Chapter 408: The Ideal Sparring Partner. (1)
‘This really is the end.’
Tennant bowed his head.
Behind them, the Fenris Mercenary Corps were trampling over the remaining forces of the Roderick army, while ahead, the troops of Count Fenris blocked the path.
There was no escape now.
They had run and run, only to find themselves cornered in a dead-end.
‘How is this even possible…?’
The Fenris forces seemed to know exactly where their enemies were heading and where their allies needed to be. Despite the distance between their units, they moved flawlessly and seamlessly, without a single gap in coordination.
‘Incredible.’
Even calling it incredible felt inadequate, but he lacked the words to describe it. Tennant was a knight, not a poet.
It was a perfect defeat. Not just Count Fenris, but his other commanders had surpassed the leadership of the Roderick army.
How had such talent gathered entirely in the North?
‘Perhaps…’
Perhaps their defeat had been sealed the moment Count Fenris diverted westward. Maybe all of this had been decided back then.
“Tennant! Tennant! What are we supposed to do now?”
Marquis Roderick trembled, his voice shaking. His face was pale, as if he were on the verge of tears.
“Your Excellency…”
“Hurry, hurry and charge! With your skills, you can break through, can’t you? Surely you can!”
“…”
Maybe he could. Tennant was confident in his skills and horsemanship. No matter how formidable Count Fenris was as a master, it wouldn’t be easy to catch him if he fled at full speed.
If he fled alone, that is.
“Everyone dismount.”
At Tennant’s command, the remaining knights and soldiers of the Roderick forces dismounted. Now, their numbers were barely a hundred.
Marquis Roderick, his voice tinged with panic, asked again, “Why are you telling them to dismount? If we all charge, we can escape!”
“Your Excellency, please dismount.”
“No! Why should I dismount? I’m leaving this place! Lead the charge! Lead it now!”
Tennant turned to the knights standing nearby. “Assist His Excellency.”
“Let go of me, you scoundrels!”
Marquis Roderick struggled, refusing to leave his horse, but he couldn’t overcome the knights’ strength.
“Ugh! You traitorous dogs! You dare to betray me and grovel for your lives? You honorless scum!”
Marquis Roderick screamed and writhed, but Tennant and the knights of the Marquis’ household remained silent.
The knights simply held him tightly, ensuring he couldn’t escape.
“Let go! I said let go!”
As Marquis Roderick thrashed about, Dominic, who had annihilated the Roderick troops in the canyon, came charging in with a murderous expression.
“Marquis Roderick! I’ll kill you!”
Covered in blood, Dominic’s eyes glowed with terrifying intensity. His intent to personally kill Marquis Roderick was unmistakable.
No one could stop him. No matter who tried to intervene, Dominic would fight like a madman. Tennant, unwilling to see more bloodshed, spoke calmly.
“Drop your weapons, everyone.”
Clang, clang.
The knights and soldiers immediately let go of their weapons. They had no desire to fight anymore.
Dominic halted his steps and spat furiously.
“Do you think this will make me spare you? I might let the surrenderees live, but I won’t let Marquis Roderick go.”
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Ghislain approached leisurely on his black steed and spoke.
“So, it’s surrender now? Disappointing. You turned out to be less entertaining than I expected.”
Marquis Roderick glared at Ghislain, his face turning beet red from the boiling rage. He had lost despite having overwhelming forces. It was only natural to be infuriated.
He wanted to scream, curse, and hurl every insult he could think of. But with even his knights betraying him, he couldn’t afford to act recklessly. He wasn’t ready to die yet, so he could only pant heavily in frustration.
The Marquis turned his glare toward Tennant, standing before him.
“Tennant… I trusted you so much… But in the end, even a man of your talent can’t escape his lowly origins. You vile, treacherous scum.”
“…”
It was true. Tennant had been born the son of a serf. Recognizing his extraordinary potential, Marquis Roderick had taken him in personally.
Thanks to that, Tennant had grown strong enough to earn the title of the Western Swordmaster and had risen to become the captain of the Marquis’ knights. The Marquis’ backing had even earned him a knighthood, elevating him to nobility.
‘And this is how you betray your benefactor?!’
Marquis Roderick spat as he shouted, “I should have never taken in someone like you. You wretched dog, how dare you betray your master? And for what? To surrender to some northern upstarts?”
Tennant, silent for a long moment, finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
“I will not surrender.”
“Then why are you doing this? Why didn’t you flee to the end? Why are you holding me back?”
“I won’t flee either.”
“What?”
Tennant placed his fist over his chest in a gesture of respect, speaking with resolute eyes.
“There’s only one thing left I can do for you, my lord.”
“And what is that?”
“To ensure that my liege suffers no further humiliation at the hands of our enemies.”
“You… what are you saying…?”
“It is the only way to preserve your honor.”
Thunk!
Tennant’s blade pierced Marquis Roderick’s abdomen like a flash of lightning. The situation was so sudden that no one could react in time.
“Gah… Guh…”
Held firmly by his knights, Marquis Roderick couldn’t even put up proper resistance as his stomach was run through.
As he watched his liege bleed out and die, Tennant shed tears of blood.
“It was an honor to serve you, my lord.”
Dominic froze at the shocking turn of events. He had been intent on killing Marquis Roderick himself, even receiving Ghislain’s permission to do so. He had never imagined Tennant would act first.
As Marquis Roderick breathed his last, Tennant pulled out his sword and declared:
“Everyone, kneel and surrender to Fenris. There is no need for further sacrifices.”
The surviving soldiers of the Roderick forces knelt down. However, the knights were different.
Some also knelt, but others couldn’t bring themselves to do so.
For those knights who had carried banners of pride their entire lives, surrender meant a future mired in disgrace. They would have to live under a disreputable lord or abandon their status entirely.
These knights, who had lived with dignity as the finest of the West, couldn’t accept such a fate.
Shick.
Many knights drew daggers from their waists and ended their lives on the spot.
Tennant, however, paid them no mind. He simply cast his sword’s scabbard onto the ground and fixed his gaze on Ghislain.
Then, in a voice loud enough for all to hear, he declared:
“I, Tennant, captain of the Roderick Marquisate Knights and the Swordmaster of the West”
He extended his sword, pointing it at Ghislain.
“hereby challenge Count Fenris, the Swordmaster of the North, to a duel!”
Silence fell over the field.
The atmosphere had taken a strange turn. They could have ended it all with a simple charge, but Tennant’s actions had thrown off the timing.
Tap.
Ghislain dismounted from his black steed, discarding his lance and drawing his sword.
“I respect your spirit.”
“Thank you.”
Tennant bowed his head sincerely.
Of course, Ghislain had little interest in chivalry. His identity was closer to that of a mercenary than a nobleman.
However, he wasn’t so uncouth as to disregard an opponent who upheld the knight’s code. Moreover, he had never once turned down a challenge from a skilled swordsman.
Tennant’s skill was undeniable, recognized by all.
“Come. Let me see the strength of the strongest knight of the west.”
Tennant smiled. Who could dare to speak to the best in a region with such confidence? And yet, his opponent had the right to do so. Ghislain was someone who vied for the title of the Kingdom’s greatest swordsman, a true master of the blade.
With Ghislain’s acceptance, the others had no choice, but to step back, creating a wide-open space for the duel.
Boom!
Tennant charged forward immediately, swinging his sword. His speed was so great that most knights couldn’t even follow his movements.
Clang!
“Impressive.”
Ghislain smirked as he blocked Tennant’s strike. Despite the West’s reputation for complacency, the title of Swordmaster of the West was not undeserved.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, dozens of exchanges occurred. Ghislain deliberately refrained from unleashing his full strength.
Tennant’s swordsmanship, purely in terms of technique, surpassed anyone in Fenris.
His strikes were disciplined, his movements devoid of excess. Tennant’s talent and the extent of his effort were evident with every move.
Fighting someone like this was exhilarating. It would have been a waste to end it too quickly.
Ghislain decided to suppress his mana, relying solely on his swordsmanship. He, too, took pride in his skill with the blade.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Their speeds grew faster and faster.
As the night fell and darkness blanketed the field, red and blue trails of light intertwined and danced without rest.
The people of Fenris watched in awe.
“To think someone could fight our lord like that.”
“There really was a strong warrior in the West.”
“What a shame for such skill to go to waste.”
They all knew what the outcome would be. There were scarcely any in the kingdom who could defeat their lord in a one-on-one duel.
Even if the opponent was reputed to be the most skilled warrior in the West.
However, seeing Tennant refused to yield and instead put forth his utmost effort, despite knowing he would lose, silenced even them with a sense of reverence.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The duel between the two grew increasingly intense. Each time their swords clashed and collided, shockwaves rippled outward, carving craters into the ground.
‘Tennant, you must have reached the level of a Master in your previous life, didn’t you?’
When I burned the West as the King of Mercenaries in my past life, Tennant had stood in my way, already at the threshold of mastery.
Back then, there had been no need to exchange swordsmanship with him like this. My rage-filled blade had mercilessly torn through all opposition.
Even so, Tennant was undoubtedly someone with the talent to achieve mastery in the future.
‘It would be a waste to kill him here, though…’
If I could bring someone like him under my wing, it would be a tremendous asset in the battles to come. Besides, I bore no particular grudge deep enough to warrant his death.
But Tennant would never bow. His pride was as immense as his arrogance; he was a knight who would never surrender.
‘At least let your talent bloom without restraint.’
Ghislain’s swordsmanship began to shift. Until now, he had been using orthodox techniques to match Tennant. But now, his movements turned feral, his swordwork savage enough to tear everything apart.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Tennant’s eyes widened. His opponent’s sword moved as if it were alive. Each of the countless strikes raining down on him seemed to carry its own will.
“Ugh!” Tennant groaned, barely managing to defend. His face was contorted with shock.
‘Was it really to this extent?!’
He had long realized his opponent wasn’t using his full strength. He could feel it with every clash of their blades.
The Count of Fenris had been suppressing his mana, choosing instead to engage purely in a contest of swordsmanship. The infamous form of his blade, often described as that of a demonic specter, had not appeared proof of his restraint.
‘I thought I wouldn’t lose when it came to swordsmanship…’
He had believed that if he could at least show superiority in swordsmanship, he might preserve the pride of the West.
But that hope had completely withered. There was no longer any room to evaluate who wielded the better technique.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
‘I’m going to die!’
Tennant desperately attempted to evade the relentless barrage of strikes closing in from every direction.
He had already resigned himself to death. But as ‘true’ death loomed closer, all his senses sharpened to their limits.
The Count of Fenris wasn’t just superior in mana. His swordsmanship stood at an unimaginably lofty peak.
It was incomprehensible. How could a human’s swordsmanship reach such heights?
‘Was my talent insignificant all along?’
From a young age, Tennant had displayed extraordinary aptitude for swordsmanship. He had instinctively known how to wield a blade and predict his opponents’ movements.
He had always believed his unique talent marked him as different from others. Becoming the strongest in the West had seemed like a destined path.
But at some point, he hit a wall. Though he had glimpsed a world beyond it, he could not cross over.
Years had passed in frustration.
‘Ah… now I understand what I was lacking…’
The path that had remained elusive despite all his efforts now became clear as death approached.
Seeing the sword coming to kill him, his entire body tingled. Every nerve sharpened, straining to find a way to survive.
Mana began to flow, strand by strand, seeping into every tiny muscle fiber.
At the brink of death, the abstract concepts he had grasped for began to solidify.
His body, desperate to survive, was filling its gaps and evolving to the next stage.
Whoosh!
A new world unfolded before him. The extreme fear had granted him an extreme epiphany, changing the way he perceived everything.
Slow.
The flow of time itself felt altered. It seemed as though everything around him had come to a standstill.
Every sense vividly absorbed the information around him.
This was…
‘This is the world beyond the wall!’
Ecstasy coursed through his body, raising goosebumps. Everything he had trained for and honed finally coalesced into a single will, unfolding into the world.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an overwhelming light burst forth from Tennant’s sword.
Simultaneously, Ghislain’s form became shrouded in an ominous black aura.
Boom!