novelraw Chapter 121 : Chapter 121
Chapter 121 : Chapter 121
Chapter 121: The Overwhelming One, Bakan (7)
Before the drawbridge spanning the moat was raised, Evan, intending to retreat to the castle with the others, suddenly halted and sank into deep thought.
‘I’ve safely rescued the academy cadets. A siege shouldn’t pose any issues now. But…’
Simply holding out in the castle wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide of the war.
Even if the Duke arrived with reinforcements, the gap in strength between their forces and the enemy’s was already too vast, making a reversal unlikely.
‘I need to chip away at the Kandahr’s strength, even if just a little. The most effective way… would be to take the chieftain’s head and crush the enemy’s morale.’
In that moment, Evan recalled the battle at Verbon Fortress.
The memory of the Rock Turtle Tribe losing all will to fight and collapsing the instant their chieftain died.
Since the other Kandahr tribes were similarly tightly knit communities centered around their chieftains, Evan judged that the death of a chieftain would lead to the collapse of the tribe—and, by extension, the entire Kandahr Tribe.
‘There’s no time. No chance to issue orders to the soldiers. Just one chieftain’s head—I’ll take it myself.’
Evan resolved to act immediately.
But first, he had to decide.
Who to target.
‘The axe-wielding one has already been dealt with by our Dean, and I just took down the spear-wielder… so it’s that one, then.’
Having made his decision, Evan swiftly turned around
and began running in the opposite direction of the soldiers’ flow.
Spotting him, Jack shouted in surprise.
“Young Master? Where are you going!”
“I’m going to take one chieftain’s head. Go inside first.”
“What?”
“Go!”
Before Jack could stop him, Evan vanished into the thick fog in an instant.
In the dense fog, where not even an inch ahead was visible, Evan gripped Venus in one hand while drawing a dagger with the other, holding it in a reverse grip, and charged forward.
He narrowly slipped past allied soldiers running toward the castle and the Kandahr warriors closely pursuing them, swiftly searching for his target.
―Tadad!
Finally, what appeared before him were ferocious wild dogs barking savagely and the tamers of the Red Dog Tribe leading them.
The wild dogs, catching Evan’s unfamiliar scent, lunged at him in unison, but Evan nimbly twisted his body and leaped agilely, narrowly dodging their sharp teeth.
His movements were almost acrobatic, and amidst them, a man who appeared to be the chieftain of the Red Dog Tribe emerged.
‘That’s the one.’
Though not certain, Evan knew instinctively.
Like Drenbalk or Morcal, the man’s attire and aura were distinct from those of ordinary warriors.
Above all, the wild dog at his side was covered in battle scars, far larger and fiercer than the others.
‘No room for mistakes. I need to end this as quickly and cleanly as possible.’
The moment the chieftain’s wild dog spotted Evan bursting out of the fog, it immediately charged, baring its sharp teeth and aiming for his throat.
“Grr! Grr!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Evan flipped Venus upside down and drove it deep into the dog’s maw.
―Gagak!
A horrific metallic screech rang out as the dog’s coarse teeth clashed with the blade.
At that moment, another wild dog, unseen due to the fog, lunged at Evan from behind.
‘As expected… there’s no way a chieftain would have just one dog.’
The second dog charged without hesitation, aiming to tear into Evan’s throat, and Evan swiftly thrust his arm into its open maw. The dog instinctively tried to clamp down, but the armor covering Evan’s arm prevented it from fully closing its jaws.
“Grrr…”
As the dog growled, drooling profusely, Evan, keeping his arm firmly in place, used his full body strength to slam its head into the ground.
―Boom!
The moment the dog’s jaws loosened from the violent impact, Evan yanked his arm free and stomped down on the dog’s neck with his foot.
―Crack!
The dog’s neck snapped, its breath ceasing, and Evan turned his gaze once more.
The first dog was still whimpering, its mouth clamped around Venus.
Without further hesitation, Evan left it behind and charged straight at the master of the dogs—the chieftain of the Red Dog Tribe.
“You bastard! My Maris!”
Enraged, the chieftain swung his whip with brutal force.
The whip, embedded with hooked blades, lashed toward Evan’s face with ferocious momentum.
―Swish!
The hooked whip tore through the air with enough power to rend the ground, but Evan didn’t flinch, parrying it directly with the spine of his dagger.
The whip lost its force and went limp, and Evan seized the opportunity.
He wrapped the slackened whip around his arm and yanked it toward himself with all his strength.
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected resistance, the chieftain’s balance faltered, and he stumbled forward.
Evan, timing it perfectly, crouched low and darted past the chieftain’s side, swiftly circling behind him.
“Grr! Grr!”
The dog still clutching Venus in its jaws whimpered desperately, trying to free itself and charge at Evan to protect its master.
But the moment Evan slipped behind the chieftain, the dog hesitated, stepping forward but freezing in place, unable to act.
“You rat-like bastard!”
Evan raised his dagger, aiming precisely for the chieftain’s nape, but the chieftain, sensing the threat instinctively, spun around and blocked Evan’s hand.
‘As expected, it’s not that easy. A chieftain is a chieftain, after all.’
The two immediately engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
The chieftain grabbed Evan’s wrist with a powerful arm rippling with lean muscle, while Evan balanced his body to protect his dagger.
However, Evan’s movements were fluid, like flowing water, and he began to neutralize the chieftain’s strength, gradually taking control.
“Grr!”
Evan pressed his advantage, aiming his dagger at the chieftain’s chest.
The chieftain blocked it with his full body, gritting his teeth.
“Grrr!!!”
A tense struggle ensued.
But at that moment, the dog that had freed itself from Venus barked fiercely and lunged at Evan again.
“Grr! Grrr!”
Seizing the opportunity, it aimed for Evan’s arm.
‘Annoying!’
Evan tried to dodge, but this time the chieftain held his arm tightly, refusing to let go.
Inevitably, the dog’s teeth pierced through Evan’s armor and sank into his flesh.
“How’s that? The taste of my child’s teeth?”
The dog’s teeth dug deeper.
Meanwhile, other tribe members and more wild dogs, alerted by the commotion, began closing in on him.
But Evan remained unfazed.
Instead, he gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and slammed his forehead into the hilt of his dagger.
―Thwack! Thwack!
The headbutt drove the tightly held dagger deep into the chieftain’s body.
The blade pierced through, slowly penetrating his heart.
“Guh, gurgh…”
Evan continued to hammer his head against the hilt, driving the dagger deeper like a nail.
When the blade was buried so deep it was no longer visible, the chieftain spewed dark red blood.
Only then did Evan pull out the dagger, and he drove it into the side of the dog still biting his arm.
Picking up Venus from the ground, he beheaded the dog, then, holding its severed head, vanished into the thick fog once more.
“Chieftain!”
“Catch that bastard!”
The enraged tribe members unleashed their dogs and gave chase, but they were no match for Evan, who was running at full speed.
He broke through the fog and barely managed to leap over the drawbridge as it was halfway raised.
Sliding down as he crossed, he refused to let go of the trophy in his hand.
“You filthy snake bastards! Throw a spear or something and kill that guy! Our chieftain is dead!”
At the Red Dog warriors’ anguished cries, the Black Snake warriors hurled their spears in unison.
But the nearly fully raised drawbridge blocked the spears like a wall, and they either embedded in the bridge or bounced off.
“Damn it!”
The Red Dog warriors seethed with rage, and Drenbalk, who had lost track of the Duke he was fighting, slammed his axe into the ground in frustration.
“Arghhh!!!”
Meanwhile, Morcal, who had fallen into the moat, climbed back to the surface and surveyed the battlefield.
As he began reorganizing the ranks for another assault, he sensed something and fell silent.
“…”
“What? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Don’t just stand there.”
When Drenbalk snapped irritably, Morcal muttered lowly.
“Shut up…”
At that moment, an overwhelming presence emanated from the distance.
A chillingly familiar aura spread across the ground.
This time, even Drenbalk felt it clearly, and he finally understood why Morcal had been speechless.
“No way?”
Morcal exhaled deeply and answered.
“Bakan has risen.”
***
Sliding across the drawbridge, Evan entered the castle.
Covered in blood, he held the severed head of a wild dog in one hand.
He walked straight toward where Jack and the Duke were gathered.
‘Good, everyone made it inside.’
As he approached, he overheard the Duke raising his voice, insisting on lowering the drawbridge again to search for Evan.
Evan approached with a puzzled expression.
“What’s all this talk? I’ve already taken the head.”
“Young Master, when…?”
“Just got back. Mission accomplished, of course.”
Jack’s eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed.
“What?! Already… you’re back already? In that short time?!”
“Yeah. Everyone’s okay, right?”
“Yes. At least I am.”
At Jack’s words, Evan looked around.
The soldiers and cadets who had fled inside, along with the instructors, were all bloodied.
Injured soldiers were being carried away on stretchers, and comrades wrapped in blood-soaked bandages lay scattered about.
“We rescued the prisoners, but there was unavoidable bloodshed.”
“Oh! Young Master, your arm!”
Jack finally noticed blood dripping from Evan’s arm.
“How badly are you hurt? You need treatment—”
“Don’t worry. Just a bite from this guy.”
Evan shook his head dismissively, lifting the severed dog’s head in his hand.
“Still, I took down one of their chieftains, so it was a fair trade.”
“Fine, but get treated first. This way!”
Reluctantly, Evan followed Jack’s insistent lead, blending in with the soldiers heading to the infirmary.
There, soldiers and cadets injured in battle were barely catching their breath, and Evan received quick first aid for his arm from a healing priest, finally taking a moment to rest.
Then, a heavy, familiar voice called out.
“Evan! Are you badly hurt?”
Turning, he saw Viscount Argon, panting heavily, approaching.
At his side was an unfamiliar woman following cautiously.
“Viscount! I’m fine. But who’s this beside you…?”
“Introduce yourself. This is Sir Rona Penrel of the western Penrel Family.”
“Hello. I’m Evan Lafard.”
Evan bowed, and Rona introduced herself.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Rona Penrel, captain of the outer castle’s guard.”
“Captain of the guard, I see. Since you’re my senior, feel free to speak informally.”
“Then I will. By the way, Evan, thanks to your efforts, many lives were saved. I came to thank you personally.”
“I just did what needed to be done.”
“Even so, few can do what needs doing.”
Rona was already familiar with Evan Lafard’s reputation.
The miraculous hero who saved the academy’s people from the so-called ‘Hell’s Path’ on Benner Island.
Seeing him in person, she found him unexpectedly… ordinary.
‘He looks more normal than I thought. I expected a hulking monster like the Dean… but his aura is something else.’
Rona instantly recognized that Evan had already reached the Expert level.
“I’d heard so much about you and wanted to meet you. Never thought it’d be on a battlefield like this.”
Evan shrugged and replied.
“Given the situation, it couldn’t be helped.”
“I heard from the Viscount. The Duke is heading south, right?”
“Yes, as you saw, the Viscount and I arrived first with a small cavalry unit.”
Rona nodded, her eyes gleaming.
“Then if we hold out a bit longer, the Duke will arrive.”
“Exactly. The real fight begins once the Duke joins us.”
That news was a beacon of hope for Rona.
In this dire situation, the Duke was indispensable.
“You came at the perfect time. Everyone, including Jorzan, was exhausted, and we nearly lost the cadets.”
“From now on, it’ll be a strict siege. You can’t let your guard down for a moment. We don’t know what the enemy might do.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of giving up the outer castle. I’ll go check on the soldiers and my unit. Evan, get some rest.”
With a brief smile, Rona left with a soldier’s disciplined stride.
As she disappeared from view, Viscount Argon naturally took her place.
“There’s much to say, but we don’t have time for leisurely talks. I need to check on my soldiers.”
“Yes, you should. Once this war is over, we’ll have time to talk until dawn.”
Evan gave a faint smile, and Argon returned a bittersweet yet warm one.
“Then I’ll prepare a feast with enough liquor to get us properly drunk. By the way, do you drink?”
“I’d drink if I had any—”
―Boom!
Suddenly, the ground shook heavily.
The infirmary floor trembled slightly, and the beds creaked.
―Boom!
The shouts of soldiers on the walls could be heard from afar.
“Shoot! Shoot it now!!”
“What is that thing?! The arrows aren’t piercing it!!”
―Boom!
―Boom!
The overlapping impacts shook the entire ground.
Evan instinctively sensed danger, rushed out of the infirmary, and looked up toward the walls.
‘Wait…’
He raised his voice so everyone could hear.
“Everyone, get away from the walls!! Come down now!!”
At that moment, cracks began to form in a section of the wall.
―Crack!
With an unsettling sound, the stones twisted, and soon a tremendous shock struck the wall, shaking the earth.
―BOOM!!!
With a deafening roar, part of the wall shattered.
Rubble poured inward, creating a massive gap, and through the collapsed wall, the silhouette of a man appeared.
A giant of a man, standing like a mountain, with a greatsword slung across his back.
His mere presence seemed to weigh down the very air.
“Was that really so hard? Pathetic.”
The man casually brushed off the dust and turned his gaze into the castle.
And then, every soldier and commander inside the walls instinctively knew.
There was no need to say who this man was.
“Ba… Bakan…”
It was the moment Kandahr’s absolute ruler, Bakan, revealed himself.