Ch.219Come down

Below the Wall of Berengaria.

The suddenly erupted war had already descended into a chaotic battle with no end in sight.

The White Banner cavalry, having successfully flanked, charged toward the rear of the heavy cavalry with strange war cries.

Even as they became like porcupines under the rain of arrows from the wall, they showed no fear. With each silver downpour, their numbers visibly diminished.

The once-dry grassland was now thoroughly soaked with the blood of horses and men.

“Knights of Landenburg! Break through the enemy lines! Heavy cavalry, turn around! Protect the rear!”

Nigel shouted sharply as she threw away a corpse skewered on her spear.

Though her armor was scratched all over and her surcoat was torn to shreds, the spear she wielded still carried a powerful force.

Right beside her, a knight in pitch-black full plate armor followed Nigel’s charge.

Skillfully deflecting an incoming cavalry spear with a longsword, the knight extended the blade to cut down the opponent’s neck.

Defense and counterattack flowing seamlessly like water.

A knight who had nearly reached mastery, if not quite there yet. Ordinary warriors couldn’t even block a single strike.

Leonore… no, I should call her Renault for now.

She hadn’t wasted her time, it seemed. Her skills had improved since our last sparring match.

—-

The problem was with the center forces.

“Aaaagh! My stomach, my stomach…!!”

“Hold on! If we can just hold until the knights arrive…guhk!”

“You savage bastards!”

Screams, shouts, and the clash of steel mixed into an indiscernible noise.

Soldiers drenched in blood swung their weapons desperately.

The stench of blood, sweat, and excrement combined into a terribly nauseating smell.

Blood-soaked Ka’har fell upon blood-soaked imperial corpses.

The distinction was meaningless. From the moment they fell with their last breath, both sides were merely dozens of kilograms of flesh.

Before the veil of death that had descended, they had finally become equals.

While the heavy cavalry on both flanks were pushing back enemies twice their number, the heavy infantry in the center had suffered severe casualties.

The four hundred who had been caught in the White Banner’s tactics had been reduced by nearly half, and the additional four hundred were only now joining the battle.

“Even if you die, die after stabbing an imperial! Our ancestors are watching us!”

“Kieeeeee!”

With each swing of the Ka’har warriors’ curved swords, the blood of the heavy infantry spurted.

They were barely holding on because the battle had devolved into chaos.

If the White Banner had maintained their three-pronged formation and pressed forward, with Havar repeatedly charging on horseback, they would have been annihilated long ago.

And I—

—-

– Kwaaang!

With an impact that shook my entire body, my vision flipped.

The dust-filled sky was right before my eyes.

“Haah!”

I swung my legs as if kicking the air, turning my body.

The world rotated half a turn, with sky and earth instantly switching places.

I faced the rising wall of earth head-on.

I was falling, not downward but backward.

My extended Frosting grabbed the ground.

– Kwadududuk!

My toes touched the ground and slid, churning up the prairie soil.

My left hand dug in, leaving long claw marks.

“Kuuu… This isn’t easy.”

How many times had this happened now?

Blocking the crescent blade that charged after creating distance, only to be helplessly thrown into the air.

[ How pathetic. ]

Hersella muttered mockingly.

…Well, what can I do when it’s more difficult than I expected?

That horsemanship wasn’t just about enhancing the horse’s physical abilities.

“You’re holding up well!”

Havar, having created distance, turned his body and pulled the reins sideways.

The charging horse sharply changed direction while maintaining its momentum.

– Kadududuk!

The hooves scraped the ground with a harsh friction sound.

The dust rose like a wave, spreading in a semicircle.

The sight gave me a sense of déjà vu.

I had occasionally witnessed humans doing similar things before.

Except what they were riding wasn’t horses but bikes.

Yes, he was drifting while on horseback…!

For an ordinary horse, this would have immediately broken its legs and sent it tumbling.

It wouldn’t even move that way in the first place.

And it wasn’t just drifting.

When I aimed low, he would jump to avoid it, and even stomp down with the horse’s hooves.

It had the power of a vertical strike with a steel mace weighing dozens of kilograms.

And not just one, but two in succession, since a horse has two front legs.

When I tried to fight from the side, he kicked me while I was blocking the crescent blade.

I reflexively turned my body and took the hit on my armor, but my head would have been smashed if I hadn’t.

It resembled the Locust Centauro I’d encountered in the Carmine dungeon, but its fighting style was quite different.

That creature had swung its limbs while standing in place, but Havar was thoroughly maintaining distance and repeating hit-and-run tactics.

I could somehow manage to catch up to him… but when he tried to shake me off and create distance, I had no way to stop him.

‘You said you developed that technique. Don’t you have some kind of counter for it?’

[ A counter… even if I knew one, I’d have no reason to teach you. Figure it out yourself. A warrior who stops thinking is as good as dead. ]

…That’s true.

I raise my sword again as I watch Havar charging toward me with a thunderous sound.

The blessing of Durandal, glowing dimly. The power of Murder Karma, half consumed.

Five daggers and my right wrist beginning to heat up.

With just these, I need to find a way to stop that charge…

“Traitorrrr! I’ll strip you naked and trample you under my horse!”

The warhorse approaches at an astonishing speed, making the ground rumble like a drum,

ignoring its armor that was scratched and torn in places.

…Ah, I don’t know.

Since when did I rely on elaborate techniques to fight anyway?

Manipulating Murder Karma threads for all sorts of techniques is Hersella’s skill, not mine.

Even if I try to imitate her, I can’t handle it as skillfully as she does yet.

So… let’s just do it my way.

“Haaah…!”

I abandon precise control and simply draw out all the power I can.

The thin, flickering crimson threads lose their sharpness as they scatter.

The Murder Karma energy, freed from control, flares up like fire and envelops my entire body.

A primitive application that protects the body and enhances strength. I put all my power into this simplest of methods.

Yes, this suits me better.

I’ll smash through head-on.

“The one who’ll be trampled…”

Gripping Durandal with both hands, I run with all my might.

My enhanced leg strength shatters the earth beneath my feet, adding to my speed.

The distance between us closes in an instant.

“Will be you!!”

Just before the crescent blade and longsword meet, I draw out all my strength to the limit.

No. Beyond the limit. As if wringing out even my reserves.

The world slows down.

My senses, sharpened to the extreme, detect everything around me.

The flow of air. The movement of forces.

Even tiny rock fragments floating in the air.

Sweat droplets flying backward. The horse’s heart pounding like thunder. The chipped and cracked blade of the crescent sword.

Everything was perceived clearly.

Havar’s blade, drawing a long arc toward my waist.

While the entire world had slowed down, only his weapon was still approaching at high speed.

Just like mine.

Gritting my teeth, I stomp down with my right foot.

– Guuuung!

In the slowed world, the explosion sounded quite strange.

It was muffled and heavy, like beating a drum underwater.

The ground caves in and chunks of earth rise up as if floating.

The blade right before my eyes.

I swing Durandal with all my might toward the crescent blade that had become like a saw with its missing teeth.

The blue blade rises, leaving a crescent moon-like afterimage.

– Kuaaaaaaang!

A roar like that of a massive beast.

The blade, swung diagonally upward, collides with the heavy weapon and emits a sun-like flash.

My vision turns blindingly white.

Not yet.

Clenching my molars so hard they might crumble, I forcibly twist my wrist.

The fundamental principle of imperial swordsmanship is applied to the blade that scatters sparks.

Self-defense that deflects and redirects opposing attacks by altering the sword path itself.

– Eudeuduk!

Enormous pressure bears down on both arms holding the sword.

I endure the pressure that could tear muscles and dislocate bones by strengthening my body with Murder Karma energy.

And the direction of force twists.

The momentum of the crescent blade, which was pushing horizontally, bends at a right angle and presses down on me.

My feet sink deep into the ground.

Gradually, the world speeds up again.

My needle-sharp concentration scatters from the impact, and my senses, which had momentarily transcended their limits, are forcibly pulled back down.

“Kyaaaaat!”

In the final moment, my blade, pushed forward with a desperate cry, finally deflects the crescent blade, drawing a pale blue circle.

“Kuheuik…!”

Havar’s body soars into the air.

– Kwadeuk!

The tightly drawn saddle chains resist before finally breaking.

For a moment, Havar and his mount are completely separated.

The opportunity I’d been waiting for had finally arrived.

[ You took that head-on…? There’s a limit to brute force, you savage woman…! ]

‘With a strong body, the head doesn’t need to work as hard!’

My knees, which absorbed the impact, throb as if hammered.

My forcibly twisted wrist feels like it might be cracked, with pain like a blade cutting through nerves racing up my arm.

My left ear is muffled and something is trickling out—my eardrum must have ruptured.

It doesn’t matter.

I force my trembling legs to move and leap.

[ It’s useless to steal the horse. It won’t obey anyone but its master! ]

‘That’s not my plan!’

Hersella warned urgently, but it was pointless advice.

My goal isn’t to mount the horse.

I couldn’t possibly perform the same bizarre horsemanship as Havar anyway.

I soar toward the sky like a bouncing ball.

Aiming for Havar, who was barely maintaining his balance by twisting his body.

“Not a chance!”

The hastily swung crescent blade.

Unlike when he was charging on horseback, its momentum was clearly diminished.

As expected, once off his horse, he’s just an ordinary master.

My body wasn’t in perfect condition either, but the blue blade still extended with unstoppable force and intense power.

– Kaaaang!

Vivid sparks bloom and scatter.

A collision in mid-air with nowhere to stand. Both our bodies are thrown backward.

The distance between him and his horse increased further.

Now’s the time.

“Mageeeees-!!”

I shout until my throat tears.

Loud enough to be heard all the way up on the wall.

“Burn that colt to ashes! Turn it into roast horse!!”

Responding to my scream-like shout, more than a dozen fireballs flew toward his horse.

Separated from the Champion, it’s no longer a bizarre divine steed. Just an ordinary fine horse.

It wouldn’t have the skill to dodge incoming magic.

Let’s see if that fancy barding can block fireballs too.

“You, dishonorable wench!”

– Kwagwagwagwang!

With Havar’s rage-filled roar, the meteor-like shower of flames explodes with a thunderous sound.

A wall of fire rises, spreading scorching heat.

Through the fiercely rising flames came the screams of a horse being roasted to a crisp.