Chapter 72 : Chapter 72

Chapter 072: Encirclement (4)

Fortunately, my eyes were a fraction quicker.

I managed to tilt my head slightly to the side.

It was a hair’s breadth.

Whooosh—!

A fierce whirlwind seemed to graze past my earlobe.

The sound alone was enough to make my heart sink.

Clink!

The Outer Hoop hanging from my left earlobe shattered.

The sensation was vivid.

Only then could I identify the nature of the attack.

It was a spear thrusting from behind the shield.

“Hup!”

The man who revealed his face steadied his breathing.

He was pulling back his extended shoulder.

My eyes widened.

‘A chain of strikes!’

I immediately bent my waist backward.

I firmly planted my feet into the softened, muddy ground.

My thigh muscles swelled as if they might burst.

Swish! Swish—! Swish—!

The spear shaft tore through the falling rain, charging several times.

It was right in front of me.

The sharply honed force brushed past my hair.

Just before collapsing, I gritted my teeth.

From a half-reclined position, I rotated my body sideways.

Whirl!

The mud kicked up by my heel splattered in all directions, following the spinning motion of my body like a waterwheel.

Thanks to that, I gained some distance.

In the instant I realigned my misaligned pelvis, a pink-haired figure came rushing from the side.

Dragging a pair of swords, she was skimming low above the ground, almost flying.

‘I can’t let her get close.’

A swordsmanship mixed with Gold-Catching Hand techniques was unheard of.

In a one-on-one fight, I might have found it intriguing to search for a way to counter it, but there was no time for that now.

‘Quake Earth!’

I plunged the Bastard Sword into the ground.

I had to block her approach.

Pabababak!

Soft clumps of earth erupted in all directions.

It was Quake Earth, the same technique that had unearthed the Mandrake hidden deep in the soil.

I couldn’t destroy the villagers’ livelihood, so I minimized its power as much as possible.

Even so, it was enough.

“You filthy bastard…!”

The wet fragments, too heavy to stay aloft, quickly fell.

That was my intention.

The pink-haired one, the spearman, and even Yeats—all of them were roughly on par with me.

‘If I drag this out, I’ll lose. I need to aim for a quick resolution.’

Though brief, the increased volume and mass of the earth provided a momentary obstruction of their vision, amplifying the effect.

Snap!

I twisted my wrist sharply and pulled out the Bastard Sword.

As the sword’s pommel sprang upward, nearly grazing my temple, I seized the blade with both hands.

Holding it, I could feel it clearly.

Perhaps because it had soaked up the rainwater, the blade felt even duller than before.

I already knew the quality of Kingdom weaponry was generally shoddy.

Testing it in case of such a situation was, in truth, a stroke of genius.

Motshlak.

Its power was sufficient.

Ness had gone down in one hit.

Puh—Crack!

It wasn’t just the sound.

The impact transmitted through my grip was unmistakable.

The sturdy crossguard, like a secondary weapon, sliced through the scattering mud, smashing into some part of the pink-haired one’s body.

There wasn’t even a scream in response.

That meant it was a clean hit.

She hadn’t anticipated it.

“Hahaha! As expected, this is fun! Bihen Benkou!”

“Kana! Get up!”

Yeats and the spearman charged simultaneously.

I immediately shifted my grip again.

Clang—Cling!

They pressed relentlessly, leaving no room to breathe.

Counterattacking was out of the question; even blocking was a struggle.

The one silver lining was that the two of them were slightly out of sync.

It didn’t seem like they had coordinated before.

“Yeats! Are you trying to finish him off?! Our lord doesn’t want his corpse. Focus on subduing him!”

“…I know that already!”

Kurrrrrng!

As thunder roared, my vision flashed.

In that moment, Yeats soared into the air, raising his sword high above his head, poised to strike down.

I nearly missed it, buried in the afterglow of the lightning.

It caught my eye by a hair’s breadth.

‘Aura…!’

Dodging wouldn’t be enough.

A third of Easton would be obliterated.

I had to neutralize it.

Srrrng—!

With my left hand in a reverse grip, I drew the Empire Sword.

The hilt was hot.

A white Sword Aura flared, racing from the base of the blade to its tip in an instant.

The moment the blade turned completely white, I swung upward.

Claaang—!

As the blades clashed, a colorless shockwave erupted.

The falling rain and pitch-black void seemed to warp.

The distortion faded as the blades, which had bent like reeds, snapped back into place.

By then, the glowing halos around my and Yeats’s swords had already dissipated.

As Yeats was flung back in one direction and I staggered in the opposite, it happened.

Crack… Crack.

A faint vibration came a beat later. Cracks were spreading across the blade.

‘…You held up well.’

I sheathed it immediately.

As I refocused forward, it happened.

Pabak!

A chill ran down my spine.

It felt like a giant snake had coiled around my left arm.

“Got you, you bastard…!”

It was the pink-haired one, appearing out of nowhere.

She had deliberately discarded her weapon and was grappling me barehanded.

Blood streamed from one of his eyes, trailing down his cheek, unwashed by the rain.

“Draven! Now—!”

“Oooooh!”

The spearman, hefting his shield, charged straight at me.

My right hand still held the Bastard Sword.

The logical sequence would be to finish the pink-haired one swiftly and then block the spearman’s shield charge, but whether I could handle both their strength and speed was uncertain.

‘I’ll sacrifice my left arm and counter the spearman…’

That’s when it happened.

Kwarrrrung!

It wasn’t thunder.

My head snapped upward.

Even the spearman halted mid-charge.

A small silhouette hovered in the pitch-black sky.

A dragon-shaped bolt of lightning plummeted with ferocious momentum.

“Try that again, you damned thing!”

The moment my vision turned completely white, the pressure constricting my arm loosened.

The pink-haired one cursed as she frantically pulled away, her voice mixing with the spearman’s roar.

“That crazy old hag…!”

“Iroen! Stop it! We need to leave something of him!”

Kwagagagang!

·

·

·

In that fleeting moment, a thought struck me.

If the arm the pink-haired one had grabbed had been my right, the one holding the sword, things might have gone terribly wrong.

Shaaaa—!

The torrential rain settled the dust cloud.

My vision cleared quickly.

It must have been the same for them.

They were probably starting to see it now—the silhouette of me standing unscathed.

The sound of their gasps grew louder.

“Kyaa! No way!”

“As expected, it wasn’t a fluke back then.”

“…My God. The rumors were true?”

“Insane, how could he…!”

I lowered my arms, which had been crossed above my head.

The four of them surrounded me, each positioned at a cardinal direction, their faces filled with astonishment.

I pointed at the mischievous little mage.

“You. That pathetic attempt won’t cut it. Stay still, and I’ll make sure you die last, nice and clean.”

“Hiiik!”

…I hoped she wouldn’t take it literally.

Her frantic magic would serve as excellent cover for me.

That’s why I provoked her, but she was actually slinking back.

‘Get a grip, Bihen Benkou.’

Was I really banking on such flukes now?

After worrying about the village’s destruction?

“Huu.”

I refocused.

I slid my right foot sideways, slowly tracing a semicircle.

Honestly, I couldn’t be sure.

If those three attacked in perfect unison, that is.

It seemed I’d underestimated the Archduke’s forces.

‘…Eugene.’

Why did he come to mind now, of all times?

The words he’d said to me flashed through my mind.

—If Talrug Canyon is the stronghold of that faction, it’s impossible to fathom how dangerous it could be.

—Of course, I have no intention of standing idly by. I plan to propose cooperation with the Sword Master-level knights on the Archduke’s side.

—This is a matter involving both Demonic Corruption and a Great Mage. They can’t just sit back either. This isn’t about picking sides.

—Even if I have to bear the consequences later, I must prevent innocent people from being sent to their deaths.

…Half right, half wrong.

If, as you said, we could’ve joined forces with them, then… maybe you wouldn’t have died.

But would they have so readily taken our outstretched hand?

Crack.

The pain in my palm, gripping the hilt, felt like it was tearing apart.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t picture such a harmonious scene.

In every scenario I imagined, Eugene always met the same end.

Realizing that fact again…

It made me feel wretched.

“Come. I’ll show you what it means to die alongside an Empire swordsman.”

Shaaaaaa—!

As the surroundings fell silent, the spearman wiped the rainwater from his beard and glanced at Yeats.

“…Yeats. As of now, by the authority of the Conwell Guard Captain, I’m revoking your command.”

“Sir Draven!? What does that mean…?”

“You know that in wartime, the Guard Captain’s authority supersedes a knight’s honor and pride.”

“B-but that only applies when the situation is dire enough to defy our lord’s orders! Right now, against this one guy…”

“This is that moment!”

“…!”

Thunder roared in sync with his shout.

The spearman adjusted his shield.

The afterglow on its surface glinted fiercely.

“We’re changing the strategy.”

He didn’t take his eyes off me.

“All forces, kill Bihen Benkou.”

The corner of my mouth twitched upward.

“Weren’t you already doing that?”

Was I the only one fighting for my life?

‘…Damn it.’

I tucked my chin in.

Think calmly.

I still couldn’t control Sword Aura with precision and with this measly Bastard Sword?

‘No chance.’

The spearman’s shield was impenetrable for now. His spear thrusts weren’t something to dismiss either.

I needed to keep my distance.

The pink-haired one was the same.

The moment I allowed her to close the gap, it was over.

Her curved blades were short, so a distance fight was feasible.

‘Ignore the little mage.’

Yeats?

His specialty wouldn’t work on me, and what else could he…

[Bihen Benkou.]

…!

Every hair on my body stood on end.

[I’ll buy you time. Use it to retreat.]

Telepathic transmission.

A secret technique favored by Empire shamans.

A high-level spell that delivers a voice to a specific target without interference, requiring precise control of mana and mental focus.

[Don’t be swayed by emotions.]

I knew who this voice belonged to.

‘Marian.’

So she was an Imperial after all? But why…?

[You are the only hope for Lady Adeline right now. You must survive.]

There was no time to dwell on questions.

Flutter.

Above the four surrounding me, a single yellowish object, like a falling leaf, drifted down toward each of them.

My eyes widened.

I recognized it instantly.

It was a strange talisman inscribed with mirror-like runes.

Whirl.

A black silhouette materialized in the air.

It appeared without a trace, like a shadow cast.

If I hadn’t been watching, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

Only now, sensing my gaze, did the four begin to look up, one by one.

A pair of blood-red eyes glowed atop the black silhouette.

Seal! Daze! Formation! Shadow !

It was as if a chorus of the dead spoke in unison.

With each syllable, a rune flashed behind the black silhouette, drawn in flames, before vanishing.

Shhh—! Shhh—! Shhh—!

It was like black ink pouring from the sky.

Dark smoke spread against the rain, enveloping the area in an instant.

“Cough! Cough! W-what is this!”

“An ambush! When did…!”

Marian’s transmission echoed in my ear again.

[Hurry. Now is the time to plan for the future.]

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