Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: It's Been a While, Mister
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The condition of the man they had surrounded was dire.
His right arm was severed near the elbow, and a long gash ran from his left shoulder to his abdomen.
His left eye was blinded, likely from a blow, and his entire body was a canvas of countless other wounds.
He was little more than a living corpse soaked in blood.
Though nearly twenty years had passed, I recognized the survivor without difficulty.
He had aged considerably, but many of his youthful features remained.
*The Vice-Commander of the Second Brigade, Zimmerman Shirak.*
The Second Brigade was a military unit of the Riverune family, composed of 500 members.
Though they were the weakest of the family’s main forces, every single member was surprisingly Tier 5 or higher.
Compared to the Rantzverger Assassination Guild, their regular members were equivalent to our squad leaders.
*His injuries are too severe. The fact that he couldn't even use magic to stop the bleeding shows how much he's suffered.*
Zimmerman's skill was that of a complete Tier 4.
Normally, he could have slaughtered all thirty knights here by himself.
But the Felton family had skilled fighters of their own.
Herbert, the vice-commander of the 3rd Knight Order, was also a Tier 4 expert.
In such a gravely wounded state, breaking through the encirclement would be impossible.
But Zimmerman seemed to have no intention of giving up.
"Kuaaaargh!"
*Fwhoosh—! Ba-boom!*
Forcing his left arm to move, he unleashed the second form of the Heaven-Severing Nine Harmony Sword, Heavenly Meteor.
The sphere, leaving twin tails of blue and white light, flew into the midst of the knights and exploded.
The aura fragments, splitting into thousands of pieces, should have torn everything in the vicinity to shreds.
However, the Heavenly Meteor technique was not as effective as it should have been.
Not only was Zimmerman unable to execute the sword art properly, but the Felton knights’ response was exceptionally well-suited.
*Thud-dudududung!*
The moment they saw the glowing, dark-blue mass, they charged toward its projected impact point.
They had formed a perimeter with their aura shields raised.
The advantage of Heavenly Meteor was the unpredictability of its aura fragments.
But if it was contained before it could even detonate, it couldn't display its true power.
*Ah…*
Watching the Felton bastards’ response, I felt a boiling rage surge within me.
Twenty years ago, those bastards had used the same method to block Heavenly Meteor.
"Heheheh… As expected, the dogs of Riverune never change. That's why you lost, despite possessing such formidable power."
A voice from beside me made the blood run cold in my veins.
The one who had uttered the mocking words was Vice-Commander Herbert, who had arrived with me.
As I looked at his profile, the rage that had risen to my throat felt like it would burst from my chest.
*Calm down. Getting emotional will only narrow my vision.*
I forced myself to maintain my composure and began to think.
Saving Vice-Commander Zimmerman wouldn't be too difficult.
But I had to consider the full context before making a move.
My current identity was a direct descendant of the Rantzverger family.
I mentally retraced my steps from the moment I left the eastern branch of the empire, recalling the faces of everyone I had met.
Finally, having organized my thoughts, I lifted my head.
Just then, Vice-Commander Herbert issued an order to the knights.
"Rotate. We need to wear him down and capture him alive. We'll make it so he can neither live nor die until he spits out everything he knows."
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, six knights sprang forward, re-forming the encirclement.
As fresh combatants entered the fray, Zimmerman's situation deteriorated rapidly.
He was pushed to his absolute limit, while his enemies fought in shifts, preserving their stamina.
Herbert, who had been watching, glanced at me and tossed out a remark.
"It seems your intervention won't be necessary."
He meant I should stop acting rashly and just get lost.
But I had already finished formulating my plan.
"Still, I can't just leave."
*Swish—!*
Drawing the Black Dragon Sword, I instantly lopped off the head of the knight standing to my right.
As I unleashed the Silent Flowing Sword, the Demonic Soul supplied aura like a raging tide.
They never imagined I would suddenly attack, thinking me an ally.
The Felton knights’ reaction was considerably delayed.
With their mission on the verge of success, they had grown complacent.
Thanks to that, I was able to take the heads of three more knights without much effort.
"W-What is the meaning of this!"
*Chaaang!*
Vice-Commander Herbert drew his sword violently, his face murderous.
As if representing his fury, a brutal aura flared from his blade.
"Can't you see? I'm killing people. Oh, right, Felton bastards aren't people. Well, let's just say I'm killing… something."
"You're insane. Do you have any idea what your actions will lead to… Don't tell me, is Rantzverger planning to stab us in the back?"
"Hey, that's a bit too simple, don't you think? You never even confirmed if I was a member of the assassination guild in the first place."
"…"
Having hit a nerve, Herbert was momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, they hadn't bothered with any verification.
A skilled, masked man had shown up alone at their camp, and since he knew the details of the request, they had simply assumed he was who he claimed to be.
Realizing this, Vice-Commander Herbert glared at me with even greater fury.
"You've been deceiving us all this time."
"That's not it, either. I am a member of the Rantzverger Assassination Guild."
"Are you going to keep spouting this nonsense, you son of a bitch?"
At my further taunt, he charged at me like a monster that had lost its mind.
Yes. For a man called the Raging Rhino, he’d shown considerable restraint.
Vice-Commander Herbert’s fierce attack shot toward me, but I was not one to be taken down by such a crude move.
*Stab!*
A gray aura appeared without a trace, intercepting his Line-Drawing Sword Technique.
It was the clean trajectory of a Heaven-Severing Flash.
"Ugh!"
*Tatadadadat!*
A single strike.
Herbert, who had charged with such ferocious momentum, was forced back ten paces.
In the end, he couldn't maintain his balance and nearly collapsed to the ground.
While Herbert faltered, stunned by the power of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword, I was already moving on to my next action.
"Chahap!"
*Shhhk! Fwoosh!*
The knights attacked in unison.
The Felton Sword House was famous not only for its swordsmanship but also for its exceptional mounted combat and systematic rotational combat.
They were a clan inured to fighting, so their minds worked well in these situations.
There were even records of them defeating an opponent two tiers higher using their Blue Wave Formation.
But a mere formation could simply be shattered.
*Wooooong!*
At my will, the Demonic Soul poured a vast amount of aura into the Black Dragon Sword.
A strange resonance began to emanate from the blade.
A subtle vibration that only those who have reached a certain level of mastery could feel.
The Felton knights must have all heard the sword's cry.
"Listen well. It is the sound that heralds your deaths."
*Ssk.*
The gray aura flowing from the sword's tip glinted silently.
A diagonal trajectory, drawing a bizarre curve from bottom to top.
I unleashed the third form of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword, the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon, reborn with the stealth of the Demonic Wheel Kill.
*Pshk! Thud!*
"Keoheok…"
The aura, shaped like a massive spinning disc, instantly pierced through my chosen target.
Even as it tore through him, there was only a faint sound of air being rent.
That was how immense its cutting power was.
*Chwajwajwajwak!*
With plenty of power to spare, it sliced through six more knights nearby.
In a single move, one entire side of the Blue Wave Formation had been annihilated.
Had they been clustered more tightly, I could have easily ground dozens of them to dust.
Vice-Commander Herbert’s jaw dropped at the sight.
"Th-That's insane…"
To break through the Blue Wave Formation, one needed to attack with a force greater than the power of the entire formation.
I had experienced trouble with this formation in the past.
But now, having awakened the Demonic Soul, things were different.
Now, I could shatter the formation with a single use of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon.
*It's because I've grown that much stronger.*
*Swish—!*
Pivoting on my left foot, I swung the Black Dragon Sword upward, and the disc-shaped gray aura tore through space.
Of course, within its range stood the Felton knights, their faces dumbfounded.
They had been perfectly fine a moment ago, but after the sword strike passed, every single one of them was dead.
Before the cutting power of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon, their armor and flesh were no more than pudding.
"Geureuk!"
*Thud-dud-duk! Thump!*
Two identical sword forms.
With two simple, traceless movements, a total of fifteen knights met their end.
Half of the pursuit team was wiped out in an instant.
"Damn it! Support this side!"
Vice-Commander Herbert frantically called over the knights who had been surrounding Zimmerman.
He intended to consolidate his forces in one place, lest they be picked off one by one.
But even with Herbert, there were only sixteen of them left.
They posed no great threat to me, now that I could use my secret techniques without restraint.
"How nice of you to gather on your own."
I muttered as I thrust the Black Dragon Sword straight toward the Felton knights.
It was a simple motion, a gentle stab into the empty air, but the result was anything but light.
I had unleashed the second form of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword, the Heaven-Severing Exploding Wheel.
The gray sphere, shot out at incredible speed, caused a massive explosion in the center of the enemy group.
*Thwoom—!*
Of course, the noise was incredibly faint.
The sound of bodies being torn apart was far louder than the explosion itself.
*Pabababak—!*
Those struck by the aura fragments scattering in every direction collapsed, riddled with holes like honeycombs.
With the knights annihilated, only one remained.
Vice-Commander Herbert, barely standing, clutching a trembling sword.
"Ugh…! Ughhh!"
The valiant Herbert, once known as the Raging Rhino, was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was a defeated man steeped in terror.
Forcing strength into his arm, Vice-Commander Herbert tried to say something to me.
"W-Wait! Let's, let's negot…"
But I had no intention of hearing him out.
It was bound to be bullshit anyway.
Closing the distance in an instant, I unleashed a Heaven-Severing Flash and cut off Herbert’s head.
Along with the sword he was holding.
*Skak! Pshiiii!*
As his head tumbled to the ground, blood spurted from the stump like a fountain.
I turned away nonchalantly and looked directly at Zimmerman Shirak.
The vice-commander of the Second Brigade was staring up at me, his expression one of utter shock.
Soaked in blood, I lowered my mask and offered a sad smile as I greeted him.
"It's been a while, Mister."