“Weakling. Go die. Crawl your way here alone.”
At the gathering, as if they had planned it, Rem used his tongue instead of an axe to corner Ragna.
Cough.
As Ragna was about to speak, he raised his hand and flipped the middle finger, a gesture long known as a curse on the continent. Rem nodded, as if making a decision.
“Captain, now’s the time. Just chop his head off. We can do it now without much damage.”
He spoke while making a chopping motion at his neck with his hand.
Listening to him, one might think Encrid had agreed with Rem to kill Ragna no matter what.
Rem had immediately started cursing Ragna without hearing the situation. When asked what happened, he replied that he had let one of the two Knights get away.
Jaxon chuckled at that.
He even made a hissing sound, like air being let out, clearly mocking. Encrid could have bet a finger, if not a wrist, that it was intentional.
“Let’s just kill that bastard too.”
Rem urged Encrid to kill them all, but of course, no one was going to heed that suggestion.
“Finn, go ahead and relay the situation. We’ll join the main force as planned.”
“Yes!”
Finn half-ignored what they were saying, already having forgotten any fears about Jaxon or the current situation.
Why?
Because the people in front of her were in the midst of creating a legend.
This might have been the birth of a legend.
Varna Hurrier, she had heard of this Knight’s name as well, and now she heard he was cut down single-handedly.
Varna was the Cyprus of Aspen.
Just twenty years ago, it was meaningless to speak of the military strength of those two nations without mentioning their names.
Finn, now heading out for scouting, knew that Knight Varna could show up on the battlefield they were about to fight on.
But that didn’t mean she had a sense of defeat.
'If luck is on our side and two or more mad Knights join the fight, we might have a chance.'
Assessing Knight-level power was beyond Finn’s judgment, but she had once thought that way. And now Ragna had single-handedly cut him down. Though gravely wounded, it was a victory for their side.
Before Finn’s eyes lay a corpse, a mere remnant.
Even without the insignia of the Aspen Royal Knights emblazoned on his gear, the blood-soaked, gouged earth was enough to suggest a brutal and fierce battle.
‘A monster.’
The man named Ragna was a monster, just like Jaxon and the others.
“I can still fight.”
And on top of that, he was utterly insane. Just listen to what he was saying now.
“Come at me, barbarian.”
He vomited blood due to internal injuries, and those were his two words.
“You little bastard, I let you live once.”
It might have been fortunate that equally insane Rem hadn’t swung his axe.
Was it because Encrid was quietly standing between the two of them?
Killing Varna single-handedly was impressive, but Varna wasn’t the only one who had come from Aspen.
There was a man who had slaughtered the Fairy warriors single-handedly, and Rem had also faced two Knights.
And Encrid, who led them all, had killed one Knight himself.
They often spouted crazy talk, but they never told lies.
Every casual word that left their mouths was the truth.
Finn followed Encrid’s orders and set off first.
Various measures had been taken to prevent an all-out war, but to truly stop the battle, these people would be necessary.
That’s why Finn decided to worry about exhaustion later and hurried her steps.
After Finn and her subordinates had left, Encrid pointed with his finger at the path that cut across the mountain range and spoke.
“We’ll join the main force.”
* * *
Encrid suggested taking a slightly rough path to reach the main force, for no particular reason.
If anyone asked, that was the only explanation he could give, it was just a gut feeling.
Sure, getting back quickly was good, but crossing the mountain range directly?
“He needs treatment.”
Sinar said, not needing to specify whom she meant.
Both Rem and Jaxon turned their gazes toward the same person.
“Is it me?”
Jaxon muttered.
“How about we bury him and come back for him tomorrow?”
Rem responded to that.
At moments like this, the two seemed to get along quite well.
What if they worked together in actual combat?
If Rem fought mercilessly on instinct, Jaxon had the skill to fill in any gaps with precision.
In some ways, they might actually make a good team.
“Your eyes are filled with a suspicious aura again.”
“Disgusting eyes.”
Both of them replied simultaneously, their sharp instincts clearly in sync.
Encrid’s gaze turned to Ragna, who responded.
“If I rub some spit on it, I’ll be fine.”
His knees, shoulders, even his internal organs were injured, and his eyes were hurt too.
If spit could heal those kinds of wounds, there’d be no need for Divine Healing in this world. All the healers might as well stop studying and just go around spitting on people.
“Get on.”
Encrid crouched in front of Ragna and said.
“...Seriously?”
Sinar asked, watching the scene unfold. She thought there was no rush, so why carry him?
“There’s nothing wrong with getting there faster.”
Encrid replied nonchalantly.
“Seriously?”
“Really?”
Rem and Jaxon added, clicking their tongues at the injured Ragna.
“Tsk.”
“I see now that beheading the both of you and burying my sword here would be the right path for the continent’s peace.”
Ragna, clearly agitated, muttered under his breath, though he wasn’t in any shape to challenge them physically.
“Get on.”
What choice did he have?
Once Encrid insisted, there was no arguing.
Sinar helped lift Ragna onto Encrid’s back, and they descended the mountain.
Though the Pen-Hanil Mountains were dangerous, it wasn't for these people.
“What about the one that got away?”
Encrid asked as they descended.
“Hmph.”
Jaxon let out a reflexive sigh beside him. Rem glanced at Jaxon before replying.
“Well, it seems he shriveled up. I doubt he’ll go running to the main force.”
Encrid didn’t ask what exactly had shriveled, but he heard Sinar mutter, “His balls”, from behind.
It was a subtle Fairy joke, spoken loud enough to gauge reactions.
It was meant to fluster, but Encrid wasn’t fazed.
He simply found the comment grating. The only reason he’d heard it before the Fairies was because his instincts had triggered his heightened senses.
“Jaxon.”
“I’m going ahead.”
The rumble of the ground, the vibrations in the air, and the distant battle cries reached them, prompting Jaxon to rush ahead.
His figure quickly disappeared into the trees.
They had almost reached the bottom of the mountain range.
Rem snorted and said.
“I’ll clear the way.”
The scent of beasts and monsters lingered in the air. Rem veered to the side and began hacking away with his axe.
Crack! Crack! Splat!
The sound of bones, muscles, and sinew being split and crushed reverberated in Encrid’s ears.
Sinar paused mid-run, her eyes narrowing.
The sun was beginning to set in the west. While it wasn’t time for the sunset just yet, the falling sun cast long shadows.
As they descended the mountain, the situation became clear.
“Waaaahhh!”
The enemy forces were charging at them.
Sinar foresaw what was about to happen. Blood would pool and then flow across the battlefield, forming streams, then rivers.
Once the charge began, madness would overtake the battlefield.
Aspen had filled the void left by their falling morale with madness.
“Yaaahoo!”
The charge of the beastmen, part of Aspen’s integration policy with non-human races, marked the start.
Conversely, their own forces didn’t charge to meet them.
Yet, the collision between the two sides was inevitable, as sure as the flow of time itself.
Just as today would give way to tomorrow, this was an unchangeable law.
Encrid set Ragna down.
“We’re at the base of the mountains. There are no monsters here, so hold out.”
“You’ll need my sword.”
“No, just stay put. I’ll come back for you.”
Encrid said, then looked ahead.
Why had the enemy suddenly begun a full-frontal charge?
He didn’t know. And there was no need to know.
This wasn’t something orchestrated by anyone, nor was the answer set in stone, but Encrid knew what he had to do.
“Sinar!”
Encrid kicked off the ground and started descending faster, at first at a reasonable speed, but soon accelerating.
Boom! Boom!
Not holding back his strength, his feet pounded the ground, cracking earth and stone, sending debris flying like a fountain.
It was a violent, reckless charge. Anyone who saw it would know that a monster far beyond human capabilities was approaching.
Sinar followed with swift, nimble movements. Behind them, Rem finished hacking through beasts and monsters and joined them.
“Jaxon!”
“I’m late!”
Encrid heard Jaxon’s reply. He had only called his name, but they both understood the meaning.
It was the answer to the question of whether they could stop the advancing forces.
As Encrid ran, he asked himself. Could there be a way to stop the charging army?
If the numbers were equal, it could be stopped. Even with fewer troops, if well-trained, it could still be done.
But that would mean countless deaths.
'Is there another way?'
What if overwhelming violence was the answer?
A Knight is a monster capable of facing a thousand enemies alone. And here, there weren’t just one but three such monsters.
That could be a deterrent.
His current actions weren’t based on calculations. Encrid simply saw people who would die meaningless deaths.
There was no glory, honor, or fame in this battle. Only slaughter remained.
Only the song of steel would greet them, and in the end, they would be drowning in a black river of death.
Those who glorified death might welcome such slaughter.
But Encrid was not one of them.
Killing and dying should have a purpose—to decide victory. But this was nothing more than senseless death.
The war was already over.
Even if he didn’t know where this situation began, he would end it.
Will became conviction, and conviction became power, igniting within him. Encrid felt the boiling energy of his Will.
“Audin!”
He shouted, but the Will that surged inside him didn’t burst forth. In this chaotic situation, Audin likely hadn’t heard his voice.
Encrid took another deep breath. Then, pouring his intent into his boiling Will, he shouted again.
Let it resound loudly.
Let it reach everyone’s ears.
“Au-din!”
What he lacked in technique, he made up for with volume. Encrid unleashed his overflowing Will.
It was like a thunderclap, filled with intent as he called Audin’s name.
As he shouted the three syllables, the owner of that name burst out from the side.
“Yes, Brother, Audin is here!”
“Stop them!”
Encrid saw glowing points appear, like shining dots, scattered across the battlefield.
They weren’t literally glowing. His intuition, reacting to his boiling Will, showed him these spots.
What were they? The points that needed to be blocked.
The first one was on the far right of the battlefield. It was the point between where the two armies were about to collide, and Encrid pointed it out.
“Teresa, help them!”
With that, Audin and Teresa moved to block that spot.
How were they going to stop them?
What was needed was overwhelming violence.
Audin clenched his fist, resisting the urge to unleash his Divine Power, and struck out.
Boom!
No one could ignore what happened right before their eyes. Two people flew through the air, sent flying by Audin’s strength.
If he had intended to kill them, they would have been crushed. But he held back, sending them flying to draw attention.
Audin carried out Encrid’s intent. Teresa, standing beside him, did the same. She swung her shield.
With a powerful swing, her shield sent the enemy soldiers flying.
They flew like pebbles.
Had they done nothing, the two armies would have clashed before a hundred soldiers could be counted, leading to a chaotic melee.
“Rem!”
“I’m not deaf!”
“There!”
Encrid pointed to another glowing point. It was the continuation of the line formed by the spot next to Audin.
They needed to show overwhelming destruction to stop the enemy’s advance.
“Ah, I see what you’re trying to do.”
Sinar, the quick-witted Fairy, had already figured it out. She sprinted ahead to the spot she needed to be.
Her position was across from Rem, on the opposite side of the battlefield.
Once Sinar had secured that point, she stood firm.
“Come this far, and I’ll make you shrink in fear.”
It might have seemed like a joke in such a serious moment, but it was Sinar’s way of showing confidence.
This wasn’t a situation where her body would crumble to dust, and since Ragna had dealt with Varna, she still had enough strength left.
“Jaxon, Lawford, Pel! Over there!”
Jaxon wasn’t someone who could stop an entire army on his own. So, two more were added to help him hold the line.
Yet, despite their efforts, there remained a large gap in the front. A gap that only Encrid could see.
A gap through which blood would spill if left unguarded.
Encrid ran as he shouted, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart and lungs before stopping.
Behind him were his allies, and in front of him was the enemy.
Half of them were confused by the sight of him charging toward them, while the other half simply charged forward recklessly.
Originally, this would be the moment to show what it meant to be a Knight.
Starting from where Audin stood, the plan was for each of these Knights, capable of slaying a thousand men, to take their place and grind the enemy to a halt.
That was the way to stop the battle with the least bloodshed.
That was what he had been thinking until just moments ago.
‘What stops a person’s steps?’
His thoughts continued as his vision flashed. Encrid clearly distinguished between what he could and couldn’t do.
What he had thought was impossible, he now believed he could do.
The boiling Will gave him a sense of omnipotence.
What stops someone is not violence, but fear.
If fear was what they needed, then he would give them fear.
Just as a dam collapses and releases water, Encrid unleashed his Will in what seemed like a meaningless act. It was an overflowing torrent of Will.
Using his Will as a foundation, Encrid built a wall behind him. Then, he drew his sword and dragged it along the ground in a long line.
Rumble!
A long mark was etched into the earth where his blade had passed.
‘Cross it, and you’ll die.’
He imbued the line with his intent. The mark on the ground became a declaration of his Will.
As he poured out his Will, the pressure it created formed a wall behind him.
The pressure Encrid exerted was something that even Junior-Knights could endure.
So, it wasn’t enough to form a sharp point.
But it could form a wide surface.
The combination of his overwhelming Will and pressure.
Encrid had seen countless walls standing before him, and now he showed the enemy a similar wall in front of him.
But just because they saw the wall, it didn’t mean they could cross it like Encrid could.
Madness faded.
Faced with fear, their feet slowed, and their hands dropped.
A wall? There’s a wall?
If they charged, they would die.
They must not cross that line.
The invisible wall that Encrid created spread wide and evenly, instilling fear in the enemy.
And for those who somehow pushed through the pressure and advanced, determined to fight, they were overwhelmed by Encrid’s insane troops.
“This is the limit.”
Encrid spoke, and a picture-perfect scene unfolded.
The advancing enemy forces came to a halt.
Some of them saw something, whether it was fear or something else, no one knew, but the leading soldiers fell to their knees.
Not just one or two. Dozens, hundreds of them knelt or collapsed to the ground.
The setting sun in the west gathered its remaining light and shone on Encrid.
Standing with his sword raised, light seemed to flow from his entire body.
In reality, the sunlight simply happened to fall on him as he stood alone, but with all eyes on him, it appeared nothing short of miraculous.
There were Knights who could slay a thousand men alone, but none who had ever stopped a thousand men alone.
“Stop.”
Encrid finished speaking.
The war was over.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔