Chapter 333

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

Max’s sword pierced through the abdomen of an eastern army soldier.

It was a fatal wound.

*Thwack!*

He pulled his sword out and kicked the soldier away without hesitation.

Several spears and swords swung towards him.

“Die!”

It was a dangerous moment.

But Max had already jumped back, spinning his body.

*Whoosh!*

*Clank!*

The spears and swords missed, cutting through empty air.

And then,

– Circle Slash.

A powerful slash, enhanced by his spinning momentum, cut through the air in a circular motion.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

*Spurt!*

Blood sprayed from the chests of the eastern army soldiers who had been caught in his attack.

They had been fatally wounded.

*Thud! Thud!*

Their eyes losing their light, they collapsed to the ground like rotten logs.

How many had he killed?

He had lost count.

To the eastern army soldiers, Max was a demon.

A demon who tortured them with hope.

“Damn it! If I can just kill you! If I can just kill you, it’ll be over!”

A soldier shouted, his voice filled with hatred.

He wasn’t wrong.

If they could just kill Max, the enemy commander, the battle would effectively be over.

That’s why the eastern army soldiers had charged at Max with such fervor, fueled by hope.

But none of them had survived.

“Even if eighty thousand of you die, it won’t be over.”

Max retorted with a smirk, unfazed by the murderous aura surrounding him.

It was a sight that would inspire his allies and infuriate his enemies.

“You bastard!”

The eastern army soldiers glared at him, their eyes burning with rage.

They looked ready to charge at him again.

But they hesitated.

Because they knew that he was a demon who would drain them of their hope and leave them with nothing but despair.

“Young Master, it’s dangerous to be so far ahead.”

Hank, the captain of the Celtrine Knights, who was fighting beside him, said.

Hank and his knights were playing a crucial role in this fierce battle.

They were protecting Max’s flanks, allowing him to unleash his full potential.

“Heh, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing… Hmm?”

Max’s smile suddenly vanished.

His hero’s intuition was tingling.

He sensed something strange happening in the enemy ranks.

A powerful force was moving towards their left flank.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?”

“Everyone, be alert.”

“Huh?”

“The real fight is about to begin.”

Max warned them, his face serious.

Hank’s expression hardened.

Because it was a warning from Max.

He had to trust him implicitly.

“The Young Master has spoken! A powerful enemy is approaching! Everyone, brace yourselves!”

Hank shouted.

The Celtrine Knights’ faces became even more determined.

They steeled their resolve.

“For the glory of Celtrine!”

“For victory!”

Their roars echoed across the battlefield, intimidating the eastern army soldiers.

It was then that,

Reinforcements arrived for the eastern army.

The Cavern Knights, led by their commander.

It was Duke Cavern’s move to break through the eastern front.

The eastern army soldiers’ morale soared.

“Woooooo!”

“The knights! The knights are here!”

“The invincible swords of the east!”

“They’ve come to slay the demon!”

The tide of the battle shifted in an instant.

Max chuckled wryly.

“Well, it wasn’t going to be easy.”

“Young Master…”

“But you know, don’t you? The Celtrine army never loses.”

He raised his blood-soaked sword and shouted, “The Celtrine army is invincible! Every enemy who has stood before us has been defeated! And it’ll be the same this time! We will surely achieve victory!”

“The invincible Young Master Max!”

“We just have to follow the Young Master!”

“We’re invincible with the Young Master!”

The Celtrine army’s morale soared again.

It was the aura of their leader.

The Cavern Knight commander frowned as he saw this.

He raised his sword, his eyes burning with determination.

“Max Celtrine will die by my sword! And the Celtrine army will be crushed by our hands! We’ll show them that no one can stand before the eastern army! Wipe them out! Charge!”

The eastern army charged forward.

It was the fiercest clash since the battle began.

A battle that would decide the fate of both armies.

* * *

How much time had passed?

The sun, which had been high in the sky, was now starting to set.

“Hmm.”

Duke Cavern, who had been standing and observing the battle, sat back down.

His aides knew that it was effectively a declaration of victory.

It meant that the battle was no longer worth watching.

“Water.”

An attendant hurriedly brought him a cup of water.

He took a sip.

And then, he said in a casual tone, “We’ll have dinner at Odinel tonight.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

The attendant’s face also brightened.

* * *

“Pant… Pant…”

It had been a long time since she had been this out of breath.

She couldn’t even remember the last time.

When was the last time she had bled?

She couldn’t remember that either.

How many had she killed?

She didn’t know.

*Thud!*

Regina plunged her sword into the ground and knelt on one knee, using it to support herself.

Blood dripped from her wounds.

A wounded wolf.

The wild dogs finally found their voices.

“Y-Yes! The monster is finally at her limit!”

One of the Cavern Knights shouted excitedly.

“Let’s finish her off! Now!”

But no one moved.

They hesitated, as if their feet were glued to the ground.

They were afraid.

It was an unbelievable sight, considering that they were the best knights in the east.

But it was understandable.

Thirty-five of their comrades had already been killed by this woman.

And they had attacked her with fifty men.

The bodies of their fallen comrades lay scattered around them.

Fear.

They couldn’t help but feel fear, as if they were facing a monster.

“You cowards! I’ll take the glory of slaying the Knight of Zephyr! Just watch!”

The knight who had spoken earlier charged at Regina alone, seeing that his comrades were hesitating.

“Take this!”

But instead of attacking her directly, he stopped mid-charge and kicked a rock at her.

It was a pathetic attack that she could easily dodge under normal circumstances.

However,

*Thwack!*

The rock struck her forehead.

Blood trickled down her face.

The knight laughed triumphantly.

“Haha, see? She’s finished! The Knight of Zephyr’s head is mine!”

*Thud!*

He charged at her again, raising his greatsword high in the air.

*Whoosh!*

His greatsword swung down, cleaving through the air.

It was then that,

*Whoosh!*

Regina’s sword hummed.

The sound of a blizzard.

Her sword, which had been embedded in the ground, suddenly shot upwards.

And then, it cut through empty air.

– Blowing Snow.

It was another one of the Erenbert family’s secret sword techniques.

It wasn’t a powerful technique that could cleave through anything, nor was it a swift technique that was too fast for the eye to see.

In fact, it looked like a meaningless swing.

The knight thought the same.

“Hahaha! She missed! She’s completely finished!”

He laughed triumphantly, about to cleave Regina in half with his greatsword.

It was then that,

*Whoosh!*

The sword hummed again.

No, it wasn’t the sword.

It was the wind.

A gust of wind, like a storm, swept over the knight.

“Ugh?!”

His body wouldn’t move forward.

His greatsword wouldn’t descend.

“G-Gah?!”

His face contorted in shock and frustration.

D-Damn it!

This can’t be happening!

Just a little more!

If he could just move a little closer, he could cleave that monster’s head off!

He gritted his teeth and tried to swing his greatsword with all his might.

But his body wouldn’t budge, as if he was pushing against a wall.

It was then that,

*Whoosh!*

A blade, glowing with a faint blue light, appeared before him, riding the wind.

N-No…!

*Thud!*

“G-Gah…”

*Thump!*

His body slumped forward, a sword protruding from his neck.

He died without even knowing how he had been killed.

He didn’t know that her first swing, which had seemed like a miss, had actually created a powerful gust of wind that had held him in place, and that her second attack, a thrust, had taken his life.

Regina, who had created that unbelievable scene, slowly stood up.

She was still swaying, weakened by blood loss.

But the remaining fourteen knights were overwhelmed by her, even in her weakened state.

“How many are left?”

She asked coldly.

“Ugh… How can such a monster exist…?”

“W-We have to… We have to attack her all at once…”

“Y-Yes. Let’s attack on the count of three.”

The knights exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fear.

But they had no choice.

Kill or be killed.

“Three, two… One!”

“Charge!”

They charged at Regina, screaming.

* * *

“Aaaaaargh!”

He saw a Celtrine soldier fall.

“Gah!”

He saw a Celtrine knight fall.

It was an inevitable sight on a battlefield.

It couldn’t be helped.

This was war.

Max steeled his resolve.

The eastern army, led by Duke Cavern.

They had always been a formidable opponent in every civil war.

He had annihilated them countless times in the game.

And now he was fighting them in reality.

Was it hopeless?

No.

This time was different.

‘They’ve fallen for my trap.’

He had carefully laid out a multi-layered trap.

And Duke Cavern and the eastern army had fallen for it.

They had walked right into it, unaware that they were being lured.

He just needed one thing.

To endure as the “anvil” until the “hammer” arrived.

Just a little longer.

Just a little longer.

His hero’s intuition was telling him,

That they just had to endure a little longer.

*Slash!*

His arm was slashed, blood spurting from the wound.

“Y-Young Master!”

Hank shouted in alarm.

But he was locked in combat with another Cavern Knight and couldn’t help Max.

“Just a little longer.”

Max muttered.

His body, battered and bruised, screamed in pain.

But he could endure.

Because he had a pillar to support him.

A strong pillar.

“What did you say?”

The Cavern Knight commander glared at him.

“Just a little longer.”

Max repeated.

“What do you mean, just a little longer? Are you delirious?”

The Cavern Knight commander scoffed.

And then, he said, “He’s a tough one, so don’t let your guard down. Not until he’s dead. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

The Cavern Knights replied, their eyes serious.

They knew.

That almost ten of their comrades had already been killed by this man.

He wasn’t just a brilliant strategist.

He was also a skilled warrior.

Even their commander had been forced to resort to a group attack.

But killing him was still proving to be difficult.

However, there was strength in numbers.

They had finally managed to corner him.

“I’ll hold him down. You finish him off.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Cavern Knight commander walked towards Max, his steps heavy and deliberate.

The strongest warrior would engage the enemy first, and then the others would attack.

It was a classic tactic.

It was the same tactic they had been using to push Max back.

“You could have been a hero. But you were unlucky. You were just a star that couldn’t shine before a true hero.”

The knight commander acknowledged Max’s strength.

But the outcome was the same.

No one could defeat Duke Cavern.

“Heh, who’s the true hero?”

Max scoffed.

The knight commander clicked his tongue.

“You’ll find out in hell.”

He raised his sword, about to attack.

It was then that,

Something unexpected happened.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The sound of galloping horses echoed across the battlefield.

It was coming from behind them.

The knight commander froze.

“W-What…?”

His eyes widened in shock, and his body turned to stone.

On the other hand,

“Hahahahahaha!”

Max burst out laughing.

He raised his sword high in the air, his voice filled with power.

“It’s over.”