Chapter 93: My Life Isn’t a Life Full of Excuses (4)

Bale, the deputy commander of the Order of Red Eagle was someone who was born into the collateral line of the Tristan Family. But this didn’t mean that he was a parachute who rose to become a deputy commander because of his bloodline. If anything, his bloodline was the thing that made him work even harder than anyone. Even the marquis acknowledged his effort, and assigned him the position because of it.

The position of the deputy commander of the Order of Red Eagle wasn’t something that could be obtained through one’s bloodline or background. One needed sufficient strength and be an honorable enough person to earn it.

That was why Bale was proud of his skills. The whole world dubbed him the moniker ‘Tristan’s Red Owl’ and evaluated him as a knight who would represent a generation, or even an era.

Although for that latter part, he was just one of the seven.

Galahad’s Mad Wolf.

Lionel’s Black Lion.

Pendragon’s White Lion.

Lohengrin’s Swan.

Tristan’s Red Owl.

Modred’s Fighting Hound.

Agravain’s Wild Horse.

People who liked to put rank on everything stated that those seven were people who couldn’t be left out when talking about the young knights who represented the current era. But Bale knew that it was all just nonsense.

In reality, the White Lion, the Swan, and the Wild Horse, were a disappointing bunch in his eyes. They were arrogant fools who were nothing more than a pretty face. That was his honest evaluation of them.

The only people he acknowledged as being better than him were the Mad Wolf and the Black Lion. Those two genuinely had the talent to represent the era.

When he first met them, he noticed their ‘power’. It was beyond something that could be considered ‘overwhelming’. Their talent was something that no other knight could ever match.

However, Bale was not discouraged.

Although his strength was behind those two right now, he firmly believed that his talent was comparable to theirs, and that he’d reach their level someday. Indeed, one thing other than his talent that was notable about him was his unbreakable spirit and confidence.

But he…

W-What is that…?

Was currently struck speechless.

“He…ripped apart the Combat Power Net…?”

Combat Power Net.

It was a net made out of combat power that could only be used when thirty or more knights gathered. This was one of the secret arts that only the prestigious knight order possessed.

Strangling, suppressing, and releasing a power that would make their prey unable to escape from it. It wouldn’t stop until their prey’s airway was cut clean.

Just the pressure coming off the technique was usually enough to kill strong monsters as it would make them unable to breathe.

Theoretically, if the net was spread by a hundred people, it could suppress even thousands of soldiers at once.

And yet…

“The Combat Power Net was broken?!”

“Crazy!”

“Don’t break the line! Throw your spears!!”

The man in front of him broke the Combat Power Net with his own abilities.

A chilling shock enveloped the knights, but it was only for a moment. They quickly recovered from their confusion and immediately threw their spears. Even though the Combat Power Net was broken, the knights still had their overwhelming power to utilize.

However…

Bang-!

“…??”

“…?”

“…Is this a dream?”

Again, they were surprised by the outcome. They didn’t know how many times they had been surprised so far,

The knights stared blankly at the sky, no, at the empty space.

-[Can humans, except for wizards, really fly in the sky?]

The words of a certain wise man, something that couldn’t have been anything other than a sentence filled with profound philosophy flashed through their minds. Those words were meant to say that humans shouldn’t dare to go against the laws of nature.

But…

“We might be unable to fly, but… We’re able to walk in the air, huh…?”

Bale knew that he was muttering something foolish, but he couldn’t help it after seeing such a spectacle.

Bang-! Bang-!

Right in front of him, a man was really walking in the air.

For the first time, Bale felt something akin to awe in front of the incredible sight. The sight of someone attempting the impossible and making the impossible possible.

“Damn it!”

But before long, he felt both ashamed and dumbfounded over the fact that he felt awe for someone that wasn’t his master. He quickly drew his sword.

At the same time, a thought popped up in his mind.

Haa… If only this situation hadn’t happened, I would love to have a serious conversation with him…

His heart fluttered as he watched the strange man, who had a fresh and innovative way of thinking. It was a completely different reaction than the one he had when he first witnessed the wondrous talent of the Mad Wolf and the Black Lion.

He couldn’t help but want to learn from him…

But of course…

This isn’t the time to think about that…

Swish-!

Bale swung his sword at the man walking on the air.

Swish-!

Stab-!

Bang-!

Swords, spears, daggers. All kinds of weapons were flying towards him.

The first thing that came to his mind was Sword Forest and Sword Mountain.

All the blades pouring down to kill him made him think of such a specific reference.

However, he…

Bang-!

Had no intention of dying easily.

He kicked the air and propelled his body higher. That got him 4 or 5 meters higher than before, not allowing his opponents to estimate the distance and space.

Airwalking.

He jumped over the obstacles in the shape of people in one breath and increased the distance between them. It was as if the constraints that were brought by distance and obstacles had completely disappeared. He felt like his body had shook off the entanglements of the world and attained true freedom.

That was how great it felt to fly in the sky.

However, it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to maintain it for too long.

This technique consumed a lot of stamina…

While it didn’t consume as much stamina as the Plum Blossom Sword, Airwalking still consumed a huge chunk. After all, the technique wasn’t all about releasing one’s power, but rather to spread one’s power wide to create an appropriate foothold.

It might seem like he was walking on the air while using this technique, but in reality, it was more like he was creating foothold on the air by quickly kicking it.

With that in mind, it was clear that the technique wasn’t something that could be used for long.

That was why…

Time to start crushing them for real now.

Lee Han turned his body upside down and kicked the air again. But this time, he put more force in it.

Whoosh-!

He wanted to gain an acceleration that would deter his opponents from attacking him. It would buy him a moment to gather his power into his clenched fist.

This technique could be said to be similar to Airwalking.

It shared the same principle as spreading one’s power widely and using it as a foothold. The only difference was just that…

Here I go.

The goal of this technique wasn’t to evade, but to attack.

Wooong-!

Lee Han extended his fist, expanding the range of the Hundred Steps Divine Fist power as much as he could. With that, even though his fist didn’t touch the ground, it still caused an amazing phenomenon.

Baaaang-!

“Uuugh?!”

“M-My body…!”

“W-What is this pressure—?!”

In an instant, about twenty people who were struck by the Hundred Steps Divine Fist lost control of their bodies. They felt as if their shoulders and heads were being crushed at once.

It was as if the ‘Palm of the Buddha’ that was often seen in martial arts movies had descended in the form of a fist.

However, it wasn’t strong enough. There was nothing he could do about it though, as the blow was made of dispersed power. Snce the power wasn’t concentrated on a single point, the technique’s destructive power was nowhere to be found.

In other words, this punch was nothing more than an AoE attack that stopped the knights’ movements for about two seconds.

“You guys aren’t going to avoid it?”

“!!!”

However, those two seconds were enough time for him to go wild.

Clang-!

With a sword in his right hand and an axe in his left, he swung both of his hands with all his might.

It was merely a nameless swing that resembled chopping more than anything.

But, even though it was such a simple attack…

“S-Stop that attack!!”

No one there could stop it.

Those who were hit by the sword and axe were flung far away with a bang. Even though the blow hit their armor and shields, the strong impact still sent them flying, as if they had been hit by a giant war hammer. Then, they fell to the ground, experiencing a great pain due to their internal organs being shaken by the blow.

“Heukk!”

“Hueeeekk….”

Some tried to stand up, but they couldn’t shake off the shock that easily. With that, more than five guys were neutralized right there and then.

“You dareeee!!!”

But, at the end of the day, they were still knights. There were still those who managed to shake off the effect of the Hundred Steps Divine Fist. They swung their swords and spears towards Lee Han without hesitation. Each of their swings were backed up by their extraordinary swordsmanship and spearmanship. Some of them showed snake-like curves while others showed drill-like thrusts.

Their techniques were of the highest level, showing traces of effort they put into it, their dedication to honing themselves, without missing a single day, as well as their tenacity as they’ve done all this while tearing their hands apart.

In front of those techniques, Lee Han…

“Haaaaa!”

Roared with all his might and confronted them head on.

Tingle-!

The knights who had been attacking Lee Han felt their whole bodies tingle, making their movements slow down for a moment due to the spirit he displayed.

Whoosh-!

Together with the power of the Lion’s Roar, Lee Han swung again. His blow collided with the swords and spears that were coming at him with full force, creating a spark. It was as if he had no intention of evading in the first place.

Bang-!

With the simultaneous strikes of the six knights meeting Lee Han’s sword and axe, a concentric circle was created.

Rumble-!

The ground shook as their power, skills, and wills collided with one another. Eventually, a thick layer of dust that looked closer to a fog settled over them, which made it hard for the spectators to see what was happening. At the same time, the soldiers who were watching from afar lost all the strength in their legs and fell to the ground.

“S-Step back!!”

Since the dust made it impossible to see ahead, the knights retreated, fearing that they would attack their comrades by accident. Then a quiet silence ensued as if a lull had occurred.

Whoosh-!

After a while, the dust cleared and revealed the six knights who had collided with Lee Han. At that moment, the eyes of the other knights of the Red Eagles opened wide.

It was only natural, because…

“Keheuk…”

The six knights had fallen. Among those who fell was Zeon, someone who was competing for third place in the order, which shocked them even more. After all, he wasn’t someone who could be defeated that easily.

Thud…!

Zeon and the knights staggered and fell to the ground. As he was the only one who was barely able to stand, Zeon tried to raise his head with difficulty.

But, for some reason… There was no humiliation in his face…

Instead…

“…W-Why didn’t you dodge?”

There was a curiosity.

Whatever happened under that cloud of dust filled him with countless doubts.

As someone who had personally experienced Lee Han’s skills, Zeon knew. Strength wasn’t the only thing Lee Han had, he also had speed. He could dodge their strikes easily and deal with them one by one without having to confront all six of them directly.

And yet he decided to face all of their attacks with his body.

Because of that…

Trickle-!

He had to pay for his foolishness as they managed to injure him.

A line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t completely absorb the impact of their sudden attacks.

Because of this, Zeon couldn’t think of him as merely an attacker, or someone who had insulted his master. Instead, he saw him as a knight.

Why did he act so foolishly…?

But then…

“Why are you asking the obvious? I said I came ‘to fight.’ As a man who was fighting against each other, I shouldn’t avoid your attacks. It’s only a real fight if I confront you all head-on, just like a tiger or a lion.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Lee Han only asked him back. He treated Zeon like an idiot for asking such an obvious question. The knight was so dumbfounded that he even forgot about his pain.

I lost… Thoroughly…

“Haha… Right… That’s right! That’s what fighting is! That’s what a duel between a knight is!”

‘Bravely like a lion.’ ‘Cleverly like a wolf.’ ‘Aggressively like a bear.’ ‘Tenaciously like an eagle.’

…And honorably like a dragon.

These were the phrases that defined a knight’s duel, and all his life, Zeon was taught that a combat between knights should follow those words.

However, how many people would uphold such justice?

Too many people committed cowardly acts just to win the fight. There were too many people who had no honor and wouldn’t even think twice to employ assassins and tarnish the sacredness of a duel.

And yet, a man who faithfully followed those phrases was standing right in front of him.

While he didn’t have the honor of a dragon or the cleverness of a wolf…

He was brave, aggressive, and tenacious.

He was a man with the heart of a lion, the uprightness of a bear, and the spirit of an eagle. Zeon had never seen anyone who fitted the word ‘knight’ more than this man.

And so, Zeon…

“…Next time, we’re going to do this again. One on one. There are too many people right now.”

“Sure. Until then, sharpen your spear a little. Right now, your spear is too upright.”

“Haha! Fine! I’ll show you a fiercer one later! Ahahaha…”

Thud…!

Fell.

However, he was laughing refreshingly until he fainted. Moreover, his smile still didn’t even leave his lips after he fainted.

It was a refreshing laugh that showed he had fought with all his power, and had a satisfying fight.

“…”

Gulp…

A different kind of silence than when the dust spread enveloped the area.

What is this?

Thump-! Thump-!

The heartbeats of those who heard the conversation between Zeon and the man grew louder and louder.

With the pounding of their hearts, they put in more strength to the hands that they were using to hold their weapons. Sound of creaking metal could be heard as they did that.

They couldn’t even remember the last time they met such a strong enemy.

This was the first time they encountered a man with such courage and unyielding spirit.

As if the fairy tale literature of chivalry or poetry of military exploits became reality in the form of this man.

“What…? You guys aren’t you coming?”

“Ha…”

If their heart didn’t beat faster at this kind of moment, then they weren’t qualified to be called a knight, or even a man.

Even though the man was their enemy, the one who kept on fanning the flame of rage in their hearts, the knights of the Red Eagles were unable to hate the proud man.

The heartbeat they felt made their hatred fade away, because the man reminded them that they were ‘knights’.

Whoosh-!

“…?”

Huh… Their spirit changed…

Lee Han wet his dry lips and opened his eyes wide.

Their ‘carelessness’ just disappeared all of a sudden… These guys…

What got them to act like this?

During their previous clashes, Lee Han could feel their anger at him, but they were still looking down on him. However, he didn’t blame them for that. It would be dumb for a hundred people to be afraid of one person, after all.

So, Lee Han planned to take advantage of that carelessness and subdue them slowly.

And now, he was at a complete loss.

Because for some unknown reason, these guys…

It’s like someone poured some oil on them…

And lit a fire under them…

He could tell just by looking at the mist rising from their eyes.

From now on, they wouldn’t let their guard down against him. They would fight him with everything they had—no, they would try to surpass that.

All to defeat him.

Hmm…

Are they angry because their comrades were hurt?