Chapter 99
Thwack! Smack!
“Urgh...!”
“Argh!”
In the middle of the expanding darkness, the Knights' groans echoed.
Yoo Chae-rin quietly watched the scene. No, not just her, but many of the Otherworlders gathered here.
In the first place, it was the place where the most power was concentrated, and the key figures on both sides were gathered there.
I was worried that something would happen, and as expected, something did happen.
Suddenly, darkness covered the area surrounding Yor, followed by indiscriminate violence.
My vision was blocked, so I couldn't see, but the perpetrator of the violence was obvious.
Because Yor's screams weren't heard from there.
Several exclamations flowed out in the Chat Window.
[Whoa]
[Wow what Skill is that? Looks awesome?]
[Nah it just looks good 'cause he's using it well, it's trash don't learn it;-;]
[So you can use Fantasy Magic like that]
[Seeing stuff like that he's pretty smart lol fr]
[I can see the Knights panicking without even looking lol]
However, that situation didn't last long.
“Everyone, break the encirclement and come out to where you can see!”
Unlike the fog that was spread widely throughout the Forest, the Magic Im Ha-neul cast was limited to one area.
They had to break the formation they had worked so hard to maintain, but they could quickly escape the darkness if they retreated just a little.
Not only that. The Knights weren't fools, so they knew roughly what this Magic was.
And also who the caster was.
“It's you! Take this!”
“Ugh···!”
Immediately after, a Knight jumped out and slashed at Ha-neul's chest.
Swish-
With a chilling sound, blood splattered. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was definitely a serious injury. Thanks to that, the Illusion Magic she had been diligently casting was dispelled.
She probably wouldn't be able to use Magic during the battle anymore.
Immediately after, the area that had been obscured by the darkness was revealed.
Several Otherworlders unknowingly let out exclamations.
“Whoa···.”
Because dozens of Knights were sprawled on the ground in the revealed area.
Even though he was alone, he could rampage indiscriminately, but his vision would have been blocked all the same.
I knew he was strong, but it was quite a sight to see again.
Unlike when they were in formation, when met in a melee, he showed tremendous power.
Once in the morning when the fog was thick, once when they formed ranks and were picked off one by one, and once again with this move.
Most of the Knights were down before they could even finish reorganizing properly.
Now the number of remaining Knights was around 50. Of course, that was still a considerable force, but compared to the initial numbers, it was a much more pathetic state.
‘···Damn it.’
Ryleigh gritted his teeth as he watched the scene.
It was a truly painful loss of power.
Unlike Yor, Ryleigh had no way of knowing that Yor had shown mercy.
So, all the Knights lying around looked like casualties to him.
How many would be left if he separated the seriously injured from the dead? Surely not a few had been sacrificed.
But because of that, he couldn't back down any further.
He had to annihilate the opponent to honor the souls of those who had been sacrificed.
Therefore, Ryleigh gripped his Sword again and spoke to his Knights.
“···Everyone is suffering because of this incompetent commander. I'm sorry, everyone.”
“No, sir!”
“Don't say that!”
The morale of the Knights was still high.
In the first place, they hadn't even fought properly, and the subordinates' faith in the Fourth Knights' Order Commander was quite high.
Frankly, being a 'man' played a part, and there weren't many commanders who cared for their subordinates as much as he did. What commander would apologize to his subordinates first?
Ryleigh briefly organized his thoughts and gave another order to the Knights.
“All forces, advance. And like before, maintain a certain distance and surround him. I'll try to deal with him somehow.”
Morale was high, and his Knights had sufficiently regrouped. So there was enough chance of victory.
Thinking so, he charged towards Yor again.
＊
After emerging from the darkness, I took a few ragged breaths.
“Haa··· Haa···.”
Rampaging from morning till now with the sole intention of reducing their numbers, it was inevitable that I'd be out of breath.
Still, I'd reduced their numbers quite a bit in that short time. The problem was that there were still a lot left.
I briefly looked around, assessing the situation.
‘The war situation is··· getting increasingly unfavorable.’
Even with me tying up all the Knights, it was still true.
Because there were far more Otherworlders on the Subjugation side than those helping me.
With the risk attached to the Quest, the difference in numbers was inevitable.
If time went on like this, the Otherworlders on Yoo Chae-rin's side might be subdued.
Time was no longer on my side.
Chuck- Chuck- Chuck-!
As I was thinking that, the Knights began to surround me again.
They were trying to form an encirclement again.
Should I call this tenacious, or should I call this foolish?
Unfortunately, it seemed like the former this time.
I was running out of options.
‘The fog is gone, Ha-neul is basically done for too···.’
The Knights were grouped together, fully reorganized. This meant there was no way to disrupt them anymore. It was fortunate that I had reduced their numbers considerably.
‘If there are no tricks left···.’
There was only one way. To break through head-on. There was no choice but to fight fair and square.
Thinking so, I took a deep breath and slowly composed myself. I regulated my breathing and corrected my posture. I also thought of a few moves I could use in my head.
The Knights' Order was gradually closing in, but I didn't mind.
Soon, they formed an encirclement and their Knights' Order Commander approached me.
Covered in Holy Water from head to toe, and his weapon too, emitting brilliant Sword Energy.
The nearby Knights were looking at him with hopeful or desperate expressions.
I chuckled at the sight.
It looked like a single arena.
An arena endlessly hostile to me.
Swords would inevitably fly at me the moment I stepped into the ring, and support fire might come if I showed an opening.
The Otherworlders were busy fighting amongst themselves, so it was a situation I had to handle entirely on my own.
Honestly, it was a serious situation, but I didn't feel particularly scared.
Instead, I quietly raised my Sword Energy as I watched him approach.
‘Winning is all that matters.’
I thought to myself. This would probably be the decisive moment.
They had already suffered considerable damage. Even with their numerical advantage, the losses were at a level that couldn't be ignored.
If I could decisively defeat the Knights' Order Commander here, they wouldn't be able to fight anymore.
Whoosh-
Finally, his Sword came lunging at me.
A luxurious long sword intertwined with dense Mana. I raised my Spear to block, but I couldn't help but be pushed back slightly.
Because compared to his Sword Energy, the Sword Energy I used was still shallow and crude.
Even though the amount of Mana had increased thanks to the food and Herbal Medicine I ate in the Deep Layer, I couldn't close the gap all at once.
The Knights' Order Commander, a collection of skills, and an ignorant person like me who hasn't learned anything are this different.
The same was true for swordsmanship.
He didn't blindly receive my Spear attacks. He read my attacks and dodged or used the Shield in his other hand to deflect them.
Perhaps because he was wearing armor, it wasn't easy to penetrate.
Pit-! Peet-!
Meanwhile, his Sword grazed my body once or twice.
Even when our weapons clashed, his Sword could jump out in any direction at any time.
On top of that, because it was a Sword coated with Holy Water, it wasn't easy to control my Blood. The moment it flowed out, it was purified by the Holy Water.
To make matters worse, the Holy Water was also slightly slowing down my regeneration.
However.
‘···Doesn't matter.’
I ignored it and continued to clash weapons with him.
Taking damage and landing One Shot on my opponent was my fighting style anyway.
If I could land a critical hit on him even like this, I could endure any number of flesh wounds.
“Oops.”
“Ah.”
At one point, the top I was wearing was severely torn and slipped down from a sword strike, but I ignored even that for the time being.
Instead, I turned my gaze inward.
···There was one move that came to mind immediately.
Using Seere's Arm at my waist, I could remove that bothersome Shield and thrust my Spear. I could momentarily break his posture.
‘But it probably won't work.’
He saw me use Seere's Arm last time.
He would probably be momentarily surprised, but would immediately raise his sword to block the spear thrust.
Even if his posture was broken and his defense imperfect, his enhanced Sword Energy would be enough to block it.
So I needed a move beyond that.
Pit-! Peet-!
I quietly gathered the Blood flowing from the flesh wounds onto my Spear.
Even if it was purified by the Holy Water, it was enough to collect the remnants on my Spear.
I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with Shin Han-byeol in the Deep Layer.
-From what I heard, Sword Energy is an extension of the weapon.
When I asked why she didn't add Sword Energy to the Blood, she replied, 'I don't know.'
She briefly explained it to me.
-It's only difficult to draw it out at first, it's a matter of skill after that. The more familiar and experienced you become, the stronger it becomes, and you can apply it to any weapon.
There are no restrictions on applying Sword Energy.
She was right. Thinking about it, I had also imbued Mana in various weapons, such as Daggers and Axes, as well as my Spear.
‘Then why haven't I applied it to Blood?’
The reason was simple. I hadn't thought of the Blood flowing through me as simply a weapon.
It was a part of my body, and at the same time, a power like Magic.
And using the two simultaneously was somewhat complex.
That's why I hadn't even considered trying.
Why did I do that··· Thinking about it, this Ability was my most powerful weapon.
Woong-!
So it was time to try.
Sword Energy once again enveloped the reddened spear blade. The durability of Sword Energy was added to the powerful lethality created by the Blood clot.
No matter how much it was blessed by Holy Water, it wouldn't be easily neutralized, as the Sword Energy had to be penetrated first.
So I prepared a thrusting stance toward him.
The tip of the spear turned red and then covered the entire tip, and began to transform.
The shape of a sharp awl, able to pierce through anything.
"!"
Sensing the danger, he raised his Shield.
But even that was useless.
Swish-!
In an instant, Seere's Arm moved and stole his Shield.
"What the-!"
Startled, he hurriedly prepared a defensive stance, extending his Sword.
Finally, the surface of his Sword and the tip of my Spear collided.
Clang-!!!
A huge metallic sound rang out, and a brief struggle ensued.
The shockwave briefly pushed the air away.
But even that was fleeting.
Snap-!
His Sword broke in two.
My Spear didn't stop there and pierced through his side.
Thud-!
With a chilling tearing sound, Blood gushed from his side.