Ch.157Report on the Downfall of Diligence (22)

Despite his fierce momentum, the knight’s body was incredibly sluggish.

It was unclear whether he was attempting to thrust or simply throwing his body forward.

When slashing, his body struggled to keep up with his sword, spinning in half-circles with each swing.

His blocks were hasty and his footwork rough. It was hardly different from a drunk person venting frustration with a poker.

Laios, the Knight of the Scabbard, never fought so recklessly.

He was a cunning man who would block firmly like a mountain before striking at his opponent’s openings. A man who compensated for his lacking fundamentals with overwhelming strength and endurance, reinforcing his mobility with the Shadow’s magic.

But perhaps due to his all-or-nothing posture, his power and spirit were stronger than ever before.

Just one hit would be enough to inflict a fatal wound on Kain.

And Kain was already so exhausted that the scabbard appeared to be split into two, no, three pieces before his eyes.

The smell of blood had ceased at some point. His entire body felt light, and his hand gripping the sword felt not the firmness of the handle but some unknown mushy sensation.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Now he was even hearing things. But it was a welcome voice. Kain unconsciously smiled faintly.

“You can’t always fight in optimal condition. Training in perfect condition is important, but you must also train separately for fighting when completely exhausted. So, grip your sword firmly.”

‘The opponent is tough. And he’s using a completely different swordsmanship than usual. What should I do?’

In terms of swordsmanship skill alone, Kain was far superior to Laios.

However, his superior swordsmanship wasn’t enough to overcome Laios’s endurance, armor, durability, and fighting spirit.

This opponent was difficult to defeat even when Kain had the physical advantage. Let alone now, when he was completely exhausted.

“Focus on just one thing. Openly.”

‘But that makes it too easy to read.’

Kain tried to remember what Lily had told him. Meanwhile, he lowered his stance to avoid Laios’s head slash.

After the wide slashing motion ended, Laios’s upper body was completely exposed.

“Yes, that’s the point—make it readable. Force him to choose: dodge, block, or die. That’s how you push forward.”

“You must force it. You must lead. How can you force without revealing your intention?”

Kain, in his lowered stance, crashed into Laios. Though the knight wore armor, his balance was completely disrupted, making it easy to break his posture.

The knight’s head tilted backward. A gap appeared between the helmet and the breastplate.

Kain thrust his sword into that gap.

As expected, Laios’s body turned into wavering smoke. This was exactly what Kain had been waiting for.

Laios blocks almost every attack. When faced with an unavoidable attack, he transforms into shadow and reconstructs his body.

But what if? What if one could thrust a sword into the gap during reconstruction?

It would have been impossible under normal circumstances. But now, in this moment with eyes closed and mind open, the form of Laios that was invisible in the world of light appeared clearly.

The retreating smoke began to take human shape again. Kain rushed forward. He thrust his sword before the smoke could fully materialize.

Would the sword reach first? Or would the armor take shape first? Kain couldn’t be certain. He pushed forward with all the strength in his legs.

Toward the heart that must still be beating beneath that dark armor.

And then—

* * * * *

Blue sky. White clouds. Green hills. A pastoral countryside so classic it seemed cliché. Kain stood alone in that field.

But he had no time to properly see where he was or what this place was. Every time he turned his gaze or blinked, he saw a completely different scene.

A mill grinding wheat, women washing clothes by a stream, a small empty chapel filled with silence. And a girl with a blurry face.

She was a slender girl with an oval face. She wore baggy clothes unsuited for her age, which looked exactly like the robes worn by novice priests of the Two-headed Eagle Faith.

‘Ismene.’

“Ismene!”

A boy’s voice rang out. Kain instinctively turned around. But the scene had already changed. Disappointed, Kain clicked his tongue.

And then even his disappointment was forgotten.

He saw a dazzlingly shining tree. It was completely different from the other trees in the forest.

Looking closely, each leaf glistened with luster, seemingly due to the small stream flowing around the tree. The clear, clean water reflected the sunlight.

Beneath it, he saw a blushing boy and Ismene, who smiled brazenly while fidgeting with her hands behind her back. It was easy to guess what they had been doing.

Just as they were about to kiss again, Kain unconsciously blinked.

Nighttime. A boy and girl carefully open the chapel door and enter. They had wrapped cloth around their feet to muffle their footsteps.

The boy seemed somewhat hesitant, but the girl, familiar with the place, entered without reservation.

“I don’t believe it,” said the boy’s voice.

“How would eating one fruit make you a hero? If it were me, I’d make plenty of them and distribute them to everyone. Then everyone would become heroes.”

“Idiot,” the girl’s voice was thorny.

“They don’t do it because it’s not easy! Trust me. Didn’t I tell you that eating that fruit makes you a hero? I heard it clearly.”

“But this is wrong.”

“Well, what can we do? Either way, we’ll both be dragged into the crusade. War means we could die from who knows what kind of beating.”

“You’ve never been to war either.”

“Shut up. Just take this.”

The girl opened a small metal box. Kain saw a strange-looking fruit that was unfamiliar even to him.

After handing the fruit to the boy, the girl took out a plum from her pocket and put it in the box instead.

“Will eating this really make me a hero?” The boy’s doubtful voice.

“That’s what they say.” The girl’s confident answer.

“So let’s eat it and become heroes. Heroes don’t die like dogs, right? I don’t want to see you die like that.

I won’t die like that either. I’ll become a hero, defeat the Demon King splendidly, and return home with you. Don’t you like that?”

“No,” the boy affirmed. “Let’s become heroes together and return.”

An absurd story. But it was the kind of absurdity only possible at their age. Kain couldn’t simply find it amusing.

Especially now, when the scene had changed to something completely different.

“Ismene.”

In a wasteland where crows flew, a boy with blood flowing from his eye sockets appeared. The crusader’s emblem was covered in blood. Someone had wrapped bandages around the boy’s eyes.

“Ismene!”

Five steps behind him stood Ismene. She was trembling all over.

Ropes bound her legs, thick cloth wrapped her wrists, and she even wore gloves. It seemed to be to prevent self-harm.

Ismene opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t bring herself to call out to the boy.

– It’s okay. I’m here. I’m okay.

Only with the movement of her lips.

Kain knew why. Ismene’s tongue had been cut out.

“I’ll protect you! Trust me! I promise to protect you!”

Only the crows applauded the boy’s cry, laughing.

* * * * *

Memories of hatred flowing from the heart entered through the blade. A powerful layer of memories rushed into Kain.

The next moment, something pushed Kain hard. He tried to pull out his sword, but it was caught firmly somewhere and slipped from his hand.

“Cough, cough.”

As he opened his eyes with violent coughing, he saw beasts that had jumped from the ghost ship in the night sky. They surrounded Laios in a circle.

These half-human, half-beast creatures had no reason left in them. Kain saw their eyes filled with smoke. Revenge, hatred, and resentment—that’s all that remained in them.

But the moment they rushed toward Kain.

Snap.

A whip of fire wrapped around them. Maria approached with fire in both hands, blood dripping from her mouth.

Her face was turning pale and her eyes rolling back, but Maria too was consumed by anger.

Anger at the impure. Anger at those who touched her precious comrade. An inquisitor’s anger at the unholy. Righteous anger against chaos.

But injustice was too abundant, and justice wavered precariously. There were countless monsters jumping from the ship’s edge.

They didn’t mind their bodies burning. Rather, they became more frenzied and rushed toward Kain and Maria. It seemed as futile as trying to boil and dry the sea with a single candle.

“Stop!”

There was a clanging sound of metal falling. The Knight of the Scabbard walked through the monsters.

Black shadows leaked from his deeply dented armor. Using the scabbard in his left hand as a cane, he held Kain’s imperial sword in his right.

Then he weakly threw it toward Kain. The imperial sword, bathed in moonlight, flashed coldly.

“Stop…”

Laios clutched his chest. But he couldn’t stop the flowing shadow.

The monsters cried, gnashing their teeth. Not a mournful cry, but more like anger and threats. Like second-in-commands licking their lips at the sight of a weakened leader.

The knight’s body stood tall again. Swinging his sword.

“Move! Get out of the way!”

Maria resisted fiercely, but the monsters continued to push the two away. Hans had already disappeared into the midst of the monsters.

“Laios!”

Kain shouted. He embraced his sword and cut through the monsters. Their blind emotions poured into Kain.

The memories he saw were fragments, and what remained were emotions. Hatred that made his internal organs swell and his mouth dry up welled up.

Heat that couldn’t escape rushed to his head, making his eyes feel like they were burning.

He felt Maria’s fire dancing beside him. But at the same time, he also felt the monsters “pushing” with their bodies.

They didn’t seem intent on harming Kain and Maria. They were simply pushing with their size and mass.

The wave of beasts pushed the two far away. Through the gaps between the monsters, Kain could see Laios clutching his heart.

But with his other hand, he was firmly gripping Hans’s head. As if to squeeze it.

“Kairos.”

“Laios, let him go!”

“You read the memories, didn’t you? The memories and emotions of these blind ones too.”

“Yes.”

“You seem to understand to some extent why I’m doing this.”

Kain took a step forward. The monsters growled and pushed their heads forward, but the knight raised his hand to stop them.

“No. I don’t know. Laios. I want to know in detail what you went through.”

“Why? Are you going to sympathize with me? Or are you planning to avenge what I’ve been through? Or perhaps, like that self-righteous inquisitor, are you going to try to persuade me to take the righteous path?”

Maria, who was upset, tried to say something, but she held back when she saw Kain waving his hand.

“No. None of those.”

The knight shook his head.

“Then what exactly are you going to do? Even if I tell you about what I went through, what meaning would it have? Even if you know, it’s too late.”

The monsters gathered again. Before they gathered, Kain saw Hans’s head being shattered into pieces. The next moment, he heard Hans, now reborn as a monster, howling.

Winged beasts lifted the land beasts. The fierce flapping made it difficult to even stand. The Knight of the Scabbard looked at Kain with his head bowed.

“…You do your job. I must do mine. That is my duty. Only, only, I just hope that the whispers of my sword were right. There are still two left, so I have no way to explain before then.”

Kain closed his eyes in the whirlwind. He saw the monsters ascending into the night sky. Only the knight’s bitter monologue lingered like a ghost in the wasteland.

“This is the only answer I can give you.”

The wind gathered. Kain and Maria were pushed far away from the monsters by the gale.

In regret, Kain waved his hand. As if by doing so, he could hold onto those sad and frightening blind ones flowing through his fingers.