Chapter 1455. Continental War (35)

“Who... are you?” Ryu Han asked.

“...”

“Who the hell are you?” he asked again.

‘That’s what I should be asking.’

There was no way a psychopathic killing machine like him could understand someone pure and just. He couldn't possibly understand someone like me, who was like a blank white sheet of paper.

There was no way he could understand that there were people capable of influencing others and guiding them.

If even ordinary people couldn’t understand me, how could someone like him possibly understand Light Ki-Young, who was full of conviction? I was certain that even Commander Jin would never find eyes as clean and pure as my eyes.

“You...” he paused.

“...”

Of course, I didn’t speak with a mad killing machine.

He simply glared at me while breathing roughly, as I was still standing with both arms spread wide, seemingly protecting Sung Ji-Hoon.

The man swung his sword again. For someone capable of swinging his sword rapidly to the point of near invisibility, his movement looked rather slow. He was obviously trying to intimidate me rather than cut me down.

With a faint

slice,

blood trickled down my left cheek, but I still didn’t flinch or step back.

If anything, my distinctive eyes shone even brighter. I stared at him with a gaze that seemed to be saying that even if I were wounded and defiled, the flame of my conviction would never go out.

The man swung his sword again.

This time, a thin line appeared across my neck, yet I still didn’t move.

‘

This bastard has no intention of killing me.

’

This time, he went for my arm, and then he went for my leg.

Jin Yoo remained unmoving.

“...”

“...”

The corners of the man’s eyes trembled again.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it was clear that he was shaken.

‘

I should probably pull back soon.’

Frankly, the situation wasn’t exactly favorable. I could see that Alps was gaining the upper hand over Valentin Alexandro, but there was still some time left until their battle ended, and there was no need to even mention the Holy Sword Hero, who was completely knocked out despite holding the Holy Sword.

It seemed we weren’t being pushed back too badly yet, but the ladies and the soldiers weren’t in good shape either.

A long, drawn-out battle was disadvantageous for our side, so the correct move here was to somehow disengage and plan for another day.

“J-Jin Yoo?” Sung Ji-Hoon said.

“...”

“Jin Yoo?”

I heard Sung Ji-Hoon’s voice, who had briefly lost consciousness. They were only scratches, but looked shocked after seeing that my clothes were soaked in blood.

After coming back to his senses, he said, “Run away...”

“...”

“Run away... I’ll handle things here. Hurry and run away...” he said.

‘Anyone can see that you’ll die if you handle things here.’

“

Eeek.. ngh...

”

‘Stop making noises Ha-Yan would make, damn it. Hold back.’

He was completely exhausted, but his eyes were still alive. The flame inside Sung Ji-Hoon hadn’t gone out either. The killing machine’s eyes twitched again as he slowly raised his sword. For a moment, I wondered if he was going to make another pointless warning attack like before, but when I saw that his pupils became darker than usual, I realized that he truly intended to kill Sung Ji-Hoon.

I didn’t know what it was, but something in Sung Ji-Hoon’s actions triggered the bastard.

‘What the? Can he cut past me and strike behind me? Is that even possible?’

I understood that he wasn’t trying to strike me at all. His real target was the man behind me, but the Holy Sword Hero who kept telling me to run away didn’t seem to realize that he himself was the target.

Of course, I had to do something.

As always, all I could do was pour out some damn light.

“N-NO!!!” I shouted as the Light Bomb Potion in my arms exploded into pieces, pouring out light that pervaded all cardinal directions. The moonlight version of the light bomb potion released a bright lunar glow that pervaded the battlefield, instantly healing the injured allies while the enemies recoiled from it as if they were members of an undead legion.

“NOOOOOO!!!”

Fwooooooosh!

Kabooooooooooom!

‘Was it too much?’

The light was

really

blinding. Even Lady Palette's smoke was forcibly scattered in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the troops were laid bare as if the cloudy sky had suddenly cleared up.

The only difference was that this was happening on the ground.

I was briefly stunned by a miracle that was bigger than I had expected, but it wasn’t a bad result.

The abrupt radiant light forced the battle to come to a halt.

Those affected and those unaffected alike couldn’t look away from the moonlight that illuminated the world. Of course, Ryu Han and Valentin Alexandro couldn't look away at it as well.

Realizing that something had gone wrong, Alps turned pale, seemingly blaming herself for forgetting her original mission by becoming immersed in the fight.

I didn’t know if she felt like she had no face to show Lee Chang-Ryeol, but when she saw me covered in wounds, she immediately leaped toward me.

“Where do you think you’re going, you wench?!” Valentin Alexandro shouted.

“...”

“

Tch!

”

Even Valentin Pathetic-Alexandro didn’t bother stopping Alps. Perhaps he predicted that he would lose if the battle continued. Even though it clearly looked like he could catch her, he had deliberately let her go. His exaggerated reaction of being unable to open his eyes properly because of the light was the key point.

Granted, that light was probably dealing damage to him, so I could somewhat understand why he chose to abandon the fight, but for someone who supposedly enjoyed pushing himself to the limits against powerful opponents, it was a disgracefully petty display.

Meanwhile, Alps aimed her sword at Ryu Han. She even took out the whistle from her chest. She was likely preparing to link up with Shiro.

‘Wrong move. We’re not planning to keep fighting here.’

When she saw me helping up the Holy Sword Hero, Alps finally realized that we were trying to retreat. Lady Paint also appeared to recognize that this was the only chance to retreat, as she encouraged the troops to do so.

Naturally, I supported Sung Ji-Hoon.

“Mr. Ji-Hoon! Please wake up! Mr. Ji-Hoon!”

“

Uh... uh...

”

‘He’s completely exhausted.’

He had no visible wounds, but he was in a state of total exhaustion. More than that, what stood out was his shocked expression.

“What... was that light just now?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

‘What the hell is this idiot talking about? Light is just light, you idiot.’

“Just now... that light, what was it... Jin Yoo? That thing just now...” he mumbled.

‘This idiot really can’t get it together.’

“A-answer me. Jin Yoo. What in the world was that light?” he asked.

For some reason, he looked deeply shaken, or rather, he looked like he had realized something. It was true that the situation was surprising, but he seemed to be reacting far more dramatically than necessary.

While we were in the middle of escaping, he kept pressing me for an answer about the light that erupted from me. He looked more interested in me than in Ryu Han, who had actually taken damage from the light.

‘Has this idiot finally lost his mind? Shouldn’t he worry about whether Ryu Han is going to chase us?’

I had no idea whether it was because of the Light Bomb Potion or because he needed time to sort out his thoughts, but Ryu Han was just staring blankly at us as we moved farther away.

When I glanced back at him, I could see him growing smaller in the distance, still staring off into space with an unreadable face. The Republic forces, collectively struck with some kind of status abnormality, weren’t even thinking about pursuing us. Once again, smoke covered us as we pulled back.

Everyone was looking at us with stunned faces. It made sense, after all, hearing about a saint was one thing, but witnessing a miracle like this right in front of one's eyes would naturally make anyone look like that.

Seeing both the Republic forces and our side making those faces, I could somewhat understand why the Holy Sword Hero was overreacting, but strangely enough, Sung Ji-Hoon’s face made me feel indescribably uneasy.

‘What the hell is wrong with this idiot?’

While the Holy Sword Hero was muttering to himself like a man who had lost his soul, I heard someone say, “So you really... are the Saint.”

“...”

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Was that a miracle just now? What on earth did we just witness, Hamgardia?” Palette asked.

“We can think about that later. Right now, we need to move even farther. The enemy forces are still nearby,” Hamgardia answered.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” she said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“There will be no pursuers,” Palette chimed in.

“What are you talking about, Palette?” Hamgardia asked.

“The Union has moved,” Palette replied.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘This is pretty sweet.’

A heavy silence fell over the room because...

“...”

“...”

“The final battle... has begun.”

The Keepers of the Moonlight originally aimed to stop the war, so from a big-picture perspective, our mission had failed. Everyone stared closely at me as Palette added, “We scattered small smoke clouds across the conflict zones. The Union forces are pushing through that smoke and crossing into the Republic front as we speak.

"From the Republic’s perspective, they no longer have the capacity to worry about us, as total war is truly about to unfold.”

“...”

“Then... the 4-1 Front will remain the same, I suppose.”

‘

First Commander Jin and Ki-Young... They’re probably tearing each other apart.

’

I activated my Telescope. Just as Palette had stated, massive numbers of troops were crossing the front lines. The scale was enough to make all the battles we had fought until now feel like child’s play. I saw armored knights, war machines, young soldiers with faces hardened by tension, and flags fluttering in the wind—it was a scene worthy of being called spectacular.

Amidst it all, I saw a few familiar faces.

‘

The brigade.

’

They had apparently decided to fight on the Union’s side at the 4-2 Front. Naturally, they wouldn’t miss this kind of event, probably salivating at the chance. Excited to participate in the war, they had to have joined the Union forces while hiding their identity.

The 4-1 Front was no different; in fact, it entered full-scale combat slightly ahead of 4-2.

A myriad of soldiers clashed, killing and being killed.

At the 4-1 Front, First Hyun-Sung and First Ki-Young collided with First Commander Jin, while at 4-2, Ryu Han and Jung Jin-Ho would soon face off. My heart pounded at the thought of a showdown between those villains, but I couldn't show my excitement.

Right now, revealing a melancholic face was crucial. In the end...

‘

We failed to stop the war.

’

We had done our best, but we had ultimately accomplished nothing. While I was playing the part of the sad child, a choked-up voice suddenly reached my ears.

“

Heuk... kgh... heuuuk...

”

‘Seriously, what the hell? There’s been something wrong with him.’

He didn’t look like he was crying because he felt powerless, and it didn’t even look like he was crying because of my wounds.

Just then, the Holy Sword Hero grabbed my arm tightly for no reason.

“Jin Yoo...” Sung Ji-Hoon muttered.

‘What’s wrong with him? Why is he acting like this? Let go of me, damn it.’

“...”

“...”

“...”

“You're Yuriel, aren't you?” he asked.

‘What kind of crazy nonsense is this idiot suddenly spouting?’

“?”

“Y-you... you're Yuriel, right?” he asked again.

“?”

‘What the hell does that even mean, you crazy idiot?’

I was so baffled by the unpredictable turn of events that I was left speechless.

“

Heuk...

you’re Yuriel, aren’t you?”

Once again, I realized that the idiot before me had read way too many mangas and novels.