Chapter 526: For a Friend (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 526: For a Friend (4)
Thud!
Kevin’s body slammed into the ground with a dull, heavy sound. After a few brief convulsions, he drew his final breath.
His ultimatum to accept the Emperor’s decree had become his last words.
The vanguard commander, sent to strike the Sword Emperor Castle, had met his end in a single blow.
For a long time, the Emperor’s vanguard couldn't tear their eyes from Kevin’s corpse. Even seeing it with their own eyes, they found his death hard to accept.
It wasn't because Kevin was widely respected or because they shared deep personal bonds with him.
More than ninety percent of the vanguard simply couldn't comprehend how he had died.
‘What just happened?’
‘The commander is dead? For real…?’
While the rank-and-file knights were still lost in doubt, two streaks of light flashed again from atop the walls of the Sword Emperor Castle.
The second volley of sword energy spread wider than the first, shearing through both wings of the Red Dragon and leaving glowing trails across the sky.
[SCREE-A-A-A-CH!]
Only after the Red Dragon lost its wings and crashed to the earth did the vanguard finally realize it had been Dante’s sword energy that killed Kevin.
“Did the dragon not hear my words? I told you not to dare look down upon the Sword Emperor Castle.”
His voice was low, as if he were merely murmuring, but infused with energy, it resonated across the entire plain.
Now, there was no one left looking down on the Sword Emperor Castle. Instead, Dante looked down upon the entire vanguard from the ramparts.
Only then did the vanguard truly feel the weight of reality.
The reality that the place they had come to strike was, indeed, the Sword Emperor Castle.
At that chilling realization, the knights momentarily froze. An instinctive fear, rooted in the very name ‘Hairan,’ pierced their minds.
“From that distance… he fired sword energy? With that kind of speed and power?”
As Scott Harlow of the Central Knights spoke, the other high-ranking knights shook their heads in dismay.
“This is no joke. So this is the successor of the Sword Emperor.”
“Dante Hairan. I only remember him being dignified and gentle, but seeing him like this… he’s nothing short of a predator.”
It wasn't just the common knights; even the commanders felt a chill run down their spines.
Dante was one of the most famous figures in the Empire, having been confirmed as the successor of Hairan at a young age, skipping over an entire generation.
From the moment he became the successor, all sorts of rumors followed him. His small frame, which seemed ill-suited for a warrior, his frail stamina, and his delicate features all led people to doubt him.
Furthermore, Dante rarely participated in the Empire’s swordsmanship tournaments. Even when he did, most were private spars, so few knew the true extent of his skill.
However, those who had seen Dante’s sword—and witnessed the speed of his growth—spoke with one voice, all agreeing that the identity of the next World’s First Sword was already a foregone conclusion.
Amidst the cold silence, only the screams of the fallen Red Dragon filled the plains.
Mages hurriedly cast healing magic to try and reattach the wings, but it was futile.
“I am the successor of Hairan and the Acting Patriarch of the Sword Emperor Castle, Dante Hairan. Let the Emperor’s army once again show proper etiquette and state the reason for your visit to the Sword Emperor Castle.”
Scott Harlow stepped forward.
“I am Scott Harlow of the Central Knights! Sir Dante, do not do this. You are walking a path from which there is no return. His Majesty has commanded that the war cease the moment Hairan returns the White Stone!”
“No such stone exists, Sir Scott Harlow. And even if it did, the Emperor has no right to treat Hairan in this manner.”
“Sir Dante! There is still a chance. As a fellow warrior who has always admired Hairan, I sincerely hope the Sword Emperor Castle returns to the embrace of the people and His Majesty!”
“A chance? Do you truly not see that the Emperor is blinded by power and intends to break the very pillar of the Empire? If that is truly the case, I will give you one last chance. Drop your swords and surrender immediately. If you do, I shall spare you all. However, if you still choose to fight, knowing the Emperor's true intentions…”
Dante’s energy flared as he continued.
“Not a single person who points a blade at Hairan shall survive. The fact that you are merely following orders will not be considered a mitigating factor. After all… you are all knights.”
Against a thousand knights, even Dante couldn't afford to be careless.
In fact, he had to massacre them as quickly as possible before the main army arrived to make the subsequent battles more manageable.
From the moment the Emperor’s purge began, Dante had steeled himself.
For his own death, and for leading others to theirs. Even if he had to kill thousands, tens of thousands, or more, Dante had no intention of stopping until the Emperor was stopped.
‘Damn it. I thought Dante Hairan might at least leave some room for dialogue, even if Lord Ron wouldn't. There’s no reasoning with them. Are they choosing destruction in the end…?’
It was then.
One of the common knights standing in the ranks dropped his sword to the ground.
Clang!
In an instant, everyone turned their heads toward the sound.
“I… I cannot fight Hairan. If Hairan had not stepped forward during the Battle of Shuka, my entire family would have been slaughtered.”
“What do you think you’re—!”
Clang! Clatter!
Starting with him, like a spreading fire, the common knights began dropping their swords.
“I, too, cannot fight Hairan. The only reason an orphan like me could become a knight was because of Hairan’s scholarship support.”
“I also received Hairan’s scholarship…”
“I, too, owe a debt of gratitude to Hairan…”
More than half of the common knights dropped their swords. It all happened in less than a minute.
“Pick up your swords this instant!”
“You madmen! Do you think you can survive after defying His Majesty’s orders?!”
The vanguard commanders were speechless at the sudden turn of events. The knights who had discarded their weapons even dropped to their knees.
With a single strike, Dante had eliminated the commander, and with a few words, he had completely shattered the vanguard’s morale.
Commanders like Scott, Marvin, Gloria, and Roya had never imagined such a scenario.
They stood bewildered, looking back and forth between the knights who had abandoned their swords and the Sword Emperor Castle.
‘This is madness!’
Scott grit his teeth.
He knew better than anyone that if the main army arrived to see this, not only the common knights but the commanders as well would face a punishment far beyond simple reprimand.
Slash!
Scott struck off the head of a knight who had dropped his sword. He had made his decision.
“What is this disgraceful display in front of rebels? Anyone who abandons their sword will be executed on the spot!”
Even though the knights of the Sword Emperor Castle had yet to draw their blades, fountains of blood were erupting throughout the Emperor’s vanguard camp.
The knights who had discarded their swords did not resist. Because of this, the vanguard knights tasked with killing them did so with heavy hearts.
“You fools! Do you think anything will change because of this? Once the main army arrives, the Sword Emperor Castle is finished anyway…!”
In truth, the vanguard commanders had been uneasy for various reasons since they first arrived.
Kevin of the Dragon King Knights lacked the skill and virtue to serve as a commander, and the thousand common knights were mostly composed of those who had benefited from Hairan’s grace.
And what was the result?
Kevin had charged out like a reckless fool and met his death, and the common knights were offering up their necks, refusing to fight.
With the situation reaching this point, the commanders couldn't shake the feeling that the Emperor’s true intentions had been hidden in the very composition of their forces and the selection of their commander from the start.
“Damn it, pick up your swords…!”
Already, the heads of about fifty common knights had fallen.
The vanguard commanders and the section leaders who hadn't abandoned their swords felt like they were going to lose their minds.
The phrase ‘no turning back’ seemed to apply more to them than to the Sword Emperor Castle.
“Sword Emperor Castle!”
At Dante’s shout, the knights waiting inside the castle simultaneously ascended the walls.
“Rescue those who have not forgotten the grace of Hairan. Anyone who stands in your way—cut them down.”
As soon as the order was given, the knights on the walls threw themselves down onto the plains. Simultaneously, the castle gates swung open, and more knights poured out. The knights from the gates formed a spearhead to break through the enemy lines, while those who had jumped from the walls moved to handle the encirclement, creating a pincer formation in an instant.
Just as Dante was about to step forward, Shuras Helter caught his shoulder.
“Don’t go, Sir Dante. The main army will arrive soon, so you must conserve your strength. Aside from the Five Sword Saints, you are the only one who can handle the main army’s top knights.”
Dante was barely maintaining his cold composure, both in body and mind. He had wanted to rush out immediately upon seeing those who remembered Hairan’s grace being killed, but his naturally frail constitution had left him exhausted since the council meeting.
And Dante was not only the Acting Patriarch but also one of Hairan's strongest assets, a warrior whose skill was rivaled only by the Five Sword Saints of Hairan.
“…Understood.”
The Five Sword Saints of Hairan were not currently at the Sword Emperor Castle.
If they all returned safely and Dante could fight at his peak, there was hope. All the knights of the Sword Emperor Castle believed so.
In Dante’s stead, half of the patriarchs from the thirty families threw themselves into the fray.
The battle against the vanguard was quickly becoming a one-sided victory for Hairan. Despite the enemy's dragon, mages, and war machines, the collapse of their morale and ranks had been too severe.
However, since the knights of Hairan were focused on rescuing the defecting knights rather than total extermination, the battle wasn't won instantly.
This was made more difficult because Hairan currently lacked an exceptional knight who could dominate the battlefield and turn the tide. It would have been over in a flash if Dante had taken that role, but considering the main army, Shuras’s judgment was entirely correct.
“Glory to Hairan!”
“How dare the Emperor’s dogs speak of honor!”
By the time the evening glow had completely faded, the battle was nearing its end.
All that remained were a few key knights, one dragon, and about ten mages, including Roya.
On the other hand, the Hairan knights had suffered only five casualties. About a hundred of the knights who had abandoned their swords were rescued, making the battle against the vanguard a complete victory.
However, around that time, the knights guarding the side and rear gates of the Sword Emperor Castle spotted the Emperor’s main army appearing in the distance.
“The Emperor’s main army is arriving!”
“Twenty Imperial Dragon-Class Cannons confirmed! Activating defensive equipment!”
Furthermore, reinforcements from the main army were arriving not just at the side and rear gates, but also beyond the main gate.
The commanders’ previous reports—that the main army would be at least ten times the size of the vanguard—were indeed true.
The number of knights closing the encirclement around the Sword Emperor Castle easily exceeded ten thousand at a glance.
“…Rescue operation concluded. From this moment, we begin the annihilation operation.”
Dante spoke, his gaze fixed on the new wave of enemies.