Chapter 60 : Second Clash (19)

Chapter 60: Second Clash (19)

Shatien was taken aback.

Had ten Knights really dug this kind of trap just to deal with him?

Knights who shouted about honor had gone to all this trouble?It was a cowardly sight, yet also strangely impressive.

It meant they saw him as that much of a threat.

“Why are you just standing there! Kill him right now. Everyone, charge!”

The noble on horseback behind them shouted. It was Baron Friedrand. The Knights hesitated at his order.

“All at once… you mean?”

“That is a bit…”

“We have our honor too.”

At their words, Baron Lichten’s face turned red with shame. Baron Friedrand, however, did not share that sentiment.

His expression curdled so badly it almost turned bluish.

After everything they had already done, they wanted to talk about honor now?

‘What on earth is inside these idiots’ heads?’

But the Knights did have their own logic.

Shatien was the mercenary who had defeated Baron Ludwig, a man with a name and reputation, so they felt he deserved to be treated accordingly.

Honor and fame were supposed to pass from the defeated to the victor.

Someone like that ought to receive treatment that fits his status.

Though of course, Baron Friedrand was not the type to care about such things.

“Attack him now! If you do not finish him here, there is no victory for us!”

“Understood...”

In the end, the hesitant Knights shuffled forward. Shatien saw this and let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Heh… Is this what you call honor?”

“Bastard. Watch your mouth. It is not as if we want to do this.”

One of the Knights said that, then drew his sword.

“My name is Urhan von Ruben. State your name, mercenary.”

“It’s Shatien.”

“May this be a fair duel…”

Shatien cut him off with a shout.

“Hmph! You call it a fair duel when you all rush me at once! If you really want a fair duel, you should come one at a time!”

He raised his voice and swept his gaze around them. Some Knights looked ashamed at his words, yet none stepped forward alone in the name of honor.

It was no wonder. Shatien had already killed far too many Imperial Knights.

They all knew it now. If they grew careless, they would end up just like the others.

“…”

“Damn it.”

So the Knights gripped their weapons even more carefully. Their sharp killing intent felt like it would crash down on Shatien at any moment and made his skin prickle.

Shatien quickly drew up his senses.

-Ziiiiiiing!

A faint, high ringing filled his head as his mysterious sense awakened.

‘Which one. Which one is coming first?’

Even with the help of that mysterious sense, it was not some miracle cure. He only had two hands and there was a limit to how many he could handle at once. Even if their skills were a level below Ludwig’s, Knights were still Knights.

If he relaxed for even a moment, he would leave this world in an instant.

-Squeeze.

Shatien stared them down, every small muscle in his body coiled tight with tension.

“What are you waiting for!”

At Baron Friedrand’s roar, the long standoff broke and the Knights charged all at once.

“Haa!”

“Bastard, I will end you here!”

A Knight raised his war hammer high and swung down with all his strength.

-Flash!

Before anyone realized it, Shatien had drawn his master’s sword and sliced through the war hammer’s head. Then he immediately swung the broken hammer back toward the Knight’s skull.

-Thud!

Yet another Knight stepped in from the side and blocked the blow with his shield.

Shatien clicked his tongue and scoffed.

“Cowards! For Knights to actually gang up on a mercenary.”

“Silence! You bastard!”

“You are the one who is absurdly strong! You filthy murderer of nobles!”

Shatien frowned.

‘Murderer of nobles?’

If that was how it worked, then all these Knights were murderers of mercenaries, no? Or murderers of common folk? He could not see why only nobles deserved special protection according to their so-called customs.

Annoyed by the pointless title, Shatien answered with his war hammer.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

He hammered blows into the shield over and over, right on its weak spots. The round steel shield buckled and caved in.

“Urgh!”

The Knight behind it could not endure the impact and dropped to his knees.

“Say that again? What was it? Murderer of nobles?”

“N-No! Wait. Mercy, please, mercy!”

-Crack!

The war hammer crashed down.

The Knight’s helmet and skull were crushed together. That was Shatien’s answer to the grand nickname they had given him.

“Crazy… bastard…”

“You really fight like a brute!”

“Baron Ludwig didn’t fall for no reason. Be careful!”

The Knights flinched but did not retreat. They rushed him again with even greater ferocity.

Their momentum even carried a kind of desperate resolve.

‘They won’t back down easily huh?’

They were Knights, alright.

Shatien gave a satisfied smile. Every trial had pushed him to the brink of death, yet every one he overcame had brought growth.

As long as he lived through it.

The Knights, in turn, burned with fury at his relaxed attitude. They had always fought from a stronger position. Yet now a mere mercenary smiled at them like that.

“Bastard, prepare yourself!”

“I will wipe that smile off your face.”

Two Knights charged from opposite sides.

-Clang! Crack, clang!

Blades and armor clashed everywhere.

Sometimes he struck.

Sometimes he cut.

Sometimes he blocked.

Shatien swung his sword and the war hammer in a frenzy. Soon the hammer’s shaft could not endure the strain and snapped. Shatien hurled the now short hammer like a dwarf’s throwing hammer.

“Do not make me laugh!”

A Knight tried to knock it away with his sword. But the hammer flew too fast.

-Crack-!

It smashed straight into the Knight’s helmet and dropped him to the ground.

“Attack together!”

“Only a combined assault will save us!”

Even attacking in succession had not worked, and the Knights felt their lives were truly at risk. No one spoke of honor anymore.

-Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their combined blows rained down, but Shatien made clever use of the cramped space. He gripped the blade and swung it like a short sword, and when needed he used the crossguard to slam and pin them.

The Knights tried the same tricks, yet the fine details made all the difference. They overextended and sometimes had their swords wrenched from their hands.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more defeat crept into their eyes.

‘They had almost no training in true combined combat.’

‘Damn it.’

The only thing they had that resembled it was the cavalry lance charge.

They turned their noses up at fighting shoulder to shoulder on foot as dishonorable and they rarely had reason to gather and fight on the same field.

Even when they did, they just lined up on horseback and lowered their lances.

Most of the time, Knights stayed on their estates and might see each other only when there was a joust or tournament.

-Pwoosh!

When none of that worked, the crossbowmen finally unleashed a volley of bolts.

-Whirr!

Shatien quickly ducked back behind the wall of shields, then stepped out again whenever the Knights pressed in.

In the end, the Knights even dragged nearby infantry into the fray.

“Everyone attack together!”

“U-Us too?”

“Yes!”

If Knights could not break him, common soldiers certainly would not. But they were perfect for wearing him down.

Shatien saw through their plan and spat a curse.

“You really are scheming hard! Has your honor sunk that low!”

“Are you even human? Hmph.”

“Blame your absurd skills. You monster!”

They no longer cared about shame. With their heads on the line, honor was worthless. The only thought in their minds was survival.

‘This is bad…’

He hid his exhaustion, yet Shatien was reaching his limit.

As his master had warned, that ability devoured stamina. He had trained to function with the mysterious sense at a lower level, yet it still taxed his body.

If he let them drag things out, they would exhaust him and eventually land a fatal blow.

Just then, some sharp eyed mercenaries stepped forward. No one had ordered them and they moved on their own.

“Protect Shatien!”

“Push them back!”

“Leave the rabble to us, Centurion!”

Their voices rang with firm resolve.

Shatien had never put much faith in mercenary loyalty, yet he could not help feeling moved.

“Got it! I am counting on you!”

He stepped back a pace. Thanks to them, he could finally catch his breath.

‘What are these idiots doing!!’

And Baron Friedrand, who was watching from behind, felt his insides burn.

* * *

‘Are we still unable to take this place because of a single mercenary bastard?’

Baron Friedrand felt as if he had run into a wall.

A massive wall called Shatien.

No matter how strong the man was, he was still human. Yet Friedrand had never imagined that Shatien would block the main gate and hold them off for this long.

‘I should have listened more carefully to Baron Ludwig’s words. Damn it.’

Baron Ludwig’s warning resurfaced in his mind. Thinking lightly of Shatien just because he was a mercenary had been a lifelong mistake.

He should have swarmed him and finished him off back when he had the chance.

‘What do I do?’

The darkness in the sky was beginning to fade. Dawn would break soon. If that happened… the enemy’s reinforcements might arrive first.

‘Just a little more. If we push just a little more, we might be able to break through?’

Baron Friedrand scanned the battlefield with growing anxiety.

That superhuman monster named Shatien had knocked down countless soldiers, yet it was obvious now that he was reaching his limit.

His sword swung slower than before, and his movements had grown sluggish. If they kept pressing for just a little longer, they could finish off that damned man.

Thinking so, Baron Friedrand turned to Baron Lichten.

“Baron! I need more of your knights!”

“What are you saying?”

“We have come all this way. We must finish this! That bastard is exhausted. Lend me your strength for the last push. If you do, I will give you all the credit.”

“Hmm…”

Baron Lichten hesitated at the tempting offer.

Indeed, Shatien the mercenary was visibly struggling now.

If he committed more of his knights in succession, the man would certainly fall.

“Very w…”

But just as Baron Lichten began to speak.

“Baron! Baron!”

“?”

“??”

A voice cut him off. A cloaked messenger came running from afar in a panic.

“Do not tell me! Have we taken the rear gate!!”

Baron Friedrand’s face brightened. He had sent a runner toward the rear gate earlier, and if this was that messenger, the news had to be good.

However, the moment Friedrand saw the man’s face, his expression twisted.

“You…?! Why are you here!!”

“Pardon?”

The messenger was one of the scouts Baron Friedrand had sent into the forest.

And for that scout to return in such a hurry could mean only one thing.

“Uh… My lord. I report that Count Bellua’s army has arrived at our rear. They will strike at any moment.”

It was the news Baron Friedrand had least wanted to hear.

“Noooooooo!”

In the end, Baron Friedrand was only able to scream.