Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Clash with the Mercenary Leader
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An enormous crash echoed as Linda was launched into the air before slamming into the ground.
“Gahk—.”
She spat up a gush of blood, as if her internals were injured.
Blizan stared silently at her and asked Alteon,
“Wrist okay?”
“Manageable.”
“I’ll handle this. You take out those mutts.”
“Got it.”
Alteon sprang to his feet and charged toward the Giant Wolves, swinging his massive mace mercilessly.
Thud!
Thwack!
Thwack!
The wolves yelped and howled like beaten dogs.
Bukas shouted at the Lannister Knights.
“Kill them all!”
The Apos Mercenary Corps charged forward with murder in their eyes, showing no hesitation.
Not to be outdone, the Lannister Knights yelled back.
“Javelins!”
They swiftly formed a wedge and met the assault head-on.
“Argh!”
“Die!”
“Gah!”
A storm of blood turned the area into a field of carnage.
With her comrades’ help buying her a moment’s respite, Linda clutched her side and struggled to her feet.
Her ribs throbbed with every movement.
‘Damn it!’
She glared at Blizan with eyes full of rage.
Draped in bear pelts like a cloak and armored in bulging muscles, he resembled a monster.
Just his overwhelming presence was enough to make her shrink back.
A true powerhouse!
She realized in an instant that he was no opponent for her.
‘Without brother here...’
Linda’s face twisted.
As Blizan approached her, fiddling with his fists, someone shot forward like an arrow.
Dark dove into Blizan’s chest, swinging his dagger.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was fast enough to slice through the air with sound.
Blizan countered with a punch.
Thud! Thud!
He easily deflected the dagger and followed with a kick.
Dark dodged nimbly and thrust his dagger even faster.
Just as it was about to pierce the man’s chest!
“...!”
Dark’s eyes widened in shock.
Blizan had caught the dagger barehanded.
“What the...”
“Still green.”
He yanked the dagger.
As Dark was pulled forward, Blizan smashed an unforgiving fist into his face.
Bam!
Dark flew back, crashed into a tree, and hit the dirt. He lay motionless, as if dead.
“Dark!”
“You bastard!”
Mullan charged, swinging his massive bastard sword with both hands.
But Blizan blocked it all with his fists.
Bam!
“Gahk—.”
Mullan was hurled back by a shoulder charge and slammed into the ground.
Poshe, Ramni, Perry, and Latel then coordinated an attack, while Latel unleashed a full-powered strike.
Swords flew at Blizan from all sides.
Yet he blocked them effortlessly and counterattacked.
Thud! Thwack!
Thwack!
“Argh!”
“Aaagh!”
Poshe and Latel crumpled helplessly under his blows.
They had trained with Arthur and prided themselves on their toughness.
But Blizan shattered that illusion in one hit. The monstrous force instinctively paralyzed them with fear.
“Weak.”
Just as disappointment crossed Blizan’s face,
“Take this!”
Helot rushed in, swinging his mace.
Blizan dodged with surprising agility for his size and positioned himself in front.
Grab!
He clamped a pot-lid-sized hand around Helot’s nape.
“Guh! Ngh...”
Helot’s face drained white.
“One and all, you’re pathetic. All the strong ones back at base?”
“Sh-shut... up!”
Helot swung his mace with all his might.
Clang!
Even that was blocked by Blizan’s hand.
“Dirty tricks won’t work.”
As he hoisted Helot to smash him down,
“...!”
Blizan’s eyes flashed. He hurled Helot aside and punched forward.
Boom!
Clang!
He deflected the incoming aura blade and fixed his cold gaze ahead.
Far off on the ridge, a red sun slowly rose.
As light bathed the area, a figure on a massive steed charged furiously into view.
The man wore golden armor.
In his hand was a bizarre weapon unlike any Blizan had seen.
“Looks like fun.”
‘Damn it!’
Arthur confirmed that Dark and the rest of the Devil Squad were down.
Worse, the Apos mercenaries weren’t just holding off the Giant Wolves—they were overwhelming and dropping them.
Over ten already fallen to them!
‘If only I’d been a bit faster...’
Self-directed fury boiled up.
His vanished golden aura reignited.
Arthur charged at Blizan.
As if sensing his rage, Khan barreled forward, smashing through the oncoming foes without mercy to clear a path.
“Argh!”
“Mercy!”
“What the hell! This horse is huge!”
Alteon, who’d been pressuring the Giant Wolves, paused at the growing commotion and looked over.
“That’s...!”
His eyes bulged.
It was the Britanniker he’d always dreamed of riding.
The supposedly extinct beast right before him ignited his greed.
“That one’s mine.”
Alteon pursued Khan swiftly.
Even Blizan realized the “giant horse” was a Britanniker.
‘A man riding a monster...’
No ordinary foe. Instinct screamed this was an all-out fight.
“Been a while since I could loosen up.”
He raised his fists to shoulder height in fighting stance.
Then an aura blade flew at him.
Lightning-fast.
He trusted sensation over sight.
The moment he sensed the fierce momentum!
He punched like thunder.
Boom!
Clang!
He swatted the aura aside and charged Arthur.
‘Blocked it again.’
Arthur sensed Blizan was no pushover.
Blocking aura barehanded suggested mastery of fisticuffs.
“How about this?”
The Sig Sauer shifted into the K1 Rifle.
“...!”
Blizan’s eyes widened.
Not one aura now, but over ten rained down.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
“Damn it!”
He dove sideways in a flash.
He barely evaded, but Arthur predicted and fired at his landing spot.
“What the hell!”
Blizan grimaced, dodging frantically this way and that.
But who was Arthur?
A veteran of veterans! Blizan was in his grasp.
Arthur kept anticipating his moves, unleashing a barrage.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
‘What the—! His mana should be drained by now?’
In his desperate evasion, Blizan ended up backed against trees on his rear and left.
“Damn it!”
He realized he’d danced to Arthur’s tune.
He glared at the approaching Khan and its rider, clenching his fists.
Arthur targeted Blizan’s legs without hesitation.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Blizan leaped aside like lightning, but couldn’t dodge all.
An aura struck his left calf.
“Damn!”
Blizan lost balance and sprawled.
An Apos mercenary witnessed it.
“Captain!”
“What?!”
Eyes from those battling Lannister Knights and Giant Wolves turned to him.
Alteon, charging at Khan, bellowed like thunder.
“You!”
He swung his massive mace at Arthur with full force.
Khan twisted aside, kicked the mace away with hind legs, then struck back.
Thwack!
“Gaaahk!”
Alteon flew airborne and crashed backward.
Boom!
With captain and vice-captain both down to the enemy, the Apos Mercenary Corps reeled in shock.
“This... can’t be...”
“No way...”
Their momentum plummeted; they froze, unsure.
“I see.”
Arthur noted how they clustered excessively around their fallen comrade ahead.
Countless wars yielded a simple way to end it.
He smirked, leaped off Khan, stowed the K1, and charged Blizan unarmed.
Blizan, struggling up, surged with rage at the weaponless approach.
“You dare face me barehanded?”
His face twisted savagely.
He who could fell orc warriors in one blow.
No one ever challenged him unarmed.
It was his pride.
Even with his injured left calf, it wasn’t crippling.
A prolonged ranged fight would be tough, but hand-to-hand? His win.
“You’ll pay dearly.”
He unleashed a full-powered punch at Arthur.
Zzzap—.
Lightning crackled around his fist as an invisible aura shot forth.
“...!”
Arthur’s eyes flashed; he dodged sideways.
Boom!
A tree behind exploded like hit by a shell.
Immense power.
Blizan swiftly punched toward Arthur’s 11 o’clock dodge.
Whoosh!
Air tore as another invisible aura flew.
Arthur evaded simply and closed in.
At five meters!
Blizan’s eyes sharpened like a hawk’s; he unleashed a blinding hook and straight.
Whoosh!
Fists cleaved empty air.
Meanwhile, Arthur slipped inside to Blizan’s chest and struck his side.
Thud!
A heavy impact thudded through his fist.
Yet the brute didn’t crumple—instead, he hammered downward at Arthur’s head.
Arthur pivoted aside, dodging, then struck the side again.
Thud!
No reaction.
‘Feels like punching an iron wall.’
Two failures; Arthur swiftly retreated to gain distance.
Blizan didn’t counter, just watched calmly.
“What’s your tie to the Julius Count family?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“The crest on your armor screams young master. But this skill alone couldn’t topple Yarve Count?”
“Don’t worry. The real show starts now.”
Arthur drew up mana.
Intense pressure erupted; golden aura blazed like flames.
‘What?’
Blizan’s face hardened.
Far stronger than before.
Arthur charged, punching.
It rocketed with a ‘Bang!’
Lightning-quick.
“...!”
Too fast to track visually.
Thwack!
Blizan’s head snapped back, spraying blood midair.
Then a fist buried into his side.
Bam!
“Gahk—.”
Blizan spat a mouthful of blood.
But he grimaced ferociously, swinging for a counter.
Arthur sidestepped, seized his arm, and slammed him down.
Boom!
“...!”
The Apos mercenaries wore despair.
Bukas bellowed till his throat tore.
“Captain—!”
Alteon, propping his upper body, murmured lowly.
“Captain...”
“Ngh...”
Blizan ground his teeth and rose. His bulging eyes glared murderously at Arthur.
“Raaargh!”
He threw his chest wide, as if awakening dormant power, and roared beastly.
Immense pressure exploded from him.
But Arthur didn’t blink, just beckoned mockingly with a finger.
“I’ll tear you apart!”
He charged Arthur.
His speed surged dramatically.
He closed instantly and punched.
Bang!
A massively powered blow hurtled at Arthur.
“Pathetic.”
Arthur slipped past the fist, jabbing Blizan’s armpit with fingertips.
“Aaaargh!”
Blizan screamed loudly.
Yet he countered with an elbow from the other arm.
Arthur blocked with hand, then swept the ankle with his foot.
He spun into a lightning roundhouse, rocketing Blizan’s jaw upward.
Bam!
“Grraaahk!”
Blizan’s head flew skyward, blood spraying.
As he toppled backward, he stamped hard to hold ground.
His bloodshot eyes blazed with venomous killing intent as he charged.
Aiming to bulldoze with his massive shoulder.
“You think that’ll work?”
Arthur sneered disdainfully and met the charge.
“Fool.”
Blizan summoned all his power.
Arthur gathered every ounce into his shoulder, golden flames roaring.
Boom!
A massive impact rang out; someone flew back.
“...!”
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
‘What...’
‘No way...’
‘Who is that guy?’
It looked like Arthur should’ve flown, but the impossible happened.
Blizan was overpowered in strength.
He soared nearly ten meters airborne before crashing.
Blizan himself was more stunned than them.
The bone-deep pain paled to the shock of being outmuscled.
‘I... lost in power...’
He stared blankly at Arthur.
Arthur approached, drew a dagger from his back waist, and pressed it to Blizan’s throat.
Bukas yelled.
“Think of your family!”
At those words, Blizan’s aura shifted drastically.
“My wife... my children...”
Blizan surged up, punching at Arthur.
Bang!
Fierce wind pressure roared; intense lightning coiled his fist.
Zzzzap—!