Chapter 192: Get Away from me (3)

The surroundings fell into silence.

With just a few moves, Ghislain had instantly killed the five strongest knights in this place.

No one had imagined that a 5-on-1 battle would end so quickly.

Cabaldi's soldiers, their faces pale, hesitated and retreated backward.

Even calling him a monster wasn't enough.

Who was this person, for such a skilled individual to invade this place?

Having disposed of Cabaldi's knights, Ghislain waved his hand forward without a word.

It was a gesture that seemed to say even speaking would be a waste of time.

Immediately, one of Fenris's knights shouted loudly.

"Alright, let's sweep the rest of them away!"

In contrast to the enemy, Fenris's knights wore expressions full of pride.

As soon as Ghislain's hand gesture fell, they once again unleashed their mana and launched an attack.

"Hahaha! As expected of our lord!"

"It's amazing every time I see it!"

"The best! The absolute best! I'll try to imitate that!"

Inspired even more by Ghislain's feats, Fenris's knights moved like fish in water, dominating the battlefield.

Cabaldi's soldiers tried desperately to hold out, but it was futile. Even with the largest number of troops stationed there, the defensive line was crumbling helplessly.

Watching the situation unfold, Jaymon closed his eyes.

'Is it over?'

From the start, this was an enemy he couldn't handle.

Even though it was a surprise attack, it had only been a few minutes since the battle began, and they had already suffered near-total annihilation.

With his own abilities, all he had managed to do was buy a few moments by swinging his sword a handful of times.

And he didn't even realize just how extraordinary that feat was.

The only solace was that Fenris's forces didn't have archers, so they couldn't attack from outside the castle, allowing them to buy a little more time.

But now, even that is over. The infantry wouldn't simply stand idle.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the castle walls were fully occupied, the sound of drums resounded from the Fenris forces, and the infantry on the flanks began to move.

It seemed they had already prepared ladders.

Soon, even the soldiers outside the castle would climb over the walls. At this rate, the gates would inevitably be opened in no time.

At that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from afar.

"Waaaaah!"

Hearing the distant roar, Jaymon's eyes snapped open.

It was reinforcements. Allied forces were coming. A roar loud enough to reach here meant they were signaling to hold on just a little longer.

'If we're lucky, we might drive them back.'

It would naturally take time for a large force to climb the walls. If their reinforcements arrived before Fenris's forces could finish, they could methodically push them back.

But for that to happen, the gates had to remain sealed at all costs.

If the gates were opened and the massive army outside flooded in at once, the reinforcements wouldn't be able to escape death either.

'Just a little more, just a little more… if we can hold on.'

As Jaymon agonized, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

The situation was so urgent that he had only just now thought of the mechanism at the gates.

"The gate! Destroy all the cranks for the portcullis! Make it impossible for the enemy to open the gates easily!"

The gates of Cabaldi's castle were incredibly thick. To defend against battering rams, the portcullis inside was also made extraordinarily thick.

As the leading producer of iron ore in the North, they had spared no expense in using steel.

To raise the heavy portcullis, all four cranks had to be operated simultaneously.

If they destroyed the cranks, the gates couldn't be opened through normal means. Even from inside, the gates would need to be broken to be opened.

It would cost a great deal to repair later, but it was better than having the castle fall.

Boom!

The knight commanding the defense at the gate acted without hesitation as soon as he heard Jaymon's order. He smashed all the cranks controlling the portcullis.

And that became his final act.

Crash!

"Tch."

Ghislain clicked his tongue, having just barely failed to stop the knight.

His body was soaked in blood from the enemies he had slaughtered, dyed a deep red.

"The enemy commander is quite capable. So, there was someone with a brain after all."

Though he had clashed with the knights a few times, the engagements had been incredibly brief. That was because he had been driving the enemies back at tremendous speed.

Yet, in that short time, the enemy commander had devised a strategy to reduce the troops on the walls and delay them at the gates.

Usually, those caught in a surprise attack would be in disarray or flee. Despite being the enemy, his quick judgment and decisiveness deserved acknowledgment.

"It's going to take time to break it."

The gates were designed to be difficult to open.

Even if Cabaldi's main forces arrived later, Fenris's army would be forced to engage in staggered waves.

That would prevent them from fully utilizing their numerical advantage.

Ghislain surveyed his surroundings.

The ambush had been successful. Their forces had suffered no losses, while the enemy was nearly annihilated.

Because only an elite few had been deployed, their destructive power was unrivaled.

"Hmm, is this as far as it goes?"

But sustainability was the issue.

In this short time, the knights had expended nearly all their mana.

Their exhaustion was evident, as the light surrounding their swords was dimming.

If they pushed themselves further in this state, they would undoubtedly collapse, coughing up blood.

It wasn't possible to fight the reinforcements in such a condition.

Ghislain looked again toward the walls.

His allies were climbing with determination, but before they could all make it over, Cabaldi's main forces would arrive.

'Too slow. It's still not enough.'

Given that the troops were hastily assembled from various places, their lack of training was unavoidable.

While they wouldn't lose even if they supplemented their forces through the walls, such a battle would inevitably incur casualties.

For Ghislain, who needed to preserve his forces as much as possible, that wasn't an ideal outcome.

The best solution was to open the gates quickly, form ranks, and push through with overwhelming strength.

"Hah, it's tiring, but there's no choice."

Ghislain chuckled softly.

Even without opening the gates, victory was within their grasp.

Even if Cabaldi's main forces arrived, they wouldn't be able to defeat Fenris's army. However, if there was a way to protect his forces without incurring losses, there was no reason to endure unnecessary casualties.

Though he felt sorry for the enemy commander, this situation had already been considered among Ghislain's possible scenarios.

Perhaps there was a more refined, efficient method. But to him, this was the best solution.

"Get away from me, all of you."

Ghislain ordered the surrounding knights to fall back and extended his sword forward.

***

Anxiously watching the gate, Jaymon let out a cheer when the Fenris forces suddenly halted.

"It's done! It's over! This will hold until reinforcements arrive!"

The allied forces moved even faster than Jaymon had anticipated. Truly, Cabaldi's troops deserved to be called the strongest in the North.

"Opening the gates won't be easy."

Even if the enemy could use mana, breaking through the thick portcullis and gates would require swinging their weapons hundreds, even thousands, of times.

That should buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.

Of course, even if the gates held, they would still have to engage the enemies climbing over the walls in chaotic combat again. Considering the disparity in strength, victory wasn't guaranteed.

'The chances of defeat are probably higher.'

But if there was even a slightly better chance of victory than now, choosing that path was the right decision.

And his role was complete at this point.

"I'll be dead soon."

Jaymon murmured with a self-deprecating laugh.

The opportunity to flee had already passed. Fenris forces were pouring over both walls, and the defending troops were annihilated.

Even his escort knights had gone down to defend the gate, leaving no one by Jaymon's side.

If he had intended to flee, he should have done so the moment the battle began.

But if he had, his troops would have been annihilated even faster, and the gates would have been destroyed.

"This was the best I could do."

As a commander, he had done everything possible. It was just that the enemy was far too strong, beyond his expectations.

He had to be content with merely delaying them, even for a moment.

Sighing, Jaymon drew his sword and turned around.

"Is it my turn now?"

Before him stood an assassin clad in a black mask and a robe.

In a resigned tone, Jaimon asked:

"May I know your name?"

"..."

"I'd like to know who killed me before I go."

"Belinda."

"It's an honor to be killed by someone as skilled as you."

Belinda hesitated briefly before replying:

"You seem to be the commander here. Why not surrender and cooperate? You seem capable enough; you might even be spared. You delayed us longer than expected."

"That won't happen."

"If not, you'll die here."

"How could I call myself a knight if I feared death? The only thing I fear is failing to serve my lord further."

With an expression free of regret, Jaymon raised his sword.

Shhhh.

Belinda made no further reply and moved like a shadow.

She had suggested it, thinking he might be useful in stabilizing the castle after its capture. But since he refused, that was the end of it.

Once she made a decision, she never hesitated.

Slash!

With a single motion, Belinda sliced open Jaymon's arm.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The relentless flurry of attacks that followed forced Jaymon to retreat continuously.

As a knight and Master of Arms for his estate, Jaymon's skills were impressive, but they weren't enough to face Belinda, who had reached a new level.

Clang!

As Jaymon barely managed to block Belinda's dagger once more—

Swoosh.

Her robe fluttered, and from within, several daggers shot out.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Ugh!"

And with that, the battle was over.

Pierced by daggers all over his body, Jaymon fell to his knees, blood pouring out.

Blinking his dimming eyes several times, he murmured in a fading voice:

"Because of Baron Fenris… the North will fall into chaos…."

That was his final thought.

***

In modern times, "Master" was closer to a title than a term describing a specific realm.

That's because there was no clear standard for the realm of a Master.

Thus, even among those said to have reached the level of Master, there were differences in skill.

The title was simply granted by people based on someone's achievements, reputation, and demonstrated skill, deemed worthy of being called a Master.

But long ago, there had been a definite standard for the realm of Master.

Few remembered it now.

Wooooong.

Ghislain infused mana into his sword.

As the mana gathered, the sword began to tremble and emit a red glow.

This was the so-called Mana Blade, considered the mark of a true knight.

Wooooong!

But Ghislain didn't stop there. He poured even more mana into his sword.

The trembling intensified, and the light grew even brighter.

The knights around him watched in awe.

The light emanating from the sword grew so intense that it spread further and further outward.

Wooooong!

As the light expanded, it began to shrink again, but its brilliance became even stronger than before.

The compressed mana, unable to withstand the continuous force, attempted to spread outward once more.

But Ghislain, focusing intently, reined it in and compressed it further.

The endlessly compressed mana.

At this point, the red glow on Ghislain's sword was no longer just light.

It was so bright, so dazzling, that those nearby squinted and retreated.

Even so, Ghislain continued his actions, unwavering. His expression was as cold and unyielding as a marble statue.

This wasn't a technique one could use by recklessly infusing large amounts of mana.

It required control over power, enlightenment regarding its principles, and a strong, unwavering will to manifest one's understanding into the world.

All of these elements had to align perfectly.

Wooooooong!

And Ghislain was someone who had already mastered all of these.

The only thing he had lacked was mana.

But now, for a short time, he could use this technique.

Thanks to the Blood Python's venom, his mana had increased significantly, and his body had been trained to withstand this power.

As the compressed mana continued to condense, it began to change form.

Flash!

The shape of the light transformed. It was no longer a simple glow enveloping the blade.

The knights who witnessed this gasped in shock.

"W-what is that!"

"Mana, stretching that far…!"

"The light… it's like it's burning."

The flickering light, like smoke, extended beyond the length of the blade, stretching far ahead.

That light, brighter and hotter than the sun, inspired awe, making it impossible to even think of touching it.

This was truly a sword that could cut through anything.

A pinnacle of refined power, surpassing the limits of mana.

A technique that redefined the principles of the world through one's will.

The Sword of Light, the Aura Blade.

Though its name varied across eras, its most famous name came from the ancient empire.

In the ancient empire, only those who could wield an Aura Blade were recognized as true Masters.

"Hoo…."

Ghislain gripped the aura-infused sword with both hands and slowly drew it back.

As the sword moved, radiant particles of light spread out like a scattering of stars.

Those around him, mesmerized by its beauty, could only gaze at Ghislain in awe.

Leaving the enchanted onlookers behind, Ghislain took a deep breath and swung the sword swiftly toward the firmly shut gate.

Flash!

In an instant, a blinding light obscured everyone's vision.

And as the light faded—

Thud!

The gate, now completely split in two, began to collapse.

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