Chapter 192: Stay Away From Me, All of You. (3)
The surroundings fell into a heavy silence.
Ghislain had just killed the five strongest knights in the area with only a few moves.
No one had imagined the battle would end so quickly despite the five-against-one odds.
Count Cabaldi’s soldiers, their faces pale, began retreating step by step.
Even calling him a monster felt inadequate.
Who in the world was this person, and how could someone of such skill invade this place?
After dealing with Cabaldi’s knights, Ghislain wordlessly waved his hand forward.
It was a gesture that seemed to say even speaking to them was a waste of time.
Immediately, one of the Fenris knights shouted loudly.
“Alright, let’s sweep the rest of them away!”
In stark contrast to their enemies, the Fenris knights wore expressions full of confidence and pride.
The moment Ghislain’s hand dropped, they released their mana and launched another attack.
“Hahaha! As expected of our lord!”
“It’s amazing every time I see it!”
“The best! The best! I’ll try to keep up!”
Bolstered by Ghislain’s exploits, the Fenris knights tore through the battlefield like fish in water, their morale soaring to new heights.
Cabaldi’s soldiers tried to hold out somehow, but it was futile. The defensive line, despite being reinforced with their largest deployment of forces, was crumbling with ease.
Jaimon, who had been observing the situation, closed his eyes.
“It’s over.”
From the beginning, this was an enemy he could not hope to handle.
Even though it was a surprise attack, it had only been a few minutes since the battle began, yet they were already suffering near-total annihilation.
With his limited ability, all he had managed to do was endure long enough to swing his sword a few times.
Even he didn’t realize how remarkable that feat was.
The only thing that worked in their favor was that the Fenris forces had no archers, meaning those outside the castle walls were momentarily safe from attack. This allowed them to buy a little more time.
But even that was coming to an end. Infantry weren’t idle for long.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the castle walls were completely overtaken, the Fenris forces began pounding their war drums, signaling the movement of infantry on both flanks.
It seemed they had even prepared ladders in advance.
Soon, the soldiers outside the castle would begin climbing the walls. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the gates were breached.
At that moment, a thunderous cheer echoed in the distance.
“Waaaahhhh!”
Realizing the meaning of the distant roar, Jaimon’s eyes flew open.
It was reinforcements. Their allies were coming. For the sound to be this loud, it was a signal to hold out just a little longer.
“If we can hold out, we can push them back.”
It would take time for the Fenris forces to climb the walls. If their allies arrived before they could fully breach the defenses, there was a chance to drive them back systematically.
To prevent that, the castle gate had to be defended at all costs.
If the gate was opened and the massive enemy forces outside flooded in all at once, even the reinforcements would be unable to avoid annihilation.
‘If only we can hold out just a little longer... just a bit more.’
As Jaimon agonized over the situation, a sudden idea flashed through his mind.
The urgency of the moment had made him overlook the mechanism on the gate until now.
“The gate! Destroy all the cranks for the portcullis! Make it impossible for the enemy to open the gate easily!”
The gates of Cabaldi Castle were exceptionally thick. To counter battering rams, the portcullis inside was also built with incredible thickness.
As one of the finest iron-mining regions in the north, the castle had spared no expense in using steel.
To lift the heavy portcullis, four cranks had to be operated simultaneously.
If the cranks were destroyed, the gate couldn’t be opened through ordinary means. Even those inside would need to break through the mechanism to open it.
Repairing the damage later would require significant resources, but it was far better than allowing the castle to be overrun.
Crash!
The knight stationed near the gate, commanding their forces, acted without hesitation upon hearing Jaimon’s order. He smashed all the cranks controlling the portcullis.
It was his final act.
Crunch!
“Tch.”
Ghislain clicked his tongue, having just missed stopping the knight by a hair’s breadth.
His body was drenched in the blood of his enemies, staining him a deep crimson.
“The enemy commander’s pretty sharp. So, there’s someone here capable of thinking on their feet, huh?”
Though he had briefly clashed with a few knights, the engagements had lasted only moments, as he overwhelmed his opponents with extraordinary speed.
Yet the enemy commander had managed, in that brief window, to reduce the forces on the wall and devise a strategy to delay them at the gate.
Typically, those on the receiving end of such a surprise attack would either scatter in confusion or retreat. Though an enemy, the commander’s quick judgment and decisiveness were worthy of respect.
“Breaking through this will take time.”
The castle gate’s design made it far from easy to breach.
Even if Cabaldi’s reinforcements arrived and the gate was eventually forced open, the Fenris forces would have to push in waves.
In that case, they wouldn’t be able to fully leverage the advantage of their larger numbers.
Ghislain scanned the surroundings.
The ambush had been a resounding success. Their side had suffered no casualties, while the enemy was nearly annihilated.
The decision to deploy a small elite force had resulted in a momentary destructive power that was second to none.
Fwoosh.
Her robe fluttered, and from within, several more daggers shot out.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Ugh!”
And with that, the fight was over.
Jaimon, pierced by the daggers, fell to his knees, blood pouring from his wounds.
His vision flickered as he blinked several times. In a fading voice, he muttered his final words.
“Because of Baron Fenris... the north will fall into chaos...”
And with that, Jaimon breathed his last.
* * *
In the modern era, the term “Master” was more of a title than a designation of skill.
This was because there were no clear standards to define the mastery of a field.
As such, even among those referred to as Masters, there were differences in skill.
The title was more a matter of recognition by the people, based on an individual’s accomplishments, fame, and demonstrated abilities. People simply acknowledged them as deserving of the name.
There was once a clear standard for mastering the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Now, however, few people even knew of it.
Wooong.
Ghislain infused mana into his sword.
As more mana gathered, the blade began to tremble, taking on a faint crimson glow.
This was the so-called “Mana Blade,” considered the hallmark of true knights.
Wooong!
But Ghislain didn’t stop there. He poured even more of his mana into the sword.
The blade’s trembling intensified, and its glow became increasingly radiant.
The knights watching nearby gazed in awe, their eyes reflecting their amazement.
The light emanating from the sword grew so bright that it began spreading outward, illuminating the surroundings.
Wooong!
The light, which had spread outward, suddenly shrank back, becoming even more intense than before.
The compressed mana, unable to withstand the overwhelming force, threatened to burst out in every direction.
But Ghislain focused his mind, pulling it back and compressing it once again.
Mana’s endlessly compressed power.
By now, the crimson glow emanating from his blade was no ordinary light.
It was so bright, like the blazing sun, that the onlookers squinted their eyes and instinctively stepped back.
Even so, Ghislain continued to repeat the process without pause. His expression was as cold and unmoving as a marble statue.
This wasn’t a technique that could be executed by recklessly channeling vast amounts of mana.
It required control over one’s power, an understanding of its principles, and a fierce, unyielding determination to manifest one’s realization into the world.
All of these elements needed to align perfectly.
Wooong! Wooong!
And Ghislain had mastered them all.
The only thing he lacked was sufficient mana.
Even so, for this brief moment, he could wield the technique—thanks to the Blood Python’s venom, which had drastically amplified his mana capacity, and the rigorous training that had strengthened his body to endure the strain.
The compressed mana, after being condensed to its limit, began to change form.
Fwaaaash!
The light took on a new shape. It was no longer just a faint glow clinging to the sword’s edge.
The knights who witnessed it let out startled cries.
“Wh-what is that?!”
“M-mana... how can it stretch out so far...?”
“The light... it looks like it’s burning!”
The light, which had previously flickered like smoke, now extended far beyond the sword’s length, stretching straight ahead.
It shone brighter and hotter than the sun, evoking awe and reverence in all who beheld it. It was an energy so overwhelming that none dared imagine touching it.
This was a blade capable of cutting through anything.
A refinement of mana that surpassed its limits—the ultimate expression of power.
A technique that trapped the principles of the world within one’s will and redefined them anew.
A blade of light. The Aura Blade.
Throughout the ages, its name had varied, but the most renowned term came from the ancient empire, which called it by this name.
In the ancient empire, only those who could wield the Aura Blade were acknowledged as true masters.
“Phew...”
Ghislain gripped the sword imbued with aura with both hands and slowly pulled it back.
Each movement of the blade released tiny, brilliant particles of light, scattering like a trail of stars.
The sight was so mesmerizing that everyone present stood transfixed, their gazes fixed solely on Ghislain.
Leaving the spellbound crowd behind, Ghislain took a deep breath, then swung his sword swiftly toward the tightly sealed castle gate.
Fwaaaaash!
A blinding light instantly enveloped everyone’s vision.
And as the light faded—
Boom!
The castle gate, now cleaved in two, began to collapse with a resounding crash.