Ch.169EP.40 – Spring of the Knights (4)

Have you ever watched baseball?

Ihan once knew nothing about baseball, but when he was in the military, he had no choice but to watch it because of a senior non-commissioned officer he had become somewhat close with.

That gentleman was a baseball fan, and going along with a high-ranking senior’s hobby was just part of the natural cycle of the military ecosystem.

“What’s all this about…”

At first, everything was difficult.

He didn’t quite understand the rules or how scoring worked.

Batting average, on-base percentage…

It was impossible to comprehend at first, but gradually he (forcibly) developed an eye for baseball, and at some point he found himself supporting a team, feeling good when his team won and depressed when they lost…

After repeating this process, by the time he was watching fall baseball…

“Baseball is such a pain in the ass!”

He would offer the highest praise to the opposing team, and began to feel physically ill whenever his team lost.

So this is what it feels like when your blood pressure rises in real time.

And from a certain day, during physical training time, instead of playing foot volleyball with the others, he would grab a baseball by himself, practicing pitching and batting.

With the mindset that if he was going to curse at the players, he should first experience what kind of sport they were playing.

…And then.

“Wow, this is insanely difficult.”

He came to deeply realize that this was no easy sport.

Throwing the ball was really difficult.

Hitting the ball was incredibly tricky.

What surprised him especially when handling a baseball was that it was harder and heavier than expected, and every time he threw it with full force, it felt like his elbow and shoulder were being ground away.

And then there were breaking balls.

He practiced those after watching videos, and it felt several times more difficult.

His wrist also felt like it was being ground away, on top of his already grinding joints.

He came to understand why pitchers frequently underwent surgery and why people used the expression “replacing their elbows.”

After that, he stopped cursing at pitchers and stopped watching baseball.

He didn’t want to curse, but he also didn’t want to feel sick.

Instead, he developed a hobby of playing catch, and Ihan occasionally practiced throwing breaking balls.

It was the first hobby he developed in his pitch-black military life, and he thought he might join an amateur baseball team after discharge if he practiced enough.

But who would have thought.

‘That I’d end up using it like this?’

Nodding that indeed everything you learn in life eventually becomes useful, Ihan thoroughly warmed up his body.

“So, I just need to scratch in the direction you pointed out? Should I use a cutter or a slider…?”

“…What are cutters and sliders?”

“Just get the general idea.”

“Fine, I’ll do that.”

“…Why are you suddenly being so agreeable?”

“Because I’m not the one who has to execute it anyway.”

“Hey…”

Have you ever seen such an irresponsible guy?

‘He gives the orders and then…’

However.

“If you’re scared, you can just stop now.”

“…Thanks for the provocation.”

It was an excellent provocation that made it impossible to admit fear even if he was truly afraid, and Ihan smirked.

After all…

“I was planning to break through no matter what, even without you.”

Yes, he had not the slightest intention of leaving those spellcasters alone.

Therefore.

Crack!

“Give me good directions.”

“I won’t make mistakes.”

“…Cocky bastard.”

Ihan rotated his body.

The guy had said.

To intercept that massive fortress, he needed power, accuracy, and speed.

At first, he thought of using the Gwan-il Spear, but…

‘This isn’t quite enough.’

The Gwan-il Spear is powerful, but not easy to control.

So.

Crack!

‘I’ll just do it myself!’

Ihan activated Sky Walking.

But the flow was different from ordinary Sky Walking.

His body’s direction kept changing as if he were floating.

Woooong!

The flow of power gradually gathered.

Powerful energy concentrated on him enough to make the air tremble, and at some point, Ihan became like a small tornado.

Yes, this was a martial art derived from the legendary Daoist arts of Kunlun, the home of immortals, with Ihan’s own unique interpretation.

This technique, which was barely completed during his confrontation with Tristan, turned his rotating body into a small tornado, becoming a projectile that pierces through opponents.

– Cloud Dragon Eight Forms.

Nothing under heaven can stop the movement of a dragon playing among the clouds…!

Kwang!

Ihan’s body flew.

Aiming precisely at the enemy, Ihan’s speed matched that of a fired capsule.

And immediately.

Fwash!

A spear flew forward even faster than Ihan, who was flying like a projectile.

As if showing the way.

“──.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ihan changed direction toward where the spear was heading.

The direction the spear was moving was…

‘The gap, right?’

Ihan curled his body into a ball.

What he needed was the velocity, power, and relentless change to mercilessly scratch this massive fortress, or rather, what was now nothing more than a giant bat!

Crack!!

Ihan’s body, resembling a small tornado, became like a ball and with relentless rotation, properly scratched the barrier surrounding the magic tower.

Like a razor blade, no, like a saw blade, mercilessly.

Boom!

…The magic tower shook.

* * *

“Am I… am I dreaming…?”

Patrick’s mouth gaped open in disbelief at the sight before him.

Not only was a person flying through the air, but he had become a small tornado, flying and mercilessly scratching the magic tower.

…If he told someone else about this, they would scold him, asking if he was on drugs.

But Patrick was simply describing exactly what he saw, and he was completely dumbfounded.

However,

“Still not enough, I see.”

“Sir Knight?”

“Stand back.”

“!!”

Shiver!

Patrick’s legs nearly gave out, feeling like he might wet himself from the murderous aura emanating from the cold-looking knight.

That’s how different and terrifying the energy he exuded was.

Gooo!

A red mist-like energy began to envelop the knight’s body.

Crack…!

It was the materialization of the terrifying killing intent that one man was born with, and with killing intent alone, he had the destructive power to split the ground and crack nearby buildings.

The man born under an ominous star channeled his killing intent into his spear.

Chunk!

Though it was just an ordinary spear hastily acquired in the Empire, once filled with killing intent, the spear began to harbor the power to pierce through anything.

The knight’s unique power, named [Red Fighting Spirit] by his master, Duke Blake, gradually concentrated in the spear, and that spear…

Fwash!

Shot out, drawing a red trajectory.

Not at the speed a human could throw a spear, but like a harpoon gun, the spear struck the unstable magic tower.

Kuuung!

“Done.”

It wasn’t just randomly thrown.

The man, who could uniquely see the gaps in the magic tower, had thrown it precisely to finish off the already unstable magical barrier.

“…They said it stood for a thousand years? Ridiculous.”

Even the sturdiest castle walls need repairs after a thousand years.

After that much time, the fortress’s blueprints would have been completely exposed.

Yet these creatures…

“I don’t understand why they’re making themselves such an obvious target.”

It’s incredibly foolish.

Not even trying to avoid being hit, in this state, with just two old spears bought from any blacksmith and…

“They’ll be brought down by a single rogue.”

The knight ran with a cold sneer on his face.

If he delayed even a little…

─The young beast would eat all the delicious parts.

The knight ran.

“…Are knights like that the average in the South?”

The boy who had sat down was dumbfounded.

Wondering how such monsters could exist.

A small misunderstanding about the South was sprouting in the boy’s mind.

* * *

Crack!

The magic tower’s barrier was breaking.

A barrier that had stood for a thousand years was being destroyed in an instant.

But the breaking of the magical barrier meant more than just the tower’s defense being breached.

“Kuhurk!”

“Waaack!”

“S-save… me…!”

The magical barrier was maintained by the mana of the wizards belonging to the magic tower.

When this mana was broken, it inevitably caused great damage to them as well.

Give and take.

Everything must have its risks, and the wizards had to endure tremendous pain as the magical barrier they thought would never break was shattered.

The terrible sensation of mana tangling throughout their bodies!

This alone caused internal injuries that would require at least two weeks of recovery.

But they couldn’t worry about injuries now.

Whoosh!

The magic tower was falling.

The sanctuary of wizards, revered as the Castle of the Sky…

With the magical barrier gone, the power keeping the castle afloat had also disappeared.

And this meant…

“C-cast spells immediately!”

“The magic tower will collide with the ground!!”

“N-no!!”

Inside the magic tower were all the wizards’ research, experimental results, and artifacts.

These achievements were like life itself to the wizards, and the tower’s collapse meant…

Kwang!!!

…All of it would be destroyed.

The magic tower collided with the ground, shaking the earth before the wizards could do anything, but fortunately, it fell on an empty snow field, so no civilians were harmed.

Crack!

Boom…!

However, the massive earthquake caused by the collision of the fortress and the ground inevitably shook the earth.

Swoosh!

The impact made all the snow on the field rise up.

The nearby colony was probably terrified by the sudden earthquake, and travelers were likely stopping in their tracks in shock.

In reality, even the sturdiest fortress wouldn’t survive such a fall.

Plummeting from the sky like that, how could any structure withstand it?

Logically, it should collapse, but…

“T-the magic tower!”

“My research materials…!!”

“…T-thank goodness, it didn’t collapse.”

…The Castle of the Sky had only suffered some cracks, maintaining its overall integrity.

Yes, how could it collapse from just this?

According to records, the bricks used to build the magic tower all received special magical coating, and each material was extraordinary.

Although it had plummeted from the sky, it had enough durability to withstand the impact.

It was nothing short of a miracle-.

“Let’s see if it can withstand this too.”

Whoosh!

But as if mocking the wizards’ relief, the knight lifted himself into the air and picked up a boulder.

Where did it come from?

He had simply dug it out of the ground, lifted it into the air, and took a stance as if throwing a ball.

Yes, even when playing baseball, he…

‘Always felt good about throwing a straight fastball!’

Whoosh!

Pitchers who throw balls exceeding 160km/h are called fireballers.

But you know what?

Fwaaak!

What would you call a pitcher who throws a bull-sized boulder at 300km/h?

…A meteor-baller?

Whatever you call it…

Crack!

It was unfortunate for the magic tower.

In the past, the magic tower was the wizards’ ivory tower built by exploiting slaves.

The cursed tower, stained with countless tears and blood from the cruel atrocities committed against non-wizards, was now…

“R-run away!”

About to be drenched in the wizards’ own blood and tears as it collapsed upon them.