Chapter 108
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The expression of Bent, a member of the Caion unit, twisted in agony as he barely blocked the sword swung by a knight of the Rose knight Order.
‘Is this...?’
The infamous Rose knight Order, known as one of the Empire’s elite knight orders.
Each strike of their sword felt like being hit by a massive sledgehammer, and their attacks were impossibly sharp.
Slash!
In the brief moment when his defense faltered, the Rose knight slashed Bent’s thigh.
“Argh!”
“Bent!”
As Bent’s scream echoed, Dianal shouted loudly from nearby.
But at that moment—
“Where do you think you’re looking!”
Whoosh!
Dianal quickly stepped back as an attack narrowly missed the top of his head.
Unlike the others, Dianal was fighting the Rose knight one-on-one.
He was trying his best to alleviate the burden on the other soldiers.
‘At this rate... we’re being pushed back.’
Dianal bit his lip hard.
They were at a disadvantage as time went on.
The enemy, on the other hand, was getting used to fighting one against two or even three, and was pressuring the soldiers even more.
And then—
Stab!
“Beeeent!”
With a tearing scream, the Caion soldiers’ gazes turned to one spot.
The sword of the Rose knight had pierced through Bent’s chest and protruded from his back.
Thud.
The first casualty had fallen.
Dianal’s eyes widened as he glared at the knight in front of him.
But the knight simply sneered back at him.
“Heh heh heh, soon your commander’s head will also be rolling on the ground.”
He sneered, glancing at Damian, who was fighting down the hill.
Dianal’s gaze followed his to Damian.
Grit!
‘I tried so hard... just to be of help.’
But was the difference this vast?
Looking at the six knights surrounding Damian, Dianal’s eyes grew cold.
However, suddenly gaining strength out of nowhere wasn’t going to happen.
He could only—
“Kyle!”
Boom!
At Dianal’s shout, Kyle repelled the knight in front of him with his shield and quickly headed toward Dianal.
When he reached Dianal’s side, Kyle asked,
“Why did you call me?”
“We’re going to have to take some risks.”
“...Risks?”
Dianal looked over at Damian.
“If we’re late, the vice-commander will die. We need to finish up here quickly.”
“I know that, but how do we do it?”
In response to Kyle’s question, Dianal glanced at the knight in front of him, then looked at Kyle and spoke quietly.
“I’ll create an opportunity. When I do... just hold onto that guy.”
“Hold onto him?”
“Yes.”
“....”
Kyle looked bewildered at Dianal’s words.
It was doubtful that such a monster could even be held.
“I’ll die trying to hold him down!”
“That’s why I’ll create the opportunity.”
“...I’ll trust you then.”
Kyle let out a small sigh.
He knew as well.
There were no other options left.
If they hesitated and tried to buy time, it would only increase their casualties. If that happened...
‘We’d be annihilated.’
They had to do something while Damian was still holding on.
Grit!
Clenching his teeth, Kyle looked at the knight in front of him.
The knight, sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, raised his sword with a serious expression.
“You think coming up with some plan is going to change anything?”
“Something has to change.”
Whoosh!
Dianal swiftly lunged at the knight. The knight grinned as he saw this.
“Nothing has changed!”
Slash!
Clang!
But just as Dianal charged, he leapt into the air, knocking away the knight’s sword.
The sudden movement made the knight’s eyes waver slightly.
His movement just now—
Unlike before, where he maintained a balanced form, he was now focusing solely on attacking.
And because of that—
“You fool!”
The knight swung his sword at the wide-open gap.
Slash!
Thud.
“B-Benins!”
“Ugh!”
As one soldier after another, who had barely been holding on, fell, Dianal swung his sword faster and harder.
He had to kill even one more enemy as quickly as possible to save his comrades.
And then...
Thud.
When he killed the last remaining knight—
‘...Everyone.’
There wasn’t a single Caion soldier who wasn’t bleeding.
While there were some differences in severity, everyone had serious sword wounds all over their bodies.
It was truly a life-or-death struggle, showing what it meant to fight to the death.
And about half of them were lying on the ground, unable to move properly.
“Squad leaders, follow me. We’re going to save the vice-commander.”
“Yes, sir!”
But there was still work to be done.
Whoosh!
Dianal and the soldiers began running with all their might.
* * *
One of the strongest knight orders in the Empire.
Of course, much of that reputation was due to the presence of Piaren Tail as their commander.
The Empire’s third Aura Master.
His strength was such that he was among the top two or three in terms of sheer power, but his free-spirited personality meant he didn’t receive the recognition his skills deserved.
But even so, the prestige of the Rose knight Order remained intact.
It was an honorable position that any aspiring knight would dream of joining.
That was why they worked even harder, striving to live up to that reputation.
But now—
“...How could this happen?”
Considering the weight of the path they had walked, it was unimaginable.
They had...
Step.
At that moment, a shadow was cast over him.
A man, bleeding from various wounds, with a youthful face yet deep, intense eyes, was looking at him.
“...Haha.”
Milo lowered his head in despair.
He had never thought his end would come like this.
‘I had resolved not to tarnish his name.’
And yet...
‘To be defeated like this, unable to handle a single regular unit...’
Milo looked up at Damian.
“Don’t think this is the end of the Rose knight. Our true strength is only revealed when Piaren is with us...”
But Milo couldn’t finish his sentence.
Dianal, who had been standing behind him, swung his sword at him.
Slash!
Milo fell, meeting his end.
Thud.
The vice-commander of the Rose knight Order.
For all his renown, it was an unremarkable death.
Damian looked at his corpse for a moment, then turned to the soldiers.
“...Dianal, report.”
“Yes, sir. As a result of this battle, there are twenty-five wounded and...”
Dianal’s eyes darkened for a moment.
Clench.
He clenched his fist tightly as he continued.
“There are seven dead.”
Seven deaths out of a hundred.
Damian looked at the surrounding soldiers.
Dianal’s report referred to those with severe injuries, but everyone else was also heavily wounded.
One hundred Caion soldiers had faced fifty members of the Rose knight Order.
A little more than double their numbers.
But there was nothing to be ashamed of.
They had faced one of the strongest knight orders on the continent.
Damian spoke to Dianal.
“Take good care of our fallen comrades. And... take this bastard’s head too. It will serve as proof of what we’ve accomplished.”
Damian reflected on the battle.
A grueling fight.
Without everyone’s resolve, they would all have been buried here.
‘If only I were stronger...’
Was he arrogant?
Had he mistakenly believed he was stronger than he actually was?
Countless thoughts and regrets flashed through his mind. But for now...
Gaze.
Damian looked at his soldiers. Then he spoke.
“Remember our fallen comrades. Continue forward and become the pride they can hold onto.”
The soldiers looked at him with serious expressions.
Their eyes held a myriad of emotions.
Damian made eye contact with each one of them as he continued.
“What happened here today, on the slopes of Sragan, will be remembered as a page in history.”
His voice grew louder and louder.
The soldiers, feeling the rising intensity, looked as if they were about to shout in unison.
In this atmosphere, Damian concluded with a powerful declaration.
“We have defeated the Rose knight Order of the Empire! We have won!”
“Waaaahhhhhhh!”
As Damian raised his spear and shouted, the soldiers erupted in a roar, unleashing the cheers they had been holding back.