Chapter 174
Crack! Crack……!
An ominous sound echoed through the assembly hall.
The Hell Knight’s bones rose.
Engulfed in a wave of black Mana.
As if blessed with immortality.
As if the destruction and collapse had been a lie.
Legs and pelvis, spine and ribs, shoulder blades and cervical vertebrae, skull were assembled in turn. Armor of black luster surrounded his entire body. A helmet was placed on his head.
Crack!
Red light shone from within the helmet.
At the same time, the Hell Knight stretched out his only arm.
The massive Two-Handed Sword, which had fallen to the floor, floated into the air and was grasped in his hand.
Mana of ominous energy blazed from the massive sword.
At the same time, laughter erupted from Cannavaro’s mouth.
“Ha, haha! Hahaha!”
Cannavaro had been sitting on the floor.
He quickly crawled backward, away from Javier.
“Knight of Hell! Punish the enemy! Quickly!”
Cannavaro’s shrill cry shook the assembly hall.
Everyone inside the assembly hall reacted to the cry.
The fallen citizens struggled to raise their heads.
They stared at Cannavaro through a haze of dizziness.
Their gazes were filled with deep disappointment, betrayal, and disgust.
Once a kind philanthropist, the pride of the city.
Now, a degenerate who had cast off his mask.
However, Cannavaro calmly accepted everyone’s gaze. No, he didn’t even care. He was only staring at the resurrected Hell Knight with eager eyes.
“Knight of Hell!”
His vomiting cry erupted again.
At that sound, the Hell Knight drew his sword.
Javier was already pointing his sword at the Hell Knight.
For a moment.
The clash began without a sound.
……!
Clang!
The shockwave erupted before the sound.
It swept through the interior of the assembly hall.
Everyone who had fallen to the floor was swept away by the shockwave, tumbling like fallen leaves.
In the midst of it, Javier and the Hell Knight intertwined and separated.
Separated and clashed again.
Clang! Thwack!
Javier’s two arms raised the Longsword.
He laid the blade horizontally above his head.
His two wrists moved at subtle angles.
The edge of the Longsword quickly drew a horizontal semicircle.
The flash surged toward the Hell Knight’s temple.
Clang!
The Hell Knight’s greatsword blocked the Longsword.
But at that moment, Javier took advantage of the recoil created by the blocked strike.
He transferred the force of the rebound from the blocked defense directly into the Longsword.
His two wrists, raised above his head, moved again at subtle angles.
Holding the hilt with both hands.
With his left wrist as the axis, his right hand rotated clockwise horizontally.
The Longsword rotated in a horizontal arc above his head.
And flew with a glinting back edge.
Toward the opposite temple of the Hell Knight.
“……!”
The Hell Knight hurriedly tilted his head back.
Part of the helmet was cut off by silver Aura.
At the same time, the Hell Knight launched a counterattack.
The black greatsword swept through the space with power that overwhelmed skill and technique.
Thwuggeok!
The floor of the assembly hall cracked from the intense downward strike.
The pillars shook, and the beams cracked.
Numerous fragments flew at lethal speeds.
Most of them covered Javier.
Some flew toward the citizens.
Javier’s eyes flashed.
“……!”
Tseukakakak!
The silver Longsword cut, divided, and slashed through the space at an imperceptible speed.
Dozens of pieces of debris turned to dust in the air.
Pushing through the dust, Javier charged forward.
The silver Longsword became a fang.
That was the beginning.
Kwateoteoteoteoteong!
If the Longsword was a deadly fang, the Hell Knight’s black greatsword was literally a brutal weapon.
The Swordmaster and the Knight of Hell unleashed all their murderous intent towards each other.
As if two white and black beasts were tearing at each other.
As if light and darkness were stabbing each other’s hearts.
Javier and the Hell Knight dropped everything and clashed.
If Javier stabbed, the Hell Knight slashed.
If the Hell Knight slashed, Javier struck.
If he struck, he charged.
If he charged, he deflected.
If he deflected, he slammed down.
If he slammed down, he responded by striking upward.
Kwaaaang-!
The black greatsword slammed down.
The silver Longsword struck upward.
The two deadly weapons collided again in the air. They blocked each other’s surges. They confronted each other. Shockwaves erupted without hesitation. Even in that, they did not back down. They remained still, competing in strength.
Kagagagak-!
The black greatsword pressed down.
The silver Longsword held out.
Intense friction occurred as they met.
Between the sparks flying from the blades, Javier and the Hell Knight’s gazes intertwined.
The light in the Hell Knight’s helmet flickered even more redly.
– You are strong, human.
“…….”
– I am Giorexius, the commander of the 1st Legion, who serves the ruler of Hell. It would have been better if my body had been summoned intact. Nevertheless, this is a thrilling match beyond expectations. Therefore, I wish to know the name of you, the human knight.
“Javier Asrahan.”
– Pleased to meet you, Sir Asrahan. I hope you will fight even harder.
“Hmph. I don’t welcome this kind of fight.”
A power struggle with each other’s full strength.
With the blades between them, Javier retorted as if spitting it out.
The Hell Knight tilted his skull.
– Why?
“Who would readily welcome a fight burdened with so much?”
A self-deprecating smile hung on the edge of Javier’s lips.
It was funny even to say it himself.
But it was honest sincerity.
No one in the world welcomes a fight with so much responsibility.
If you can avoid it, you just want to avoid it.
But because it’s a situation you have to do.
Because there is a reason you can’t avoid it.
That’s why you fight.
But it was overwhelming.
Even as they were talking, the force with which the Hell Knight was pressing down with his greatsword was getting stronger and stronger.
It was shocking.
‘Can I protect these people like this?’
He was worried.
He saw the fallen citizens.
They were scattered in every corner of the assembly hall, leaning against the walls, pushed by the continuous shockwaves.
None of them seemed to be able to get up on their own. That meant that no one here could escape on their own.
So, there was only one thing he could do.
To fight.
To win.
Only that would be the way to protect the people.
‘Like this!’
Kagagak!
He momentarily tilted the end of the Longsword low.
A slope was created along the lowered sword tip.
The greatsword, which had been pressing down from above, slipped.
It went down along the suddenly created slope, scattering rough sparks.
– ……!
The Hell Knight’s light wavered.
A situation where he was pressing down with all his might.
Before he could even recover his strength, the greatsword had slipped to the side.
Javier’s right hand suddenly came up through the gap that was created.
A dagger was already in his hand.
Thwack!
Detonation was fired from the dagger.
It surged toward the Hell Knight’s chin.
– ……Keueut!
The Hell Knight hurriedly tilted his head back.
Of course, the Hell Knight wasn’t just taking it.
Kwaaang!
He rammed Javier with his shoulder.
A blow like being struck with a rock landed.
That was the beginning.
Javier and the Hell Knight once again became entangled like beasts in a fighting ring.
No, it was the moment they were about to become fiercely entangled.
“There! Look over here!”
A sharp cry cut into the fight.
It was Cannavaro’s voice.
Kwaaang-!
The Longsword and the black greatsword collided in the air.
Between them, Javier’s eyes flickered.
He quickly scanned the direction from which the cry had come.
And shook slightly in surprise.
Cannavaro.
Once a figure respected in the city as a philanthropist.
A person whom even Javier had marveled at, saying he had never seen such a virtuous person before.
It was because he witnessed the hostage situation that man was carrying out.
“If you’re going to continue that fight, you’d better think again. Drop your sword! Otherwise, I’ll cut the throats of these vermin here one by one!”
Cannavaro was sneering.
One hand was clutching the hair of a man.
The other hand was holding a dagger.
The blue dagger slightly pierced the man’s neck. Bright red blood flowed down his neck.
A young girl who had fallen to the floor cried out, sobbing.
“Daddy!”
“Keueu…… Euht! It’s, it’s okay. Daddy’s okay.”
Even as blood flowed from his neck, the man tried to calm his young daughter.
A sneer bloomed on Cannavaro’s lips.
“Okay, my ass. Shut your mouth. Unless you want your throat to be sliced open while you’re still alive.”
“Keueueu…… Euheut!”
The dagger moved slightly to the side.
The skin on the man’s neck tore, and more blood flowed.
Cannavaro’s eyes turned to Javier.
“You saw it, right? I’ll count to three. I’m giving you time to think. If you don’t drop your sword after that, you’ll get to watch this vermin’s throat being sliced in front of his daughter.”
“…….”
Javier didn’t answer.
He silently continued his fierce battle with the Hell Knight.
However, even as he did so, his eyes frequently checked Cannavaro and the hostage man.
Was he hesitating?
He must be in a painful state of mind.
A twisted smile hung on Cannavaro’s lips.
‘So drop your sword! Hurry!’
He was quite confident.
That bastard would drop his sword.
Why?
Because he was a famous knight in the kingdom.
Because he was a rising and promising Swordmaster.
‘That’s right, isn’t it? Sir Javier Asrahan.’
If he was such a famous knight, he would value honor.
He would hardly be able to give up the hostage.
He would succumb to the hostage situation and drop his sword.
That was important.
‘Immediately eliminate him and restore the Barrier.’
If he restored the Barrier.
Then he could gather Mana again.
If he scraped together even the last bit of life force from the citizens.
He could fix all the flaws of the Hell Knight and transform it into a perfect being.
Then, for the month that the Hell Knight’s summoning was maintained, he could turn almost all the territory of this kingdom into a wasteland.
What if the subjugation army came?
He could just crush them as well.
It was possible with a Hell Knight with full power.
It was also possible to behead the Swordmaster Queen.
To overthrow the hypocritical royal family and open a new dynasty.
That long-cherished wish would be fulfilled.
‘So drop your sword. Hurry!’
Cannavaro put strength into his eyes, which were heated with excitement.
He prepared for the next action Javier would show.
If he just dropped his sword.
He would immediately slit the throat of the vermin he was holding.
In the gap where that bastard was flustered, he would use Black magic to help the Hell Knight’s fight.
Then the bastard who had even dropped his sword would be helplessly defeated…….
That was when.
Thwack-!
Detonation flew.
“……!”
Cannavaro’s eyes widened in shock.
He finally realized the situation.
‘That crazy bastard!’
He didn’t drop his sword.
Instead, he launched a brutal attack without saying a word.
‘Keueueut!’
Cannavaro’s heart beat urgently.
There was no time to think.
He fell backward.
At the same time, he reached out his hand.
He activated defensive magic.
Clang-!
Before the magic could even be half activated, Detonation aura covered him. It shattered the defensive magic and blew away the tips of his index and middle fingers.
It narrowly brushed past him.
It struck the wall of the assembly hall. It penetrated it.
“……Keu, keuaaaack!”
Cannavaro, who had suddenly lost his fingertips, grabbed his hand and tumbled.
Javier’s brow furrowed.
“Tsk.”
Failure.
He had tried to pierce his heart in one go.
But he missed.
Because he was in the midst of a breathless battle with the Hell Knight.
Because he had fired Detonation aura in that moment.
The aim was inaccurate.
He couldn’t kill him.
He had only managed to blow off his fingertips.
He was disappointed. He became anxious.
‘I should have finished him off in one go just now.’
He suffered tremendous losses in two aspects.
One was that the bastard would be wary of Detonation.
Therefore, he wouldn’t be able to stop the bastard’s hostage situation with the same method.
The other was…….
Tu Kwaaaang-!
“……Keut!”
Javier barely blocked the greatsword that had flown in as if striking him.
A bitter smile hung on his lips.
‘He’s an opponent that I can barely handle even if I fight with all my might.’
In the midst of that breathless battle, he fired Detonation elsewhere. To subdue Cannavaro. For a moment, he had to ignore the Hell Knight in front of him.
In return, he suffered a second loss.
The balance of the tense battle had been broken.
Kwaang-! Kwakwak! Kwajik-!
Just one Detonation fired elsewhere.
The movement that was wasted as much.
Because of that one waste, the initiative of the offensive had completely passed to the Hell Knight.
He had been deprived of the preemptive right of movement.
Breath and flow.
The direction of the offense and defense.
He had given up all the half-beat timing to lead it.
It had become difficult to find it again.
It was because the Hell Knight, sensing that the flow had passed to him, had poured out a wave of attacks.
Tukwang! Teokeong! Kukwakwak!
Slamming down, breaking, digging in, striking, and crushing.
Instead of minor techniques, he pushed in with overwhelming power and momentum.
In the face of that destructive wave of attacks, Javier was being driven into the corner of the assembly hall at every moment.
It was difficult to find a gap for a counterattack.
What if he tried to counterattack recklessly?
It was clear that the result would only be giving up bone and taking flesh.
As much as that, the Hell Knight’s offensive was destructive and thoroughly seamless.
Moreover, the situation was getting worse and worse.
“Keu…… Kehahaha! Keuheut! You bastard! Did you think such a trick would work!”
Cannavaro, who had been knocked down, staggered to his feet.
Blood was flowing from the fingertips that had been cut off.
He picked up the dagger he had dropped.
He also grabbed the hostage’s hair.
He once again aimed the dagger at the man’s neck.
This time, he was thoroughly covering himself with the man’s body.
“Now, I order you again. Drop your sword!”
The cry filled with malice echoed through the assembly hall.
Javier’s expression, who was barely holding on while being pushed into a corner, darkened.
In his current state, he couldn’t even dream of the same Detonation as before.
But what if he dropped his sword?
The Hell Knight’s greatsword would split his body.
‘What should I do?’
Javier’s eyes wavered.
Did he have to watch the hostage die in order to keep fighting?
Did he have to drop his sword to save the hostage for now?
He was confused.
Which would be the right decision?
Of course, he knew that continuing to fight would be more beneficial.
But he felt a tremendous burden in his heart when he tried to choose that readily.
The man who was bleeding from his neck while being held captive.
The young daughter who was crying as she looked at her father.
The selfish self who was hesitating whether to keep fighting in front of that sight.
‘What should I…….’
Javier’s lips turned pale.
A sense of victory was embedded in Cannavaro’s smile.
“I’ll count to three again!”
Javier’s shoulders twitched.
He looked at Cannavaro with urgent eyes.
Just a moment.
“Three!”
Please.
“Two!”
Stop.
“Ha……!”
Teong-!
Suddenly.
From the back of Cannavaro’s head.
A clear and beautiful sound that echoed throughout the world spread.
At the same time, Cannavaro’s cry was interrupted.
“……Keueuk?”
His eyes rolled back white.
His body twisted.
His legs faltered.
He collapsed as if crumbling.
Lloyd revealed himself from behind him.
Firmly gripping the Steel Shovel he had swung with a full swing.
He shrugged his shoulders at Javier with a smirk.
“Lady Ella, do you need any help?”