I Pulled Out the Excalibur

This declaration, steeped in ancient tradition, underscored an honorable challenge.

Upon hearing Najin’s words, the attackers narrowed their eyes. Some frowned, others sighed, and Klaus, once a knight of a kingdom, let out a bitter chuckle.

‘An honorable duel.’

Such a declaration seemed out of place in this context, yet its incongruity lent it a profound weight. Klaus exhaled deeply.

They were dishonorable attackers, a fact undeniable.

Stalking, eavesdropping, laying traps, ambushing… actions far removed from honor had been their recourse, often ganging up against a single target. There was no honor in such an assault.

‘A true knight should…’

Feel dishonored by such actions,

and thus, be ashamed. However, there are times when humans must bear dishonor and shame to achieve a greater purpose.

Everyone gathered here had their reasons.

Some were blackmailed with hostages, others had their lives on the line, and yet others stood to protect the honor of their lords or comrades. Even if it meant becoming detestable hounds or assassins, they had something worth defending, and so they stood here.

Of course, that was their burden to bear, not something the young man before them could understand. To him, they were nothing but cowardly attackers.

Yet still,

Najin declared this to be an honorable duel. Even if it was merely to steel his own resolve, there was a duty among knights to respond to that call.

With a thunderous impact, Klaus slammed his lance into the ground. Striking his chest over his heart with a fist, he declared loudly,

“I am Klaus Aten!”

If one bore the title of knight,

If one had ever been a knight,

Then it was their duty to answer the young man’s call.

“The Fifth Wing of Prolea Kingdom, Commander of the Blue Wing Cavalry, Klaus Aten.”

Though my battlegrounds have ended,

And my comrades lie in the mire, branded heretics and stripped of honor under the guise of divine command,

“Knight of Atanga, Ivan’s offspring, Najin!”

The saga of the Blue Wing Cavalry cannot end with a period. I would gladly cast aside my own honor to reclaim theirs. I am prepared to plunge into the depths of disgrace.

“I accept this duel.”

Pointing his raised lance at Najin, Klaus acknowledged the challenge. Though this battle lacked honor, they each had something to uphold, a sufficient cause to cross spears.

One by one, those who had once been knights, who had once held honor, announced their allegiances and charged towards Najin, shouting their intent.

And Najin,

Merely steadied himself, watching those who rushed towards him, his stance unyielding. Amidst the shallow darkness settling over the forest, sword aura, aura, and mana shimmered in the night.

A Sword Master once said,

Sword Seekers have transcended human bounds but have not reached the realm of transcendence. While this might be scoffed at from a Sword Master’s perspective…

In other words,

Sword Seekers are beyond ordinary human measures, defying common sense with their strength. Proof of this was unfolding before Najin’s eyes.

With a sound akin to an explosion, the ground shook violently. It wasn’t a bomb that had detonated, but Klaus Aten’s powerful stomp. Each step he took caused the earth to tremble and roar.

The commander of the cavalry,

A knight who needed no steed,

The swift Klaus Aten,

His might was beyond imagination. The moment Klaus struck the ground, he became as formidable as a cavalryman charging into battle, a chariot sweeping across the battlefield.

Najin’s eyes widened as he threw himself aside, opting for evasion over confrontation in the face of Klaus’s unprecedented speed. It was the right decision.

As Klaus rushed past, the swirling air pressure forced Najin to roll on the ground. The delayed sound of towering trees snapping and crashing down followed.

Rising from his roll, Najin saw the path of destruction left by Klaus: ancient trees shattered, the ground scarred with his footsteps, and the distant rumbling as Klaus charged again.

But Najin faced more than just Klaus.

The moment Najin’s reflexive sword strike met Jerold’s, the demon hunter and Sword Seeker, he felt an overwhelming force. The impact made Najin feel as if his knees were giving way.

Twisting his sword, Najin escaped Jerold’s pressure. As their blades disengaged, Jerold’s sword sliced through the air with alarming speed.

Then, with a screech,

A massive tree, several paces away from their clash, split apart. As it collapsed, the ground trembled, kicking up clouds of dust.

However, such tremors were insufficient to halt a Sword Seeker’s advance. Jerold advanced through the dust, and Klaus, breaking through fallen trees, charged once more.

And Najin,

Having chosen this battlefield himself, exhaled. With the release of his breath, his eyes blazed with intensity, his heart racing beyond its usual pace. The coursing blood throughout his body accelerated…

His sword aura surged wildly. Stars twinkled around the swirling sword aura, illuminating the dark forest with fragments of his spirit.

Pushing beyond physical limits,

His sword shone with the fragments of his spirit.

Najin launched forward with a smooth first step, but his subsequent strides were fierce. He sprinted, kicking off the trembling ground and tumbling trees.

Towering trees,

Splinters from split trunks,

Branches spreading in all directions,

This was the perfect environment for Najin. If there was one area where he could outshine the Sword Seekers, it was in utilizing such chaotic and unpredictable terrain.

Najin had always excelled in navigating such landscapes. With a trail of white luminescence, he leaped again and again. Jerold, furrowing his brow, stamped his foot down.

The ground roared.

Immediately, a fierce sword aura burst from Jerold’s blade. The broadsword, seasoned in slaying demons, scattered afterimages as it swung. The sheer force behind the strike, transcending human limits, cleaved through the trees.

The area was laid to waste. The tree Najin had been standing on collapsed, and he lost his balance, falling. But there were those who wouldn’t miss this chance.

Seven Experts charged at Najin.

They had made their judgment early on. They couldn’t kill Najin themselves, so they aimed to trap him, to rob him of his mobility and buy time. That was their best course of action.

Once that decision was made, they acted.

They lunged at Najin, aiming to grab his ankles, believing that even a second’s delay would allow Klaus’s spear to impale Najin.

They thought so, and so did Klaus and Jerold.

But they overlooked something.

Najin twisted in mid-air, as if he had never lost his balance. Landing gracefully, he swung his sword in one fluid motion with his descent.

Swords of the Experts, along with their enveloping sword aura, were sliced through. Their broken weapons, their shattered encirclement, and the exposed vulnerabilities. Najin then moved with blinding speed, leaving behind only afterimages.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

By the time they regained their senses, they were already struck by the sword, kicked, and thrown into the trees and ground. With bones broken or limbs severed, they were rendered incapable of continuing the fight.

All this in just a second.

Having eliminated the Experts from the battlefield, Najin took a brief breath and lowered his stance. Then, he sprinted towards the charging cavalryman, Klaus.

Charging head-on at the oncoming cavalryman was madness. He was sure to be crushed. Watching Najin approach directly, Klaus couldn’t help but laugh. Come at me. Try to stop my spear. As if shouting, Klaus increased his speed even more.

The aura around his sharply pointed spear, akin to sword aura for a swordsman, took the form of a giant drill. The landscape embedded in Klaus’s spirit was reminiscent of the valiant charges of cavalrymen he witnessed in his youth.

As if he himself had become a spear.

The aura charged with Klaus’s spirit surged. In response, Najin also stomped the ground. At his peak speed, Najin stomped down, lowering his stance, and swung his sword at Klaus.

The clash of spear and sword sent sparks flying.

Their auras clashed ferociously. Najin, pushed back by the force, dug his feet into the ground, sending up clouds of dirt. As he was relentlessly pushed back, he gritted his teeth and twisted his sword.

The spear’s tip and the sword’s blade misaligned.

Sparks flew as the spear and sword crossed. A tearing sound echoed as Klaus’s spear grazed Najin’s side, leaving a gaping wound from which blood spurted.

But Najin wasn’t the only one bleeding.

As Klaus, who had just passed by Najin, turned sharply with a hiss, he clutched his side and laughed.

“Ha!”

In the moment their weapons crossed, Najin had targeted Klaus’s spear-holding hand. Had Klaus not shifted the trajectory of his spear, he would have lost half his hand along with his thumb. Klaus was amused by Najin’s strategy of sacrificing his side to take his opponent’s hand.

Klaus forcefully clutched his deeply gashed side, crushing the flesh to close the wound, and glared at Najin.

The clash during the carriage ambush.

And now, Najin’s displayed movements.

Klaus Aten revised his assessment of Najin. The young man before him wasn’t just an Expert close to a Sword Seeker. In all aspects except for sword aura, he was on par with a Sword Seeker.

He wasn’t just close.

This young man was a Sword Seeker-level powerhouse.

Klaus wasn’t alone in this realization. Jerold felt the same. With the seven Experts already out of the fight, only the two of them remained.

“Jerold.”

“I know.”

Their gazes met.

They both understood. This young man hadn’t recklessly sought battle. He truly believed he could win against two Sword Seekers, which is why he stood there.

Then, they should respond.

A sacred duel had been declared. There was nothing left to hold back. Klaus twisted the hand holding his spear. With a series of clicks, the three-meter-long spear shortened to half its length.

Not as a cavalryman sweeping through the battlefield,

But in a stance to take down the enemy before him.

Feeling the shift in atmosphere, Najin exhaled. Something was within reach. Just one more step, and he could grasp it. With that thought, Najin focused on Klaus and Jerold.

Whether this duel would be the loser’s folly,

Or the victor’s confidence,

Lay in his sword.

As always, a swordsman is defined by what they prove with their sword. Najin’s sword aura, more intense than ever, blazed around his blade.

Wielding twin swords, Basaus Malek was drenched in sweat. Each clash with the sword drained him further.

‘I knew.’

He gritted his teeth and swung his sword again.

‘I knew Roselin Ascalo was strong. I knew, but…’

Blood soaked the ground where he stood. His clothes were drenched in red. Pushed back significantly, Basaus gasped for air.

He hadn’t imagined it would be this intense.

Just as Roselin stepped towards the weakened Basaus, arrows and spells flew towards her. Each attack was formidable, but…

With a spin and a clash of her daggers, Roselin nullified them all. The echoing harmony of her blades disarmed the projectiles. The amplified sword aura from Echo tore through the incoming attacks.

A Seeker-level archer and

A 5th circle mage,

Even with their support, they could only manage to restrain Roselin. Realizing this, Basaus clenched his teeth. To ascend to Sword Master, one must climb three steps, and he had only taken the first, Germination. Yet, the gap between them was immense.

“Expecting more from a Sword Seeker wielding twin swords, this is rather disappointing. Anything else to show?”

Roselin approached Basaus nonchalantly.

“This is a letdown, isn’t it? What else do you have?”

“Ha…”

Basaus responded with a scoff to her taunt.

“You’re not in a position to be so relaxed, Roselin.”

“What?”

“My goal was always to bind you. If I can delay, I’ve achieved my objective.”

Their victory conditions differed.

“If you can’t join the fray, that young man will die. Surely, he’ll be dead. Perhaps, it’s already over.”

“……”

“If anyone should be relaxed, it’s not you, but rather…”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Roselin tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.

“Why would I go there? Why would I join? You’re severely mistaken about something…”

Before the operation began,

Roselin had encountered Najin once more. And then, she saw…

‘He was already complete.’

Just one step. Truly, just one step away.

The cocoon enveloping Najin was already cracked. It meant he was just one step from emerging, from undergoing metamorphosis.

“That kid,”

Roselin smiled.

“Even before becoming a Sword Seeker, he lacked nothing compared to one, except for sword aura.”

A monstrous kid.

An Expert who seeks to surpass Sword Seekers. If such a kid were to reach the realm of Sword Seekers…

“You’d all be in trouble. Not him, but you. You all.”

It would be…

An entity entirely distinct from the conventional Sword Seeker.

Roselin Ascalo was convinced of this.