novelraw Chapter 58
Chapter 58
“What is that?”
Kapo didn't hear a word Arthur said; all his attention was fixed on Arthur's right hand.
Suddenly, the strange weapon changed its form.
It grew larger than before.
Generally, a larger weapon meant greater power.
An ominous premonition swept over him.
‘Is it the power of a demon?’
It was then that Kapo’s face darkened.
Something poured out of the strange weapon like a shower of arrows.
Instinctively sensing danger, he quickly flung his body sideways.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
The deafening roars followed.
But he couldn't dodge them all.
Thwack!
“Damn it!”
A heavy impact on his thigh was accompanied by a sharp pain.
Before Kapo could even register the pain, he sprang up, poised to thrust his spear at Arthur.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
Again, something flew at him like an arrow.
“You think *that* can stop me?!”
Kapo's eyes widened, and he spun his spear like lightning, parrying the attack.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh!”
A heavy impact reverberated through his wrist.
It wasn't a dagger or a throwing star, but a small, bead-like projectile, yet it carried the power of an Aura Blade.
‘What in the world...’
Kapo’s face was filled with questions as he stared at Arthur.
Although all his attacks had seemingly failed, a meaningful smile spread across Arthur’s face.
‘It’s the same.’
He had fired it off as a test, just in case, and it was exactly the same as what he had used on Earth.
However, judging by the Aura flying out, it was about half again as large and more powerful than a ‘Sig Sauer’.
With the confirmation complete, all that remained was...
Arthur curled one corner of his mouth upwards and looked towards the nine o’clock direction.
A group of Iron Knights came into view.
“First, for those I can see.”
He pulled the trigger without mercy.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
“Ugh!”
“Aargh!”
“What?!”
Their armor failed to block the attacks.
Amidst the Knights falling helplessly, the remaining ones floundered, bewildered and not knowing what to do.
It was chaos itself.
Drakan did not miss that moment.
“Wipe them out!”
Grrrraaaargh!
Woooooaaah!
The Giant Wolves and the Knight Order roared in unison, unleashing a merciless assault on the enemies.
Desperate screams erupted from all sides.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Save me!”
“Run!”
Blood stained the surroundings.
It was so brutal it resembled pandemonium.
Kapo, who had been fighting Arthur, suddenly saw him unleash an attack on his Knight Order and roared.
“You son of a bitch!”
He swung his spear with all his might.
A deep blue Aura poured forth like a shower of arrows.
Arthur quickly flung his body sideways, rolling, and pulled the trigger at Kapo.
“Damn it!”
Kapo also hastily threw his body sideways.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
He barely managed to dodge, but the enemy skillfully predicted his movements and unleashed a barrage of attacks.
“Not a chance!”
He frantically swung his spear, deflecting the incoming Aura.
While Kapo was preoccupied with defense, Arthur closed the distance between them.
Ten meters, seven meters, five meters...
As the distance shortened, the power of the K1 multiplied, and Kapo’s face grew increasingly grim under the ceaseless onslaught.
‘What is this?’
Aura Blades kept flying.
With such a barrage of attacks, his Mana should have been depleted.
But there was no sign of that. On the contrary, the attacks were growing stronger.
“Damn it!”
“You can’t just defend, can you?”
Kapo was startled by Arthur’s clear voice.
Arthur had already closed in, right in front of his spear.
“H-how...”
“You’re finished.”
Arthur fired his gun at the hand gripping the spear.
Tat-tat-tat-tang!
“Aaaaargh!”
Kapo’s hand was severely damaged as if torn by a beast, and he dropped his spear.
At that moment, Arthur struck his head with the gun.
Thwack!
Kapo bled profusely as his head snapped back.
Following that, Arthur delivered a back kick to his stomach.
Thump!
Kapo was sent flying backward, slamming into the ground.
Arthur leaped forward like lightning. Then, he brought his knee down onto Kapo’s stomach.
“Kuh-heok!”
Kapo’s eyes bulged as if they would tear, and he coughed up blood.
Arthur shoved the gun barrel into Kapo's profusely bleeding mouth and roared like thunder.
“Everyone, stop!”
His voice echoed thunderously through the surroundings.
At the same time, all Knights, friend and foe alike, turned their gaze to Arthur.
“Gasp!”
“C-Captain...”
“Th-this can’t be...”
Faces of the Iron Knights were etched with disbelief and despair.
On the other hand, the faces of the Lannister Knight Order showed signs of victory. And in their hearts, respect for Arthur began to blossom.
‘A Sword Master...’
‘Incredible!’
‘Truly befitting the House of Count Julius.’
Meanwhile, Drakan, who had been observing Arthur, was inwardly astonished and shocked.
The weapon Arthur used was something he had never seen before, and the Aura Blades were fired too simply, without any preparation.
Above all, its power was immense, enough to overwhelm a Sword Master.
‘A Sword Master, he said...’
He was around the same age as Drakan, yet he had already reached the realm of a Sword Master.
In contrast, Drakan himself had entered the advanced stage of Sword Expert three years ago, but had made no further progress.
According to Sir Ralph, he was the most outstanding individual in the history of the Lannister family.
Therefore, even if they were a vassal family to the House of Count Julius, he had no intention of following someone weaker than himself.
But Arthur was incomparably stronger than him.
And the skill he had just displayed couldn’t possibly be his full power.
‘If he were to use his full power...’
His chest swelled, and he felt his blood run hot.
Just as his father had been captivated by Lord Teheran Julius, he, too, felt captivated by Arthur.
Now, there was only one thing he had to do.
To assist him with all his might, so that his dreams might come true.
‘My liege.’
It was then that Drakan pledged his loyalty to Arthur.
The Iron Knights stared blankly at Kapo, their faces filled with dismay.
‘Captain...’
Their faces were filled with worry.
Before dying, Kapo had one thing he desperately wanted to confirm.
If he had known about that man’s weapon, he wouldn’t have fallen so powerlessly.
With the gun barrel in his mouth, he couldn’t speak, but he sent a silent gaze towards Arthur.
Arthur saw the questioning look in Kapo’s eyes and understood what he was trying to say.
Arthur stared intently into Kapo’s eyes and spoke.
“The power of the House of Julius.”
“...!”
“Those who brought disgrace upon us will soon walk the path of ruin.”
“S-surely not...”
Killing intent flashed in Arthur’s eyes, and he replied as if stating the obvious.
“Even the Emperor is no exception.”
“Y-you...”
Kapo’s gaze trembled violently.
In Arthur’s ears, the sound of hundreds of cavalry approaching from afar could be heard.
“Watch from hell, and see what happens to all who dare cross us.”
Tat-tat-tang!
Kapo’s skull, along with his helmet, exploded.
Simultaneously, Drakan shouted to his Knight Order.
“Kill them all!”
As soon as his words fell, the Knights unleashed a merciless assault on the enemies who had lost their will to fight.
“Ugh!”
“Aargh!”
It was nothing short of a massacre.
Arthur’s armor was splattered with Kapo’s blood, but he didn't even blink, staring at the approaching army in front and shouting loudly.
“Drakan!”
“Yes, sir!”
Drakan quickly approached him and bowed his head deeply, along with Ron.
Their deference was absolute.
“We’re advancing, so prepare yourselves.”
“Understood.”
Drakan bowed respectfully and let out a long whistle.
Wheeeeee-.
Behind Arthur, the Knight Order began to form ranks, and Khan came running with a mighty howl.
Dust clouds rose behind him, and the ground trembled.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-.
Skevin and the Phoenix Knights appeared.
Their morale was so formidable it dominated the entire area.
“You arrived just in time.”
Arthur quickly mounted Khan.
“Charge with Skevin and break their momentum!”
“Yes, sir!”
As soon as Drakan replied, Arthur dashed towards the enemies like an arrow.
“...!”
Drakan’s eyes widened.
‘Could it be?’
Facing such a large number of people alone was too reckless.
“My liege! No, you mustn’t!”
But he soon realized his judgment was mistaken.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
Although the distance to the enemies was over a hundred meters, Arthur unleashed an attack.
Long-range attacks were also possible.
With a deafening roar, his attacks knocked the enemies from their horses, and they began to flounder.
The enemies also fired arrows in retaliation, but Arthur was riding Britanniker.
Hitting him while he galloped was impossible.
If Arthur could disrupt their formation, he could inflict immense damage on them.
Drakan turned around with a resolute expression.
The Knight Order of the Lannister family was arrayed with grim expressions.
“Spear of the Empire!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Knight Order struck the ground three times with their spears.
“To a wedge formation!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ron let out a howl.
Awooooooo!
Then, the Giant Wolves formed a diamond formation, and the Knights extended their spears.
Drakan waited for the Phoenix Knights.
And when they were within ten meters of each other.
“Charge!”
With Drakan’s shout, the Giant Wolves galloped forward, exuding a ferocious aura.
Skevin, following closely behind them, raised his sword high and shouted.
“Assault Squad! Forward!”
Then, the Knights riding Britanniker charged forward.
They flanked the Lannister Knight Order on both sides.
The formation was like unfolding wings.
Skevin rode alongside Drakan and shouted.
“Don’t stop!”
“...!”
Drakan’s eyes gleamed.
“We’ll sweep them away in one go!”
A powerful energy flowed from Skevin, and a deep blue Aura surged around his body.
‘Oh? This one too...’
Drakan’s gaze wavered.
Now that he saw it, Skevin also possessed considerable skill.
He was either similar to, or a step above, Drakan, who was an Advanced Sword Expert.
In other words, he was close to the realm of a Sword Master.
And the Knight Orders galloping alongside them on both sides were also Intermediate Sword Experts or higher.
‘These are the real deal!’
Above all, there was Arthur, who was charging at the enemies alone and unleashing a fierce assault.
A thrill ran through Drakan’s body.
‘With this level of power...’
The hundreds of Knights charging towards them in front no longer seemed daunting at all.
The Lannister family also decided to display the power they possessed.
Drakan raised his spear above his head, taking a stance as if to plunge a harpoon, and exuded killing intent.
A deep blue Aura also surged from him.
“Here we go!”
Skevin pushed forward, taking the lead.
Then, the linear formation that had been arrayed on both sides transformed into a V-shaped formation.
Britanniker and the Giant Wolves also charged madly, exuding a ferocious aura.
At that moment.
Arthur unleashed indiscriminate gunfire.
Tat-tat-tat-tang!
The enemies fell helplessly.
He quickly scanned among the various flags to see where the banner of Count Yarve was.
Behind the leading group, the banner of the Rose Knights was visible.
“So he’s hiding there.”
Arthur vigorously kicked Khan and unleashed gunfire towards that spot.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
“Protect the Count!”
“Knights!”
At the shouts of the leading Knights, Knights dispatched from various territories stepped forward, raising their shields.
Yarve watched in horror as the man in golden armor charging at the front poured out Aura Blades relentlessly.
“Who in the world is that man?!”
“Judging by the golden armor, he appears to be a member of the House of Count Julius.”
At Hazan’s words, Yarve roared.
“Who doesn’t know that?! I’m asking ‘who’ he is!”
He fumed and thought.
Wesley, the only somewhat useful son of Count Malcolm, had died fighting monsters.
The other two were good-for-nothing maggots who offered no help to the Count's family.
It must have been Madeline, that impudent woman, who orchestrated this scheme.
But he wasn't someone who would be caught off guard by such a thing.
“I’m not someone who would be shaken by this extent.”
Yarve watched the Knights falling helplessly under the relentless Aura Blades and fell into thought for a moment.
After a brief pause.
“Sir Barthes.”
He felt a voice approaching from behind.
A middle-aged man in a brown robe approached him and replied respectfully.
“You called?”
He was a 5th-class mage whom the lord of Densha territory had specially sent along with the Karos Knight Order.
He had intended to keep him hidden and not reveal him if possible, but there was no other choice.
Yarve glared at the golden armor and asked.
“Can you handle him? You just need to buy time until Kapo arrives.”
“I will try.”
The middle-aged man bowed his head, then raised his right hand above his head.
Then, as he softly chanted runes, a fierce flame erupted from his hand.
The flame slowly took the shape of a colossal spear.
“Runeflayer!”
He swung his arm with all his might.
Paaang-!
A 4th-class Flame Spear, generating immense air-rending force, shot forth like a flash of lightning.
“...!”
Arthur felt a powerful energy hurtling towards him from the front.
He quickly drew the dagger from his back.
“I will...”
A powerful surge of energy erupted from him.
“Not retreat!”
Just as the Flame Spear was about to engulf him!
He swung the dagger, enveloped in golden Aura, with all his might.
Crash!
The Flame Spear split in half, and the scattered energy was absorbed into Arthur through the dagger.
“Power...”
Arthur’s eyes turned crimson, and his golden Aura began to surge violently.
At the same time, he felt energy gathering in his right hand.
‘Could it be?’