"Archbishop! You and the Holy Order! You went so far as to mobilize the Statue of the Archangel, killed the head of my investigation team, and even defiled the royal authority, all to obstruct the exploration and development of the Abandoned Land!''
"...Eh?"
It was unjust.
So unjust, he could almost jump in frustration.
And he had every reason to feel that way.
Archbishop Rephelon instinctively raised his voice toward the king.
"Are you saying that I caused this whole commotion, Your Majesty?"
"Then who else would it be!"
"......"
"The Statue of the Archangel is supposed to be the pride of the Holy Order, the shield of the faithful, trusted until the very end! As a servant of the Book of Perfection, how could you dare! How could you so recklessly mobilize the Order's sacred asset for personal use!"
The king's face turned even redder.
He rapidly evolved from a bearded dumpling to a kimchi dumpling(?), and roared,
"I shall, in due time, hold you accountable for this, Archbishop! Captain of the Royal Guards, Sir Hector!"
"Command me, Your Majesty."
"You and the Royal Guards must immediately rescue Sir Kim Jangcheol, who is endangered by the rampaging Statue of the Archangel!"
"...Pardon?"
"Right now!"
"......"
The Captain of the Royal Guards, Sir Hector, suddenly wanted to ask his sovereign,
Me? How, exactly...?
But he had no right to ask. It was a royal decree. When ordered by the king, there was no choice but to obey.
Even so, the Captain dared to attempt a timid resistance.
"However, Your Majesty! This place is extremely dangerous! My men and I are duty-bound to ensure Your Majesty's safety above all else! I must urgently escort you to a secure location!"
The cry of Hector, resonant from deep within his survival instincts — no, from the pit of his stomach!
He was satisfied.
This much should provide both justification and sound logic. Surely, His Majesty would nod and reconsider.
...His hope was instantly shattered.
"What nonsense is this, Sir Hector! Are you refusing to heed my command?"
"Eh? But..."
"No buts! Do you not see it? Sir Kim Jangcheol is in mortal danger! The finest talent who would finally fulfill my long-cherished dream is about to die!"
"Then... what of Your Majesty's safety...?"
"I am already safe. Is the Statue attacking me? It is not, is it!"
"......."
"March forth! At once!"
"...By Your command!"
Now it was not only the Archbishop but also the Captain of the Royal Guards, Hector, who felt deeply wronged. He turned to his troops with a heavy heart.
The Royal Guards, who had seen and heard everything up to this point, hid their tearful expressions beneath their helmets and drew their swords.
Shraaaang!
Two hundred shining longswords were drawn in an instant!
The Captain, with a guilty conscience, gave the order to his subordinates.
"Obey His Majesty's command! Chaaaaarge!"
"...Waaaaaah!"
Hector and the two hundred Royal Guards dashed down from the platform, sprinting across the plaza. They charged at the rampaging Statue, but were swept away by the wind pressure from the colossal greatsword aimed at Kim Jangcheol, tumbling and rolling across the ground.
"...Urgh!"
"Argh!"
"We... can't get close...!"
They tried to rise again to carry out their orders. Or at least, they tried.
But at that moment, the Captain's subtle signal flashed.
Everyone, stay down. Pretend to be unconscious nearby. That Statue is beyond our power.
Stay here, near His Majesty. If, by any chance, His Majesty faces danger, give everything to protect him.
"What about you, Captain?" the adjutant asked.
With a bitter smile, the Captain replied,
"I must carry out His Majesty's command too, no matter what."
That was his final word.
Hector, Captain of the Royal Guards, leaped forward with a burst of strength.
Whoosh!
He charged.
His sword raised high.
Aura waves gathered along the blade, flashing with destructive light!
...Ka-ga-gaak!
He struck.
Putting his pride as the kingdom's sole Swordmaster on the line.
The Captain's blade struck the heel of the Statue. He slid swiftly toward Kim Jangcheol's side.
"Sir! Take my hand!"
He extended his hand toward Kim Jangcheol.
And he thought,
He would protect Kim Jangcheol and retreat to safety. He would do his utmost to hold off the Statue's attacks.
'But... will that really work?'
Honestly, he wasn't confident.
But he had to succeed.
Because it was His Majesty's command.
...It was at that moment.
"You're just getting in the way! Move aside already!"
Wham!
"...!"
An unexpected impact struck his chest hard — BAM!
His body was thrown backward.
'...Huh?'
Hector looked ahead in confusion.
He saw Kim Jangcheol, growing distant, standing with one foot raised.
Thanks to that, he vaguely realized:
'He... kicked me?'
That man?
When I held out my hand?
He refused my help?
'Why... why would he?'
But the question didn't last long.
KA-BOOOOM!
"...!"
Between them — between Kim Jangcheol and himself — the Statue's massive greatsword slammed down like a colossal pillar!
"Khuh!"
The Captain hastily covered his upper body with his cloak. Countless shards flew at him, tearing at the fabric.
And then, a chilling realization struck him.
'If he hadn't kicked me away just now...'
He would've been crushed into pulp beneath the Statue's gigantic sword.
Survival?
That would've been too much to hope for.
Even a Swordmaster, struck defenselessly by a weapon weighing tens of tons, would not have survived.
He would have been flattened like a beetle under a boot.
"......"
A chill ran down his spine.
'Then, does that mean... this man's senses are sharper than mine, even though I'm a Swordmaster?'
A danger he hadn't even perceived.
Yet Kim Jangcheol had sensed it and reacted before him.
That meant...
'He might be my equal... no, possibly even a Swordmaster of a higher level than me?'
He couldn't believe it.
Naturally so.
A Swordmaster was the most coveted strategic asset and weapon in every kingdom.
The reason was simple.
On the battlefield, only a Swordmaster could counter another Swordmaster.
If two factions clashed and one lacked a Swordmaster?
The side without one would have their command wiped out.
They had no means to stop an enemy Swordmaster from breaking into their command lines.
They couldn't even flee.
That's why every kingdom was desperate to foster or recruit Swordmaster-level talent.
And thus, no Swordmaster could possibly exist without allegiance or without fame.
'But... an unknown Swordmaster? Him?'
Impossible.
Hector refused to accept it.
The fact that this man had sensed danger before him and reacted — that must've just been luck.
It must've just happened by chance.
That's what he told himself.
That's what he wanted to believe.
But... reality said otherwise.
Kwaaang! Kwaang! Thwack!
The Statue's attacks — no, bombardments — poured down one after another.
Kim Jangcheol not only dodged them all, but even had the leisure to shout advice (?) at Hector.
"Captain of the Royal Guards! What are you doing! You'll get hurt if you stay there! Duck!"
"...!"
Whoooosh!
The moment Kim Jangcheol's shout ended, Statue's kick came flying in, like it was booting a soccer ball.
Of course, it wasn't directly targeting Hector. But the sheer range of the kick was the problem.
"...Khuh?"
Realizing this too late, Hector hurriedly tried to pull back. But he was already too late.
The Statue's massive foot, meant for Kim Jangcheol but missing him, came crashing straight at Hector.
Whooosh—!
"...!"
Hector's bangs fluttered.
His eyes widened.
'I—I have to defend—'
He realized.
It was too late to dodge.
Then, at least, he had to minimize the damage.
Tsssaaaang—!
A blue flash burst from Hector's longsword. The brilliant light only a Swordmaster could summon — Aura.
But this method of defense earned him a scolding from Kim Jangcheol.
"Hey! Old man! Do you think you can block that with Aura like you're fighting a person?!"
Wham!
"......!"
In that instant, Hector felt the world tilt sideways.
Was it from being hit by the Statue's giant foot?
No.
It was because Kim Jangcheol's hectopascal side kick had slammed into his ribs from the side.
"...Ugh!"
It was a kick loaded with tremendous force.
For a moment, it felt like not only his ribs but even his organs were about to burst out from the opposite side.
But thanks to that kick, his body was hurled to the side.
Kuhwoooooong—!
Right after Hector was knocked away by Kim Jangcheol's strike, the Statue's kick — like a KTX train at full throttle — swept through the spot where Hector had just been.
Hector clearly saw the terrifying scene.
And he understood.
'If... I had stayed and tried to block that—'
Could he have stopped it?
No.
Could he have even reduced the damage?
Also no.
"......"
He would have been crushed into a bloody pulp, his whole body shattered, smashed into the rooftop of some building beyond the plaza.
Either dead instantly, or twitching like a crushed ant until death took him.
Just as he was thinking that, gratefully looking at Kim Jangcheol—
"What are you looking at! Land properly!"
"........!"
The cold, hard reality of landing smacked into Hector.
Finally realizing he'd been sent flying by an unexpected side kick, Hector frantically regained his balance.
Barely, he managed a safe landing.
Scrrraaaaape!
He slid more than five meters, scraping the stone floor with one knee and his sword, and shouted,
"Th-thank you!"
"If you're thankful, would you please be more competent already!"
"......"
He was scolded again.
Embarrassed, Hector yelled,
"His Majesty commanded me! To protect you! So I shall stay and fight by your side!"
"If you really want to help, don't stay here! Go guard the bearded dumpling! Please!"
"How dare you refer to His Majesty like that!"
"What? I wasn't even talking about His Majesty specifically!"
"......."
"In any case! That Statue! It's only targeting me! So now! I'm going to run!"
"...What?"
"I said I'm running! To somewhere without people!"
Kwaaang!
Already a good distance away, Kim Jangcheol shouted while dodging the Statue's attacks, as if he could read its intentions in advance.
Hector found himself unconsciously impressed.
"......"
Who was this man?
That movement.
Was it that of a knight?
No. Not at all. Absolutely not.
It seemed like the chaotic, undisciplined movements of someone who'd never received formal training.
'But... how...?'
How could he, more skillfully than even Hector, avoid every one of those colossal attacks, and respond as though it was nothing?
As though he had spent his life fighting opponents beyond human limits,
dying dozens or hundreds of times, facing certain death again and again.
So calm.
So composed.
Of course, Hector had no way of knowing.
That unlike himself, who had honed his skills only by fighting human soldiers and knights, Kim Jangcheol had accumulated the most brutal, hellish experiences in the Abandoned Land.
Nor did he realize another fact.
That Kim Jangcheol had, for nearly 400 seconds now, not blinked even once,
desperately maintaining the Bloodshot Eyes skill he had activated earlier, never letting it lapse.
But the Swordmaster's astonishment and awe toward Kim Jangcheol — it was only just beginning.
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]