Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Fourth Wing's Crucible
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The isekai segments described in the novel were broadly divided into two parts.
The first act, dominated by civil wars where nations and races waged pointless battles solely for their own gains, spilling countless blood and tears, only to be stained with regret.
And the second act, where judges arrived to drive the final nail into a crumbling world, while those wounded and bleeding desperately fought to stop them, enduring unimaginable hardships.
In the first act, the characters labeled as villains gave off the sense that they weren't out to commit outright evil acts, but were simply pursuing benefits for themselves and their factions.
But in the second act, it was a true pre-apocalypse state, dominated by madmen thinking, "This shitty world needs to burn and reset clean."
"If the first act focused on Kim Yu-hyun's conflicts and growth with those around him, the second was an endless deathmatch of 'you die, I live.'"
And the ones leading that endless deathmatch were the Seven Wings.
Their introduction stemmed from the rapid power inflation caused by Kim Yu-hyun, prompting the author to hastily prepare antagonists to counter him.
The problem was that shoving them into the story so abruptly made their backstories and motivations feel forced and poorly explained—hardly user-friendly.
That was exactly the situation now.
"You goddamn author!
No matter how lazy you were with the world-building, was it really necessary for the Fourth Wing's older brother to meet his gruesome end right here?!"
Her only family, her older brother, dies in the war.
The sister left alone endures unspeakable horrors and grueling ordeals.
Finally, despair leads her to false beliefs, twisted convictions, and corrupt power!
End of explanation!
"The lore is paper-thin!
I couldn't bring myself to complain too much back then, but damn, you half-assed the setup, you hack!"
Readers demanded proper backstories, but with the latter half packed with battle scenes, it all fizzled out.
In the end, the novel progressed without ever detailing the painful life Saik had lived or how and where her brother died.
Even as a devoted reader, there was no way to know more when the author left it like that.
While reading, it was just, "The world-building is so sloppy. Rushing the endgame like this!"
But when you were about to "experience" the novel firsthand, with disaster looming, all you could scream was, "We're fucked!"
"Of all people, Saik.
Of all attacks, hellfire!
Of all names, Demon King Faker?!"
She ran.
She ran like a madwoman.
Even as flames roared, threatening to devour her at any moment, and Nudia's soldiers frantically loaded bolts into their crossbows in alarm, Sion didn't stop.
No, she couldn't stop.
Saik—Trisha Faker—had single-handedly turned the Hispanya Kingdom to ash.
What was truly terrifying was that no matter how fiercely Kim Yu-hyun charged at her vowing to kill her, she never fully engaged. She toyed with him just enough, trapping him in endless ambushes.
To her, what mattered was exterminating all life and dooming the continent.
Even when Kim Yu-hyun finally caught up and pierced her heart, her only regret was failing to kill one more human.
"That crazy bitch!
I can stop her—the woman even the other Seven Wings found unsettling!
The surefire way to ensure Hispanya Kingdom and Klauzen Territory face no more threats!
The method to boost my survival odds by at least ten percent!"
As long as that woman didn't turn hostile, Hispanya's stocks wouldn't crash and delist.
My home, Klauzen Territory, wouldn't collapse into ruins!
With that thought, strength surged through Sion's body where none had been.
"Jimmy Faker!
Who's Faker?!
Damn it, if you can hear me, answer!
Faker-senpai!"
Clang!
Shing!
"...She's strong, this one."
Excluding Raido, it had been ages since Kim Yu-hyun crossed blades with someone for this long.
Even if his body wasn't fully recovered, for her to parry his strikes like this.
As his master had said, the world was vast, full of experts, and even more full of lunatics.
"Not bad, you."
The female knight, Risikida, spoke up.
She seemed composed on the surface, but inside, she was stunned. She hadn't known a young talent capable of casually blocking attacks from Nudia's famed genius existed in Margrave Territory.
"I had no idea Klauzen Territory hid someone of your caliber.
If you'd been waiting in the castle, you might've wiped out our knights instead."
"Not might've—you would've been dead already.
I want to chase them down and slaughter them even now, but there's a pretty damn good opponent in front of me, so I'm holding back."
"You're insane."
"Rolling in shitshows where sanity gets you killed will do that to you."
Kim Yu-hyun readjusted his grip on his sword as he finished speaking.
She was strong, no doubt, but far from unbeatable.
If his body were at full strength, he'd have toyed with her a bit before ending it.
Even now, he'd given her time to read his style, and that phase was over.
All that remained was drawing a single line of blood across her throat.
"Jimmy Faker!"
Just as he moved to strike, a shout from behind made him glance back.
Distraction in battle was taboo, but the voice belonged to the man he'd been watching, so the reaction was inevitable.
"Who's Faker?!
Damn it, if you hear me, answer!
Faker-senpai!"
A man was sprinting around like a maniac, calling someone's name.
Flames roared nearby, Nudia's soldiers loaded crossbows—none of it fazed him. He charged like a hound hunting prey.
"What the hell is that guy..."
Risikida's eyes widened suddenly.
The youth had spotted someone and dropped to the ground, hoisting a soldier onto his back.
How did such a slender frame hold that weight? More intriguing was charging into this hellscape to save one person.
"Young Lord!"
"Protect the Young Lord, now!"
"Form up and move!"
Young Lord?
That guy was Sion Klauzen, heir to the Klauzen family?
Startled, Risikida forgot she was mid-battle and stared at the youth.
The successor to an earl's house—in a position where injury or death would be a massive loss.
Noble heirs were VIPs; retreating from battle wouldn't draw much ire.
Getting captured would be worse, so falling back was standard.
But this man was different.
To save one soldier, he'd braved the flames, ignored enemy troops right there, and lifted the man.
Whatever gave him that courage, one thing was clear.
That noble had risked his life for a single soldier.
Swoosh!
"Shit."
Risikida ducked urgently.
A lock of her hair sliced off, scattering in the wind.
"You're too distracted mid-fight."
"...And you didn't attack seriously either."
As Risikida said, Kim Yu-hyun could've gone for her throat but deliberately left an opening.
As if urging her to notice and dodge.
"One question.
That man over there, saving the soldier and bolting toward your lines."
"What about him?"
"Is he really Sion Klauzen, the infamous heir of Margrave Territory?"
"Yeah."
Kim Yu-hyun answered curtly.
But after a pause, he continued.
"Rumors aren't always reliable, though."
"..."
"My damn master said that.
Maybe those rumors are bait."
Hearing that, Risikida muttered "As expected" to herself and slowly backed away.
As Kim Yu-hyun shot her a puzzled look, the knight drew her sword slightly and said,
"Let's call this fight here.
We're both pretty beat up."
"I'm fine. You too."
"But others aren't."
Kim Yu-hyun glanced at the battlefield per her words.
The lull had shattered due to Sion's reckless move, tension rising again.
The flames dying down, priming for all-out war once more.
"Our knights are down over half, soldiers even more so.
I'll convince our commander, so head back without worry.
This battle is your victory."
"...You expect me to buy that now?"
"If not, nothing I can do. But I'm a knight of honor.
I swear on my name and beliefs.
This skirmish ends here—we'll withdraw."
"..."
The opponent who'd been fighting fiercely suddenly folding left Kim Yu-hyun deflated and irritated.
But with her sword lowering, she clearly meant it.
Swinging at someone like that would tarnish his own honor, so he clicked his tongue and retreated.
"Your name."
"Risikida Amshel."
"Got it.
We'll finish this another time, so let's meet again, Risikida."
"If we can, I'd like that."
A vague reply.
Kim Yu-hyun sensed something off but didn't press.
As the foe returned to Klauzen lines, Risikida alone thought of this Sion.
His actions didn't fit a noble.
One slip, and his surviving troops might've all died.
Yet he'd dragged his soldier out of hell.
"Those serving a lord like that must be blessed."
A master willing to risk all for those below.
Risikida smiled wryly and closed her eyes.
'Last order.
Risikida Amshel.'
'...'
'Go die.
Fight honorably.'
'...Yes.'
She was different.
Her lord was different.
A master demanding a vassal's life, a vassal unable to refuse.
It was right.
She'd believed it right.
Forged as a sword, live as one, vanish like one.
"But seeing that today..."
A tiny regret stirred.
To live more, to be that man's sword.
―
"Are you insane?
Do you have a death wish?
You idiot!
Ow!"
"L-Lilith-nim.
Please calm down..."
"Die! Just die!
Die by my hand!
Drop dead, you fool!"
Pow!
Save me, sis!
Sion took the beating without resisting, unable to rebel since he'd messed up.
He could've dodged the flames, but not Nudia's arrows.
His unscathed return was entirely thanks to Lilith.
She'd subtly cast Charm, blurring the enemies' vision briefly.
Her mana, partially restored via defensive spells, was nearly depleted—that was her limit. A moment later, and the recovered foes would've turned him into a pincushion.
'Still... I did it.
Fuck... I actually stopped Saik...'
He'd saved the guy said to be Trisha Faker's—Saik's—older brother from burning alive, enslavement, or hanging.
Now Trisha Faker wouldn't become Saik, wouldn't glare at the continent with hatred!
"Sion."
Turning, he met Margrave Lichten's worried gaze.
Fair enough— the heir charging recklessly, then demons appearing out of nowhere.
"...I'll explain the lady later."
"This will be a long talk."
With that, Margrave Lichten said no more.
Sion sighed, assuming it meant rest up.
Then he felt stares from all sides and looked around.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Knight Commander Lion, Lucia, even Kim Yu-hyun.
All eyes on him.
He first thought they eyed Lilith beside him, but no.
"What."
Sion shot back but soon ignored their gazes.
The troubles ahead loomed clear.
'Explaining Lilith is an issue, but... this reactive approach won't cut it.
The latter novel had sloppy setup, so pinpointing who's where when is impossible—preemptive moves are tough.'
Take Saik/Trisha Faker: a slight delay, and her brother dies, dooming the territory to ashes a year later.
'Just watching the flow and reacting is idiotic.
Like debating arms reduction mid-nuke drop.'
He needed to act more, gather more intel.
The author built a vast world but skimped on details as chapters dragged— one slip now, and it all crumbles.
'Had it at least finished... Sigh, fuck... Don't read crap like that, you guys...'
He'd cheered the author through delays and hiatuses.
Today, though, Sion hated the unfinished tale more than ever.