Episode 199
“Aaaargh!”
“Cough!”
A whirlwind of flames scattered through the dark forest illuminated the surroundings and engulfed the enemies.
Within the shadows cast by the flames, Hanbit and Haneul were moving.
Swish—!
Slash—!
The two swords cut down the enemies with rapid speed.
The number of those already dead was too numerous to count.
Because it was a forest, the damage caused by the spreading flames was immense.
“Over here!”
“Block the other side first, not there!”
“No, put out the fire first!”
The anti-state forces were taken aback.
Artua’s army had struck from the flanks and rear of their camp.
According to the plan, they should have joined forces to attack the royal capital, but instead, they suddenly attacked brandishing swords and staffs.
Moreover, the whirlwind of flames engulfing the forest was a technique they had never seen or heard of before.
And on top of that.
Creak—!
Creak—!
The Legion of Madness cast over the dark forest also made its presence felt.
“Crazy…!”
“It’s a monster!”
Slash—!
A horde of masked clowns ransacked the forest, killing everyone in sight.
They needed no distinction between the anti-state forces and Artois's army.
'It's settling down faster than I thought.'
The reason for this intervention was to cause chaos.
It was intended to prevent either faction from properly grasping the situation.
Not only those on the battlefield, but also Artois and the nobles watching from within the royal capital would find it difficult to comprehend what was happening.
“Lord Black Dragon, do we just need to keep dealing with them?” Haneul,
who had been dealing with enemies on the other side, returned and asked.
The numbers of the forces on both sides engaged in the melee had been significantly reduced.
However, because there were so many of them to begin with, it would take more time to clear them all out.
“Let’s deal with those guys first.”
Two figures caught Hanbit’s eye as he burrowed deep into the camp. Their
somewhat modern attire and the name tags floating above their heads indicated that they were players from the Holy Kingdom. They
appeared quite frantic as they dealt with the enemies that had surged into the vicinity.
Swoosh—
the space behind the faint, rippling curtain.
It was the location where the main figures of the invasion, including Emeter, were situated.
For those players currently undertaking the quest, it was a place they had to protect.
“Haneul, you go inside and capture Emeter.”
“Huh? Are you kidnapping her?”
“It’s better for us to keep her. The King will take care of killing her.”
The existence of the exiled Crown Prince is crucial to both factions.
For the anti-state forces, he is the very justification.
For the House of Artois, he was the courier to bring back the necessary artifacts.
There were still unresolved issues in the story that needed to be settled, rather than simply letting him get caught up in this battlefield and die.
“Be careful, there might be players inside.”
“Yes! I’ll be back!”
Swoosh—
Haneul, having melted into the shadows, advanced toward the curtain.
At the same time, Hanbit moved.
Thud—!
He kicked his foot and approached a player engaged in combat from behind.
Killing an opponent who hadn't detected his presence was an easy task.
Thud—!
“Cough!”
The man, his throat pierced, met a futile death with a final gasp.
[Experience points increased by 2,100,000.]
“Miller?”
Just then, another player fighting the Artua army noticed the death of a comrade.
His gaze fell upon Hanbit, who was standing there calmly.
“Black Dragon……!”
The man’s expression changed upon checking the name tag.
Then, he aimed the staff in his hand.
Whoosh—!
A ball of energy coalescing while emitting a white light.
It looked like it would display considerable destructive power, but it was a foolish choice.
Whoosh—!
Using Gale Flash, Hanbit reached the enemy’s nose in an instant.
“Ruinus Ex……!”
Slash—!
The sword pierced the body before the incantation was even complete.
Slash—!
With his upper body severed, the man met his death with his eyes wide open.
[Experience points increased by 2,200,000.]
'Weak.'
A significantly weaker opponent compared to the player encountered in Temosha.
Sensing something was amiss, Hanbit turned toward the curtain.
At that moment.
Boom—!
A tremendous roar echoed from inside.
Ta-da!
At the same time, Hanbit kicked off and surged forward at high speed.
As they passed the boundary, the space inside the curtain was revealed.
A man wearing a pure white mask stood in front of a barracks that resembled a large tent.
“Damn it…”
A girl with sky-blue hair rose from a corner. She
had already dropped the dagger she was holding.
“Did you both fight the henchmen?”
The masked man spoke in a low voice.
Hanbit checked his name tag that appeared above his head.
[Verdict]
A clear four-letter name.
The problem lay in the dark red line attached to it.
“…Three?”
Of all the players from the Holy Kingdom he had encountered so far, the most lines were two.
He didn’t know what that meant, but he had to assume that this was different from the previous enemies.
Hanbit approached Haneul, wary of Verdict.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t letting my guard down, but…”
The girl who had risen wore a resentful expression.
However, the atmosphere emanating from that man was anything but ordinary.
“I’ll handle him, so go inside.”
“Yes. I’ll take him down no matter what. And… be careful. His attacks seemed a bit strange.”
Leaving those words behind, Haneul picked up his dagger again and stepped inside.
Verdict took no action, even though he was watching.
“I thought you would at least interfere.”
Hanbit, letting his sword hang low, spoke to the masked man.
Verdict raised his own sword in response.
“If I don’t kill you, this episode is our defeat anyway. It must be because we failed to read Artua… no, Lakmos’s stupidity.”
He was fully aware of the reason for this situation.
There was indeed something different about him.
“Neither of us needs to say much.”
“That is exactly what I wanted. There is only one way to atone to the Goddess of Turmoil.”
Swoosh—
The two men, holding their swords, glared at each other.
In the brief moment their silent gazes exchanged.
Thud—!
Their feet lifted off the ground simultaneously.
Whoosh—!
Hanbit charged forward and swung his sword in a wide arc.
However, the attack sliced through the empty space.
Whoosh—!
Verdict leaped up quickly, twisted his body, and grabbed Hanbit from behind.
Having read it, Hanbit used Shadow Bind. *
Swoosh*—a
shadow stretched out in an instant and grabbed Verdict, who was floating in the air. It
was clearly magic that had been cast.
It was a restraint difficult to escape with ordinary strength.
It certainly had to be.
*Swish!
* *Crash!*—!
The aftermath of a pure white light erupted along with the sound of a sword slicing something. Hanbit
quickly stepped back and shifted his gaze to the ground.
'I cut through the magic.'
The Shadow Bind that had clearly held Verdict's body.
Yet, it was now split in half along with the ground.
"Is the Goddess's miracle astonishing?"
Verdict, standing on the ground, asked in a low voice.
Although he insisted on calling it a divine miracle, Hanbit knew the truth.
"What miracle? It's just a technique created by Jan Clyed."
"…You know this, too. But that, too, is a grace bestowed by the Goddess of Turmoil. Creating something out of nothing is something only she can do."
As the true nature of the technique was revealed, Verdict's speech grew a little longer.
Of course, that man, radiating the aura of a fanatic, must genuinely be thinking that way.
“That must be a difficult skill to learn. You must have talent?”
“This, too, is a grace bestowed by the Goddess…”
“It is the grace of the Clead family who taught you swordsmanship. Your personality may be terrible, but your skills are good, aren’t they?”
Hanbit brought up the truth in response to the answering machine-like reaction.
He had no intention of getting drawn into a conversation with a fanatic.
“It is indeed fascinating. I am also an experienced traveler of this other world, but your knowledge is too vast. Did the Goddess of Silence intervene?”
Verdict suddenly raised a question.
Apparently, the fact that Hanbit had repeated 55 worlds was not in the oracle.
“Ask your goddess about that. Let’s just get our thing done.”
Whoosh!
The flames of Sallion infused Hanbit’s sword.
The swordsmanship of the Holy Kingdom that Verdict wields is strong enough to cut through magic.
However, what transcends that logic of power is the pure spirit.
Naturally, that man, who had never faced him before, was unaware of this.
Ta-da!
Pushing off with another kick, Hanbit charged toward the enemy.
“Do you not know even after experiencing it? Magic does not work.”
Verdict calmly raised his sword.
Snap!
The pure white light emanating from the blade amplified, resonating with vibrations.
This time, he did not evade the attack; instead, he faced it with full force.
*Kaang!*
A sharp noise rang out from the two blades.
The whirlwind of white light and flames that rose from the impact also clashed.
“……?”
Verdict sensed something was amiss.
The flames should have split apart at the moment of impact.
Instead, that scorching inferno began to engulf the white light in an instant.
“Ugh!”
Startled, Verdict quickly stepped back.
Naturally, Hanbit was not one to allow such composure.
*Swoosh!*
He kicked off and unleashed a new hidden spirit skill, *Sword Dance of the Gale*. True
to its name, it was a technique that unleashed an offensive dancing while swirling in a frenzied wind.
Its unique feature was that the will of the spirit Sylph was half-mixed into it.
*Kaang!
* *Whoosh!*
The first thrust of the sword struck forcefully, scattering flames.
The subsequent movements followed with incredible fluidity.
*Swoosh!* *
Clang!* *Clang!*
Movements so fast and graceful that it was hard to believe they belonged to a human.
Verdict, facing it, was bewildered.
It was because he could not properly read the enemy's movements.
“Ugh!”
Clang!
The blazing fire was already inflicting tremendous damage on his arms and upper body.
It was an agonizing offensive, enough to make a pained expression even though he felt no physical pain.
Whoosh!
Crash!
Hanbit, swinging his sword frantically, looked just like a madman.
Yet, his movements were so flawless that anyone watching would find them beautiful.
Crash!
Just then, the final upward strike knocked the sword out of Berdict's hand.
“Just who on earth…!”
Anger and bewilderment filled his once composed voice.
However, the unending sword dance of the gale did not allow even those words.
Swish!
Slash!
Five sword swings in a single motion devoured Berdict's life.
The face revealed along with the final split mask.
As he imprinted it in his eyes, his form scattered into dust.
Ding-
[Experience points increased by 7,100,000.]
[Level increased by 1.]
[1 Stat Point granted.]
A significantly large amount of experience compared to before.
It was only natural that he was the commander of this battlefield.
“Let go! Let go!”
Just then, the figure of Haneul appeared from inside the barracks, dragging a middle-aged man along.
[Emeter Victor Caldior]
The exiled Crown Prince and the current King’s older brother.
He was a forgotten member of the royal family, banished after committing all sorts of crimes.
“Good job. Just pin him down on the floor for a moment.”
“Yes!”
Haneul replied boldly and slammed Emeter into the ground, pinning him down.
Watching this, Hanbit looked at the screen shared with the party and said,
“Mr. Avant-garde, have you roughly finished checking everything?”
(Yes! It is said that support has been provided not only by Edlen, Ifrit, and Temosha, but also by nearby cities! The 20,000 troops heading toward the royal capital are expected to arrive soon, and there are about 6,000 personnel who need to be transferred! We have also finished distributing the necessary equipment with the help of the Dwarves!)
Avantgarde, who had been waiting, quickly explained the situation.
While those heading to the royal capital are important, those 6,000 men are on a different level.
In other words, it is time to dominate the battlefield of this royal capital.
“Thank you. Then, everyone, please transfer to the forest in front of the castle walls. Please also prepare the flag of the Holy Kingdom that I requested.”
