Chapter 29: Ian Leinrant (3)
29
“Just what are these things?”
Black clothes, pitch-black eyes with no distinction between sclera and pupil.
And even the Sun Cross embedded in their crowns.
‘To think the Inquisitors would come. Their information moved faster than I expected.’
No—considering I had clashed with Garrison, it would have been fair to say they were actually late.
‘It’s been nearly eight years since I slipped free from the Order’s grasp, yet I still can’t forget those disgusting figures.’
Even as I muttered that inwardly, the smile never left my face.
“Looks like religious solicitation. Should I tell them I’m not interested?”
“Just from the look of them, it doesn’t seem like they’ll back off nicely.”
Ian chuckled as he accepted my joke.
As if they had no interest in being mocked, the Inquisitors surrounding me all raised their weapons at once.
“A hammer infused with divine power, and stakes too. Looks like you came well prepared?”
Ian sneered as he looked at them and tightened his grip on his sword.
“Who is the one with you?”
“Ian Leinrant.”
“He’s a deserter knight wanted by the Empire.”
The Inquisitors who recognized Ian exchanged signals among themselves.
“That was twenty years ago. Isn’t it about time you forgot about it?”
As he said that, Ian bared his teeth in a grin.
‘At least it’s fortunate I’m with this guy.’
I thought that as I looked at Ian, brimming with murderous intent.
He was a felon who had murdered Imperial knights.
Not just that—he was a dangerous individual who had slaughtered hundreds of commander-class knights in one go, men on par with Dunkel.
Normally, he shouldn’t even have shown his face, but since the Order had inquired into the information…
“The number of risk factors has increased.”
“What’s the plan?”
“No changes. Kill Akimond’s seed.”
Ian’s razor-sharp killing intent washed over them, yet the Inquisitors showed no sign of agitation.
Battle machines that flawlessly executed any order, processing everything without emotion.
Even if their limbs were torn off, even if their bodies were shattered by torture, they would never stop their mission.
‘They’ve had parts of their brains cut out to castrate their emotions. No different from zombies made from living bodies.’
Thinking that, I surveyed the surroundings.
‘Judging by the sounds, those aren’t the only Inquisitors who infiltrated the estate. Someone’s got Heinkel pinned down as well.’
Faster than expected—and bold, too.
The Order had steeled its resolve and launched a sudden strike on the Leinrant household.
“Klein.”
At Ian’s voice calling me, I nodded as if to say I understood.
‘Good. He’ll take care of these guys, and I’ll deal with the others on the perimeter….’
I was nodding, anticipating his next words.
“I’m lazy, so you handle it.”
….
…….
What the fuck did he just say?
At his completely unexpected remark, I hurriedly turned to look at him.
“What did you just say…?”
“Are you already going deaf at such a young age? I said it’s annoying, so you deal with it yourself.”
After saying that, Ian tossed away the sword he had been holding.
“Uncle. This isn’t the time to joke around—!”
“They’re coming.”
In the moment I was dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, his single word made me immediately slash my sword to the side.
Kagagak-!
In that instant, an Inquisitor charged straight at me.
A war hammer capable of crushing armor whole gleamed ominously.
“Your reactions have gotten better. One more behind you.”
“Guh!”
Tukwang-!
I raised my sword behind me and blocked the Inquisitor’s heavy blow.
Immediately, I seized control of the empty sword path, cut off their follow-up, and widened the distance.
“Hmm. Your battlefield judgment is flawless.”
Even though the Order was attacking the family, his interest lay solely in my fight.
‘That bastard Ian really has no intention of intervening.’
While all eyes were focused on me, Ian moved to the corner of the training ground.
Their main target wasn’t him—it was me.
Ian sat down as if he were in the stands, watching with a spinning grin on his face.
“Damn old man. Let’s talk after this is over.”
“Try surviving first. I have my reasons for doing this.”
I examined Ian’s face as he said that to me.
-It looks like you’ve been found out, doesn’t it?
As if he had sensed my thoughts, Rudel’s voice echoed in my head.
Ian had likely already grasped most of my swordsmanship through our sparring.
“Well, it’s something that has to be settled someday.”
After saying that as if making a vow, I released demonic energy and chanted a summoning gate.
[Bruni, answer. Your guide calls upon you.]
A summoning circle formed from black smoke fired into the ground.
Soon after, pitch-black bones began rising one by one from within it.
Kiiii…!
Emotionless machines had to be dealt with using emotionless machines.
The thirty skeletons I newly summoned surrounded them in reverse.
Chwarrrrk-!
The weapons I manifested for them were long spears and bows.
It was a decision made after confirming their short reach.
“Undead confirmed.”
“The reincarnation of Akimond has sprouted its seed.”
“Remove it before it blooms. Expel the enemies of the Order.”
The Inquisitors mechanically recited the orders they had received and raised their weapons toward the sky.
Phaaat-!
A bright light imbued the war hammers they held.
Divine power.
The power bestowed by the Lord God Kersias.
For a Necromancer like me, who handled the souls of the dead, it was nothing short of a natural enemy.
‘There are eight of them. Their raw strength isn’t much different from ordinary knights, but….’
When used against undead, the efficiency of divine power was more than double that of equivalent mana.
By my standards as a Necromancer, it was no different from facing sixteen knights.
“Spear units, advance. Begin firing.”
At my command, ten skeletons loosed arrows as the spear-wielding undead charged forward.
Kraaaah-!
A clash between Inquisitors specialized in killing undead and the lowest-grade undead.
The outcome was obvious without even looking.
Kukwaang-!
Kwaang-!
The sounds of rupturing air and explosions.
In the blink of an eye, the Inquisitors who had blown away twenty skeletons charged straight at me.
“Bones like these are nothing but—.”
“They bought me a moment. Isn’t that right?”
In that brief opening while they were smashing the skeletons apart, my hand touching the ground was drawing a contract circle into the earth.
“Hector!”
At my command, the Death Knight knocked aside the Inquisitor’s incoming hammer.
Kaang-!
By contract, I could manifest Rudel into the material world only once more.
If I brought him out prematurely before Heinkel arrived, the worst-case scenario would unfold.
‘Which means I have to hold out as long as possible with just this one.’
Finishing that thought, I immediately dove in on one Inquisitor.
Kirik?!
I closed the distance in an instant and seized his back with the Leinrant footwork.
Before the Inquisitor could respond, I swung the Meteor Sword a beat faster.
Kiiiiii-!
The blade slashed diagonally, severing the Inquisitor’s spine.
Thud!
Leaving the Inquisitor who could no longer move his lower body behind, I immediately used Hector to block my back.
Kukwaang-!
Hector’s body was sent flying far away.
It was because two Inquisitors had swung their hammers at the same time.
Seogeok!
I thrust in Snake Shadow Strike, carving out his Adam’s apple, then immediately widened the distance.
“Kill, kill, ki—….”
The Inquisitor staggered, repeating the same words over and over.
Arrows from the remaining skeletons rained down on his back, dulled by blood loss.
Hudududuk-!
“That makes two…!”
Those who had lost their will and emotions were no longer human.
Catching my ragged breath, I sent the skeletons whose bodies had been restored charging in once more.
‘Eight versus twenty for thirty seconds. Six versus twenty should buy me five more seconds.’
The more I widened the numerical gap, the higher the odds of victory.
Recalling the basic principles of group tactics, I drew in shallow breaths.
“Seriously, it’d be nice if your stamina were even half of your older brother’s.”
I straightened my stance as I heard Ian pick at my notoriously trash stamina.
In the meantime, the Inquisitors began responding to my skeletons one by one.
“The undead are regenerating.”
“Gather divine power. Carve out their souls and crush them.”
Without a hint of surprise, the Inquisitors’ hammers rose high.
The war hammers blasted chunks clean off the skeletons’ bodies.
Kukwaang-!
And on top of that, they raised stakes infused with divine power and drove them into the remains of the regenerating skeletons.
Chiiiiiiik-!
Along with the sound of something boiling, the skeleton remnants began to convulse.
Kuung-!
Hector, having completed his regeneration, blocked the two charging Inquisitors.
Ppudeuk! Ppudeudeuk!
The armor, reacting adversely to divine power, began to crack little by little.
‘Tch, figures it’d be the Order’s bastards. Their response is solid.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the staggering skeletons.
Once that thing was lodged in them, further regeneration was impossible.
I raised my hand and ordered the surrounding archers to fire, then approached a lone one who had been separated.
“Do you think I’ll fall for the same trick twice?”
An emotionless voice mocked me.
The techniques I had just used—Meteor Sword and Snake Shadow Strike.
Having grasped those sword paths, the Inquisitor immediately took a defensive stance.
“Sorry, but it’s not the same trick.”
Because I had just finished sparring with Ian.
With the Inquisitor holding a defensive stance, gripping his sword in a reverse grip, I unleashed a new technique.
Jjwaaak-!
A sword technique that twisted the sword path into a curve and carved through blood vessels, Red Spider Lily.
“……!”
True to its name, the Inquisitor’s arm, torn to pieces, split into many branches like flower petals.
“What, so you’ve still got some sense of pain left?”
Sneering at the slowed Inquisitor, I struck down his neck.
Seogeok-!
The Inquisitor’s head flew through the air.
It was a gain achieved by disrupting their formation through coordination between the archers and the Death Knight.
“Three. If we count them as Imperial knights, about five.”
I didn’t even have the leisure to react to Ian’s assessment coming from behind me.
“Hoo…! Hoo…!”
Bile rose up, and my vision darkened.
‘Fuck, there are still five of them…!’
My greatest weakness.
It was this body, which hadn’t even been holding a sword for two full months.
With the prolonged battle and relentless assaults, my stamina had long since been exhausted.
Even standing while gripping my sword was an ordeal.
Kwadeuk! Kwaddeuk!
And to make matters worse, Hector’s body, which had been holding back the Inquisitors, also reached its limit.
Ppagaek-!
With a stake driven into his head, Hector’s body lost balance and collapsed.
Regeneration was impossible.
He would have to be extinguished once and rebuilt from scratch.
“That’s as far as you go, Klein Leinrant.”
Five Inquisitors surrounded me at close range.
The only means I had left were the ten skeletons waiting at long range.
“This will do it.”
“The mission has been completed.”
An Inquisitor’s hammer, without hesitation, swung toward my head.
“…Uncle.”
“What is it.”
I spoke to Ian, who was watching beyond the Inquisitors encircling me.
“I swear upon my soul, it was not an act committed with malice.”
Along with my final excuse, I activated the contract circle carved into the floor.
“Rudel.”
The moment I called that name, the heads of the five Inquisitors attacking me flew into the air simultaneously.
“…!”
“……!”
A sword strike carried out without sound or prelude.
The heads of the Inquisitors, who met death without even grasping what happened, fell to the ground.
Hudududuk!
The Inquisitors were cleared in an instant.
Yet my expression, having done it, was nothing but heavy.
“So it really was true.”
The Death Knight who had cut down five Inquisitors in a single moment.
After confirming his figure, Ian rose from his seat and approached me.
“A descendant of Leinrant turned the former Duke of Leinrant… my father, into a Death Knight.”
As Ian’s stiffened voice was directed at me, Rudel, clad in black armor, stood at my side.
“You’d better explain yourself properly, Klein. Otherwise, I—!”
Just as anger first seeped into the voice that had been smiling all this time.
-Look at you, acting like a filial son now that you’ve gotten a bit older?
Rudel’s playful voice cut through Ian’s killing intent that had been overwhelming the area.
“……Father?”
When Ian frowned as if he couldn’t believe it and asked that.
-At least you haven’t forgotten your old man’s voice.
Feeling the killing intent recede, I drew in a dry breath.
This was the real reason I had endured that unfavorable contract just to preserve his will.
When he removed the black helmet he was wearing, the face I had seen in the portrait was revealed.
-It’s been a while, Ian. And Heinkel.
As Rudel’s clear voice echoed through the training ground.
“Is it really… you?”
The current Duke, Heinkel Leinrant, was approaching.
0 Comments