I Pulled Out the Excalibur

There were no changes to the plan. The attackers, dispersed throughout the city, began to move one by one, their actions shrouded in stealth.

Their expertise as Sword Seekers and Experts wasn’t the sole reason for their stealth. Each assailant had their own desperate circumstances driving them. Some fought to rescue a loved one, others to save their child, and yet others for personal honor.

Driven by desperation, they were meticulous in their approach.

Fifteen Sword Experts, four Sword Seekers, and one 5th circle mage—a total force of twenty. Gathering all at once would certainly expose them, so they maintained a certain distance while moving to the city’s outskirts.

Blending naturally into the crowd and concealing themselves within the caravan, their movements were so covert that no one noticed their deliberate intent and direction.

It was the day of the decisive battle.

The pursuit team chasing the carriage, the standby team waiting along the path the carriage would take, and the attack team, centered around the mage, ready to block the carriage’s path, were all divided into several groups. Like hunters with their sharp daggers concealed, they held their breath.

It was supposed to be an easy task.

So much effort and intricate planning had gone into this operation. There could be no variables.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and twilight embraced the land, a gentle rumble spread across Ahmeti Road— it was the sound of an approaching carriage. The rough rolling of the carriage’s wheels and the clatter of the horses’ hooves filled the air, and the attackers steadied their breaths, tuning into every sound.

They hid in shadows, thickets, dense foliage, and undulating terrains, waiting for the right moment.

And then it arrived. The carriage appeared. Upon closer inspection, the silhouette of the pursuit team maintaining a distance behind the carriage was also visible. The moment the standby team signaled, the attack team blocked the carriage’s path.

The 5th circle mage, Sirchel Cravelin, led the attack team. When she slammed her staff into the ground, five rings emerged behind her. A 5th circle mage is typically categorized as a siege weapon capable of casting large-scale annihilation spells.

At this moment, Sirchel had already completed the incantation. The spell, kept in standby, was now fiercely charged at the tip of her staff, along with the swirling circles. It was powerful enough to obliterate a carriage without a trace.

A blaze erupted.

Flames flared brightly.

Yet, they hadn’t put all their hopes on just one spell. Klaus Aten, who had been keeping his distance while pursuing the carriage, suddenly surged forward with incredible speed.

With a thunderous boom, Klaus, a former commander of a cavalry unit, exhibited his exceptional strength. Even without his warhorse, he could perform a lance charge, a testament to his formidable power.

As he swung his arm, his concealed weapon extended, forming a 3-meter-long lance.

The lance, cutting through the wind with a piercing sound, came from behind. In front, a 5th circle mage prepared a massive annihilation spell, while attackers on the sides drew their swords, closing in. There was nowhere to escape.

First, a gigantic fireball was set to incinerate the carriage completely. If anyone escaped the fireball, they would be impaled by Klaus’s lance from behind or torn apart by the swordsmen rushing in from the sides.

The attackers were certain of their victory.

They were convinced there were no variables in their plan.

The sound of hooves, the vibration created by the carriage wheels, the noise of the blazing fire at the tip of the mage’s staff, and the clouded judgment from their certainty of success— all these elements combined…

…made them oblivious.

Oblivious to the fact that someone had hidden here ‘before’ them in preparation for the attack. They didn’t notice Roselin Ascalo pulling out her twin daggers and leaping into action.

Unaware, they couldn’t prepare.

From behind the attackers, Roselin Ascalo made her move. With a burst of acceleration, her tied-back black hair fluttered with each step she took.

Roselin Ascalo is a mercenary.

A veteran of countless battlefields, she knew better than anyone whom to target first. The mage. In any battle, mages are always the priority target to be neutralized.

The first to notice her approach was Jerold, standing beside Sirchel with his greatsword. His widened eyes quickly turned as he grabbed Sirchel by the nape and swapped places with her, a correct decision.

As Jerold swung his sword the moment he exchanged positions, Roselin, who had closed in, slashed with her twin blades. Although there were five Sword Experts beside them, none could match the speed of their engagement.

With a resounding clash, Jerold’s greatsword met Roselin’s twin blades. The unusually loud noise echoed, and only after it did the experts notice Roselin’s fleeting figure and widened their eyes in shock.

But it was already too late.

Only Jerold comprehended the situation. His eyes widened at the echoing noise. The sound of Roselin’s twin blades ringing. The moment those blades began to resonate, Jerold gritted his teeth and assumed a defensive stance, hiding behind his greatsword.

Then, the ‘Echo’ resonated.

The echoes generated by the ‘Echo’ reverberated.

The 21st masterpiece, Echo. Its imbued mystery is resonance. Roselin’s sword aura, carried by the Echo, swept across the battlefield.

The bodies of the five experts beside her were sliced into dozens of pieces. Jerold’s greatsword trembled violently from the direct hit of the Echo, and a red barrier emerged around Sirchel, who had been hiding behind him. The resonating Echo repeatedly struck Sirchel’s barrier.

Forced to use the flame, prepared at the tip of her staff, for defense.

The front line was breached in an instant. As if waiting for this moment, the carriage carrying Najin accelerated, and its back wall shattered.

Najin emerged from the destroyed back of the carriage. Tightly bound to the carriage with ropes, he adjusted his stance atop the moving vehicle. His gaze fixed on Klaus, the knight charging towards him with a lance.

Najin’s eyes moved rapidly, calculating Klaus’s speed, their distance, and the optimal moment for engagement. The answer came to him. All that remained was to act. As his sword aura surged, Najin leaped from the carriage.

Klaus’s charge was linear, aimed directly ahead. As is typical for a lance charge or cavalry assault, changing direction mid-charge is exceedingly difficult.

Therefore,

Najin struck from above Klaus, swinging his sword towards the knight’s crown. It was a situation Klaus hadn’t anticipated. An exact vulnerability targeted at the perfect moment. Yet, even in this unexpected scenario, Klaus reacted.

As a Sword Seeker of considerable prowess,

Klaus stomped the ground with almost superhuman reflexes, redirecting his forward-facing lance to swing at Najin. The lance, about 3 meters long, sliced through the air, its cutting sound menacing as it bore down on Najin.

And Najin,

Seemingly having anticipated this, swung his sword with all his might towards the lance. The clash between Najin’s sword aura and the aura encircling Klaus’s lance resulted in a repulsion. Naturally, Najin, suspended in the air, was pushed back.

Propelled by the recoil, Najin’s body floated mid-air.

And at that moment, he twisted his body in mid-air, grabbing and pulling on the rope tied around his abdomen. The rope, connecting him to the carriage, was taut at just the right moment, pulling Najin’s body sharply towards it.

His movement was as if he had planned this entire scenario. That’s how seamless Najin’s disengagement was.

“Huh.”

Klaus, witnessing the sequence, let out a scoff. Initially, his role was to collide with the carriage from behind, shattering it. But at this moment, that plan had dissolved into nothingness with just one exchange.

The carriage had moved far ahead, and it was too late to chase after it now. The encirclement they had meticulously set up was breached. What about the attack team that was supposed to shatter and block the carriage alongside Klaus?

They were incapacitated by Roselin Ascalo’s assault and couldn’t afford to do so. The magic they had prepared was used up in defending against her attack.

‘And the standby team set to ambush from the sides…’

Since the carriage wasn’t destroyed but instead picked up speed, they missed their chance to stop it. The carriage sped past them, breaking through the front lines and veering off Ahmeti Road into a different direction.

Only then did Klaus realize,

And not just Klaus.

Everyone present came to the same realization.

It was a trap. Their opponent was aware of this ambush. As Klaus gritted his teeth watching the carriage now far ahead, he remained silent.

Sword Seekers of considerable strength.

The eyes of the commanders on site met. Their gazes eventually converged on one point. There stood Roselin Ascalo.

She had torn through the battlefield and opened up the front lines.

As if having accomplished her primary goal, Roselin loosened up, cracking her neck and stretching her limbs. Sensing the eyes on her, Roselin smirked.

“What are you looking at?”

She adjusted her grip on her twin daggers, as if inviting them to come at her anytime. However, the attackers hesitated to make the first move, well aware of the fact.

Roselin Ascalo is a formidable opponent. Among the Sword Seekers present, she stood out as a particularly strong adversary. None there could face Roselin Ascalo alone.

Having ascended one of the three steps towards becoming a Sword Master and possessing a masterpiece weapon to boot, she was not to be underestimated. Of course, they could potentially overpower her by attacking in numbers, but that would consume too much time.

‘What if it drags on?’

Klaus’s gaze followed the carriage as it sped away, its course altered. Departing from the road, it headed in a completely different direction than its intended destination. The carriage was lost, and the ambush had failed.

Where was the carriage heading?

What was its goal?

Reinforcements? Or was it to report the situation?

Was Roselin the only support they had?

It was unclear. Any scenario seemed plausible.

They couldn’t discern the enemy’s intentions. Letting the carriage escape could lead to unpredictable consequences, especially now that their ambush had been exposed. ‘Retreating’ was no longer an option.

‘What should be done?’

The constraints of manipulated information, limited circumstances, and the pressure of time weighed heavily on them. Faced with restrictions and deceit, they grew anxious, realizing they had been thoroughly outplayed. At that moment, Klaus gritted his teeth in frustration.

A decision had to be made.

Quick judgment was essential.

“Klaus.”

Someone broke the silence.

“Chase after them with Jerold. We’ll handle things here.”

The speaker was a man wielding twin swords.

Basaus Malek, a Sword Seeker who had spent years as a soldier on the battlefield. He stepped towards Roselin, indicating his readiness to engage. As he moved, he spoke.

“Take her down and join us. If you’re delayed, we’ll come to assist.”

Klaus nodded in agreement.

Jerold and Klaus, the two with the best mobility on-site, acted on Basaus’s decision without objection.

Roselin casually acknowledged the two as they set off in pursuit of the carriage. Then, turning to face the soldier blocking her path, she smirked.

“You think you can kill me?”

“There’s nothing impossible about it.”

Basaus Malek tightened his grip on his twin swords, as fierce sword aura emanated from them. Roselin Ascalo, nonchalantly whistling, twirled her masterpiece, Echo, with its blade resembling the teeth of a wild beast, emanating menacing sword aura.

Basaus Malek, armed with twin swords.

Tyler Verkaniman, wielding a greatbow.

Sirchel Cravelin, with circles of magic at her disposal.

Three Sword Seeker-level adversaries bared their fangs at Roselin. Yet, even in the face of their collective might, Roselin remained composed, calmly regulating her breathing.

“What brings the leader of a famed mercenary band to a place like this?”

At Basaus’s taunting, Roselin laughed.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Mercenaries move for one thing only. Money.”

Over honor, she valued freedom.

Over freedom, gold.

And above gold, pleasure.

These were the values Roselin Ascalo lived by. She owed Dieta a debt, and Dieta had offered her a substantial sum for this task. It was an opportunity to clear her debt while getting paid— there was no reason to refuse.

Moreover, she was curious.

Curious about the situation itself and about the predicament faced by this “Ivan” lad. After all, it resembled situations she had encountered in her past, being pursued by those damn Inquisitors. Remembering her past, Roselin’s eyes narrowed.

“What are you waiting for, you dickless wonders?”

She sneered, her lips curling into a taunt.

“Come on, then.”

Her ominous red eyes, unlike other red-eyed individuals, swirled menacingly, almost beast-like in their intensity.

Najin saw the figures chasing after the carriage.

Jerold Orton, the demon hunter with a greatsword.

Klaus Aten, the knight with a 3-meter-long lance.

And seven Experts following them.

Roselin had, as promised, taken on two of the Sword Seekers. Najin was grateful for that. Although he still faced several Sword Seekers, it wasn’t a hopeless fight.

Above all, this was a wall he had to overcome.

The carriage had now entered the forest, the prearranged location advantageous for Najin. The sun had set, and darkness began to envelop the forest as the carriage moved forward, with the pursuers closing in by the second.

Inside the jostling carriage,

Najin steadied his breath.

Then, he slowly rose. The opening he had made in the carriage’s wall earlier served as a makeshift railing for him to step onto. He then cut the rope tying him to the carriage with his sword.

The distance from Roselin was now sufficient.

It was time for him to stake his own life.

Najin leaped from the carriage. Left behind, the carriage sped off into the distance. The sudden sight of Najin jumping from the carriage caused the pursuers to furrow their brows. Was there an ambush set up here? For a moment, they halted, surveying their surroundings cautiously.

Then, Najin extended his sword.

In the dimly lit forest, a white sword aura radiated from Najin’s blade. It was only after a brief moment that the pursuers realized there was no ambush waiting. Najin was alone.

As if declaring he would take them all on by himself, Najin pointed his sword, charged with sword aura, towards them.

The attackers couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. To make such a choice here? A mere lad not yet a Sword Seeker, intending to face two Sword Seekers and seven Experts alone?

It was madness.

Najin was no stranger to this fact.

Yet, he had chosen this path. Najin tossed aside his gauntlets, hitting the ground as if issuing a challenge. The eyes of the knights among the attackers narrowed.

“Najin.”

Najin pronounced his own name.

“A Knight of Atanga, offspring of Ivan.”

He declared the only affiliation he had.

The bare minimum conditions for a duel were met. Najin gripped his sword tighter. Although a duel seemed meaningless in such circumstances, it was a constraint and a vow he imposed on himself.

A knight does not flee from a duel.

Here, I will defeat you all.

A vow made to himself. The moment he uttered Ivan’s name, it became a ‘must-achieve’ for Najin.