novelraw Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“What are you grinning about?”
Yakim charged forward, exuding a murderous aura as he swung his sword.
It was as fast as lightning.
Just before the sword could touch Arthur’s body!
Arthur vanished.
“…!”
Yakim’s eyes widened, and at the same time, he felt the man's presence behind him.
‘What?’
He hurriedly spun around and swung his sword.
But it only cut through empty air.
A mix of tension and bewilderment crossed Yakim’s face as he swallowed dryly.
‘What in the world just happened?’
The man’s movements had become so fast that he couldn't follow them with his eyes.
Moreover, the man’s entire demeanor had changed.
A sudden, ominous premonition filled his mind.
“You unlucky bastard!”
Yakim swung his sword in all directions, relentlessly unleashing a torrent of Aura Blades.
BOOM! KABOOM!
The entire area was devastated.
“Hah, hah, hah.”
Just as Yakim was breathing heavily and scanning his surroundings…
From his left, he clearly felt the man’s presence.
“Damn it!”
He was shocked by the fact that despite his merciless barrage, he had not only failed to kill the man but hadn't even managed to inflict any damage.
As the thick dust settled, the man's figure appeared.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“Don't be ridiculous! Such cheap tricks!”
Yakim kicked off the ground and charged, swinging his sword.
Arthur no longer dodged, drawing his Kukri and facing him head-on.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every time the sword, wreathed in deep blue aura, and the Kukri, wreathed in golden aura, clashed, a tremendous roar and shockwave swept through the surroundings.
Trees as thick as pillars were snapped by the shockwaves.
The two ignored their surroundings and exchanged fierce attacks.
Whenever Yakim's sword flew at him, Arthur blocked it with his Kukri using Spetsnaz's Systema knife fighting techniques and immediately counterattacked.
He executed MUSAT, a close-quarters combat tactic used by the Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT/SEAL).
“…!”
Yakim was flustered by the deadly, ever-changing attacks that aimed only for his vital points.
Furthermore, as time went on, the attacks grew faster and faster.
“Damn it!”
Yakim’s face contorted more and more.
In contrast, the more Arthur attacked, the more his power surged, rather than tiring him out.
“What was that you said you’d do to the Count's family?”
He brought the Kukri down with all his might.
CLANG!
“Shut up!”
Yakim, having blocked the attack with his sword, pushed Arthur back and thrust his sword forward.
It shot toward his chest like a lightning bolt.
But Arthur defended himself, parrying the sword with his Kukri.
Yakim poured all his strength into his attacks.
Each strike was as fast as lightning and carried the weight of a mountain.
But none of them worked on Arthur.
While parrying the sword with his Kukri, he would reverse his grip and unleash a combination of knife skills and mixed martial arts.
Alternating with the Kukri, his fists and kicks struck quickly and concisely.
This was not the standard attack pattern of a knight.
Even among mercenaries, he had never seen anyone fight with such unorthodox attacks.
“With this kind of attack with no pedigree…”
Yakim began to miss the relentless storm of attacks one by one and started taking damage.
CRACK-
Every time a blow grazed him, his armor was torn away.
“H-how can this be…”
Yakim’s eyes wavered uncontrollably.
Seeing Yakim’s weakness, Arthur was reminded of the soldier he couldn't protect, and his anger flared.
He felt as if a massive volcano of lava was erupting inside him.
The golden aura enveloping his armor blazed like a flame.
His heart and body felt like they would explode from the endlessly swelling mana.
“Uuugh…”
His eyes became bloodshot.
As Arthur’s presence suddenly ran rampant, Yakim’s face darkened rapidly.
‘What in the world is this man…!’
Thwack!
“Keuk.”
Yakim quickly retreated and looked down at his side.
He had only been hit once by that bizarre-looking blade, but his armor was torn away like a piece of cloth.
“I-impossible…”
“I will never forgive you.”
Arthur unleashed a ferocious assault.
The Kukri, wreathed in golden aura, flew with a fearsome momentum.
Yakim tried to block the attacks, but he was completely helpless against the strikes that changed direction so rapidly they were impossible to predict.
He was struck in the side again.
Thwack!
Following the Kukri attack, a kick flew in.
THWACK!
“Kuaargh!”
The impact sent him staggering back five or six steps.
The shock resonated to his very bones.
“A Sword Master is nothing special, I see.”
“Damn you…”
Yakim glared with venomous eyes, looking back and forth between the Kukri and Arthur as he asked,
“What do you think the Emperor's reaction will be when he finds out you've been hiding your power?”
“I don’t care about that.”
“What did you say?”
“Right now, all I’m thinking about is how to kill you.”
“Insolent bastard!”
Yakim swung his sword with all his might.
An Aura Blade shot forward like an arrow.
Instead of dodging, Arthur charged right at it and parried it with his Kukri.
BOOM!
“Heok!”
Yakim was horrified.
Arthur, who had closed the distance in an instant, gave a chilling smile.
“First, kneel.”
He kicked Yakim’s knee.
CRACK!
With a dull sound, Yakim staggered and bent forward, and Arthur slammed his knee into his face.
CRA-ACK—
“Aaaargh!”
His head snapped back, and blood splattered everywhere.
His legs gave out, and Yakim fell to his knees, his head hanging low.
Then he collapsed onto the ground.
“Right, this is our eye level now. Have you been running your mouth all this time, trusting in that insignificant power of yours?”
“…!”
Alarm bells rang in Yakim’s mind.
He knew he had to get away from this man, no matter what.
As his survival instinct kicked in, he no longer felt the pain.
The only thought in his mind was to live.
Just as he was about to roll to the side to escape from Arthur!
The Kukri slammed into the ground right next to his face.
“Hic!”
Yakim’s body went rigid.
There was a fact he had overlooked.
Arthur was a battle-hardened veteran who had returned alive from every hellish battlefield on Earth.
He was seeing right through his thoughts.
“If you start a party, you have to see it to the end.”
He smashed the Kukri against his helmet.
CLANG!
With the impact, the helmet came off.
“S-save me.”
Terrified, Yakim forgot all about the honor of a Sword Master and begged for his life.
“You have to take responsibility for the words you’ve spoken.”
“I-I misspoke.”
“Shut up!”
Arthur smashed his fist into his mouth.
“A worthless piece of trash like you is going to make the House of Count Julius disappear?”
Arthur mercilessly plunged the Kukri into his shoulder.
Thrust!
It pierced through the armor and lodged itself deep.
“Ke-heok!”
Yakim’s eyes flew wide as if they would tear.
An extreme, indescribable pain washed over him like a tidal wave.
It was so agonizing that he couldn't even scream.
Arthur glared at him, exuding a killing intent so vicious it was bone-chilling.
“The crime of insulting my mother. Only death awaits.”
He pulled the Kukri from his shoulder and slit his throat.
Sliice—.
The head separated from the body and fell to the ground.
Arthur kicked the torso away and grabbed Yakim’s head.
He had killed him, but power still surged within him.
He felt like he would go mad if he didn't release this power.
Clang! Clang!
The sounds of battle echoed from afar.
“Kill them all!”
“Don’t let a single one escape!”
From the voices alone, he couldn't tell if they were friend or foe, or what the situation was.
But he felt no fear of anyone.
“Wait for me.”
Arthur ran, overflowing with killing intent.
***
“Retreat!”
Dark shouted while fending off the relentless barrage of enemy attacks.
Mullan, Latale, and Peri defeated their opponents and quickly moved to the location of the next trap.
At that, Berlo, who was pouring on attacks alongside the Red Warriors, shouted.
“They’re running away!”
“There!”
Just as his subordinates were about to charge forward, Dark appeared and blocked their path.
“You’ll have to kill me first!”
“This bastard!”
Two of them rushed at Dark, swinging their swords.
Dark swiftly dodged their blades, aiming only for the gaps in their armor and plunging his daggers in.
“Uagh!”
Berlo frowned as his subordinates fell so easily and stepped forward.
“Stop with the cheap tricks!”
His sword flew like lightning.
“…!”
Dark’s eyes flashed as he quickly retreated.
But the blade reached much farther than he had anticipated.
“Damn it!”
CLANG!
The sword struck his left shoulder.
Fortunately, the armor blocked the attack, but the shock was transmitted to his very bones.
“Pathetic bastard!”
Berlo thrust his sword toward the staggering Dark’s heart.
Just before the sword reached his heart!
Dark barely managed to block it with his dagger.
But the incredible force sent him flying into the air before he crashed to the ground.
“Stop loitering and die!”
Just as Berlo charged with ferocious momentum to strike Dark once more, something flew in from the left.
“What’s this now!”
He swung his sword like lightning.
Swish!
The flying object was split in two and fell to the ground.
Seeing it, Berlo’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“Th-this is…”
What had flown at him was Yakim’s head.
Just as his mind went blank from the shock…
Arthur shot out of the forest like an arrow and swung his Kukri.
Sliice—.
Berlo, who was staring blankly at Yakim’s head, was decapitated in a single blow.
After felling Berlo, Arthur shouted like a roaring lion.
“Do not retreat!”
His cry echoed through the forest.
Hellot and his squad members, who were engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the Red Warriors in various places, heard the sound and their eyes flashed.
“It’s the Young Master!”
Hellot shouted as he ran toward the source of the sound.
“Everyone, follow me!”
His squad members followed him in unison.
The Devil Corps members, who were also moving to the next trap, heard Arthur’s voice and turned back the way they came.
At the same time, the Red Warriors also ran toward Arthur’s location, exuding a killing intent like beasts stalking their prey.
A moment later.
A group of men appeared where Arthur was.
It was the Red Warriors.
When they saw Arthur’s golden armor and black hair, they instinctively knew he was no ordinary person.
One of them shouted.
“He’s connected to the Count's family! Kill him at all costs!”
As soon as his words fell, the men charged at Arthur in unison, swinging their swords.
Swords flew at Arthur from all directions, but he didn't even blink, parrying them all with his Kukri.
“I’ll kill you all!”
Arthur wanted more power.
So he summoned his thirst for revenge by thinking of the reconnaissance team that had been killed by them.
His rage blazed, and his mana began to run rampant.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Arthur let out a monstrous roar and released his mana externally.
His pupils turned bloodshot red, and a fearsome killing intent flowed from him.
The men who had been attacking flinched at Arthur’s unusual aura and stepped back.
In the process, one of them stepped on something and looked down.
“Heok!”
Startled, he fell to the ground with a thud.
His nearby comrades looked at him, then noticed the head that had been split in half.
The commander of the Red Warriors and their hero!
It was Yakim.
“Heok!”
“H-how…”
As they were all gripped by bewilderment, a voice filled with despair came from the side.
“Lord Berlo too…”
Berlo was also lying on the ground, his head severed.
“I’ll send you to hell.”
Gripped by madness, Arthur charged at them like an arrow and swung his Kukri.
Every time he thrust and swung the Kukri, wreathed in golden aura, the men fell.
A few tried to counterattack, but it was no different from a moth flying into a flame, rushing to their deaths at the hands of a reaper.
In an instant, about ten men were killed by Arthur.
“M-monster…”
“R-run away…”
Terrified, the men stumbled backward before finally starting to flee.
At that moment, Hellot, his squad, and the Devil Corps members appeared and attacked them.
The Red Warriors, terrified of Arthur, had lost their will to fight and collapsed helplessly.
Arthur dove among them, unleashing a furious assault.
As he became covered in the blood of his enemies, ceaselessly cutting them down, he was no different from a berserker.
He instilled courage in his allies but brought extreme terror to his enemies.
“Aaaargh!”
“Th-that man is a devil!”
Having lost their leaders, the Red Warriors were almost massacred in the one-sided attack.
By the time the entire area was stained with the blood of their enemies…
“Hah, hah, hah.”
Arthur and everyone else stopped their attacks.
The Red Warriors were either dead or lying on the ground, bleeding out.
“Young Master!”
As Hellot quickly approached Arthur, everyone’s gaze turned to him.
Arthur exuded a fearsome killing intent as he stared off into the distance of the forest.
The sounds of clashing weapons and screams were vivid in his ears.
Though he only heard the sounds, a scene of fierce battle unfolded in his mind as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.
“Hellot.”
“Sir!”
Hellot, standing before him, bowed his head respectfully.
“Leave the wounded. Follow me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Arthur threw himself into the forest.
He cut down all obstacles in his path with his Kukri and sprinted toward the sounds of battle.
“From now on, it's a hunt.”