The Immortal Knight Episode 2

Rian thoroughly scanned the enemies closing in from all directions.

There were roughly forty to fifty armed enemies.

Besides them, over a hundred more people were visible, but their attire was shabby, and they were unarmed laborers.

"Cleaning up, were they?"

The situation was assessed.

The enemies before him were a cleanup crew, tidying up the battlefield after the fighting at the rear of the front lines.

The laborers carrying large sacks collected spoils from the enemy corpses, while those pulling carts gathered the fallen soldiers of their own side.

The armed soldiers supervised the cleanup crew, finding and eliminating those who were pretending to be dead among the corpses.

"What a ridiculously unlucky bastard. He might have lived if he had just stayed down."

Therefore, the armed soldiers couldn't possibly leave Rian alone, as they assumed he was pretending to be dead among the corpses.

"If you're a noble, speak up now. I'll spare your life. But don't forget, the ransom has to be substantial."

"Judging by his refined air, he might be a noble from the Kingdom of Azrion?"

"Drop your weapon. Then we'll spare you. Hehehe."

The Imperial soldiers narrowed the encirclement, sneering. Rian didn't bother with excuses or responses.

He simply asked the one question that immediately came to mind.

"How long was I out?"

It was an absurd and pointless question to the Imperial soldiers, but it was different for Rian.

He wanted to gauge the time.

It felt like only a moment had passed from losing consciousness to waking up again. Yet, the same blueness of the sky as when the battle had started was perplexing.

'A day? Or two?'

Looking around, it seemed the cleanup was mostly done, with the carts they had brought filled with corpses and spoils. In contrast, the bodies of Azrion soldiers, stripped of their armor, were still scattered on the ground.

"Why ask something like that? You're just going to lie down again anyway."

The Imperial soldier maintained his sneer, as if he had no intention of telling him. Of course, not all Imperial soldiers were like that.

"Has it been a day? The rearguard called us at the end of the battle, and we've been cleaning up since yesterday evening, so it's just about finished."

It was a kind explanation.

But unlike the kindness, the blade in his hand was still aimed at Rian's neck.

'A day… If things go well, I might be able to return to the battalion.'

Even though the squad he was supposed to command had been wiped out, he was still alive, so he had to fulfill his duty as a soldier.

For the Kingdom of Azrion that his father so desperately wanted to protect.

To reach the position of knight that he had desired, the position he had no choice but to give up.

And, he had to find out why he hadn't died and had come back to life. Therefore.

'I won't run.'

Rian simply organized the chaotic thoughts in his head and focused on the present.

This was not a regression, nor was it a dream. The previous death remained vividly in his memory, a stark reality.

His heart had burst, and pain like being plunged into a fiery pit had raged.

Each time blood gushed out, he felt as if he would explode from the crushing pressure of a thousand pounds, the vividness of death etched into his entire soul.

Therefore, Rian focused on being alive in the present, with the feeling that he never wanted to experience those sensations again.

"Ah."

Focusing on the present, Rian let out a small exclamation, as if he had gained some realization.

It was because he felt a refreshing and clear body that surpassed the pain.

'What is this feeling?'

It was as if he was being compensated for the fatigue of the previous battle, as well as the training he had undergone, and his body was improving in a remarkable way.

In this state, he felt like he could easily cut down the Imperial soldiers closing in.

"Enough with the chatter. If we want to hand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over the spoils to the supply unit today, we don't have time. Finish up quickly and get your work done."

The Imperial soldier, who appeared to be the commander, gave the order as if he was annoyed.

At that order, the soldiers surrounding him narrowed the circle around Rian, wearing bitter smiles or displaying madness filled with murderous intent.

The soldiers forming the encirclement numbered about fifteen. They seemed to be low-ranking soldiers. About a dozen more were loitering around the perimeter, and another dozen or so were watching the laborers from a distance, glancing over here.

'I can do this.'

Rian pictured those he recognized as enemies in his head and estimated his chances of victory.

But he didn't become complacent. Even if he felt his body improving, the death that was strangling his neck from the closest proximity was still present.

"Die nicely!"

As if to make him realize that, the Imperial soldiers charged.

Still, they were kind soldiers. They were kindly telling him that they would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attack first.

Swish-!!

As a reward for their kindness, he gifted them with a horizontal slash. The soldier who was charging with his spear aimed at him had clumsy movements, so he dodged to the side and swung his sword at his neck, and his head flew off. It was a sufficient reward for their kindness.

He had cut off his breath in one stroke so that he would feel the pain as briefly as possible.

Rian felt a peculiar feeling that he was quite pleased with that.

Momentarily, the opponent's movements felt slow. After that, the sensation in the hand wielding the sword was stronger, faster, and more accurate than ever before.

'Definitely. It's different from before.'

Was it because of the reprieve from death?

Perhaps, as a substitute for the reward that had been absent despite years of arduous training, the goddess of fortune had given him a straightforward privilege.

'Or, Aura?'

No, that was going too far. The light that proved Aura didn't envelop his entire body.

Above all, he had heard publicly about the experiences of knights who had opened their Aura by overcoming the brink of death.

But he had never heard of a knight anywhere on the continent who had opened their Aura with the ability of immortality or invincibility.

Of course, he hadn't searched the entire continent while studying knights.

Even if there was such a knight, they would be classified as a Fiend or heretic and tortured to death.

So the current phenomenon.

It was more reasonable to see it as a slight sense of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠elation from the fading fatigue of being revived.

The Imperial soldiers he had to face were also a cleanup crew at the rear.

They lacked practical experience to gauge his physical improvement or skill.

Whatever the reason, the fact that they were enemies that had to be swept away immediately remained unchanged.

"Crazy… Everyone, stay focused! Don't let your guard down! Attack all at once!!"

The attitude of the soldiers surrounding him changed at the commander's order.

"I'll chop you into pieces!!"

"Drop your weapon if you want to die peacefully!!"

"Close the distance! Stab him! There's only one enemy!"

The soldiers, with their blades sharpened, charged in excitedly. They even showed a sense of discipline, running in step without breaking formation.

But that didn't change anything.

Thwack! Swish! Pow!!

Rian simply moved forward in one direction, stabbing, slashing, and punching the enemies in front of him.

In that way, he broke down the encirclement and ran towards the commander.

If he struck the head, the soldiers who moved on command would usually be intimidated.

That was his judgment to be able to deal with a large number of enemies.

If necessary, he even considered inciting the laborers who seemed to have been dragged here to do hard labor to resolve the current crisis.

But plans don't always go as intended.

There were always people who recklessly pushed forward without making plans or calculations, and those people sometimes shattered plans in an instant.

"Ugh! Let's die together!!"

One of the Imperial soldiers, with madness in his eyes, jumped at Rian without thinking.

'Damn it!'

Thwack!

Rian quickly stopped the madness by stabbing the opponent's abdomen with his sword, but because he had charged madly, he lost his balance and fell.

Thud!

"Now's the chance! Kill him!!"

The Imperial soldiers didn't miss the opportunity.

"Ugh!!"

"Die, you monster!!"

Thwack! Stab! Stab!!

Random stabs targeted Rian. It was an offensive that didn't care about the bodies of their own comrades covering him.

Rian was becoming battered and bruised from the mix of madness, fear, and terror.

'Was I arrogant?'

Rian felt like he wanted to answer yes if someone asked him that.

From the start, it was recklessness and arrogance to think that he could single-handedly annihilate about forty or fifty enemies.

Should he have run away then?

Betray the kingdom by surrendering?

'I can't do that.'

No matter what, he had to fight and break through.

So beheading the enemy commander was the best and last resort to increase the chances of victory.

He was failing to do that now and was lying here getting stabbed like a beehive.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

"He must be dead now."

"If he's not dead, is he even human?"

"Hey. Check it out."

The enemies who had stopped stabbing were panting and talking, but.

No one stepped forward to clear away their comrade's body and check if Rian had stopped breathing.

Blood had splattered, bones had broken, and.

Even his handsome face had been battered and bruised, but they had terrified expressions.

That was inevitable.

"What the hell is that sound?"

Squirm-. Squirming-.

The sound of maggots swarming lingered in the ears of the soldiers, who had become extremely sensitive.

"C-Crazy. What is that?"

Rian's face, which had been covered in blood and sunken under the body of his comrade, was twitching.

Bone fragments were finding their places.

The blood that had burst out was going back in, and not only were the eyes that had been burst open reappearing.

His beautiful face was being restored to its original state.

"M-Monster…."

It was naturally a moment when such words would come out, and it was also a time that made them wonder whether they should kill him again or run away.

"You shouldn't have stopped."

Rian said those words with his restored lips, pushed away the soldier covering his body, and at the same time, pulled out the sword that had been stuck in him and stood up.

Thwack-!!

At the same time as he stood up, he made a hole in the neck of the enemy soldier who was close to him.

Starting with that, he stabbed and slashed the enemies he saw, dancing a sword dance for the god of death.

"Ugh!!"

"It's a monster!!"

"Run away!!"

The enemies fell into panic.

Those who had witnessed Rian's body regenerating were the first.

Those who had witnessed their comrades being stabbed by Rian were next.

To be alive and start stabbing after such brutality that there seemed to be no possibility of survival?

That was impossible unless he was an immortal human.

Was that why?

"He's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠immortal!!"

"It's a demon!! A demon has entered that body! Call the Divine Priest!!"

The soldiers, who had come to a conclusion within their common sense, cried out.

Regardless of whether they did or not.

Rian quickly killed the enemies who were calling out to him haphazardly and were out of their minds.

"Everyone, run away if you don't want to die!"

"Ugh! Save me!!"

"Prison and whatever! Screw it!"

In the meantime, the laborers in shabby clothes abandoned what they were doing and tried to escape.

"You crazy bastards! If you run away, you'll all be beheaded!"

"Don't you know that your families will pay the price for your crimes instead if you run away like this?! Stop right now!!"

There were some Imperial soldiers who tried to stop them with a sense of duty, but they were only being hit by the stones or knives of the escaping laborers and dying. They couldn't stop them.

Rian left the escaping laborers alone.

In a way, it might have been a reward for killing the Imperial soldiers he had to deal with, but it wasn't really that.

'Even if they run away like that.'

They had to cross the border where the Empire and the kingdom met, and even if they detoured, they would be blocked by the mountain range that stretched from the Twin Canyon.

Even if they crossed the mountain range or settled there, it was obvious that they would only be feeding the Monsters that lived there.

Rian didn't have the energy to chase after them and tell them that.

"Hoo… Hoo…"

Whether he was immortal or a demon or whatever.

Facing dozens of soldiers alone was as difficult as begging for life while clinging to the edge of a cliff of death.

Those who were in a panic also fought back to survive.

Those who had come to their senses gathered in groups of three or five and resisted tenaciously.

He was being torn, slashed, and pierced.

It was a continuous situation of bones breaking.

It was also a continuous pain to the point where he thought it would be easier to die.

But he didn't give up on life.

No, now even his body had reached the point of pushing away death.

He had become a body that couldn't give up on life as he pleased.

"Really, immortal… am I?"

Rian stood alone in the middle of a field of corpses and looked at his hands.

Someone had shouted something about a demon, but that wasn't it.

It was said that demons sometimes seduced humans, stole their bodies, and committed massacres.

But now his mind was clearer than ever.

He didn't die even if he died.

This phenomenon of being injured and regenerating again was fitting for the word immortality.

But it was also ambiguous to define it as immortality.

Even if he had lived without dying two, maybe three, or four times.

Would there be a next time?

What if there was a limit to how many times he could live without dying?

It wasn't a problem that could be simply concluded. But Rian knew that if he thought about it in a complicated way, there would be no end to it.

"I'll die someday."

Rian concluded that way.

As always.

He was certain that death was always hiding behind him, watching like a shadow.

So he decided not to think about immortality anymore.

He simply decided to silently walk the path he wanted to go.

He had to give up his dream as the price for saving himself.

Even so, he was still dreaming.

Even for Ellen Cade.

No, now it was what he wanted himself.

To become a knight.

He had to survive somehow for that.

That way, he could protect his life, his allies. He could protect the kingdom.

"First, rearm."

Rian took off the armor that was soaked in blood, torn, and tattered.

He went to find armor that fit his body. Since there was plenty of armor lying around, it wasn't a difficult task.