Chapter 26
Episode 26
THUD!
"Ghk!"
The recoil from clashing with the greatsword sent searing pain through Logan's palms as though his grip might tear apart.
But Ronian had no time to dwell on the pain—he immediately rolled forward.
WHOOSH.
The wielder of the greatsword, which had just sliced through the air where Ronian had stood moments ago, snarled in frustration.
"You're good at dodging, brat!"
The knight—whose massive frame made the oversized greatsword look like a regular longsword—glared and readied his weapon again.
"Greel! No time for games! The battle's turning strange!"
At that moment, another Tesron knight, who had been pressuring a MacLaine knight with coordinated strikes, shouted in alarm.
"What? You think I'm playing around? This runt isn't a joke!"
"I'm serious! Look behind you!"
"What the hell are you—?"
Huff... Huff...
'What are they talking about?'
Though the enemy's words made no sense, Ronian took advantage of the brief lull in their assault to steady his ragged breathing.
Fighting this hulking knight had left him scrambling just to survive, painfully aware that he was no prodigy—just a novice who had only recently awakened his abilities.
'But I can't lose! I can't fall here!'
—You'll have to shoulder your brother's role as well.
Ronian recalled his father's voice just before the war began.
Even without those words, the battle was already desperate. If he didn't hold his own as a knight, there would be no hope left.
Suppressing the stinging pain in his palms, Ronian kept his eyes locked on Greel.
'Huh?'
The enemy turned his back—then suddenly swung his greatsword behind him.
It was the biggest opening Ronian had seen since their duel began.
Had he been in a better state, he might have suspected a trap. But after being pushed to the brink, Ronian acted on instinct, unwilling to let this single opportunity slip.
SHWIIING!
A head flew into the air without so much as a dying scream.
As Ronian stood bewildered by his own strike, Greel's severed head rolled across the ground, his expression frozen in indignation—just before something else embedded itself into the headless corpse.
THWACK.
"...An arrow?"
Ronian barely registered the unusually short arrow before turning his head—
And saw more of them raining down on the surrounding knights.
"Eeek!"
"What the hell is this?!"
"Watch your backs!"
But only on Tesron's knights.
Though none of the MacLaine knights managed to turn the tide as dramatically as Ronian had, the one-sided pressure finally eased.
The oppressive gloom over the MacLaine forces shattered in an instant.
Ronian instantly recognized the distant cavalry unit as the reason—
And at its forefront, a familiar figure leading the charge.
"B-Brother?!"
Stunned, Ronian stared blankly, emotions tangled between shock, relief, and confusion—until a frantic shout snapped him back to reality.
"Young Lord! Snap out of it! We need to regroup!"
Behind him, the clash of steel and furious roars reminded him that this was still the heart of the battlefield.
"R-Right!"
Gripping his sword tighter sent fresh pain through his torn palms.
Strangely, it didn't hurt as much as before.
***
"Tch. So this is the limit, huh?"
Logan exhaled in frustration as he examined his crossbow.
The evolution of his Force through the 2-Star Core had amplified its power exponentially. Unlike before, he could now enhance the elasticity of his weapon, drastically increasing its range and lethality.
He had hoped—just maybe—it would be enough to threaten a knight.
But hope was just that: hope.
The enemy knights, though initially panicked, quickly deflected the bolts.
Once again, Logan was reminded that ranged projectiles were useless against knights—unless fired in overwhelming numbers.
'At least I helped Ronian.'
He sighed in relief, watching the knights shift to protect Ronian.
But that wasn't enough.
Ronian wasn't the only one who needed to survive.
'I'll go myself.'
His eyes flashed as he fixed them on the heart of the battlefield.
"Kai! Take command!"
"Huh?!"
The battle was still raging.
Kai wondered if he'd misheard—but before he could question it, Logan was already charging forward alone.
"HYAH!"
"Lord Logan!"
Kai shouted in alarm at Logan's sudden action.
The mercenaries' strategy had been to attack from outside the enemy's range.
Yet here was their leader, doing the exact opposite—charging straight into the enemy's midst.
To Kai, it looked like Logan was committing suicide just as victory was within reach.
"Dammit! Why?!"
He knew his employer was a Force user, but at his age, facing elite knights was suicidal.
But the deed was done—now it was Kai's job to clean up.
"Everyone! Cover Lord Logan!"
'We've seized the momentum.'
The mercenaries had performed flawlessly, achieving all their objectives.
But one critical problem remained.
'Father!'
He had to save his father—the man who had collapsed into ruin in his past life.
Why had he returned?
To save his family. To save his House.
Winning the war only to lose his family would be putting the cart before the horse.
'Faster!'
Infused with Logan's will, his Force-enhanced steed raced like the wind across the battlefield.
As he closed in on the enemy lines, their confusion at his sudden charge became visible.
But even amid the chaos caused by the mercenaries' crossbows, some remained viciously determined.
"That's their leader!"
"At least take him down!"
After being pelted helplessly by bolts, one soldier finally stepped into firing range—
And Tesron's archers, seething with malice, unleashed a volley at Logan.
"HAH!"
With a sharp cry, Logan swung his sword—
A faint haze of Force erupted around him, forming a thin barrier.
It was nowhere near as strong as the shield of a 2nd-Circle mage from his past life, but it was enough to deflect ordinary arrows.
Logan batted aside the few that pierced through and charged on relentlessly.
In seconds, he reached the enemy lines—and swung.
SHWING!
"GYAAAH!"
Four heads flew in an instant, replaced by the screams of those nearby.
"I'll slaughter every last one of you!"
Logan's roar was met with a chorus of terror that spread like wildfire through the battlefield.
"M-Monster!"
"Get out of the way!"
"AAAAHHH!"
Already thrown into chaos by the mercenaries' crossbows, Tesron's forces now faced another reaper.
'Faster! Just a little more!'
"GYAAAH!"
Cutting down soldiers like stalks of wheat, Logan finally reached the knights' fierce melee.
BOOM! CRASH! BOOM!
Deafening explosions erupted one after another as knights moved like lightning, their blades flashing.
Most had abandoned their mounts after the initial lance charges, now fighting on foot.
In the chaotic melee, horses were more hindrance than help—knights, as Force users, were faster and more agile in close quarters.
Logan gritted his teeth at the overwhelming number of Tesron knights.
'Here I go!'
There was no time to test the full extent of his 2-Star Core's power.
But he was certain of one thing—his combat prowess was now on an entirely different level.
And so, he moved without hesitation.
"HAH!"
WHIIISH!
Leaping from his galloping horse in a burst of golden Force, Logan descended upon the clashing knights.
Four enemy knights were overwhelming two MacLaine knights.
The nearest Tesron knight spun at the sound of hoofbeats behind him.
"Who the—"
THWIP.
Before he could finish, his head flew off as though by magic.
Through the blood spurting from the severed neck, the stunned faces of the allied knights came into view.
"Behind—"
"W-What?!"
The remaining two enemies reacted simultaneously—
But Logan's golden greatsword cleaved through both in a single swing.
SCHLIIING!
SPLURT!
Blood gushed like a waterfall from one knight's bisected torso while the other coughed up a fountain from his deeply split chest.
"W-Who...?"
The dying knight's eyes were filled with confusion—
But they dimmed before he could hear an answer.
Meanwhile, the last Tesron knight was effortlessly imparted through the heart.
Yet it wasn't just the enemy knights who froze at Logan's display.
"L-Lord Marquis?"
"H-How...?"
The sheer power and speed of his strikes surpassed even veteran mid-tier knights.
Their eyes widened as if they'd seen a ghost, mouths hanging open.
But their stunned rigidity was unbefitting of battlefield knights.
Logan barked at them.
"Get your heads in the game!!"
His sharp tone snapped them back to reality.
The knights finally raised their swords, reassessing the battlefield.
As the two moved to aid their embattled comrades, Logan was already charging toward the center of the fray.
"Ghk!"
"Urk!"
"Watch your—!"
He no longer needed to kill as decisively as before.
The 2-Star Core's power had already proven superior to most mid-tier knights.
Now accustomed to his strength, Logan focused on speed—disabling enemies with wounds that hindered movement rather than outright killing them.
Even so, his passing strikes tipped the scales in the MacLaine knights' favor.
"L-Lord Marquis?"
Tired of their identical reactions, Logan kept moving, rescuing embattled allies as he pushed relentlessly forward.
At the heart of the battlefield, where the first clashes had begun, six knights still fought—faster and fiercer than anyone else.
It was a space none dared approach.
And just as Logan neared them—
His golden form blurred, closing the distance in an instant.
***
Logan had seen Ronian, but he had no attention to spare for the rear.
Facing one high-tier knight and four mid-tier knights at once was already pushing Patrick to his limits.
Which was why the sudden, reckless intensification of their assault puzzled him.
"Hurry!"
The Tesron high-tier knight's complexion changed as he barked the order—
And the enemies attacked with renewed ferocity.
They had been cautiously wearing Patrick down, minimizing losses while maintaining their advantage.
But now, they seemed willing to take risks—even at the cost of injuries—to finish him.
'Dammit!'
Patrick's movements grew more frantic.
CLANG!
His sword flashed, deflecting a halberd and greatsword with minimal force—
Using the recoil to parry a longsword in one fluid motion, showcasing the mastery of a veteran high-tier knight.
Twisting his head to dodge a spear thrust was 80% luck—but still an incredible feat.
Yet even such acrobatics had their limits.
SLICE!
Another longsword grazed his forearm, leaving a shallow but lengthy wound.
As Patrick flinched, the enemies pressed closer—
And he instinctively unleashed a full-powered slash.
BOOM!
"Ghk!"
The knights staggered back, buying him precious seconds.
Or so he thought.
'Guh!?'
One knight, blood dripping from his mouth, forced his way inside Patrick's guard.
It was the high-tier knight who had been harassing him from the start.
His visibly paling face proved the strain of his reckless advance.
"TAH!"
"HAH!"
Their simultaneous shouts preceded two blades stabbing toward the same spot.
THUNK.
"Y-You madman!"
"Cough... Heh."
Both swords pierced each other's left flank—
But while one face twisted in pain, the other grinned.
'Why go this far?!'
Before Patrick could react, a greatsword and halberd came crashing down.
"Eek!"
WHOOSH!
CLANG!
Yanking his sword free, Patrick stumbled back—
But the Tesron high-tier knight was already moving.
SLASH!
"Ghk!"
Clutching his bleeding side, Patrick wobbled—
Just as a longsword and halberd aimed for his back.
"Guh!"
This was the worst crisis since the battle began.
Gritting his teeth, he deflected the rear attacks—
Only for another knight to leap overhead, greatsword raised high.
Meanwhile, the last enemy crouched low, spear drawn back for a thrust.
And behind them all, the high-tier knight—still coughing blood—charged forward.
Every attack left them wide open.
They were gambling everything—even their lives—on this reckless assault.
Patrick hadn't expected such desperation from knights who had the upper hand.
'Damn it all!'
His face pale, he clenched his teeth and swung—
When a golden light erupted between the six clashing knights.
BOOOOOOM!
The loudest explosion of the war shook the battlefield.