Chapter 96
Vrrrrrrr!
Javier’s three-pronged [Circles] spun into motion.
Each rotated at a different speed, resonating with one another.
At times, they amplified each other’s motion.
Other times, they suppressed then flared back up with explosive force.
Freely weaving between deceleration and acceleration, they unleashed a torrent of [Mana].
He channeled it all into the candlestick he was wielding like a blade.
Claaang—!
The candlestick collided with the sword.
Sparks exploded through the air.
At the same time, one of the candlestick’s arms was severed.
The sword came crashing down.
It flew straight for his neck.
Javier’s response was a mere tilt of his head—three centimeters, at most.
Whoosh.
The blade grazed past the tip of his nose.
Not a single hair was cut.
Javier’s cold eyes locked onto the enemy beyond the arc of the slash.
Sir Cherny’s eyes widened.
‘What the…?’
Even the Captain of the Royal Guard was stunned.
‘He dodged that?’
He was certain he had landed a clean strike.
The timing, the trajectory, the silver-haired rookie’s off-balance stance—everything was perfect.
No opponent had ever avoided a decapitation in such a setup.
But today was different.
That silver-haired rookie had dodged his sword.
And with nothing more than a small tilt of his head the width of a finger!
‘Is he… reading my sword’s path?’
A chill ran down his spine.
But he quickly shook it off with a scoff.
Who was he?
One of only two [Swordmasters] in the entire kingdom.
There was no way he’d lose to some unknown rookie.
“You little brat!”
Boom!
Sir Cherny stomped the ground forcefully.
That one stomp shifted all his body weight.
He reeled his missed sword back in instantly.
Piling on both weight and [Mana], he swept it with power.
Whoooosh!
The horizontal slash roared through the air, shredding the atmosphere.
Javier hadn’t even attempted a counter yet after dodging the first attack.
“…Kh!”
This time, Javier’s face twisted.
The shockwave, created by slicing through the very air, struck his whole body.
There was only one response.
Shhhrrk-kagagak!
He swung the candlestick.
Faster than the wind.
It carved through space.
He generated a shockwave of his own.
Whoom!
The new shockwave clashed with Sir Cherny’s.
They pushed, tangled, and then neutralized each other.
The shockwaves vanished.
Sir Cherny’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Where did this bastard even… Gah?”
Clang-clang-clang-clang—CLANG!
There was no time to speak.
Javier had charged forward.
He broke through the dissipating shockwaves and slammed the candlestick down.
He struck, hooked, jabbed, and slashed upward.
An onslaught of attacks suffocated Sir Cherny.
‘Don’t give him any breathing room.’
Coolheaded assessment and calculation.
The flow of battle was clearly drawn.
Javier’s eyes sank coldly.
‘I don’t know why the Captain of the Royal Guard would attempt to assassinate Her Majesty. No, that’s irrelevant to this fight. The only thing that matters now is pressing and pressuring.’
Focus only on the opponent before him.
Gauge the enemy’s strength, formulate a strategy, and execute tactics.
‘Sir Cherny is a [Swordmaster]. If I give him even a second, he’ll generate an [Aura Sword]. Once that happens, I’ll have no chance. I must keep pushing to prevent the formation of aura and prolong the fight.’
Javier’s gaze flicked briefly.
Toward the Queen and Lloyd.
‘Poisoning.’
He could guess the general situation.
The Queen, struck by poison.
Lloyd trying to extract it using the [Asrahan Heart Technique].
Then there was only one thing for him to do.
Hold Sir Cherny off and buy time for Lloyd to save the Queen.
He shouted,
“A sword! Over here!”
Clang!
At that moment, the candlestick broke completely.
In an instant, he was empty-handed.
Sir Cherny’s sword struck at that opening.
Shrrk, Slash! Swish!
It stabbed for the heart, sliced the arm, swept the legs.
Javier retreated, twisted his body, and changed his footwork.
He reached back with one hand.
“Catch!”
A new sword flew toward him.
Lloyd had drawn and thrown the Queen’s sword, and Javier caught it like a painting completing itself.
Crackaaang!
Blade met blade.
Javier’s blue eyes.
Sir Cherny’s twisted glare.
The eyes of two beasts collided with steel between them.
A clash of power.
A duel of wits.
It was a calm yet intense standoff.
Every breath exhaled.
Every subtle movement of the eye.
All laced with killing intent and deception.
Even Sir Cherny’s words aimed at Javier were no exception.
“So it wasn’t an exaggeration that you fought a Gigatitan in Cremo.”
“……”
“But something’s odd. You’re not a [Swordmaster] yet. How are you holding your own against my sword?”
“……”
“Ha. Not going to answer? Or can’t spare the breath?”
“……”
Clang!
Javier’s sword shoved Sir Cherny back hard.
He created a brief opening.
Javier looked back at Lloyd.
Signaled with his eyes.
‘I’ll buy you time.’
‘Got it. Be careful.’
Their eyes met for an instant, then parted.
Javier pressed Sir Cherny again.
Vrrrrrrr!
He collided two of his [Circles].
Their collision generated immense force.
He released the built-up force in an explosive burst.
Whooooom!
A fierce [Detonation] launched at Sir Cherny.
Sir Cherny’s eyes widened.
“……!”
Boom!
He reflexively swung his sword.
Barely managed to deflect the blast.
Still, his body flew back seven meters.
He slammed into the hallway wall outside the lounge.
Thud!
“Khugh!”
Even then, the residual shock made his shoulders, arms, and sword tremble.
‘What kind of brute-force attack is this…?’
Whoooom!
A second [Detonation] followed.
This time, Sir Cherny didn’t even think of blocking it.
He hastily ducked and dodged to the side.
BOOM!
The blast struck where he’d just stood.
A hole nearly 50 centimeters wide was gouged into the wall.
“……”
He had never heard of, let alone experienced, such a method of attack.
He had never even considered that such an attack could be possible with a sword.
‘A dangerous one.’
An alarm blared within Sir Cherny’s instincts.
His opponent no longer felt like some green rookie.
And to make matters worse, even the battlefield was turning against him.
Boom! Boom-boom!
“Guh!”
Explosions launched at him one after another.
Each time, Sir Cherny barely managed to evade them.
‘Too narrow!’
It was a long and narrow corridor.
And in such a place, blasts with a range of dozens of steps kept flying his way.
But what about him?
He had no way to counterattack.
The distance was simply too far.
Forget countering—even holding his ground was becoming difficult.
If he had generated an [Aura Sword], he could’ve cleaved through attacks like that with ease.
But forming aura required time and focus.
And the silver-haired brat wasn’t giving him any.
Frustration crept in.
‘I hesitated to strike the Queen with aura, fearing it would leave traces on the corpse… That hesitation is now backfiring.’
Grit!
Sir Cherny reminded himself of his mission.
To finish off the Queen once and for all.
To complete that mission, he had to return to the lounge.
But this damned silver-haired brat had come out of nowhere to hold him back. No, he was pressing him hard with powerful techniques he’d never even heard of before.
‘Is he trying to keep me away from the Queen?’
Sir Cherny’s brow twitched.
Javier advanced.
Through the narrow corridor, he launched blast after blast as he pressed forward.
Each time, Sir Cherny was forced to retreat.
Javier pushed, and Sir Cherny was pushed back.
Blasts fired, dodges barely succeeded.
Javier was wearing down, and Sir Cherny’s rage was building.
How far had he been forced back like this?
Eventually, Sir Cherny emerged from the corridor.
Boom!
He leapt back to avoid another blast.
Breaking free from the narrow space, he landed on the wide red carpet of the banquet hall.
Clatter! Crash! Tables overturned, glasses shattered.
Smash! Kyaaak! A chandelier came crashing down, screams rang out.
And there, Javier stood firmly at the corridor’s threshold.
Shing.
The Queen’s sword shimmered coldly in his hand.
With that shimmer, he declared silently—
That from this point on, no one would be allowed to pass.
“Tch. Arrogant little bastard.”
Sweat dripped between his brows as Sir Cherny gave a savage grin.
Now he understood.
Why he had been pushed all the way here.
‘So that’s it. He’s buying time—no matter what it takes.’
The corridor to the Queen’s lounge was a one-way path.
So all he had to do was block that one entrance.
And if he were pushed back?
‘Even if he is, as long as he survives, he can stall again for the entire corridor’s length.’
Sir Cherny’s lips curled.
He had finally grasped Javier’s intent.
And in doing so, conceived a plan to turn it against him.
‘Then I’ve got an idea too.’
He swiftly glanced around.
The banquet hall, now silent of music and conversation.
Here and there, sharp-eyed men with hands at their hips.
All familiar faces.
His own Royal Guards.
They were waiting for his command.
‘They don’t know what happened in the lounge—or that I’ve betrayed the Queen. Which means… they still see me as their Captain of the Guard.’
Sir Cherny’s sneer deepened.
With a tone of dignified authority, he spoke.
“Royal Guards, heed my command!”
His sword rose.
He pointed at Javier, who stood guarding the corridor.
“That man has conspired to commit treason. Along with his cohorts, he attempted to assassinate Her Majesty, and now he’s taken her hostage and occupied the corridor. Therefore, proud Royal Guards—raise your blades to protect your Queen!”
The moment his command dropped—
Shing!
Dozens of blades were drawn from their sheaths across the hall.
They moved in unison.
Encircling the corridor entrance in a semicircle.
Javier was surrounded in an instant.
Shrrrrrk…!
Each of the Royal Guards was at least a mid- to high-tier [Sword Expert].
Their blades radiated cold [Aura] and emitted terrifying cries.
Not one of their eyes held mercy toward Javier.
They trusted their commander—Sir Cherny—completely.
‘So it’s because of this sword, huh.’
A faint bitter smile crept onto Javier’s lips.
In truth, he had anticipated this.
He had accepted the possibility when he pushed Sir Cherny to the corridor’s end.
Because the sword in his hand belonged to the Queen.
‘Though it happened by chance…’
No one would believe his side of the story.
They would believe the still-undisclosed betrayal of Sir Cherny far less.
‘But it doesn’t matter. The Captain of the Guard has already betrayed us and attempted regicide. There’s no guarantee there aren’t more traitors among the Royal Guards. From now on, no one gets through this corridor.’
Javier’s stance grew as immovable as a mountain.
A cold pressure spilled from his entire body.
His gaze turned fierce like that of a strict beast.
“I, Javier Asrahan, ask this as a knight—who among you would dare break your oath to Her Majesty? Step forward.”
“……What?”
The Royal Guards hesitated.
Their expressions hardened.
How dare he, after attempting regicide and occupying the corridor—say something like that?
And then—
“Do not be swayed by a traitor’s lies! Strike him down!”
Sir Cherny’s shout rang out.
And at once, the Royal Guards stomped the ground.
“Hyaaahhh!”
The swords of the Royal Guards, sworn to protect their Queen, began to move.
Their blades now swung to kill the silver-haired knight who fought to protect that very Queen.
They glinted like fangs, aiming to tear apart one of their own.
But Javier remained silent.
He offered no excuses in the face of such unjust accusations.
He answered only with his blade.
Slash! Clang-clang-clang!
Three attackers at once.
He blocked, deflected, and pushed aside the blades that charged in unison.
He met the murderous intent pouring toward him head-on.
And amid it all, he raised his gaze—eyes cold and sharp.
He stared past them, locking eyes with one sole opponent in the distance.
Sir Cherny.
His eyes spoke:
Forget these lackeys—come at me yourself.
Until then, I have no intention of going down easily.
That look set Sir Cherny’s chest ablaze.
‘Fine. If that’s your wish, so be it.’
A sly grin curled across Sir Cherny’s face.
For the first time since the battle began, he allowed himself a breath.
Just a few drawn breaths, and his aura returned.
Finally, the unique mana circulation of a [Swordmaster] ignited within him.
The sword in his hand responded.
It began to burn savagely.
Vrrrrrrmmmm—!
A sinister brilliance cloaked the silver blade.
The ultimate weapon only a [Swordmaster] could wield.
It took time to activate, but once it did, it could cut through anything.
The [Aura Sword] erupted with a vicious gleam like a beast’s fang.
‘If you’ve chosen this place as your grave, I’ll gladly honor that wish.’
His chilling gaze, his steps heavy with bloodlust, turned toward Javier.
Step. Step. He marched forward, raising that wicked weapon.
He lunged in an instant.
The distance between them vanished.
Thwap!
“……!”
A speed on a different level from before.
In a blink, he closed the gap to within two paces.
Sir Cherny, seizing Javier’s opening, grinned.
“Got you.”
Swaaash—!
A devastating strike of the [Aura Sword] surged like a tidal wave toward Javier.
At the same time, Javier thrust his own sword forward.
He fired a [Detonation].
The blast collided with the [Aura Sword].
And was split apart like a wave crashing against a cliff.
“……!”
Slash!
The [Aura Sword] tore through the parted blast and slashed into Javier’s chest.
* * * * * *
Translator’s Note:
Hey everyone, just a quick heads-up — starting next week, chapter releases might be a bit inconsistent for a while. My wife and I just had our baby, and I’ll be prioritizing taking care of them during this time. Depending on how things go, I might still be able to post chapters here and there, but I can’t promise a regular schedule just yet.
I really appreciate your patience and support. I’ll do my best to keep updates coming when I can, and I’ll let you all know once things start settling down and we’re closer to getting back to a steady rhythm.
Thanks again for sticking with me and this story. It means a lot.
