Chapter 223
Chapter 223
'So it's come to this.'
From the moment he saw the aura erupting from his master's sword—no, from the moment this war was decided—Logan had already steeled himself.
As the enemy forces surged forward, Logan roared at the top of his lungs.
"All forces, charge! Crush the pawns of the tyrant!!"
The moment his command rang out, a hundred red stones launched from behind the knight ranks, hurtling toward the enemy lines.
BOOOOM!
"Aaaagh!"
The red bombs—far exceeding the range of the repeating crossbows now wielded by both sides—began raining down. Even the vanguard of the Esperanza Knights started suffering casualties, and soon, a transcendent clad in swirling silver wind burst forth from their ranks.
"Not a chance!"
The silver gales unleashed from the frontlines of the Esperanza Knights deflected the incoming Liberatio bombs off course. Seizing the moment, a towering figure over three meters tall lunged into enemy lines like a bolt of lightning.
"Wycken! Today, we settle this!"
Luther Kyle's bellowing war cry.
Following his lead, Logan and the MacLaine Knights surged forward.
"Die!"
"You first!!"
BOOOOM!
CLANG! CLANG!
CRASH!
In an instant, the elite forces of both sides clashed, raising a storm of blood amidst deafening noise.
-Just hold out as long as you can.
'Understood. I will.'
Patrick gritted his teeth, recalling the conversation he'd had with his son before the war began.
"There's no need to annihilate the Esperanza Knights."
"What?"
"This war will end with my duel against Master. The king's target is me, and Master is the focal point of their forces."
Whether Logan or the Sword Duke fell, the war would end.
The logic was simple enough to grasp.
But—
"Then shouldn't we crush the Esperanza Knights as quickly as possible? To pressure the Sword Duke?"
"Master isn't the type to be shaken by such tactics. And even if both houses bleed each other dry, it'll only weaken the kingdom as a whole."
"......Are you serious? Talking about the kingdom's losses now?"
"I'm saying we should minimize pointless casualties."
"......Holding back could cost us more in the end."
Patrick wore a troubled expression, but Logan remained resolute.
"Whether I win or lose, my duel with Master won't last long. And if we focus purely on endurance from the start, the losses will be lighter than if we fought to the death."
"Endurance. Against the kingdom's finest knights."
"Yes. Trust me, Father."
"Haah...... Even so, I can't shake this unease. Can you really defeat the Sword Duke? At least if Master Clayton were to join—"
Logan shook his head firmly.
"The moment we do that, the Esperanza forces will intervene too. Then it'll just devolve into another chaotic melee."
"Even if it does, wouldn't our chances—"
"Father. The empire's invasion is no joke. Surviving this battle alone won't be enough. We must preserve our house's strength—the kingdom's strength—if we're to survive in the end."
"And if you die in the process, what good will that do?!"
"If I lose, surrender immediately and submit to Master. As long as I'm gone, the king will be satisfied—he won't completely purge our house."
"What kind of—!"
"Of course, I will win. But I'm speaking of the worst-case scenario."
A bitter smile crossed Logan's face as he turned away, though traces of unease lingered.
Even with a plan, facing the Sword Duke was no small feat.
It was only natural, but the thought weighed heavily on Patrick's chest.
'Because of my own inadequacies, my son bears all the burden.'
If only he had become a transcendent—if only he had been stronger—
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!
"My lord!"
"Yes. I see it."
Huuu...
Patrick exhaled deeply, watching the approaching Esperanza Knights, and shook off his distracting thoughts.
Then he surveyed his surroundings.
"Dygrom. Everything's prepared as discussed?"
"Yes! Of course."
The brown-haired knight captain, Dygrom, responded in a booming voice.
"Sir Jorge. I'll handle Sir Louis Hyon—you take Sir Ryan Hemil. Confident?"
"Leave it to me, my lord."
Jorge, the territory's second High Knight, answered with unwavering confidence.
"Victor, Henderson. Your side?"
"Ready to go!"
"Good. Hold the line. Today, we rewrite the title of the kingdom's greatest knights!"
"YES, MY LORD!!"
All of MacLaine's finest knights stood ready—except for his daughter-in-law, who had withdrawn to command the now thousand-strong female soldiers.
A fleeting thought crossed Patrick's mind—how nice it would've been if his second son were here too—but Ronian had been missing for months after heading deep into the southern mountains on a long-term mission.
The silence that had once been a source of worry now brought an odd sense of relief.
'Even if everything goes wrong, at least Ronian will— No, enough of this weakness!'
Patrick shook his head violently, dispelling the ominous thought.
Now was the time to trust his eldest son.
Negative thoughts could wait until after Logan fell.
Though, even then, he had no intention of surrendering as easily as Logan had suggested.
'If you fall, the kingdom means nothing to me. So succeed, Logan.'
Steeling himself, he looked ahead—his target now within reach.
Louis Hyon, vice-captain of the Esperanza Knights and the Sword Duke's right hand.
As Louis surveyed the approaching enemy knights, he glanced at Ryan Hemil, the High Knight riding beside him.
-In this situation, objectively, we are the villains. The evil harming the kingdom.
Words like daggers to the conscience.
Their speaker—Ryan—had opposed this war until the very end, one of many voices of dissent within the Esperanza Knights.
Louis shared those sentiments, but—
"Ryan. We are the Sword Duke's blades. You understand?"
"That goes without saying."
"Good. We follow our lord's will and crush his enemies. Focus on that alone!"
"Yes, sir!"
Counseling one's lord was indeed a knight's duty.
But if that counsel was rejected, turning one's blade against him would make one no better than a thug with strength.
And the elite of the Esperanza Knights Louis knew were all true knights.
'A pity fate has twisted things this way, but there's no helping it, Lord Logan.'
Shifting his gaze to the knights clad in flame-crested armor, Louis hardened his resolve and summoned his force.
From helmet to boots—even his steed—the intense force repelled the hail of quarrels with ease.
Every Esperanza Knight, even the rank-and-file, had reached at least intermediate force mastery.
Against repeating crossbows, shields in hand, they wouldn't flinch.
Louis was certain of that.
Of course, there was one problem.
BOOOOM!
The red bombs detonated even from the lightest deflection.
These were slightly more threatening.
'But no more.'
The enemy knights were moments away from collision.
Unless they intended to blow up their own forces, the bombs would no longer be usable.
Now, all distractions could be cast aside—only destruction remained.
"Lances!!"
At Louis Hyon's command, the vanguard of the Esperanza Knights raised their lances as one.
Even their lowest-ranked knights had reached advanced mastery—the kingdom's finest.
True to their reputation, crimson force blazed at the tips of their lances.
The outcome of war hinged on the battle between elites.
That was why they could charge headlong against forces twice their size.
They were the kingdom's mightiest spear, capable of shattering and piercing through anything in their path.
But as Louis raised his lance, something odd caught his eye.
'Shields, not lances? What—?'
His brow furrowed in confusion—but there was no time to ponder.
BOOOOOM!
A deafening roar shook the battlefield.
The collision of the two knight orders drowned out all other noise.
And the result—
Contrary to some expectations, yet perfectly matching others—
Both sides' charges halted, locked in a fierce stalemate.
Louis discarded his bent lance, flexing his numb wrist as he drew his sword.
'Damn it! Golems? How could mere golems stop my—?'
Just before impact, over fifty combat golems had erupted from the ground, absorbing the Esperanza vanguard's charge.
The MacLaine Knights' shields followed, clashing with the lances—
And now, the lance-wielding Esperanza Knights were the ones pushed back, their formation nearly breaking.
The golems shattered in that single clash, but the attempt to pierce through in one strike had failed.
And before them still stood an enemy force more than twice their size.
"So the famed knights trained not in lance charges, but in cheap tricks?"
Louis's expression stiffened, but his opponent wore a relaxed smirk.
"We couldn't afford to be careless against the Esperanza Knights. We trained thoroughly."
Patrick tossed aside his shattered round shield—now replaced by his beloved sword, Velocitas.
"I've heard much about you. A shame we meet like this, Sir Louis Hyon."
"The feeling is mutual, Lord Marquis. But I won't hold back."
WHOOSH!
Flame-like force erupted from Louis's blade.
From the moment the Esperanza charge was halted, he could feel the tide turning—how could he afford to be complacent?
But his opponent's demeanor was the exact opposite.
"Must we really fight?"
"Hah!"
Ignoring Patrick's words, Louis lunged forward—
CLAAAAANG!
GRIIIND!
Even as their blades locked, Patrick's tongue didn't stop.
"This battle's outcome will be decided elsewhere."
Patrick glanced toward the center of the battlefield, but—
"Before that happens, you'll die by my hand."
CRUNCH!
BOOM!
Louis's fighting spirit showed no signs of waning.
'So be it.'
Patrick sighed and faced him with a tense gaze.
Meanwhile, not far from them—
Where Patrick's eyes had briefly wandered—
The true protagonists of this battlefield had drawn their swords.
Dismounting his black steed, the Sword Duke approached.
Logan exhaled softly as he watched his master's figure draw near.
When they first met, his master had appeared no older than middle-aged.
But now—
His once-lustrous golden hair had turned more than half white, and deep wrinkles marked his face.
'......Master.'
An unexpected bond had brought them together, and they had strived for a better future.
How had things come to this?
'But—'
Grip.
Despite the bitterness in his heart, his hand tightened around his sword.
"It must be done."
Fearing his resolve might waver, Logan spoke aloud as he drew his blade.
SHING!
In that instant—
His master's stern face seemed to magnify before his eyes—
And before he knew it, his master's sword was already at his throat.