Chapter 312

Vinchel finally reached the top of the wall.

His eyes were fixed on a single person.

Max Celtrine.

He could see that damn brat clearly now.

The rage that had been building up inside him exploded, along with his murderous intent.

“You die here!”

Vinchel’s hand, as he descended from the air, held a sword.

He could control ten swords with his Sword Control Technique, but the most powerful sword was the one he held in his hand.

Of course, he didn’t even need to draw his sword against most opponents.

They would collapse helplessly before his Sword Control Technique.

But Max was different.

Even when faced with five swords, he didn’t panic. He even counterattacked with arrows.

Vinchel had to admit that the young brat was skilled.

Not to mention his cunning mind.

That’s why he needed to get closer.

He needed to get closer to finish him off.

And now, he had the chance.

*Whoosh!*

Vinchel’s aura was bright and clear, like the sun.

Anyone could see that it contained immense power.

Did he not know how to refine his aura?

No.

He didn’t need to.

He had reached the master level in his youth and was now over ninety years old.

His internal energy had accumulated over the years, like a mountain.

The world was vast, and there were many superhumanly strong individuals, but no one could deny that the Sword Saint had the greatest amount of internal energy.

That’s why he could control ten swords with his Sword Control Technique, a technique that consumed a massive amount of internal energy.

Max knew that too.

‘It’s unwise to clash with him head-on.’

The Eyes of a Hero.

Even with those eyes, he couldn’t see any openings in Vinchel’s defense.

It was only natural.

He was the Sword Saint, after all.

‘I have to dodge and counter. But it’s too cramped here.’

The wall was crowded with soldiers.

There was no way he could dodge the Sword Saint’s attacks here.

It meant he had to face him head-on.

And that was a surefire way to lose.

He had only one choice.

Change the location.

“Old man! Who said I was going to die? Kill me if you can!”

Max taunted him and jumped back, dodging the swords.

He ran across the wall, stepping on the soldiers’ heads.

Vinchel was furious.

“Don’t you dare run away, you coward!”

He immediately gave chase.

Logically, this was the perfect opportunity to push back the enemy on the walls and secure a foothold, since their commander had fled.

But Vinchel could only see Max.

It was the result of all the humiliation he had suffered at Max’s hands.

He had fallen into Max’s trap.

“Stop, you bastard!”

Vinchel roared and launched two more swords.

*Whoosh!*

The swords flew towards Max menacingly.

They seemed about to pierce through his back.

But at that moment,

Max’s body dropped.

He had jumped off the wall.

The swords sliced through empty air.

“That bastard!”

Vinchel jumped after him.

He could see Max running away below.

“How far do you think you can run?! You call yourself a commander?!”

*Thud!*

He landed on the ground.

But Max was already far ahead.

“You think you can escape from me?!”

Vinchel retrieved his swords and focused his energy on his legs.

His speed increased.

With each step, he closed the distance between them.

‘I wasn’t planning on running away, old man.’

Max wasn’t panicking.

His goal had been to lure Vinchel to a more spacious location.

And he had already achieved that goal.

‘That place should do.’

Max’s gaze landed on a spot.

Where the giant Turtle Catapult was located.

It was the perfect place to fight the Sword Saint.

He could use the giant turtle as a shield to limit the Sword Saint’s attack angles.

Max ran towards it without hesitation.

“Hey, Max, where are you going?!”

Ran, who had been watching from afar, shrieked.

To an artisan, their creations were like their children.

And a masterpiece like the Turtle Catapult was even more precious.

But Max, who was being chased, was heading towards it.

It was only natural for Ran to have a bad feeling about this.

“Let me use it. Human lives are more important.”

Max winked at her.

“Who said you could?!”

Ran fumed, but it was too late.

Vinchel had already reached the Turtle Catapult.

He stopped abruptly.

He was stunned.

By the sight of the monstrous catapult that had ruined his plans.

It was an awe-inspiring sight.

It was hard to believe that it was man-made.

But,

“A turtle…?”

It was bizarre.

He wouldn’t have felt this way if it had a dragon head or a lion head.

But it was a cute turtle.

It was incredibly bizarre.

“Yes, a turtle. Remember that. It’s the symbol of our elite unit, the unit that has been crushing you, and will continue to crush you until the very end.”

Max said confidently.

…It didn’t quite match his current appearance, hiding behind the giant turtle’s shell and peeking out from the side.

“Come out, come out!”

Ran tried to pull Max away from the Turtle Catapult.

But Max ignored her.

Ran clutched her head in frustration.

Meanwhile,

Vinchel narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

He remembered.

Saya, who had suffered a crushing defeat, had reported about a strange unit with a turtle flag.

And he had also seen the turtle emblem during the ambush.

“Damn turtle.”

He muttered coldly.

He didn’t understand how the Celtrine family had managed to train such elite soldiers, but it didn’t matter.

“They’ll all die in this battle. You and that turtle.”

“Hey, don’t destroy it!”

Ran shouted, mistaking his words for a threat against the Turtle Catapult.

But when Vinchel glared at her, she immediately hid behind the turtle’s shell, like a turtle retreating into its shell.

“…”

Max was speechless, dumbfounded by her reaction.

But Vinchel didn’t wait for him to recover.

“You think you’re safe hiding there? Die a pathetic death!”

*Whoosh!*

Vinchel’s aura flared again, like the sun.

His aura slashed towards the turtle.

It seemed capable of cutting through anything.

“Tsk.”

Max instinctively raised his sword.

He was worried.

Vinchel’s Sword Aura was incredibly powerful.

And then,

*Clang!*

A deafening clang echoed through the air, and the turtle’s body started to crack.

“Ouch!”

Ran cried out as if she had been injured.

But,

*Clang!*

Vinchel’s sword, which had been cutting through the turtle’s shell, suddenly stopped, as if it had hit a wall.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A strange silence fell over them.

Max’s laughter broke the silence.

“Hahaha, you look pathetic, old man. That shell is incredibly tough, you know? Did you think you could cut through anything with your Sword Aura?”

Vinchel’s face turned red with anger.

“Damn it!”

He poured more energy into his sword, but it barely moved.

It was a clear sign that he was outmatched.

“Stop it, stop it!”

Ran’s face was crumpled in distress.

There were damages that could be repaired, and damages that couldn’t.

The Turtle Catapult was already on the verge of breaking.

If it was damaged any further, she would have to rebuild it from scratch.

“Don’t you have any compassion for her?”

Max clicked his tongue.

“It’s your fault!”

Ran glared at him.

Max ignored her again.

The farce only fueled Vinchel’s anger.

He was on the verge of losing his mind, consumed by shame and humiliation.

“You damn couple!”

“Hey, why am I…?”

“Shut up!”

“…Yes, sir.”

Ran obediently hid behind the turtle’s shell again, like a turtle retreating into its shell.

“Why are you bullying her…?”

“Shut up, you too!”

Vinchel unleashed his Sword Control Technique.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh!*

Two swords flew towards Max from both sides.

But Max was prepared and blocked them with the Form of the Destructive Slash.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The Sword Control Technique was powerful and sharp.

But the truly dangerous attack was Vinchel’s own sword, not his Sword Control Technique.

As long as he could dodge that, he was confident that he could hold out.

Until his allies gained the upper hand.

‘He’ll have to go around.’

The giant turtle was blocking his path, so even the monstrous Sword Saint couldn’t attack him directly.

He would have to go around, either to the left or to the right.

Max’s eyes were focused on blocking the swords.

But he had another weapon.

One of his awakened hero traits.

Hero’s Intuition.

It was an incredibly useful trait that warned him of danger.

*Thud!*

‘Left!’

Max hurriedly dodged to the right.

He had sensed a chill run down his spine from his left side.

And so began a desperate game of cat and mouse.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

*Thud! Thud!*

He dodged to the right.

‘The other side?’

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

He suddenly changed direction and ran.

He had sensed a chill from the other side.

“You little rat!”

Vinchel was frustrated.

In a chase where the target was circling around an obstacle, the pursuer had the advantage.

Because the pursuer had the initiative.

He could change direction at any time and confuse the target.

If the target hesitated for even a moment, it would be the end.

But Max never hesitated.

He changed direction instantly, as if he could read Vinchel’s mind.

Even while being harassed by the Sword Control Technique.

*Clang! Clang!*

Max skillfully deflected the swords while running.

‘You think you can hit me with such limited attacks?’

His attack angle was completely blocked.

And the swords had to circle around the obstacle.

Their trajectory was easy to predict.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

Max was getting injured.

But they were just minor injuries.

He hadn’t suffered any serious wounds.

He would have been dead long ago if he couldn’t handle this much.

Max calmly focused on dodging.

Time was on his side.

He believed.

In himself.

And in the strength of his allies.

* * *

“It’s all plains from here. Increase the speed.”

Five thousand soldiers marched south from the north.

A flag with a snowflake emblem fluttered in the wind.

The emblem of the Ehrenbert family, the most powerful family in the north.

They were the vanguard, rushing to reinforce Celtrine Castle.

“We’re already pushing our soldiers and horses to their limits. If they’re exhausted when we arrive…”

The lieutenant trailed off.

But,

“No, we just have to arrive. Then the enemy will be forced to retreat.”

Regina Ehrenbert said with unwavering confidence.

A confidence that no one else understood.

“As you know, the enemy has thirty thousand soldiers. It’s hard to believe that they would retreat just because five thousand reinforcements arrived…”

“Yes, that would be the case in a normal situation.”

“Huh?”

“But what if they’re concentrated in one place? Wouldn’t they feel threatened and retreat if a significant number of enemy reinforcements appeared?”

“Did you receive information that the enemy is concentrated in one place?”

The lieutenant’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was a valid question.

The only information they had received from Celtrine Castle was that it was completely surrounded by the Crown Prince’s army.

There was no way they could communicate with the inside if thirty thousand soldiers were surrounding the castle.

“No, it’s not information. It’s faith.”

A faint smile appeared on Regina’s lips.

“Huh?”

“Let’s leave it at that. We’ll find out when we arrive.”

“A-As you wish, my lady.”

*Neigh!*

*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!*

A new hope was approaching Celtrine Castle.

A hope that was shared by not just Regina, but also Max.

The reward for their faith was returning.