Chapter 154
Chapter 154
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: 64. Fire (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The forest was ablaze.
The woods encircling the royal castle were vast in scale, so the small villages scattered within them would surely suffer damage. If the flames kept raging unchecked, the fire could even spread to the city.
Yuri bent down at the waist.
"You really did it."
Trusting the enemy's conscience to fight a battle was laughable, but this time, he had done just that.
Because it was the only way to win this war.
And deep down, it was also because of Graham.
As long as Graham was unharmed, they wouldn't resort to something like setting fires. Yuri, who wished for Graham's safety, had no intention of preparing a battle plan predicated on his downfall.
He had let his emotions sway him unconsciously.
It was foolish.
"Yuri Brioll, you've still got a long way to go. And you're still pulling this after seeing that sight?"
Yuri deliberately berated himself even more. It was the only way he could endure.
He said aloud on purpose.
"I made a mistake, so I need to go fix it. Yeah, I'll tear it all down and rebuild. Let's go."
Yuri drew Guilty.
"They set the fire! Everyone, evacuate!"
Yuri was the first to spot the flames. He bellowed toward the barracks where Joachim's forces were stationed.
The response was immediate.
The soldiers rushed outside in a panic.
With the dense forest catching fire like this, they had no way to put it out.
"Where are the mages?"
"Dispel is active!"
"Damn it, those rotten bastards..."
The mages might have been able to control the fire, but the Empire had already deployed Dispel across the area.
There was nothing they could do.
They had no choice but to retreat.
Gonte, who had emerged outside, spat the words through gritted teeth. Rage twisted his face.
"The Empire bastards... playing dirty like this, huh?"
At first, embers had flown in from afar, but now the inferno rose like a tidal wave, surging toward them.
"Signal all troops in the forest to pull out!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yuri glared at the forest.
The flames devoured it, and shadows danced wildly beneath the burning trees. Flashes like sword gleams flickered amid them.
Yuri drew Guilty and advanced into the woods.
He crossed paths with the retreating Alloy Legion.
"You're..."
"Everyone, fall back—now."
"Where are you headed?"
"I've got business to handle."
"It's dangerous. The fire's raging out of control..."
"Don't worry about me. Get to safety."
"Understood."
They nodded and hurried out of the forest. Yuri plunged in the opposite direction, straight into the blazing thicket.
Since they had ambushed throughout the entire forest, it took time for Joachim's knights to fully extract themselves.
In the meantime, Yalta was gleefully pursuing and striking at the fleeing knights, rampaging freely.
Yuri closed his eyes, then opened them.
His pounding heart calmed.
Rather than rage, he focused on his own guilt, suppressing his emotions.
"Yalta."
He recalled the man he had to kill.
Pent-up killing intent spread through his body.
Yuri's steps lightened. Like a shadow, he silently pursued Yalta.
"Filthy vermin. Hahaha..."
Yalta laughed as he trampled corpses.
Yuri thrust Guilty at his back.
Clang!
"Ho..."
Yalta turned, lips curling into a smirk.
"One of those three mongrel princes. Where're the other two mutts?"
Yuri didn't reply, swinging Guilty relentlessly. The two swords clashed with a resounding crash.
Yalta burst into loud laughter.
"Pissed about the fire? Didn't think we'd stoop that low, huh?"
Yuri said nothing, extending his blade toward Yalta's throat.
Yalta twisted his neck to dodge, then slashed with the sword in his hand.
The blade came perilously close.
But Yuri kept his eyes wide open, unmoving.
The edge grazed past by a hair's breadth, severing a few strands of his hair.
Yalta whistled.
"Lucky bastard."
"Not luck."
"You knew it wouldn't hit?"
"Yeah."
"Impressive."
Yalta chuckled, spinning his sword in the air.
Yuri's eyes sharpened once more.
It wasn't truly his own, but more hair was sliced from the front. This was commonplace in his fighting style, honed by exceptional distance sense.
It had been the same in his previous life.
Graham had blocked his escape, and during their sword exchange, Yuri's hair had been cut by a narrow margin.
Graham's gaze, visible through the drifting strands, still burned vividly in his memory.
"Did you kill him?"
Yuri asked.
"What?"
Yalta furrowed his brow.
"Did you kill him?"
"What're you on about? Your Joachim scum? I've killed countless. Lit the fire, and they scattered like roaches. Chased 'em down and crushed every last one."
He erupted in laughter.
"That piss you off so much? A swordsman worrying about trash?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Yuri shrugged.
Then he thrust his sword abruptly.
The distance was too great. No sword aura. Yet in an instant, his blade pierced the air and impaled Yalta's body.
It was the One-Point Thrust Sparrow had taught him.
"Huh?"
Yalta's animal instincts flung his body sideways, avoiding a fatal wound.
Instead, his side was gashed long, blood pouring out.
Yalta stared alternately at Yuri's sword and his own wound.
"What the..."
Yuri shook off his blade and thrust again. This time, Yalta ducked at the waist to evade. The One-Point Thrust stabbed empty air and was withdrawn.
Yalta roared and charged.
"Using some weird trick!"
The gap closed in a flash.
Their swords tangled, erupting in explosive clashes once more.
Against the backdrop of surging flames all around, the two fought fiercely.
Yuri was taking the damage. Yalta's strength was overwhelming; each clash sent his body floating back. No cuts, but the impacts accumulated like punches.
"Coming alone? Think you're hot shit?"
Suddenly, Yalta grabbed Guilty barehanded, then slammed his other sword down at Yuri's head.
Yuri tried to raise Guilty to block, but Yalta's iron grip prevented it.
To dodge, he'd have to release the sword.
But doing so would end the fight.
Conflict flashed in Yuri's eyes.
In that moment, Yalta's blade drew nearer.
Yuri gritted his teeth.
His thoughts accelerated.
Instantly, the world seemed to freeze for him.
The falling sword's trajectory and Yalta's grinning face crawled by in slow motion.
But he was trapped in that slowing world too.
Within the given time, he couldn't escape the attack.
Meanwhile, Yalta's sword closed another foot.
Too late, and his skull would split.
As Yuri's grip loosened, a single idea struck him.
Far too risky to attempt in a life-or-death pinch.
Better to drop the sword and flee.
But he didn't want to. Just as he hadn't asked Yalta about Graham, he refused to abandon his blade now.
So he tried.
A faint vortex swirled along the blade.
Yuri channeled mana from his core into the sword, creating an infinitely repeating fractal whirlwind.
Guilty couldn't escape the world's speed, but Heart-Soul Severing defied the flow of time.
The vortex spun as fast as Yuri willed.
Success.
As the rotational vortex sword formed, time snapped back for Yuri. The whirlwind from Guilty engulfed Yalta's hand gripping the blade.
Yalta flew back, blood spraying from his body.
The vortex mass that repelled him tore the air apart before dissipating into the sky.
"Huff... huff..."
Yalta rose. Blood streamed from all over him.
"What the hell was that?"
He bared bloodied teeth in a grin.
"You're full of tricks. Yeah, you're the one I hate most."
Yuri, watching him, asked abruptly.
"What happened to Sir Graham?"
"Say what?"
"What happened to Sir Graham?"
Yalta's eyes widened.
"Huh? How'd you know?"
Yuri closed and opened his eyes.
"Kept it quiet, and you still figured it out? Lucky guess?"
Yalta scratched his head, muttering.
"Or was it obvious? Well, we torched the place, so maybe everyone's clued in by now. Should've done it sooner. Killed you all earlier."
Then Yalta lunged.
"Including you!"
He swung.
Yuri blocked but was hurled back by the force. As he reeled, Yalta's kick slammed his abdomen.
"Guh!"
Yuri groaned. Yalta kept talking.
"Was having fun 'cause it felt good, but you ruined my mood. So I'll kill you quick, you arrogant prick."
Yalta mixed sword and body strikes. Blocking the blade brought fists and kicks.
Yuri was versed in such brawling, but the vast power gap limited his defense.
His eyes tracked the moves, but his body lagged.
The flickering flames distorted outlines, visibility worsening.
Yalta laughed uproariously.
"Thrash all you want—it won't help. No forest, no way for you Joachim scum to stop the Empire."
"You think so?"
"Keep acting cocky. Just stick your neck out, Ubby!"
Yalta remembered his name; Yuri was a threat.
Meanwhile, the fire grew fiercer.
Experts like Yuri and Yalta could endure, but the rest struggled to breathe.
"Forest burns, path opens—Joachim's finished."
Yalta grinned.
"Oh yeah, Sir Graham's already toast too."
An offhand confession.
Yuri's brow twitched. Yalta tilted his head alone.
"Weird. Kill Graham, and Joachim dies too? What're they to each other? Spy maybe? Good riddance."
"You killed Sir Graham?"
"Yep. Stabbed him. Crushed his skull underfoot."
Yuri's eyes darkened.
"Kept stopping us from burning it all. Coulda razed Joachim in one go. Right, Ubby?"
"You think I'll let that happen?"
"And what'll you do? Got fire-quenching powers?"
Yalta wasn't wrong.
Once the forest became ash, the path to the castle would open.
On flat terrain, Empire forces would overwhelm Joachim's troops.
"Burn it all, turn Joachim to cinders..."
Muttering, Yalta glanced skyward.
"Huh...?"
Yuri felt it too, eyes widening.
Something touched his cheek.
Yalta gaped in confusion.
"Wha-wha..."
Rain.
Drops fell from the heavens.
Yalta yelled.
"Rain? Now?!"
Downpour.
The demonic blaze began to die. The forest soaked, flames no longer spreading.
"This can't be real..."
"Can't be?"
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly.
"Where there are arsonists like you, there are always firefighters."
This rain wasn't natural.
"Told 'em to Dispel! How?!"
Yalta demanded. Yuri smiled faintly.
Hernando had once hinted as much.
Magic crumbles easily to Dispel, so even the strongest mages rarely reach the Ten Strong.
But one mage transcended that limit.
The sole wizard who could defy Dispel and clash head-on with mountain-splitting swordmasters.
Archmage Inariel.
He had arrived.
Inariel overlooked the burning forest.
Lives rooted in the earth screamed.
He clicked his tongue.
"Humans..."
As an elf close to the woods, the sight was unwelcome.
Inariel raised his staff.
Of course, he was a Grand Wizard.
His unique magic was simple.
Unchanging Mana Formula.
Inariel's spells defied alteration by others.
Not even the pervasive Dispel could hinder him.
He swung the staff downward.
Rain began to fall.