novelraw Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Counterattack (1)
For the first time in this war, Bakan Hardan, the ruler of the Kandahr Tribe, knelt.
The iron-like muscles and thick barrier no one could breach crumbled under a single, desperate punch.
It was an event even the mightiest Kandahr warriors couldn’t have imagined.
“…”
The warriors surrounding the arena were speechless, stunned by the shock.
Even the proud and arrogant Drenbalk couldn’t hide his trembling eyes.
But Duke, who had achieved this shocking result, was far from unscathed.
His final strike, burning his very life, had reduced his left arm to ash, and his heart teetered on the edge of collapse.
His ability to remain conscious was a miracle surpassing human limits.
“Urk…”
Meanwhile, Bakan Hardan, experiencing such pain for the first time, struggled to regain his composure.
“Ugh…”
Unaware of the blood and saliva dripping from his mouth, he endured the agony of his twisting insides, barely straightening his back.
“It… really hurts. Ha… such pain… is a first.”
It wasn’t just the pain.
For the first time, Bakan felt a chilling sensation.
If this moment hadn’t been a Kargrar, if Duke could have stood just once more, Bakan didn’t know what would’ve become of him.
But that was merely a hypothetical.
The one who could still move was Bakan.
He propped himself up on his knee, looking at Duke, still spitting blood, and said, “White Hawk… Truly impressive.”
The duel’s outcome was all but decided.
Bakan appeared relatively unharmed, while Duke’s life hung by a thread.
“It was a splendid fight. A pity… but now, I’ll grant you an honorable death.”
Bakan slowly drew his greatsword.
Holding it upside down, he stepped toward Duke.
―Step, step.
The greatsword rose high, like the blade of a guillotine.
“Now… go.”
As the blade descended toward Duke’s neck,
―Clang!!
A broken sword, thrown from somewhere, struck precisely in front of Bakan’s greatsword.
Bakan sharply raised an eyebrow, looking toward the source.
“What is this? Do you dare interrupt a Kargrar?”
There I stood, having thrown the broken Venus,staring at him with cold eyes.
“The duel isn’t over, warrior of the kingdom. Step back. Only death ends a duel.”
“No, it’s over. The victor has been decided. So stand down, Bakan!”
“You…”
Before Bakan could finish, I charged like lightning, delivering a powerful kick to his greatsword with all my strength.
―Clang!
Bakan staggered back, caught off guard by the unexpected force.
‘This guy… was he hiding his strength?’
Before Bakan could recover, I didn’t hesitate, lifting Duke’s body.
The warriors erupted in fury, their sacred Kargrar disrupted.
“Kill that bastard!”
“He’s defiled our holy Kargrar! Slaughter them all!”
Dozens of warriors charged at me ferociously, and as I prepared to face them, Rona Penrel and the kingdom’s knights swiftly surrounded me, cutting down the approaching warriors.
They’d been watching the duel from the walls and had rushed into the fray.
“What’s with this reckless charge?”
Rona was just as reckless, so I gave a wry smile and said calmly, “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’d have done the same.”
In that brief moment, Rona had understood what kind of person I was.
And she’d resolved never to leave someone who’d risk their life for a comrade alone.
“We all make it back alive!”
“Understood!”
At that moment,
―Swoosh!
Blood-red spears formed a massive barrier around Rona, the knights, and me, halting the warriors’ charge.
Recognizing the familiar aura, I smirked slightly.
“Gaiard, you damned bastard.”
I looked up at the sky.
A figure with wings spread wide, blotting out the sun, descended toward the battlefield’s center.
Gaiard had returned.
As Gaiard landed like a comet, a massive shockwave sent Kandahr warriors flying.
“Bakan!!!”
Gaiard’s roar made the warriors cover their ears.
Watching the scene, Bakan tilted his head and muttered, “That guy… didn’t he die?”
Seizing the moment as Gaiard held Bakan’s attention, I shouted briefly and firmly to Rona and the knights.
“Now! Leave this to him and let’s escape!”
“Got it! Clear the path!”
Rona took the lead, swinging her sword to carve a way, and the knights followed.
Behind them, I held the fading Duke tightly and ran with all my strength.
“Out of the way!”
Rona’s sword sliced through the air, and Kandahr warriors fell like straw.
Her and the knights’ fierce charge brought us to the drawbridge leading to the castle.
Then,
Morcal hurled his sharp spear with full force.
The spear aimed precisely for Duke’s back.
‘Damn it, the angle…’
At that moment, a knight threw himself forward.
―Thud!
The spear pierced the knight’s chest.
Bright red blood splattered, and he collapsed to the ground.
Bleeding, he forced out words.
“Please… save the Dean.”
With that, he fell.
‘…Understood, honorable knight.’
Thanks to the nameless knight’s sacrifice, Rona, Duke, I, and the remaining knights barely made it inside the castle gate.
“Raise the bridge! Call the priests!”
The gate closed, and the bridge rose.
―Boom.
Finally back inside, we gasped for breath.
Gaiard, soaring into the sky, landed lightly on the wall.
He surveyed the situation briefly, then jumped down to my side.
“You managed to survive against that monster.”
“And you. You seem stronger, too.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
Wary of our surroundings, Gaiard leaned in and whispered something urgently.
My eyes flickered subtly, and I nodded, resolute.
“Really?”
After a brief pause, I approached Rona.
“Captain, lend me your ear for a moment.”
“Hm?”
Her face hardened as she heard my whisper.
“Even if that’s true, your plan is too risky. One misstep, and it could be a catastrophe.”
“But on the flip side, it could wipe out the enemy in one blow.”
Rona fell into pained deliberation.
But there was no time left to hesitate.
“Captain! The enemy is preparing to siege outside!”
After a moment’s hesitation, she made her decision.
“Alright, Evan. I trust you.”
***
Meanwhile, Bakan’s rage at having his sacred Kargrar interrupted soared to the heavens.
The murderous aura radiating from him was visible, taking form.
Raising his greatsword toward Kaien Castle, he declared firmly, “Breach it, and annihilate everything.”
At his chilling command, the warriors roared and charged.
“Waaa!!!”
The gate shattered easily, and the hastily repaired wall collapsed in an instant.
Kandahr warriors poured into the outer castle.
“Kill the enemies!”
Confident in their overwhelming strength, the warriors entered, but what awaited them wasn’t an ambush or desperate resistance.
Only an eerie, empty silence.
“What… what’s this?”
The warriors, bewildered by the unexpected situation, looked around.
They couldn’t comprehend why the fiercely defended outer castle had been abandoned so readily.
“What are these bastards planning?”
“They’re giving this up?”
Then Morcal, calming the chaotic atmosphere, shouted loudly.
“No need to panic! They’ve merely withdrawn to the inner castle for efficient defense. As Lord Bakan commanded, we breach the inner castle!”
“Yes!”
“Advance, surround the castle tightly, and continue the siege!”
At Morcal’s cry, the warriors roared again, charging toward the inner castle with renewed vigor.
They set up siege ladders to scale the sturdier inner walls
and slammed massive logs against the gate.
“Now! Pour everything into it!”
At that moment, the kingdom’s archers and mages, waiting atop the walls, began their counterattack.
As a bloody battle raged around the walls, I laid Duke in the inner castle’s garden, now a makeshift infirmary.
Covered in blood, Duke barely opened his mouth.
“Sorry… Evan. I couldn’t keep my promise…”
“Stop talking. You’ll worsen your wounds.”
I cut him off sharply, unwilling to hear more.
Turning to the healing priest with a stern expression, I said, “Please take care of the Dean.”
The priest nodded.
“I’ll do my best.”
I turned away from Duke, teetering on the brink of death.
The priest, watching my cold, murderous back, sighed inwardly.
‘Such a pity. To have the eyes of a veteran of decades of battle at such a young age…’
And with those fierce eyes, I sharpened my blade for one man alone.
Bakan Hardan.
***
The Kandahr warriors who had entered the outer castle formed a siege around the inner castle, continuing their assault.
The kingdom’s forces countered with arrows and magic, trying to halt their advance.
Then, suddenly, the kingdom’s attacks ceased, and soon, the heavy gate of the inner castle began to open slowly.
“The gate is opening…?”
Even Morcal, a master strategist, frowned in confusion.
He’d expected a desperate defense of the inner castle, but he hadn’t anticipated they’d open the gate themselves.
“What are these bastards scheming?”
As Morcal cautiously pondered, Drenbalk brushed past him, shouting loudly.
“Why hesitate? Just charge in and kill them! Warriors, attack!”
With Drenbalk’s belligerent cry, his tribe’s warriors led the charge, and Bakan, exuding an overwhelming presence, followed slowly behind.
‘Damn it! Even Lord Bakan is going. What are they banking on?’
But Morcal remained still, deeply wary of the situation.
It deviated too far from his predictions.
Then, a messenger rushed from behind.
“Chieftain! Trouble!”
“What? What’s happened?”
“The Duke’s forces have advanced near our main camp!”
“What?!”
The Duke’s coalition had finally arrived.
Sooner than Morcal had anticipated.
“Impossible…! Before Lord Bakan entered the duel, I stationed ample rear guards!”
“They’ve all been defeated, it seems.”
“No way! Those were elite troops I handpicked, meant to hold for at least two days!”
“I don’t know what happened.”
Morcal had overlooked something critical:
Gaiard’s return.
He hadn’t considered that Gaiard had attacked the rear guards, clearing a path for the Duke’s coalition to approach swiftly.