Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: You Don't Know Either
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Kaltz Black's body was dyed in blood.
The number of knights he had cut down totaled eight.
The number of soldiers he had killed was sixty-three.
Even while minimizing clashes and fleeing, he had been forced to fight that much.
Attacks that slipped through gaps in his focus had grazed his shoulder, thigh, and neck, causing blood to stream down.
'Still…… I'm almost there!'
A little further, and he'd reach the spot where he'd hidden his scout bike.
He didn't know how fast Rogot Kingdom's Giants were, but if he rode a speed-specialized scout bike, he could reach the border fortress in no time.
But just as he neared his goal, two knights blocked his path through the reed thicket.
"Whoa…… we almost missed him, huh? Good thing we were assigned to the rearguard. We nearly let him leak all the intel before we could even ambush him."
"Bad luck. Running into us at the end like this."
The two knights exuded an ominous aura.
For starters, their gear was different.
'What…… they look like small golems.'
The knights he'd encountered so far wore simple exoskeletons centered around backpack-like mechanical devices, with limbs extending out like prosthetics.
But these knights were covered head to toe in machinery. They wore massive mechanical hands and arms, with thick steel belts supporting their waists. Rib-like frames crisscrossed and firmly encased their torsos.
Hiss! Pop! Steam and sparks burst from the exoskeletons, making them tower over two meters tall, giving off the intimidating presence of true mini-golems.
"But is that really a knight? His gear looks so shabby."
"I told you, the Linekal guys don't even have exoskeletons."
"Eight of them got taken out by a guy like that? Even if they were basic-suit grunts, that's too much."
They chatted leisurely with Kaltz right in front of them.
"Guess he's got some sword skills."
"Heh. Sword skills? Let's see. Show us some Linekal Kingdom swordplay. Wonder if it'll work on mid-tier knights like us."
'Chattery bastards.'
They brimmed with leisure, but Kaltz had none to spare. Pursuit forces were closing in from behind, and even now, blood dripped steadily from his wounds.
Kaltz lowered his stance.
[Gale Wind]
Jetpack!
Speed over power. A strike that maximized Kaltz's strengths!
BOOM!
A roar erupted with a gale, and Kaltz's body vanished from the spot like a snuffed candle.
CLANG!
Kaltz's attack was undoubtedly fast. Even these self-proclaimed mid-tier knights couldn't track it perfectly. But,
"Sorry, but when the shield's that big, blocking's a breeze."
The knight meeting Kaltz's attack thrust forward a ridiculously huge shield fitting his brutish exosuit.
The shield, large enough to cover Kaltz entirely, blocked his attack range with minimal movement.
Psssh! Hiss!
Steam burst from the exoskeleton once, and the massive shield pushed Kaltz back like a crumbling wall. Then, with a thud! of stomping the ground, a war mace slid forward and smashed down.
Bang!
Kaltz barely escaped the brutish club's range by simultaneously using his boost boots and [Gale Wind].
But,
"Right. You're a Gift Knight, aren't you?"
Clunk!
Kaltz's midair movement suddenly halted.
"But what can you do? I've got a Gift too."
Kaltz's face twisted.
'Telekinesis!'
A Gift with terrible matchup against Kaltz, who favored wind-like mobility.
"Bye!"
WHAM!
The brutish war mace clubbed the airborne Kaltz. It swung full like a home run hitter.
But the knight tilted his head with a strange expression rather than satisfaction.
"Too light?"
It had to be.
Fwoosh!
At the moment of impact, Kaltz had aimed his boost boots forward and blasted flames with all his might.
The force shattered the [Telekinesis] and pushed him back, mitigating the war mace's overwhelming physical power.
Whoosh!
Kaltz controlled the impact midair with [Gale Wind] to avoid flying too far, then dropped back onto the reeds.
Splat!
He didn't land cleanly. Even with damage reduced, a knight's attack augmented by exosuit power was fearsome.
Blood droplets scattered by the wind dotted the shallow water. Thick blood flowed from his mouth.
"Fights kinda weird…… Too light to feel like fighting a knight. But our power advantage is clear."
"Yeah. He has no way to pierce our defenses."
"Fighting with just a single sword? So primitive."
Ptoo.
Kaltz spat the dripping blood and rose to his feet.
"Keep going? Or how about surrendering?"
"You're a knight of that level. I'd rather take you alive as a POW than kill you."
At their words, Kaltz bared blood-reddened teeth and growled.
"Is that so? Sorry, but I'd rather kill you bastards right here."
The front knight burst into laughter at his words.
"Haha? This guy's got style! Hey, he's cool. Let's take him alive."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he's pretty skilled, right? Not hard. Bring him along, pry out what gear Linekal Kingdom has, how they use it."
"Well…… Even if it's primitive crap, knowing it could help our empire's conquest war."
"Yeah. Their stuff's totally different from ours anyway."
But amid their chatter, one word grated on Kaltz's nerves.
"Empire? Since when does Rogot Kingdom call itself an empire?"
The knights laughed.
"Whoa, this hick really knows nothing?"
"Rogot's been an empire from the start, punk. Not like your rat-shit little kingdom."
"Thinks squabbling in one backwater makes them our equals."
Kaltz laughed.
He didn't know how true their words were. But it didn't matter.
What mattered was,
'Demonic Vibration……!'
Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum!
Five vibrations stacked. And atop them……
'Maybe…… I can do it now.'
A gamble betting on the self he'd diligently trained since meeting Kang Geohan.
Ting!
The sixth vibration rang out.
Whoooosh!
Heat haze exploded above Kaltz's shoulders.
Hiss!
Steam billowed thickly from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
'What matters is you bastards don't know Linekal Kingdom either!'
Hyper-activated mana stimulated the jetpack and boost boots. His back and feet burned hot,
Whirr!
Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!
With train-like vibrations, the jetpack and boost boots began to overload.
The 'Overdrive' used by a Linekal Kingdom knight whose life hung by a thread as a last resort.
And Kaltz was a knight who handled Overdrive better than anyone.
Clunk, Kaltz's sword dropped to the ground. In the same motion, he drew a three-fold collapsed spear. He didn't unfold it yet.
"Huu…… Bastards without jetpacks!"
Kaltz stomped.
Bang-!
Massive explosions erupted from his back and feet,
Whoosh!
The whole world compressed to a point.
The distant dot instantly became a massive wall rushing at his eyes.
The spent jetpack and boost boots emitted eerie noises and black smoke, but it didn't matter.
This was his final attack anyway.
"Uh……?"
"Huh?"
A speed that left them unable to react even staring straight at it. Probably, everything would end the instant their vision flashed.
Boom!
Clang!
Two sounds rang out simultaneously. Flames and smoke burst like a rocket launch, accompanied by the snap of the three-fold spear unfolding.
And its tip pierced past the shield they hadn't raised in time, slamming into the Rogot knight's chest exoskeleton.
Kaltz yanked the deeply embedded spear free amid the erupting blood spray.
'One down.'
Grind!
Resisting the inertia from the tremendous acceleration, Kaltz turned direction. He targeted the knight still failing to grasp the situation.
But,
"Ah……."
What loomed before his eyes was a massive mace.
"Die!"
Hiss!
Spewing steam like he was ablaze, the Rogot knight took a big step forward and swung the war mace.
Whether his skill exceeded expectations or the exosuit's performance was that superior, the conclusion was one.
'Too late.'
The moment he sensed death, countless memories flashed explosively in Kaltz's mind.
When his squadmates fell behind in Rogot Kingdom's raid, the lonely, trembling path he'd taken against everyone's pleas to rescue them.
The thrilling excitement when he first met Kang Geohan, the chest-thumping elation as he declared he'd become a noble, and now, this regret.
'Ah…….'
Kaltz realized. He'd become Kang Geohan's squire not just because he'd promised him a Giant.
Kaltz wanted to see how far that boy could grow. As a knight, as a Giant Rider, what he could achieve.
He couldn't know yet, but surely, moments worth devoting a lifetime to…… magnificent ones awaited him.
But was this the end?
Grip!
Strength surged into Kaltz's spear hand. If he had to go, he'd go out with face.
Hummm-!
The final mana was drawn from the demonic sword's harmony of six vibrations.
Mana too vast to handle at once normally, but after trailing heavy-weight enthusiast Kang Geohan, today it wasn't so hard.
The scraped-together mana vaporized into steam from his arms and thighs, and the spear loaded with immense power left Kaltz's fingertips.
Bang!
And the oncoming war mace.
Splat.
His chestplate burst, his body flew through the air and crashed somewhere, and a high-pitched ring screamed in his ears.
And, a clear blue sky appeared.
"Ah……."
Kaltz rolled over. It hurt. Hurt like hell. And what that meant was one thing.
"I…… lived?"
How?
Kaltz recalled. In the last moment, the war mace's trajectory wavered.
It hadn't hit dead-on; it merely grazed his chest.
'My spear was faster, huh.'
By a hair's breadth, Kaltz's spear pierced the enemy's chest first. He'd thought it too late, but the spear flew far faster than he knew.
'Did my skill improve……?'
He'd surely thought he was dead.
He'd sensed his stagnant skills growing while training with Kang Geohan…… but this much?
Kek. Heh.
Kaltz laughed. Blood splattered his face with each laugh, but he couldn't stop.
'Thanks to Master, I lived.'
Kaltz Black staggered to his feet.
Standing, he saw it. The knight dead with the spear in his chest, face contorted. Kaltz glanced back once, then staggered onward.
Fortunately, the hidden scout bike remained intact.
Rumble!
It trembled like a beast when started.
Kaltz slumped atop it and floored the accelerator.
At full throttle, toward the eastern border fortress.
He'd lost too much blood and felt like passing out, but he clung to consciousness.
'Not yet…….'
He had to report the Rogot Kingdom raid as fast as possible.
* * *
A border fortress guard spotted the rampaging scout bike charging in.
"Stop! Stop, stop!"
He waved frantically, but the bike didn't slow, barreling toward the walls like it would crash.
"Gah! Dodge!"
Guards leaped left and right to evade the charging bike.
And,
BOOM!
The madly charging bike skidded and slammed the wall. The lunatic rider, covered in blood, tumbled across the ground.
"What, what is it? Hey, you okay?"
"You crazy bastard?"
Guards approached murmuring.
Then, the tumbling lunatic sprang up and grabbed the nearest guard by the collar, hoisting him.
Such strength; the guard dangled helplessly in the air. Staring him dead in the eyes, the lunatic spoke.
"I'm Kaltz Black, on recon from Front Line Outpost 11. Report to the commander now. Rogot Kingdom is invading. Enemy forces: 33 Titans, 50 Vayabas, 200 golems."
"Eek…… eeeee……."
The soldier hit by this sudden misfortune felt like fainting. Staring down a blood-scented maniac radiating killing intent, he nearly pissed himself.
"Tell him. Run. Don't, and I'll kill you."
Kaltz Black dropped the collared guard and kicked his ass.
"Hik! Heek!"
The guard bolted without knowing where, just running. Kaltz Black yelled from behind.
"No repeat back?!"
Instinctively, the guard shouted. The words etched clearly in his ears, he repeated verbatim.
"F-Front Line Outpost 11! Rogot Kingdom raid! Scale: 33 Titans, 50 Vayabas, 200 golems!"
The instant he yelled, awareness flashed. Cold sweat poured down his back. What the hell?
"Run!"
Even without Kaltz Black prodding, the guard was already sprinting like struck by lightning, toward the commander's office.
Thud!
Someone collapsed behind, but the guard's mind had no room for else.
Enemy raid.
Not a local skirmish in the Sea Maze region, but the start of total war swallowing the entire eastern border fortress.