Open the Gates
Raon raked the sweat-soaked hair back from his forehead and walked over to Dorian.
"Got any more holy water?"
Dorian was the sort who compulsively stockpiled everything he could get his hands on. He'd used up every last drop saving people from the Black Tower, but he'd said he'd restocked far more than before.
"I do, but shouldn't we be saving it?"
"No. We need it now."
Raon shook his head as he looked out at the undead horde. The holy water and the wall of flame were holding them back for the moment, but they would start advancing again soon enough.
"We won't last until morning anyway."
"What?"
"If we stay like this, the castle will fall before the sun even rises."
He wasn't saying it to frighten anyone. After five days of fighting, none of them had the strength left to hold back that tide of numbers.
"Th-then you've given up on reinforcements?"
"We can't just sit here waiting forever."
"I suppose not…"
Dorian's hands trembled as he pulled out the remaining six vials of holy water.
"That's all of it."
"Thanks. Take the money out of my savings."
"I-I'm not a bank…"
Raon left Dorian grumbling about whether his pouch counted as a bank and clapped his hands. The Light Wind Squad, who'd been standing on the ramparts with grim faces, gathered around.
"Wendy, Frika — you two as well."
He called over the two commanders of the Yellow Battle Sword Squad and the rangers.
"As you all know, we've reached our limit."
No one said a word. They just bit their lips. Even Marta kept her mouth shut — they were all facing reality now.
"So we're going to use our last option."
"Last option?"
"What is it? Spit it out already!"
Burren and Marta stepped forward at the same time.
Raon met every gaze and spoke slowly.
"We're going to open the gates and go out."
"O-open the gates?"
Frika's cheek twitched.
"What are you talking about? There are still that many of them out there!"
He shook his head violently, staring at the undead army that wasn't charging yet but was slowly encircling the castle.
"Holding out until morning is impossible. The castle will fall before sunrise, and then the slaughter begins."
Until now, the castle's protective power had kept the death energy at bay. Once the walls came down, even that would vanish. The family retainers and the rangers alike would collapse, and they wouldn't be able to hold the enemy at all.
"The only way to turn this around is to break through that undead army and take down the Arch Lich."
Raon looked at the Light Wind Squad, then Mark Goetten, and finally Wendy Ariane.
"The ones going out will be me, the Light Wind Squad, and Wendy. The undead will come after us, but just in case, I need the rest of you to hold the walls."
Most of the Yellow Battle Sword Squad were only Expert Low-Class — they wouldn't be of any help out there. A small, elite force had to punch through the wall of corpses as fast as possible.
"Understood!"
Wendy struck her left chest with her right fist and nodded. The look in her eyes said that if he tried to leave her behind, she'd follow him anyway.
"I'm counting on you, Frika."
She caught Frika's shoulder and offered a faint smile.
"It looks reckless. I don't know if this will even work…"
Frika let out a long, heavy sigh, worry sinking deep into his face.
"Good! That's what I'm talking about!"
Marta slammed her palm against the rampart.
"I was getting sick of just tossing out little piddling aura blades. Finally, it's time!"
She bared her teeth in a grin, as if she'd been waiting her whole life for a chance to actually cut loose.
"I'm with her."
Burren nodded, agreeing with Marta for once.
"I was getting tired of watching from up here."
He evened out his breathing and glared down at the undead swarm.
"Let's wrap this up quick and go get ice cream."
Runaan blinked her vacant eyes and curled the corner of her mouth, just barely.
"We should've gone out ages ago!"
"Die, you undead bastards!"
"Watch your heads, you walking corpses!"
The Light Wind Squad gripped their swords as well, a cold killing intent rising off them — five days of pent-up frustration finally given an outlet.
"Dorian."
Raon beckoned him over.
"Get out the Cheongyeon Pills."
The Cheongyeon Pill wasn't a cultivation elixir. It was a recovery draught, exceptionally effective at replenishing spent aura.
"Yes!"
Dorian reached into his belly pouch and pulled out enough Cheongyeon Pills for everyone present.
"Take the pills and come back after two hours of cultivation."
"Two hours?"
"Even if we douse them in holy water, it'll all dry up in an hour."
"How are you going to hold them off alone until then?"
"Even you can't do this by yourself, Vice-Captain!"
"I won't be alone."
Raon gestured toward Yua, who had been quietly watching her seniors from behind Runaan.
"We've got the Mad Dog Squad's secret weapon."
"We're not mad dogs…"
Wendy Ariane opened the door to her bedchamber for the first time in what felt like forever. It had only been five days, but walking in felt as strange as returning after a year.
"No…"
She caught her body as it drifted naturally toward the bed and forced herself to sit on the floor instead.
I can't betray his expectations.
Raon was still fighting on the walls right now. If she wanted to keep up with him, this was no time to sleep. She needed to recover even a scrap more aura, even a sliver more stamina.
The more I see of him, the more I can only marvel.
She'd known Raon was extraordinary before he ever set foot here. Youngest Master, White Sword Dragon — you couldn't not know a name like that. But that had all been about raw power. No matter how brilliant a genius he was, she'd assumed that at his age, his experience would still be green.
But… that wasn't it at all.
Raon Zieghart didn't just possess earth-shaking martial power. He had a keen mind for schemes, the ability to read people, and an eye for the battlefield. He wasn't some unripe swordsman. He was a martial artist already walking the path toward completion. For the first time in her life, she had met someone far younger than herself whom she could genuinely respect.
"Hah…"
Wendy turned the Cheongyeon Pill over in her fingers and let out a short breath.
It'll be hard. We might not even make it to the end.
Two hours of recovering aura wouldn't restore even half their full strength. Meanwhile, the enemy was still growing. Breaking through the undead army and reaching the far end of the Land of Death might well be impossible.
But if she was with Raon, it felt like they might just pull off that miracle.
Wendy unwrapped the cloth around the Cheongyeon Pill and placed it on her tongue. As she closed her eyes and began circulating her aura, a soft smile touched her lips.
An hour had passed since Raon soaked the walls with the last three vials of holy water.
The moment the holy water's effect faded, the undead began to close in, wreathed in even thicker death energy than before.
"Raon!"
Frika came running with a shout.
"Th-they're coming!"
He bit his lip, pointing at the arrows the family retainers had made themselves.
"If we at least loose the arrows…"
"Save those."
The few arrows and throwing spears they had left needed to be kept for the sortie. They'd have to hold with something else for now.
"Yua."
"Yes!"
Yua came forward with a smile. It was a forced one, but the air around them seemed to brighten all the same.
"Do you remember when I played music with my sword, while you were training with Roen?"
"Ah — yes!"
She nodded as if of course she remembered.
"It'll be like that. I'm going to play with my sword. I need you to sing along with it."
"Sing?"
"It doesn't matter how you sing, or what you sing. Just think of it as protecting the people here, and let the song come."
"I-I'll try!"
Yua nodded, her twintails swaying.
"Thank you."
Raon ruffled her hair, then walked to the front of the rampart.
The ground itself seemed to shudder as a countless horde of undead began to move. The holy water had dried. The flames had died. They advanced without a shred of fear.
"R-Raon!"
"They're coming!"
"G-give the order, quickly!"
Frika and the rangers shouted in panic.
Raon waved a hand to tell them not to worry, and drew the Requiem Sword from his hip.
A clear, ringing note — far too pure for a demonic blade — sang out as he swept the Requiem Sword down.
I'm counting on you.
The Requiem Sword answered with a low, resonant hum, as if telling him not to worry.
"Let's begin."
He caught Yua's eye, then sent the energy of the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames flowing into the Requiem Sword.
The Requiem Sword glowed red-hot, and a vast sword-cry erupted from the blade.
It was not a wail of resentment. It was an auspicious cry — the will to save people — and the undead's footsteps began to slow.
"Yua. Follow this rhythm."
"Yes!"
Yua ran forward, pressed her hands together, and lowered her eyes.
"The name of Habun, which guards the gray ramparts of the north…"
The song she had chosen was a military anthem. The anthem of Habun Castle, no less.
I see why.
To Yua, a song for protecting everyone could only have been the anthem she'd heard countless times since she was small.
The Requiem Sword's will — to protect every soul on this land — and Yua's own resolve locked together in harmony, twisting the darkness into a vast, rolling resonance.
Aura-laden melody spread across the field, and the undead horde's feet stopped as if nailed to the earth. They trembled and shuddered, but not a single one of them could take another step.
"Ah…"
Frika clutched his right arm as goosebumps rose along it. Just as Raon had promised, the undead were frozen in place, blocked by the song.
"T-to think a miracle like this is possible with music…"
He'd heard the legends — of a warrior who had mastered melody and held back thousands of soldiers alone — but he'd never imagined he would see it with his own eyes. A shiver ran through him until his whole body trembled.
"Mm."
Julius stepped up beside Yua with his mouth pressed into a hard line. His set expression carried a will that said he would protect her no matter what happened.
Raon smiled softly and worked the spirit energy blooming from the Requiem Sword with even more natural ease. The flow of the sword-cry linked together like a current of water, the way it did when he performed Clear Rain, and Yua's song spread even farther.
A song charged with will became a keen blade and shoved the undead back. They staggered, stumbled, tangled into one another, and collapsed of their own accord.
"Hey."
While Raon was matching the sword-cry to Yua's song, Wrath popped up over the bracelet.
"Are you truly going out there?"
I have to. There's no other way.
"The one controlling those undead is luring you out. A sly little weasel like you couldn't possibly have missed that."
Wrath scowled, as if to ask how the greediest, most underhanded human alive could possibly not have noticed.
I know.
Raon nodded, unhurried.
Whether it's the Arch Lich or whoever's behind it, they're pretty sharp.
They'd struck at the worst possible moment, as if they knew the mood inside House Arian. And instead of sending powerful monsters, they were grinding down stamina and morale with a war of attrition. Just as Wrath said, it was clearly a lure — an invitation to come out.
"If you know that, why are you going?"
Because I've got a hidden blade of my own.
"A hidden blade?"
Raon lifted a finger and pointed at Wrath.
"This King is your hidden blade, you say?"
That's right. What the Arch Lich is counting on is me after five straight days of fighting. Exhausted to the bone, barely able to put out Sword Blade Aura. But…
A cold gleam settled in his eyes as he closed his fist.
If I take your help, my combat power at least will return to normal.
A deal with Wrath would leave his mind even more ragged than it already was — but his aura and his stamina would be restored. Anyone else might not have been able to endure it. Raon had lived as a shadow and died once already. He was confident he could take it.
And I've got divine power on top of that.
Once his aura and stamina were back, a sword strike carrying divinity would put down an Arch Lich or a Death Knight in a single blow. He was sure of it.
"The mountain we climb, having endured the frigid winds of the North Sea…"
Raon listened to Yua's song — a song carrying the will to save people — and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, crimson lightning flashed in his gaze.
"He's going to regret doing this while I was still here."
Thanks to Yua buying them time, the Light Wind Squad, Mark Goetten, and Wendy Ariane returned with their stamina and aura sufficiently restored.
Raon turned around in front of the castle gate. A blade-sharp killing intent was rising off the Light Wind Squad and Wendy Ariane as they stood in formation.
Their hearts are ready too.
Giving them time hadn't just been about recovering stamina and aura. It had been a chance to steel their will for the last fight — and it looked like it had worked.
"This is where the real fight starts."
Burren rolled both wrists and smiled.
"Loosen up all the way to your fingertips."
He looked over each member of the Light Wind Squad in turn, easing their tension.
"Skulls taste better when you crack them yourself, not with some cheap aura blade."
Marta let out a cold laugh and clenched her fist.
"The Arch Lich's head is mine. I'm cracking that thing open."
She licked her lips, making it clear she wasn't yielding that prize to anyone.
"Raon, are you okay?"
Runaan stepped forward and looked up at him.
"You haven't slept this whole time."
She tilted her head, her bloodshot eyes blinking.
"Think the Vice-Captain can even keep up with us?"
"Right? Don't you dare fall behind on your own!"
"If you're slow, we're leaving you!"
"You should be saying that to Crain."
Raon pointed at Crain, who had his mouth clamped shut.
"Ah — that's true!"
"Crain's always the first one to drop!"
"Goyu Crane!"
"The professional dropout swordsman!"
The Light Wind Squad turned to look at Crain and snickered.
"That's not true! I was just unlucky!"
Crain shook his head, his face flushed red.
"There's no such thing as luck in a contest!"
"He's right. It's all skill!"
"If you fall behind again today, you're giving up the vice-squad-leader spot!"
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Squad tossed jokes at one another even with a countless undead army standing in front of them.
Raon looked at the Light Wind Squad with trust in his eyes.
"Crain might fall behind, but the Mad Dog Squad never abandons a comrade."
The smiles on their faces deepened at that. A laughter full of confidence seemed to wipe the grimness of the situation clean away.
"We're not the Mad Dog Squad, though…"
"The plan is simple. The Mad Dog Squad charges down the center and holds the Great Light Wind Formation. Sir Mark and Wendy support from both flanks."
Raon let Burren's words slide past and raised a finger.
"And Raon?"
Runaan tilted her head, looking at his hand.
"I'll open the path from the front."
Raon tapped his scabbard. Speed was the heart of this fight. Punch through the encirclement fast and reach the far end of the Land of Death, where the pillar was driven into the earth. That was the goal.
"I'm going to run at full power. You stay on me no matter what."
"Yes!"
The Light Wind Squad roared as one.
"I'll follow you to the end."
"Please take care of us."
Mark Goetten and Wendy Ariane clenched their fists and nodded as well.
Raon smiled and soaked everyone's bodies with the watering can filled with the last of the holy water. It wouldn't last long, but it would be a great help for a while.
"Then…"
Just as he was about to have the gates opened, he felt a presence.
Those are…
The retainers of House Arian had gathered. They trembled at the wicked energy pressing in from just beyond the walls, but they bowed their heads as if to say they were counting on him. They said nothing, and that silence made their sincerity all the clearer.
"Raon! They're coming up the hill!"
Frika's voice rang down from the ramparts.
"You have to go now!"
"Hoo."
Raon stood before the castle gate and evened his breath. When the death energy ahead of him reached its peak, he shouted toward the walls.
"Open the gates!"
A groan like the entire castle shuddering filled the air, and the gates swung open.