Chapter 265
On the scorched hill opposite the White King Castle.
Ten Aura Users stood in place, watching the duel between Banatel and Gerard.
While the ordinary citizens of White King Castle were running around in a frenzy because of those two walking disasters, these men were also extraordinary beings among the extraordinary. They weren’t so weak as to be shaken by a direct hit, let alone mere aftershocks. Each of them maintained their Aura Guard, dispersing the residual impact, though their expressions were grim.
"Do those bastards never get tired...?"
Sir Geblik, a renowned Aura User from the Kingdom of Graim, let out a sigh. He, too, was a warrior striving for the pinnacle of strength. But watching those two fight made him realize just how far and unattainable that peak truly was.
The others felt much the same. They might have been unrivaled in their own territories, but this was a reminder of just how vast the world really was.
Then, Dekril, an Aura User from Chatan, drew their attention back to reality.
"But are we just going to keep standing here and watching?"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
At Marrad’s question, Dekril shrugged and continued.
"Like it or not, we were given orders, weren’t we? I get that the Sword Star has lost it and is acting that way, but for us to just stand around watching... that seems a bit..."
"Hmm, that’s true enough."
The other Aura Users blinked in agreement. They hadn’t come here for a simple show of force. They had been ordered by the Empire to punish these insolent heretics.
This wasn’t a situation where they could afford to stand around and spectate.
Sir Walgran shifted his gaze toward the plains in front of White King Castle.
"Dekril is right. The Sword Star is the Sword Star, and we are ourselves. Let him fight the Fist King on his own, we have our own job to do."
Dekril pursed his lips as he looked at Russ and Tassid, sprawled out on the field.
"Since we've been ordered, we at least need to bring their heads back."
One by one, the other Aura Users began unleashing their Blade Aura once more.
Earlier, they had all hesitated, not wanting to reveal their full power. But now, Russ and Tassid were already gravely wounded by Sword Star Banatel. At this point, just basic Blade Aura would be more than enough to finish them off.
As the atmosphere among the Aura Users shifted, Russ and Tassid paled. Tassid scowled and forced himself to rise.
"Urgh... Russ!"
"I know, Tassid!"
Russ struggled to respond as he forced himself to his feet. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his grip on the longsaber, Dakar, and steadied his stance. Tassid panted heavily beside him.
"They're coming after all."
Gerard’s arrival had briefly stalled them, but Tassid never expected they would simply stand by forever. Russ wiped his lips in frustration.
"Tch, if only they had dawdled a little longer."
Tassid let out a dry chuckle and reassured his friend.
"It's lucky we recovered even this much."
"Ugh, can you even call this recovery?"
They had been doing their best to restore their strength and aura while Gerard and Banatel clashed. However, they were still far from being combat-ready. With those two natural disasters unleashing torrents of aura all around them, it had been nearly impossible to focus solely on recovery.
They had managed to buy a little time while the other Aura Users hesitated, but now…
"What do we do?"
Russ muttered anxiously as he watched the approaching Aura Users, who were once again radiating their murderous intent. Tassid pounded his chest and shouted.
"At least that giant old man saved our necks! That’s good enough!"
"True enough."
Russ grinned at his friend’s boisterous declaration.
Their lives should have already ended. The fact that they were still standing was nothing more than sheer luck. There was no point in lamenting their impending death now.
The ten superhumans from across the continent advanced, their bodies glowing with various hues of aura. Suppressing the intense pain wracking their bodies, Russ and Tassid readied themselves for battle once more.
Sir Walgran glanced at the others.
"Who will do it?"
The two men before them were already on the brink of death. Orders had been given, so they had no choice but to act. However, crossing swords with men in such a state was already a disgrace to the honor of knighthood. To gang up on them would be outright unthinkable.
The Aura Users, many of whom held knighthoods in their respective nations, frowned. None of them seemed keen on striking down the wounded.
Eventually, Dekril stepped forward, pointing his sword at Russ.
"I’ll do it. It’s been a long time since I last fought an Aura User."
As a warrior unbound by the rigid principles of knighthood, he was less troubled by matters of honor. Similarly, Marrad, a fellow free knight, motioned toward Tassid.
"Then I’ll take that one. It's laughable to talk about honor with an orc, anyway."
Dekril stood before Russ, while Marrad faced Tassid.
Unlike most human Aura Users, Dekril wielded an unusually large two-handed sword, the Flamberge, as his favored weapon. The moment he lifted the massive greatsword, a dark brown Blade Aura shone brilliantly.
"The circumstances may not be fair, but we did not come for an honorable duel, we came to deliver judgment."
Marrad also drew his falchion, assuming his stance. A vibrant orange aura coated his blade.
"I’ll cut you down quickly, you orc bastard."
Dekril and Marrad radiated unwavering, overwhelming power. Seeing this, Russ and Tassid grinned. It was true, exhausted and wounded as they were, they had no chance against them.
But that didn’t matter.
They had already cast aside any attachment to life!
Forcing their battered bodies to move, they gathered the last remnants of their aura.
"Taahhh!"
Russ's entire body glowed with a blue light. Tassid raised his longsaber and shouted.
"Come, humans!"
* * *
Four streaks of aura clashed violently, shaking the battlefield. With every impact, the plains before White King Castle were mercilessly torn apart, explosions of force ripping through the air. Compared to the monstrous battle between Gerard and Banatel, this fight seemed overshadowed, but its intensity was still nothing short of devastating. Within moments, the surrounding area was reduced to ruin.
Russ and Tassid were completely drained, but they refused to fall easily.
Two warriors fighting with no regard for their own lives were not easy opponents, even for Aura Users. Meanwhile, Dekril and Marrad, mindful of the watching eyes of their fellow warriors, refrained from using their signature techniques, relying only on basic aura skills. Because of this, the battle remained deadlocked for a time.
Still, the outcome was already decided. It was only a matter of time before Dekril and Marrad secured victory. Russ and Tassid were simply too wounded to last much longer.
For that reason, Nasdan, a free Aura User from the Duchy of Lastil, no longer paid any attention to their fight.
Instead, he turned toward White King Castle and spoke.
"Shall we take care of things over there now?"
The knightly Aura Users let out uneasy groans.
"Hmm…"
"Right."
"We do have to deal with them eventually…"
Nasdan smiled smoothly.
"If we wait any longer, they’ll all escape. I understand why we’ve held back, but…"
Among those present, there was not a single person who was not an Aura User. Through their Qi Perception, they were all aware that the residents of White King Castle were evacuating toward the mountain behind it.
Even so, no one had acted. The main reason was simple, none of them wanted to shed unnecessary blood. Fortunately, the Sword Star was too fixated on fighting the Fist King to interfere, meaning there was no one to force their hand. Some among them were even silently cheering for the residents to escape as quickly as possible.
However, Nasdan did not seem to share that sentiment.
"If we let them all escape, wouldn't that be disregarding the Empire’s orders too much? It seems that all the non-combatants have fled by now…"
It was true that the emperor’s command had been to slaughter the White King and all who served him.
Many had hesitated, unwilling to spill innocent blood. But upon scanning the area, it seemed that only knights and soldiers remained in White King Castle.
"We can’t let them all go if we want to set an example."
Sir Kamerun, a knight of the Kingdom of Hallein, agreed with Nasdan’s stance.
"That’s true. If we cut down at least those men, the Empire will be able to save face."
The non-combatants were one thing, but those who had taken up the sword had already accepted the possibility of death. Killing them did not feel quite as guilt-ridden. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Then let’s go."
"Agreed."
Eight Aura Users simultaneously dashed toward White King Castle. Their aura left eight brilliant arcs streaking across the earth.
Sensing their movement, Russ and Tassid turned in alarm.
"Damn it!"
"No!"
But they could not disengage. Dekril’s destructive strikes and Marrad’s fluid yet overwhelming swordplay held them completely in place.
Their faces turned pale.
The eight Aura Users had already crossed more than half the field, closing in on White King Castle, when suddenly, from the west, a thunderous roar erupted.
"Who dares oppress my people?"
The Aura Users instantly halted their advance. From atop the western hill, a tremendous presence surged forth, so overwhelming that they couldn’t possibly ignore it.
"Ugh…?"
Before they could react, a golden flash shot out from the hilltop.
"Chain Strike Cannon!"
A deafening crack of thunder followed as nine golden beams ripped through the air. The streaks of light curved like arcs before slamming down in front of White King Castle, cutting off the Aura Users' path.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the pillars of light crashed down, tearing through the earth as they surged forward. Nine massive fissures split the ground, their sheer force forcing the Aura Users to brace themselves and evade the onslaught.
Through the thick smoke, Sir Walgran turned his head to look behind him. This golden aura was a color he had grown sick of seeing.
"Could it be the Fist Emperor?"
No. Gerard was still locked in a brutal battle with Banatel, soaring between the ground and the skies 50 meters above. He was so utterly engrossed that he remained unaware of anything else happening around him.
"Then who…?"
The Aura Users’ gazes shifted toward the western hill.
Amidst the scorched forest west of White King Castle, a small hill stood exposed.
Atop it, a towering man stood with his fist extended forward, his brown hair billowing in the wind. Beside him stood two beautiful elven women and a hulking, menacing troll.
The moment Sir Kamerun laid eyes on the troll, his expression twisted.
Hailing from the Kingdom of Hallein, he had long heard rumors of that troll with the massive ivory fangs.
"Ivory Tusk!"
There was only one human on the entire continent who commanded such a creature.
A grin spread across Kamerun’s lips.
"You’ve finally arrived, Fist King Repenhardt!"
* * *
After witnessing the devastation in the trade city of Zarud, Repenhardt and his group had rushed at full speed toward Antares White King Castle.
The legendary steeds that Karl had prepared for them were left behind in Zarud. The body of Gym Unbreakable, honed to absolute perfection, far surpassed even the finest warhorses in both speed and endurance. While he typically rode horses to conserve stamina, this was a situation where running on his own two feet was far faster.
Both Iniya, who used aura techniques, and Attila, who could transform, possessed speed and stamina comparable to Repenhardt’s. The only one at a disadvantage was Siris, so Attila transformed into the Black Nightmare, a dread steed of nightmares, and carried her on his back. Thanks to this, they managed to reach White King Castle in just three hours, two hours earlier than Russ had expected.
In the forests near Antares White King Castle.