Chapter 174: Blood and Iron vs. Hell (2)
Creak! Creak…! A sinister noise echoed through the public hall. The joints of Hell’s Knight rose and were swept over by black magical force. It was as though it had received the blessing of an immortal being and had never been crushed to pieces. The bones were assembled from its legs to the pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulders, and skull. The dark armor then covered its whole body. A helmet was thrown on.
Flash! A reddish glow, which was its eyes, glittered inside the helmet. At the same time, Hell’s Knight stretched its one hand, the huge two-handed sword lifting from the ground to fly back into its grip. A fierce mana was set ablaze around its giant blade. At the same time, Cannavaro broke into laughter.
“Haha, ha! Hahaha!”
Cannavaro, who had been dropped to the ground, hurriedly crawled far away from Javier.
“Oh, my Hell’s Knight! Execute our enemy! Quickly!”
Cannavaro’s sharp shouts rang aloud in the public hall, prompting a reaction from everyone inside. The collapsed citizens painstakingly lifted their heads and stared at Cannavaro even while a pang of dizziness continued to haunt them. Their gazes were filled with disappointment, resentment, and hatred. That man used to be a gentle philanthropist, the pride of the city. But now, he was nothing but a traitor who revealed his true color. But Cannavaro nonchalantly ignored their gazes. He didn’t care at all about them. His gaze was laser-focused with admiration on Hell’s Knight only, who had come back to life.
“Oh, my Hell’s Knight!”
Cannavaro shouted, almost pleading, once again. The yelling prompted Hell’s Knight to pull its sword. Javier, on the other hand, had his sword already aimed at Hell’s Knight. A second later, a fight began without any noise.
“…!”
Boom! The shockwaves of their clash swept the whole area, and everyone on the floor was thrown away like a leaf. Javier and Hell’s Knight neared each other only to become distant. And they hurtled toward each other again.
Thud! Kaboom!
Javier lifted his long sword with his arms and laid it horizontally above his head, his wrists moving at a mysterious angle. Its front blade quickly drew a half-circle, and the flash of light swished as it aimed at the side of Hell’s Knight’s head.
Clang!
Hell’s Knight’s grand sword defended Javier’s long sword, creating a repulsive force. But Javier smartly used that force to his advantage and transferred it to his sword, his two overhead wrists moving again at a strange angle. And his right hand then rotated clockwise as the left hand was used as an axis. The sword rotated as it drew an arc above the head. And this time, Javier used the back of his blade to attack the other side of his opponent’s head.
“…!”
Hell’s Knight immediately jerked its head back, and the silvery aura sliced a portion of its helmet. It then laid a counterattack right after, its black sword sweeping across the space with overwhelming technique and skill.
Thwack!
Its blade was brought down so fiercely that the floor snapped, the pillar shook, and the ridgepole cracked. A countless number of shards flew around at fatal speed, mostly toward Javier. But some of them flew toward the citizens. Javier snapped his eyes open.
“…!”
Clash! Slash!
His long silvery sword swung and slashed through the air like greased lightning, and the hundreds of shards turned to powder. Javier hurtled right through the powder, still drifting in the air. His long silvery sword acted as a fang from that moment.
Thud! Twang! Thwack!
If the long sword was a fatal fang, Hell’s Knight’s sword was a deadly gun. The sword master and the knight from hell rushed at each other with an unreserved desire to end one another, and the scene was likened to a white and black beast chomping at each other. And like the relentless battle between the light and darkness, Javier and Hell’s Knight charged, focusing on each other and nothing else. Javier pierced, and Hell’s Knight stabbed. Hell’s Knight swung down, Javier charged forward. Smack, charge. Charge, evade. Evade, smite. Smite, uppercut.
Boooom!
The black sword cut downward, and the silver longsword defended upward. Those two deadly weapons collided in the air once again, blocking each other’s forces. With that, shockwaves burst out without reservation. And yet, neither one of them retreated. Frozen to the ground, they continued their power struggle.
Clang! Clang!
The black sword pressed downward, and the long silvery sword endured against it. A fierce friction took place as the two faced one another. Their gazes locked as embers burst and scattered from their blades. The glow inside Hell’s Knight’s eyes burned redder.
“You are strong, human.”
“…”
“I am Giolexius, the commander of the First Corps, and I serve the Master of Hell. How wonderful it would have been had my body been fully intact. But still, this fight has truly gone above my expectations. Therefore, I wish to inquire about your name, human knight.”
“Javier Asrahan,” replied Javier.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Asrahan. I ask that you do more and fight harder.”
“Whew. Although, I do not welcome fights like this.”
This all-out power struggle, where no effort could be spared… Javier blurted as their blades touched each other. Hell’s Knight cocked its skull.
“How so?”
“No one welcomes a burdensome fight.”
Javier smirked cynically, thinking how ridiculous he sounded. But he was being honest. No one in this world welcomed a burdensome fight. If he could, he would simply avoid it. But the situation called for him to face forward and fight. That was why he remained there. Even so, however, it was a struggle. Hell’s Knight was gradually getting more forceful in its grip as it pressed its sword. He was in a frightening situation.
Will I be able to protect the people at this rate?
Javier was concerned. He looked at the people around him. They were thrown and sent to all corners of the hall when shockwaves came at them in series. No one looked to be okay enough to stand on their own. In other words, no one was capable of leaving this place on their own. So, there was only one thing left for Javier. Fight and win. That was the only way to protect the people here.
Like this!
Thwack!
Javier momentarily lowered the end of his long sword, and a slope appeared following the downward movement. Hell’s Knight, who was pressing down on his sword, slid as the angle shifted, creating fierce sparks.
“…!”
Hell’s Knight’s eyes shook. Even before it was able to adjust to the shift in strength, its sword slipped sideways, and Javier used the chance to lift his right hand. A dagger was in his hand.
Kaboom! Mana blast jetted out from the dagger, aiming at its chin.
“Argh…!”
Hell’s Knight jerked its head back at a tremendous speed. Then it proceeded to make its next move and fight.
Crash! It rammed into Javier with its shoulder, and to him, the blow felt like a large rock bashing him. And when Javier and Hell’s Knight were about to start another beastly battle, there came a sound.
“Over there! Look at me!”
A piercing shout interrupted the fight. It was Cannavaro.
Slam! The long blade and black sword were still clashing together in the air, and Javier stole a glance sideways and scanned the area where the shout came from. What he witnessed shook him. Cannavaro, the once-respectable man in the city for his philanthropic deeds, the man that once surprised Javier for being exemplary, was held hostage.
“If you want to continue this fight,” Cannavaro bawled, “you might want to think it again! Put down your sword! Or I will behead all these pests one by one!”
Cannavaro smirked slyly and grabbed a man’s hair. Holding a dagger in his other hand, Cannavaro lightly pierced the man’s neck. A streak of blood dripped from his neck. And a girl, who was still lying on the ground, whimpered aloud.
“Papaaa!”
“Argh… Eek! I-I am fine. I am fine,” said the man, trying hard to calm his daughter even when his neck was covered in blood.
“I’m fine, my ass,” Cannavaro scoffed, “and shut your mouth unless you want to be beheaded.”
“Arggh…!”
The dagger moved slightly. More blood came out of his neck. Cannavaro’s eyes moved to Javier.
“See that? I’m going to count to three. I’m giving you time to think. And if you still don’t put your sword down, this girl will see her father’s throat get slit.”
“…”
Javier didn’t answer. He wordlessly resumed the fierce battle against Hell’s Knight, but he didn’t tear his eyes from the hostage situation completely. Cannavaro put on a twisted smile, pleased that Javier was in agony.
So, throw that sword away! Now!
Cannavaro was convinced that Javier would put down the sword. Why? He was a renowned knight in the kingdom. A rising star, and a sword master.
Isn’t that true, Sir Javier Asrahan?
A knight of such popularity would certainly value his reputation. So, he wouldn’t be able to easily give up on the hostages. Eventually, he would succumb and accept defeat. That was what mattered to Cannavaro at the moment.
Then I’ll get rid of him right away and restore the wall.
The wall could be restored and mana could be accumulated again. If he scraped all the life out of the citizens, he could fix Hell’s Knight to be in perfect shape. Nearly all the kingdom’s territories could be wiped out during the one month its summoning lasted. If forces came to fight, Hell’s Knight could smash them. It would be a breeze for Hell’s Knight as long as it was fully equipped. Decapitating the queen would even be possible. And that would be his dream come true, his dream to establish a new royal family as the current one was full of hypocrisy.
So, throw that sword away! Now!
Cannavaro glared at Javier, his gaze growing more intense. Then he got ready to make his next move. Once Javier put down the sword, he would slice this pest and help Hell’s Knight by using the moment of shock to cast dark magic on him. Left without his sword, he would helplessly be defeated… Just then…
Kaboom! A mana blast was fired in Cannavaro’s direction.
“…!”
Cannavaro snapped his eyes open in terror. At that moment, he finally realized what had just happened.
That fool!
Javier didn’t throw the sword. Instead, he silently fired a terrible attack.
Arggh!
Cannavaro’s heart pounded. Left with no time to think, he instinctively flopped to the ground backward and held out both of his hands to cast a defense spell.
Boom! But the mana blast was faster. Before his defense magic could be fully activated, it broke the magic apart and slayed the end of his index and middle fingers. And then it resumed its course to blast and penetrate the public hall.
“Argh!!!!!!”
Cannavaro rolled on the floor as he clutched his injured hand. Javier’s eyes drooped in disappointment.
“Tsk.”
Javier had aimed at the heart but failed because he was currently in a breathtaking fight against Hell’s Knight. He had fired the mana blast in a split moment, but his aim was missed. He failed to kill the warlock. Just sliced some fingers. Wistful of the result, Javier became anxious.
I should have finished him in one blow just now.
The price of failing to do so was high in two ways. First, Cannavaro would now be watching out for any mana blasts. That meant it’d be impossible to resolve the hostage situation by using the same method. Second, it was…
Boom!
“Argh…!”
Javier blocked the sword with some struggle. A bitter smile formed on his face.
I’m not sure I can win against him even after giving it my all.
When Javier fired the mana blast to suppress Cannavaro in between the fierce exchange of offense and defense, he had to ignore Hell’s Knight for a moment, and that broke the equal balance in their fight. That was the second price he had to pay.
Slam! Kaboom! Whack!
He aimed the mana blast in a different direction and wasted his energy with it. Because of that, the offense was now entirely in the hands of Hell’s Knight. It went the same for movement. Breathing and flow. The direction of the offense. The advantage of timing was now given to Hell’s Knight, and it was hard to get it back because the Knight began launching an unreserved amount of attacks once it realized that the ball was in its hand.
Clang! Thud! Kaboom!
Smack, break, penetrate, wham, and grind. Instead of resorting to small techniques, Hell’s Knight relied on its sheer strength and force. Such destructive attacks pushed Javier to the corner of the public hall as he couldn’t find any time to counterattack. One thoughtless attempt and he’d be losing more than what he gained. That was how destructive and thorough its offenses were. The situation, moreover, gradually turned for the worse.
“Wahahaha! Hahaha! You! You thought that would work?!”
Cannavaro got back on his feet, and he picked up the dagger as his sliced fingers continued to bleed hard. He then once again grabbed the fugitive’s head and put the dagger near his neck. This time, he used the man as his shield.
“Now, I’m ordering you again! Put down the sword!”
His vile shout echoed loudly in the public hall. Javier, who was barely holding up after being cornered, put on a dark expression. It was impossible to use the mana blast in his current situation. And putting down his sword was surely going to make Hell’s Knight slash him in half.
What do I do?
Javier’s eyes trembled. Watch the fugitive die to keep fighting? Throw away the sword to save the hostage first? Javier was dismayed as he could not judge what the right decision was. Of course, he knew continuing the fight was a gain for him. But he felt massively burdened to make that decision. There was the man, bleeding in the neck in the hands of Cannavaro. And there was his daughter crying as she watched her poor father. And there was him, a selfish knight debating whether to fight or not.
What do I-
Javier’s lips turned pale. Cannavaro smiled as he could see his victory was near.
“I’m going to count to five!”
Javier’s shoulders flinched. In a hurrying gaze, he looked at Cannavaro.
Wait a minute.
“Three!” Cannavaro yelled.
Please.
“Two!”
Stop.
“On-”
Bam! All of a sudden, there came a clear sound from the back of Cannavaro’s head, and his shout immediately halted at the same time.
“Eh…?”
His eyes rolled backward. His body staggered. His legs gave way. And when he flopped to the ground, it revealed a figure. Lloyd. He was holding his metal shovel, which he had just wielded in full swing. And he shrugged as he scoffed at Javier.
“Lady Ella, do you need a hand?”