Chapter 84. Battle at the Abyssal Rocks (1)

"Where did that come from? Did it come out of thin air?!" At the deputy commander’s shout, Nareel furrowed his brow and shot a glare at Karyl.

Did he activate the Fountain of Vision? But how could he know about a secret that no one else has ever discovered? And what about the Sand Serpent slithering behind him? It seemed to be twice the size of an ordinary serpent. It was almost comparable to a dragon.

"Ryeo Knights! Prepare for battle!" The vice-captain’s rallying cry prompted the knights to raise their swords and shields in unison.

"A creature of that size is rare even on this continent. Wait, could it be...? Is that the rumored Lord of the Rolling Hills?"

"Stop the nonsense, no one has ever tamed a monster of that scale."

"But still..."

Despite their skepticism, it was clear that the creature was obedient to human commands.

"It’s just a beast at the end of the day. The Ryeo Knights shall not be defeated by such filthy beasts!"

“Yes, Sir!!”

With Nareel’s composed commands, the chaos quickly subsided and the knights regrouped. As if accustomed to it, they quickly formed squads and maintained their formation. For this group of knights, comprised of Sword Experts, hunting magical beasts was not an unfamiliar task.

"For the glory of the flames!"

With the resounding battle cry of the Ryeo Knights, they charged toward Karyl.

“ROOOOAR!!!” The Sand Serpent also let out a ferocious roar and lunged at the knights.

"Block it!"

"Fight on!"

As the beast and the knights clashed, screams echoed throughout the vicinity.

Watching the unfolding chaos, Karyl said calmly, "Kayla Spear, take the tribespeople with you and leave."

"What?" Kayla, who was supporting her fallen father, retorted with a questioning gaze.

"You're a burden."

"I can fight too! These are the enemies who decimated my family, and you expect me to simply stand aside?"

"I'm talking about your father. The area is cramped enough as it is, and if he stays here, we won’t be able to fight freely. If you don't want to see him trampled to death by the guards, step back."

Thump—

Karyl took out a small potion from his cloak and tossed it to her. "It’s costly, so use it sparingly. It should, at the very least, get the others into walking shape."

Kayla looked back and forth from the swishing red liquid in the bottle to the fallen tribespeople. "I'll come back, so wait for me!"

"By the time you return, it'll all be over. Don't act recklessly and just wait at the evacuation spot. I'll be there soon."

Despite being surrounded by knights, Karyl maintained his composure. Kayla Spear no longer protested and just simply nodded her head.

"Hyah!"

"It's been quite a while since I fought a swordsman who uses a Mana Blade. Was it last in Tatur?" Karyl parried a knight's sword, murmuring to himself as if he was savoring the moment. "But sadly, it’s such an outdated form of swordsmanship."

With all his might, he swung his Freezing Talon, causing the knight to stagger.

"Got ‘em!" exclaimed Banhon. He swung his sword with all his might, aiming at Karyl’s back. The unique Earth element imbued within his Mana Blade made his sword sound as though it were a massive club.

"..."

There wasn't enough time to rotate the Freezing Talon to block the oncoming strike. However, Karyl boldly let go of the Freezing Talon, swiftly twisted around, and slammed his fist into Banhon’s abdomen.

"..."

Karyl's fist connected with the man's armor. Banhon, still clutching his raised sword, stiffened.

"Kugh."

Crimson blood trickled from beneath his helmet.

"

...

!!"

The Ryeo Knights stood in stunned silence as the man crumbled before them.

"Sir Banhon!!!"

The knights shouted his name in horror.

Click—

Instead of a response, the sound of a sharp blade piercing through the mithril gauntlet echoed in the air.

Crunch...!!

The ghastly sound, like bones being ground to dust, was accompanied by a piercing scream.

"Aaaagh!!!"

"You bastard!!"

Nareel swung his massive axe at Karyl with all his might. The ground shattered with a thunderous crash, sending debris flying in all directions.

Nareel.

As Karyl kicked Banhon's lifeless body aside and retrieved the gauntlet, he swiftly dodged his attack.

In his previous life, Nareel had been one of the few nobles who treated him as an equal comrade. His resolve wavered.

[What will you do?]

Banhon is one thing, but Nareel... If I kill all the Ryeo Knights here, Prince Luon's influence will grow too strong. Maintaining the delicate balance between the two princes is still necessary.

Karyl spoke to Allen as he stepped on Banhon's corpse.

[Are you serious?] Allen seemed unsatisfied with his response and pressed further. Perhaps he had sensed the hesitation in his eyes.

"Youuuuu! Aaaaargh!!!" Nareel bellowed with rage, raising his axe. A radiant light gathered around the crescent blade, forming a potent lightning unlike Banhon's Mana Blade—its brilliance illuminated the surroundings.

"You... You bastard!!" Nareel’s booming shout was followed by the horizontal swing of his axe through the very body of Banhon that Karyl had just stepped on.

Boom-!!!

Just in the nick of time, Karyl stepped back, leaving the axe to slice through air. The intense pressure seemed to split the very fabric of the atmosphere, sending several bolts of lightning scattering in all directions.

As the vibrating axe lodged in the ground, Nareel, lifting Banhon's lifeless corpse, demanded of Karyl, "Who are you, you bastard?"

The ease in Nareel’s expression was now completely gone. Belatedly realizing his mistake, Nareel now regarded Karyl as a formidable enemy that had to be dealt with.

Instead of responding, Karyl stomped the ground once again.

Five Sword Step.

First the Crown Posture.

With a fluid motion, he extended his arm and swiftly broke through Nareel's guard, drawing his sword.

"

...

!!"

Despite his years on the battlefield, Nareel had never faced such a blade. He hurriedly rotated his axe, using its broadside to block Karyl's strike.

The sturdy axe wavered, and Nareel staggered.

How can such a scrawny guy have this much power...

The force emanating from Karyl’s small stature felt like that of a seasoned commander.

"Hup!"

Karyl didn't relent in his assault. Concentrating mana in one palm, he pulled the Freezing Talon inward.

Colorless Sword Technique—Seventh Form.

The sword moved in a zigzag pattern, springing forth like a coiled serpent.

But there was no time for Nareel to react. Dozens of blows were exchanged in the blink of an eye, causing Nareel's massive axe to be jolted and knocked away. Seizing this opportunity, Karyl swung the Freezing Talon with all his might.

A chilling strike resounded.

"Vice-captain!!"

The knights cried out as they saw Nareel's axe crashing to the ground. However, amidst the swirling dust, a voice filled with exhaustion could be heard.

"Don't make such a fuss."

To their surprise, it wasn’t the attacker, Karyl, who had delivered the blow, but someone else.

As the dust cleared, the two men stood face to face.

He is truly a formidable warrior, to receive that blow and remain standing

, Karyl thought to himself as he clutched his injured shoulder.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how Nareel had not only blocked his ultimate move but also launched a counterattack at the last moment.

"Kuh!!"

However, a groan escaped Nareel as his towering figure collapsed to his knees.

"You..." His pride, once sweeping the battlefields, now crumbled before Karyl.

"Nareel." Karyl pointed his sword at him, but Nareel met his gaze with unyielding defiance.

"Leave this place at once! And tell your dear master that the fangs of the barbarians will soon tear into the empire."

"Enough with your nonsense. I will capture you here today and display your severed limbs on a flagpole!!" Nareel's voice thundered, his throat bulging as he shouted.

The knights seemed ready to charge at a single command.

But then, it happened.

Swoosh—

"

...

!!"

When did they arrive?

Nareel had been too preoccupied to notice. "Is this for real?" he muttered as arrows glimmered in the darkness.

Dozens? No, perhaps even hundreds.

Don’t mess with me! Since when...? Who are these people? It couldn’t be?! The remnants of the remaining four major families...? Those worthless curs! Could there still be survivors? No, that shouldn’t be possible.

The presence of these unidentified enemies unsettled the knights. For the first time, Nareel felt a flicker of fear as he looked upon the hundreds of arrows trained at him.

But Karyl just stood there unperturbed, as if he had anticipated their arrival.

"Consider this a warning. Leave immediately with your knights, at this very moment. This is your last chance to save your life." With all his might, Karyl swung his sword at the axe Nareel had dropped, shattering the thick steel mercilessly.

"..."

Randol tightened his grip on the Liberated Flame. With the deputy commander dead and the vice-captain incapacitated, he realized he was now the only one who could face Karyl.

"Stop. Don't interfere." Nareel reached out to stop Randol. The eerie silence was perturbed only by the sound of the serpent feasting on the fallen knights.

Nareel grimaced at the sight. The damage was extensive; dozens of knights had been utterly decimated.

"That weapon is truly extraordinary. And those monsters, too... If we also lose you, I wouldn’t be able to face the prince.”

"But... still...”

“Since we know the location of the Fountain, we can always return."

Nareel let out a low growl as he locked eyes with Karyl.

Yet, undeterred by his fierce gaze, Karyl countered with unwavering confidence, "We will meet again. I hope you can still say the same then. The next time we cross paths, I will claim your head."

"

...

"

Karyl watched silently as Nareel retreated.

[You're being too soft.] Allen voiced his displeasure, clearly unsatisfied with Karyl's decision.

***

"Everyone, hold your positions!" a man shouted through the blizzard, trailing behind a long procession. His silver armor was rough and encrusted with old, frozen blood. The knight was waiting for the return of the scouts.

The faces of the scouts were hidden beneath their helmets, but their hurried return betrayed their distress.

"

...

What happened?" asked the vice-captain, who was standing next to the leading night.

"Well..."

"Again?"

"Yes, sir,” the scout replied. “The village was completely deserted."

Upon hearing the scout's report, the vice captain’s gaze turned to the leading knight. It seemed that this wasn't the first time this had happened.

"Commander, this is the third time. Maybe the Northern barbarians have actually fled?"

"You know as well as I do,” the knight responded, his breath visible in the frigid air. “These tribes would rather die in battle than flee. They're as fierce as wild beasts."

It had been close to a year since the start of the campaign. Despite the evident weariness, the knight, Kuwell MacGovern, radiated sharp determination.

"Take a closer look. Just like the previous villages, they haven't been gone for long. If they had planned to flee, they would have moved when the Imperial Decree of Heretic Extermination was issued. They must’ve intended to fight, at least initially."

The scouts nodded at his words.

"That's right,” one of the scouts agreed. “The defensive palisades and the household items left behind in the empty houses suggest they were still using them until recently."

"So where could they have disappeared to?" The vice-captain, his confusion deepening because of the situation, turned to Kuwell for answers.

"I'm not sure either. We’ll have to investigate further. Set up camp in the deserted village, and divide the soldiers to conduct a thorough search. There may be fox dens or other hiding places."

"Understood."

Kuwell’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the surroundings. Despite the blanket of snow, there were likely hidden paths and trails snaking through the hills.

He kicked the broken palisade, deep in thought.

They couldn’t have vanished without a trace. They might be hiding somewhere. I should hold off leaving the North until I find them.

The sudden disappearance of the tribes had perplexed Kuwell. He knew he had to proceed with caution, especially since these tribes, unlike the more combative Northern tribes, were the most secretive of all—the Wolf-Fox tribe.