The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel

Chapter 34

“Damn it!”

Bagran was perplexed as Skevin's skills far exceeded his expectations.

Even when Hans saw him being pushed back and immediately joined the attack, they couldn't bring him down.

He was truly worthy of being called the guardian deity of the House of Count Julius.

It was infuriating, but he was not an opponent they could handle.

This was a situation where Yakim should have stepped in, but he and the Red Warriors had not returned.

The Rose Knights had the numerical advantage and kept pressing, but the skill of the Phoenix Knights was formidable.

The intelligence they had gathered for the territorial war indicated that the average strength of the Phoenix Knights was at the level of a Sword Actor, or slightly above.

But most of them were Sword Experts or possessed comparable skills.

As time passed, the difference in skill would become apparent, and there was a high chance they would be pushed back.

Before that happened, Yakim and the Red Warriors needed to join them quickly and defeat the enemy.

“Let’s just hold on a little longer.”

As Bagran gripped his sword tightly and took a fighting stance, Hans spoke with a grim expression.

“I will find a way to knock him off his horse.”

“Do you have some clever plan?”

“If we can get him off his horse, he’ll be much easier to deal with.”

Hans drew the dagger from his belt.

Realizing what he was thinking, Bagran nodded.

“Attack and get out immediately.”

“Understood.”

Hans spurred his horse on and charged at Skevin.

Skevin, who had been watching the two men, tightened his grip on his sword as Hans charged.

“I’ll finish you first.”

He drew up his mana and charged to meet him.

Closing the distance in an instant, he swung his sword.

A deep blue aura flew toward Hans.

It was nothing compared to Yakim's Aura Blade, but it was still a difficult attack for Bagran or Hans, who were a level below Skevin, to handle.

Hans parried it with his sword with all his might.

“Ugh!”

As the shock coursed through his entire body, blood rose to his throat.

Gritting his teeth, he endured it and threw the dagger he held in his other hand with all his strength toward Skevin’s horse.

“Don’t you dare!”

Skevin parried the dagger with his sword and swung at the torso of the approaching Hans.

‘He took the bait!’

Hans yanked hard on the reins.

The horse, startled, reared up, its front legs high in the air.

The sword cut off the horse's head and flew toward Hans.

As Hans fell with his horse, he aimed his sword at Skevin's mount.

“…!”

Skevin pulled on his reins, but Hans’s sword was a step faster.

It sliced clean through the horse’s neck.

Neighhh!

Just as the horse crashed to the ground…

Bagran, who had been following Hans, thrust his sword toward Skevin.

“Damn it!”

Skevin hastily leaped from his horse.

Bagran quickly turned his own horse and charged at Skevin, who was rolling on the ground.

“Die!”

He swung his sword with all his might.

The blade, wreathed in blue aura, flew toward Skevin.

Skevin quickly raised his sword, but the blade still struck his left shoulder.

“Ugh!”

“I said die!”

Bagran put more force into his sword.

The blade lodged in his shoulder sank deeper.

“This is nothing…”

Skevin’s eyes filled with venom as he grabbed the sword embedded in his shoulder.

Just then, Hans, who had fallen from his horse, got up and charged like an arrow.

“This is the end!”

Just as he aimed his sword, which was blooming with blue aura, at Skevin’s heart…

Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

Something lodged itself in Hans's eye.

He collapsed with a thud and rolled around madly.

“What!”

As Bagran was momentarily bewildered, Skevin seized the opportunity, pulled the sword from his shoulder, and thrust his own blade at him.

“Damn it!”

Bagran parried the sword and quickly retreated.

Then he scanned his surroundings.

Everyone was engaged in a fierce battle.

“Where in the world did that come from!”

Just as Bagran was frowning…

Something flew in from the front.

“…!”

Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

He felt a dull impact in his shoulder, followed by pain.

A dagger-like object was stuck in it.

“Wh-what is this…”

As he was marveling at how it had pierced his armor, a group of men appeared from the forest.

Covered in blood, they unleashed a torrent of attacks on his subordinates.

They were men from the House of Count Julius.

“Damn it! Where the hell did that bastard go!”

Just as Bagran was frowning, thinking of Yakim…

A man in golden armor was charging toward him like an arrow with a terrifying aura.

The subordinates who rushed to block him were sent flying with a single blow.

Above all, seeing the sword in the man's right hand, wreathed in golden aura, his face darkened rapidly.

“Th-that is…”

The golden aura was the color that symbolized the House of Count Julius.

And it was incredibly dense.

He had never imagined that the Count's family, said to be a mere shadow of its former glory, would have someone with skills comparable to a Sword Master.

Skevin felt a thrill run through his entire body as he saw Arthur.

He was even stronger than when he had fought the ogre.

Like a reaper on the battlefield, he cut down all who stood in his way.

Absolute power!

Seeing the strength he had only imagined in reality, his heart swelled with an emotion he couldn't put into words.

‘Young Master…’

A look of reverence filled Skevin's face as he gazed at Arthur.

The knights engaged in fierce combat also felt the powerful presence and instinctively turned their heads.

The eyes of the battlefield began to focus on Arthur.

The hearts of the Phoenix Knights surged with something hot from deep within at the sight of Arthur.

In contrast, the faces of the Rose Knights hardened at the appearance of a powerful warrior exuding such a terrifying aura.

Arthur mercilessly cut down the men who blocked his path and stood before Bagran.

Then, he spoke a single cold word to the fallen Skevin.

“Get up.”

“Sir!”

Skevin gritted his teeth, clutched his shoulder tightly, and stood up.

Bagran, with a tense expression, pointed his sword at Arthur.

“Who are you?”

Arthur looked at Bagran with cold eyes.

“I asked who you are!”

“The Reaper.”

“…!”

The moment Bagran’s eyes widened, Arthur was instantly in front of him.

“Heok!”

Just as the startled Bagran was about to swing his sword, Arthur’s Kukri was faster.

Slice—.

Bagran's wrist was severed.

“Touch me, and you die.”

Arthur mercilessly lopped off his head with the Kukri.

“…!”

Everyone who witnessed the scene, including Skevin, was horrified.

The guardian knight of the House of Count Yarve had died so meaninglessly, without even putting up a proper fight.

Arthur swept his gaze around with chilling eyes and spoke coldly.

“The crime of touching the House of Count Julius. You deserve to die.”

His words pierced the hearts of the Rose Knights like daggers.

At that moment, a few of them raised their swords and charged at Arthur.

“Die!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Just as the Phoenix Knights were about to step in, Arthur pulled the daggers tucked into his belt and threw them at the men.

Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!—.

*Thunk!*

The daggers, wreathed in golden aura, flew like arrows and embedded themselves in the men's helmets.

Arthur shouted loudly.

“Show them exactly what happens when they mess with us!”

“Sir!”

The Phoenix Knights, exuding killing intent, charged at the enemy and swung their swords.

Slice!

Stab! Thud!

“Aaaargh!”

“Uagh!”

“S-save me…”

The Rose Knights fell as if they were being massacred.

About ten minutes passed like that.

The Phoenix Knights simply stared with cold-blooded expressions at the Rose Knights, who were either dead or dying.

“Hmm…”

Even though the battle was over, Arthur’s chest still burned as if his anger had not been resolved.

He felt like he would go on a rampage if he left this overflowing mana as it was.

He decided he should probably ask Millerf if there was a way to calm it down.

He scanned his surroundings several times, but he couldn't see him.

Come to think of it, he didn't remember seeing him during the battle either.

“What happened?”

As Arthur tilted his head in confusion, the Devil's Corps members approached.

Their eyes were shining with an intense light.

Though their appearances were disheveled, there was no sign of fatigue.

“Are you alright?”

When Dark asked cautiously, Arthur nodded and asked back.

“And you all?”

“We are fine.”

“But where is Millerf?”

“Wasn't he with you, Commander?”

“What are you talking about? Wasn’t he with you all while I was dealing with the enemy?”

“No, after he left with you, he never came to us.”

“Could something have happened?”

Just as a look of question crossed Arthur’s face…

*Kiiiaaaaaak-!*

A shriek echoed through the sky.

“…!”

It was the sound of a Kadrazin.

Arthur’s face hardened rapidly, and Skevin and Hellot rushed over.

“Young Master! That sound is…”

“You, clean this place up!”

Arthur gave a nod to the Devil's Corps, and together, they ran toward the western mountain range.

***

At that moment.

“Ke-heok!”

Millerf, who had just coughed up a mouthful of blood, stood before a cliff.

While he was heading to the Devil's Corps' location after parting with Arthur, he had noticed giant shadows moving.

He couldn't just ignore it, and when he checked, he found that ogres had appeared again.

The direction the creatures were moving was toward where the Devil's Corps was lying in ambush.

So he attacked them to lure them in the opposite direction.

But facing five of them at once, not just one, was too much.

Before long, his mana was depleted, and since he had drawn their attention, he had to escape somehow.

But due to the strain, he felt a pain in his chest, and blood kept rising.

Because of that, he couldn't escape properly and ended up being cornered at the cliff.

With his back to the cliff, Millerf stared at the approaching ogres, which exuded an immense pressure befitting the strongest monsters on land.

They were even larger than the ones he had seen before.

They were so much stronger that the Fire Lance, which had been effective before, didn't work at all.

“Damn it.”

Millerf’s own situation was dire, but since he was supposed to be fighting the enemy alongside the Devil's Corps, he was worried about them.

But there was nothing he could do.

“Just when I was starting to see the light…”

Watching Arthur grow stronger, Millerf had begun to envision the revival of the House of Count Julius.

Unlike the meaningless days he had spent until now, each day was filled with anticipation for the House of Julius that would one day stand tall in the Empire.

He was just beginning to feel the joy of life, and now…

“It seems my fate was to die back then after all.”

Millerf gave a bitter smile and firmly planted his staff into the ground.

“I can’t go alone and lonely.”

He spread his arms wide and drew up his life force.

The power of his heart began to accumulate in the circle formed below his navel.

He intended to finish them with 'Lightning Rain', the most powerful attack magic he could cast.

Millerf quietly chanted the runes and activated his life force.

A white light appeared in his palms, creating waves like lightning.

Seeing this, the ogres instinctively sensed the danger and let out a shriek.

Kiiiiiiiik-!

They strode forward.

One of them uprooted a tree and hurled it at Millerf.

Millerf extended his palm toward the flying tree.

BOOM!

The tree was blown away as if struck by a thunderbolt from the sky.

Millerf spoke with a grim expression.

“This is not a place for you. All of you, disappear!”

He unleashed his final attack magic, 'Lightning Rain'.

The white light shining from his palms shot up into the sky.

RUMBLE- CRACK!

Thunder roared from the sky, and a massive bolt of lightning struck the ogres.

BOOM! KABOOM! BOOM!

Kiiiaak!

Kiiiaaak!

Struck by the lightning, the creatures shrieked and thrashed about madly.

The one that took a direct hit collapsed, charred black, while two others lost their footing and fell off the cliff.

The remaining two, despite being hit, did not die and approached him, exuding a vicious killing intent.

“Keo-heok!”

Millerf coughed up black blood and collapsed.

He could feel the energy draining from his body.

He was furious that he couldn't die after eliminating all of them.

“I'm sorry. I'll leave the rest to the Young Master…”

Just as he turned his head toward the cliff to throw himself off…

Kiiiaaak!

THUD-!

He heard the sound of an ogre letting out a deafening shriek as it collapsed.

‘Could it be!’

In that moment, a light of hope appeared on Millerf’s despairing face.

And just as he thought…

He heard his voice shout.

“Millerf!”

Millerf quickly looked back.

Arthur was shoving his Kukri into a fallen ogre’s mouth.

But what truly captured his gaze was the armor, wreathed in golden aura!

The fact that the aura was manifesting on his armor meant that he had either awakened as a Sword Master or possessed power equivalent to one.

His growth was so fast it was astounding.

But he was overjoyed that Arthur could now take his place.

His chest swelled with emotion, and tears streamed down his face.

For the first time, he called out loud.

“My Lord!”