Krais decided reinforcements were necessary, though he believed they didn't need to be a large contingent.
'Is it a lack of supplies?'
No, that wasn't it.
The Royal Army wouldn't have come this far without adequate preparation.
Then, can the sheer number of soldiers ignite the signal fire of a comeback?
He wasn't sure.
It was hard to predict. Count Molsen's intentions were unreadable.
Naturally.
Count Molsen had prepared something, mixing magic and sorcery, and was painting a bloody scene on the battlefield.
Even so, Krais anticipated that his opponent would pull out something unexpected.
His ability to imagine the most ominous scenarios proved useful once again.
Thus, it was clear that the fastest and strongest force had to be sent as reinforcements.
A small group of people with extraordinary power could completely turn the tide of a battle.
Audin, Sinar, and Teresa.
Krais provided each of them with two sturdy and fast horses.
That's how Audin and Sinar arrived here.
* * *
Encrid took a step back. Audin had gently grabbed his shoulder and pulled him. There was no reason to resist.
"Come on, just watch. I watched a bit earlier too."
Audin said as he stepped forward.
Rem spoke as he saw Audin moving. Then he slammed his two weapons together with a thud.
In his right hand was the long-handled axe he usually wielded, while in his left, he held a shorter-handled hammer that he seemed to have picked up somewhere.
Encrid knew that Rem wasn't particular about his weapons. So, it was safe to assume that Rem was fully prepared.
"Am I just supposed to cut that down?"
Ragna said, dragging his sword on the ground as he spoke.
Whatever he had done, the blade was completely ruined. It looked more like a saw now.
Yet, in Ragna's hands, even that jagged sword seemed threatening and terrifying. Even if he held a wooden sword, it would still be intimidating in his grip.
Today, he was particularly menacing.
It was clear from his expression that he intended to cut down anything that stood in his way.
Audin, who had pulled Encrid back, smiled and said.
"Father, is there anyone here worth sparing?"
In other words, he intended to kill them all and send them on their way.
Audin's fists were perfect tools to send those in front of him to meet their maker.
He wore leather gauntlets, finely stitched, as if someone had painstakingly crafted them by hand. They were well-made and appeared durable.
The material also seemed to be from a beast. Encrid had seen it correctly.
In fact, they were crafted from centaur hide.
Though it took time to tan and process, the material was indeed quite tough and durable.
Krais had them made and sent as a gift.
Curious, Encrid asked,
"Leather gauntlets? Who made them?"
"There is an excellent tailor in the unit. I don't know his name, but his stitching is exceptional. He used to serve as a Squad Leader, but now he works as the Supply Officer, brother."
Suddenly, someone came to Encrid's mind.
"Does he have a red nose? A heavy drinker?"
"How did you know?"
The tension between the five monsters and their group was still palpable, but Encrid spoke, and Audin replied.
It was as if they were saying it was alright to do so.
Of course, Audin's gaze never left the group in front of them. More specifically, it was fixed on the largest of the five monsters.
"I owe him a favor."
It was the friend who had made leather greaves and gauntlets for him the first time he repeated the day. It seemed his skills had improved significantly.
Working as the Supply Officer for the Border Guard meant his sewing skills were recognized.
Krais handled supply matters, so he wouldn't use just anyone. This was proof of the tailor's exceptional skill.
"My fiance, who bullied you? Point them out."
Beside Audin, Sinar's Fairy-like sense of humor remained unchanged. Despite her cold, intellectual appearance and monotone voice, her words were filled with a lightheartedness.
"The one who bothered me is already gone."
Encrid said, pointing to the sky with his finger.
"You sent them to the Lord? Well done."
There was probably no other priest-like person besides Audin who would praise someone for killing another.
Not all who worship the God of war were like that, after all.
Sinar, still expressionless, drew her sword and said,
"There's a fool here who dares to stain Fairy blood."
She was right.
One of the five was a Fairy.
Rem was inwardly surprised. It was someone he had just encountered not long ago, who had been frantically fleeing after being cut in half.
He didn't expect her to survive. Even if she had, he didn't think she'd be standing there in one piece.
He clearly remembered striking her torso with his axe and seeing her guts spill out, yet there she stood, alive.
Though dark red blood was seeping through the clumsy stitches, the fact that she was moving at all was astonishing.
Rem had been certain he had killed her.
Sinar stepped forward, wielding her Leaf Blade.
This positioned Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Sinar between Encrid and the enemies.
Jaxon was the only one still in his spot... except he wasn't. He had already disappeared. He had hidden himself.
It was at that moment Encrid realized it.
Jaxon reappeared next to the Count. His rapier, sharp as a skewer, flew directly toward the Count's head.
It was an attack no one had anticipated. The blade pierced the Count's skull—except Jaxon didn't achieve his goal.
Thump!
The rapier bounced off, as though it had struck solid metal.
Jaxon was stunned. He couldn't believe the hardness he had felt came from human skin.
He knew staying still would be a death sentence, so as soon as he struck, he flung himself backward.
A black claw appeared, swiping through the space where he had been moments earlier.
Just from the sight of it, Jaxon instinctively knew that getting scratched by that claw wouldn't end well. It was a malevolent, magical thing filled with dark energy.
Jaxon also realized that what had blocked his sword wasn't a defensive spell.
He could sense if magic had been used or not. He had aimed precisely knowing there was no spell.
In other words, it was the Count's skin itself that was unnaturally tough.
"Have you grafted a monster's skin onto your body?"
Jaxon voiced the question, conveying information to the others.
He was implying that the Count's skin was as tough as that of a monster.
"You're like a mayfly."
The Count scoffed, waving his hand. The black claws continued to pursue Jaxon.
Jaxon vanished from his spot, reappearing five paces away, but the claws relentlessly chased him.
At the same time, those who could be considered siblings to Lierbart—if not by blood, then by nature—rushed forward.
Leading them was the Fairy Rem had half-killed.
"Grrrrrr!"
She scratched at her head furiously before sprinting. Not in a straight line, but in a wide arc, as though circling around. Despite the curve, her speed was frightening.
To Encrid's eyes, she seemed even faster than Lierbart.
And that was true.
If Lierbart had thrown away all sense and fought purely using his physical abilities, he could have replicated the Fairy's movements.
But he hadn't.
His human desires and Knightly honor had been his final chains.
He had wanted to be a true Knight.
That's why he hadn't fought like a beast.
But what would have happened if he had relied solely on his physical prowess?
The answer was before them.
In less than a blink of an eye, the enemy had vanished from sight.
Right after realizing they had lost track, Encrid felt a sting on his right cheek. Something sliced through the air, a slash boosted by immense speed.
Encrid recognized it but didn't need to react.
There had been a Fairy muttering something since earlier.
Before the enemy had started running, Encrid had heard their words.
"A clan that has lost its pride in the forest."
This was no joke, it was a serious duel. The Leaf Blade blocked the other Leaf Blade.
Clang!
Green light sparked as the two blades collided.
The impact forced the enemy to retreat, and Sinar was also pushed back two steps. They now stood apart, keeping a cautious distance.
The swords were of similar form. However, one was a traditional Leaf Blade, while the other was twisted with veins from the wielder's hand, wrapping grotesquely around the blade.
"You're not even worthy of being called Fairy."
Sinar said, rebuking the Fairy.
The Fairy, though not completely lost to madness, still responded,
"What the hell are you talking about, you bitch?"
It wasn't the politest of responses. Sinar offered a faint smile in return—a smile so cold, it made one feel a chill even while looking at it.
"Saying such vulgarities in front of my fiance."
Sinar raised her Leaf Blade as she spoke.
Though she had scolded her opponent, just exchanging a single strike was enough to feel the difference. The strength, the speed, the toughness of their body—everything was different.
Still, she didn't think of the creature as a Knight.
It was merely a beast desperately trying to become one.
Sinar had seen true Fairy Knights before.
They were beings who deserved respect and were worthy of honor.
You couldn't become a Knight simply by tearing apart and reshaping your body.
That's why it had to be cut down. The ignorant and foolish Fairy's soul needed to be liberated.
"I will tell the forest and the flowers."
Sinar said, raising her blade. It was strange. Though the blade was just another Leaf Blade, it seemed to emit the scent of grass.
"The time is spring, a season more lively than any other."
She murmured the words quietly.
Her secret technique could only be realized by absorbing the essence of the forest.
It was the same as when she had entertained Encrid during their sparring match.
Back then, she had confused her opponent by using several clones created with the forest's energy. She could even use that energy to land physical blows.
But, of course, that was just one of her many tricks.
What she was doing now was more than that.
She gathered the forest's essence, summoned a spirit, and received its answer.
Sinar absorbed the essence into her body.
This was a lost art of the Fairy, forgotten because no one could use it anymore.
By drawing the forest's essence into herself, she momentarily stepped into a world similar to her opponent's.
The mutated Fairy's sword came flying at her. Its blade, resembling a leaf, was known as the Leaf Blade, and it was now right in front of her face.
Sinar had already absorbed the forest's energy, enabling her to match the speed of her opponent as she swung her blade.
Clang!
She didn't stop at merely deflecting the blow. She twisted her sword upward, knocking away the enemy's downward strike.
Her blade glowed softly with a green hue.
The Leaf Blade, in her hands, changed with the technique known as 'Seasons'.
At that moment, the blade in her hand represented spring.
In spring, the Leaf Blade burst with more life force than in any other season. Though its appearance didn't change, the power within the sword did.
Sinar's movements were like a dance. If you removed the act of parrying, cutting, stabbing, and smashing, it would have seemed purely like a graceful dance.
One by one, she shattered her opponent's strikes, and with each hit, she beat down the Fairy chimera that had aspired to match a Knight.
* * *
Watching Sinar begin her fight, Audin spoke.
"It's late, so as a penalty, I'll take on two."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the remaining guards began to move.
Like the mutated Fairy, they too began to charge, faster than Lierbart had ever been.
Of course, this wasn't a problem for Audin or the two standing beside him.
As Audin spoke, Ragna extended his sword.
'Faster, and stronger.'
That's what he needed to do.
It was Willpower. An intangible force filled his arms. He layered that willpower onto his intent to cut, blending it into his body. He understood how Will moved and deliberately harnessed it.
This was the answer Ragna had found.
And so he did it.
It only lasted the span of two breaths before the energy dissipated, but that was enough.
In an instant, Ragna recreated the swordsmanship of a Knight.
Specifically, it was the sword technique he had seen from a Knight of Aspen.
It was fast and sharp.
Ragna mimicked it exactly.
His left foot took a half-step forward, and with minimal movement, he pulled his body into a stance, rotating from his ankle to his waist to maximize the power of the Middle Sword Technique. This was his preparation.
Compared to the charging enemy, Ragna's movement of raising his sword and adjusting his stance was significantly slower.
From an outsider's perspective, it seemed as if Ragna would be skewered, his heart or some other organ ripped out, and he'd be knocking at heaven's door.
That is, if they could see it.
Ragna's sword suddenly became faster.
It sliced through the air, far faster than the creature charging toward him.
Before the overwhelming speed and strength, the poorly constructed fortress of the chimera crumbled without resistance.
Shwoop! Slash!
It happened in an instant.
The enemy charged, then was sliced into two pieces, flung apart to the left and right.
Rem, who had just been smashing an opponent with his axe and hammer, saw the whole thing.
'That crazy bastard.'
Isn't he going even crazier than before?
Even after facing one of the creatures that had charged at him, which was indeed a formidable monster, Rem didn't hesitate.
He pulled out the items he had collected while capturing the Immortal Madman.
In the West, in Rem's homeland, the word 'Will' didn't exist. There was no such concept.
However, there was a way to train and refine one's spirit.
They called it sorcery, something one had to gain through rigorous practice.
For Rem's tribe, sorcery was one of the essential weapons a warrior must possess.
Inherited weapons were also derived from this tradition.
"Watch closely, you bastard."
Rem directed this comment toward Ragna, then used his thumb and index finger to snap a totem in half.
The totem was a small figurine, no thicker than two fingers. Its effect was simple.
It imbued the caster's body with the power of a 'Sorcery Lightning Step'.
Next, Rem took out a talisman without hesitation, crumpled it, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The talisman's effect was the 'Arm of the Bear'.
These two types of sorcery enhanced the strength in his arms and legs.
Although neither of these sorceries were originally his, and he hadn't forged them through his own prayers, this trick allowed him to use the sorcery temporarily.
That trick made Rem's body faster than before and added strength to his muscles.
His opponent, wielding a heavy sword in both hands, charged at him.
No matter what Rem did, the opponent dodged and counterattacked, as if simply evading was enough.
Much like when Encrid had faced Lierbart, Rem's axe had been forced into a defensive stance. But now, the axe moved at an unprecedented angle.
It shot upward from below, then struck down like a bolt of lightning.
Boom!
The opponent managed to block it, but was pushed back. The creature's entire body was jolted with enough force that it was naturally forced to retreat.
Even using sorcery, achieving such power was difficult. This was possible only because it was Rem.
He had an innate talent for sorcery, more than even for mastering physical combat.
And he was even better at applying it to his own body.
This was the result.
Rem smashed the opponent's side with his hammer, feinted an attack to confuse his enemy, then extended his axe to split the chimera's head.
Crack!
The tough, solid skull was split vertically.
Thanks to the monster's blood, bones, and hide, only half of its head was cleaved open, but eyeballs and other contents began to spill out of the split.
Rem let his arms drop and thought to himself.
There's going to be some side effects from this.
It couldn't be helped, as using someone else's sorcery always came with a cost.
His gaze shifted to the last two remaining opponents.
On the surface, it looked like Audin was barely holding them off, but naturally, no one interfered.
He had said he would take on two, so he had to bear the responsibility.
Rem thought Audin was an annoying fanatic, but he also thought he was someone who kept his word.
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