The End of Silence 4
There were no four hours left. It had been that way ever since he'd forcibly spun the remaining entangled circles. Achromatic waves spread out so brilliantly that they warped the surrounding landscape. The extremely compressed mana refracted the light it touched. He could probably output the same power as his 5th Circle days for now, but it wouldn't last long. He knew it. This was power staked on his own life.
As he activated the remaining circles, Licht felt his breath quicken. A faint, discordant hum of mana persisted in his ears. His heart burned like it had been tempered in fire, yet in stark contrast, mana surged through his body, filling it with overflowing strength. He pushed off with his leading foot. Dust billowed with every step. Wind rose from his toes, boosting his speed. In an instant, the boy shot forward like a beam of light.
His blurring form was rent by four ink-black blades. The afterimage melted away. Illusion. A common 5th Circle spell. As the phantasm shattered, bewilderment flashed across the knights' faces—they'd lost sight of him for a split second. By then, Licht had already burrowed into their midst.
David was the first to notice, whipping around. His sword, accelerated by centrifugal force, slashed in at a diagonal. Surging holy power. Licht parried with the Execution Sword in his right hand.
Clang!
The gray-black blade, laced with killing intent and having just absorbed his comrade's holy power, failed to pierce the Execution Sword. "Licht... Barbalte...!" David's voice boiled over. Licht yanked the reverse-gripped golden hilt. A flash of golden sword-light erupted, followed a beat later by a fountain of blood.
Splurt!
It was a strike of extreme speed, too fast even for a blurry afterimage. The other two holy knights turned just then. After slicing through the eye-dazzling illusion, they saw only one thing: David swinging at the black shadow that had darted in first. The boy who blocked that attack and drew a second sword like lightning to slay the holy knight right beside him.
Black hair?
We lost his movement.
Such thoughts flashed through the knights' minds in that instant. Silence fell. But it didn't last.
The head that had hung briefly in the air thudded to the ground. As if on signal, time resumed its flow. The remaining two holy knights charged Licht wordlessly. He thrust the Execution Sword forward in his right hand.
Kakakakang!
A blade of pure white surged up along the ink-black edge. The reverse-gripped Ascension Sword slipped through the gap. David planted his right foot back and countered.
Chiiing!
The sound battered their ears. David's body was shoved straight back. At the same instant, the other two holy knights lunged in unison, as if by prior agreement. The headless corpse on the ground was forgotten. The Knight Secreta weren't so soft as to let personal emotions distract them mid-battle. They could rage and grieve after killing the heretic who'd infiltrated the convent.
Licht spun the reverse-gripped Ascension Sword once. Twin blades gripped in both hands, just like before. No time.
No time. Every time he summoned mana, his heart clenched. His rising breaths told the same story. Does it even matter?
Did killing these bastards like this even matter? The thought had nagged at him since earlier. But he had to do it anyway. If he didn't kill the ones before him, he'd die. Even if it was just buying time. That brief window would give the convent's people a chance to evacuate or for him to restore his circles. Whether they accepted him or not. Even if it was pointless thrashing.
Licht lowered his gaze, then lifted his head. The two holy knights charged with staggered strikes to avoid interfering with each other. Holy power gathered above them, scattering brilliant light. At least they didn't seem to have any other sacred relics. Did he really need to take that head-on? Even as the thought crossed his mind, he raised his foot.
Thud!
He stamped a true strike. The earth trembled. Vast mana shot through the ground from his foot, transforming the soil right beneath the knights.
Kurrrung!
The ground erupted. Twisted strata threw the holy knights off-balance amid the dust. Just for a moment. They quickly regained their footing and charged at the same speed as before. Using surprise magic against swordsmen of that caliber was impressive, but that was all.
For Licht, that fleeting instant was enough. Pure white light exploded along the golden blade in his left hand. Mana Blade. The knights' hesitation gave him time to prepare his sword aura. Realization dawned on their faces—shock, despair, resignation.
"Dodge!"
"Ah, aaah...!"
Kwaaaa—!
The blade of pure white sword aura roared forth, upheaving the earth. David, who had just steadied himself to join them, shouted. But his voice didn't reach. The two charging knights were swallowed by the light.
Shhh—
Black smoke rose with the stench of charred flesh. The straight line where the sword aura had blasted left a deep gouge in the ground. Indistinguishable chunks of meat splattered everywhere. Puddles of blood gathered in the craters.
Staring at the carnage, David tightened his grip on his lowered sword. He killed five Executors, they said...
Was it true? Four Knight Secreta gone in seconds. Even if they were the youngest, least experienced members compared to the others, it was absurd. Could he beat such an opponent? Even as the archbishop's son and prime candidate for Knight Secreta captaincy, it was impossible. If it had just been Executor Bryce from the low seats, maybe—but 4th, 6th, and 9th Seats charging together, and still losing? He hadn't seen it, but the evidence was clear.
David slowly eyed the boy opposite him. Licht Barbalte. The boy with black hair and eyes. The illegitimate second son of the Barbalte family. But that couldn't be all there was to it. No way a kid that age had such power otherwise. Wielding a sword like that while casting spells? He was a monster in human skin.
Still.
David drew the rosary from inside his tunic. He wouldn't give up. Before him stood a heretic who'd slain five Executors and infiltrated a holy convent. Duty came before his promise as a Knight Secreta prospect or Stella's guard knight—he was first and foremost a faithful son of Istria.
"Licht Barbalte."
Anger and grief for his fallen comrades could wait. "You look exhausted."
David stared at Licht as he spoke. And he was right. The boy who had unleashed that pure white sword aura to kill two Knight Secreta looked far more ragged and out of breath than at the start. That was why David was confident of victory.
"The wounds from killing those Executors haven't fully healed, have they?"
He wasn't at full strength. The boy before him was pushing through injuries. "If you truly think you can survive, that's regrettable."
"......"
"I'm not the end. The Holy Kingdom will hunt you to the death. And you'll lose your life. Just like those two worthless mercenaries who died because of you."
Bits he'd heard. At the site where the Executors fell, two mercenaries—likely the culprit's companions—had been killed. David jabbed at that.
Licht didn't respond. Or maybe he wasn't even listening properly. He lowered his two swords and began walking forward slowly, silently.
"Well, it probably doesn't matter anymore."
David advanced to meet him. "The grudge of my fallen brothers-in-arms will be sated with your head."
Fwaaah!
Holy light erupted. As David gripped the rosary in his empty left hand. The slowly approaching figure vanished. Licht blinked once. In that instant, David was upon him.
The ink-black sword drank in the intensified holy power and gleamed viciously. "Let's see you handle this."
The blade swung. The wavering edge traced dozens of afterimages. Each brimming with holy power enough to cleave a body in two. This was different from before. So one of them did have a sacred relic.
Licht didn't change expression—mainly because he had no time to. His twin blades met David's onslaught with sequential strikes.
Kakakakakang!
The clashes weren't mere sword-on-sword—it was an unbelievable explosion echoing everywhere. White mana and yellow holy power sparked like fireworks, melting into the air.
As expected.
As blows were exchanged, David's lips curled. Licht's sword strikes were weaker than before. In contrast, his own speed had surged thanks to the relic. It wouldn't last forever, but in this brush with death, it was invaluable.
How many exchanges? Easily over a hundred by feel—when suddenly David retracted his thrusting blade. A gap opened in the net of pouring strikes. Licht dove straight in.
If it were me—
I knew you'd do that. As if he'd anticipated it, David's sword whipped around in an impossible arc, ignoring human joint limits. Licht's opportunistic strike turned sour. Both aimed for the throat, but David was a hair faster.
In that life-or-death moment, David's blade struck first. The ink-black edge wrapped in holy power dug toward the neck. But David felt no resistance—like something snagged.
Illusion magic. The boy's form targeting his neck melted away like crumbling.
But. "You think it'd work twice?"
Already foreseen. David sliced the afterimage and pivoted on his left foot. Licht had shifted behind him, raising the Ascension Sword gleaming with white mana. Seeing it, David sneered. "Farewell."
His speed held the edge. He'd known from the start Licht would use illusion when diving into the feigned gap. He pretended to fall for it, slashing the afterimage while turning. His blade would land first. At the same time, the ring on Licht's left middle finger glowed.
David's horizontal slash jammed against an invisible barrier with a screeching twist. A blue film now encased Licht's body. David's eyes widened. A white blade rushed at his face.
"Mana shield...?"
Crack!
The ring shattered. The blue gem exploded. The Ascension Sword carved a diagonal across David's body. It didn't fully slice. The high-density holy power permeating him blocked the strike. But it couldn't absorb all the impact. The shock rattled his body, sending him flying backward through the air.
As he hurtled back at terrifying speed, David clung to consciousness. His whole body ached like it'd been hammered. Vision shook from the ringing shock. Forcing his arm up, he poured all holy power into the sword tip.
That was when Licht hurled the nearly depleted Execution Sword. Shiiiing! Tearing the air like at the start, it hurtled toward the airborne David. Blindingly fast. To David, it was just a flash—then the white blade was upon him.
"Th...!"
Chiiing!
David reflexively deflected it. The recoil numbed his grip. The holy power he'd gathered was sucked into the Execution Sword.
David barely refocused ahead. Through blurry vision. Piiiing— An eerie sound pierced the wind battering his ears. In the boy's right hand was a transparent blue sword.
Kwak.
He stepped forward with his left foot, body low. White mana blazed radiantly along the blue blade. Shyrta, Fourth Form: Pénetro.
Flash!
Light flickered. Mana traced a straight sword path. In that slowed instant, David saw it: the beam crossing the air, blinding light filling his vision. His lips moved, murmuring something. Licht couldn't tell if it was lament or curse.
Kwaaaaaang!
The explosion followed a beat later. The masterless ink-black sword spun in the air. No corpse remained. Thuk! It embedded in the cratered earth.
Licht stared at the scene a moment, then looked down at himself. His cloak was soaked in blood. Not just the knights'—his own mingled in. Raising his right arm, he saw veins bulging to bursting, the ragged flesh of his forearm.
The five circles spinning furiously now strangled his heart instead. Consciousness blurred. I...
He'd killed them all. Now what? He had to go back. To where? Nowhere. Even if he returned to the convent, he couldn't be sure they'd accept him. They'd killed five Knight Secreta—he might get turned over to the Holy Kingdom. But he had to go. They'd started this; they needed to know.
No other choice since forcing the circles. Steel resolve formed—
"Licht."
A voice. Licht turned slowly. Far off, a girl watched him. Platinum hair to her waist fluttered wildly. Had she run here? Her usual gentle face was a bit different. Licht stared blankly. But it didn't last. Lightning cracked in his mind, and consciousness plunged.
Through his narrowing vision, he saw her running toward him. That was his last memory.