Chapter 172: Nightmare (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: Nightmare (8)
“Is this some kind of joke?! Brawling in a residential area. And you, the Hero and his so-called companions?!”
The Emperor slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne. At his thunderous rage, the vassals bowed their heads, cautiously watching his expression. However, the very people who had angered him, save for the swordsman, wore sullen expressions.
The Hero, Han Jisu, was particularly defiant, openly showing his displeasure.
“No one got hurt, so what’s the problem? As for property damage, Your Majesty can just pay for it.”
“What… What did you say?! Hero, you wretch, how dare you…”
“Exactly. Why do you keep forcing this on someone who doesn’t want it? I’ll say it again: I don’t need companions.”
“You insolent…!!”
The Emperor’s fists trembled at the Hero’s disrespectful attitude. He was seething, but he couldn’t punish the Hero for mere insolence. As much as he hated to admit it, the title of ‘Hero’ held as much sway among the people as his own.
Punishing him on a whim would only tarnish the Emperor’s reputation.
Besides, even if he were to issue a punishment, it was doubtful the Hero would meekly accept it.
He’ll probably resist.
And if he did, could they even capture him and carry out the sentence?
The Emperor looked at the four who had fought the Hero.
They had been dragged here in the middle of their fight, and they were a mess. The swordsman, Felix, must have been knocked out by a single blow due to his low stamina, as only his right jaw was bruised. The elf mage, Elipheed, looked deathly pale, her magic likely depleted. The beastman, Jeral, was licking his wounds.
The barbarian, Asgarth, was in the worst shape. His entire body was covered in bruises, and blood was still trickling from his cuts.
Of course, the Hero wasn't unscathed either. Ash had healed him on the way here, but he had lost a tooth and suffered a broken arm.
But still…
To think he fought them all to a standstill by himself…
The companions assigned to the Hero were no ordinary individuals.
Felix, the swordsman.
The younger brother of the Captain of the Imperial Royal Guard, a swordsman who had shattered his limits through sheer effort. Now, no knight in the empire could defeat him in a one-on-one duel.
Elipheed, the elf mage.
A tenacious woman who had honed her magic in seclusion for 500 long years. To her, even the elders of the Magic Tower were mere children.
Jeral, the beastman.
Once a slave like other beastmen, his exceptional eyesight and physical abilities were recognized, and he was trained as a ranger. To him, even the elves, the absolute rulers of the forest, were nothing more than prey.
Asgarth, the barbarian.
The king and great hero of the barbarians, who had united the scattered tribes. The story of him capturing a giant for his coming-of-age ceremony was widely known.
Just three years ago, when he was struggling against the knight commander of a small kingdom, there was talk of killing him and summoning a new Hero, claiming we’d summoned the wrong one…
Now, he had become a figure so powerful that even the Emperor couldn't treat him lightly.
But I can’t just let this slide.
To do so would be to stain his honor as Emperor. As he pondered what to do, a messenger rushed into the audience chamber.
“Your Majesty, the western front is on the verge of collapse!”
“The western front? Weren’t we told they had the situation under control?”
“A new Legion Commander has appeared, Your Majesty. They say his strength is overwhelming, a one-man army they cannot possibly handle…”
Legion Commander.
At the mention of that word, a stir went through the audience chamber. In the past, a kingdom had suffered devastating losses in a battle against a demon who called himself the 12th Legion Commander.
That kingdom never recovered and eventually fell into ruin.
The Emperor’s expression grew grim.
“I see… Hero. I will grant you soldiers. Head to the western front at once. You four will also follow the Hero to the front and distinguish yourselves.”
“Your Majesty, as I just said, I don’t need companions…”
“Are you still being stubborn when the western front is in peril? This is an imperial command. Take them and depart for the front immediately!”
At the words “imperial command,” Han Jisu scowled and turned his back.
“Hahaha! You humans are so weak!”
A red-skinned demon in black armor laughed boisterously. The two double-bladed axes he swung were as menacing as his presence. Whether they blocked with shields or swords, the human soldiers were cut down helplessly.
“Soldiers, fall back! The Knight Order will handle him!”
At the count’s command, the regular soldiers retreated from the Legion Commander. The Knight Order, clad in full plate armor, charged toward him on horseback.
Dozens of knights were charging straight at him.
An ordinary soldier would have been trampled to death, but the Legion Commander just sneered.
“You think hiding in those tin cans will keep you safe?”
The Legion Commander held his two axes horizontally and began to spin. Whirling like a top, he charged back at the knights.
Screeeech—!
Just as the Legion Commander had said, the steel armor offered no protection. The knights were shredded by the double-bladed axes as if they were made of soft jelly.
“This is impossible!?”
The horrified count tried to turn his horse and flee, but it was too late. A thick axe swung toward his neck. Just as the count’s head was about to fly—
Someone shot out from the rear of the allied forces and sent the Legion Commander flying.
The count, who had flinched, realized he was unharmed and glanced behind him. A black-haired man was looking at him with an indifferent gaze.
The moment the count saw his hair color, he knew it was the Hero.
“Count, are you all right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m safe, thanks to you, Sir Hero.”
“Then fall back to the rear. What is a commander doing on the front lines?”
“My apologies. I will do as you say, Sir Hero.”
After confirming the count was retreating, Han Jisu turned his gaze to the Legion Commander. The demon spat out bloody saliva, glaring at him.
“You’re the Hero? So you’re the one who killed Malikes. Just a young whelp.”
“Malikes? Who are you talking about?”
“The 12th Legion Commander you killed. Have you already forgotten?”
“Ah, that skeleton knight with the greatsword?”
Han Jisu recalled the Malikes the Legion Commander mentioned. He was a commander Han Jisu had defeated just six months ago, a tricky foe who commanded a legion of Dullahans.
“I swore I would one day crush him and rise above. But because of you, I can no longer fulfill that vow. So, I’ll have to crush you in his stead to satisfy my ambition. Come, my warriors! Kill the Hero!”
From the rear of the demon army, just as the humans had done moments before, the regular soldiers parted to reveal elite warriors.
These warriors, sharing the same skin color as their commander, all radiated an ominous aura, and their numbers exceeded several hundred.
They were many times greater than the count’s mere dozens of knights.
Han Jisu’s eyes darkened.
Again…
How many will die this time?
Will anyone even make it out alive?
Despite these negative thoughts, he gripped his sword tightly and stared down the approaching demon warriors. Just because his thoughts were cynical didn't mean he would act that way.
He would do his best to save even one more person.
As he always had.
He took a deep breath in and out. Just as he was about to charge toward the demon warriors—
“Hee-ya!!!”
Something let out a bizarre cry and crashed into the middle of the demon warriors. Craaash! The ground collapsed as a shockwave swept through the area.
“Hahahaha!!!”
Amidst the dust cloud, the source of the shockwave grabbed a demon warrior by the head and swung him around like a weapon.
Han Jisu narrowed his eyes.
He could make out the face of a man grinning like an idiot.
“The Barbarian?”
What the hell is that bastard doing…
No, more importantly.
“Behind you, you fucking idiot!”
The Legion Commander had closed in behind Asgarth, who was gleefully swinging the demon warrior around. Whether he was slow-witted or simply overexcited, Asgarth hadn’t noticed.
That moron…
Han Jisu immediately leaped toward Asgarth. But it looked like he would be too late. The Legion Commander’s axe would smash Asgarth’s head before he could reach him.
Just as he was about to bite his lip in a surge of powerlessness, an arrow shot from behind him, aimed at the Legion Commander’s head. The commander, who was about to swing his axe, was forced to jerk his head back to dodge.
A volley of arrows rained down on him as he retreated.
“Dammit!”
Each arrow was imbued with mana, so he couldn’t ignore them. The Legion Commander had no choice but to fall back.
Han Jisu glanced back to identify the archer.
It was the beastman, Jeral.
He continued to fire arrows, keeping the Legion Commander in check. Above him, Han Jisu felt an intense surge of magic. Looking up, he saw the elf mage, Elipheed, floating in the air, chanting a spell.
She opened her previously closed eyes. As her eyes glowed white, a clap of thunder echoed from the sky, and a wave of intense heat began to wash over the battlefield.
High-level magic.
Meteor.
Burning chunks of rock began to fall from the sky.
“Huh.”
As Han Jisu watched the Meteor with a hint of admiration, Ash patted him on the back.
“Sir Hero, let’s go! I’ll watch your back!”
She said this with a look that was a mixture of foolishness, purity, and grim determination.
Han Jisu let out a dry laugh.
“Fine by me.”
In the end, humanity achieved an unprecedented victory in that battle. Allied casualties were low, and none of the Hero’s companions died.
Yes, that’s right.
The Hero accepted them as his companions.
Of course, it wasn’t that he had opened his heart to them.
He accepted them as companions in the literal sense of the word. He treated them professionally, both in public and in private.
From that day on, they fought on countless battlefields together, and their teamwork improved, but his mindset never changed.
It couldn’t be helped.
He was afraid of the pain of loss.
He felt that if another person he cared for died before his eyes, he wouldn’t be able to bear it again.
That was why he had made a vow.
Until this damn war was over, he would not get close to anyone.
But the day came when that vow would be shaken—the day the Holy Land of Atlia was besieged by an army of 10,000 demons.
“Ash, you stupid bitch! Stop fucking around and get up here!!”