Ch.180Total War. (4)

Kiel.

He advanced toward the imperial army faster than anyone else.

No one detected his movement. At most, only the top experts of each army noticed something strange and looked around.

After crossing the great plain in an instant, Kiel stopped somewhere in the middle of the battlefield. Armies rushing madly from both sides. At this rate, the two forces would collide within minutes.

No matter how skilled Kiel was, it would be impossible to keep everyone alive in such a situation. Then there was only one option left.

[You know, that thing you’re good at.]

Kiel smirked. He was reminded of Olivia’s ridiculous stance.

Her grip on the sword was wrong from the beginning. That’s not how you hold a sword.

“So he’s here.”

The advancing imperial forces began to slow down. They had recognized who the swordsman standing before them was.

Sword Master.

No one was unaware of the weight those two words carried.

Among those who had served in the military, there was no one who hadn’t experienced Kiel’s sword strikes.

Kiel reached toward his empty back. When he withdrew his hand, a gleaming dark sword had appeared.

A chilling aura that seemed to absorb all light. The imperial forces momentarily recoiled at the overwhelming aura. They instinctively sensed it. This was not a power that insignificant beings like themselves could handle.

But instead of fleeing, they pointed their spears. Truly befitting the elite of the imperial army who had crossed the line of death.

Swoosh!

The knights also began to envelop their swords with aura. That wasn’t all.

Numerous spells painted the sky in various colors.

If this much was visible, there must be even more attacks coming from unseen places.

He understood why Olivia had entrusted this task to him. No one else could block all those attacks.

‘…Just how far ahead did you plan?’

From behind Kiel, a locked voice was heard.

“Duke Kiel, or should I just call you Kiel now?”

“……”

“You once held an important position in the empire. I guarantee that if you throw down your sword and surrender now, you won’t die.”

Kiel slowly turned his head.

Master of Dark.

The very person who had stabbed Olivia with a poisoned dagger. He never expected to meet him here.

“I wonder what you were thinking, coming out alone. Did you think we wouldn’t have countermeasures against you?”

“……”

“This is an aura sealing formation created by the cooperation of two Dragon Lords. Inside, aura power is reduced to one-tenth. There are many other additional effects, but I’ll skip them since we’re short on time.”

As the Master of Dark snapped his fingers, Kiel felt a pressure weighing down on his shoulders. Not only that, but the aura pulsing in his heart grew dim.

“Are you willing to negotiate now?”

But instead of responding, Kiel turned his gaze toward Olivia, who was flying high in the sky.

She must have felt his gaze, as she lowered her head and opened her mouth.

Despite the vast distance between them, Kiel heard it clearly.

That single phrase: I believe in you.

Turning back toward the imperial army, Kiel shook his head.

“…No.”

Swish!

Kiel slowly drew up his aura, disregarding the sealing formation.

“Someone believes in me.”

Swish…!

As a chilling sword aura spread, the Master of Dark’s expression gradually changed.

“I can’t betray that trust.”

Swoosh!

A sword strike so light it made observers doubtful. Moreover, it was directed toward the ground, increasing their skepticism.

But the next moment.

The ground began to split. By the time they realized what was happening, the crack had instantly grown in size, and its depth increased exponentially.

Crack, crack…!

The sight of the ground splitting was so surreal that one would rather believe an earthquake had occurred.

The fissure Kiel created completely separated the two forces.

Clang…!

The sound of sword meeting sword. Kiel frowned as he deflected the Master of Dark’s dagger. He couldn’t see the Master of Dark’s figure.

‘Has he hidden himself in the shadows?’

Clang…!

A second dagger flew at him. The aura contained within it was substantial enough to make the air vibrate from the impact.

“……”

A troublesome opponent.

Could he subdue the Master of Dark and an army of tens of thousands alone?

It didn’t seem impossible, but he couldn’t guarantee complete success either.

In that case.

Kiel ignored the Master of Dark and rushed straight toward the imperial army. Reading the opening, the Master of Dark immediately targeted Kiel’s rear.

Without looking back, Kiel said:

“Sorry, but I’m not your opponent.”

The moment his muttering ended.

Clack!

A giant scythe appeared, blocking the Master of Dark. The movement was so stealthy that even the Master of Dark himself couldn’t detect it until just before contact. The owner of the scythe was smiling as if he had been there all along.

…Can I kill him?

The Serial Murderer pondered briefly.

[Don’t touch the soldiers.]

Olivia had emphasized repeatedly yesterday. Don’t kill the soldiers or knights.

But surely someone this strong would be okay to kill?

“…And who might you be?”

The Serial Murderer cut off his thoughts and looked at the Master of Dark. A grown adult covered head to toe in a black mask.

Not a particularly appealing appearance.

“Someone wondering whether to kill you or not?”

“…You’re insane.”

“Well, that’s not wrong!”

As the Serial Murderer finished speaking, both figures vanished.

Clack!

A clash that occurred in an instant. The terrifying pressure pushed away the surrounding snow like sand on a beach.

As the Master of Dark’s kama glowed with an ominous purple light, daggers scattered around moved behind the Serial Murderer’s back and rushed in.

The Serial Murderer summoned another scythe without hesitation.

He spun the scythes at incredible speed to deflect the daggers, then immediately crossed his weapons to block the kama from advancing further.

Thud thud thud!

A ferocious exchange of dozens of strikes in an instant.

“Hmm. Ahahah!”

The Serial Murderer licked the blood flowing down his cheek with his finger. His pupils took on an even deeper red hue after tasting the blood.

“Poison, is it?”

The Serial Murderer continued to grin.

“I heard Olivia saved you twice? Aren’t you ashamed?”

“……”

“If it were me, I would’ve bitten my tongue and died. Hahah!”

The Master of Dark gritted his teeth at the mocking laughter. His anger was palpable even through the mask. But though he was agitated, he never let his guard down.

The poison on the daggers was potent enough to dissolve even bones. The fact that his opponent was withstanding such poison was proof that he was no ordinary person.

[Do you need support?]

A woman’s voice whispered in the Master of Dark’s ear.

[You seem too busy to answer. I’ll join in.]

A sharp noise was heard from the distance.

Swoosh!

Following the sound, the Serial Murderer saw something crossing the air at a terrifying speed.

‘…An arrow?’

An arrow so faint it seemed to blend with nature. It was barely visible even when focusing his spiritual energy.

The Serial Murderer wiped the smile off his face and twisted his body in an unusual manner.

Immediately after, a white arrowhead protruded from the Serial Murderer’s arm. The arrow, imbued with demon-suppressing energy, neutralized the Serial Murderer’s regenerative abilities and paralyzed his muscles.

Thud thud thud!

The Serial Murderer clicked his tongue as he deflected numerous arrows with one arm. When he tried to block the arrows, daggers would precisely target his openings.

“Hmm…not good.”

The Serial Murderer’s expression changed completely in an instant.

The shots were so stealthy that even with his senses stretched to the limit, he couldn’t detect them until just before impact. Even with his highly developed sixth sense, he could barely notice their existence before they hit.

Moreover, due to their unique energy, even allowing a single hit could immediately lead to a fatal wound.

Pat pat pat!

Arrows landed at his feet without pause.

The Serial Murderer hurriedly took out a small crystal ball from his pocket.

“Olivia! I’m in danger…!”

[I’m watching.]

After a brief silence, Olivia’s voice echoed through the crystal ball.

[You don’t need to worry about the Devilhunter anymore. I’ve sent someone.]

“……”

The Master of Dark turned his head. Like a lie, no more arrows came flying.

Whoever she sent for support must have been no ordinary person.

‘…Back to one-on-one, then.’

But the Master of Dark’s expression remained perfectly calm. In fact, he seemed slightly pleased.

Thanks to this fool’s communication, he had discovered where Olivia was hiding.

‘I wondered why the Sword Master was looking at the sky…’

She was actually hiding above the clouds.

Whoosh!

At that moment, an intense light erupted from among the imperial forces.

Whoosh! A massive Red Dragon spread its wings. Ignoring the imperial soldiers who fell on their backsides in surprise, the Red Dragon flapped its wings and ascended vertically.

The Red Dragon Lord, Eryas, glared at the sky with a distorted face.

There, above the thunder clouds, he could see a woman sitting cross-legged in an arrogant posture.

The enemy who had betrayed him and massacred his clan.

He filled his mouth with flames.

[Olivia.]

Eryas breathed out his breath attack, filled with hatred.