Chapter 185: The Kingdom's Guard (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185: The Kingdom's Guard (10)
Perhaps it was because I had become a Sword Master, but my entire body overflowed with power. I felt like I could accomplish anything.
My declaration to the guards was an expression of that very confidence. Once I gave the Imperial knight—who had come charging at me like a fearless pup—a taste of my Sword Aura, no one else dared to challenge me.
Watching the soldiers thrusting their swords hesitantly while sticking their butts far back, I could almost burst into laughter.
It would be fine for me if this stalemate continued. However, I was worried about Bucom, whose presence I could sense even more clearly than before.
Lured to a spot about 200 meters away from the castle gate, Bucom was currently fighting against individuals presumed to be Imperial knights.
There were no signs of any Kingdom knights nearby.
Two High-Rank aura users. An individual whose identity even my Sword Master's sixth sense couldn't fully grasp. And finally, figures with circles in their hearts who were difficult to detect, leading me to believe they were Archmages.
They were all Imperial forces. If Bucom died, it would be a massive loss for the Kingdom. Losing a strategic asset like a Sword Master and a commander at the same time meant there was no telling how the siege would play out.
Therefore, I would sweep away the bastards in front of the gate and go rescue Bucom. As soon as I made the decision, my momentum naturally surged.
"A-Attack!"
"Uwaaaaah!!!"
Perhaps the pressure of a Sword Master was too much. The Imperial soldiers charged like madmen. It was a pathetic sight—eyes rolled back, frothing at the mouth.
"Take my sword..."
I almost told them to "take it," but I held back and simply swung. To be honest, the swordsmanship Rainie taught me lacked style.
What kind of name is Hugo's 2nd Sword Stance? It would have been much cooler if it were something like Crescent Moon Swordsmanship. I suppose I'll have to invent a new style myself.
Upon becoming a Sword Master, I realized the sword path optimized for me. I discharged the Sword Aura that was layered thin like a sheet of ice.
The murky white Sword Aura began as a gentle ripple, but by the time it reached the Imperial troops, it had transformed into a raging tidal wave.
The white wave swallowed not only the crazed front line but also the soldiers standing behind them.
Getting hit by a real wave hurts enough; imagine a wave made of Sword Aura. The soldiers vanished without even leaving corpses behind.
Only a few lucky ones left behind lower torsos, legs, or feet.
"Run away!"
"You expect us to fight something like that?! This is just a dog's death!"
"Don't retreat! Fight! I said fight!"
"Fuck you! You go die then!"
The Imperial army began to fracture. A fight broke out between the common soldiers trying to desert and the commanders trying to stop them.
In reality, such a conflict wouldn't be settled easily, but in this world, there were asymmetrical powers known as knights and mages.
—All of you, shut up!
An Elementalist, a class I was seeing for the first time since being reincarnated, even made an appearance. A man with a vulture perched on his shoulder glared at the crowd.
—Do you dare flee from a war that determines the fate of the Empire?! If you desert, I will find not only your families but your distant relatives and feed them to the dogs! If you don't want your entire kin slaughtered, stand and fight!
The man's voice thundered across the battlefield. Had I not become a Sword Master, I might have been intimidated by his performance.
But now, I could see through the Elementalist's petty tricks. He had merely fused temporarily with a wind spirit to amplify his voice and presence.
"Cut the bullshit."
When I kicked off the ground, I moved much faster than I expected. I adapted quickly, but I couldn't stop the momentum of my stride.
At this rate, my feet would just slide across the ground. In that case, I would simply step on the air.
"Void Stepping."
I discharged aura beneath my feet and stepped onto the empty air. I sprinted through the sky, charging straight for the Elementalist.
—No matter if you are a Sword Master, to challenge a Wind Elementalist to aerial combat! You arrogant brat! Die—
I cleaved the incoming vulture in half first, then cut through the Elementalist without losing any momentum.
Despite his grand entrance, his end was incredibly hollow.
"Lord Trass, the Mid-Rank Elementalist, has fallen!"
I tore through the Imperial ranks like a wolf among sheep. The soldiers were too busy throwing away their weapons and armor to flee, and while the occasional loyal centurion or knight tried to challenge me, I dealt with them easily.
With that, the Imperial army's morale hit rock bottom.
"Lord Sma! We will help as well!"
The Kingdom's soldiers and hunters, who had finished clearing the Imperial troops that had infiltrated the walls, came out to support. I shouted to them as they emerged.
"You lot, hold the gate! I am going to rescue Lord Bucom!"
"Yes, sir!"
"We will defend it with our lives!"
Geum Taeyang, who was at the front, beat his chest. It was a bit early for him to be reporting his survival.
"Stay alive until I get back!"
"Understood!"
The Kingdom's soldiers, who weren't even my subordinates, answered as if they were troops receiving orders from their commander. Well, as long as they listened, it was fine.
"Aaaagh!"
"The monster is coming this way!"
"Run!"
I carved a path through the Imperial army. After advancing a fair distance, I saw a blood-stained Bucom.
Señor, who had been aiming for Bucom's back, frowned as he saw the Imperial soldiers breaking formation.
"What are you bastards doing?! I told you to block Bucom so he can't escape...!"
My eyes met Señor's. I was so glad to see him that I gave him a greeting.
"Hey there."
"Urgh!!"
Señor doubled over, barely dodging my Sword Aura. The sound of bones cracking echoed from the sudden, forced movement, but like a true aura user, he continued to move normally.
However, his mental state was far from normal.
"Sma? You were clearly only a High-Rank... how on earth..."
"Don't be so surprised. It's not like there aren't ways to break through to a new realm in a short time."
The individual I presumed to be an Archmage pointed a staff at me. Feeling a chill run down my spine, I quickly darted to the side.
Black tentacles erupted from the ground, slamming into the spot where I had just been standing.
"And we can just kill him."
"...You're right. We just have to kill him."
Regaining his composure, Señor raised his greatsword. Aura blazed from his blade.
"Lord Bucom! Now's the time!"
"What?!"
When I called out to Bucom, who was in the middle of a fierce fight, Señor panicked and looked to the side.
"Psych! Fooled you~"
Bucom was far too busy fighting the Empire's Sword Master to pay attention. Seeing the light fading from his eyes, he looked like he was on the verge of death. Still, seeing a small glimmer of hope return to them, it seemed he realized I had come to help.
I thrust my sword at Señor. It was a swift and intense strike, much like when I ravished my women's pussies.
Señor tried to block, but the sword qi created by a mere aura user could never withstand Sword Aura.
I pierced through his aura and slashed his shoulder.
"Kh...!"
Señor groaned and twisted his body. Trying to stop the blade from digging deeper, are we?
I put strength into the swing and pulled downward. A large chunk of flesh fell from Señor's shoulder.
Blood sprayed like a fountain. Señor's right arm dangled uselessly. It was a shame; I had intended to cut it off completely.
"Aaaaaagh!"
I was about to finish off the screaming Señor when a massive spell, like a ballista bolt, came hurtling toward me.
I discharged Sword Aura to block the magic arrow. Surprisingly, both the Sword Aura and the arrow neutralized each other simultaneously.
"To block my secret magic, Death Arrow... You truly are a Sword Master..."
The black-robed mage marveled, though it sounded more like a taunt.
"Señor is combat-ineffective, so I'll have to kill you first."
"Heh. Who says I'm combat-ineffective?"
The mage sneered at me. A knight who had practically lost an arm wasn't combat-ineffective? Especially one who used a greatsword?
"Ah, I see. Since you're a country bumpkin from the Kingdom, you don't know about that Great One. It's understandable you'd judge him as combat-ineffective then."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Was he insane? There's nothing stupider than giving a mage time. Ignoring his words, I charged, but the mage used Blink to escape.
"Where do you think you're going!"
I used my footwork to the fullest to pursue him. Just as I thought I almost had him, a greatsword intervened.
Señor, this bastard really didn't know when to back off. I cleaved his greatsword in half in a single blow and slashed across his chest.
"Guh..."
But his condition was strange. Even as blood poured out of him, his movements didn't stop. His face was beet red and the veins in his neck were bulging, yet he continued to glare at me.
"To think... you'd put me in this state..."
"Señor. Offer your heart."
"..."
Señor reached into his chest, pulled out his own heart, and held it high toward the sky. I could feel ominous mana condensing around the heart.
I had to stop this. I discharged white aura, but it was blocked by a shield deployed by the mage.
"I offer my heart to the Demon King."
In that interval, Señor completed the sacrifice. A dramatic transformation occurred. All of Señor's wounds healed, his skin turned black, and horns and wings sprouted from his body.
"Hehehe..."
Crack, snap.
Señor inspected his satisfyingly transformed body. I, meanwhile, was busy smashing through the shields. Only two layers left...!
"So this is a Demon... completely different from a mere human..."
"You don't even have a dick."
"What?"
Look at him checking his lower half just because he's a man. The mage screamed.
"You idiot! What are you doing in this situation?!"
"Ah..."
Señor quickly looked up, but I had already shattered the last shield.
"Thanks for being an idiot."
I swung my sword. Señor hurriedly grew out his claws to block, but I had already seized the momentum.
Demons were truly impressive. His physical abilities had surged, allowing him to rival me even in this Sword Master body.
However, he had lost the swordsmanship he had honed his entire life. He swung his claws clumsily or tried to use black magic, but he would have been better off using his broken greatsword.
"Why, why am I losing even after becoming a Demon!"
"Try using your brain for once. If becoming a Demon was all it took to beat a Sword Master, everyone and their mother would be doing it."
"Death Beam."
While I was mocking Señor, the black mage fired another annoying spell. He kept interfering; I really needed to kill him.
As I charged, the black mage used Blink again and commanded Señor.
"Block him!"
"Why is my body moving on its own...!"
"Hahaha! You offered your heart to the Demon King, so you must obey the orders of me, the Demon's contractor!"
Forced to move, Señor became even weaker than before. It didn't take long for the conclusion to be reached.
"Just kill me..."
Señor, with both arms and wings severed, knelt before me. Though it was only for a brief moment, memories of our time together flashed through my mind.
Because of this bastard, Rainie almost died. It felt like a waste to give him a peaceful death.
"Fine. Die."
Pretending to swing my sword, I struck the back of his head with the hilt. That knocked Señor unconscious. As for the guy who claimed to be the Demon's contractor...
"Where are you going! Help me finish off Bucom!"
"There are two Sword Masters now, how do you expect me to win? I'm not even from the Empire, so I'm going to look out for myself."
He fled the moment Señor fell. He tore a scroll from his robes and used Teleport, making it impossible to track him.
If I can't have the pheasant, I'll take the chicken. I glared at the Empire's Sword Master, who gave a hollow laugh and stroked his beard.
"Young Sword Master of the Kingdom. Let us speak for a moment—"
This cowardly old man tried to launch a surprise attack while pretending to talk? It was a good thing I was prepared, or I might have suffered a fatal wound.
The battle continued fiercely. An old man who had consumed much of his aura and stamina fighting Bucom. On the other hand, me, whose aura and stamina were perfectly fine, but whose experience was relatively shallow since I had only recently become a Sword Master.
I was pushed back at first, but I endured through my superior stamina. Eventually, I began to see the old man's sword paths. I reinterpreted them in my own way to create my own swordsmanship.
White aura erupted like cum, ending the old man's life. Hmm... this feels a bit dirty. Should I really count this as my swordsmanship?
"Sma... thank you. You are my life's savior..."
Let's finish the siege first before thinking about it. Supporting Bucom, I moved back inside the castle walls.