novelraw Chapter 200 : Chapter 200
Chapter 200 : Chapter 200
Chapter 200. The Tide Has Turned
When Evan and Rotman finally set foot in Benked Castle, the same thought crossed both of their minds simultaneously.
‘We weren't too late.’
But what entered Evan's vision immediately after was Jaina, with one arm severed, gasping for breath and barely holding on.
At that moment, his thoughts were completely overturned.
‘No. I was late. I came far too late.’
Against the Empire, not even a single moment of carelessness is allowed.
He, who knew this better than anyone, had allowed himself a moment of leisure, and because of that, his comrade, his friend, had come to this state.
The faces of the Reverk Detachment members who had followed him in his past life and were buried in the dirt overlapped in his mind.
‘I vowed it would never happen again. I will never let that vow be in vain.’
Evan closed his eyes, then opened them, hardening his resolve.
Those who were with him would have already steeled themselves to take that risk.
However, separate from that, he could never tolerate seeing the people fighting alongside him being mercilessly cut down by the Empire's blades.
Moreover, if the culprit was the Empire he hated the most, his anger could only soar twofold.
“Rotman.”
“Yes.”
“On this battlefield…… is there anyone you must protect? A friend, perhaps.”
“There is no one. I have always been a loner.”
“Then that's a relief.”
If Rotman had asked him to ‘spare someone,’ it would have been difficult.
The current Evan was prepared to cut down and kill anyone under the Empire’s flag without exception.
“The only Imperial who will survive here today will be you.”
“……No. Perhaps I too might die in this place.”
Rotman’s eyes were resolute.
He had already steeled himself for a final stand.
His hatred for the Empire, and the will to atone for his sins, not shying away from even death, resided within him.
“Do not die.”
Evan cut him off firmly.
“You must not die here. You must survive.”
“If I spare myself, someone will have to bear the brunt of the Empire's encroaching evil.”
“I will bear that.”
It was an extremely arrogant statement.
Words that the usual Evan would have thought about ten times and ultimately not said.
Nevertheless, he uttered these words today.
It meant that his emotions were that agitated.
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
Evan and Rotman did not exchange any more words.
There was no leisure for a long conversation in the first place, and there was nothing for them to share with each other in this place right now.
Upon crossing the inner castle gate, what unfolded before them was a literal scene of chaos.
Red blood, the clang of metal, screams, and shouts mixed together, swallowing the battlefield.
‘Jack, Anton.’
In the midst of it, what first caught Evan's eye was Jack, fighting hard while throwing his fists.
Beside him, Anton was covering his openings, swinging his sword.
Both of them were clearly exhausted.
Traces of having fought against numerous enemies, or opponents far stronger than themselves, remained on their bodies.
Nevertheless, they stood on two legs, and with two arms, they wielded their respective weapons.
‘Gaiard, Rorn.’
Shifting his gaze, this time he saw Gaiard and Rorn.
Suppressing their instinctive tribal repulsion, the two beings were unexpectedly working in concert, pushing back the enemy.
In Evan’s absence, they too were growing.
The battlefield was despair, but everyone was working together, overcoming this crisis one step at a time.
And at the center of it all, Evan had finally arrived.
“The Five Swords of Robern, the twin brothers…… and the Second Sword Justia have also fallen.”
“Are they not the strong ones you mentioned in the carriage that we should be careful of?”
“That's right. With them dead, at least within this castle, the allied forces' victory will be solidified.”
As Rotman said, the tide of the battle had already turned.
Although a few of the knight order were still intact, numerous soldiers had thrown their bodies to break through the gaps, and the sacrifice built with blood soon created an advantage within the castle walls.
“So that's why Ron isn't seen. The inside of the castle is already finished, so he must be taking care of the outside.”
“That must be it. The Five Swords always move together. The fact that the corpses of the Second and Fifth Swords are here means the remaining three swords are outside the castle.”
“If that's the case…… we must also go outside the castle.”
Evan hesitated no longer.
At this moment, there is no leisure to worry about the well-being of his comrades.
What they would want is rather to end this hellish war even a little sooner and to laugh again with everyone in one piece.
That would be the reunion they truly wished for.
—Tat!
Evan, who had left the castle gate, immediately faced the vast expanse of the external battlefield.
In that place filled with flames, blood, and the clang of metal, the first thing that caught his eye was a familiar figure.
‘Harashin?’
The prince who had promised him he would not participate in the war was here now.
Moreover, he had not come alone but with the troops of Solaid.
Seeing this sight, Evan saw through their intentions in a short moment.
‘They intend to make this battle the final, decisive one. Good. Even if it isn't, I will make it so.’
Currently, Harashin was clashing with two knights.
One was a giant swinging a massive greatsword, and the other was ferociously swinging a sharp, saw-toothed sword.
Although he could guess their identities at a glance, Rotman calmly added an explanation from the side.
“The one with the greatsword is the Third Sword, Ironveil, and the one wielding the saw-toothed sword is the Fourth Sword, Blackthorn.”
“Then the remaining one is……”
Evan’s gaze naturally shifted.
A knight, looking down on the battlefield from a high ground, confronting Ron.
His appearance seemed ordinary, but the aura flowing from him was by no means ordinary.
“That must be the last sword.”
“That's right. The First Sword, Raven. Of course, his skill is not the last. It is the best.”
Hearing Rotman’s answer, Evan once again scanned across the battlefield.
The iron mask was not visible.
Not even his presence could be felt.
In other words, only the Five Swords of Robern had appeared in this place.
It was no exaggeration to say that they were the last remaining fighting force the Empire had.
‘There’s no way he isn't here. Yet he won't show himself. Just from his actions, it’s him without a doubt.’
Evan, who knew Robern's behavior all too well.
That is why he also knew how he had to act for that arrogant man to show himself.
Evan immediately made his decision.
As he moved, Rotman also drew his sword and asked.
“Where will you be going?”
“I will help Ron. I have a duty to return Ron safely to his lover, and I don't think I can do that if I don't help.”
“In that case, I will……”
“Please help Harashin. The burden of facing two swords is too heavy for him right now.”
“Understood.”
After the short and firm conversation, the two scattered in different directions.
Each shouldering their own weight, towards their own enemies.
* * *
Harashin, who had officially joined the allied forces, had not initially expected it to be this strenuous.
In his eyes, if there was anyone who could stand against him, it would have been the iron mask, whom he had received information about beforehand.
This was because the man in the iron mask had killed a mage who was one of the Seven Stars, just like himself.
However, that thought was a complete delusion.
‘I should have listened to my father……. I wonder if I came here for nothing.’
When he first faced the Fourth Sword, Blackthorn, he had a chance to kill him at once, and even if not, he was manageable enough.
But the moment the Third Sword, Ironveil, joined in, the situation changed completely.
‘These bastards…… looking at their movements, it's not like they've trained together regularly. And yet, there are no openings at all.’
As Harashin had predicted, the two were not in a relationship where they trusted or looked out for each other.
It could be said to be the exact opposite.
However, their bodies naturally covered each other’s openings.
There was only one reason.
The Robern's swordsmanship that was their root made their movements instinctively interlock with each other.
‘What a crazy swordsmanship. So this is why Robern was called the Sword Saint.’
Harashin had faced many strong opponents who wielded swords, but this was the first time he had seen such a great flow created by those who were not in sync.
Each one was already a strong warrior on their own, but their combined power was more than that.
The force returned twofold.
‘I’d rather be facing Varkanon.’
If the two were together, it would not be impossible to take down the Seven Stars, including Varkanon.
As such, defeating these two without any major injuries was close to impossible.
He couldn't even make a crack with minor injuries inflicted through feints.
In the end, he resolved that a path would only open if he gave up an arm.
‘If one arm is the price to take these guys down, it’s a cheap trade.’
If he gave up an arm and delivered a single blow that would surely kill them, he could definitely end this battle.
‘If I were more familiar with using Dracotuan, I wouldn't have needed to give up an arm. But who can I blame. I can only blame my own lack of training!’
The moment he steeled his resolve and was about to cross the line of death, someone intervened and helped him.
—Clang!
Along with the metallic sound of swords clashing, a new person leaped into the battlefield.
It was a first meeting for Harashin, but the enemies seemed to recognize him as their eyes widened.
“Rotman!”
“Where did this mangy dog come from!”
Seeing the enemy's reaction, it was clear he had a tangled past with the Empire.
But that was not what was important right now.
‘Someone like this wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. Did someone in the alliance, like me, open a new path?’
Thanks to Rotman's intervention, Harashin's vision cleared for a moment, and he sensed that the flow of the battlefield was changing.
At the center of that change were clearly two people, Ron and Evan.
“You really brought Ron along too, Evan!”
A smile crossed Harashin’s lips.
However, a sense of vigilance soon washed over him.
He realized that now was not the time to be tied down here.
Harashin had to quickly eliminate the enemies before him and make a great contribution to seizing victory in the war.
Otherwise, Evan would monopolize everything.
“These two, are they your enemies by any chance?”
Harashin asked.
“Would it be just them? But I have no direct grudge with them.”
Rotman answered calmly.
“That’s good. I've developed a grudge against them now, so I will be the one to finish them.”
“Of course. Unfortunately, I do not have the skill to finish them.”
Rotman’s skill was certainly inferior to the Five Swords.
But that was not important.
The one present in this place was one of the Seven Stars.
A being that the likes of the Five Swords could not recklessly challenge.
Harashin slowly clenched his fists and took his stance.
A heavy energy scattered in all directions, shaking the area.
“Leave that to me……. Let’s see. Is this what they call a reversal of the situation?”
As Harashin clenched his fist and took his stance, it was the stance of Dracotuan, which he had used to defeat Varkanon.
“It will really just take a moment, so please buy me some time.”
“You ask for the impossible. Just like someone else.”
Harashin smirked.
Because that someone was a person he knew well too.
“But the result will be certain.”
“It had better be. Otherwise, not only I, but you too, Prince, will die!”
Rotman moved forward to block the two swords that were coming at him with killing intent with all his might.
And Harashin stood still and recalled the battle he had with Varkanon.
‘Why is it always so urgent whenever I use this. Is this a martial art with such a fate.’
If that were the case, Harashin hoped he would never have a chance to use Dracotuan again.
Because he too wished for peace to come after this war.