novelraw Chapter 203 : Breaking the Deadlock
Chapter 203 : Breaking the Deadlock
Chapter 203: Breaking the Deadlock
「Ding——」
The sound of clashing metal rang out.
A jet-black short sword precisely struck the very tip of the long sword that Yam had thrust forward.
“Lord Manlor!” The Dual-Blade Bloodline Knight exclaimed in surprise as he saw the gray-haired middle-aged man suddenly appear before him.
The man addressed as Manlor by the Dual-Blade Knight ignored the cry behind him, his expression solemn as he fixed his gaze on Yam, who was now walking out from within the blazing pillar of fire.
That brief instant of sword contact had already made him realize why this commander of the Tyrella Kingdom had been entrusted with the defense of Viscount Bayor’s territory. It wasn’t without reason—aside from the fact that his subordinates displayed combat discipline far beyond that of an ordinary small lord’s private soldiers, both he and another bloodline user who looked strikingly similar to him had demonstrated a level of strength that clearly surpassed that of ordinary Third-Tier Bloodline Users.
Therefore, it wasn’t at all difficult to understand why several of his side’s Bloodline Users had been slain so easily.
Having just rescued his comrade, Manlor quickly swept his eyes over the battlefield.
Although he wasn’t the chief commander of this operation, the fact that he could serve as deputy commander showed that he possessed a solid grasp of battlefield tactics—his shortcoming lay only on the strategic level. For maneuvering troops and executing battlefield tactics, his abilities were more than sufficient.
Just one quick glance was enough for Manlor to gain a clear judgment of the situation.
The enemy’s main force had already succeeded in linking up with the breakout troops. Although their flanking counterattack hadn’t caused a decisive blow to the Aust Empire’s forces, the battlefield had now descended into utter chaos—a tangled melee where friend and foe were completely interwoven. It was now impossible to execute any structured tactical maneuvers.
Earlier, before personally entering the battlefield, he hadn’t realized this so vividly.
But after crossing swords once with the enemy’s swordsman commander and witnessing the bowman Bloodline User’s skill, Manlor understood—it was clearly unrealistic for him to take on both at once. The best course now was to withdraw, regroup, and prepare for a second engagement.
And he was certain—the next clash would not unfold under the same conditions.
Of course, he thought this way because he knew their commanding officer would prefer to drag out the battle as long as possible—to capture the enemy commander’s nephew. If they could capture the sword-wielding commander alive, that would be even better. Yet, after crossing swords once, Manlor knew that capturing him alive was utterly impossible.
Unless… they first captured the commander’s nephew and used that connection to get close to him.
Having no desire to continue a futile fight, Manlor swiftly issued the order to retreat and reorganize the formation, preparing to withdraw with the Dual-Blade Knight.
However—
Yam clearly had no intention of letting him go.
The moment Manlor moved, Yam charged forward, sword in hand.
It was once again the opening stance of the 【Eagle Strike Swordsmanship – Piercing Peck】.
This was Yam’s most proficient thrusting technique. Combined with the unique footwork of 【Eagle Strike Swordsmanship】, he could instantly cover a distance of ten to fifteen meters.
Faced with such a fierce assault, Manlor’s expression darkened.
His weapons were two short swords—or rather, two daggers slightly longer than usual.
Such weapons easily misled enemies into thinking he wasn’t suited for frontal combat. But in truth, Manlor excelled precisely at direct, aggressive fighting. His bloodline was that of the 【Wind Breath Demon】—a Third-Tier Bloodline belonging to the 【Demonic Bloodline】 sequence, famed for its speed.
That was why, earlier, he had been able to block Yam’s thrust to the Dual-Blade Knight with pinpoint precision using only the tip of his short sword.
As Yam thrust again, Manlor flipped his right hand—another short sword slipped out from his sleeve. With incredible speed, he raised it and once more struck the exact tip of Yam’s long sword. The metallic ring echoed sharply.
But this time, Yam twisted his wrist.
The blade angled slightly, sliding past Manlor’s short sword.
Then Yam stepped forward again, another swift “Piercing Peck.”
Manlor arched a brow. With a twist and flick of his left hand, another short sword slid from his sleeve and met Yam’s sword once again, striking perfectly at its tip.
The next moment, Manlor finally launched his counterattack.
His left hand swept aside, unloading the tension of their locked blades, and his body slid forward like a ghost, gliding along Yam’s sword toward him.
Yam swept his sword horizontally toward Manlor’s carotid artery.
He even employed the technique 【Eagle Strike Swordsmanship – Spreading Wings】.
Yet, Manlor’s entire body moved like liquid. In that instant when the sword changed direction, he ducked and leaned aside—
The sword sliced past the back of his head without even severing a single strand of hair.
By now, the distance between them was less than three meters.
Yam’s brow furrowed slightly.
But Manlor pressed forward, advancing in a calm, almost strolling gait—as if walking through an empty field.
Two meters.
One meter.
One arm’s length.
Then Manlor suddenly swung his short sword, the blade slashing toward Yam’s throat.
「Boom——」
A burst of searing flame erupted from Yam’s body once again.
“Damn!”
Manlor clicked his tongue, withdrawing quickly.
But Yam, having locked onto his aura, immediately raised his sword to strike again.
In an instant, sparks burst and clanging steel filled the air as the two exchanged dozens of blows.
They were locked in stalemate—neither could overpower the other. Yam’s every strike was precisely blocked by Manlor, while any attempt by Manlor to close in was forced back by Yam’s flames. Unless Manlor intended to trade his life for Yam’s, he couldn’t break through without being incinerated first.
Just as Akar had developed his unique skill 【Flame Stream Feather】, which utilized refined rare-iron arrows, Yam too had created his own signature technique—【Flame Stream Everlasting】.
This technique wasn’t focused on offense but instead harnessed liquid-like fire to instantly amplify the power of the 【Flame Stream】 bloodline, producing flames of immense intensity. These solid fire pillars could annihilate anything intangible within range in an instant, and if the target was tangible, the flames would cling to it like a curse until it was utterly reduced to ash.
Manlor didn’t know the exact effects of 【Flame Stream Everlasting】, but his instincts warned him clearly—he mustn’t let that fire touch him.
Thus, the battle became deadlocked.
“Lord Manlor! I’ll help you!”
Seeing the stalemate, the Dual-Blade Knight—having caught his breath—shouted and prepared to strike Yam from behind, turning the fight into a two-on-two.
However, the moment he moved, a sharp whistling cut through the air.
Akar’s arrow pinned him in place before he could take another step.
Manlor cursed under his breath. “Useless fool!”
He did need help breaking the deadlock.
He didn’t need anyone extraordinary—just someone to force the enemy to activate that threatening flame column a bit early. Then he could kill his opponent the instant it disappeared. After prolonged fighting, he had already discerned the flaw of 【Flame Stream Everlasting】—its flames couldn’t last more than two or three seconds.
For a defensive ability, that short duration was sufficient.
But if it were a normal fight, once the flames faded, Manlor was confident he could slit his opponent’s throat.
The problem was—the enemy was immune to his own fire. Each time the flames flared, Yam would attack through the blazing pillar, striking first and erasing Manlor’s advantage.
Again and again, they reset to square one.
Faced with such a troublesome opponent, Manlor was speechless.
He realized his enemy could afford endless mistakes—as long as he didn’t exhaust himself from overusing his bloodline power, he was practically unbeatable. But for Manlor, a single mistake meant death—like the comrades already lying lifeless across the field.
Thus, when his ally had offered assistance, Manlor’s hopes had briefly lifted—only for them to be dashed once more.
He was furious.
And then another thought hit him.
Why was the battlefield still in chaos?
He had clearly ordered a retreat. So why hadn’t the troops withdrawn?
Manlor couldn’t comprehend it—until the next moment.
“Commander’s dead!”
“Run! The commander’s been killed!”
From the rear encampment, black smoke rose slowly into the air.
Their young Aust Empire commander now hung naked in the air.
The empire’s banner, once flying proudly above, was now reduced to drifting ashes.
Manlor couldn’t even fathom when the enemy had circled behind them to carry out such a precise decapitation strike. But he understood then—the secret infiltration and substitution mission entrusted to them by the 【Duke of Blood】 had failed completely.
With their leadership annihilated, the battlefield had turned into a mire of chaos. The Aust Empire’s soldiers, now headless and panicked, stumbled in confusion.
Manlor took one final look at Yam and Akar—then turned and fled without hesitation.
He didn’t even try to rescue the Dual-Blade Knight.
He left without a trace of regret.