Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Fortress Decisive Battle (2)
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“Ooooh!”
“Show the Edelfelt family what we’re made of!”
“Show these self-proclaimed Crusade Knights the true power of the Holy Knight Order!”
Noisy shouts echoed from afar.
Holy Knights were advancing into Gavlant Fortress.
‘They must have launched a full assault taking advantage of the chaos.’
Gavlant’s defenses had been solid.
There were two 9-star knights, Johan and Greta, and not only the Crusade Knights but also conscripted civilian soldiers, giving them numerical superiority over the Holy Knight Order.
But I had stirred up trouble right in the heart of the fortress, creating a gap in their defenses. Johan and Greta even had to rush over here.
The Holy Knight Order had seized that opening to launch their all-out attack.
‘I figured Sershes wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.’
Sershes excelled at managing organizations and possessed an innate sense as a commander for seizing critical moments.
I had anticipated he would react if I caused a commotion in the center of the fortress.
“It’s over now, Johan Edelfelt.”
Sershes looked at Johan and spoke.
“I urge you to surrender. Don’t let any more pointless blood be spilled.”
“......”
“You may not escape punishment, but I promise to do everything in my power to ensure the Edelfelt family’s lineage endures. His Excellency the Knight Order Leader won’t treat you lightly either.”
Sershes’s voice was earnest.
From the start, Sershes had taken the stance of respecting the Edelfelt family.
He had ultimately led the subjugation force here, but he wanted to resolve things as amicably as possible.
“It’s not too late yet. Order your private soldiers to disarm.”
“They’re not private soldiers.”
“What?”
“They’re the Crusade Knight Order.”
Sershes frowned at Johan’s solemn tone.
“Johan Edelfelt, wake up from your dream.”
“Dream?”
“Creating a new knight order to replace the Holy Knight Order was an impossible dream. It could never happen.”
“That’s not true.”
“Even if we concede a hundred steps and say your Crusade Knights topple the Holy Knight Order—what then? Do you think the Holy Spirit Church would acknowledge it? What if the Sacred Empire’s government brands you a rebel?”
“......”
“And even if you defeat the Holy Knight Order, your forces will be severely depleted. What will you do when the Dialogue Church launches a full-scale invasion in that state?”
Sershes was right.
The day the Crusade Knights replaced the Holy Knight Order as this world’s guardians would never come.
If they followed Suhaien’s plan and built strength for a few more years, there might have been a chance... but there was no guarantee it would go as planned.
“Foolish talk, Sershes Aleyas.”
“Foolish?”
“Yes, utter foolishness.”
Shring!
Johan drew a massive sword from his waist.
It was the famed sword ‘Aronslide,’ which he had favored since his Holy Knight Order days.
“Whether it’s the Holy Knight Order or the Dialogue Church... I’ll just crush them all.”
“......!”
Extreme fighting spirit began emanating from Johan.
The air around them trembled visibly.
“You think the tide has turned against you. Don’t make me laugh.”
“Johan Edelfelt...!”
“The Holy Knights swarming this fortress... I can crush them all with this body alone.”
How could a man over seventy emit such intense fighting spirit?
His claim of annihilating the subjugation force single-handedly didn’t sound like bravado.
‘He must have reached an even higher realm than during his battles with the Dialogue Church.’
Back when Hausel was archbishop, I had never fought Johan directly.
But I had heard plenty about the veteran Holy Knight renowned for his valor second only to Ianus.
If Johan had honed himself to greater heights through bone-grinding effort since then... he would possess power surpassing even the Holy Knight Order’s top knights.
“I hear you’ve risen to Chief Supervisor of the Integrated Command Headquarters, Sershes Aleyas.”
“......”
“They call you the Holy Knight Order’s second-in-command, but it’s a desk job. Too busy for personal training, so every knight in that position degenerates. You’re no different.”
Sershes offered no retort to Johan’s point.
“You could’ve kept up your training by sticking with the Assault Knight Brigade.”
“Pointless chatter.”
“No, it’s advice from a senior, Sershes.”
Johan’s form of address for Sershes had changed.
“To ignore your senior’s counsel... I suppose I’ll have to train you personally, just like in your rookie days.”
With those words.
Johan raised Aronslide high, unleashing a colossal sword style.
* * *
A storm so fierce vision was obscured mere inches ahead!
“Ugh...!”
Even Greta, who knew her father’s sword style well, was caught off guard by how swiftly Johan unleashed it.
Immense power paired with blinding speed—that was Johan’s sword style.
‘This is Father’s sword style!’
By the time the storm subsided, the surroundings had changed.
Debris from collapsed buildings had been scattered everywhere, blown away by the wind pressure from Johan’s single strike.
“The enemy...”
Greta hurriedly scanned the area.
She spotted Sershes and Sion having fled to the roof of a nearby building. They had escaped by a hair’s breadth.
Meanwhile...
“Est!”
Boom!
She barely blocked a blade dropping from above.
Est, who had leaped high into the sky unnoticed, was attacking Greta.
“Father, I’ll handle Est! You take Sershes and Sion...!”
No response came.
Even without asking, Father would slaughter every last enemy.
‘So... I have to take down Est!’
Greta unleashed her sword aura.
The sacred sword Roangite that Est wielded was extraordinarily powerful.
But Greta had also received a sword from her father that was no less formidable.
“Haaah!”
Bang! Boom!
Their full-power sword auras clashed, sending out shockwaves.
Greta dashed through the fortress interior, trading blows relentlessly with Est.
Est’s movements remained swift and precise, making it hard to respond.
‘Still...!’
Kwarung!
She momentarily widened the gap and fired sword bullets.
Mana projectiles rained down on Est simultaneously. The aftermath collapsed a nearby building.
“......”
But Est was unscathed.
Brushing dust from her clothes amid the crumbling building, she stared at Greta with an expressionless face.
“You haven’t changed, Est.”
They had clashed many times before, but this was their first true one-on-one duel.
The more their swords met, the more it felt like nothing had changed.
Truly, an infuriatingly remarkable woman.
“Your flawless swordsmanship, your mysterious beauty, your inscrutable expression—they’re all the same as ten years ago.”
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Yeah?”
Greta smiled.
She took it as recognition of her reaching 9-star.
“Your outfits are flashier. Your makeup’s thicker too.”
“......”
“Maybe it’s age. Who knows.”
Hearing that, Greta felt heat rising to her head.
“I’ve always... hated that about you!”
She surged her mana and charged at Est.
Unleashing a barrage with her 9-star mana at full throttle.
“That idiot-beauty gimmick of yours... I’ll end it right here!”
“Idiot-beauty gimmick?”
Est replied coolly.
“That last bit was just a taunt.”
“...?!”
Slash!
The probing strike sliced Greta’s thigh.
Mana armor protected her muscles from serious damage, but the bleeding was considerable.
“It’s a tactic to enrage the opponent and cloud their judgment.”
“Ugh...!”
“You’re misunderstanding something, Greta.”
Est’s cold voice rang out.
“Do old friends really need to chit-chat mid-battle?”
“Est, you...”
“You’d be better off shutting up and swinging your sword.”
Her icy gaze, unchanged from over a decade ago.
Faced with it, Greta burned with rage.
“You’re still weaker than me.”
“......!”
Was this another taunt?
Swept in uncontrollable fury, Greta unleashed her own sword style.
* * *
“Guh...”
Sershes, landing beside me, gritted his teeth.
“As expected of Johan Edelfelt... tremendous power.”
“Indeed.”
“Johan Edelfelt’s sword style, Sword King Infinite Style, maximizes the sword’s destructive force.”
Sershes began explaining without being asked.
“Right now, it’s as if Johan’s wielding a house-sized blade. One swing demolishes everything.”
As Sershes described, immense mana enveloped Johan’s greatsword.
“Don’t think a big weapon means big openings. That doesn’t work on him.”
“You acknowledge his skill, then.”
“Of course. He was the only knight in the Holy Knight Order who could stand toe-to-toe with Father... His Excellency the Knight Order Leader.”
Sershes ground his teeth as he spoke.
“And it seems he’s improved even further. A tough opponent.”
“Is he stronger than you, Uncle?”
“Yes.”
Sershes admitted it straightforwardly.
“So, Sion, buy time with me.”
“Buy time?”
“Est will defeat Greta Edelfelt.”
“You sound certain.”
“Naturally. Who’s her brother?”
I was a bit surprised.
He could say something like that?
“Johan’s formidable, but if Est and I attack together, we have a chance. So until she joins us after taking down Greta, help me stall him.”
“But Uncle.”
I looked up and said.
“Do you think Johan won’t anticipate that?”
“......!”
The moment Johan swung his sword from above downward, the building we stood on collapsed.
Even from this distance, his blade reached us.
If we hadn’t dodged quickly, both Sershes and I would be mangled.
“Johan will want to end it fast too. He’ll try to finish us quickly and go aid Greta.”
“Still... we have no choice!”
Sershes snapped in frustration.
“With our current forces, this is the only way! Neither Gavlant nor Bernhard can rush here right now!”
“Why not take him down ourselves?”
“What?”
“Why can’t you and I defeat Johan together?”
“Ridiculous. A mere 7-star like you...”
“8-star.”
“What?”
“How do you think I escaped?”
Sershes stared at me in shock.
I’d have to explain later about becoming their human experiment subject and gaining more mana.
“No time to explain now, Uncle.”
“Hey!”
Boom boom!
Johan’s attack came at us again.
But I countered it with Ashurai’s sword aura.
“You just...”
“You have to trust me, Uncle.”
“......”
Sershes’s face twisted in conflict.
“Can you really fight shoulder-to-shoulder with me?”
“That’s what I want to ask you, Uncle.”
“What?”
“With all that desk work, has your skill rusted? Can you face Johan head-on?”
“Good grief!”
Sershes raised his voice in disbelief.
“Do you know why I never once went to the front lines in this subjugation campaign? To preserve my strength for this fight with Johan!”
As he shouted, Sershes drew the sacred sword ‘Decalibus.’
Intense mana erupted from his entire body.
A fierce mana outburst reminiscent of the Dialogue Church’s Crimson Lotus.
“That’s why I, Sershes Aleyas, am the only one who can block Johan Edelfelt head-on!”
Whummm.
Decalibus resonated with Sershes, emitting a low, heavy sword hum that blanketed the battlefield.
“Then follow me, Sion.”
Sershes, who had only ever nagged at me, finally stood shoulder-to-shoulder.
“You and I will take Johan.”
“Understood, Uncle.”
Exploding with vast mana, we charged at Johan.