novelraw Chapter 119 : Chapter 119
Chapter 119 : Chapter 119
Chapter 119: The Overwhelming One, Bakan (5)
Evan Lafard’s arrival.
Leading hundreds of cavalry into the chaotic battlefield, Evan shone like a ray of light illuminating the fray.
“Long time no see.”
“Evan!”
“We’ll catch up later. First, I’ll deal with the enemy.”
Before he finished speaking, Drenbalk swung his massive axe.
Evan sidestepped lightly, dodging the attack, and thrust his sword.
Drenbalk twisted to narrowly avoid it, but he couldn’t block Evan’s sharp follow-up kick.
Thud!
Despite a direct hit to the neck, Drenbalk stood firm as a rock.
This guy’s tough, huh?
As Evan prepared a follow-up, Drenbalk reached out, forcing Evan to back off.
Watching, Duke stepped in and spoke.
“Evan, I’ll handle him. We’ve got unfinished business.”
Evan glanced between Drenbalk and Duke, quickly understanding, and stepped back.
“Don’t lose to a guy like that. The Dean I know isn’t that weak.”
“Hahaha, of course not.”
There was no room for others in their fight.
Evan cleared the way for them to settle it, and Drenbalk, incensed, charged again.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
But Duke blocked his path.
“Didn’t you say I’m your opponent?”
“You insolent bastards!”
As Drenbalk and Duke clashed again, Evan surveyed the battlefield, turning toward Jack and the cadets.
They’ve grown a lot since I last saw them. They didn’t waste their time.
The Executor cadets in Evan’s view had matured, fully utilizing their unique strengths.
Each was now worthy of being called a proper knight.
But they’ve still got a long way to go!
By Evan’s standards, having surpassed their age, they were still lacking.
He rushed forward, cutting down a Kandahr warrior poised to encircle the cadets.
“Long time, everyone.”
As he approached, the cadets’ faces mixed joy, confusion, and relief.
Jack, in particular, looked at Evan as if he might cry.
“Young… Young Master…”
He wanted to pour out all the stories that had piled up, but the situation allowed no time.
“We’ll talk later. There’ll be plenty of time. For now…”
Without looking, Evan spun and drove his sword into the neck of a warrior approaching from behind.
Drawing the blade, he shook off the spraying blood and spoke calmly.
“Surviving comes first.”
With the arrival of Evan’s cavalry, the tide shifted dramatically, and in the distance, Viscount Argon’s cavalry became visible.
“This war—we’re going to win it.”
***
While Evan and Argon advanced on the capital, Bakan sat nonchalantly, waiting for Gaiard to appear.
“Yawn~”
As his patience waned, Gaiard, flung to the camp’s outskirts, lay staring at the sky.
I’ve really become pathetically weak compared to before…
The aftermath of centuries of sealing was profound.
Those long years couldn’t be undone quickly, and he was now a mere shadow of his former self.
Saying I’m weaker in daylight is just an excuse. I have to accept myself as I am.
Gaiard slowly rose, brushing off the dust and looking toward the one who had sent him flying.
It’s true I’ve weakened, but… this guy is far stronger than the Bakan I knew. Far beyond.
Gaiard had no choice but to acknowledge the current Bakan.
In that fleeting moment inside the tent, Bakan had effortlessly sent him flying, even unprepared.
From that single encounter, Gaiard instinctively knew.
A monster defying all known standards had emerged.
Unless I draw out everything I have, I stand no chance against him.
Gaiard spread his wings, reversing the flow of blood in his body.
His body contorted, blood boiling beneath his skin.
Like when he clashed with Evan in Hell’s Path, he pushed his existence to the brink to unleash his full power.
“Grr…”
A secret technique of the vampire clan.
This dangerous magic caused him excruciating pain, but he had no other choice.
To face that monster, he had to pay this price.
Let’s have a go.
With a flap of his wings, Gaiard sent dust swirling like a storm.
He charged back toward the camp at the same speed he’d been flung.
Before the Kandahr warriors could track him, Gaiard reached the camp’s center, extending sharp claws toward the seated Bakan.
At that precise moment, Bakan caught Gaiard’s movement, a intrigued smile curling his lips.
“Oh?”
Bakan grabbed Gaiard’s wrist with his massive hand.
Boom!
The shockwave from their collision tore through the camp’s tents.
Warriors nearby shielded their faces and retreated.
Only Gaiard and Bakan stood motionless at the epicenter, locked in a stare.
“Are you really Gaiard Lecan?”
Bakan asked.
“…”
“For someone who defeated my predecessor, you’re disappointing. You’re not just borrowing the name, are you?”
A blood-red sword formed in Gaiard’s hand, slashing sharply at Bakan.
It was his will to prove himself through action rather than words.
Bakan tilted his head to dodge, simultaneously drawing the massive greatsword planted beside him.
Clang!
As the blood sword and greatsword clashed, the blood-forged blade shattered like glass.
But that was just the start.
Gaiard soared into the air, creating dozens of blood spears with his fingertips.
“Try this, you savage.”
The spears rained down like a storm, and Bakan, smiling, gripped his greatsword and met the attack head-on.
Whoosh!
The massive wind pressure from Bakan’s swing overwhelmed the spears, shattering them midair.
Blood-red fragments scattered, staining the battlefield, though some sharp spear tips left faint scratches on Bakan’s body, with traces of blood trickling down his skin.
“Hahaha! Your name’s not all hot air. This is the stuff!”
Bakan’s eyes gleamed with the pure thrill of facing a worthy opponent.
“But how long do you plan to skitter around in the sky? Why not come down?”
He crouched low, bending his knees.
In the next instant, he exploded upward, soaring toward Gaiard.
His massive body rocketed with terrifying speed.
Startled by his monstrous strength and leap, Gaiard twisted to evade.
Such brute force!
The greatsword narrowly grazed his shoulder.
“Not enough power?”
Having missed, Bakan landed back on the ground, crouching even deeper this time.
He won’t miss twice.
Gaiard hurriedly formed a massive blood spear, aiming at Bakan’s projected path.
But Bakan, undeterred, launched himself skyward again.
This leap was faster, more ferocious.
Boom!
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Gaiard seized the chance, hurling the massive blood spear with all his might.
Bakan, unfazed, leveled his greatsword in midair, meeting the spear head-on.
Clang!
A deafening roar echoed as sparks flew in the air.
The blood spear trembled violently against his greatsword, but Bakan, with no foothold, overpowered it, ascending higher.
Impossible. He’s pushing my spear back with sheer arm strength in midair? This monster…!
Gaiard’s face froze in disbelief.
Beyond acknowledging Bakan’s strength, he was now simply dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Bakan surged higher, laughing.
“Hahaha!”
Having deflected the spear, he reached Gaiard’s position.
Gaiard tried to widen the distance, but Bakan swiftly grabbed his ankle.
“No more mosquito games!”
“Tch!”
Bakan yanked Gaiard downward, plummeting to the ground.
The terrifying speed and Bakan’s overwhelming strength left no room to escape.
In that fleeting moment, Gaiard desperately reached for Bakan’s neck, but Bakan, grinning, tossed his greatsword aside and seized Gaiard’s arms and legs with both hands, pinning him in midair.
“Let go!”
“Let’s see if you can withstand this!”
The two crashed into the earth with a devastating shockwave.
Dust and debris erupted like a storm,
blowing away the camp’s tents entirely.
At the center, Gaiard’s body was torn in half, held in Bakan’s hands.
“Grr…”
Gaiard struggled to regenerate, but Bakan had no intention of letting him.
“More underwhelming than I expected.”
Bakan lifted the captured Gaiard high.
Then, he tightened his grip on both arms.
“Come back with a body that can fight properly next time.”
With that, he hurled Gaiard’s halves in opposite directions.
Blood-red fragments scattered as Gaiard flew far from the camp.
Bakan watched, clicking his tongue in disappointment.
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like the one who beat my ancestors.”
Still buzzing with battle excitement, Bakan turned his gaze toward Kaien, where smoke rose.
“I’ve waited long enough. Time to move.”
With an impassive expression, he slung his greatsword over his shoulder.
As he took a step, the surrounding warriors, eyes filled with fear and awe, hurriedly cleared his path.
One step, two steps…
No one dared block his way.
Even the tents were hastily dismantled to avoid obstructing him.
“Those guarding the king must be strong. Shall I taste them before Drenbalk and the others finish them off?”
An overwhelming force, impossible to resist or confront.
That presence advanced toward Kaien Castle.
Bakan Hardan.
The mightiest in Kandahr history.
At last, he entered the battlefield.
Now, the true calamity began.