Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Starlit Night (1)
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Light stood frozen in place.
The blade pressed against his throat.
"Stay still."
"Yes."
Light swallowed hard. Even without the sword at his neck, he wouldn't have been able to move. The presence behind him was too sharp and sinister for him to bear.
"Your name."
The enemy's voice was as calm as the wind blowing at night.
"Light."
"Give me useful information, and I'll let you live. Otherwise, you'll die. So say something."
At that moment, his past flashed before his eyes like a lantern show.
He thought of his family rejoicing when he became an imperial knight.
He recalled the childhood friend from his hometown whom he had left without confessing to.
He didn't want to end his life like this.
"Th-the knight captain's name is Elpeso."
"I know."
"We're the 9th Knight Division, and we came out first on a scouting mission from the main force."
"I knew that without you telling me."
"Th-they think we're in the mountains."
"That's why they set up in this formation."
"The main force has a Black Knight..."
Light desperately recited everything he knew. It was servile, but he had no choice.
He wanted to live.
But he was just a newbie. He didn't have any groundbreaking information.
Whatever he said, the enemy already seemed to know it.
It was somewhat comforting that he wasn't the only one spilling everything like this, but it didn't help him survive.
"Uh, so..."
Now pale as a ghost, Light began babbling incoherently.
"Th-the best restaurant in the imperial palace is... In my opinion..."
"Enough."
"No, I can tell you more. So..."
"Look at the sky."
"Pardon?"
As he lifted his head, the blade against his throat scraped his skin, drawing blood. But Light didn't care. With his life on the line, obeying the enemy's command was more important.
"What do you see?"
"Pardon?"
It was an out-of-left-field question.
"How's the sky?"
"Well..."
Light moistened his lips with his tongue and spoke again.
"Th-the moon is bright. Lots of stars too."
"How bright?"
"It's shining brilliantly."
"......"
"N-night skies all look pretty much the same, don't they?"
"Yeah."
The enemy nodded.
"Go."
"Pardon?"
"I said go."
Light blinked, then took a tentative step forward. The enemy didn't react. Two steps, three steps—still nothing.
He broke into a sprint.
He ran frantically and glanced back.
The enemy was just watching him silently.
For a moment, he feared pursuit and execution, but even when he was out of sight, no one followed.
Light ran like mad.
Yuri stood watching Light's retreating back.
"Never thought I'd run into you here."
They had a connection in his previous life.
He had met Light while living as a mercenary after Brioll's fall.
He belonged to the Empire now, but fate would eventually turn him into a wandering mercenary.
Yuri knew he was from the Empire but hadn't realized he was a knight.
He had helped him out a few times.
"Hm..."
In a way, it was Yuri's fault he might desert. He couldn't return to the Empire now, so he'd probably end up a mercenary again.
Was this how fates intertwined?
Yuri shrugged and looked up at the sky.
"Whatever happens, happens."
As Light had said, the moon and stars were shining.
But to Yuri, it wasn't just brilliantly bright.
The night sky rippled like water, and the moon loomed enormous, filling the heavens.
Countless stars swirled in their own vortices, scattering radiant light.
A bizarre yet beautiful sight.
Heart-Soul Severing, and chaos.
Where was it leading him?
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly.
Even if this path led to a cliff, he wouldn't veer away.
To sink his teeth into the Empire, he would go anywhere.
Counting the presences emanating from the mountains one by one, Yuri curled his lips.
His mind was clearer than ever.
Like sensing the scent of prey, he expanded his senses to find a suitable target. Hunters always started with the weak ones.
He moved with the lazy gait of a prowling beast.
Then, in an instant, he kicked off the ground and charged.
He no longer cared if his footsteps gave him away.
Stealth was no longer feasible, so he planned to sow chaos and disrupt their judgment.
By the time Yuri reached a nearby group of enemies, four of them had already formed up, swords aimed at him.
"He's here!"
"Stay calm!"
Yuri didn't slow down.
Air whipped past his cheeks.
The threads of wind felt as tangible as leather to him.
Yuri could even use the subtle air resistance in his sword path calculations.
The upcoming clash unfolded in his mind as if drawn out.
After a few exchanges, he'd win handily. But Yuri wanted it faster and cleaner. He adjusted the opening.
A new outcome emerged.
The revised future was more destructive—and shorter.
Yuri liked this solution.
So he followed it.
Just before impact, a vortex of sword aura erupted from Guilty.
The storm of randomly unleashed power warped the four knights' swords.
Four different Mana Circulation Methods were crushed together by Heart-Soul Severing's energy, scattering into chaos.
An explosion rang out.
The four knights collapsed simultaneously.
Shards of sword aura grazed Yuri's skin.
Blood droplets floated at the edge of his vision.
Yuri accelerated further.
He stomped Guilty into the chest of the knight in the center.
The two on the sides reacted, trying to rise, but the lingering chaos energy responded to Yuri's will and struck them down.
They staggered.
He immediately slashed the one on the left. He barely blocked with his sword.
Yuri spun half a turn and cut the fumbling knight behind him.
An unexpected rotation.
The knight's chest split open, armor and all.
"Beltes!"
Leaping over the fresh corpse, he charged the knight who had half-risen.
The knight raised his sword with dazed eyes.
Too slow.
Yuri kicked his chest, and as he toppled backward, Yuri thrust Guilty into the visor slit.
Something pierced through.
He twisted the blade.
The skull inside crumpled.
Pulling out the sword unleashed a spray of blood and brains.
"You bastard!"
The first knight to block Yuri's sword lost his reason seeing three comrades die in succession.
Better than fleeing in fear—no need to chase.
"Die!"
A sword aura-clad blade came crashing down on Yuri's back.
Yuri's body slid sideways like oil. The knight's sword cleaved empty air, and that one miss led straight to death.
Yuri thrust Guilty lightly.
Crunch.
Staring down at the blade piercing his own chest, the knight muttered.
"I... curse you. Jared, right? You bastard, I'll curse you to the depths of hell. You..."
Yuri yanked Guilty free and said,
"Yuri Brioll."
Blood gushed from his mouth, silencing him.
"Not Jared. Yuri Brioll."
The light faded from the knight's eyes. Yuri chuckled softly and turned away.
"If you're gonna curse me, get the name right."
Yuri turned.
Movements stirred from all directions.
Torchlights flickered on occasionally.
The entire 9th Knight Division was mobilizing busily.
This skirmish had likely given away his position completely.
"Still so many left..."
As expected of the Empire.
Even after killing this many, knights remained aplenty. And this was just a fraction of the division—how much blood would it take?
He rummaged through the dropped backpack. Jerky tumbled out. Yuri chewed on it.
Then he plunged back into the darkness.
Yuri's prowess was razor-sharp.
He felt he could do anything he set his mind to.
Vanishing meant no presence.
Slicing meant cleaving iron plates.
Killing meant closing distances in an instant.
The Heart-Soul Severing flowing through his meridians had fully transformed into chaos.
"Infinite."
Yuri murmured.
Truly, infinity lay within the chaos.
Now he understood why Mu Yong-chan had so feared the Heavenly Demon's martial arts.
But he didn't care.
"Elpeso."
Amid the swarm of presences, Yuri spotted a single point moving aloofly. He was approaching Yuri with his knights in tow.
Even for Yuri, facing that many at once was unwise.
He glanced at the sky.
The bizarrely shining stars filled his vision again.
The night was still young.
He checked his arrow count.
Enough.
Yuri took position at a suitable distance, hiding in a tree.
The knight group centered on Elpeso approached.
With his presence fully erased, Elpeso passed right under him without detecting the enemy.
Their conversation drifted up.
"Sounds came from around here."
"We're changing formation now. Pair up into groups of eight."
"Won't that make us too spread out?"
"We've taken this many losses."
Elpeso's tone was calm, but anger laced his voice.
"It's the only way to have even a slim chance. If he wanted to escape, he'd have bolted already."
Elpeso was calculating wisely.
"Disperse."
"Yes!"
The knights scattered in all directions.
Now only Elpeso and his four escorts remained.
They were markedly superior to those Yuri had killed so far. Engaging them head-on right away would be tricky.
Elpeso said,
"He's still nearby. If we don't eliminate him now, it'll be trouble later."
One of his four escorts replied,
"Brioll's got some real depth. Who knew they had someone like this besides Fiore."
"Jared's a new name to me."
"Yes."
"Anyone know him?"
All four shook their heads. Elpeso sighed.
"Jared, huh. Brioll's beast, they called him. A title means he's somewhat known in Brioll. If we let him slip away today, we need to inform the main force to gather intel."
"Maybe they hid him on purpose. Like a secret weapon."
"Possible."
"Aren't we the same? Should we have brought 'that guy'?"
"No, he's too hard for us to control. Needs the Black Knight by his side to be useful."
"Tricky."
Yuri picked up a new keyword.
The 'that guy' they mentioned was likely the Empire's hidden force.
Calling it a secret weapon suggested considerable skill.
He ransacked his past-life memories, but nothing came up.
Compared to then, the war had started much earlier now. History had shifted because of him, introducing new figures into the conflict.
The knights chattered on.
"Saw that guy once. Gave me the creeps."
"Right? Those shady eyes..."
Elpeso cut them off.
"Enough chatter. He could be anywhere."
"Yes."
"Maybe watching us right now."
"Uh..."
"Don't think it's exaggeration. How many have we lost already?"
"Sorry."
"Doesn't feel like we're knights anymore. We're the prey now. He's hunting at his leisure."
Hearing that, Yuri stifled a laugh at how Jared would gain fame thanks to him.
Elpeso's group proceeded slowly, scanning their surroundings intently.
Yuri drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
He pulled the string taut.
In his sight, the target's nape centered perfectly.
He wanted to skewer Elpeso outright, but it seemed unlikely in one shot.
Elpeso was fully tensed, alert to arrows after so many knights fell to them.
Yuri switched to the easiest mark.
He steadied his breath.
Released.
The arrow flew silently.
Yuri turned without checking the result. Success or failure, he had to leave immediately.
"Gate!"
Seemed like a hit. Yuri sped away as fast as possible.
Elpeso's roar shook the forest.
Yuri grinned and picked up the pace.
Then he ran into a group of eight knights.
Had to handle them before Elpeso arrived.
"Hm..."
Looking at their fierce faces, killing all eight would be tough.
"Four. I'll take four and go."
Yuri's sword cleaved the night air.
Time slowed.
Caught in euphoria, Yuri swung wildly.
Blood sprayed.
Beyond the head of the knight crumbling lifeless, the stars cast their eerie glow, illuminating the sky.