novelraw Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122 : Chapter 122
Chapter 122: The Overwhelming One, Bakan (8)
Bakan’s appearance froze everyone within the castle.
‘That’s… the pinnacle of the Kandahr Tribe.’
I, Evan Lafard, instinctively knew.
The figure before me was the heart of this war, the sole leader commanding tens of thousands of warriors and shaking the battlefield.
His overwhelming presence, far beyond the indirect slashes I’d faced, reminded me unconsciously of past encounters with great warriors.
‘This aura leaves no doubt. He’s undoubtedly a powerhouse comparable to the Seven Stars.’
The Seven Stars.
The seven mightiest warriors across the continent, each capable of single-handedly altering the course of a war.
Though I would later earn the title of a Seven Star, one man had long held that rank with unmatched strength: the Sword Saint, Robern.
Yet, in Bakan, standing before me now, I sensed a strength rivaling Robern’s.
‘As I thought, things were going too smoothly. To harbor ambitions of swallowing an entire kingdom, one would need to be at least this formidable.’
Having traversed countless battlefields, I’d faced the Seven Stars multiple times before becoming one myself.
So, even with a formidable foe before me, I felt only a familiar tension coiling through my body.
But the others were different.
The soldiers of the Kaien Kingdom were gripped by a terror unlike anything they’d faced before.
“That’s…”
“Bakan…”
Their eyes reflected the dread of facing a living calamity.
Even those who hadn’t flinched against Drenbalk, Morcal, or the bloodthirsty wild dogs were now crumbling under the weight of fear, merely from Bakan’s presence.
“Bakan!”
“Ugh!”
The wall they’d relied upon had been breached.
The despair of having nothing left to protect them spread rapidly through the castle, mingling with their fear.
Yet Bakan seemed utterly unconcerned by such things, kicking aside the rubble from the collapsed wall and striding boldly into the castle.
“Hahaha! So this is the royal castle? Nothing special. All that fuss over failing to breach a single wall like this?”
With a mocking sneer, Bakan raised an eyebrow and glanced back.
Beyond the wall he’d crossed, Kandahr warriors still hesitated, unable to cross the moat.
Among them were strong warriors like Drenbalk and Morcal, but none could single-handedly demolish a wall and stride through enemy lines as Bakan had.
“Lord Bakan! Let us join—”
Morcal stepped forward, but Bakan raised a hand to silence him.
“Don’t come closer. I’ll cut down anyone who interrupts my fun.”
Dismissing Morcal coldly, Bakan slowly surveyed the castle.
“Now, let’s see.”
His gaze gleamed like a predator searching for prey, like a child choosing the most appetizing dish from a feast.
And at that moment, three figures leaped forward to protect the soldiers.
Rona, the Executor guarding the outer castle, Dean Duke, and I, Evan Lafard, who had already gauged the enemy’s strength.
“Hahahaha! Perfect, coming to me on your own!”
Bakan laughed thunderously, drawing his massive greatsword and swinging it with savage force.
A destructive, ferocious slash surged toward the three of us.
In response, Rona’s and my sword auras, along with Duke’s fist wind, shot out simultaneously, clashing with Bakan’s strike.
―Boom!
The violent collision unleashed a wave of energy that shattered everything around it, kicking up a storm of dust.
As everyone shielded their eyes and stepped back, the brutal sound of metal clashing fiercely echoed through the dust cloud.
―Clang! Clang!
Rona’s dazzling swordplay and Duke’s powerful fists relentlessly struck Bakan’s greatsword.
A smile spread across Bakan’s face as he parried them.
‘Their strength and speed are almost artistic. But the truly remarkable one is that guy.’
Bakan’s gaze fixed on me, weaving through the two others’ attacks with precise, lethal strikes.
My attacks targeted Bakan’s vitals with deadly accuracy, forcing him to remain constantly aware of me.
‘The reason their teamwork seems flawless is entirely because of that guy. He’s subtly coordinating the movements of these two disparate fighters from the center.’
To an outsider, Rona and Duke’s coordination might have seemed like that of long-time comrades.
But in truth, they had never fought side by side before.
Rona had only sparred with Duke once during their academy days, and this was their first time fighting as allies on a battlefield.
Yet their movements appeared perfectly synchronized, solely because of my presence.
Quickly discerning this, Bakan decided to eliminate this troublesome coordinator first.
‘Fighting all three at once isn’t bad, but I’d prefer to savor you more leisurely.’
With that thought, Bakan suddenly seized my sword.
And with a single motion, he hurled me, sword and all, away.
“Ugh!”
I twisted my body midair, barely regaining my balance, and drove my sword into the ground just before crashing into the inner castle’s wall, slowing my momentum.
―Scrape!
My back lightly hit the wall, but Venus, already riddled with fine cracks, reached its limit and shattered into pieces.
―Crack!
For a moment, I wore a stunned expression.
The sword hadn’t been damaged from hitting the ground just now.
It was the immense force applied when Bakan grabbed my sword earlier.
‘That damned bastard… this was expensive!’
Though Venus’s lifespan was nearly depleted from using the Fire Dragon Orb’s power, I hadn’t expected it to break so soon.
‘He’s not just strong. His combat sense is exceptional. He’s no ordinary opponent.’
The Seven Stars, or those of their caliber, each had distinct traits.
My nemesis, Robern, had reached the pinnacle through swordsmanship alone, while Kailam, the God of War, had mastered martial arts.
And I, too, had risen to the peak of weapon mastery.
‘Comparing Bakan to the great warriors I’ve faced, his most prominent strength is his seemingly boundless Qi. It’s almost as if Jack reached his peak and became like this.’
From the moment I blocked Bakan’s merciless slash at the main camp alongside Gaiard, I had already sensed it.
‘To unleash such a strike so casually means his Qi is overflowing.’
Normally, a warrior’s Qi remains mostly contained within the body, leaking out only slightly.
But Bakan was different.
The immense Qi overflowing from his body poured out like a massive waterfall, forming a solid protective barrier around him.
‘His strength slightly surpasses Duke’s, but his speed isn’t exceptional. His technical proficiency is also lacking for his age.’
Though several of my attacks had perfectly targeted his vitals, I hadn’t landed a single blow on Bakan.
It wasn’t just a feeling—his thick Qi physically manifested, blocking my strikes.
‘To land a proper hit on that monster, I’d need to deplete his near-infinite Qi first.’
But the real problem was that Bakan wasn’t alone.
“Hahaha!!! More! Show me more!”
“Then take this!”
Duke unleashed a powerful punch, but Bakan easily caught it with one hand.
“Oh? Not bad!”
Mocking Duke lightly, Bakan countered with a punch that sent Duke staggering back, feeling as if his bones had shattered.
“Ugh!”
For the first time, Duke, who had never been outmatched in strength, was overpowered.
“Hahahaha! Come at me again!”
Seizing the opening, Rona thrust her sword sharply, but the invisible wall of Qi surrounding Bakan deflected her blade.
“Such feeble attacks can’t even scratch me.”
With a cold smirk, Bakan grabbed her sword, and Rona’s blade bent and shattered helplessly.
―Crack!
As the two struggled against Bakan’s dominance, the sky suddenly darkened, and a massive shadow enveloped the battlefield.
A blazing meteor, a colossal Meteor spell, hurtled toward Bakan’s head.
“Wizards are always such a nuisance. Boring pests.”
Bakan muttered with a sneer, raising an eyebrow, and swung his greatsword with one hand.
The tremendous shockwave and slash shattered the meteor, raining rubble across the battlefield.
“Daring to interrupt my fun with this nonsense?”
Irritated by those disrupting his duel, Bakan roared with beastly eyes toward his warriors beyond the wall.
“Warriors, charge! Slaughter anyone who dares interfere with my fight!”
The worst scenario I had feared came to pass.
‘Damn it!’
The Kandahr warriors waiting outside, as if awaiting Bakan’s command, roared in unison and began their charge.
“Waaa!!!”
Shamans instantly froze the moat’s water, creating a path, and the soldiers raced across the icy bridge, pouring through the breached wall.
Drenbalk and Morcal, vying not to be outdone, led the charge, shouting at their tribesmen.
“Butcher everything inside the castle!”
“Slaughter those who dare disrupt Lord Bakan’s duel!”
As the warriors flooded the castle, it descended into chaos in an instant.
“Hold them! Don’t let them push further inside! We stop them here!”
“Go protect Captain Rona!”
Gripping my broken Venus, I prepared to face Bakan, the strongest foe here.
But at that moment.
“Bakan!!!”
A booming voice that seemed to shake the entire castle made me turn my head.
The voice belonged to Duke.
‘Duke?’
Having briefly withdrawn from the clash with Bakan, Duke stood in the middle of the battlefield, drawing all eyes to him.
He slowly extended his arm, pointing at Bakan.
“I challenge you to a Kargrar duel!”
Drenbalk scoffed mockingly.
“Hmph! Foolish idiot. You thought you were clever, but don’t you know that only those of chieftain rank or higher with Kandahr blood can issue a Kargrar challenge? A non-Kandahr like you dares to claim such a right against Lord Bakan…”
But Duke, unwavering, shouted again with force.
“As the sole heir of the White Hawk Tribe, Duke Farman, I formally challenge you, Bakan, to a Kargrar!”
At Duke’s proclamation, the battlefield fell silent.
Even Morcal, mercilessly slaughtering enemies, Drenbalk, mocking Duke, and I, about to charge at Bakan, all froze, speechless.
‘Did he just say… the White Hawk Tribe?’