Chapter 194
Chapter 194: Ambush. (2)
“Haaah…”
Sweat beaded on Manton’s forehead, and his body trembled slightly.
It was all because of Jubilen’s words.
‘Everything we’ve gone through… was their doing?’
He simply couldn’t believe it.
All the hardships that had befallen Daphne up to now—
He had always thought they happened simply due to bad luck, or because he lacked the ability to prevent them.
But if what he had just heard was true…
‘Then all of it… was deliberately orchestrated by them?’
It didn’t make sense.
He knew that Daphne had once been on bad terms with Ignima, but that was a long-dead, fallen house.
That was all in the past now.
The fact that such a large and powerful house would go to such lengths… targeting them like this—
Manton’s body trembled as he asked Jubilen,
“Sir Jubilen.”
“Hm?”
“Why? Why did you do such a cruel thing to our house? What did we do wrong?”
“Well…”
Jubilen tapped his chin with a finger before answering.
“Because you were annoying. Isn’t that it?”
“Annoying…? That’s your reason?”
“I’m just a lowly man, so I can’t presume to know everything that goes on in the minds of those above me. But sometimes I do get this feeling, too. Like when I see a disgusting bug, and I just want to crush it—kill it. Can’t help myself. If you think of it like that, maybe it’ll be easier to understand?”
“Y-you bastard! That’s outrageous!”
In that instant, Manton, overcome with rage, tried to step forward.
Thwack!
Hardin extended his arm to block him.
“Young Master!”
“Calm yourself.”
“But still—!”
“If you lose your temper… you’ll die.”
At those words, the expressions of Manton and the knights hardened instantly.
You’ll die.
It wasn’t just anyone who said those words—Hardin had said them. They all knew exactly what that meant.
Hardin glared at the enemy and spoke.
“Ignima’s really fallen far. Can’t even catch a mere viscounty, so they just lie in wait for a chance to stab us in the back like this?”
“Haha, you’re not wrong. This is cowardly—and it certainly stains the honor of Ignima.”
Jubilen shrugged, then drew the sword at his waist and said,
“That is, if any of you make it out of here alive.”
In an instant, Jubilen’s figure left behind an afterimage and vanished.
Claaang!
“Urgh!”
Hardin caught the blade with his own, sparks flying as he was pushed backward.
‘Damn it, my stamina…’
Hardin gritted his teeth.
It was similar to—no, even more oppressive than when he had faced the mighty Veritarun.
At that moment—
“You lot, you’re fighting us.”
Four monsters each locked eyes with their chosen opponent.
“Tsk… Assassins, huh.”
“Sigh, I really hate this sort of thing.”
The dwarf twins flicked their tongues and set their sights on Jerry.
“This one… seems like a proper match.”
“…I’ll take you on.”
The skull-masked monster raised his staff toward Manton.
“Grrraaaa!”
“Whoa now, friend. Isn’t it a bit much to start swinging swords the first time we meet?”
A hulking man, troll-like in build, glared at Beryl as he flexed his muscles.
“…I’ll kill you.”
“Geez, would it hurt to be a little more polite?”
The lanky one pointed his scythe at Mikkelsen.
Just then, Hardin, still crossing swords with Jubilen, shouted out,
“Everyone—win! These guys aren’t normal, so keep your heads straight!”
In response, a mix of expressions flickered across each of their faces.
‘Young Master, you always ask for the impossible.’
‘Damn it, if winning were that easy just by staying focused, there’d be no such thing as a losing fight.’
‘…Please, someone save me.’
‘I just want to go home.’
And right after that—
Taaah!
“Kill them!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Both sides charged forward, thrusting their weapons ahead of them.
In the midst of it all—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hardin continued parrying Jubilen’s strikes, steadily giving ground.
He had already been pushed quite far from the others.
“As expected of Hardin Daphne. You still seem to have energy left—enough to shout orders to your subordinates, even.”
“Of course I do. If I were struggling against some second-rate branch member of Ignima… that wouldn’t even pass as a joke.”
Of course, that was easier said than felt.
‘Shit, I feel like I’m about to die.’
He had already poured everything he had into the fight against Veritarun.
Even standing upright took effort. It wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed at any moment.
The real problem was that this guy in front of him… wasn’t weak at all.
‘At least 4-star level… comparable to Lucilis at his peak, or maybe even stronger.’
Clang! Clang!
His mana and stamina were already at rock bottom.
Every one of the bastard’s sword strikes landed with the weight of a hammer.
And on top of that…
Clang! Clang!
Each time Jubilen swung his blade, flames erupted from its tip, pressing Hardin harder.
A series of linear, forceful movements.
He knew this sword style well—he’d fought it several times before.
‘Crimson Flame Swordsmanship.’
A secret technique of Ignima, designed to mimic the explosive surge of fire.
Its hallmark was channeling pure force and destructive power into each strike, relying on overwhelming might rather than finesse.
If he kept taking these hits head-on…
‘It’ll be certain death.’
Either his arms would snap, or he’d run out of mana and lose his head.
‘Damn… it’s been a while since I’ve faced a crisis this bad.’
His heart pounded.
His instincts were screaming at him.
Since being reborn as Hardin, this was the most dangerous moment he’d ever faced.
And to turn this situation around… he’d have to go all out—like his life depended on it.
“Stop resisting and die already.”
“Sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash of steel echoed endlessly through the air.
---
At that moment, on the other side of the collapsed canyon—
“Hurry up! We need to clear this path as fast as possible!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Vice-Captain Lucilis shouted urgently as he lifted a boulder and tossed it aside.
‘What the hell happened?’
He had been sure it was over.
He thought they’d finally get to return with a smile, relax, and enjoy that drink he had promised Hardin.
‘And right before that… the canyon collapsed?’
It was sudden—and suspiciously deliberate.
For a collapse of that scale to occur in such a massive canyon, there must have been something artificial involved.
“Pick up the pace! Clear the way as fast as you can!”
“Yes, sir!”
Please… let nothing happen until then…
Tension was etched all over Lucilis’s face.
---
“Explode.”
KABOOOM!
A blast erupted from the tip of the Skull Monster’s staff.
“Ghghk!”
Manton blocked it, but his shield was scorched black.
Immediately, a blue light burst from his eyes.
‘Sea Ray!’
He accelerated with all his might and lunged at the Skull Monster’s neck.
Swoosh!
The Skull Monster’s body scattered like smoke mid-air, reappearing behind Manton.
Just as his staff thrust forward again—
“Ghghk!”
Manton reacted, dodging the magic just in time.
“Hmmm, you still have that much energy left? Interesting.”
“…Are you trying to show off?”
‘He’s fast. And despite using magic, he’s well-trained in close combat.’
The enemy was likely a battle mage.
Unlike typical mages specialized in ranged support, battle mages were masters of short-cast spells and lethal in close-quarters and assassination combat.
Even for a knight, they were incredibly troublesome opponents.
And Manton’s stamina and mana were nearly drained.
In the end, the answer was simple.
‘I need to find an opening.’
He had to hold out—until the perfect moment to take the enemy down appeared.
Only then… could he win.
As Manton swung his sword, a deeper resolve burned on his face.
---
Meanwhile, the other knights weren’t faring much better.
“GRAAAAAH!”
“H-hey! Go easy on me, will ya?!”
Clang! Clang!
Beryl, whose strength was nothing to scoff at, was being overwhelmed by the relentless assault of the troll-like monster.
“Tsk, you little rat.”
“Says the guy who looks like one!”
Shing! Shing! Shiiing!
Jerry’s battle with the dwarf monster was a frantic exchange of daggers, constantly probing for an opening. But as the fight dragged on, his body was getting more and more scraped and cut.
And then—
“Die.”
Vrrrmmm!
“Hiiieeek!”
In Mikkelsen’s case, all he could do was run.
The lanky monster, wielding a scythe with its long arms and legs, swung with huge, sweeping arcs—and Mikkelsen hadn’t managed a single counterattack.
‘At this rate, I’m dead!’
‘Damn it… There’s gotta be something I can do.’
‘Nooooo! Please, just let me live!’
All three of them were backed into a corner.
But even at the bitter end… they had not crossed that final line.
‘Wolfclam!’
‘Bora Gunso!’
The techniques of Wave Swordsmanship they had drilled into their bodies right up to the Veritarun Subjugation began to surface naturally, allowing them to narrowly avoid fatal injuries.
Clang! Clang!
As the battle dragged on—
‘They’re trickier than I thought.’
‘…This isn’t ending.’
‘I’ll finish it quickly.’
A hint of frustration began to show on the faces of the Executioners as well.
And perhaps because of the time they’d earned by desperately seeking a breakthrough—
‘I’ve got it. A way to win.’
‘That might actually work.’
‘Do or die!’
Clues for survival—or rather, for victory—began to form in the minds of the Daphne knights.
---
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hardin and Jubilen continued their fierce sword exchange.
“You’re persistent.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda my thing.”
No—truthfully, Jubilen was the one dominating Hardin in every exchange.
But still—
‘How the hell is he holding on?’
It was a relentless assault.
Hardin’s stamina and mana should’ve been at their limit.
And yet, he was still managing to deflect each strike by the slimmest of margins.
The subtle angles of his blade, the way he moved his feet, how he used his sword—
Everything gave the impression that he was defending himself using only the bare minimum amount of energy.
At first, Jubilen thought it was just luck or coincidence.
But now that it kept happening, he was starting to feel a chill run down his spine.
And in the middle of that—
“You’re not using proper swordsmanship, are you?”
Hardin said with a twisted grin.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That Crimson Flame Swordsmanship of yours… Anyone can tell it’s half-baked. At first, it looked close, so I was fooled. But compared to the real thing used by the main bloodline? Pathetic. Don’t you think?”
“…Nonsense.”
Clang! Clang!
Jubilen’s sword grew faster.
Wrinkles formed on his brow, and emotion started to seep into his blade.
“Don’t take it out on me. It’s not like it’s my fault the main house of Ignima discriminates against the branch families.”
“Shut your mouth, unless you want to die cleanly.”
Jubilen’s words and tone were becoming increasingly violent, and at that, a twitch pulled at the corner of Hardin’s lips.
‘Just as I thought—his reverse scale.’
The Crimson Flame Swordsmanship that this branch-born bastard was using was definitely lacking something.
Unlike Daphne, where the knights all learned essentially the same techniques from top to bottom, Ignima strictly controlled the transmission of secret techniques based on status.
This guy had probably filled in the missing parts of Crimson Flame Swordsmanship with his own experience or by borrowing from other styles.
‘That’s why I was able to block it—just barely.’
Ignima’s swordsmanship was all about relentless force—a series of overwhelming strikes that left no room for retreat, meant to shatter any defense through sheer power.
But due to the slight flaws in this bastard’s form, that power wasn’t coming through properly.
‘Crafty bastards.’
Still, just for today, Ignima’s craftiness was what was keeping Hardin alive.
Clang! Claang!
Hardin parried Jubilen’s sword once again, and a smile crept onto his face as he threw out another jab.
“With swordsmanship like that, you could go at it all night and still not break through my defense.”
Then—
Tap.
Jubilen, who had been attacking furiously, suddenly came to a halt and narrowed his eyes sharply.
“Can’t break through your defense, huh… You might be right. That’s actually some good advice.”
He adjusted his stance and wiped all expression from his face. Then, in a cold, flat tone, he said—
“If that’s the problem… then I just need to give you one blow you can’t block.”
Wait, what?
Did I… say something I shouldn’t have?
A confused expression crept onto Hardin’s face.