The crack quickly spread from the point where Ash’s sword had struck. Like a crack in a glass wall. Soon, the shield shattered with a crackling sound that ripped through the air.
The light from the shattered shield scattered like shards of glass.
“Uh, how did…!”
The enemy’s eyes widened at the sight.
The shield was their greatest weapon, a line of defense they believed to be impenetrable, and the sight of it crumbling was shocking to say the least.
As the enemy’s soldiers faltered, the allies attacked the gates in unison.
The gate was very heavy and massive.
However, the sturdy shield that protected the gate was no longer there. It was only a matter of time before the army breached the castle gate.
Despite the constant barrage of enemy attacks from the walls, they never stopped. Eventually, the gates, unable to withstand the onslaught, were torn open with a loud crash.
“Charge!”
Ash shouted sharply.
Waaaaaaaah-!
The soldiers rushed into the castle grounds, shouting.
Sword energy flew out from the front. An intense light sliced through the ranks of the allies who’d rushed forward. The soldiers fell down screaming.
“We can’t go any further than this!”
Dozens of knights in silver armor blocked their way, their swords pointed sharply. The mana coated on their swords glowed and crackled.
The only group in the kingdom, other than the Knights of Philres, whose members were all Masters. The Royal Knights.
“Strike!”
The Royal Knights rushed in with their swords drawn.
Only Philres could stand against the Royal Knights, an organization composed entirely of Masters. In a tangle of enemy and ally soldiers, the two orders clashed.
Hilaire and the deputy captain of the Royal Knights collided, and three knights attacked Lowell.
A fierce battle took place.
Sophia growled low as she locked swords with her opponent.
“These guys who ignored our Lord and even looked down on us… I’ve always wanted to fight them.”
The other person raised his eyebrows.
“You’re taking out your inferiority complex in the wrong place, not being able to become a noble royal sword due to your humble status, what a traitorous master and subordinate.”
“Bastard. On the subject of following a murderer…”
“What?”
Meanwhile, twenty knights and five wizard captains rushed towards Ash.
As the most accomplished master in the kingdom, he was the most threatening of the allies. Moreover, if they eliminated him, who was the central point of the alliance, it would be easier to achieve victory.
However, Ash was not pushed back at all, even though he faced them all alone. A monstrous force indeed.
One of the knights fell to his sword. It was then that the leader of the Royal Knights made his move, but a silver-haired knight stepped in front of him to block his attack on Ash.
She wore Philres’ uniform. However, there was no way that a single knight, not even Duke Killiard or a vice-captain of Philres, could easily deal with the knight captain of the Royal Army.
The knight captain looked annoyed.
‘This small piece…!’
Their swords clashed.
Cheaeng-!
A tremendous force sent his body flying backwards. His feet dug deep, leaving long scratch marks on the ground.
‘What…!’
His eyes widened as he barely prevented himself from falling. Faser than he could blink, the woman was right in front of him.
Kang, kang!
He barely managed to block the onslaught of attacks.
A speed that even he, one of the continent’s best knights, was unable to follow with his eyes. A sword strike so sharp it gave him chills.
That wasn’t all.
‘What kind of power…!’
It wasn’t just about pure grip strength. Every time the mana-covered blades collided with each other, it felt like his bones would shatter.
Amazingly refined sword energy, and the ability to condense it to its utmost strength. Everything was on a different level.
He was able to feel it even more clearly because the knight captain himself was outstanding.
What is this intimidation?
There was a knight like this in Philres?
‘No… Was there such a being on this continent?’
An instinctive warning sounded.
‘This woman is dangerous.’
Perhaps more so than anyone else on this battlefield.
They’d only exchanged a few blows, but even then, he’d barely managed to parry them, and that made it all the more noticeable.
There was something about extremely dangerous things that was truly overwhelming, just with a glance.
And when their eyes met, the woman quietly asked.
“Where is your Commander-in-Chief?”
In an instant, a chill went down his spine. He gritted his teeth, trying hard to ignore that feeling.
“He’ll send you to…!”
“Yes, of course.”
Elaine replied nonchalantly. Then she swung her sword with all her might.
Her momentum shifted to a frontal stabbing attack. A blow of unparalleled speed and precision. It was as if he’d just been watching this whole time.
“Ughhh…!”
Her sword plunged into the knight captain’s solar plexus. The leader of a country’s knights couldn’t react in time and left himself open, due to the vast gap in skills. She possessed a talent that even a witch recognized as genius. Additionally, the only human who can be a match for Elaine and her witch’s power, was Ash who had increased agility thanks to the witch’s blood flowing through him.
Elaine pulled out her sword and kicked the knight captain with all her might.
His body flew into the wall and slumped. The wall crumbled as the wooden beams around him shattered.
The enemy soldiers fighting around him widened their eyes, their faces showing disbelief.
‘One down.’
Elaine flicked her wrist lightly.
It was a near-fatal wound, but probably hadn’t killed him. She glanced at the unconscious knight leader who’d fallen before turning away.
Under siege, Ash had already cut down more than half the knights who’d targeted him and was on his third wizard captain. The enemies who’d been trying to overwhelm him were rapidly losing numbers.
She made eye contact with Ash. He nodded as if everything was fine. The gentleness in his eyes made her heart tickle a little.
Elaine looked ahead again.
In the distance, in the center of the enemy army, she could see the commander-in-chief leading the battle.
Seeing her target, Elaine moved without hesitation.
* * *
The king looked out the window motionlessly. The garden was still in full bloom, but the tranquility was shattered by a distant commotion.
The secret he’d thought was forever buried had long since been unearthed.
‘Ash…’
In the end, he’d ruined everything.
He should’ve killed him a long time ago. If he’d known he’d corner him like this…
He clenched his fist on the window frame until the veins bulged.
‘No… It’s not over yet.’
He looked ahead with his sharp eyes.
The castle walls defensive shield visible in the distance was still strong. No matter how strong Ash was, he wouldn’t be able to break through easily. The longer the battle went on, the more advantageous it was for this side.
He ordered the commander-in-chief to cut off Ash’s head. He planned to hang it on the castle wall, along with the heads of those who dared rebel against him.
“Get out of the way!”
“His Majesty’s orders were to let no one in.”
“How dare you stand in my way? I told you to move!”
“Your Majesty…!”
A commotion was heard outside the room, then the door burst open. The queen entered.
Outside the door, the panicked faces of the royal guards could be seen.
The queen’s face was unrecognizable. Her eyes were hollow, and her beautifully combed hair was in disarray.
The massacre from 20 years ago. Shortly after hearing Ash’s revelation of who was behind Seveka’s deaths, the queen collapsed in shock.
Her father had died in that massacre. She was one of many who took out their vengeance and hatred on Ash for the loss of her father.
She wanted to kill Ash, taunted him in public many times, and constantly sent assassins to him.
Pathological hatred. However, now she must’ve realized that it was directed at the wrong person.
The queen, who’d been lying in bed the entire time, seemed to have sought him out as soon as she awoke. It wasn’t hard to guess why she’d come to see him.
“You… How could you…!”
As expected, the queen’s face contorted in anger when she saw him. He stared at her expressionlessly.
“You were the one who killed my father?”
She walked unsteadily, one step at a time. A young girl followed behind the queen. She was the queen’s favorite maid and always stayed by her side. The queen spoke with bloodshot eyes.
“You have deceived me all this time and have the audacity to…!”
“…”
“If you really destroyed Seveka, you could’ve saved my father. If he wasn’t in Seveka, if he’d escaped in advance…!”
“He was too eager for power.”
The king’s answer was brief, then he continued dryly.
“Excessive greed will only become a hinderance. Anyway, there was a successor who could take over the duke’s position even if he wasn’t there, so I just did a bit of cleaning while I was at it.”
“What…?”
The queen asked, dumbfounded. She staggered forward and stopped in her tracks.
“Ha, ha, ha…”
The queen’s mouth twitched as she looked at him from a distance. She lowered her head, shook her shoulders, and began to laugh. She was laughing half-heartedly.
Then suddenly she raised her head.
“I will kill you.”
