Chapter 10 : Rebels

Chapter 10: Rebels

Srrr—

Kxias pushed away my sword and pulled out his arm.

Blood stretched thickly as he grabbed the gaping wound on his arm and bound it.

It hadn’t healed, yet the wound clung together as though it had been stitched.

“Hm.... Starsilver, is it? No wonder it doesn’t heal well.”

But as if such things didn’t bother him at all, he put his hands behind his back and looked down at me.

As though he was merely watching a child’s antics.

“Your body has recovered, hasn’t it? Did you perhaps find an Elixir? Congratulations.”

Anyone else would have thought him a considerate superior...

That calm and composed attitude.

But the words that followed did not match such a tone.

“How pitiful you are, Ransen. Why must your life be so tumultuous? Born noble, only to be thrown into the gutter. Then you embraced hope, only to fall into despair... And now, though you’ve risen again like a miracle, in the end you shall be defeated.”

In his eyes, the unmistakable gleam of fanaticism.

“Ah, what a wonderful thing. A soul that has traversed such extremes. My master shall find your soul most fascinating indeed.”

Goosebumps ran down my skin.

So the rumors were true—he had become a zealot...

And to think Kxias himself would utter such words as ‘my master.’

“Now then, Ransen. Show me a despair most delicious.”

Srrrng—

Kxias drew out a massive sword with one hand.

A vivid vampiric aura took clear shape as a blade as it was unsheathed.

His Aura Blade, far more strengthened after becoming a vampire.

Kwaaouu!

Just the swing alone tore the air apart.

I dared not face it head-on and hurled myself aside.

Kukuquuuaang!

Count Kxias’ Aura Blade was on an entirely different level from mine.

Having not yet fully replenished the aura I had lost, the Aura Blade I produced was faint, like a sun veiled by clouds. The time I could maintain it consecutively was barely fifteen minutes.

But Count Kxias’ Aura Blade radiated a blinding crimson light like lightning, and its aftershocks lashed in every direction like an enraged giant.

Like the breath of a dragon, an Aura Blade that summoned both light and storm.

Its power had already far surpassed that of other Swordmasters.

The Lord’s Keep was ripped apart along the trajectory of his sword.

“Kuugh...!”

I drew out as many Aura Threads as I could to divert the shockwave rushing toward me.

“Oh-ho? You dodged it?”

A peculiar gleam flickered in Kxias’ eyes.

Though the pressure felt overwhelming, as though a giant was looking down upon me, I clenched my teeth and endured.

‘Focus. You must focus.’

Wooong—

Woooong—

Banroa resonated in my hands.

‘I can feel the sword. I can read the heart of the sword.’

The ancient swordsmanship I had faced in the past, ten thousand years ago.

Though I had not formally learned it, I was a warrior who had wielded the sword all my life.

Knight Burson had acknowledged me as the greatest genius in the history of the kingdom.

And so, even though I had trained for only two days, it was possible to imitate it to some degree.

In the past, I had been like everyone else, focusing only on aura.

But in this very moment, I focused solely on the sword itself.

The ever-reliable companion that endured the weight and violence of the aura for me.

The precious companion that threw itself forward and fought by my side.

I faced the sword, followed its voice, and chose the sword’s path.

It was the moment a completely new horizon unfolded before me, one I had never even realized existed before.

Kwakwakwa!

Rumblee!

Scarlet lightning flashed all around.

Huge stones were cut and shattered, the Lord’s Keep trembled violently, yet Count Kxias paid it no mind.

He simply swung his sword, staring at me without even blinking.

Like a mosquito daring to wake a sleeping dragon...

Every single moment was a brush with death for me.

And in that storm of death, the one to guide me was a single sword.

Wong—

Woooong—!

The sword was alive.

Like a carp leaping up the Dragon Gate, it throbbed with strength and told me the path I had to take.

‘This way?’

‘The timing is now?’

The crises the sword revealed, the trajectories the sword revealed.

I carried on an unceasing conversation with the sword, scattering it and throwing my body each moment in the best direction.

To the information the sword gave me, I layered in real-time the experience and wisdom I had accumulated throughout my life.

Kakakak!

Kak!

Kukung!

Aura burst apart like fireworks right before my eyes.

I evaded, deflected, and drove through Count Kxias’ Aura Blade, which would have dealt fatal wounds even with the slightest graze.

For the first time, the ever-composed Kxias furrowed his brow.

“You wield a strange swordsmanship. Good. Continue struggling like that. Until the very last moment. That futile resistance will only make your soul all the more deliciously seasoned.”

What an arrogant thing to say.

“Hey, Kxias.”

When I called his name, his brow twitched once more.

Seriously... in this situation, is my tone what offends you?

“You. I think you’re misunderstanding something... I came here to kill you. That’s why I’m here!”

Weoeeong!

Amidst the sounds of the castle breaking apart with booming crashes, a sharp metallic ring pierced through for the very first time.

My sword’s bluish aura strike, cutting through the storm of crimson aura.

“Tch...”

I drew back Banroa.

The blade came away right next to Kxias’ neck.

I had timed my thrust perfectly, but the vampiric aura surrounding him blocked me, preventing me from severing his throat.

Kxias fixed his gaze on Banroa as it pulled away from his neck.

“Impressive. Had my aura been weaker, my neck might have been severed. Is that the swordsmanship of Banroa? Truly befitting the Kingdom of Knights.”

“...You knew?”

“I suspected. Wasn’t it obvious? You must be the Second Prince of Banroa, the one whose corpse was never found.”

“...”

“How precious indeed. If I offer up such a noble soul, surely my wish shall be fulfilled!”

Kwakwakwaang!

It began again.

The storm of blood-red light surged forth.

Each step I took was as precarious as a butterfly’s wings beating inside a tempest.

And yet—

Claang!

“No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same. Your sword cannot pierce my aura.”

Jjeong!

Balancing on a razor’s edge over and over, I struck at Kxias’ neck again and again.

Though blocked by his aura each time, I continued to target the same spot.

Clang!

Near Kxias’ neck, the crimson aura shattered and scattered.

As I took in the sparks of aura fragments bursting like embers, I ground my teeth.

“Will it truly be the same no matter how many times? What if I strike 100 times? 1,000 times?!”

Claang!

The more accustomed I became to Kxias’ swordsmanship, the faster my strikes at his neck grew.

By striking the same spot repeatedly, even Kxias’ vampiric aura—once like an impenetrable fortress—began to waver.

Exposed again and again to the shockwaves his Aura Blade produced, the flow of aura at that point weakened.

‘Focus! Focus...!’

But this was only the beginning.

I pushed my tension to the utmost.

Kxias was an absurdly powerful foe.

Even if I fought him a hundred times, winning just once would be near impossible for me.

To seize that one chance,

I had to pour out everything I had.

Claang!

After about ten strikes to Kxias’ neck,

my blade finally touched it.

Chiiiiii—

A hairline crack-like wound appeared on his neck.

From the flesh burned by Starsilver, something like cigarette smoke rose up.

Kxias brushed the blood trickling down with his fingers and looked at it.

“Such magnificent swordsmanship. Perhaps, one day, you might truly pierce me.”

A twisted sneer spread across his lips.

“But now—what will you do if I do this?”

Step.

For the first time,

Kxias stepped back.

Hesitation.

I instinctively moved to pursue him but froze, tensing my body.

Chachachak!

Pale figures descended upon the half-collapsed castle.

“Damn vampires...”

They were Kxias’ clansmen.

Not the low-ranking clansmen who had been scattered by the ruinous battle and collapse of the keep.

But the high-ranking clansmen who could endure even amidst the clashes of Swordmasters.

The vampires who revealed themselves atop the castle walls were each High-grade Experts or even Peak Experts.

“Now then, dance. Strike here with that sword of yours.”

Kxias tapped the hairline crack on his neck, mocking me.

All the while retreating behind his clansmen as his shield.

“Haa...”

Had I dragged this out too long? The very moment I had dreaded had arrived.

I had gone so far as to hide among corpses just to face Kxias one-on-one.

I drew a short breath.

The Lord’s Keep was half-collapsed.

Beyond it stretched the city of Kushan.

White brick houses, baked from pale earth, shone under the moonlight like a salt lake.

Fragments of the ruined keep scattered into the streets, and startled citizens looked this way, murmuring.

The place I had lived for ten years after leaving Banroa.

My second home, and also the prison where I had despaired and sunk.

The outcome of today’s battle would decide the future of this city. Our future.

Whether we would be cast down again.

Or soar upward in dramatic defiance.

I glared at the pale vampires pressing down upon this beautiful city.

‘Nothing has changed. I will simply cut them down.’

Hadn’t I resolved that from the very start?

That even if the blade broke, I would cut them with the shattered edge.

Bbeudeuk.

I gripped Banroa’s hilt until it seemed it might break.

*         *         *

“Boss. Why’d you call us all together? Planning to stir up real trouble?”

Downtown. A restaurant with a fine view of the Lord’s Keep.

Rivera Pietro, the leader of the rebel forces, had rented the entire place for the day and summoned all his comrades.

“No. I received word that some kind of incident might occur. I gathered you here so we can respond flexibly if anything happens.”

He sucked noisily at a cool butter-coconut drink as he kept his eyes on the Lord’s Keep.

Last night.

Seah of the Ransen Family had sent word that today, the great operation would take place.

“Tomorrow, the chance will come. The last chance that will never return again. Think carefully. Whether you will seize that chance. Or let it slip away, and regret it for the rest of your life.”

She had spoken grandly, but Rivera’s heart did not race.

Instead, it turned cold.

‘Today... the Ransen Family will be annihilated.’

A bitter taste filled his mouth.

Of all the forces active in Kushan City, the one he respected most was the Ransen Family.

The protection fees they took from the businesses under their control were the most reasonable. They did not dabble in vile trades like gambling, drugs, or human trafficking, and they treated the citizens without condescension.

They had been like an oasis in Kushan City, which grew harsher by the day...

But pressed by what, they had chosen suicide.

‘They won’t even break through the Lord’s Keep’s defenses, let alone strike at the Count.’

Why was that clever Seah attempting such a reckless plan?

Had she gone mad with fear?

Such thoughts crossed his mind, and at that very moment.

Rumble!

With a tremendous roar, crimson lightning burst from the roof of the Lord’s Keep.

“Kxias...?”

A vividly blood-red Aura Blade. Without doubt, it was Count Kxias’.

Bang! Kwakwaang!

“Huh? Is Count Kxias fighting someone?”

There hadn’t been the slightest sign from the Lord’s Keep.

And yet someone had managed to break through that ironclad security and clash directly with Count Kxias?

“Whoa. So that’s what the boss was talking about? Who is it? Who would dare such a bold thing?”

“That’s insane. Are Aura Blades always that powerful?”

“Of course not. It’s only like that because Kxias is a monster.”

“Wow.... You couldn’t even approach that unless you were extraordinary.”

“Crazy. He’s wiping out most of the Lord’s Keep’s forces in an instant.”

The comrades watching the scene shifted restlessly in their seats.

For something they had all imagined but no one had ever achieved was now unfolding right before their eyes.

Even Rivera was impressed.

‘So it’s true... Seah. You’ve pulled it off.’

And yet—

‘I admit, it’s an incredible stratagem. But what now? If you can’t overcome Kxias’ sheer might, then none of it matters.’

He thought in the end, nothing had really changed.

But then—

Bang!

Kwakwaang!

Kukung!

The red lightning tearing through the Lord’s Keep did not stop.

The thunderous crashes continuing without end were proof that, contrary to his expectations, the fight was actually evenly matched.

“What the—? What’s going on?”

“Still holding out?”

“Who on earth could it be...”

“Look there!”

A pointing finger. Through the dust of the shattered Lord’s Keep, a familiar face emerged.

Though it was deep in the night, they were all Expert warriors—moonlight alone was enough for them to recognize.

Sword-blue hair, tall and upright stature.

A handsome face recognizable even from afar.

“Ransen...?”

“Did you say Ransen?”

“His body’s recovered?”

“Whoa.... A Swordmaster!”

Rivera’s comrades stirred noisily.

For they remembered.

How strong Ransen had been at his peak.

The legend of him annihilating Blood Count Delkash, whom even Kxias had found burdensome.

“Boss. Isn’t this our chance?”

“Are we just going to sit here and watch?”

His comrades glanced at Rivera and began to rise one by one.

But Rivera cut them off coldly.

“Sit down, all of you! Do you plan on dying pointlessly?!”

“But...”

Suppressing his comrades’ objections with his gaze, Rivera stifled his pounding heart.

For more than anyone else here, he knew.

Just how strong Kxias was. Just how terrifying.

Though he and his comrades were called rebels, the truth was they never even dreamed of anything so grand.

They were merely venting their grudges against the Count in clumsy, petty acts of spite.

Kxias was already far beyond what could be classified as an ordinary Swordmaster.

To bring him down, even the Five Kings—hailed as the strongest of Roberland—would have to move, and even then it would only barely be possible.

And yet—

Flash!

Claang!

Flash!

Clang!

Something was strange. Through the storm of crimson lightning raging over the Lord’s Keep, azure flashes burst forth again and again.

Claang!

That azure light struck the Count’s neck. Again. And again.

“Huh? Huh?”

“Is that...?”

Though the Count’s aura was firm, it too had limits.

If the same spot was struck continuously by an Aura Blade, it would inevitably break.

Despite the overwhelming difference in strength, Ransen did not yield until the end, ceaselessly searching for an opening.

Unknowingly, Rivera rose to his feet.

‘Think carefully. Whether you will seize the last chance that will never come again. Or let it slip away, and regret it for the rest of your life.’

Seah’s words echoed in his ears.

The surroundings fell silent.

Even his comrades, engrossed in the duel, said nothing—fixing their eyes solely upon the Lord’s Keep.

Then—

“Ah...”

“Damn it...!”

As Kxias’ highest-ranking clansmen appeared atop the Lord’s Keep, sighs escaped from every mouth.

“Cowards...”

“Damn!”

But amid the chorus of heavy sighs came the sounds of bowstrings being drawn and gear being readied.

Click.

Kkiririk!

Clatter.

It was Rivera Pietro.

As his comrades turned to him, his face twisted.

“...Forgive me. I simply can’t hold back any longer.”

Gathering his equipment, Rivera vaulted straight off the terrace.

And ran toward the Lord’s Keep.

“Yes! That’s it!”

“As expected of the boss!”

“Let’s go together!”

Behind him, the rebels of Kushan City followed with excitement.

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