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Translator: M.S
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Rebels
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*Swoosh—*
Ksias pushed my sword aside and pulled his arm free.
Thick blood stretched from the gaping wound as he pressed it shut.
It hadn't healed, but the wound held together as if it had been stitched.
“Hmm… Starmetal Silver, is it? Recovery is slow.”
But as if such a thing didn't matter, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked down at me.
As if watching a child's antics.
“Your body has healed? Did you find an elixir? Congratulations.”
Anyone watching would think he was a kind superior…
His demeanor was calm and ordinary.
But the words that followed were ill-suited to such a tone.
“How pitiful, Lansen. Why must your life be so turbulent? Born of nobility, only to be cast into the gutter. Finding hope, only to fall into despair… Now you have miraculously recovered, but in the end, you will be defeated.”
A fanatical gleam shone clearly in his eyes.
“Ah, what a joyous thing. A soul that has swung between such extremes. My master will find your soul most intriguing.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
So he’d become a religious zealot…
To think Ksias would utter words like ‘master’ with his own mouth.
“Now, Lansen. Please, show me a delicious despair.”
*Shing—*
Ksias drew a massive sword with one hand.
A crimson Vampiric Aura formed the distinct shape of a blade as it extended outward.
His Aura Blade, made far stronger since he became a vampire.
*ROAR!*
The force of its swing alone tore through the air.
I didn't dare face it head-on and threw myself aside.
*CRASH!*
Count Ksias’s Aura Blade was on a different level from my own.
Because I had yet to fully replenish my lost aura, the Aura Blade I could conjure was as faint as the sun behind clouds. I could only maintain it for about fifteen minutes at a time.
But Count Ksias’s Aura Blade unleashed a blinding crimson light like a thunderbolt, and its shockwave battered the surroundings like an enraged giant.
An Aura Blade that summoned light and storm, like a dragon's breath.
Its power had already far surpassed that of other Sword Masters.
The lord's castle was torn apart along the trajectory of his sword.
“Ugh…!”
I drew out as many Aura Threads as I could to deflect the shockwaves hurtling toward me.
“Oh? You dodged?”
A flicker of interest appeared in Ksias’s eyes.
I felt an immense pressure, as if a giant were looking down on me, but I gritted my teeth and endured.
*Focus. I have to focus.*
*Vmm—*
*Vmmm—*
The Vanroah hummed in my hand.
*Feel the sword. Read the sword's heart.*
The ancient swordsmanship I had encountered in the past, ten thousand years ago.
Though I hadn't formally learned it, I was a warrior who had wielded a sword my entire life.
And Knight Balseon himself had acknowledged me as the greatest genius in the kingdom's history.
That was why, even with only two days of training, I could imitate it to some extent.
Before, I had focused only on my aura, like everyone else.
But in this moment, I focused solely on the sword itself.
This precious being that always endured my heavy and violent aura.
This precious being that threw itself into the fray, fighting alongside me.
I faced my sword, letting its voice guide my path.
It was a moment that opened up an entirely new horizon, one I never knew existed.
*CRACK!*
*BOOM!*
Crimson lightning flashed all around.
Large stones were split and shattered, and his own castle shook violently, but Count Ksias paid it no mind.
He simply swung his sword, his eyes fixed on me without even a blink.
Like a mosquito that had woken a sleeping dragon…
Every single moment was a brush with death.
What guided me through that torrent of death was a single sword.
*Vmm—*
*Vmmmm—!*
The sword was alive.
It thrashed with the vigor of a carp leaping up a waterfall, showing me the path I must take.
*This way?*
*Now's the time?*
The dangers the sword revealed, the trajectory it suggested.
I conversed with my sword ceaselessly, swinging it and moving my body in the best possible way each and every moment.
I added my lifetime of experience and wisdom to the information the sword provided in real time.
*CLANG!*
*CLINK!*
*CRUNCH!*
Aura scattered before my eyes like fireworks.
I dodged, deflected, and slipped past Count Ksias’s Aura Blade, where even a graze would be fatal.
Ksias, who had been calm all along, frowned for the first time.
“What a strange style of swordsmanship. Good. Keep struggling like that. Until the very last moment. That fleeting struggle will only ripen your soul to a more delicious flavor.”
Such arrogant words.
“Hey, Ksias.”
His eyebrow twitched again when I called him by his name.
Seriously… Is he annoyed by my tone in a situation like this?
“You. You seem to be mistaken about something… I’m going to kill you. That’s why I’m here!”
*CLAAAAANG!*
For the first time, a sharp, metallic ring echoed through this place that had been filled only with the *thud, thud* of the castle crumbling.
My deep blue aura had struck, piercing through the storm of crimson aura.
“Tch…”
I withdrew the Vanroah.
The blade fell away from just beside Ksias’s neck.
I had aimed for the perfect moment and lunged, but his Vampiric Aura had blocked my sword, preventing me from severing his neck.
Ksias’s gaze was fixed on the Vanroah as it pulled away from his throat.
“Impressive. If my aura had been weaker, my neck would have been cut. Is that the swordsmanship of the Vanroah? Truly befitting the kingdom of knights.”
“…You knew?”
“I had my suspicions. Isn’t it obvious? You must be the second prince of the Vanroah, whose body was never found.”
“…”
“Truly precious. If I offer that precious soul, I will surely be able to achieve my desire!”
*BOOM!*
It started again.
The crimson light surged.
Every step was as perilous as the flutter of a butterfly's wings in a storm.
Still,
*CLAAAAANG!*
“It’s the same no matter how many times you try. Your sword cannot pierce my aura.”
*CLANG!*
Time and again, I walked a razor’s edge and struck at Ksias’s neck.
Blocked by his aura again and again, I continued to attack the same spot.
*CLANG!*
The crimson aura near Ksias’s neck shattered and scattered.
As I watched the fragments of aura fly like sparks, I gritted my teeth.
“Are you sure it’ll be the same no matter how many times I try? What if I do it a hundred times? A thousand times?!”
*CLAAAAANG!*
The more I grew accustomed to Ksias’s swordsmanship, the faster my timing became in striking his neck.
As I repeatedly struck the same spot, Ksias's ironclad Vampiric Aura began to waver.
Continuous exposure to the shockwaves from my Aura Blade had weakened the flow of aura in that area.
*Focus! Focus…!*
But this was just the beginning.
I heightened my concentration even more.
Ksias was an absurdly strong opponent.
If we fought a hundred times, it would be difficult for me to win even once.
To seize that single chance.
I had to pour everything I had into it.
*CLAAAAANG!*
By the time I had struck Ksias’s neck about ten times.
My blade finally touched his skin.
*Sssss—*
A thin line was drawn across Ksias’s neck.
Smoke, like that from a cigarette, rose from the flesh seared by the Starmetal Silver.
Ksias touched the blood trickling down his neck and looked at his hand.
“Truly magnificent swordsmanship. Perhaps you really could break through eventually.”
A twisted smile formed on his lips.
“Now, then. What will you do about this?”
*Step.*
For the first time.
Ksias stepped back.
*Flinch.*
I instinctively stopped myself from following him, my body tensing.
*Sh-sh-sh-sh!*
Pale figures descended upon the half-demolished castle.
“Damn vampires…”
They were Ksias’s kin.
Not the lower-ranking kin who had scattered due to the destructive battle that was bringing the castle down.
These were the high-ranking kin, who could protect themselves even in a battle between Sword Masters.
Each of the vampires who appeared on the castle walls was an upper- or top-tier Expert.
“Now, dance for me. Try to strike here with that sword of yours.”
Ksias taunted me, tapping the thin cut on his neck.
He had retreated behind his kin, using them as a shield.
“Haa…”
Did I take too much time? The moment I dreaded most had arrived.
I had even gone to the trouble of hiding among corpses just to face Ksias one-on-one.
I took a moment to catch my breath.
The lord’s castle was nearly half-destroyed.
Beyond it, the city of Kushan spread out.
The white brick houses, made from baked clay, shimmered under the moonlight like a salt lake.
Debris from the ruined castle had scattered everywhere, and startled people were murmuring and looking this way.
The place I had lived for ten years after leaving the Vanroah.
My second home, and the prison where I had despaired and collapsed.
The outcome of today’s battle would decide the future of this city. Our future.
Whether we would be cast down again.
Or soar dramatically into the sky.
I glared at the pale vampires pressing down on this beautiful city.
*Nothing has changed. I just have to cut them down.*
Hadn't I already made up my mind?
That if my sword broke, I would cut them down with its shattered blade.
*Creek.*
I gripped the hilt of the Vanroah so tightly it felt like it would break.
***
“Chief. Why did you gather all of us? Planning to stir up some major trouble?”
A bustling street. A restaurant with a fine view overlooking the lord's castle.
Rivera Pietro, the leader of the rebellion, had rented out the entire place for the day and gathered all his comrades.
“No. I received intel that something unusual might happen. I gathered you all so we can respond flexibly to any situation.”
He took a sip of his cool butter coconut, his eyes fixed on the lord’s castle.
Last night.
Sea of the Lansen Family had forewarned him that a major event would take place today.
“An opportunity will come tomorrow. A final opportunity that will never come again. Think carefully. Whether you will seize that chance, or let it slip by and regret it for the rest of your life.”
She had spoken grandly, but Rivera’s heart had not raced.
On the contrary, it had grown cold.
*Today… the Lansen Family is finished.*
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Of the various factions operating in Kushan City, he held the Lansen Family in the highest regard.
The protection fees they collected from the businesses they managed were the most reasonable, they didn't engage in dirty business like gambling, drugs, or human trafficking, and they treated the citizens without pretense.
They were like an oasis in the increasingly harsh city of Kushan…
But something had driven them to choose suicide.
*They won't even be able to breach the castle's defenses, let alone strike the count.*
Why was the ever-so-clever Sea attempting such a reckless plan?
Had she gone mad with fear?
It was just as he was thinking this.
*RUMBLE!*
With a tremendous roar, crimson lightning erupted from the rooftop of the lord’s castle.
“Ksias…?”
A distinct, blood-red Aura Blade. It was unmistakably Count Ksias’s.
*BOOM! CRASH!*
“Huh? Is Count Ksias fighting?”
He hadn't sensed any disturbance from the lord’s castle.
To have infiltrated past such tight security and engaged Count Ksias directly?
“Whoa. Was that what the chief was talking about? Who is it? Who would pull off something so daring?”
“This is insane. Is an Aura Blade normally that powerful?”
“No way. It’s just that Ksias is a monster.”
“Wow… I don’t think you could even get close to that.”
“Crazy. He’s neutralizing most of the castle’s forces in an instant.”
His comrades, watching the situation unfold, shifted restlessly in their seats.
Something they had only ever imagined was now happening right before their eyes.
Rivera, too, was impressed.
*I see… Sea. You actually pulled it off.*
However,
*I admit it’s a brilliant strategy. But what now? It’s all meaningless if you can’t overcome Ksias’s might.*
In the end, he thought, nothing had changed.
But then,
*BOOM!*
*CRASH!*
*CRUNCH!*
The crimson lightning tearing the castle apart didn’t stop.
The continuous thunderous roars proved that, contrary to his initial expectations, the fight was quite evenly matched.
“What? What’s going on?”
“He’s still holding on?”
“Who is his opponent…?”
“Look there!”
Someone pointed. Through the thick dust of the shattered castle, a familiar face could be seen.
Though it was deep in the night, they were all Expert-level warriors, able to see clearly by the moonlight alone.
Deep blue hair and a tall stature.
A handsome face, recognizable even from a distance.
“Lansen…?”
“Did you say Lansen?”
“Has his body recovered?”
“Wow… A Sword Master!”
A stir went through Rivera’s comrades.
They remembered.
How strong Lansen had been in his prime.
The tale of him slaying Blood Count Delkashu, whom even Ksias found burdensome, was the stuff of legend.
“Chief. Doesn’t this look doable?”
“Are we just going to keep watching?”
His comrades began to rise from their seats, glancing at Rivera.
But Rivera rebuked them coldly.
“Everyone, stay put! Do you want to die in vain?!”
“But…”
Rivera suppressed his pounding heart, silencing his dissenting comrades with a glare.
He knew better than anyone here.
How strong Ksias was. How fearsome.
He and his comrades were called a rebellion, but in truth, they couldn't even dream of something so grand.
They were merely venting their frustrations with clumsy acts of revenge, driven by their grudge against the count.
Ksias was a warrior who could no longer be placed in the category of a typical Sword Master.
To take him down, one would need someone on the level of the Five Kings, hailed as the strongest in Roverland.
And yet.
*FLASH!*
*CLAAAAANG!*
*FLASH!*
*CLANG!*
Something was strange. A deep blue flash repeatedly pierced through the crimson lightning storm raging at the castle.
*CLAAAAANG!*
That deep blue flash struck the count’s neck, again, and again, and again.
“Huh? Huh?”
“Is that…?”
The count’s aura was tough, but it had its limits.
If you kept striking the same spot with an Aura Blade, it was bound to break eventually.
Despite the overwhelming difference in power, Lansen was refusing to yield, relentlessly seeking an opportunity.
Rivera stood up from his seat without realizing it.
*Think carefully. Whether you will seize the final opportunity that will never come again, or let it slip by and regret it for the rest of your life.*
Sea’s words echoed in his ears.
The surroundings were quiet.
His comrades, too, seemed engrossed in the fight, their eyes fixed on the lord’s castle in silence.
Then,
“Ah…”
“Damn it…!”
The moment Ksias’s high-ranking kin appeared on the castle walls, everyone let out a groan.
“Cowards…”
“Damn them!”
But amidst the sighs, the sounds of bowstrings being drawn and gear being readied cut through the air.
*Clack.*
*Creeak!*
*Jangle.*
It was Rivera Pietro.
When his comrades turned to look, his face was twisted.
“…Sorry. I just can’t stand it anymore.”
Rivera grabbed his gear and leaped over the terrace.
He ran straight for the lord’s castle.
“Yeah! This is it!”
“That’s our chief!”
“Let’s go with him!”
Behind him, the rebels of Kushan City followed, their spirits soaring.
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