Chapter 117: Helmont Predecessor

Whether it was intentional or not…

All the Transcendents’ attention was drawn to the Grandmaster, who had stepped forward.

To be more specific, towards her sword and the woman called Number 2’s, that were so similar that made the sword dance between the two looked like butterfly wings.

Clang! Boom!

“Is! Being beneath them—?! Really what you wanted?!”

Despite the Grandmaster’s outcry, the woman maintained her light sneer, as if her question was of no importance.

“The dream we shared that night! Under the moonlight—! Was it truly mine alone?!”

In the sword dance between the two women, it was the Grandmaster who wavered.

Seeing this, Isaac felt his mind freeze.

He was still unable to recover from the shock of the possibility of him losing Silverna forever, and now he was about to lose the Grandmaster as well.

I can’t just stay behind and watch…!

This time…is gonna be different…!

That was when he realized that all this time, he had been on his knees, as if his legs had no more strength.

He tried to stand up hurriedly, stepping forward with his fist tightly clenched.

In his hands were his two tachi.

Going against the Grandmaster’s teaching, his hands gripped the tachi with too much force.

Ignoring that his sword might just break, he was about to rush toward the Grandmaster, but…

“What are you doing?!”

“Baron Logan.”

Two people grabbed him from both sides, and he turned his head reflexively.

They were the Reeves Siblings. The moment they met Isaac’s gaze, their bodies stiffened, and they hesitated a little.

Because a chilling Demonic Energy had formed in his eyes.

But they couldn’t just back down here.

“If you leave, everyone’s gonna die! We have to let her buy time until the right wing arrives!”

“We can’t hold them off by ourselves. We need you. Or else, the casualties will be too much.”

At that moment, the sound of abandoned horses fleeing entered his ears, along with the colorful screams of knights and nobles alike.

Through their battles with the Transcendent Race along the way, they had learned and became more familiar with them.

Conversely, that was why they didn’t have the confidence to face that many Trasncendents at once.

Although, there were those who had resolved themselves to fight, those who had dismounted from their horses.

Tucking their lances at their waists, they formed their own formation to fight for their lives.

“We need you.”

As she said that, Marlin Reeves grabbed his hand as if pleading.

It had always been like this.

He wanted to follow his emotion, to move forward unhindered.

But the wall of reality blocked him, and the coldness of reason cooled him down.

Back when he lost his leg, and now.

I never seem to be able to stand by your side…

Realistically speaking, it was a better move to buy time with the remaining soldiers than to go to the Grandmaster’s side and fight with her.

The knights, nobles, and soldiers that remained here were mostly young.

Perhaps that was why they could decide to stay without thinking of the consequences. Although their reason to stay might be just for shallow reasons like for the sake of military achievements, or they wanted their names to be sung in a heroic tale.

Surprisingly enough, there were many such people in the Blue Stream Society.

Arrogant and full of vigor, they spoke as if anticipating their place of battle and day of death.

Perhaps to them, heroic sacrifice was no different from a reward.

“So you’re not just all talk.”

Isaac’s voice echoed, as cold as the northern chill.

For a moment, the soldiers gave no response, but their expressions soon turned interesting to look at.

“As long as we survive here, we’re gonna reign as those who lead humanity to a new era!”

“We’ll be recorded in history in the war against the Transcendent Race!”

“Let’s go! For glory!”

Though it might sound so, those cries were the opposite of immature.

After all, those cries stemmed from their fear; they forcibly told themselves that so their legs wouldn’t turn away from this place.

“Numerically, we have the advantage.”

Isaac turned his head back toward the Transcendents and the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster’s sword dance was still going on, as if even the North’s cold couldn’t reach that place.

As his gaze was locked in that direction, he continued speaking.

“But, when the number of Transcendents exceeds a certain point, our numerical advantage becomes moot.”

To calculate the Transcendents’ prowess in a group, one had to change their calculation from addition to multiplication.

Their overwhelming physical abilities would only complement each others’, no gaps could be formed.

“Many of us will die.”

Isaac spewed out the blunt truth.

“Even if we try to block, we’ll be overpowered. That’s why, don’t block their attacks. Dodge or deflect them to the best you can.”

“W-Wait, Baron Logan! Are you saying we should spread out to face them?”

“That’s too much! They’ll pick us off individually!”

“No. We’re gonna stay together.”

Confusion settled in the troops’ eyes.

If they were to stick together, they’d have to face the enemies’ attacks head-on since they’d be too clumped together to dodge. His order contradicted what he had just said.

But Isaac, in his previous life, had fought the Transcendent Race countless times.

Oftentimes, the fights he fought were ones where the numbers were more evenly matched, not ones where his side’s numbers were overwhelmingly greater like this.

The enemy’s number was roughly thirty.

“No matter how many they kill, don’t let them kill more than ten.”

“B-Baron Logan—!?”

Simply put.

He was telling them to use the lives of their comrades to kill the Transcendents.

“Get your head straight, This is a war.

“It’s a mere arrogance to think that you could fight the Transcendent Race without casualties.”

At those words, the nobles turned their gazes to Leian. They knew that Isaac was extremely knowledgeable about the Transcendent Race and they were willing to listen to him, but…

His words this time were just too much for them to follow.

To stake their own or their comrades’ lives to kill the enemy was just something they couldn’t bear to do.

Receiving their gazes that hoped for a different decision, Leian asked Isaac calmly.

“Baron Logan, is that truly the best option we have?”

“Yes. That’s the best way to face that many Trasncendents with our current force.”

The left wing didn’t have many troops to begin with, and many had already fled the battlefield.

“Eye for an eye. You have to be ready to be killed to kill them.”

They probably thought that they knew the power of the Transcendent Race and had gained experience in fighting them.

But, the truth was, when those guys began to truly move…

They were in for a rude awakening, as fighting those guys demanded more cruelty than they could ever imagine.

“…Baron Logan, since it’s your suggestion—“

Isaac said nothing more.

He simply took his stance and stood in the most conspicuous place in the front line.

The most perfect place if one ever wished to die.

“We don’t have much time.”

It was clear that the Grandmaster couldn’t buy enough time for them to prepare themselves.

The Transcendents who had been staring at her sword dance had started to turn their gazes at them, watching them cautiously.

Even the Transcendents who initially tried to help Number 2 turned their gazes to this side.

When it came to facing the Transcendent Race, what was effective wasn’t a large number of troops, but a few elites with overwhelming abilities.

As the Transcendents slowly approached them, someone walked up and stood beside Isaac.

“I longed for a heroic death, but I never expected for it to come so soon.”

It was Leian Reeves.

And Marlin Reeves who followed behind him.

The pair who had remarkable swordsmanship.

As one drew the opponent’s attention, the other sneaked in for a surprise attack.

Their swordsmanship, just like light and darkness coexisting, was like a single sword.

“Will there be reinforcements?”

“Perhaps. There are those who fled, after all.”

As he stated, the people who ran away would unintentionally serve as their messengers.

At Isaac’s calm words, Leian raised the corner of his mouth in self-deprecation.

“You seem unfazed?”

“…I don’t know.”

Isaac had fought the Transcendent Race several times, but it was his first time engaging in a life-or-death battle with such a large number of them.

In fact, rather than being unfazed…

His heart was pounding a bit with excitement.

“It feels like I’ve been waiting for this moment all along…”

The scenes of the past flashed in his mind, the scenes that he had been watching from afar, every single day.

Back then, despite them dying, his comrades had kept on protecting him.

And now it was him who stood at the forefront.

His own inadequacy for his inability to fight side by side with the Grandmaster, and the sense of achievement in coming this far…

All of it converged and condensed, creating a tingling sensation.

“Tsk, I can somewhat understand why the Blood Rose fell for you.”

“…That’s that, and this is this.”

“They’re coming.”

Before Marlin could even finish her words, the Transcendents had already arrived and swung their weapons at Isaac and Leian.

Isaac managed to deflect their attack once.

While Leian rolled backward and was flung away.

The difference between the two lay in Marlin; she already anticipated her brother would be sent flying and had stuck close behind Isaac.

“Ha—! Is that all—!”

Marlin revealed herself, and with her hair fluttering, she quickly thrust her sword upward.

Isaac saw it as a clean thrust that would pierce the Transcendent’s chin, but…

Another Transcendent pulled out his comrade who was about to take the hit.

“Tsk.”

“…What a shame.”

Isaac clicked his tongue, and Marlin reproached herself.

This was the problem.

The Transcendent Race grew exponentially stronger together. There was a limit to how much stronger they could get as their numbers increased, but their current number hit that sweet spot.

He had told the troops to make sure that a single Transcendent didn’t kill more than ten people, but…

It’s probably going to be difficult.

Ganging up to kill a single Transcendent that suddenly fell from the sky might allow them to say they’ve learned some stuff about those guys, but…

It still couldn’t be said that they’ve fought them properly.

Blue Demonic Energy settled on Isaac’s body.

As mentioned earlier, compared to a large number of people, a single outstanding individual was far more effective against the Transcendents.

Just as Isaac was about to swing his sword with the determination to not let the front line be breached…

He saw a red energy surging from afar. It shot along the ground and fiercely engulfed the Grandmaster.

With that, the Grandmaster’s body floated up.

Blood flowed out of her mouth, soiling her clothes. She wavered mid-air, but she still managed to use her tail to balance her body and landed properly.

On one knee, she glared at the Helmont Predecessor who had interfered in the duel between her and her schoolmate.

A powerful and fierce strike.

“…!”

Seeing this, Isaac unconsciously opened his mouth. What came out was a similar, yet different use of Crimson Essence from Arandel’s.

It was cruder, rougher, proving that the red man was indeed the Helmont Predecessor, but…

“Something like that—?”

Just as Isaac was about to utter a word without realizing it.

“Baron Logan!”

Marlin’s rare urgent cry rang out. By the time he came to his senses, it was too late.

The unbelievable sight had momentarily distracted him, and had allowed the Transcendent in front of him to get close and take a swing at him.

But, just as the enemy’s spear tip was about to touch his chest…

Crack!

A vortex began to unfold right in front of him. An overwhelming suction force that ignored both space and matter instantly sucked the Transcendent in.

“Of all times—!”

Even its cry of lament disappeared through the vortex.

The same phenomenon as what had happened with Black Dog last time had just unfolded before Isaac’s eyes.