Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Paladin's Retreat
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About three minutes earlier.
Yoo Seongwon, slammed into the ground alongside Przewalski, felt excruciating pain but snapped to his senses upon realizing he was in the middle of a fight and jumped to his feet.
Przewalski and Iberico also leaped up almost simultaneously with Yoo Seongwon, but Iberico, startled, immediately started fleeing.
“Uwaaaaaah! From there! …Ugh! It huuuurts!”
[You cannot pass any further! Iberico! You must survive!]
“Whoever sees this would think I’m the villain! Augh… my arm.”
[Hiihiihing!]
[Ooh… my avatar! No!]
Both Yoo Seongwon and Przewalski had sustained considerable damage from the fall.
Due to the impact of the fall and getting caught awkwardly on the Titan’s stake, Przewalski’s divine steed had a broken wing, and Yoo Seongwon’s left arm was twisted in a grotesque direction—right at the joint where his armor offered the least protection.
[To dare treat my avatar… like this and think you’ll get away with it! ‘Life Force Transfer’!]
“I took it directly, you know? Damn, even the potion hurts. Ugh!”
Crack!
Yoo Seongwon stowed the Titan’s stake for a moment, straightened his twisted arm, and chugged a potion.
In the meantime, Przewalski had begun healing his divine steed with holy magic, but unable to stand by, Yoo Seongwon hurled the Titan’s stake at him with his remaining right arm.
Przewalski blocked the frighteningly fast incoming Titan’s stake with his lance, but his healing cast was interrupted.
[You insect! To dare! Against my avatar! Against my beloved steed!]
“Hey, no one’s complaining that throwing spears is a knight’s virtue? Puhahaha! Well, it’s shorter than a lance, so maybe it doesn’t matter! Guys! Come out and chase that bacon mage! I’ll finish this one!”
“Yes!”
[Our turn at last. Hmphahat.]
[We’ve been… waiting.]
At Yoo Seongwon’s command to charge, the knights who had remained in the sanctuary opened a dimensional gate and appeared as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
Already fully armed and mounted on their rides, they charged forward without hesitation.
Seeing this, Iberico grew even more startled, sending his minions ahead while speeding up his own escape.
Yoo Seongwon’s knights were terrifying enough to face S-rank monsters head-on.
And not just one or two—Gaulf, Krokbane, Yuchung, and Jinseok, a full four of them charging in, were enough to inspire terror.
“Now we can finally earn some military honors.”
“Ah! And look at those wicked foes surging like waves! This is thrilling. Mmm~ the air of this battlefield! It’s perfect! Hahahahaha! Were you all enjoying this without us?”
[Hmphahaha, if you wanted in, you should have answered the Contractor’s call!]
[I agree… fully.]
Now six strong with the four joining, the knights trembled with excitement as they eyed Iberico and Przewalski’s minions surging toward them like waves.
These knights lived for battlefields like this—they had answered Yoo Seongwon’s call precisely for fights like these.
Amid the monster waves, knights from different races and eras moved in perfect sync, like longtime comrades watching each other’s backs, as they pushed forward destructively.
[Ooh… as expected, those knights are impressive. Urgh!]
“See? Even I’m amazed! Kugh! Damn, as a holy knight, he buffs himself too?”
[Prurruk! As one who serves the divine, receiving His blessing is only natural.]
By then, Yoo Seongwon was clashing weapons with Przewalski, locked in a test of strength.
The problem was the sheer number of monsters swarming, making it hard for the knights to break through.
Not that he worried about the knights falling, but about losing Iberico, who could erect magic barriers.
“Damn! Iberico knows he’s tasty! Eating that as pork belly would be prime!”
[Planning to eat him?]
“No, why eat a beast that’s eaten humans! It’d be unsettling! Just talk, I… mean!”
[I’ve thought this before, but you never shut up even in battle! Prurruk!]
Clang! Kaang!
The lance and Titan’s stake traded blows. On top of that, Przewalski, despite being a holy knight, even tried to bite Yoo Seongwon with his elongated horse mouth.
Was biting fitting for a holy knight? Stunned by the absurdity, Yoo Seongwon nonetheless headbutted Przewalski while still wearing his helmet, refusing to back down.
Any other knights watching would have grumbled that this wasn’t a duel between knight and holy knight but a street brawl, but since the opponent struck dirty first, no status window popped up complaining about honor.
‘Give back as good as you get!’
[Prurruk! I should have finished you when fighting Legorn!]
“Too late for regrets now!”
[Prurruk! True, no use. But I don’t even need to beat you here! Puhihihiiing!]
With that, Przewalski released his lance as it clashed with the Titan’s stake and suddenly spun around into a prone position.
Baffled by the unfamiliar stance, Yoo Seongwon assumed a defensive posture with the Titan’s stake—only for Przewalski to deliver a clean rear kick with his hind legs.
A textbook horse buck.
“Damn! Horse-head bastard! That actually hurt! Whoa! When did you get all the way over there!”
Pushed back by the kick, and with his ability to fly, Przewalski had already retreated high into the sky.
He then shed his armor, donned his robes, and declared to Yoo Seongwon as if issuing a proclamation.
[Golden Dragon Knight Yoo Seongwon! In today’s battle, I concede defeat! As the price of defeat, I leave this ‘lance’ to you! It will not disappoint, as it is a sacred weapon with which I forged legends alongside the divine.]
“Damn it! You coming down or not?”
[If you wish to settle the score, come to the Slaughter King’s ‘Core Dungeon’! There, I shall face you with all my power!]
“Did I take a bullet to the head? Go into a ‘Core Dungeon’ myself? Who said you could decide the outcome and leave? Hey! Get down here! Damn! Where the hell is Eldraen?”
He urgently called for Eldraen, but she had apparently grown accustomed to rear-guard duty and was supporting the transports, aiding others in battle.
“…Well, from the moment we dropped… yeah, I’ve always handled things myself…….”
Seeing her support the main base with breath attacks and magic while healing soldiers left him speechless.
Resigned, Yoo Seongwon stored the ‘lance’ Przewalski had left in his inventory and began pursuing the bastard.
Status windows popped up with messages, but he had no time to read them—he had to keep running.
This naturally led him to join the knights fighting on the front lines, and Yuchung, spotting him first, approached.
“Your Majesty! What brings you here? Ah! My deepest apologies! There are too many enemies! We couldn’t take the head of that pig Iberico as Your Majesty desired. But seeing you here, it seems you’ve already settled things with Holy Knight Przewalski?”
“That horse-head bastard ran away. Said something about defeat and tossed his lance before bolting. Told me to go to the ‘Core Dungeon’ if I want to finish it…….”
“You’ve won. Congratulations!”
When Yoo Seongwon explained, Yuchung’s face lit up as he offered formal blessings.
To Yoo Seongwon, who had let a near-certain catch slip away, it was absurd—he could only fume.
“No! That prick showed his ass and ran! How’s that a win?”
“Pardon? But the holy knight admitted defeat himself and left his ‘lance’ as payment, did he not? And it looks like you’ve accepted it…….”
“Well, he left it, so I picked it up.”
“Then you accepted it. Thus, you’ve won.”
“…Is that so? Hold on. Hey! Listen up! What happened earlier was…….”
Wondering if he was the weird one, Yoo Seongwon explained the incident to the surrounding knights. But they all reacted just like Yuchung, beaming brightly.
Even in the midst of battle, they maintained decorum and sincerely congratulated him on the victory, making it all the more ridiculous.
[Victory… confirmed. Congratulations.]
“Sir Przewalski conceded defeat in a knightly manner, Captain.”
[The lance holds a knight’s soul……. Forfeiting it means defeat. Hmphahat.]
[Judgment: Master’s victory.]
“Oh, good to see you all agree. Hahaha!”
[Great Knight! You have triumphed over Holy Knight Przewalski! Though intense, both acknowledged it, and the holy knight accepted defeat himself—thus, the ‘lance’ is now yours. Claim your rightful reward!]
[Reward: One Reward Choice]
‘They say on One-Eyed Island, two-eyed folks are the weird ones!’
The status window agreeing drove him mad, but refusing to admit he was wrong, Yoo Seongwon decided to let it slide.
Przewalski was already a speck in the distant sky—pursuit was impossible.
That left Iberico, but the mage had exploited his class perfectly and vanished long ago.
“Damn! Letting those bastards all escape!”
“But many of their minions remain. Plenty of scavengers clashing with soldiers up ahead, and those rampaging foes over there linger still.”
Kwaaaaaa! Mooooooo!
Far off, a mountain-sized duckduck and a wagyu encased in adamantium came into view.
Still thrilled, they smashed tanks and armored vehicles, devouring soldiers and wreaking havoc.
Hunters were engaging them, but with their own minions, it didn’t look easy.
“Huh? Wait a sec? Something’s off. Where’re the Blue Dragon guys? Those two over there look like Olympus S-ranks…….”
“Blue Dragon, you mean those over there?”
Turning where Yuchung pointed, Yoo Seongwon saw Blue Dragon Guild members attacking Przewalski and Iberico’s minions from the flank.
He was stunned yet incredulous.
Why flank when insane monsters raged head-on? But he quickly grasped their scheme.
“…….”
“What’s wrong?”
“What if a so-called knight ignored regular soldiers to plunder for personal gain?”
“That would be intolerable injustice and a knight’s shame, Your Majesty. Ah, indeed… I see. This cannot stand.”
Nodding as if instantly understanding, Yuchung’s gaze toward the Blue Dragon members shifted.
The genuine fury in Yuchung’s usually gentle, elegant eyes chilled even Yoo Seongwon to the bone.
So enraged was he that he ignored attacks from Iberico’s minions charging at him—Yoo Seongwon hurriedly blocked with the Titan’s stake and yelled.
“Hey! Idiot! I get you’re pissed, but block what you can! What if you die?”
“Your Majesty, from here on, please consider my actions my own whim.”
“No, what whim are you on about! Hold! Stop! Augh! Yuchung! Stop! Stay! Stay! Sir Jinseok! Jinseeeok! Hey! Why’s he like this? Augh! You lot, just die!”
Crunch!
Startled, Yoo Seongwon swiftly felled the incoming monster, then barely grabbed and restrained Yuchung, who was casually strolling toward them. Fortunately, Yoo Seongwon’s stats were higher.
Also, unable to shake off his lord, Yuchung relented.
“Calm down! I mean! I’m pissed too! But this isn’t the time! Those! Let’s take those bastards first! Then! Yeah! The Blue Dragon pricks! We’ll deal with them after! Got it? Even if we must punish injustice, we can’t abandon the weak dying there. Right? That’s knighthood, yeah?”
“You swear it now, Your Majesty?”
“…….”
Yoo Seongwon flinched under Yuchung’s gaze, brimming with righteous fury.
He’d thrown out an empty promise to stall, but denying it would lead to disaster and complications.
“Your Majesty?”
“Ah… uh… fine! I swear! For real! So let’s smash those monsters first! Then the Blue Dragon jerks! Got it!”
With not enough hands even united, infighting was absurd.
Better to handle Blue Dragon later than cause an irreparable mess now—Yuchung seemed to agree.
“Thank you for understanding my intent, Your Majesty.”
‘Understand……. Who’s the lord here, me or you?’
Sighing at the unclear hierarchy, Yoo Seongwon turned toward the duckduck and wagyu.
He summoned the knights, formed ranks, and began discussing plans to take them down.