Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: 70. Human Hunting (2)
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Yuri scratched the back of his head.
"Wrong guy to mess with."
The man laughed.
"Yeah. Getting it now?"
"Who the hell are you?"
"Why don't you tell me who you are first? Do that, and I'll spare your life. How about surrendering to the Empire? I like your style."
"Oh."
Yuri glanced at Rolang and Jared, shrugging his shoulders.
"Situation's changed."
"Yes, sir."
"Time to bolt."
"Yes, sir."
"Got it."
With that, Yuri spun on his heel to run.
But the man in front of him swung his sword straight down at Yuri's back.
Yuri had tried to dodge, but the strike was fiercer than expected, forcing him to roll across the ground.
"Damn, what a brute."
"You think I'd just let you go?"
"You... just you wait."
Yuri raised Guilty, pointing it at the man as he backed away.
"I'm Jared, the Beast of Brioll."
"Jared, huh? Never heard of you."
Jared, standing behind him, shot Yuri a look. Ignoring the sharp glare, Yuri pressed on.
"And the two behind me are my men, Simon and Guinness."
"More names I've never heard. They say Brioll's a kingdom of knights, but even no-name knights pack this kind of punch?"
"Yeah? And who the hell are you?"
"I'm Elpeso, captain of the Empire's 9th Knight Order."
"What's with the Empire and numbers? Why name everything after a damn digit?"
"The Empire values logic and order."
"Right."
As he answered Elpeso, Yuri kicked the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Elpeso swung his sword in a wide arc to block it.
In that moment, Yuri's group turned and bolted.
"Let's go!"
But Elpeso wasn't about to let them escape. He gave chase right away, slashing at Jared's legs as he brought up the rear.
Jared leaped aside, but tumbled across the dirt.
"Don't die on me, Guinness!"
Even in this sudden chaos, Jared was impressed by Yuri's quick thinking in using the alias.
Elpeso's next target was Rolang. He thrust at Rolang's limbs. Rolang blocked with precise swordwork, but his feet were pinned in place.
Sword flashes erupted between the two.
Rolang was being pushed back, inch by inch.
Yuri quickly scanned the surroundings. He spotted faint movement in the distance.
We need to break out now.
Recalling Moyong Chan's warning, Yuri smirked.
"Heart Demon? Bring it on."
His vision shifted into the realm of heart-soul.
Elpeso's assault on Rolang and Jared flickered in chaotic blacks and whites. Yuri advanced toward him, channeling raw chaos into his body—anything could happen.
"Hey."
Yuri swung at Elpeso, who turned to face him.
Elpeso's body flew back.
Yuri pressed the attack, driving sword aura into the tumbling man.
Elpeso rolled aside to dodge.
The near-miss cleaved the earth, sending dirt flying.
Yuri's blade pursued relentlessly, carving like a butcher's knife.
Finally, after endless rolls, Elpeso kicked off the ground and leaped up.
"Not bad!"
He planted a foot on a nearby tree and charged straight at Yuri.
The chaotic sword aura cloaking Guilty surged to a level Elpeso couldn't withstand. Yet the man charged without fear. Yuri respected that.
The two swords clashed.
Overpowered, Elpeso dropped to one knee.
"Ngh!"
Yuri grinned.
He was used to facing foes stronger than him, relying on speed and skill. This time, it was the opposite.
Elpeso was the one to break down.
The role reversal made the fight feel almost too easy.
"So this is what it's like."
Yuri swung again. The sword aura twisted like a whip, diving for Elpeso's side. He recoiled in alarm.
"Suddenly this strong—what trick did you pull?"
Yuri fine-tuned the surging chaos, honing his senses.
He needed to get more comfortable with this power.
"Answer me, Jared!"
"Sure."
Jared watched from afar. Yuri nodded back.
"I'm not just any Jared."
"What?"
"Call me the Beast of Brioll, Jared."
"Obsessed with your nickname, huh? Fine, Beast of Brioll—Jared."
"Want to know why I got so strong all of a sudden?"
"Mana Circulation Method?"
"Nope."
Yuri gripped Guilty tight.
"It's the burning patriotism blazing like fire."
"W-What?"
The conversation ended there.
Yuri lunged, slicing at Elpeso's side. Elpeso blocked vertically with his sword.
Then Yuri's sword aura detonated.
"Argh!"
He'd intentionally triggered the explosion.
Normally, it backlashed on the user, draining their mana and making it unusable often. He'd tried it once against orcs and nearly died for it.
But with chaos under his control, Yuri could even direct the blast.
The erupting mana radiated outward, aimed solely at Elpeso.
Blood streamed from Elpeso's body as he staggered back.
But it didn't end there.
Yuri leisurely raised Guilty and slammed it down vertically again.
As Elpeso blocked, the sword aura exploded once more.
"Gaaah!"
Every clash unleashed mana shards. Elpeso had no counter. Staring at Yuri's sword, primal fear gripped him.
"What... the hell is this...?"
Yuri drew even more chaos from his body.
His sword aura rippled with inky blackness.
"Stop resisting. Or I'll have to kill you."
Elpeso lowered his sword, panting. His eyes sharply assessed Yuri.
"Getting this strong out of nowhere means it's not your normal state."
He took a long step back, raising his sword.
"Which means you can't keep it up for long."
Yuri's eyebrow twitched.
"Am I wrong, Beast of Brioll—Jared?"
His observation hit the mark.
Yuri hadn't fully mastered the chaos yet. He wasn't even sure assimilation was possible.
He couldn't sustain it long, and forcing it risked the Heart Demon Moyong Chan warned about returning.
Yuri shrugged instead of answering.
Then charged.
"Hit a nerve?"
Elpeso shouted. Yuri ignored him. Cornered foes always stalled with talk. He'd done it himself before.
Just kill him quick.
But Elpeso no longer clashed blades. He slipped away slyly, evading endlessly.
Close enough to grab, yet always out of reach.
Time was slipping away.
Yuri glanced at Rolang and Jared. Their faces were grim.
The chaos began defying Yuri's will, stirring wildly.
Yuri made his choice.
"Simon! Guinness!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Execute that plan!"
"Understood!"
Elpeso's eyes narrowed.
He watched Yuri's group warily, scanning all around.
"That plan, you say..."
In that instant, Yuri swung low.
The diagonal downward strike exploded the ground, kicking up a dense cloud of dust.
They immediately turned and ran.
"Retreat maneuver."
The three vanished into the distance while Elpeso floundered.
From behind, he bellowed.
"Capture those three! They won't get far!"
His voice echoed.
Dusk was falling.
"Ngh..."
Yuri, who'd been racing through the mountains nonstop, grabbed a tree and bowed his head for a moment.
"You alright?"
"No."
Yuri looked back.
Elpeso and his knights were tenacious. They kept trying to encircle Yuri's group.
They needed to move, but holding onto his sanity was growing harder.
Aftereffects of unleashing chaos.
"We should rest."
Rolang and Jared nodded.
It wasn't just Yuri. Constant fighting, battling Elpeso, and fleeing had drained them all.
"Let's grab some shut-eye. The Empire's beat too."
"Damn it..."
Yuri sighed.
"Fine. Let's hole up."
They found a spot, dug a pit, climbed in, and covered it with branches. Then took a short break.
Yuri closed his eyes.
And before long, opened them again.
"..."
It was morning.
Yuri shook his head and climbed out of the pit. Rolang and Jared were already packing.
"You good?"
"Yeah, slept fine."
"Your Highness..."
Rolang approached.
"You look rough."
"Do I?"
"Your eyes are bloodshot."
Yuri rubbed his eyes.
"Got a mirror or something...?"
"Here."
Jared pulled a hand mirror from his pouch and handed it over.
Yuri and Rolang stared at him.
Jared threw up his hands in protest.
"Hey, you asked for it. What's with the looks?"
"You carry this around?"
"That's a stereotype, isn't it?"
"My bad. 'Beast of Brioll'? Yeah, that title's too good for you. 'Brioll's Pretty Boy'... nah, doesn't fit your face."
"C'mon, give it back."
"No."
Yuri checked his eyes in the mirror.
"Mirrors gotta reflect guys like me sometimes."
Rolang was right—they were red.
Yuri winced and handed it back.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"I did."
"Then why...?"
"Bad dreams."
Yuri covered the pit, packed his gear, and picked up Guilty.
"Let's move."
Early morning dew clung to the grass. Their boots splashed through it as they hurried on.
The mountain was still silent, not yet awake.
"No noise."
The three moved stealthily.
Elpeso's unit was a scouting detachment, not hugely numerous.
Chasing them must've worn them down too.
Most were probably asleep or off their game.
"There."
Yuri suddenly halted.
"You see it?"
A bit away, an Imperial knight slumped in the brush.
As always, four in a group. They munched on jerky and biscuits, chatting idly.
Not every soldier stays on high alert as the commander wants.
Yuri crept forward first, silently.
Voices grew clearer.
"Just three guys, right?"
"Yeah, but the captain got pushed back."
"He was fine, just a little banged up. They must be hurting bad too."
"Not like Fiore's around. Without that guy, Brioll's nothing."
"Isn't Brioll supposed to be a knight's kingdom?"
"Just a backwater village."
Yuri sized them up.
Swords tossed aside, lounging casually.
He signaled with his eyes. Rolang and Jared nodded and split to the flanks.
Yuri unslung the bow from his back.
"Captain said move at dawn..."
"We're moving. Breathing. Talking."
The Imperials burst out laughing.
Yuri felt relieved at the sight.
Compared to the Empire's black legions from his past life, these weren't scary. Those had been war machines—disciplined, mentally unbreakable. These lacked both.
He took aim.
Confirming Rolang and Jared in position, Yuri loosed the string.
The arrow pierced an enemy's throat silently.
"Captain Elpeso's a commoner, so he's always nagging... gack..."
"What the—?"
"Gurgh..."
One knight collapsed, foaming blood.
His comrades noticed too late, eyes widening.
"Ambush!"
One never finished his shout.
Rolang and Jared struck like lightning. One died instantly; the other two scrambled for weapons.
Yuri nocked and fired another arrow.
It buried in one's skull.
"Y-You guys..."
The last Imperial knight trembled in fear.
Rolang and Jared subdued him.
Yuri approached.
"Don't they teach you Imperials not to ditch your helmets?"
"Uh, th-that..."
Most of the dead had removed theirs.
"You're... the Beast of Brioll, Jared...?"
"Nah, now it's Jared, Brioll's Hand Mirror."
Yuri cracked a joke, then kicked him square in the chest.
"Listen up. Few questions. Answer quick, or I start cutting fingers, then legs, then arms."
The interrogation was brief.
Yuri granted the knight's plea for a swift end.
After roughly burying the four bodies, Yuri turned to Rolang and Jared.
"Rolang, Jared."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Shall we?"
Yuri grinned.
"The three of us... are gonna dismantle the 9th Knight Order."