novelraw Chapter 126 : Chapter 126
Chapter 126 : Chapter 126
Chapter 126: Counterattack (2)
Under the blazing sunlight, Gaiard lay collapsed, his body torn asunder.
He was powerless to act.
As darkness slowly descended, the bloodied remnants of his form began to stir.
‘Bakan…! I’ll kill you with my own hands, no matter what.’
Yet, despite his burning rage, he lacked the strength to reform his body.
It was only because it was night, not day, that he could barely move his bloodied remains.
‘Blood… I need blood. I must find it.’
Struggling to gather his energy, he crawled forward.
Then, from a nearby forest, a familiar scent wafted toward him.
‘This scent?’
It was the smell of the Kandahr Tribe.
A potent, living scent of their warriors.
‘Are Kandahr forces stationed there? Why?’
Gaiard was puzzled.
When he had passed through with Evan, that area had been empty.
‘Did Bakan move troops there in the meantime?’
Unbeknownst to him, it was Morcal’s orders that placed them there.
They were stationed to guard the rear in case the Duke’s coalition arrived.
‘No, Bakan’s forces would’ve headed for the royal castle. So, their purpose must be to delay the Duke’s coalition? It’s about time they arrived.’
Their numbers were roughly a thousand.
With sturdy wooden barricades forming a defensive line, they could hold out for days if they dug in.
‘If they block this point and delay the Duke’s advance, the royal castle will fall in the meantime. Bakan must be there.’
Conversely, it meant Bakan wasn’t among them.
‘If Bakan’s not here, that’s all the better.’
Gaiard slowly dragged his body through the underbrush, inching toward the concentrated forces.
Two warriors on guard duty failed to notice his approach, maintaining their vigilance.
And in that moment, a blood-red mass lunged at them like a beast.
“Argh!”
One warrior screamed as the bloodied mass engulfed him in an instant.
The other, drawing his sword in haste, was swiftly ensnared by the same mass.
Both warriors staggered and collapsed, reduced to dried husks without a drop of blood left.
And above them, Gaiard rose, his form restored.
“Vampire!”
“That damned monster!”
The other warriors, realizing the attack, were horrified to see Gaiard Lecan, thought dead, returned.
Yet, emboldened by Bakan’s overwhelming victory, their eyes held contempt rather than fear.
“Kill him! He’s nothing special!”
“We can kill him with our strength!”
But they were gravely mistaken.
It wasn’t that Gaiard Lecan was weak—
Bakan was simply too strong.
“Mad insects.”
Gaiard charged into the enemy ranks.
He shattered a warrior’s weapon with ease, grabbed his throat, and, without hesitation, snapped his neck and sank his fangs in, draining every drop of blood.
“They don’t even flee, making the hunt easy. This’ll be enough to regain my strength.”
Thus, Gaiard mercilessly slaughtered the Kandahr warriors, absorbing their blood.
Soon, the terror buried in the soldiers’ hearts began to resurface.
They recalled that era—
the worst monster who had once stained the continent with blood, Gaiard Lecan.
“Not a single one… will be spared!”
***
The Duke’s coalition, marching toward the capital, received a report from scouts about wooden barricades ahead.
An unexpected obstacle, but Duke Heriel’s resolve was unshaken.
“No matter the cost, we break through those barricades! Understood?”
“Yes!”
The soldiers responded with a death-defying roar to the Duke’s firm command.
Leading the charge, the Duke himself spurred his horse and charged toward the barricades.
It was a path they had to cross to reach the capital.
But, contrary to expectations, it was eerily silent.
‘What’s going on?’
The Duke cautiously approached, wary of potential ambushes, but even as he neared the barricades, no signs of life were detected. A chilling premonition gripped him.
Finally, entering the barricades, the Duke and his soldiers were struck with horror at the sight before them.
“What… what is this…?”
One soldier, swallowing a scream, retched at the gruesome scene.
Beyond the barricades lay countless mangled corpses, drenched in blood, torn apart as if by a ferocious beast.
And in the center of this horrific massacre, stood the man responsible for it all—
Gaiard.
“That’s…”
Despite recognizing the familiar face, Duke Heriel didn’t lower his guard.
A chilling, overwhelming aura emanated from Gaiard, starkly different from before.
The Duke instinctively knew.
His true identity.
“So, you’re… the vampire Gaiard Lecan. There’s no other vampire on this land.”
He had vaguely suspected and remained cautious.
While most in the kingdom were unaware of Gaiard’s existence, noble houses like the Theron family knew better.
As the Sword of the Kingdom, one had to understand even the blank pages of its history.
Thus, the Duke had been taught:
[Gaiard Lecan, a traitor who, unsatisfied in the war against Kandahr long ago, turned against the kingdom.]
He was erased from the kingdom’s records, sealed in darkness.
But what the Duke saw now was different.
Gaiard had fought Kandahr alongside Evan, using his power solely to protect this land.
And because of his closeness to Evan, the Duke had never openly voiced his suspicions.
But now, with Evan absent, and faced with the undeniable evidence of this carnage, he could no longer hold back.
Especially since Evan wasn’t here to explain.
“Exactly. Is that a problem?”
“…”
Heriel was momentarily speechless at Gaiard’s candid admission.
Why a figure from history was here, in this era, was an unsolved mystery swirling in his mind.
But there was no time to dwell on such questions.
“No. For now, it’s not a problem.”
“Good. I hate tedious explanations.”
“One more question. These… are they your doing?”
“Yes.”
Gaiard glanced indifferently at the scattered corpses and added, “Aren’t they the kingdom’s enemies anyway?”
Heriel’s mind raced.
‘Given he traveled with Evan, he may not need to be guarded against. Whatever history says, shouldn’t we use his power in this situation?’
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Trying to use Gaiard could provoke his rebellion, leading to an uncontrollable situation.
‘A rash idea. If he’s that Gaiard, we can’t predict his actions.’
History clearly warned of his danger.
Gaiard was not to be trifled with.
“What? Got something to complain about?”
“No. I should thank you. You reduced our losses.”
“I didn’t do it for you. It was for my survival. Now and back then.”
“I see. Then, unlike back then, we won’t ask for your help now.”
Gaiard found the Duke’s stance intriguing.
“Oh? Why not? Shouldn’t you grasp at any straw now?”
“Ask for help from someone who believes he was betrayed by the kingdom? What honor would that be?”
The Duke didn’t know the full truth of history.
But if Gaiard had truly harmed the kingdom out of personal greed, as history claimed, he wouldn’t be sparing them now.
‘Above all, he was with Evan. I may not trust him, but I trust Evan.’
With that conclusion, Heriel wasted no more time.
“If we’ve no reason to hinder each other, we’ll continue on our path. Time is short. All forces, follow me!”
The Duke passed Gaiard without a glance.
“Hm.”
But the lords, knights, and soldiers following him were different.
Though unaware of history’s blanks, they couldn’t hide their overt wariness of the brutal slaughterer, Gaiard, as they moved tensely.
“Is it safe to leave him behind?”
“Shh! Quiet!”
Then, Gaiard’s voice came from behind.
“I’ll go ahead. If you dawdle, your lord’s head might roll, so you’d better hurry.”
His voice carried mockery and a strange warning.
Before he finished, Gaiard’s form blurred into a black afterimage, soaring into the sky and vanishing.
“We move quickly too.”
At the Duke’s command, the army accelerated toward the capital.
***
Thanks to Gaiard Lecan annihilating the Kandahr warriors stationed at the rear, the Duke’s coalition reached Kaien’s capital far faster than expected.
As reported, the battle around the capital was fierce, with smoke rising and intermittent explosions echoing despite the night.
“Damn it!”
Seeing the empty Kandahr main camp near the capital, Duke Heriel’s heart sank.
‘An empty camp means the enemy has already launched a full assault on the royal castle!’
Rushing forward, the Duke advanced near the outer castle’s walls, witnessing Kandahr warriors flooding through the breached walls toward the inner castle.
He judged the inner castle had fallen too.
“The kingdom is in danger! Stop them and defend the royal castle!”
This misjudgment wasn’t mere error.
It was the result of the psychological warfare Evan had proposed to Rona.
The enemy grew overconfident, while the Duke’s forces awakened in crisis, channeling desperate resolve into an explosive surge.
“Waaaaa!!!”
The coalition united as one, crossing the outer castle’s bridge and charging fiercely.
Morcal’s unit, hesitating to enter the inner castle, turned to meet them.
The moment the two armies clashed in the castle’s heart, Duke Heriel spotted Morcal and shouted fiercely.
“Morcal!!!”
Morcal, recognizing the Duke, gripped his spear with cold eyes.
“Heriel Theron… Finally, we meet.”
The next instant, both charged, their weapons clashing.
―Clang!
The sound of steel on steel rang out, and they glared at each other, neither yielding an inch.
“Duke, before this day ends, one of us will die.”
“I agree. It’s time to end this long feud.”
As they clashed fiercely, Drenbalk, fighting at the vanguard, spotted Evan from afar and grinned with murderous intent.
‘If not the Dean, that guy will do as my prey.’
As Drenbalk charged at Evan, raising his axe, someone blocked his path.
It was Jack, tears streaming down his face.
“I’ll avenge the Dean myself!”
“You greenhorn, don’t you know when to butt out? Think you alone can stop me?”
But beside Jack, other Executor cadets emerged one by one, weapons raised.
“He’s not alone, you bastard.”
Jaina, enraged at seeing the Dean near death, was livid.
The other cadets were equally furious.
“We’ll kill you!”
All the Executor cadets surrounded Drenbalk, unleashing their anger.
Drenbalk laughed, gripping axes in both hands, his madness evident.
“Good! Come at me, all of you! I’ll tear you apart! You’re all destined to die anyway.”
Thus, in the castle’s heart, Drenbalk and the Executor cadets clashed.