy.
The material appeared to be demonic beast hide. Encrid's observation was correct—to be precise, they were made of centaur hide. Though tanning and processing them took time, they were exceptionally tough. Krais had ordered them made specifically for this and made sure Audin packed them.
Feeling a sudden curiosity, Encrid asked, "Leather gauntlets? Who made them?"
"There is an excellent master tailor in our unit. I do not know his name, but his stitching is superb. He once served as a sewing squad leader, but now he has become a supply officer, Brother."
A certain face immediately came to mind. "Does he have a red nose? And a love for alcohol?"
"How did you know?"
Tension still hung heavily between the five monsters and their group, yet Encrid and Audin spoke as if they were having a casual chat. It was as if they were declaring that they were perfectly fine despite the odds.
Of course, Audin's gaze never wavered. His eyes remained fixed on the largest monster among the five.
"I once owed him a favor," Encrid replied.
He was the friend who had made him leather greaves and gauntlets during his first regression. His skills seemed to have improved significantly since then. Since he was working as a supply officer within the Border Guard, it meant his tailoring skills had been officially recognized. Krais personally oversaw supply matters and wouldn't employ just anyone; the man’s position was proof of his talent.
"Fiancé, who bullied you? Point them out."
Sinar stood beside Audin. Her elven-style joking was the same as ever. Despite her cold, intellectual appearance and flat tone, her words were light.
"The bastard who bullied me is already gone," Encrid said, pointing a finger toward the sky.
"You sent him to the Lord. Well done."
Encrid wondered if there was anyone else besides Audin—some priest-like fanatic—who would praise someone for killing. Surely, not everyone who believed in the God of War behaved like that.
Sinar, her face devoid of any smile, drew her sword. "There is a half-baked thing defiling elven blood."
She was right. One of the five was an elf.
Rem was inwardly surprised. It was the "friend" he had encountered just a moment ago. Even after her body had been sliced open, she had fled. He hadn't expected her to live, let alone stand there looking perfectly fine. He had clearly delivered a clean axe strike to her torso, spilling her guts, yet here she was.
Though dark red blood seeped in dots through the crudely stitched seams of her skin, the fact that she was moving was astonishing. He had been certain he’d killed her.
Sinar stepped forward, holding her Leaf Sword. As a result, Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Sinar formed a wall in front of Encrid.
Only Sachsen remained standing in the same place... No, he had already vanished. He had hidden himself.
The moment they realized this, Sachsen reappeared right beside the Count. His rapier, resembling a thin skewer, flew straight toward the Count's head.
It was a strike no one had anticipated. The tip of the blade pierced toward the Count's temple, but Sachsen failed to achieve his goal.
Clang!
Sachsen's sword bounced off as if it had struck a block of solid iron. He was shocked; the hardness was unbelievable for human skin. However, staying still was tantamount to suicide, so Sachsen threw his body backward the instant he thrust.
A black talon appeared, sweeping through the space where he had just been. The mere sight of it suggested that a single scratch would lead to a gruesome end. The black talon was a magical entity radiating pure ominousness.
Sachsen knew that what had blocked his sword wasn't a defense spell. He had targeted the Count only after confirming through his senses that no spells were active. In other words, the man’s skin was simply that tough.
"Did you transplant a monster into your body as well?" Sachsen shouted, conveying the information to the others. He was warning them that the Count's skin was as durable as a monster's hide.
"Mayfly-like bastard," the Count spat, waving his hand. The black talon pursued Sachsen relentlessly. Sachsen vanished again, reappearing five paces away, but the talon followed him like a shadow.
At the same time, the chimeras lunged forward. Leading the charge was the elf Rem had nearly killed.
"Ughhhhh!"
She scratched her head furiously before sprinting. Instead of charging straight ahead, she dashed in a semi-circle to flank them. Despite the curved path, she was terrifyingly fast—faster even than Liebart.
To Encrid's eyes, she was a blur. If Liebart had abandoned his humanity and used only his physical abilities, he might have matched her speed. But he hadn't. His desire to remain human and his honor as a knight had been his final shackles. He had wanted to be a true knight, which was why he hadn't fought like a beast.
The answer to what he could have been lay right here.
In the blink of an eye, the enemy vanished from sight. Immediately after Encrid thought he had lost her, his right cheek stung. Something whistled through the wind—a slash born of sheer speed.
Encrid perceived it, but he didn't need to react. Sinar had been muttering something for a while. The words she spoke before the opponent reached them reached Encrid's ears.
"A forest clan that has lost its pride..."
This was no joke; it was a knight stepping forward in earnest. A Leaf Sword blocked another Leaf Sword.
Clang!
Green light sparked as the two blades clashed. The opponent was knocked back by the impact, and Sinar was pushed back two steps. The two faced each other, maintaining a brief distance.
Their swords were similar in shape. However, while one was the original form of the Leaf Sword, the other was merely a blade wrapped in tangled blood vessels protruding from the back of a hand.
"I cannot even call you kin," Sinar rebuked her.
The mutated elf, perhaps not having completely lost her sanity, opened her mouth to reply. "What are you babbling about, you bitch?"
It wasn't pleasant to hear. Sinar showed a faint, chilling smile. "To use such abusive language in front of my fiancé."
Sinar raised her Leaf Sword. Though she spoke calmly, the difference was clear after a single exchange. The strength, speed, and physical toughness were all different. Still, she didn't consider her opponent a knight. She was merely a monster struggling desperately to mimic one.
Sinar had seen true elven knights before. They were beings who naturally deserved respect and honor. One did not become a knight simply by tearing apart and reconstructing their body.
Therefore, she had to cut her down. She would liberate the soul of this ignorant, foolish elf.
"I shall speak to the forest and the flowers," Sinar said, raising her sword. It was a strange sight; even though it was the same Leaf Sword, the scent of fresh grass wafted from the blade.
"The season is spring, and spring is a season more vibrant than any other," Sinar chanted.
Her secret technique manifested by harboring the forest's essence. It was the same technique she had used during her sparring match with Encrid, confusing her opponent with clones and delivering physical blows using essence. But that was merely a trick.
She summoned the spirit born from the forest's essence and received its answer. Sinar channeled that essence into her own body. It was a forgotten art of the elves, lost because no one else could perform it. By absorbing the essence, she stepped into a world similar to her opponent's for a brief moment.
The mutated elf's sword flew in. Naidel—the Leaf Sword—approached her face. Because Sinar had unstintingly consumed the essence she had accumulated, she struck back at a speed that matched her opponent's.
Thud!
She didn't stop at a simple parry. She twisted and deflected the plunging sword, sending it upward. Her blade was dyed in a faint green light.
Naidel changes through the technique called 'Season'. The sword she currently held was Spring.
Spring's Naidel emitted essence more vibrantly than any other form. Its shape remained the same, but the power within it was transformed. Sinar's movements became a dance. If one ignored the brutal reality of parrying, slashing, and crushing, it was a performance of pure grace.
By shattering and striking her opponent's sword piece by piece, she battered the elven chimera who had dared to try and catch up to a knight.
*
Watching the fight Sinar had started, Audin spoke. "Since I am late, as a penalty, I shall take on two."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the remaining guards moved. As they began to run, they proved to be faster than Liebart, just like the mutated elf. Of course, it wasn't enough to pose a problem for Audin or the two standing beside him.
Hearing Audin's words, Ragna extended his sword.
‘Faster and stronger.’
He knew what he had to do. It was Will. An intangible power dwelled in his arm. He placed Will upon his intent to cut and infused it into his limbs. He perceived and directed the flow of that energy.
This was the answer Ragna had found.
In an instant, Ragna manifested a knight's sword—specifically, the sword style shown by the Knight of Azpen. It was simply fast and sharp.
Ragna took a half-step forward with his left foot, keeping his movement path as short as possible. He added rotation from his ankle to his waist to load the power of the Heavy Sword Style. It was a preparatory movement.
Compared to the rushing opponent, Ragna's movements seemed significantly slower. To an outside observer, it looked as if he would be skewered by claws, his heart dragged out before he could react.
That is, if the observer lacked the dynamic visual acuity to see what was actually happening.
Ragna's sword accelerated in a heartbeat. The blade drew a line far faster than the opponent could charge. Before such imperceptible speed and power, the tower built on a false process collapsed helplessly.
Whoosh, rip!
It was over in a split second. The opponent lunged, only to be sliced into two pieces and thrown aside.
Rem, who was busy battering his own opponent with his axe and hammer, saw the display.
‘That crazy bastard.’
Ragna was running wilder than ever. Having faced one of these monsters himself, Rem knew they were formidable, yet Ragna made it look easy.
Rem did not hesitate. He pulled out the items he had obtained while capturing the Immortal Madman. In the West, Rem's homeland, the word "Will" did not exist. Such a concept was foreign to them. However, they had their own way to hone the mind and move forward.
What they obtained through that path was called Sorcery. To Rem's clan, sorcery was a weapon required to become a hero. Descent weapons were derived from that very power.
"Watch closely, punk," Rem said toward Ragna. He split a totem using only the index finger and thumb of the hand holding his hammer.
The totem was a small doll about the thickness of two fingers. Its effect was simple: to let the Sorcery Lightning Foot dwell within the caster's body. Next, Rem pulled out another talisman, crumpled it, and stuffed it into his mouth. This was the Bear's Arm.
These were two types of sorcery that altered the power in his limbs. Though it wasn't his own sorcery, it was a trick that allowed him to borrow that power for a brief moment. The trick made Rem's body faster and added explosive strength to his muscles.
Rem's opponent lunged, holding a thick sword in both hands. The chimera had been dodging Rem's attacks repeatedly, focusing entirely on evasion. Rem's axe, which had been busy blocking, suddenly moved at an unprecedented angle.
It surged from bottom to top, then fell like a thunderbolt.
Crash!
The opponent blocked it but was blown back. A body-numbing shock traveled through the chimera, forcing it into a retreat. Normally, even with sorcery, it was difficult to display such power. This was possible only because it was Rem. He possessed a natural talent for utilizing sorcery within his own body.
After battering the flank with his hammer and feinting to confuse the opponent, his axe finally extended and split the chimera's head.
Thwack!
The tough, reinforced skull split vertically. Eyeballs and gore spilled out from the center of the ruined head.
Rem let his arms hang loose, breathing heavily.
‘There’s going to be some aftereffects from this.’
It was the unavoidable price of borrowing someone else's sorcery. His gaze turned toward the last two remaining enemies.
On the surface, it looked as if Audin was barely holding his own, but no one intervened. Since he had said he would take on two, he had to take responsibility.
Rem thought of Audin as an obnoxious fanatic, but he also knew the man was someone who always kept his word.