"Ten times more interesting than that Talon bastard."
Rem muttered the words. Talon—the nickname of the one who kept shooting arrows on the battlefield with Aspen. It was a name that remained in one corner of Enkrid's memory as well.
Back then on that battlefield, his arrows were like those shot by the god of death.
But comparing then to now would make no sense at all.
Because so much had changed between then and now.
'We can block them.'
Enkrid judged so.
No one here would die struck by those arrows. Among them, Luagarne had the highest chance of being hit, but even hitting her would be useless. She was a Frog. A species that could ignore most wounds.
After all, the regenerative power of a well-trained Frog was on par with a Troll.
"Huh."
Rem let out a chilling laugh. His face bore an equally dangerous smile.
A grin twisted upward at the corners of his mouth, and killing intent leaked from his gaze.
Somehow it seemed like he wanted to kill any archer he saw.
Anyway, the tenfold interest he mentioned could just as well be heard as tenfold danger.
Enkrid looked at the barrier hidden by trees and thought.
'How far would it be?'
He'd heard the sound, but it was hard to gauge. Still, it wouldn't be too far.
The distance an arrow could reach, and an environment good for shooting. Both conditions would be met.
Then wouldn't they be shooting from a relatively high place?
Luagarne-style Tactical Sword—what was now Enkrid-style orthodox swordsmanship—naturally initiated tactical thinking.
'Perfect prediction is difficult.'
Meaning it was hard to discern the enemy's situation or intentions. Well, it didn't really matter. This was a Demonic Realm, so there was no need to be surprised if something appeared contrary to his predictions.
"The worst moments keep coming to mind, so I struggle to prevent them."
Once, when Abanaier asked Krais about his thought process, that was the answer. The conversation between the two took place right in front of Enkrid.
It was quite interesting to hear. He could see the difference in how those two thought.
Enkrid took what Krais said and accepted it in his own way.
'I need receptivity.'
Widen the vessel, leave the branches of spreading thoughts as they are, but accept whatever comes.
Keep that wide vessel from overflowing no matter what fills it.
'It feels like the Sword of Chance is mixing in too.'
In the tactical realm, accepting everything within intent felt that way.
Though he'd divided swordsmanship into Finisher, Sustainer, Versatile, Complete, and Instinct, ultimately all of it was just ways to wield a sword.
And the one wielding that sword would be the person holding it.
So did it have to be divided into five? Was division the only answer?
Such doubts arose. It was the kind he couldn't resolve right now. Still, his heart raced within that brief reverie.
It felt like some interesting thought might emerge.
Whatever it was, now was the time to do what needed doing.
The Demonic Realm confused human senses. Though he was gradually adapting, starting with his sense of direction, the acuity of his five senses differed from outside the Demonic Realm, beyond it. His senses of smell and taste seemed dulled, and the information entering through sight seemed dizzyingly spinning around. It even felt as though this domain itself harbored hostility.
And the enemy would know that too.
'Do we need time?'
Probably. If they had time, they would adapt to this much. And the enemy would expect that too.
Shooting arrows was meant to halt their steps and pin them to this spot.
But did they have confidence that arrows alone could bind their feet?
"Tsk!"
A sound entered during the brief reverie. The actual thought was long, but only a few breaths' worth of time had passed, so it also happened just as Rem muttered.
Enkrid and everyone's gaze turned to one side.
It was where Pel and Lawford were. The two hiding behind a large tree simultaneously saw tree roots wrapping around their legs.
Enkrid's eyes saw it too. Roots bursting up through the purple-tinged soil, wriggling about of their own accord. Stiffer than snakes, yet with movements nimble enough that they couldn't be considered tree roots.
The roots tried to squeeze and break Pel and Lawford's ankles. Constricting and tightening.
At the same time, branches stretched long from above bent downward with a cracking sound, trying to strangle their necks. Dark reddish-brown branches bent freely and approached, moving incredibly fast.
Not as fast as arrows, but faster than an average adult man throwing a punch. They also looked tough. The texture of the branches themselves showed as much.
The trees moved alive, attempting hostile responses.
The one who swallowed a breath with a "tsk" was Pel.
And it couldn't entirely be their fault that roots and branches caught their ankles.
The Demonic Realm shook the senses, and it would be hard to imagine tree roots silently sneaking up from beneath the ground to grab one's ankles.
So they were caught, but so what?
Pel thought so, and simultaneously with swallowing his breath, he swung his sword up and down. The sword he wielded drew a large circle. When swinging downward it was loose but weighted with his body mass as he struck, and as it rose drawing a half-circle, he swung fast and fiercely.
It was a slash that seemed to cut roots and branches simultaneously. Thus Pel severed the roots and split the branches.
Thwack, crack!
Two noises overlapped. Idol Slayer was an excellent sword, and the one holding it was a skilled swordsman.
No matter how tough the tree roots and branches, they couldn't withstand a knight's deliberate slash.
Branches and roots were cut as Pel broke free from restraint.
Lawford moved just like Pel. Moreover, the weapon he possessed was also excellent.
Though not an Imprinted Weapon, Lawford's sword also had a properly sharpened blade.
With its edge honed in True-Silver and its core forged from Valerian steel, it was a sword a dwarf had labored over for three full months, pouring all their craft and effort into tempering.
That sword also drew a large circle, striking away roots and branches. The difference from Pel's was that this one drew the circle at a constant speed.
The strength wasn't lacking. If Roman had been here, he would have been astonished just watching that slash.
Though he'd realized it recently, Lawford was also a knight called a Calamity. Will added strength to his trained muscles, giving him monstrous power.
Snap!
Branches and roots were cut. Black sap sprayed through the air.
Pel and Lawford scattered left and right as they retreated. Then, as if promised, two more black lightning bolts flew in. They aimed precisely at the spots the two dodged toward.
Whizz!
He hadn't exactly thought he'd block them, but Enkrid's body moved on its own. Since Pel's side was closer, he headed that way. Just before moving, several thoughts arose simultaneously.
'The enemy sees this place.' 'If they see, they know we came from outside.' 'Because the Demonic Realm's air is different, they'll know we need to adapt.'
It was an extension of his earlier thoughts. The organized thoughts rushed toward one conclusion.
With arrows and tree monsters, both were meant to bind their feet. The plan was to kill them while they stayed here eternally just blocking arrows.
But who would let that happen as they pleased?
Thud! Bang!
When Enkrid moved with determination, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and his body moved as if teleporting, tearing through the heavy air. Then Dawnforge struck the lightning. Sky-blue light striking black lightning.
Crash!
An explosion erupted. Neither deflecting nor blocking, he simply struck it. The arrow Enkrid struck hit the dirt ground and bounced into the air several times.
With almost no time difference, the second arrow aimed at Lawford was blocked by Audin. White light gathered in his hands into a ball-like shape and that light struck away the arrow.
Bang!
Noise erupted here as well. The light in his hands scattered like a substantial thread, tearing and flickering several times before vanishing.
It was the price of withstanding the arrow's power, and it looked almost like lightning scattering divine sanctity. As if whether the god of war or anything else, this place was not a celestial domain, it seemed to assert.
"A cunning opponent, brother."
Did it feel like provocation? Audin showed an expression he didn't usually display.
His mouth smiled but his usual eye-smile disappeared, revealing faint yellow irises.
Enkrid felt a tingling sensation running through his grip as he examined Dawnforge's blade.
If his grip tingled this much, had the blade been damaged?
With that thought, he briefly scanned the blade portion.
'Well now.'
The blade received the dim, murky sunlight filtering in and scattered sky-blue light. It was no different from when he'd received it from Aetri.
Did it mean not even a scratch would appear from this much?
Ring— The humming blade seemed to answer thus.
That it would absolutely never break, no matter who the opponent.
Enkrid quite liked the Imprinted Weapon's answer.
"It won't break."
Aetri had also said such words. Did the meaning contained in those words not represent trust or belief, but simply fact?
Aetri had handled Will as a blacksmith. Those who gave their all to their work unconsciously used Will that way.
And when handling Will, nothing was more important than believing in oneself.
A heart that wouldn't lose, a heart that wouldn't give up.
All of that became the foundation of Will.
So it might be natural that the sword Aetri forged by burning his life and inheriting Enkrid's Will showed such confidence.
'A sword that won't break no matter what.'
In the Fairy tongue, was it called Infrates?
Once, the Fairy blacksmith Lefratio had told him. It came up when discussing legendary divine artifacts.
Translating that again into Eastern slang or Southern speech would be Immutable.
Beyond meaning it wouldn't break, it meant unchanging, always the same as now.
So he quite liked this sword. No, he liked it considerably. As much as the feeling of it fitting perfectly in his hand.
He didn't need divine artifacts from legends.
The trees moved like the Wood Guards he'd seen in the Fairy village. They moved branches stretched upward like hands, poking and striking down.
"Do I look that easy?"
Pel stood beneath it and spoke. Feet stopped in the middle of dodging.
In truth, there was no need for someone to block the arrows for him.
Did it mean he'd shown some openings? He'd admit it, but not to the point of death.
He could dodge and block and overcome well enough on his own.
'Am I a burden?'
He absolutely wouldn't admit it.
All of this must be because training was insufficient.
Ambition and competitive desire surged madly. Will mixed in and ran wild, sweeping through his entire body.
The reddish-brown tree giant used its roots like feet and rose up. Soil and stones flew around.
"Indeed."
Lawford's answer came from the opposite side. Though he didn't feel exactly the same emotions as Pel, his state was similar.
His pride was hurt. Did these tree bastards think we were easy?
Soon both drew swords and stabbed, slashed, and swung.
The tree giants' exteriors were hard, but not enough to withstand a knight's sword.
Thwack! Crack, snap.
After such noises, trees were cut and sprayed black sap.
Enkrid watched the falling tree giant, then turned toward Shinar and asked.
"Is it like Bran's friend?"
The outward appearance was different, but it seemed structurally similar to Wood Guards, tree fairies.
Were they related? Or was this just that kind of monster? How many trees were nearby? Countless. The barrier itself began to writhe and move.
A wave of trees surged forward. Roots scraped the ground with cracking sounds, burrowing through the earth, while overhead sharp branches cut through the air, approaching to welcome their guests.
The problem was that their welcome wasn't about gently patting shoulders, but rather stabbing somewhere in the torso to drink blood.
Faint wrinkles formed on Shinar's brow. She drew her Leaf Blade.
Shhhhring.
The blade seemed to cut the Demonic Realm's air as it was drawn. Because her will was imbued, it gave such a feeling.
Holding the drawn Leaf Blade lowered, Shinar spoke.
"I wondered why it was full of such ominous air."
Shinar muttered and met Enkrid's eyes.
"Beyond there seems to be something I know."
Enkrid didn't ask further. They'd see it when they went anyway.
So now, they needed to deal with the approaching horde of tree giants.
How? Cut, stab, and topple them.
Hadn't Lawford and Pel just proven it? These were things that died when cut and split by swords.
"Looks like each person needs to handle about fifteen."
It was Rem's remark after roughly counting the approaching tree monsters.
"I'll kill thirty. That's what a vice-commander's duty is."
Ragna said that after hearing it. Though not an arrogant attitude, hearing it made one's insides twist.
Partly because of the effect of the word vice-commander.
Ever since showing that Flame Blade thing, he's always like this, isn't he? Rem's gaze sank. Killing intent showed outwardly.
"Do you really wear your head as decoration? I knew from when you spouted nonsense thinking that was terminal, but do you even think before living? Who said they couldn't kill thirty? Read the context of the words. I'm telling you that's roughly the number that fits."
"I understand. Rank-and-file member."
Crack. Rem's molars ground together.
"And I'm the vice-commander. Talking about duty, does that even suit you? Duty? Duuuuuuuuty?"
"You're cumbersome. I wouldn't mind cutting you down before fighting."
"Try it then."
They stared at each other wordlessly, and it seemed even wind couldn't squeeze between them. The surrounding air froze cold and chilly, dust settling down.
The approaching horde of tree monsters hesitated briefly.
Why are those two fighting each other while ignoring us?
If they had mouths, wouldn't they ask this?
In reality, the monster horde wouldn't actually be flustered—it was just that their intimidation created intangible pressure spreading around, making the monsters pause.