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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Young Mad Dog
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1.
There is a vast difference between fighting to subdue and fighting to kill.
In the former, one cannot aim for vital spots. Attacks are limited in scope.
At best, you can only fight by targeting the arms and legs.
But the latter?
*Shhhk-!*
You can blatantly aim for vital points. And that difference creates an enormous variable in combat.
Karron smirked as he sliced the neck of an enemy blocking his path.
The battle had already begun, and the enemies were in disarray.
The reason was simple.
The battle was unfolding in a way completely different from what they had expected.
"Fuck! You didn't tell us the target was this kind of guy!"
"What kind of brat is he?!"
The structure of the fight had quickly devolved into a chaotic brawl.
The Sea Wolf Knights, who had been in a protective formation around the train, followed Karron, weaving through the enemy ranks.
It was Karron who led the melee.
*KRRRAAANG-!*
Azure Mana shot out from Guillotine, splitting into dozens of tendrils that aimed for the enemies' necks.
Sea Wolf Sword Style, Fourth Form: Raging Waves.
Uncontrollably violent waves guided the enemies into a vortex.
"How are we supposed to subdue a bastard like this unharmed—."
"Then you should die."
*Shhhk-!*
The enemy's head fell to the ground.
And then.
*Zzzzzzzzing!*
Having tasted the enemy's blood, Guillotine howled violently.
Fear.
The fear emanating from the sword began to spread across the battlefield. Even enemies who hadn't crossed blades with Guillotine couldn't help but be aware of it.
That sword is aiming for their necks.
A suggestion akin to brainwashing was deeply engraved into the minds of all who opposed Karron.
That alone was enough to shift the atmosphere of the battle.
On the battlefield, a moment's intuition determines life and death. But what if that intuition is disrupted?
*Shunk.*
"Kghh… ugh."
"Keep supporting Sir Karron!"
"For the great Leston Ducal Family!"
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
Though they had nearly twice the numbers, the enemies had already become a disorderly mob.
Riding the momentum, the Sea Wolf Knights began to aggressively push the enemies back.
Just as the flow of battle turned completely one-sided, a masked man rushed at Karron.
*CLAAAAANG-!*
Karron quickly twisted the enemy's sword path with Guillotine. Sparks flew for a moment where their blades clashed.
"Oh."
The mana flowing through the sword momentarily shook his body. But Karron skillfully expelled the mana and glared at his foe.
'At most, a 5-Star.'
The level of a squad's vice-captain in the Sea Wolf Knights.
Not all 5-Stars are the same, but the amount of mana in that last attack was certainly enough to be considered 5-Star level.
"Not bad for guys sent to capture a couple of brats. Ah, that's a compliment."
The masked man didn't answer. Instead of replying, he swung his sword at Karron again.
*Vwoooom-!*
A sword strike aimed at his legs.
It was a swing meant to subdue rather than kill.
'So they're trying to capture me alive, no matter what.'
Even though his comrades had died at Karron's hands, there was no killing intent in the enemy's blade.
The mere will to capture an opponent…
"Is shallow."
It can't compare to the will to kill.
To Karron, who had wandered through hellish battlefields, a sword strike like this was trivial.
*WHAP.*
A foot condensed with Azure Mana struck the sword. In that instant, his opponent's balance broke, leaving his upper body exposed.
Karron didn't hesitate to thrust Guillotine into the opening.
"Keuk!"
Guillotine's bizarre, sinisterly dark blue blade pierced the enemy's abdomen.
At the same time, the man's mask was stained with blood pouring from his mouth.
*Vvvvvvvmmmmm-!*
Having tasted blood, Guillotine began to emit an even more intense killing intent.
It all happened in a fraction of a second.
Exchanging blows while showing off flashy swordsmanship?
That kind of thing only happens in boring dueling arenas. Karron knew better than anyone what a battlefield was really like.
A place where you must kill your opponent to live.
You can't survive in a place like that with a mindset of not killing your opponent.
Just like now.
"You're no match for my grandaunt. You should've brought at least a Knight Commander, not some vice-captain."
Pulling the sword from the man's abdomen, Karron didn't hesitate to swing it again.
*Thud.*
And the man's head fell to the ground with absurd ease.
"Hoo."
Karron brushed his bangs back with a blood-soaked hand.
The surrounding enemies who had been watching froze like ice, staring at the boy.
Dread and terror seized their legs.
Their opponent was thirteen years old. But could they really see 'that thing' as a mere thirteen-year-old?
"As I thought, I'm more comfortable on the battlefield. There's no need to overthink things, is there?"
Faced with the killing intent radiating from the sword in the boy's hand, they couldn't even maintain their sanity.
My neck will be cut. Without a doubt, my neck will be cut by that sword.
That thought dominated their minds.
Was it really possible to capture someone who had so casually beheaded even a 5-Star knight?
"I'll say this in advance, I'd rather you didn't surrender."
But they were soon forced to stop thinking.
"Because I'm having a lot of fun right now."
Despair stepped towards them.
2.
*CLAAAAANG-!*
Hans clashed blades with the mysterious 6-Star knight.
His opponent's skill was genuine. Moreover, he skillfully deflected the force behind the blade, as if he had faced the Sea Wolf Sword Style several times before.
Of course, it wasn't without results. Before long, Hans was able to deduce his opponent's identity.
A sword style that sought openings with rapid swings, coupled with a searing mana reminiscent of the desert's scorching heat.
There were a few 6-Star knights who fit those two criteria, but considering the habits ingrained in his swordsmanship, the answer came quickly.
"Sion Hakimi."
A knight from the Pajar Sultanate, located to the east of the Empire.
As luck would have it, he was someone Hans had crossed swords with once while on a mission a year ago.
At Hans's words, his opponent flinched for a moment as if struck.
But only for a moment.
*Vwooooom-!*
He began to pressure Hans, unleashing his mana even more fiercely.
"...Why in the world are you here?"
Hans furrowed his brow as he parried his opponent's sword.
He had deduced his opponent's identity, but he couldn't fathom his purpose.
The Empire and the Pajar Sultanate had a non-aggression pact.
For a knight, especially one of 6-Star rank, to enter the Empire, they must receive prior permission. And that information would naturally be passed on to Cheonghae Fortress.
Hans had no memory of any information about Sion Hakimi entering the country. In other words, this man was an illegal entrant.
'I don't understand.'
He's someone who has no grudge against the Leston Ducal Family.
He was known for his deep loyalty to the lord he served, so why would a man like that be here, targeting the Grand Duke's grandsons?
*CLAAAAANG-!*
Hans unleashed his mana once more, pushing his opponent back. Then, he glanced at the young masters fighting in the distance.
Leo was at the very rear, fending off attacks alongside the other knights.
Karron, on the other hand.
'I expected as much, but...'
He was slicing through the enemies' necks without a hint of hesitation.
No matter how successfully Karron had completed his first mission, this was surely his first time fighting in an environment like this. Nevertheless, Karron was literally overwhelming his enemies.
A boy of only thirteen was dictating the atmosphere of the battlefield.
*CLAAAAANG-!*
Hans's assessment of the battle ended there. His opponent had already closed the distance and attacked again.
"Do you have the luxury to look away?"
"Of course not. Sion, you're the one who seems distracted."
"Nonsense."
"Ah, so you're readily admitting that you are Sion Hakimi?"
"...There is no reason to deny who I am."
Hans felt a strange sense of unease from that exchange.
Even the scale of the attack was questionable.
The kind of people who could mobilize a 6-Star knight from another country would attack with only this much force?
There must be another motive. Nothing else makes sense.
"This time, I'll make you an offer. Surrender. I will spare your life."
Hans had come up with the best possible solution.
Killing him here wouldn't solve anything. Who was behind this, and what was the reason for this attack?
Digging up that information was the most important thing.
"The battle is already lost for you."
"I admit it."
"I will spare your life. Is there any reason for you to die in a foreign land?"
"You would not understand. So I do not ask for your understanding. I must simply fulfill my duty."
Flames began to erupt from the man's body, and his sword was wreathed in fire.
The haze of the flames distorted Hans's vision, and through a gap in the fire, Sion's sword rushed forward.
Above the mask, the man's eyes were bloodshot.
'Mana Reversal.'
It means he's forced his mana channels to go berserk.
He's already resolved to die.
Once things reached this point, capturing him alive was practically impossible. The problem wasn't just capturing him; at this rate, even killing him could be difficult.
His opponent had made his mana run rampant. To subdue someone who had drawn out power by putting their life on the line, he too needed to be just as prepared.
'...If it's to protect the young masters.'
*Vwooom.*
The moment Hans was about to follow suit and make his own mana channels go berserk.
*Shhhk-!*
His opponent's right arm, the one holding the sword, was suddenly severed.
And a moment later, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
"Hans, if you were thinking of dying together, I'm a little disappointed. Didn't you say you'd protect me all the way to the capital?"
"Sir Karron!"
Blood-soaked blond hair.
Blue eyes shimmering with killing intent.
The boy, drenched in the blood of his enemies, appeared with a smile.
"This side seemed the most urgent. I wasn't too late, was I?"
Karron smiled and shook Guillotine.
At that, Sion, his arm now severed, glared at Karron and gritted his teeth.
"Karron Leston."
The youngest grandson of the ducal family, who had been shrouded in mystery.
He had expected him to be strong for his age, being a direct descendant of the Duke, but what this young boy had shown in this battle was far beyond imagination.
The boy had turned the entire battlefield on its head by himself.
Especially that unsettling, ominous sword.
That sword had paralyzed the senses of everyone here.
"You... are a monster."
To Sion's dry voice, Karron replied with a smirk.
"High praise. I appreciate the compliment, but by any chance, are you thinking of surrendering?"
It was better to capture him alive and extract information than to take his head. Karron had reached the same conclusion as Hans. After all, survival is a person's most primal instinct.
But Karron soon felt a sense of dissonance in his opponent's eyes.
Those were not the eyes of someone who yearned for life.
*Zzzzzzzing-!*
Guillotine, held in his hand, began to vibrate violently. It was the same vibration he had felt just before the train derailed.
"I have no grudge against you. I'm sorry, Karron Les—."
*Shhhk!*
Guillotine's blade sliced smoothly through Sion's neck, and Sion's head fell to the floor.
*Vwooom-!*
But the situation wasn't over.
Sion's headless corpse, still standing, began to glow red.
The rampaging mana gathered near the corpse's heart, and upon seeing this, Hans immediately tackled Karron and shouted.
"All squads! Shield Sir Leo!"
Shouting this, Hans covered Karron's body with his own.
Caught off guard and pinned to the ground, Karron looked at Hans and yelled.
"Hans!"
"It's a self-destruct spell. There was a self-destruct spell cast on that bastard's heart. I'm sorry, Young Master. It's because of my incompetence. So you must survive…."
Before Hans could finish his sentence, a voice echoed in Karron's mind.
—*It's been a while since I've tasted the fresh blood of knights, so I suppose I should earn my keep, you stupid master. If you don't want your eyeballs to pop, shut them tight.*
A moment later.
*KRA-BOOOOOOM-!*
The headless corpse exploded.