Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Hunt (2)
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2.
In the end, Greenwood managed to rejoin his remaining comrades.
It was a stroke of immense luck.
Including himself, a total of eight men had gathered at rendezvous point two.
Everyone except for Sir Eugene, who was killed by Karron, and the captain, who was likely also dead, had made it.
Greenwood! What did you mean by what you said earlier?
Explain yourself properly!
His comrades who had arrived first demanded an explanation, but Greenwood just stared back the way he had come.
There's no time for that. The assault formation. We need to form up, quickly. Karron Leston Karron Leston is coming!
He recalled the image of Eugene's head falling to the ground with such absurd ease.
A 5-star knight, meeting his end like a nameless grunt on a battlefield.
No matter how one-sided the ambush, it was only possible because of a clear gap in their skills.
At least a 6-star.
Assuming he really did kill the captain, he might be even stronger than that.
What was important now wasn't finding the reason Karron wanted to kill them.
It was surviving, no matter what.
Still, their chances weren't zero.
The men here had often worked together, hunting beastmen and elves.
The Reben Knights' primary training regimen focused on multiple knights attacking a single targetthe so-called assault formation.
Moreover, they had experience fighting powerful foes who would be considered 6-star knights by human standards.
We have to assume Karron Leston is a 6-star or higher. Seniors, you can't let your guard down. Sir Eugene and the captain were taken down.
As Greenwood spoke with a desperate voice, his comrades stopped demanding an explanation.
This wasn't a joke. It was real.
The sheer desperation on Greenwood's face said it all.
Did you confirm the captain is dead?
Io, the second-in-command among the knights present, asked Greenwood in a low voice.
Karron Leston said he killed him with his own hands.
Damn it. No wonder we couldn't reach him.
Senior Io, there's no time. Karron Leston is definitely.
Just then.
The moon is dark, yet you've all gathered so nicely. One, two, three eight. Perfect. Now I don't have to bother hunting you down.
A young man emerged from between the trees, smiling.
Greenwood trembled as he turned around.
The devil holding a dark blue sword was slowly approaching, bathed in the faint moonlight.
Seeing this, Io quickly shouted to the knights around him.
Formation four! Get into formation four, now!
At Io's command, the knights moved as one to form up.
But Karron simply approached with a nonchalant smile.
That assault formation looks a little crude. Are you sure that's going to work? It looks sloppier than what the Sea Wolf Knights' apprentices can manage.
Karron grinned, lightly raising his sword.
An assault formation.
A method devised for the weak many to overwhelm the strong few.
In theory, it even allows 5-star knights to face a 6-star knight.
In fact, it was such a useful tactic that even the Sea Wolf Knights dedicated specific training time to it.
But that was only in theory.
Have you guys ever actually faced a real knight with that thing?
They were a knightly order stationed in a border city, but the Empire hadn't been at war with the southern kingdoms in recent years.
An assault formation must be perfected through countless real battles.
But the Reben Knights were nothing but vermin who hunted slaves at best.
It might have been effective against demihumans, who lacked the ability to identify the formation's weaknesses, but it was a different story when facing someone who knew it well.
Woooooong.
Karron poured a massive amount of mana into Guillotine and let out a light breath.
Three in the front, two on the flanks, two in the rear, and one in the center.
The intention was obvious.
They would block the attack with the front three, then the ones positioned behind would strike through any openings that appeared.
The most basic form of an assault formation.
Even if I break through the front line, the ones on the flanks and in the rear will immediately fill the gap Is this the most basic formation?
It was a fundamental formation designed to drag out the fight, drain the opponent's stamina, and then overwhelm them.
Their experience in capturing slaves alive showed even here.
Your efforts are just so commendable, I could die.
That basic assault formation might be suitable for capturing an enemy alive, but it had one fatal flaw.
It could only subdue an enemy who charged at it.
In other words.
What are you gonna do if I attack from a distance?
KWWWWAAAAAAAANG!
It meant they were completely exposed to ranged attacks.
A colossal wave of dark blue sword energy erupted from Guillotine, tearing through the earth as it surged toward the knights.
It was the immense wave created by the Sea Wolf Sword Style's Fourth Form, Raging Waves.
Get out of the!
The wave slammed into the knights' front line with merciless speed.
And in that instant.
Kuh!
Gurgle.
Two of the three knights in the front line were sent flying back, coughing up blood.
After flying for some distance, the two slammed into trees.
Dududuk.
Both of them collapsed to the ground, their necks broken.
It was clear to anyone that they were dead.
The only silver lining was that, because those two had taken the brunt of the attack with their bodies, the knights behind them hadn't suffered much damage.
But there was no way the knights who had witnessed the gruesome scene with their own eyes could be unscathed.
Can't can't win. How can we fight a monster like that?
Fear is an emotion that spreads in an instant.
At the words one knight muttered to himself, the others began to tremble as well.
Their comrades had died right before their eyes.
But what took root in their hearts was not a desire for revenge.
Only fear, overwhelming fear, cast a shadow over their minds.
And the same was true for Io, who was leading them.
Drip.
Blood began to trickle down from Io's forehead, grazed by a fragment of the wave.
At the same time, his mind went blank.
Was there a way?
Was there really any way to escape that monster's grasp?
Why are you thinking so hard? No need for that. As it happens, I have a good idea.
The monster took a step forward, smiling.
The assault formation they had initially formed was now meaningless.
Terrified, the knights broke their positions; some even began to back away.
This battle was already lost.
One didn't need to think long to know that.
Fwaaaat!
The monster's body vanished from sight for a moment. By the time he reappeared in Io's vision, it was already too late.
Shlick!
The head of the comrade standing right next to Io had already hit the ground.
Karron, who had landed lightly after severing a head, looked around at the other knights.
How about that? Problem solved, right?
Watching this, one of the knights let out a scream and swung his sword.
Uwaaaaaaah!
A hopelessly simple swing, born of lost composure.
Karron easily raised his sword and casually deflected the attack.
Kaaaaang!
The moment the swords clashed, the knight's blade shattered with a shower of sparks.
Shlick!
Having devoured the sword, Guillotine greedily bit through the knight's neck.
That made four.
Only three remained.
Io shouted, his voice trembling.
Scatter! Run in different directions!
A knight's honor and the like were no longer important.
It was over. Everything was over.
They should never have faced that monster in the first place. There had been seven of them; fleeing in seven different directions would have been the right call.
Woooooong!
Overloading the mana channels in his entire body, Io poured all his energy into his legs and began to flee. Behind him, Greenwood and the other knight also took off in different directions.
Look at these bastards.
Karron frowned, watching the fugitives scatter in three directions.
-The prey is putting up quite a fight.
They'll do anything to live.
Sighing, Karron once again focused his mana into the sword.
Then, he threw the sword with all his might at the back of Io, who had already gotten quite far.
Shweeeeeeeek!
A flash of dark blue light tore through the darkness.
Thwump.
It plunged squarely into the fleeing Io's back.
He collapsed to the ground and twitched a few times before his movements ceased.
Karron strode toward the corpse, muttering to himself.
Two left, then.
The end of the hunt was in sight.
3.
Greenwood sprinted forward, biting his lip hard.
He bit down so hard that blood trickled from it.
He didn't even have the luxury of looking back.
The monster might not have been chasing him, but he couldn't stop running.
Why do I have to die?
Just for catching a few slaves?
I have a bright future ahead of me, and I have to die here for a stupid reason like that?
They're not even human, anyway.
Sure, I've caught runaway slaves, but every single one of them was living a life in the gutter.
They were fundamentally different from him, a man with a brilliant future.
First, I have to get to the village outside the forest.
Ruka Village, located next to the Tirisfal Forest.
It was a waypoint for those traveling from the central region of the Empire to the south, making it a fairly large village. And it was protected by a correspondingly large number of village guards.
Even for a madman like Karron Leston, he wouldn't dare extend his bloody hands into a village.
His comrades' deaths?
It was a shame. But right now, their deaths didn't matter at all.
I have to survive.
I have to survive and tell everyone about the horrible things Karron Leston has done.
Only then could he hope for revenge or anything else.
If the Margrave learns of this, he certainly won't stand by and do nothing.
The scion of a prestigious familyone led by the Empire's greatest hero, no lesshad committed a brutal massacre.
If he could just deliver this news, there would be countless ways to get revenge.
Ah.
As Greenwood ran frantically, he saw the edge of the forest in the distance.
The end of the wall of trees.
The glowing stones of the main road shimmered faintly, signaling its presence.
He was almost there.
All he had to do was follow that road, and he'd reach Ruka Village in no time.
Haaah.
Greenwood gasped for breath.
He didn't even know how long he'd been running.
Perhaps because he had been running while constantly expending mana, the energy that had been full just a while ago was now nearly depleted.
But he just needed to hold on a little longer.
Just one minute.
Just one more minute of running, and he would be there.
Haaaaaahk.
His breath hitched in his throat.
His mana was gone, no longer able to support his legs.
His muscles felt like they were about to explode.
He wondered how many times in his life he had ever run to such an extreme.
But hope was right in front of him.
The glowing stones of the road, once so distant, now flickered before his eyes.
The endless trees were gone.
Just twenty steps. Twenty more steps, and he would escape this hellish forest.
Huuuuuuuk!
Finally, the light began to welcome him, and it seemed the darkness was receding.
I made it
Just five steps away.
But in the end, Greenwood could not step out of the darkness.
A man was standing right at the forest's exit.
The man, holding a dark blue sword, greeted Greenwood with a wide smile.
So, how does it feel to have a taste of hope?
In that moment, his legs, which had been barely holding him up, gave out.
Without realizing it, Greenwood collapsed to the ground.
Hahaha, hahahahaha
Soon, he burst into laughter as if he had lost his mind.
He had been played by that devil from start to finish.
He could have killed him long ago, but he did this on purpose.
Why? Why would you go this far?
To Greenwood's cry, Karron answered as he slowly stepped forward.
It's so you can feel what it's like to be a slave before you die. The slaves who suffered at your hands must have felt exactly what you're feeling now.
You You're the same, aren't you? The feelings of a slave? You were born into a good family and lived a comfortable life! You hypocritical bas
In this life, yes. But not in my past one.
What?
You don't need to know the details. Just think of it as you all deserving to die. If you make others cry tears of blood, you have to pay the price, right?
Karron raised his sword high, looking down at Greenwood.
Now, it's time to die.
Guillotine plunged into Greenwood's neck.
There was no paradise at the end of his escape.
A Mad Dog Lives in the Duke's House