Chapter 90 : Chapter 90

Chapter 90 : A Lie Greater Than Truth (8)

The deafening roars shook the entire area.

The ground trembled beneath my feet.

A pack of Mist Fang Wolves clung to the transparent barrier Kevin had conjured.

Their red glowing eyes and shadowy forms swirled chaotically, disorienting my senses.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Crack-!

They thrashed wildly, desperate to break through.

Some rammed their heads, others clawed and gnashed with their front paws and teeth, searching for any gap to exploit.

The cacophony of their howls from every direction was maddening.

Crack-!

Fissures spread through the air.

The barrier was fracturing.

This was the point we had chosen to lure them.

“Get ready!”

Kendrick shouted.

We had already surrounded the entrance in formation.

“Cut off their heads the moment they get through! Don’t let them get close!”

“Yes, Captain!”

The gap, like a dog’s burrow, widened dangerously.

It looked precarious even at a glance.

Crack-! Boom-!

With a rupturing sound, the breach tore open, and the demonic beasts poured in like a flood.

The howls, once muffled beyond the barrier, now rang close and clear.

Reality hit hard.

“I’ll take them! Watch for any that slip through to the sides!”

With that shout, I slashed the first Mist Fang Wolf that broke through.

Its head spun through the air and exploded mid-flight.

Boom-!

The gap, barely wide enough for one beast to squeeze through, kept expanding.

Two, four, six… I could handle this many alone.

Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was like thunderbolts erupting all around.

Killing them wasn’t enough; I had to keep my distance immediately, which drained my stamina considerably.

‘…Sword Aura.’

If I could’ve used it safely, I would’ve done so already.

But unleashing Sword Aura here would turn Blue Mist Forest into a barren wasteland, clear-cut in an instant.

They say you leap from beginner to intermediate when you can consciously manifest Sword Aura.

Mastering its control to perfection marks the peak of the advanced stage.

In other words, my skills weren’t there yet.

“Stop the ones breaking through!”

Kendrick and the mercenaries moved to support me.

They seamlessly covered the gaps I missed, dividing their positions with disciplined precision.

Boom! Boom!

“Aaagh! I’m on fire!”

“You useless idiot!”

The mercenaries fought in pairs, clearly experienced in group combat against demonic beasts.

Thankfully, they held their own in the chaos.

These were seasoned warriors.

“Damn it! There’s no end to them!”

Kendrick, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with me, growled.

We had just taken down one beast each and dodged their explosions.

“Hey, Bihen! Isn’t there some way out of this? We’ll die of exhaustion at this rate!”

I glanced back sharply.

Even from a distance, Kevin looked utterly spent.

His hands, channeling mana, trembled visibly.

He was swaying, barely able to stand.

‘He’s at his limit.’

Crack-! Boom-!

Another deafening roar echoed.

Not far off, a pack of Mist Fang Wolves, covered in shards of the shattered barrier, charged through with ferocious momentum.

“Youngest! Front! It’s breaking!”

Kendrick shouted, already moving.

Was it instinct?

System: instinct?

“Aaagh!”

The one called Youngest had his arm bitten.

Another beast lunged at him immediately, while others trampled over him, leaping toward the Spirit Tree.

It happened so fast I couldn’t react in time.

“You bastards—!”

* * *

Kendrick’s anguished cry reverberated.

Even in the chaos, it was so raw it turned every head.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Kendrick swung his axe, charging recklessly.

He hacked away the wolves clinging to Youngest, grabbed him, and threw himself aside to avoid an explosion.

Boom-!

“Ugh…!”

Kendrick groaned.

It felt like a fireball was burning his back.

All the cuts he’d taken as a mercenary combined couldn’t match this pain.

“Captain!”

“Damn it, didn’t I tell you not to freeze up in a fight, you fool?”

There was no time to catch a breath.

The wolves bared their fangs, roaring savagely right in front of them.

“Get up!”

He assumed a stance.

But something was off.

‘…!’

The pack of Mist Fang Wolves breaking through Kevin’s barrier surged toward the Spirit Tree.

They didn’t even glance elsewhere, as if the Spirit Tree was their sole focus.

‘Is this… really possible?’

At dawn, Bihen had said to focus on protecting the Spirit Tree, that the beasts would likely target it relentlessly.

Kendrick had frowned, skeptical.

Given their explosive nature, he’d expected the beasts to wreak havoc on everything, including the Spirit Tree, in the chaos of battle. It wouldn’t stay unscathed.

But the idea that they were controlled, zeroing in on the Spirit Tree? That was different.

Still, since the people of Sylphiroa valued the Spirit Tree more than their lives, Kendrick hadn’t argued, prioritizing its protection.

“Captain, something’s off… They’re not even bothering with us unless we get in their way.”

His men were picking up on the strangeness too.

Swish!

Bihen moved swiftly backward.

A few wolves that slipped through were sliced in half by his Zahara Toxeed in the blink of an eye.

Boom! Boom-!

Through the thick smoke, a silhouette wielding dual daggers emerged.

His stance was calm and solitary.

As Kendrick and the mercenaries shuddered with awe, Bihen spoke to Kevin, his gaze fixed forward.

“Teacher, don’t push yourself. Slowly pull back your mana.”

“What?! B-But…!”

Bihen tilted his chin.

It was time to reduce their numbers, but they kept coming.

The plan needed to change.

‘Pull back the mercenaries’ defense line and hit them with an area attack.’

Bihen shouted to the mercenaries.

“Get over here!”

Then to Kevin.

“Now!”

The Black Rose Mercenaries and Kevin scrambled to follow his orders.

The endless flood of beasts was dizzying.

‘An indiscriminate area attack won’t do.’

Bihen bent his knees.

A fierce aura swirled around his feet, pressing against the ground.

Boom-!

He stomped hard, launching into the air. His form shot toward the beast-filled barrier like a taut arrow.

Clang!

Bihen scraped the blades of his daggers together.

The black edges of Zahara Toxeed glowed white-hot.

‘Gotta try something.’

Slowing his speed, he floated briefly in the air. His hair swayed, frost gathered at the blade tips, and the blue glow of his Ghost Eye shimmered in harmony.

Crack-!

Spiderweb cracks spread across the entire barrier.

It was a dizzying sight, like the sky was collapsing.

“Argh! The barrier’s breaking!”

“What’s that lunatic doing up there…!”

Among the mercenaries’ gasps, Kevin stared at Bihen, stunned.

Exhaustion and shock washed over his face.

‘Lord Bihen, what in the world…’

Kevin had pushed beyond his limits.

It felt like clinging to a twig at the edge of a cliff, barely holding on.

Despite Bihen’s urging, he’d gritted his teeth, determined to maintain the barrier even if it killed him.

Was Sylphinu’s blessing running out?

Seeing Bihen leap into the beast horde alone…

The mana threads Kevin had woven in the air unraveled.

Boom—!!

It was like a landslide crashing down.

The shockwave knocked some mercenaries off balance.

Kevin collapsed backward.

‘Now!’

Bihen spread his arms wide, gripping Zahara Toxeed.

Swish—!

His descending form spun rapidly.

Frost from Zahara Toxeed shot out like sharp daggers in all directions.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Instinctively, he knew.

His leap to the intermediate peak had refined his Frost Sword technique to new heights.

The scattered frost pierced the wolves’ bodies.

Their eerie screams were followed by chain explosions, black flames erupting everywhere.

“Bihen…!”

The mercenaries saw it clearly. Bihen’s form plummeted into the black flames on the ground.

Screech—!

A flash blinded Kendrick, the mercenaries, and Kevin.

It was brief.

Then a gust of wind hit them, and they doubted their eyes.

“What the…?”

Bihen, standing firm, swung his Bastard Sword in wide arcs.

The heavy blade moved with swift precision.

Whoosh—!

Frost waves radiated from him, tilting everything in their path.

The black flames were snuffed out in an instant.

“Huh…!”

The heat that filled Blue Mist Forest, and even the sweat on the onlookers’ backs, froze solid.

Their breaths seemed to ice over.

Hiss-!

Bihen stopped spinning.

Dust billowed at his feet.

Amid the rippling shockwaves, ash, fragments of the mana barrier, and frosty winds tangled chaotically.

In that eerie, silent scene…

Bihen, standing tall, staggered and lost balance.

Kendrick sprinted toward him.

“…Captain!?”

The stunned mercenaries flinched and shouted.

Their reckless captain was at it again, moving faster than anyone in the chaos.

Kendrick reached Bihen, catching his shoulder from behind.

“Hey! Bihen!”

“What’s with the fuss? I’m fine.”

“What in the world…”

What was it about that tree?

Even if the Spirit Tree held sacred mana, why would an imperial man, not a kingdom native or Conwell citizen, fight so desperately?

Kendrick wanted to ask but couldn’t find the words.

Bihen shook off his hand, muttering.

“It’s not over yet.”

“…What?”

Kendrick’s head turned stiffly. His eyes widened as he scanned the surroundings.

“Damn…”

He grimaced.

Like embers reigniting, red glowing eyes began to encircle them again.

“Tenacious bastards.”

“…”

“Hey, Bihen. I didn’t finish earlier, but…”

“The Spirit Tree’s a fake.”

Kendrick’s face twisted oddly.

A faint sigh escaped his slightly open mouth.

“You knew…”

“Does it matter?”

Bihen sheathed his Bastard Sword and drew Zahara Toxeed again.

White breath puffed from his cracked lips.

“As of today, it’s real.”

Kendrick stared at him, dazed.

Next year, he’d be forty.

A fallen noble, he’d spent half his life scraping the bottom to restore his family’s honor and now, he realized.

He hadn’t been lost.

There was no need to turn back.

“Some hotheaded kid is still wet behind the ears.”

“…What’s that?”

Kendrick looked away from Bihen’s gaze.

“Got any good ideas? We’re screwed if this keeps up.”

“Thanks to you, Sylphiroa’s people are safe. You’ve done enough. Go help Linda.”

“No way. We started this together, we finish it together.”

Despite his bold words, his body trembled.

Bihen spoke softly.

“I might’ve miscalculated. I thought if we culled enough, Yeats would crawl out on his own.”

“Crawl out? What do you mean?”

“He can’t summon beasts indefinitely. Eventually, he’ll run dry and have to show himself.”

Bihen added quietly.

That Yeats bastard, did he stumble upon some stroke of fate? How the hell is he pulling this off…

Kendrick mulled over Bihen’s words.

‘Summoning beasts?’

A memory flashed through his mind.

A yellowed paper with ominous symbols, a pentagram barrier resembling a magic circle.

His eyes widened.

‘If that’s a Mana Core…’

He couldn’t tell Bihen. It was the root of this disaster.

Even now, it remained true.

“Take care of things here, Bihen Benkou.”

Bihen looked at him silently. What’s he talking about?

“Just hold on a bit.”

Kendrick sprinted into Blue Mist Forest without looking back.

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