Ch.93EP.24 – No Excuses for My Life (4)

Vale, the vice-captain of the Crimson Eagle Knights, is from a branch family of House Tristan.

However, this doesn’t mean he was a parachute appointment who gained his position through bloodline power.

Rather, because he was from a branch family, he worked even harder, and even the Marquis acknowledged how much harsh training he endured to earn the vice-captain position through his own strength.

The vice-captain position of the Crimson Eagle cannot be obtained merely through bloodline or backing, but solely through one’s strength and honor.

In that sense, Vale took pride in his abilities, and people called him the “Red Owl of Tristan,” predicting he would become a knight representing his generation, or even his era.

…Well, there were seven such representatives, including him.

The Wild Wolf of Galahad.

The Black Lion of Lionel.

The White Lion of Pendragon.

The Swan of Lohengrin.

The Owl of Tristan.

The Fighting Dog of Modred.

The Wild Horse of Agravain.

The public, who loved ranking things, claimed these seven were indispensable when discussing the young knights representing the current era, but Vale knew it was all nonsense.

Having actually met the White Lion, the Swan, and the Wild Horse, Vale was thoroughly disappointed.

Just arrogant fools with pretty faces.

That was Vale’s assessment.

If there were any he acknowledged or considered superior, they would be the Wild Wolf and the Black Lion, who were clearly talents representing the era.

When he met them the previous day, their overwhelming skill and talent expressed a “power” that other knights could never catch up to.

Nevertheless, Vale remained unbroken.

Though he might lag behind those two now, he firmly believed his talent was comparable to theirs and would someday reach their level.

In a way, perhaps more impressive than his talent was his unyielding mental strength and confidence.

…But now, such a man.

‘W-what is that?’

Was instantly overwhelmed beyond shock.

“H-he broke through the battle aura net?!”

The battle aura net.

It was one of the secret martial arts possessed only by prestigious knight orders, usable only when thirty or more knights gathered. It was like a net of battle aura that constricted and suppressed the body, making escape impossible, ultimately cutting off the prey’s breath.

The pressure alone could cause instant death to most magical beasts, preventing them from even breathing.

And it was said that when such a battle aura net was deployed by a hundred people, it could theoretically become a net that suppressed even thousands of soldiers.

But now.

“The battle aura net has been broken?!”

“This is insane!”

“Don’t break formation! Throw your spears!!”

Breaking the battle aura net with individual capability.

A shocking tremor ran through the knights’ knees, but this was just a moment of confusion.

The Crimson Eagles hid their bewilderment and desperately threw their spears.

Even though the battle aura net was broken, they were still overwhelming him.

But then.

Thud!

“…??”

“……?”

“…Is this a dream?”

How many times would they have to be surprised today?

The knights blankly looked up at the sky, or rather, at the empty air.

-[Can humans, except for wizards, truly fly?]

It was a saying from some sage, containing profound philosophical meaning.

It implied that humans should not go against the laws of nature.

But now…

“Not flying, but walking… I see.”

Vale knew his muttering sounded foolish even as he said it, but he couldn’t help it right now.

Thud! Thud!!

A person was walking on thin air.

Faced with this inexplicable sight, Vale felt something akin to awe for the first time.

It was a moment of witnessing a magnificent sight where someone challenged the impossible and made it possible.

“Damn it!”

Vale drew his sword, feeling both shame and astonishment that he felt such awe for someone other than the Marquis.

He also thought:

‘Ha, if it weren’t for this situation, I’d genuinely like to have a conversation with this person.’

His heart stirred as he watched this strange figure who displayed not the phenomenal talent he’d seen in the Wild Wolf and Black Lion, but rather a refreshing innovation and originality.

He couldn’t help but think this was someone he’d like to learn from.

Of course.

‘This isn’t the time for such thoughts.’

Swoosh!

Vale’s sword swung toward the man walking on air.

* * *

Whoosh!!

Slash!

Swoosh-!

Swords coming toward him.

Spears and daggers flying at him.

What came to mind instantly was the Forest of Swords and Daggers.

Seeing the deadly blades pouring down to kill him, it was a situational example that naturally came to mind.

But he.

Thud!

Had no intention of dying easily.

He kicked off the empty air and rose.

Moving freely between approximately 4 and 5 meters, he didn’t give his opponents time to gauge distance and space.

– Air Walking.

Leaping over the dense human obstacles in one bound and going far away, it felt like all constraints of distance and obstacles had completely disappeared.

His body shook off the world’s constraints and felt infinitely free.

For a person to fly through the sky was such a magnificent thing.

However, unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain it for long.

‘This consumes an enormous amount of stamina.’

Though not as much as the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, Air Walking was also a skill that consumed a considerable amount of stamina.

It wasn’t simply about releasing power, but about dispersing power widely to create appropriate footholds.

With this technique, it looked like walking on air, but it was closer to constantly creating and quickly kicking off footholds.

Therefore, it was clearly a skill he couldn’t maintain for long, so soon…

‘From here, I’ll smash them!’

Ihan suddenly flipped his body upside down and strongly kicked the air.

Whoosh!

What he wanted was acceleration that his opponents couldn’t counter and a moment to prepare, clenching his fist and concentrating power.

The principle was the same as before.

Like Air Walking, it was based on dispersing power widely, and the only difference from Air Walking was-!

‘Strike!’

It had been converted from a means of evasion to a means of attack.

Guooo…!

Spreading the effective range of the Hundred Step Divine Fist as wide as possible, Ihan extended his fist, and though his fist didn’t touch the ground, it caused an astonishing phenomenon.

Kwaaang!!

“Urrrgh?!”

“M-my body…!”

“What is this pressure-?”

Instantly, about twenty people under the influence of the Hundred Step Divine Fist lost control of their bodies.

A sensation as if their shoulders and heads were being pressed down at once!

It was like the “Palm of Buddha” from some martial arts movie, but manifested as a fist.

However, the power was woefully insufficient.

It couldn’t be helped. This was merely a strike that strongly dispersed power, and since it didn’t concentrate power on a single point, it sacrificed destructive force.

Therefore, this punch was merely a grappling technique that stopped the knights’ movements for about 2 seconds.

“-Not dodging?”

“!!!”

But those 2 seconds were enough time for him to rampage.

Click.

With a sword in his right hand and an axe in his left, he swung mercilessly.

It was more like indiscriminate slashing without a name.

It was extremely simple, but who could.

“B-block it!!”

Block such slashing?

With a bang, those hit by his sword and axe flew far away.

Despite clearly being hit on their armor and shields, they flew away as if struck by a massive war hammer, and those who were sent flying went limp as they felt their insides being shaken with agony.

“Urrrgh!”

“Uweeeek…”

Some tried to stand up, but they couldn’t easily dispel the shock, and more than five fighters were neutralized in an instant.

“Yaaaaaaah!”

But knights are knights.

Those who quickly recovered from the shock of the Hundred Step Divine Fist wielded their swords and spears relentlessly.

Their swordsmanship and spear techniques were extraordinary.

Some sword techniques showed snake-like flexibility, while some spear techniques displayed drill-like penetrating power.

These were supreme techniques showing traces of effort, never skipping a day of practice, working until their hands were raw.

Ihan faced such powerful techniques.

“Aaaaaaah!”

With all his might, he roared and confronted them.

Tingling…!

The knights who were about to strike Ihan felt their bodies go numb and temporarily sluggish.

His phenomenal spirit.

Hwaeeeeng!

With the spirit of a lion’s roar, Ihan swung a strike, and his strike collided head-on with the swords and spears coming at him, creating flashes of light.

As if he never intended to dodge in the first place.

Kuuuung!

A massive concentric circle formed as the simultaneous strikes of six knights collided with Ihan’s sword and axe.

Kurrrung…!

As strength, technique, and will collided with full force, the ground trembled, and a fog-like cloud of dust settled thickly.

It was so thick that one could barely see in front of them, and soldiers watching from afar were collapsing as their legs gave out.

“R-retreat!”

As the dust made it impossible to see ahead, the knights retreated, fearing they might attack each other, and a silence filled with stillness fell.

……Whaaak.

As the dust quickly cleared, what was revealed were Ihan and the six knights who had collided with him, and the Crimson Eagles widened their eyes.

For good reason.

“Kuhuk…”

The sight of six knights falling.

Among those who fell was Jeon, who was ranked third within the knight order, which caused an even greater shock to them.

These weren’t people who would fall so easily.

Thud…!

Jeon and the knights staggered and fell, and only Jeon, who had merely bent his knee, was the only one who didn’t lose his strength and raised his head with difficulty.

But… strangely, there was no sign of humiliation on Jeon’s face.

Instead, what was visible was.

“…Why, why didn’t you dodge?”

A question.

He asked with numerous doubts.

Experiencing Ihan’s skills firsthand, Jeon realized.

He wasn’t just strong but also agile, and he could have avoided direct confrontation and picked them off one by one.

Yet he ultimately met the strikes of all six of them head-on.

As a result.

…Drip.

He even sustained injuries, showing such foolishness.

A streak of blood falling from the corner of his mouth.

It meant that he hadn’t completely deflected the shock of their attacks.

At this moment, Jeon didn’t think of Ihan as an attacker or someone who had insulted the Marquis, but asked a question purely as a knight.

Why had he acted so stubbornly?

Then.

“-You’re asking the obvious. I said I came to ‘fight.’ And when a man says he wants to fight, he shouldn’t dodge each other’s attacks. It only has meaning… if you meet head-on with full force, like a tiger or a lion.”

“……”

Ihan spoke as if scolding him for asking something so obvious, and Jeon lost his composure, forgetting even the intense pain.

…He lost his composure, but.

“Ha, yes, that’s right! That’s a fight. That’s a knight’s duel…!!”

‘Brave like a lion.’ ‘Clever like a wolf.’

‘Headstrong like a bear.’ ‘Persistent like an eagle.’

‘…Honorable like a dragon.’

These were countless phrases defining a knight’s duel, and Jeon had been educated that a knight’s battle should be like this.

But how many people actually adhered to such definitions?

How many people didn’t hesitate to resort to cowardly acts in a contest?

The reality was that there were numerous people who, without honor, would not hesitate to use even assassin’s methods, making others frown.

But now, before his eyes was a man who faithfully adhered to those phrases.

The honor of a dragon and the cleverness of a wolf were not visible.

Only bravery, headstrong determination, and persistence.

A man with the heart of a lion, the straightforwardness of a bear, and the spirit of an eagle… no, he couldn’t be anything but a ‘knight.’

Therefore, Jeon.

“…Next time, let’s fight one-on-one. Right now, there are too many people.”

“Yes, until then, make your spear sharper. It’s too straight right now.”

“Haha! Yes, I’ll show you a more fierce one, ahahaha…”

Thud….

Jeon collapsed.

But he laughed refreshingly until he fainted, and a smile still remained on his face.

It was undoubtedly a refreshing smile after having unleashed all his strength and engaged in a satisfyingly intense fight.

“……..”

Gulp….

-A different kind of silence fell compared to when the dust had spread thickly.

What was this?

Thump! Thump!

The heartbeats of those who heard his conversation with Jeon increased.

Along with the boiling heartbeats, more strength entered the weapons gripped in their hands, and the sound of metal bending could be heard.

When was the last time they had encountered such a strong opponent?

It must be the first time they had faced such brave and unyielding spirit.

A fairy tale-like moment where knight literature or heroic poetry became reality…

“─What, aren’t you coming?”

“Ha…”

At this moment, if one’s heart wasn’t full, they had no right to call themselves a knight or a man.

Despite having an enemy they should be furious with right before their eyes, the Crimson Eagles felt they couldn’t bring themselves to hate this dignified man.

The heart-filling sensation that erased even hatred reminded them that they were ‘knights.’

Whaaak!

“…?”

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Ihan moistened his dry lips and half-opened his eyes.

These guys… their ‘carelessness’ suddenly disappeared.

‘What’s wrong with them all of a sudden?’

When they clashed earlier, he felt that while they were angry at him, they still looked down on him.

Of course, it wouldn’t make sense for a hundred people to fear one person.

So Ihan had planned to exploit that carelessness and subdue them step by step.

But now he wasn’t sure.

These guys, for some reason…

‘They’ve been properly fueled?’

A fire had been lit.

Just looking at the heat rising in their eyes, he could tell.

They would no longer be careless against him.

With full force, no, beyond full force, they would wield their blades with everything they had.

To defeat him.

Hmm…

Did they get fired up because their comrades were taken down?