Ch.5050. Hero (4)

The wind cut into the flesh. I’ve experienced winter countless times. The winters of Evernode—the northern winters were long, cold, and incomparably harsh to any other place on the continent. Quenore Strope had pride in having lived in a winter world. Pride in having fought against winter. Since winter was the entirety of the world in the north, it was pride in having fought against the world itself.

The boundary line gently sucked in Quenore and his knights. Beyond the veil was a pure white darkness. The entire world was dyed white, making everything invisible. Quenore looked back. The knights who had served Evernode and him for half a lifetime were waiting with their swords drawn.

“I’ll lead the breakthrough. Conserve your strength.”

Though only faint shadows were visible, Quenore could clearly sense hundreds, thousands of monsters waiting before them. He accelerated without slowing his horse. The wind within the boundary line grazed Quenore’s cheek like a razor. Quenore inhaled and exhaled. His breath, heated by circulating mana, scattered as white vapor.

“We’ll go in one breath. Never lose sight of the vanguard.”

“”Yes, understood!!””

The knights’ response came through the cutting wind. The Grand Duke began pouring out his aura from the start. The mana of one who aspired to the realm of Grand Swordmaster was an inexhaustible spring. Monsters strengthened by the boundary line, the fourth calamity, rushed in recklessly believing in their power, only to vanish without leaving a trace.

“…This is no joke.”

Quenore gritted his teeth in the increasingly strong and dense snowfall. He could barely detect the knights’ presence by extending his spiritual sense, but whether the space within the boundary line contained some special magical power, Quenore’s senses were gradually becoming scattered and dulled.

“Still, we don’t have far to go. I can clearly feel the giant’s presence.”

Quenore continuously encouraged the knights. The knights were conserving even the strength to respond, preparing for battle. Quenore reorganized the plan in his mind. He would stop the giant’s advance here, while the hero Ilroy would defend the walls. Since Quenore had already swept away about half the monsters planning to invade the walls today, Ilroy would have an easier time.

The snow accumulating underfoot reached the horses’ ankles. Quenore looked at the monsters blocking their path. About thirty of them. All were intelligent creatures.

“You shall not pass beyond this point. How dare such vermin try to approach His feet.”

A yeti stepped forward, glaring with its eyes. Beside it, abnormally large trolls, ravens, gray bears, and other monsters bared their teeth and exuded killing intent toward Quenore.

“Everyone, draw your swords.”

Blades sang as they scraped against their scabbards. The blizzard that began to rage fiercely created an environment unfavorable to humans. Quenore drew up his magical power. Simply drawing it up wasn’t enough. He needed to overwhelm with momentum and raise the morale of his knights. Stronger, even stronger. Strong enough to blow away the blizzard within this boundary line.

Kwaaaa-!!

His aura surged. A whirlwind of magical power like a tornado pushed back the blizzard, brightening visibility. The calamity’s magic did not forgive humans who defied it. The monsters’ eyes turned blood-red as they charged. Quenore and the knights raised their swords.

“For Evernode.”

Quenore swung his sword after murmuring briefly like a prayer. For the land, for the castle, for the knights, soldiers, and common people. The strengthened monsters pounced on the knights. Quenore exerted all his skill, spewing aura and butchering monsters. The knights raised their auras in resonance with Quenore’s magical power. The auras resonated with each other, growing in size.

“Die!!!”

The monsters were excited, while Quenore remained relatively calm. He had no resignation. He was simply acting to complete the strategy he had established. Stop the approaching giant. And eliminate as many monsters as possible. Quenore swung his sword. Red blood remained on the snowy path along their route.

Two commander-class monsters shouted something and charged at Quenore. Quenore’s movements were restricted. They tormented him as if they had fought together for a long time. Claws flew at him, striking and retreating appropriately, preventing Quenore from advancing further.

Quenore did not yield. A monster’s teeth bit into his horse’s neck, and the horse collapsed dead. Quenore’s dismounted ankle sank deep into the snow. Taking advantage of this opening, the commanders rushed fiercely at Quenore.

“Now surrender your neck!!”

Quenore’s aura did not extinguish. From the snow-covered ground, Quenore created a whirlwind of aura that cut down everything around him. The approaching monsters, both commanders and minions alike, had their bodies finely sliced, creating a red blizzard.

“…”

Quenore exhaled a slightly ragged breath and looked back. Of the fourteen knights who had followed him, only about ten were visible. Perhaps because the monsters had concentrated their attacks on the horses, no one remained mounted. The fallen ones were buried in the falling snow, bleeding from their chests and necks. Quenore closed his eyes toward their bodies, bowed his head in respect, and then turned to continue on his way. There was no time to recover the bodies.

They walked. They walked for a long time. The boundary line seemed to have stretched the space within it. The ruins, filled with snow and fallen trees, seemed to extend endlessly. The cold had already exceeded what an ordinary person could endure. Fallen tree trunks rattled and shook in the wind. Snow began to stick to the knights’ hair and eyebrows.

The knights were strong against the cold. Even as the sensation in their hands and feet dulled and knife-like winds pierced their lungs, freezing the blood within their bodies, they could continue forward without dropping their swords. The knights’ hearts beat vigorously, supplying blood and mana.

How much further did they walk? When even the broken trees were covered by the falling blizzard, and Quenore’s aura began to gradually disperse in the snowstorm, the vanguard Quenore stopped for the first time and raised his head.

“…So this is it.”

Hemel spoke from behind Quenore.

“Now I understand what Ilroy and George meant.”

Quenore muttered. It was excessively huge. From a great distance, it had been merely a vague shape. As they drew closer, even the visibility obscured by the blizzard could not completely hide it.

The giant stood tall. Without showing any movement.

“…Were we really trying to face something like that?”

Hemel spoke with a sinking voice.

“We’re trying to bring it down, to kill it.”

“It’s like trying to collapse a mountain and dry up a sea.”

Quenore gave a fierce yet bitter smile. He realized what Ilroy was trying to do. He could also understand why Ilroy had to be the one to bring down that thing. The power of the Holy Sword, swordsmanship. None of that mattered.

“Still, we must do it.”

The giant showed no movement. It was doubtful whether that thing was even a living creature. The coniferous forest of the northern woods protruded unevenly beside the giant’s feet. Around it, ridiculously, there was a temple-like solemnity, silence, and holiness. The giant was taller than mountains and deeper than canyons. When Quenore sighed, breath mixed with blue mana energy leaked from his mouth.

“Have you come to offer your neck willingly, black-haired knight?”

Monsters were approaching from the giant’s feet. From behind, from ahead. Monsters were pouring in from all directions.

“Destruction cannot be stopped.”

“No, the giant’s steps stop here.”

Drrrrrr.

A faint rumbling rose from the ground. The giant was trying to move. Quenore sensed death from the giant’s slight movement. He also realized that to stop it, everyone here would have to sacrifice their lives. Quenore looked back. There were knights, exhausted but with eyes burning with fighting spirit. And Quenore looked at the path he had walked, in the direction of Evernode. The blizzard veiled his view like a curtain, obscuring even the outline of the landscape.

Ilroy. Can I trust you?

Quenore asked inwardly. Would it be alright to stake everything here on that light?

Faces flashed by. His everything. Hela, Luke, Karin, the vassals and knights of Evernode. The faces of the residents. The summers and winters of Evernode.

Quenore gripped his sword firmly. A new night was about to arrive.

.

.

.

He slashed.

His body felt heavy. It was the first time he had thought his body was heavy. Quenore broke through the monsters’ encirclement and swung his sword with all his might toward the giant. The giant, which had been about to lift its leg, paused at Quenore’s attack. The giant did not speak. It showed no interest in the tiny creatures fighting and splattering blood at its feet. Moving forward seemed to be its only purpose as a living being.

Quenore felt the cold penetrating his body. The price for intruding upon the giant was terrible. Quenore’s mana was in turmoil. Feeling pain as if an icicle was piercing his heart, Quenore spat blood from his mouth.

But, it can be stopped.

Quenore kept only this fact in mind as he swung his sword. Occasionally, monsters that rushed past the knights behind him were torn apart and sent flying just by the aftermath of his sword strikes. A short night passed, and the sun rose again. The sun raced toward midday, then began to disappear westward as if being sucked in.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t keep my promise to return by morning.

Quenore suddenly lowered his sword and looked back. How many knights remained? Not many were visible in the increasingly fierce blizzard.

Have I delayed it for about a day?

Quenore exhaled. He needed to return, but a wall of monsters blocked the way back. The giant seemed ready to resume walking the moment Quenore slackened his attack. Is it impossible to return? Quenore looked down at his hands, then resolutely gripped his sword.

Even if it burns my life away.

“Hemil.”

Quenore, about to tell Hemil to break through the monster wall and return ahead of him, stopped when he saw Hemil’s expression. Hemil was staring blankly beyond the blizzard.

“Do you feel it too, Grand Duke?”

Huh?

Quenore’s face hardened. Feel what? Could there be something else besides the giant and these monsters? Seeing Quenore’s hardened expression, Hemil shook his head.

“…What else is there?”

“No, that’s not it… The feeling is a bit different. It feels too strong, but,”

It’s like the hero’s presence.

Quenore’s eyes widened. Something luminous was rushing here through the blizzard with a terrifying momentum. Passing by the blinking Quenore, a sword energy of tremendous force swept in.

Kwagwagwagwang-!!!

The monsters literally evaporated. The force of the blizzard was weakening, pushed back by something. Quenore, with eyes as wide as saucers, saw the hero’s face looking at them while standing on horseback. Like a savior, the hero had a thorny, glowing halo above his head.

“I told you not to overexert yourself and to return immediately.”

Ilroy dismounted with a wry smile. Quenore burst into laughter despite himself.

“And you, I told you to guard the walls, what are you doing here?”

“We’ve both broken our mutual agreement. But remember that you broke it first.”

Ilroy said as he stepped forward. Something had happened; a different dimension of energy emanated from him compared to before. The light flowing from the Holy Sword also shone with a more refined feeling than before.

“You intend to bring down the giant.”

The hero nodded.

“Other knights who came with me will take the wounded back. Anyone who insists on staying should be knocked unconscious and sent back.”

Quenore watched Ilroy turn toward the knights. In his eyes, there was no sign of anxiety or fear.

Determination.

That was the only emotion Quenore could read in his eyes.

“Please take care of the other monsters.”

Ilroy said with an unwavering voice, as steadfast as to make the blizzard seem insignificant.

“Here and now, I will end the fourth calamity.”