Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Earth Flow and Resolve
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In the brief moment Sienna had bought him, Loan expanded his domain of perception to cover the entire plaza.
Combining his five senses, synesthesia, and his ability to see mana, he reconstructed the space, gauging and comparing the positions, numbers, and magical power of both allies and enemies.
At the same time, his Circles began to spin furiously.
This was because the Circles were not limited to simply gathering and supplying mana.
Elevating the domain of perception to one of prediction was another achievement Loan had unlocked after establishing his four Circles.
Loan didn't just grasp the situation; he predicted the enemies' attack patterns and paths, sending out a mental message.
"Melville. Make your stand around the Union barracks."
"Gradin, don't leave the Union barracks."
He judged it would be better for the two of them to stick together.
*And as for Sienna...*
There was no need to tell Sienna to handle the Le Dong barracks.
After slaughtering the guild commander, she was already cutting a swath through the remaining enemies.
Her movements had always been unpredictable, but now the links between her actions felt far smoother.
When one understands circulation and establishes an internal flow, their external movements naturally follow suit.
Seeing her mana breathing remain stable even as she attacked, it seemed her training had truly taken root.
It wasn't perfect, but—
at the very least, a solid flow of Convection had settled around her head and shoulders.
Loan felt a surge of pride but didn't let his guard down.
First, the enemy's numbers were too great, and the martial prowess of those remaining was not to be underestimated.
*These aren't just guild members or family guards.*
As Loan had expected, while members of the Beauvoir Guild made up a significant portion of the forces at the Le Dong barracks, the true strength of the Le Dong family lay in their mercenary corps.
However, the nature of this mercenary corps was different from the norm.
Its core was composed of individuals extracted from Le Tell's farms and the Grave Union, and thus, it operated under a command structure separate from the Le Dong family.
"Number 7, 21, 44. Spread out and surround them."
The one issuing orders, calling the mercenaries by number, possessed magical power comparable to a Union Seeker and required caution.
Sienna was fighting relentlessly, but their numbers weren't decreasing noticeably.
*This won't be easy for her.*
Loan watched the enemies spread their formation wide before closing in, and he raised his mana.
Simply sharpening his Convection for an attack would only have a temporary effect; it wouldn't be very effective.
He needed to find a way to reduce the enemy's overall strength without interfering with Sienna.
A method that wouldn't be a one-off attack but would continuously aid Sienna in her fight would be even better.
Fortunately, the method he had used to subdue and control the prisoners on the way from the hills to the conference hall seemed like it would be useful here as well.
Like anywhere in the central region of Versa, the ground here was covered in reddish-brown earth and sand.
The plaza floor was no exception.
It wasn't paved with marble or ashlar but packed earth, which looked perfectly usable.
It was also a relief that Sienna's mana breathing was stable amidst the fierce battle.
*No, I might even be able to use her.*
Loan finished his brief thought.
Thin tendrils of mana began to spread from the center of his domain, tapping against the ground's surface like the spreading roots of a tree.
Soon, the ground began to crack.
The dry surface of the ground shattered and broke apart with a variety of sounds—a deep rumbling, thuds, cracks, and snaps.
Large chunks of earth were continuously broken down into smaller pieces, crumbling into coarse particles as the radius of the effect expanded from Loan's position toward the edges of the plaza.
At the same time, a wind began to swirl around Loan as its axis.
It started gently.
But the breeze, born from the rotation of Convection, pulled in earth and sand, gradually growing in size and intensity.
And then.
*Swoooosh—*
If one could see the wind, would it look like this?
A reddish-brown wind, its density varying as it overlapped and dispersed, surged fiercely toward Sienna like a crashing wave.
It was guided to follow the directional flow she was firmly establishing, swirling around her without disrupting or interfering with its texture.
Finely tuned so as not to affect her mana breathing or hinder her attacks.
"Hup!"
"Keuk!"
It stole the breath of those swinging swords and maces for an instant and blocked their vision.
It didn't stop at limiting their senses; the coarse surface of the earth ground away at the enemies' skin.
"Aargh!"
"Kraaaah!"
It flayed their skin, left countless cuts, and severed blood vessels and tendons.
But the truly terrifying aspect of the Earth Flow was that it wasn't just a passing gust of wind.
Loan used the faint Convection Sienna had established as an axis.
He amplified the texture of her power, creating a much larger, spiraling current.
"Uwaaargh!"
The storm of earth followed Sienna's movements, blocking the enemies' actions and whittling down their strength.
As long as Sienna, the eye of the storm, was breathing, that terrifying vortex would not stop.
*The Le Dong side should be fine now...*
Loan quickly drew back his expended mana and surveyed the battlefield again.
Near the Union barracks, Melville, his guards, and Gradin were fighting hard against the Grave members who had emerged from the building.
Among them, the martial prowess of Melville, the First Sword of Albre, stood out.
"Hyaaap!"
With a fierce kiai, his greatsword tore through the air, slaughtering enemies.
He had always been exceptional, considered the most outstanding of the Albre children, and it seemed he hadn't neglected his training even after receiving the vision from Loan.
"Hah! Where do you think you're going!"
Gradin, too, was protecting his comrades, swinging a mace as tall as himself that he had taken from an enemy.
Loan had judged his mana to be weak, but his innate physical strength was apparently immense.
Those struck by his mace couldn't fight anymore and collapsed on the spot.
Behind him, Bella was hiding among the dazed dwarves, so the rear seemed to be of no great concern.
*The problem is Versa.*
The Le Dong side had more enemies, but judging by the radiating bloodlust and concentrated mana, Versa's forces were superior in actual strength.
About fifty people.
A significant number of them possessed mana comparable to a Union Runner.
Nevertheless, the reason Loan hadn't rushed toward the Versa side first was because.
Right now, over there—
Berthelieu, who had dashed out of the barracks during the brief opening Sienna had created, was fighting alone, holding his ground against the enemies.
He was desperately fending off those who were once his allies but had suddenly become his foes, his heart burning with anguish.
"Vane! Wigro!"
Berthelieu's urgent cries were directed at the knights aiming their swords at him.
"What in the world are you all doing!"
His voice was filled with passion, worry, and frustration.
Though their eyes were now crazed, these were people who had once been very close to him.
Among them were those who had congratulated him on the birth of his child, celebrated promotions with him, or offered condolences for family tragedies.
Berthelieu couldn't understand why these kind and loyal men were now attacking him so frantically with bloodshot eyes.
"Stop! Stop it!"
He pleaded for them to come to their senses as he parried their blades.
And so.
He could only barely defend himself, preserving his life against the bloodthirsty swords that showed him no mercy.
That was why Loan had given him some time, but the situation seemed to be getting progressively worse.
His martial skill was impressive enough to fend off the one-sided assault, but a purely defensive strategy had clear limits.
A fight where he wouldn't strike them down, and they wouldn't strike him down.
It seemed only a matter of time before he crumbled.
Thus, Loan could no longer just stand by and watch.
*"They're not insane. And they haven't been brainwashed like the dwarves."*
Suddenly, Loan's voice pierced Berthelieu's mind.
Berthelieu instinctively knew it was from Loan.
He didn't have the luxury to reply mentally, so he glanced sideways as their swords clashed.
His eyes met Loan's, who had approached him at some point.
Loan established his domain, evading the attacks aimed at him while continuing to explain to Berthelieu.
*"You probably didn't notice anything strange on the way here. They are coexisting with demons."*
Berthelieu deflected a sword strike aimed at his head and asked Loan.
"Coexisting?"
*"They aren't fully possessed by demons, nor are they brainwashed. They accepted the demons' power of their own free will."*
The Le Tell assassins who had attacked Loan in the past.
Among them was a dark priest who had retained his sanity despite having a demon's body.
The dark priest he met beneath the hills had drawn out and used only the demon's power.
The Versa soldiers now were likely somewhere in between.
Le Tell had managed to achieve this.
They had found a way to turn so many people like this.
In any case, there was no way to save those who had become this way by their own will.
The method of purification was still an unknown domain for Loan, and he couldn't attempt it in the middle of a battle.
He had to think simply.
Not just him, but Berthelieu as well.
*"You don't need to overthink it. Is it not rebellion to point a sword at a Versa administrator? Deliver the appropriate punishment."*
He demanded a decision.
As a member of the Union, it was the last and best courtesy he could offer the duchy's administrator.
And Berthelieu fell silent for a moment, silently enduring the attacks, until finally.
"I'm sorry, everyone."
He murmured a quiet apology to those before him and readjusted his grip on his sword.
His sword was a rapier.
A blade specialized for thrusting rather than slashing.
Berthelieu, who until moments ago had been desperately blocking with the thin, aura-clad blade, completely changed his stance after resolving to attack.
*Shuk— Shushuk—*
He began to pierce through the enemies' hearts and throats with incredible speed.
In his mind, the only mercy he could offer to those who were his comrades until recently was to end their lives in a single blow.
And so, with each thrust, an enemy fell to the ground.
The common perception of the rapier was that it prioritized style over practicality.
But seeing it with his own eyes, Loan realized it possessed considerable destructive power depending on the user.
"I'm sorry!"
A strike that cut through the air, accompanied by an apology.
Thanks to him, the tight encirclement was broken in an instant, and a path opened in the enemy's formation.
Loan also used Berthelieu's awakening as a foothold to launch his own assault on the enemies.
As if his four Circles were each assisting a different spell, [Sheville], [Slash of Convection], [Bone Spike], and [Ice Awl] simultaneously reaped the enemies' lives.
Just as Berthelieu was astounded by the multiple spells Loan was casting.
Suddenly, something strange registered in Loan's senses.
Behind the crowd, an immense amount of mana had begun to coalesce into one.
Loan left his position to Berthelieu and plunged forward.
He didn't forget to carve a Narrow Path through the gaps between enemies, swiftly breaking through and felling those who formed the perimeter.
And the opponent he faced.
A giant of a man who had been crouching low straightened up.
Beside him lay the headless corpses of soldiers.
Perhaps, like Aul.
The man seemed to have devoured the demons' heads to increase his own power.