Chapter 268
Swaaaash!
Ten aura javelins, brimming with immense destructive power, interlocked in a precise formation and shot toward Repenhardt, targeting his vital points.
Any aura user could concentrate their mind on their weapon and make it soar through the air, much like an orc’s secret technique or a Spirits Weapon. However, such a method consumed excessive focus and aura, making it inefficient.
But Nasdan’s aura skill was different. From the very start, he formed aura javelins with immense piercing power, suspending them in the air before launching them along a predetermined trajectory. It was somewhat similar to a throwing dagger technique or the art of returning swords.
Since there was no need to expend focus or aura to control the spears, all of his power could be concentrated purely on destructive force. Repenhardt was taken aback. That wasn’t just a simple blade aura, it was an advanced aura skill. If it were just one or two, he could deflect them with Spiral Guard, but with ten, it would be difficult.
Repenhardt pulled his fist back, then threw a massive punch.
“Straight Cannon!”
A golden veil erupted, engulfing the ten aura javelins and surging toward the sky. Rather than dealing with them individually, he opted to wipe them all out in a single blow.
The approaching aura javelins faltered momentarily, but they soon regained their momentum, slicing through the Straight Cannon like scissors through fabric and pressing forward once more.
At that moment, Repenhardt rotated his forearm and took his next stance.
“Spiral!”
The golden veil whirled rapidly, ensnaring all ten aura javelins. The golden fabric wrapped around the blades, and in the next instant, all the energy-infused spears exploded in midair.
It was an application of Straight Cannon, a technique used by Teslon. Repenhardt had observed it closely, practiced it in his spare time, and made it his own.
Rumble!
Thunder echoed in the sky as the two aura skills clashed. Repenhardt clicked his tongue as he lowered his fist. Blocking the attack was good, but in the meantime, Nasdan had slipped beyond his reach.
“Tch!”
Barely escaping, Nasdan gasped for breath.
“Huff… Damn! I ended up revealing my trump card.”
Still, at least he hadn’t ended up like Ricabon in that miserable state. Just as he sighed in relief…
A polite voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Apologies, young man."
Who would dare call him young when he was nearly fifty? Before Nasdan could even question it, a powerful impact struck the back of his head.
Bang!
It was a blow he hadn't anticipated, let alone defended against, and just that one strike blurred his consciousness. As his vision darkened, Nasdan struggled to turn his head.
'W-Who…?'
Through his fading sight, Nasdan saw it, a massive troll with long, elephant-like tusks, holding a short staff with an awkward expression.
* * *
"Ivory Tusk! You vile beast!"
Sir Walgran and Sir Werl, who had been fighting Attila, trembled with rage. Attila had suddenly disengaged from them and ambushed the distant Nasdan. But neither of them could immediately chase after him.
At that moment, Attila had used troll sorcery to grow massive plant vines, entangling their legs.
"Damn it!"
They could easily slice through the vines with their blade aura, but in that brief moment, Attila had already struck Nasdan.
Clicking their tongues, Walgran and Werl prepared to charge at Attila again. However, Attila slammed his two short staffs into the ground and unleashed another bizarre spell.
"The new sprouts stretch their tongues to the passing wind!"
The earth wriggled, and once again, thick plant vines wrapped around the two men's legs. They swiftly cut through them with aura, but by then, Attila had already leapt away and rejoined Iniya and Repenhardt.
Sir Geblik groaned as he looked at the fallen Nasdan.
"Ugh… Even Sir Nasdan was taken down…."
At least, unlike Ricabon, who had lost his life in a single blow, Nasdan had only fainted. It wasn't that he was necessarily stronger than Ricabon, but rather that Repenhardt had intervened through message magic to stop Attila just before he delivered the finishing blow.
The Holy Basutalon Empire was never going to maintain a good relationship with them anyway. That was why Repenhardt had no reservations about using lethal techniques against Ricabon, an imperial knight, eliminating enemy forces was just an added benefit.
However, Nasdan was merely an unfortunate pawn dragged along by the empire.
As a king, anger burned within him for being invaded, but he also had to think ahead. To avoid creating unnecessary future enemies, he couldn’t recklessly take the lives of aura users outside the empire, like Nasdan.
Well, regardless, the fact remained, Nasdan was now out of the fight.
Sir Kamerun ground his teeth in frustration.
They had barely exchanged a few blows, and yet they had already lost two aura users, Ricabon and Nasdan!
"Kgh…! Ambushing someone who isn’t even your opponent? What kind of cowardice is this, Fist King!"
Kamerun roared in anger. Repenhardt let out a scoff and shouted back.
"It's not a one-on-one duel. What does it matter who I take down?"
Iniya chimed in with a mocking tone.
"You gang up on us, yet you dare call someone else cowardly?"
She had a point. How ridiculous was it for those who attacked in numbers to demand that their opponents only fight their designated targets? From the very start, it was their side that had thrown honor aside.
But if humans were the kind of creatures who always listened to reason, the world would be a peaceful place. Naturally, the aura users from different nations did not accept such an argument. They erupted in fury at what they saw as shameless behavior.
Sir Walgran bellowed,
"Fist King Repenhardt! Do you have no warrior’s pride? Striking an opponent from behind while they’re off guard? Are you, of all people, planning to continue with such disgraceful tactics?"
"Yeah."
His brief and casual response only fanned the flames of anger. Sir Walgran’s face twisted through a spectrum of colors. But at that moment, there was no clear solution.
If this continued, they would keep losing allies one by one.
Repenhardt’s side wasn’t fixated on fighting their assigned opponents. Instead, they instinctively maneuvered, pulling away from direct fights and regrouping to systematically take down targets one at a time. If this kept up, their numerical advantage would soon become meaningless. They had never fought as a coordinated group of aura users before, who could have expected such a disastrous outcome?
Croatl, an aura user from the Vasily Kingdom who had been fighting Repenhardt, clenched his teeth as he looked around at his allies.
"Are we really going to keep being this stupid?"
If they had gone all out from the start, their opponents wouldn't have had the chance to keep slipping away. But because they had been holding back, relying only on basic aura skills, their enemies felt safe turning their backs. That allowed them to move freely, striking at unguarded targets at will!
"If you're not complete fools, it's about time you start fighting seriously!"
Croatl spread his blade aura widely. The gray aura transformed into jagged saw-like edges and began spinning violently. At last, he had started using his unique aura skill.
'What the hell? He was doing the same thing himself.'
Some among them felt a surge of dissatisfaction at Croatl’s criticism, but they swallowed it down. Regardless, he wasn’t wrong.
"He's got a point..."
"This isn't the time to be holding back."
"If we're all going all out, there's nothing to lose."
Gripping their weapons firmly, the aura users’ expressions turned deadly serious. The once-uniform aura around them now displayed distinct characteristics unique to each individual.
Some burned like fire, some flowed like mist, some lurked like shadows, and some stood firm like mountains.
No longer hiding their true strength, they unleashed their unique aura skills. Iniya murmured nervously.
"It won’t be as easy as before."
Repenhardt clicked his tongue and rubbed his fist.
"Tsk. I wanted to take down a couple more..."
Now that their opponents were fighting at full power, Repenhardt’s group could no longer afford to take the risk of turning their backs mid-fight. The period of exploiting ambush tactics was officially over.
Attila reversed his grip on his two short staffs, his gaze turning icy.
"Both of you, stay sharp."
* * *
The Grind Kingdom was a small mountain nation wedged between the Kingdom of Hallein and the Holy Basutalon Empire. Due to its treacherous terrain, it was plagued by numerous monsters. As a result, many knights of the Grind Kingdom favored heavy weaponry over pure swordsmanship, as such arms were more effective against monsters.
Lukawan, one of Grind Kingdom’s aura users, was one such knight. He spun his morning star as he approached Repenhardt.
A typical morning star’s head was about the size of a grown man's fist, but Lukawan’s weapon was easily as large as a human skull. The massive iron sphere whirled with incredible momentum, radiating blade aura, it was a terrifying sight to behold.
"Take this, Fist King!"
Lukawan charged forward, swinging his morning star. The spiked iron ball, suspended on a chain, surged toward Repenhardt’s face, wreathed in blade aura.
Calling the aura imbued within the iron sphere "blade" aura might be a bit of a stretch, but on the continent, any aura manifested through a weapon was generally referred to as blade aura. Moreover, Lukawan's morning star had sharp spikes protruding from its iron ball, enabling it to generate cutting power through aura. So, the term wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Swaaaash!
The morning star, infused with aura and propelled by centrifugal force, sliced through the air with a sharp tearing sound. Now that Lukawan had begun using his unique aura skill, the destructive power was on an entirely different level. Not daring to take it lightly, Repenhardt carefully extended a light punch.
"Hup!"
Steel hammer and steel fist clashed midair. A ripple of aura burst outward.
The duel ended in an overwhelming victory for Repenhardt. While he remained entirely unmoved after the collision, Lukawan's balance was disrupted by the rebound force, causing his centerline to waver.
“Ugh!”
Repenhardt seized the opening and delivered a middle kick. It was a strike carrying the force of an uprooted tree being swung, aimed directly at Lukawan’s left side. In a desperate attempt to block it, Lukawan hastily raised his left arm and deployed an aura shield.
"True Iron Wall!"
A brilliant light materialized into the clear shape of a shield, meeting Repenhardt’s shin. A thunderous boom echoed as the aura shield successfully absorbed the impact of the middle kick.
‘Solid.’
Repenhardt silently acknowledged its strength. Unlike before, the aura shield did not shatter upon impact.
Like most warriors who wielded morning stars, Lukawan’s original combat style had been that of a heavily armored infantryman, advancing while swinging his weapon, all while protecting himself with a large shield. After becoming an aura user, he had abandoned the cumbersome physical shield, but in its place, he had mastered a skill to reinforce his aura shield.
Lukawan’s unique aura barrier, True Iron Wall, was on an entirely different level from an ordinary aura shield. It was strong enough to withstand Repenhardt’s middle kick.
However, while the barrier blocked the attack, it couldn’t fully disperse the force behind it.
“Khugh!”
Lukawan let out a groan as he was pushed far backward. Repenhardt was about to chase him down when he suddenly frowned. He wanted to press the advantage and keep pushing Lukawan, but the situation wasn’t unfolding so conveniently.
"Haah!"
With a sharp battle cry, Sir Geblik, an aura user from the Kingdom of Graim, targeted Repenhardt’s back. He slashed diagonally in rapid succession while charging forward, sending two streaks of blade aura flying toward Repenhardt in the shape of a cross.
"Aura Cross!"
Repenhardt turned his body, raising both forearms to block.
"Spiral Guard!"
Crackle!
Golden electricity burst forth as Spiral Guard shredded through Geblik’s Aura Cross. Geblik’s expression twisted in frustration. Even after reinforcing his aura skill significantly, he still couldn’t break through that golden vortex.
"Tch!"
He swiftly executed a series of sword parries with his broadsword, bracing for a counterattack. Meanwhile, Lukawan, who had been knocked away, spun his morning star with ferocious speed.
The spinning motion imbued the weapon with blade aura, transforming it into a massive radiant ring. Lukawan forcefully swung his morning star downward and shouted,
"Ring of the Morning Star!"
The rotating ring of light tore through the air as it shot forward.
For a brief moment, Repenhardt let out a chuckle. That poetic name hardly suited a technique executed with such a brutal weapon. It was probably named that way just because it was performed with a morning star.
Regardless of its name, its power was no laughing matter. Repenhardt quickly deployed Spiral Guard to intercept the incoming ring.
The next moment, his expression stiffened.
‘What?’
The ring was passing through Spiral Guard without any resistance.
Both Spiral Guard and Ring of the Morning Star relied on rotational aura techniques. However, Lukawan had precisely adjusted the ring's rotation speed and direction, perfectly synchronizing it with Repenhardt’s Spiral Guard. Rather than resisting the flow, it blended into it, riding the momentum straight inside.
Lukawan’s radiant ring bypassed the guard entirely, striking Repenhardt head-on.