Chapter 192
“Haaah!”
Slash!
Count Vasili swung with fierce momentum, cutting down the soldier before him.
But there were too many.
He had expected a large number of soldiers stationed inside the fortress, but—
‘…This is too many.’
The overwhelming numbers made him momentarily uneasy.
But then—
Swish!
A dark shadow swept past him, cutting down four imperial soldiers in an instant.
It was Apel Vanstreol, commander of the Blackflame Knights of the Baroque Kingdom.
The moment he entered the fortress, his gaze had changed completely.
As if staring at sworn enemies, he gripped his bloodied sword tightly while glaring at the imperial soldiers.
“At last… The chance to slaughter you all has come.”
He had waited for this day.
With murderous intensity, Apel lunged into battle, cutting down his foes.
And at that moment—
Boom!
“...?”
“H-Huh?!”
A thunderous crash rang out as a knight clad in heavy armor was smashed into a wall.
Drip.
Blood seeped from the crumpled armor.
No one could tell exactly what had happened, but it was clear that the man inside had been utterly crushed.
Unbelievable power.
As the commotion settled, Damian approached Apel and spoke.
“Apel, I don’t know your story, but rein in your mana.”
“...Damian?”
Apel looked at Damian in surprise.
Like himself, Damian exuded a murderous aura, but the difference was that he remained unnervingly composed within it.
Damian spoke again.
“All these imperial bastards will die anyway. But if you fall first, what’s the point?”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
Apel realized he had let his emotions get the better of him.
Despite his outward composure, he had been burning with fury inside.
Yet strangely—
‘…One sentence was all it took to calm me down.’
What an unusual man.
And…
‘I feel like we’re alike in some way.’
What had happened to this man to make him radiate such deep-seated hatred toward the Empire?
Apel was curious, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
“Apel! I’ll move toward that alley while fighting. You draw their forces elsewhere!”
“Got it.”
Understanding instantly, Apel turned to Vasili.
“If anything happens, fire a signal flare. I’ll scatter them in this direction.”
“Understood. Be careful.”
“Yes!”
Swish!
With that, Damian quickly darted into an alley, drawing soldiers after him.
If they didn’t follow, he could always destroy their supply depot.
But soon, Damian found himself surrounded by imperial troops blocking both ends of the alley.
Clutching his spear tightly, he smirked.
Alone.
Yet, in the face of hundreds, his killing intent only grew stronger.
“Come on… Die.”
With that, he kicked off the ground and charged at them.
***
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Push forward!”
“Kill them all!”
With loud war cries, the allied soldiers stormed up the incline.
The imperial soldiers fought fiercely to hold them back.
“We cannot allow the Empire’s dignity to be tarnished further! Hold the line!”
Despite the numbers and momentum of the allied forces, the narrow pathway restricted their movements.
Though allied officers emerged sporadically to rally their men—
Slash!
They all fell before Alexandro.
Thud.
After cutting down another officer, Alexandro glanced behind him.
The aura he sensed inside the fortress.
It was undoubtedly Celestine’s.
And she wasn’t alone—several other strong presences lingered there, drawing his concern.
However—
‘…I can’t leave this place.’
If he abandoned this position, their forces would be outnumbered, and there would be no one to stop the enemy commanders.
And with the breach in the wall, if they failed to hold the line here, the allied forces would flood into Everblade in an instant.
For now, he had to hold the line and assess the situation inside.
Meanwhile—
Slash!
The battle within Everblade raged fiercely.
Celestine’s initial aura attack had dealt significant damage to the Empire’s forces.
But under their commanders’ leadership, the soldiers and knights quickly regrouped and counterattacked.
Of the four allied infiltrators, two were Aura Masters.
Regular soldiers were no match for them, and even those wielding high-level mana weapons fell swiftly.
Yet, despite the casualties, the Empire continued pouring troops into the fight.
For one reason—
“Huff… Huff…”
Count Vasili gasped for breath, surrounded by imperial soldiers and knights.
He had already slain over fifty soldiers and three knights.
Yet their numbers showed no signs of thinning.
No—seeing Vasili tire, they lunged at him like predators scenting weakness.
“Damn bastards.”
Vasili rarely cursed, but he realized he was being pushed into a corner.
‘What about the others?’
The battle had spread, and they had become separated.
They had agreed to use signal flares in emergencies.
‘…Damn, I might be the one to fire it first.’
He had entered with warriors much younger than himself, yet he was at risk of falling first.
Even in this dire moment, his pride and honor made him reluctant to fire the signal first.
“Huff… Huff…”
He decided to endure a little longer.
Unless it was Celestine, the others might have already reached their limits.
***
Thud!
Damian’s spear pierced through two soldiers as he advanced.
“Haaah!”
With a fierce cry, he pushed forward, breaking the enemy’s formation.
Splurt!
Pulling out his spear, he faced the surrounding soldiers.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
“That monster…!”
They had heard he was an Aura Master, but he wasn’t even using aura—
Yet his spear techniques were so astounding they could hardly believe their eyes.
“D-Die!”
“Just die already!”
As soldiers lunged at him, Damian’s eyes gleamed.
‘Left chest… Side… Shoulder.’
He already knew where they would strike.
Twisting his body swiftly—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three spears intersected, slicing through the air.
Damian evaded the attack as if he had slipped through the gaps between them.
“Hup!”
Deflecting the imperial soldiers’ spears, he immediately swung his own in a wide arc.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed as the imperial soldiers collapsed where Damian’s spear had passed.
No matter how he swung it, at least one soldier died with every motion.
Shudder.
The soldiers surrounding Damian trembled uncontrollably.
They tried to maintain composure, but in the face of overwhelming terror, there was nothing they could do.
However—
“...Hoo.”
Damian was also beginning to tire.
He had been fighting inside for quite some time now.
‘I can’t stray too far from the others.’
Despite their strategic advantage, they couldn’t use the entirety of Everblade’s terrain.
If even one of their four-man squad reached their limit, they needed to retreat.
Then—
Fwoooosh!
A single red signal flare shot into the sky.
It was one of their own. Someone inside Everblade had called for aid.
Damian’s gaze darkened.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far away.
“Sorry, but I need to go.”
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“You won’t escape!”
The imperial knights and soldiers surrounding him roared furiously.
But the flare meant their allies were in danger. And—
‘I’ve already done enough damage here.’
They couldn’t hope to end the battle in Everblade in a single day.
They had already gained significant ground—it was time to withdraw.
Thud!
With a powerful leap, Damian vaulted onto a nearby wall.
“H-Hah?!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
“If he escapes, our fallen comrades will cry out in vain! Stop him at all costs!”
The knights commanding the imperial troops bellowed as they charged toward Damian.
But—
Swoosh!
“Hngh!”
Clang!
“Agh!”
A knight who had rushed forward was sent flying as Damian’s spear, imbued with blue mana, struck him.
The knight had barely managed to block the attack, but—
“M-My sword?!”
He looked in shock at his nearly shattered weapon.
He had infused it with mana for defense, yet—
‘Is this the power of an Aura Master…?’
Even without using aura, the difference in strength was this vast.
But even if they died here, they had to stop him.
“C-Chase him!”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers belatedly pursued, but Damian had already gained distance.
Swish!
He sprinted across the rooftops with ease.
The gaps between buildings were no obstacle for someone whose body was enhanced with mana.
Thud! Swish! Tap, tap!
“There he is! He’s over there!”
“He’s heading toward the signal flare!”
Imperial soldiers shouted and fired arrows, but none found their mark.
‘Almost there.’
He had strayed further than expected during the fight.
Thankfully, the flare had come from the eastern wall—their agreed rendezvous point.
When Damian arrived at the flare’s location—
“Hup!”
Splurt!
An imperial soldier collapsed, blood spraying as a blade slashed diagonally through him.
“Apel!”
Had Apel been the one to fire the signal?
Damian’s gaze quickly shifted past him—to Count Vasili, slumped against the wall.
“Count Vasili?”
“Guh… Sorry you had to see me like this.”
Vasili clutched his left arm and side, both bleeding from deep wounds.
Damian knelt to examine him.
“Are you alright?”
“Ugh… I can still move. Fortunately, nothing vital was hit.”
He gritted his teeth, pressing his wound.
But the injuries looked worse than he admitted.
“I should have fired the flare sooner… My pride got in the way. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Slash!
Apel cut down four more soldiers charging at them.
They were surrounded, and Vasili’s condition meant escape wasn’t an option.
Apel was being pushed back as well.
Then—
Boom!
An enormous wave of aura surged toward them.
It was Celestine.
“Count Vasili!”
“She’s here… General Celestine.”
Vasili’s face showed embarrassment, but Celestine paid it no mind.
She helped support him and turned to Damian.
“Commander Damian! Can I trust you to cover our retreat?”
“Understood!”
Celestine’s aura attack had collapsed nearby buildings and shattered the enemy formation.
But to escape, they needed to break through the eastern wall.
‘Using aura again so soon will be difficult.’
And they had an injured ally.
Damian eyed Everblade’s impenetrable wall, then began gathering his aura.
“I’ll break it in one blow.”
The wall was said to be too strong to destroy with sword techniques alone.
As Damian unleashed his full power—
Rooooooar!
A massive black knight began to manifest.