Ch.241Report on the Downfall of Restraint (Complete)

Under Kairos’s sword, the beasts continued to fall.

There was nothing difficult about it. As his body knew, he dodged, slashed, rolled, and thrust.

With each beast he cut down, his mind grew clearer.

His labored breathing calmed, and strength returned to his tired limbs.

Looking at the world simply made everything clearer. White things, black things, and the gray between them.

Protecting what’s precious, upholding righteous values. What could be simpler than that?

He would protect Maria, Laios, and Ismene. Elisabet’s sacrifice must not be in vain.

Kairos looked back.

Fortunately, there were no beasts sneaking up from behind. But Maria was nowhere to be seen either. There was only a pile of glowing underbrush.

He approached and nudged it slightly with his foot. The pile collapsed with a soft sound. Nothing was there.

His vision blurred further.

Kairos thought it was simple fatigue. He was too exhausted, too sensitive to light, but after some sleep, he would feel better.

‘What lazy thinking.’

He shook his head. There were still more beasts left. He couldn’t leave threats to the world alive. Some might have fled into the darkness of the forest.

‘This time, I must catch and kill them all…’

He adjusted his grip on his sword. He brushed off the blood and dust from his armor. While pausing briefly, he shook off the snow that had accumulated on his shoulder guards. It didn’t seem like it would stop falling anytime soon.

But that was actually good. Following the messy footprints on the ground would make tracking easy.

Kairos lowered his stance as he gazed ahead. Something was there. As expected, those creatures had no intention of retreating easily.

‘Then I’ll strike first.’

Three. Two. One. Kairos leaped forward. The creatures belatedly stiffened their postures, but it was too late. Now…

A sharp whirring sound. Instinctively, he thrust his sword forward. Something heavy collided with his blade.

‘An axe? Was there a beast that used axes?’

Another axe flew toward him. He blocked the second one with his sword and twisted his body greatly to avoid the third.

Kairos landed back on the ground. There was no time to regret the failed ambush. The sound of approaching hoofbeats was growing louder.

He took a middle guard stance with his back against an ash tree. The beast charged through the glowing trees.

First, he saw a lion’s head with deer antlers. Its lower jaw was attached far below as if torn apart. It opened its mouth wide, ready to tear into Kairos.

While its body roughly resembled a human form, a two-headed eagle with blood-red eyes fluttered on its chest. The living head and the dead head roared at Kairos, glaring at him.

There could be no greater insult to the Empire.

He suppressed his rage with cold calculation. He considered where to strike.

The lower body? No good. He’d be lucky not to get trampled by those horse hooves. Moreover, the creature’s long halberd would likely block him.

Kairos waited. 30 paces away. 20 paces away. 10 paces away.

As expected, the creature raised its halberd. It pulled both arms far back. In other words, it had left its upper body exposed.

Aiming his sword tip at the heart, Kairos leaped forward. The Imperial sword flickered greedily in the darkness.

But in the next moment, the beast dropped its halberd.

An unexpected move. Kairos’s gaze shifted upward.

It was a feint. The beast pushed Kairos’s sword away with its arm and brought down its steel gauntlet.

A heavy impact. It felt as if a massive hammer had struck from the back of his head down to his spine. But instead of collapsing, he rolled forward.

The halberd whooshed through the space where he had just been. The beast had grabbed the weapon in mid-air and spun it around. A heavy rotational sound like a windmill turning.

The beast regained its stance on the other side. A bitter smile escaped Kairos. Wasn’t this the same method he had used when capturing the rogue knight, Goetz? Focusing attention on the weapon, then knocking them down with a punch.

Kairos also took his stance.

Dangerous. This beast was dangerous. Stronger than any beast he had encountered before.

As he caught his breath and wished for more power, writhing shadows rushed toward him.

The gaps in his armor closed. The flat surface curved to deflect glancing blows. When he flexed his left hand, a dark lance was forged.

The beast charged again. Kairos didn’t wait. He threw the spear and charged a beat later.

As expected, the halberd easily deflected the spear. But the thrown lance was just a decoy. He thrust his sword into the opening.

A slight sensation of the tip catching something. Without checking, he immediately moved to the side.

Unfortunately, the beast didn’t fall. Instead, its upper and lower body separated. The lower body neighed like a horse and fled toward the far side of the forest.

Meanwhile, the upper body, which had taken the form of a complete human, pointed the blade of the halberd toward him.

But how could that be human? That thing with a lion’s head beneath deer antlers, charging with a monstrous cry.

It charged forward, spinning the halberd above its head. Even the snowstorm was caught up in its momentum. From a distance, one might have thought it was a snow squall.

Kairos kicked off a tree trunk and leaped up. He ran across trees before jumping high above the beast’s head. Flipping his body, he slashed downward with his sword.

The blade caught on the upper part of the axe blade. The halberd floated up vertically. Narrowly avoiding the spear tip, he kicked the beast’s head.

The beast twisted its waist and instead punched Kairos’s foot. The sound of metal crushing metal hit his ears.

Kairos’s body was flung far away. The beast discarded its damaged gauntlet. Gritting his teeth, Kairos forced himself up.

This time, he raised his sword and took a high guard stance. Since the beast had also regained its stance, he needed to respond.

The beast charged first. It ran straight forward with the halberd held diagonally in front.

The beast was still just a beast, it seemed. In that stance, it couldn’t do much besides striking with the shaft.

Kairos also leaped forward. When the opponent took one step forward, he could take more than three.

‘I’ll penetrate inside the axe blade.’

Seemingly surprised by his speed, the beast showed no movement. Kairos’s Imperial sword struck into its side.

The shaft blocked the attack. It even seemed to slightly receive Kairos’s sword before deflecting it more forcefully.

The sword was pushed back. Kairos hunched down and resisted. He tried to collide with his shoulder if nothing else.

This time too, the beast was faster. Rather, it lowered its body even deeper and collided more forcefully.

Kairos was pushed sideways. He slid across the snow-covered ground and dropped to one knee. He glared ahead with a growl.

The beast stood again with the tip of the halberd extended.

– It’s a simple misdirection.

At the words that came from an unknown source, Kairos glanced around. No one was there. It felt like he was hearing things.

– Do you remember the central doctrine of Imperial swordsmanship?

Another auditory hallucination. It was something he had heard somewhere before. Whose voice was it? It seemed familiar yet he couldn’t quite recall.

Instead, something unexpected appeared. A reed field and a lake. Time for sparring. Though his body was beaten to a pulp, he had to fight. Yet it was a moment when his mind was more at peace than any other time.

No. He mustn’t be deceived by illusions. Kairos charged again. He gave up on the idea of overwhelming with speed. From the beginning, he went in swinging his sword.

– For a slash, a faster and stronger slash. For a thrust, a more precise and sharper thrust. Attack and defense as one.

He slashed horizontally. Again, the shaft blocked it. Since he had expected this, he flicked his wrist slightly.

He struck the beast’s body with the pommel at the end of the handle. The beast flinched for the first time. But he couldn’t follow up. The beast kicked Kairos’s shin.

Rolling forward greatly, he swung his sword to the side. With a whoosh, the halberd flew in and struck down where he had just been rolling.

– Could you not say it so loudly?

This time it was a man’s voice. A voice that seemed somewhat embarrassed. Why did I say such a thing? He couldn’t remember.

Kairos quickly got up. But the tip of his sword began to tremble. In contrast, the knight remained composed. The ringing in his ears now agitated his entire body.

– You have no idea how much I admire that swordsmanship.

It was a woman’s voice. What had seemed like an echo from far away now sounded clear. Kairos charged in again.

He swung his sword faster and stronger than before. Thrusting, slashing, striking. Blocking, dodging, counterattacking.

The beast also changed its stance. Moving beyond defense and counterattacks, it looked for openings.

While taking and deflecting smaller attacks, it actively broke down Kairos’s stance. Whenever a gap appeared, the halberd flew in fiercely.

– You don’t know, do you?

Eventually, Kairos jumped far back. His body once again refused to obey. His armor swayed, his sword tip trembled, and his hands shook.

The beast wasn’t completely intact either. Though it tried to appear calm, its wrists were slightly bent inward, suggesting it was forcing itself to exert strength.

If only these voices would stop. It would be much easier.

– How elegant and sophisticated that swordsmanship is.

Swordsmanship?

What swordsmanship?

– You have no idea how much I admire that swordsmanship. How much I want to possess it. There is no swordsman who combines the killing-focused Imperial swordsmanship with the Eastern staff techniques that protect both oneself and one’s opponent.

A swordsmanship for killing people. A swordsmanship for saving people.

– You have no talent. You can’t wield both, they said. Tell me. Will you kill what stands before you, or will you save it?

This time it was another woman’s voice. An older woman’s words.

Of course it deserves to be killed, Kairos answered. Despite being so entangled, his body bore not a single wound.

The same was true for his opponent. It pushed away, shook off, and retaliated, but at critical moments, it didn’t attack.

Like Laios. But with incomparable skill.

‘But was there such a beast?’

Until now, there had been no beast that launched such precise attacks. No, there was no one who had pushed Kairos this hard, except for one person.

And this beast was quite similar to her. Its movements, its actions. It was mimicking that day’s sparring session, which had been just one minor incident.

Was that even possible?

‘What am I doing?’

Killing beasts. Protecting what is right.

‘Then am I right? Is it truly right to kill all beasts?’

With doubt, the black flames weakened. Some color returned to the world before his eyes.

‘Is what stands before me truly a beast?’

Doubt grew uncontrollably. Kairos steeled his resolve. It was worth trying.

He held his sword straight up, then swept it to the side.

“…According to the Empire’s dueling decree.”

Kairos murmured.

“You may find someone to fight in your place, and if you wish, I can fight even from inside a box.”

The lion remained motionless. Instead, it set the halberd down on the ground. It silently drew the sword at its waist.

Kairos charged in.

Just as he had practiced thousands upon thousands of times, he brought the sword straight down from above his head. The opponent blocked it by holding its sword horizontally, then tried to slash Kairos’s neck with the blade.

He lowered his stance and pushed with his shoulder. But the opponent also twisted its body slightly and extended its left fist, which it had pulled far back.

The fist embedded itself in his chest. After striking down with his left arm, he headbutted with his helmet. The opponent also thrust forward with its helmet. With the sound of metal colliding and the impact, they both retreated, keeping their distance.

From more than ten paces away, Kairos swung his sword. It was an absurd action. But the opponent mimicked Kairos’s movements exactly the same way. As if standing before a mirror.

It was certain.

That thing had perfectly matched Kairos. It hadn’t been pushed back, but it hadn’t pressed harder either.

Instead, it mimicked each of his movements, following them similarly. As if asking him to understand. As if asking him to realize.

It was the other side that was trying to communicate.

‘The beast was me.’

A blind beast. A fanatic who believed unconditionally in his righteousness. Someone so full of his own voice that he wouldn’t listen to others, a person who couldn’t communicate.

Kairos understood. Because he understood, he waited.

The beast charged. Fast and clear, but without the ferocity from before.

The beast swung its sword with large, heavy movements. Large movements usually create openings, but it showed no vulnerability.

The speed was different. Slow when extending, almost leisurely, but fast when reaching the point of impact.

The beast persistently targeted Kairos’s middle and lower sections.

A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him.

It was the same then as now. Though his main tactic was to move quickly to confuse opponents, when his legs were bound, he had been desperate just to defend.

The sword the beast wielded became as heavy as the halberd from earlier. The sword’s pressure swept away the snow on the ground.

Kairos retreated, step by step. When he seemed far enough away, he threw his sword and leaped forward.

The beast also threw its sword. It embraced Kairos as he dove into its arms. Holding each other, the two rolled across the snow.

Kairos grabbed the beast’s helmet. The beast also grabbed his helmet.

Slowly, carefully, they lifted them. Golden hair. Blue eyes wet with tears. But her clear lips were full of smiles.

“Liliana.”

Kairos’s helmet was removed. He thought he heard a scream stirring deep in his heart, but it soon disappeared.

“Kairos.”

The smile was brief. Liliana pushed Kairos away. As she stood up abruptly, the snow covering her body fell off.

“Why on earth would a person do such a thing!”

Though he knew he had nothing to say, Kairos laughed while lying down. Liliana gasped as if upset.

“Was I so untrustworthy? Couldn’t you have at least said something before leaving? We agreed to stay together! You said we would be together! If you go ahead and just die, what am I supposed to do?”

Kairos tried to get up, but he couldn’t. With the shadows dispersed, all that remained was his wounded and exhausted body.

Even breathing was difficult. Now he really wanted to rest. He no longer felt the cold. He felt dreamy, as if entering a dream.

That’s why he could blurt out embarrassing words.

“The way you slightly turn your head when I try to make eye contact, it was cute.”

Liliana’s face hardened. Kairos smiled.

“I was grateful that you followed me despite my selfishness. Sometimes when you were stubbornly insistent, I was quite upset, but you never once messed things up. The way you blush whenever you see something cute, the way you lower your head slightly and cover your mouth with your fist when you cough, it was all beautiful.”

A cough erupted. His body bent. Liliana lifted Kairos in her arms. But before his eyes closed completely, he wanted to say this.

“You protected me. Thank you.”

Liliana kissed him. After kissing for a long time, she pressed her forehead against his and whispered.

“If you know, then do better. Don’t leave without saying anything.”

There was a rustling sound from behind. Startled, Liliana turned around. Maria stood weakly where the glowing underbrush had parted. The swarm of black butterflies that had been concealing her quickly moved aside.

“Continue.” She waved her hand with a pale face. “Don’t mind me. It looks good. Let me, cough, see something nice too. By the way, you should have beaten him up more for my share too.”

Happy to see her, Liliana tried to stand up. But at the clanking sound, she grabbed her discarded sword again. From the far side of the forest, knights of the Holy Grail and Mercy Knights were approaching with drawn swords.

Leading them was Grand Marshal Allegieri. He held a consecrated sword in his hand. He didn’t look friendly.

“What’s going on?”

Liliana asked, embracing Kairos.

“Our mission is simple,” the Grand Marshal replied grimly. “Save humans and kill beasts. Especially humans who have fallen into darkness.”

A dry voice came from the side.

“Is that so?”

Regent Astrid Brynhildr walked out from behind a tree. The silent execution squad stood with her. They still said nothing. They placed their hands on the swords at their waists, but Astrid raised her arm to stop them.

“So, representative of His Holiness the Pope. How does it appear to your eyes?”

Allegieri stood still and said nothing. The Holy Knights behind him exchanged glances. The next moment, Allegieri stepped forward. His drawn sword gleamed blue.

Liliana gripped her sword more tightly. She was ready to jump in front of Kairos if necessary. But Astrid stood with her arms folded, doing nothing.

Allegieri raised his sword high.

“Priest Allegieri of the Order of Knights Pleading for Mercy welcomes the return of the hero. I pray that the Prophet of Life and Death bestows mercy upon you, and I offer my sword to you. Glory be to the wings of the Two-headed Eagle.”

He thrust the reversed sword into the ground. After bowing deeply, he turned and retreated.

“Receive the veneration of the sword.”

An adjutant who had drawn his sword planted it in the ground after him.

“Receive the veneration of the sword.”

A fierce-looking woman bearing the emblem of the Holy Grail Knights bowed and retreated.

“Receive it, hero. You are more than worthy, may the White Mountain look upon your soul.”

Regent Astrid thrust her sword into the ground before him.

The White Blood Knights, the Knights of Mercy and the Holy Grail each planted their weapons with their own tributes.

“You’ve become a hero,”

Liliana whispered. Kairos was too tired to understand well.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange.” He moistened his lips weakly. “All I’ve done is fail.”

“No. All of that was the path. Winding, painful, and narrow, but you were the first to forge a path that no one else could take.”

Liliana embraced Kairos. Cradled in her arms, Kairos turned his head to look at the straight ash tree. The two brave and foolish lovers who had become trees, with many sins to repay and many apologies to receive.

Kairos whispered to Liliana. After finishing his words, his body went limp.

The knight rose, holding the hero in her arms.

Heavy snow fell. A glowing forest, a quiet world. A long procession of pilgrims. He could see Astrid supporting Maria. Kairos felt relieved.

She placed him on a horse first, then Liliana mounted as well. Embracing him from behind, she gently pulled the reins.

The loyal horse quietly turned away from the glowing forest and galloped across the snowy wilderness.

“Why are you smiling?”

Liliana’s warm voice. Kairos shook his head.

“It’s so different from the fairy tale I read long ago.”

“What was the fairy tale like?”

“The hero defeats the Demon King and returns to find his captured lover. But now it’s quite strange.”

Liliana thought for a moment.

“Once upon a time, there was a very evil Demon King. The hero fought against the Demon King but fell. So a brave knight imprisoned the hero in a castle on a high, cold mountain to prevent the Demon King from capturing him. How’s that?”

“The ending is a bit strange.”

But he had no strength to protest further. Kairos fell asleep.

A black butterfly flew ahead of them, lighting their way.