[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 311: If You're Caught, You Die

Walter's face was flushed with anger as he pursued Allenvert.

"Damn it, that slippery bastard."

He had been chasing him for some time now, but his target remained just out of reach, and it was infuriating.

"Sir, this is dangerous. They might be leading us into a trap."

His adjutant warned.

Walter scowled.

"I've already spread my senses far and wide as we ride. I detect nothing. Your worries are groundless."

"Y-yes, sir."

Having his looks insulted was the last straw; Walter wasn't listening to reason anymore.

He was already in a foul mood all day after noticing the wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, and now some brat with nothing going for him but his youth had the audacity…

"Ah! It's a dead end! A cliff!"

At those words, Walter's eyes lit up.

"See! The fools were running around in circles and walked right into a trap!"

Laughing, Walter spurred his horse, charging forward triumphantly.

"B-but the path is narrow! If they've set an ambush there—"

"Enough! Stop with your cowardly talk!"

Thududududu!

Walter glanced back at his column, which had stretched out like a snake to pass through the narrow path without issue, and shouted victoriously.

"See? There's nothing here!"

"...You're right, sir."

Just as the adjutant sighed in relief, thinking his concerns had indeed been misplaced—

"Roll them!"

Boulders came tumbling down, aimed at the center of the column.

"What?!"

"It's a trap!"

"Don't panic! Just cut the boulders down!"

They were all elites, knights of the 4th and 5th tiers.

A few rocks were nothing they couldn't slice apart with a single strike, but—

"They took the bait."

This was all part of the trap. While everyone's eyes were turned to the sky—

Slice!

Splat!

Swordsmen from the underworld, who had been hiding in the bushes, rose in unison and began slashing at the horses' legs.

Neighhh!

The hamstrung horses cried out pitifully as they collapsed, and the knights could not avoid being thrown.

"Aaargh!"

"Get out of the way!"

They became obstacles, blocking the path in an instant, and were trampled to death by the horses behind them.

The narrow path was clogged in a heartbeat.

"Ah..."

"How can this be?"

The knightly order led by Walter was instantly split in two.

"S-See! Wasn't I right!"

The adjutant cried out at the sight.

"We have to turn back now!"

Despite the blatant disrespect from an adjutant who usually did nothing but flatter him, Walter was too lost in confusion to reprimand him.

'How? I'm sure I didn't sense anything.'

He was a formidable warrior in the mid-to-late 7th tier.

It should have been impossible for so many soldiers and irregulars at that to deceive his senses so perfectly.

'Even if all the assassins of Svaltalfar were here, it would be impossible.'

Of course, the secret to this was the very same technique Grimnar Angantyr's warriors had used to successfully ambush even Allenvert.

They had learned it during their voyage.

"Hehehehe."

Ghir, drenched in the blood of a knight who appeared to be a commander after ripping out his throat, laughed.

"Operation successful."

"Hmm, I didn't expect it to be this successful either."

Zamuel said as he slaughtered the panicked knights.

"This Ghost Breath Grand Art is remarkably effective. It's a martial art worth teaching to my clan's next generation."

It was a surprisingly rational statement from the mad dog Ghir, which meant his bloodlust had been sated enough for his reason to return.

'On top of that, I personally passed on the secrets of concealment.'

It was no wonder the enraged Walter had failed to detect them.

"Hahahaha!"

In that moment, the swordsmen of the Bisakino Brotherhood and the Red Mist Alliance had become masterful assassins, succeeding in breaking the back of the kingdom's most elite unit.

"How about it, Zizek? Satisfying?"

"It's s-satisfying, but!"

Zizek screamed.

"These bastards are too strong!"

No matter how many opportunities and experiences they had gained, the gap in power between underworld thugs and an elite royal guard unit composed of the best of the best was immense.

"Don't get too cocky. Hit and run. But you—you need to take at least ten heads."

"You're insane!"

Ghir's words made Zizek shriek.

"I've only gotten four so far!"

"Try harder!"

"Aigoooo!"

Despite his whining, Zizek's sword which was honed by the martial arts of countless masters and the swordsmanship of Eldarkion was now sharp enough to relentlessly target the knights' necks.

"This guy, what is he?"

"He's no ordinary—Gurk."

Watching the scene, Zamuel chuckled to himself.

'He's much better than I was at that age.'

In terms of talent alone, the boy was on par with him.

He had no idea where Allenvert found and nurtured such individuals, but his eye for people was as sharp as ever.

'...For now, I'm just grateful for this miracle.'

As sentimental old memories resurfaced once more, Zamuel's sword began to drink the blood of the knights.

"Sir! We have to go back!"

At his adjutant's urging, Walter bit his lip.

"...We can't. If we stop and turn our horses now, the vanguard will be trampled by those behind us, causing even greater chaos."

That judgment, at least, was correct. In other words—

"...Damn it."

He was completely cornered.

Their only path was forward, and this had all been part of Allenvert's plan.

"Spread out!"

The terrain was shaped like a gourd: narrow in the middle, blocked at the end, and wide in between.

This allowed Allenvert's guard unit to split to the left and right and execute a wide flanking maneuver.

"Ah!"

"N-no way."

It happened in an instant. Walter's force was now surrounded on three sides a dead end in front and Allenvert's guards on both flanks.

"...This was all part of a prepared strategy?"

Walter muttered, his face a mask of horror.

"A perfect one."

And a beautiful maneuver.

As a knight who had dedicated his life to martial arts and the military, he could recognize its brilliance.

"Heheheheheheh."

Allenvert gave a wicked laugh and drew his sword.

"You're caught. If you're caught, you die."

He was keenly aware that half his blood came from a clan of mountain hunters.

How else could he explain the sheer thrill of a well-executed driven hunt?

"Everyone, don't touch Walter. The captains should fight each other."

"Yes, sir!"

Thududududu!

Handing the reins of his winded horse to Taris, Allenvert leaped high into the air.

"Celestial Chain Breaker."

His plan was to shatter the knights' dense formation right from the start.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion sent the knights flying.

***

Siena Valkenhain led the main army, taking up a position to block the advance of Duke Montera's forces.

"My lady, you didn't have to come out here yourself..."

Nagan said, fretting.

Siena shook her head.

"Leading by example is a commander's duty. It's nothing so grand, so please don't worry."

"Yes, understood."

How could she be so well-spoken? Cultured, noble, and beautiful—she was a far cry from a certain foul-mouthed young master.

"...We've come a long way without a moment's rest. The end is finally in sight."

Siena pictured Duke Montera's army, which would be charging over the horizon.

"If we annihilate them, we win. If we lose, it's unlikely we'll make it back alive."

It was a stark reminder, but the two had already fought alongside each other during the battle to retrieve the Ebony Oath.

"Survive, Lord Nagan. I do not wish to see the people around me get hurt or die."

"...Thank you."

Feeling the weight of war while looking toward the hope of victory was the only way to keep one's sanity.

"Do you think the Young Master was victorious?"

"There's no need to worry about that."

Siena declared.

"Against Ivan, all of us together couldn't do a thing. But the Young Master lasted 100 exchanges with him."

That meant Allenvert had approached the wall of the 8th tier. For more chapters visit n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Since only Ulbhild had surpassed the 7th tier, the gap between them and Allenvert was already immense.

"Is this man Walter stronger than Ivan? Unlikely. If he were, he'd already be the Royal Guard Grand Commander."

Within the kingdom’s Royal Guard fraction, only one person had surpassed the 8th tier wall: the Royal Guard Grand Commander who had betrayed the king.

.

.

.

"...But I didn't think he would win so overwhelmingly."

Siena remarked as she looked at Walter, the prisoner Allenvert had brought back upon rejoining the main army.

"What happened?"

Allenvert grinned.

"We lured him here and there, ambushed him to cut his forces in half, and then surrounded him."

It sounded simple, but successfully executing such a plan against a master and veteran commander like Walter was anything but easy.

"That's astounding."

Siena studied Walter. He appeared to be uninjured.

"How did you win?"

"After bombarding them with an ultimate skill from above, I opened with a heavy sword strike to break his balance."

Allenvert explained.

"The rest was easy. I kept pressing him, broke his sword, and then slammed a Penetration technique strike into his armor."

Siena was aghast.

"Young Master, did you use the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow?"

"He'd be dead if I had."

"True."

Siena gave a wry laugh, accepting his point.

"In other words, you held back."

Jeffrey chimed in.

"It was overwhelming. At this point, I doubt anyone who isn't 8th tier can be a match for the Young Master."

The battle with Walter had served to confirm that very fact.

"A disgrace to all knights."

Walter, pale from his internal injuries, muttered.

"To not only fail my mission to block the landing but to fall for a diversion and be taken prisoner..."

Allenvert smirked.

"You should watch your step too, Sir. A man needs to know which side to pick."

"Young Master, what are you implying?"

"If you cooperate and give us useful information, your crimes might be pardoned after the war."

"Nonsense. What do you take chivalry for—"

"Then don't. Why are you getting so angry?"

Just then, Regeron approached them quietly.

"Young Master."

"Urgent news has arrived."

"Urgent news? Is there a problem on my brother's front?"

"No."

Regeron said, shaking his head.

"Valkenhain is under attack by the Black Society and the Flanders army."

"...!"

The color drained from Siena's face.

***

"Valkenhain Castle is on fire?"

Ivan nodded as he received the report on the war's progress.

"Then it's over. Once they've made it inside, no one can stop them."

Such was the nature of an 8th tier powerhouse.

Especially when he had ant-like soldiers willing to die for him and, most importantly, a Death Knight at his side that wouldn't care if its limbs were torn off...

"Valkenhain is finished."

Such a small force couldn't possibly destroy the entire duchy. However...

'They'll surely be able to retrieve the Ebony Oath this time.'

Confirming that the Dark King's plan was proceeding successfully left a bitter taste in Ivan's mouth.

'You must protect the Dragonheart at all costs, Grunewald.'

If that too fell into their hands, there would truly be no one left to stop the Dark King.

'But I've done everything I can.'

The rest was up to Allenvert and the strength of Grunewald.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]