Chapter 53
"Protect the Count!! Get the Count!!"
"Hurry, the Patriarch!!"
The swiftly approaching royal guard and Bernard dragged Elberton into the castle.
The long slash running from his left collarbone to his right waist looked quite serious at a glance.
Dark red blood gushed out continuously.
A fatal wound.
The ruler of the North had suffered it.
At the hands of the Barbarian King!!
"Hurry!! We must save him! We must!!"
Fortunately, he hadn't suffered it for nothing.
One of the Orc Warlord's eyes and an ear had been severed, but that wasn't enough.
"Block! Block him!!"
The Warlord's roar, as if sensing his own victory, maximized the morale of the orc army.
Three of the Patriarch's royal guard blocked the Warlord's axe, and in between, Bernard's thunder devastated the surroundings.
Kwaang!!
However, a battlefield where the tide of victory had already tilted was not easily turned.
'It's too massive.'
The Patriarch's defeat was too huge.
Dark clouds hung over Bernard's face as he held Elberton in his arms.
Elberton's defeat meant the North's defeat.
His defeat was no different from the defeat of every knight on the battlefield.
"Kuaaagh!!"
Thwack!!
The Patriarch's royal guard, who were close to paladins, crumbled one by one.
Elberton had lost consciousness, but the Warlord had only lost an eye and an ear! He charged in as if it were nothing, determined to finish it.
With Grand Warriors and the orc army rushing in like an unstoppable force around him, there was no way to counter it.
The Northern Army collapsed helplessly against the orc forces swarming like a plague, and the enemies trampled over their corpses to charge forward.
'Are we collapsing?'
Groans of despair filled the air.
Orcs swarmed like bees, competing to hurl and swing their axes as if to compensate for all the suffering they had endured.
"Protect the Patriarch!!"
"Protect the Count! Damn it!!"
"B-Block... Gack!"
Clang! Kwaang!
Both regular knights and soldiers sacrificed their own bodies to protect Elberton.
However, no one could block the momentum of the Warlord charging in to sever Elberton's lifeline. Not even Bernard. He had no confidence he could block that orc's momentum.
It was the North's defeat.
'Callias, Emily......'
Bernard's Lightning Heaven Sword cleaved through the air as he held Elberton.
Slicing the neck of one orc.
Slashing the shoulder of another.
Scattering blue lightning to paralyze them, and squeezing every drop of divine power from within his body to strike down a massive bolt of lightning.
"......!!"
Rumble! Kwaang!!
However, piercing through the blue lightning, the Warlord who had lost an eye and an ear raised his double-headed axe high into the sky.
It couldn't be blocked.
Bernard sensed death.
Behind the Warlord leaping high into the sky, the red sunset sky was ironically revealed.
'What is that. A bird?'
What was seen at the edge of death was a black bird silhouetted against the red sunset.
The bird, flapping its enormous wings as it flew in, was clutching something and approaching the center of the battlefield.
'Wait, that's......!'
It wasn't a bird.
It was a person.
Gripping a long sword tightly in one hand.
Falling with ash-gray eyes shining.
The enormous wings folded, and a red cloak fluttered as if embracing the light of the sunset.
The man falling like a red comet soon stood in the Warlord's path.
Kung!!
"Ka, Ka...!"
Emotions surged up.
Amidst the rising dust, a figure was slowly raising its head.
"Callias...!"
Black hair. Ash-gray eyes.
The one he thought could never be here was standing, blocking the orc forces.
But soon, worry took precedence.
"Callias! Run away!!"
His outraged emotions soon burst out in a shout.
However, as if not even listening, he squeezed through a momentary gap and blocked the Warlord's axe.
"No!"
A single blow that even the Count's sword was helplessly deflected by. There was no way Callias could block that.
Bernard envisioned Callias being split in two.
Kaaaaaaang!!
The atmosphere burst open.
The air rippled like exploding ripples, and through it, shattered pieces of sword aura like fragments pervaded everywhere.
"He blocked it... No, how!"
Ecstasy and astonishment came together.
Callias's grayish-white sword completely blocked the Warlord's axe.
An impossible thing!
But that miracle-like thing had happened.
"Ah......"
Elberton, who had lost consciousness, let out a shallow breath.
Held in Bernard's arms, the scene he saw was a black-haired man fluttering a red cloak, surrounded by silver flower petals.
His only son.
"Cal...lias."
In his blurry focus, Callias's back, blocking the massive Warlord's path, settled in Elberton's eyes.
When did he get such a large back? Elberton saw that as his last and closed his eyes once more.
* * *
"Callias?! It's Callias! Callias!"
"My Lord!! I believed in you!!"
"Lord Callias! You were alive."
"Callias......"
"I believed in you, Lord Callias!"
The surging emotions raised their falling bodies.
The thought of 'how?' crossed everyone's minds, but that wasn't important.
The single fact that Callias had appeared.
And the single fact that he had blocked the Warlord's path was enough for those who were dying to raise their heads and stand up once again.
"Huaaaaaahp!!"
"Krrr!"
Kwaang!
The Warlord's axe soared high into the sky.
Truly an immense power.
No matter how strong the Warlord's power was, it couldn't match the power of a troll.
Because he had squeezed through the gap in an instant, he sent the axe flying with sheer force alone.
'There's no time.'
The duration of Kangshin was, at best, one minute even if he squeezed out all his divine power.
It was a sword that was that powerful, but had an enormous demerit.
However, on this current battlefield, there was a single strike unleashed with the power of a troll.
For now, that was enough.
Huuung.
The shattered sword aura transformed into the flower petals of Eunhwapageom.
The scattered flower petals across the battlefield blew in with the wind Callias raised.
Swirling like a vortex.
Eunhwapageom, crashing down on enemies like a wave.
Pahwaro.
That charged towards the Warlord and the orc army with the Kangshingeom.
Chwarararararararara!
"Kuaaaaraawarwaga!"
Pahwaro, executed with the power of a troll, was no different from a storm of Eunhwapageom.
The Orc Warlord, who had been overpowered in strength, couldn't regain his senses against the Pahwaro rushing in like a storm and was forced to step back.
The Warlord taking a step back with deep wounds all over his body. That was the catalyst that broke the surging morale of the orcs, and Callias and the Northern Army didn't miss that flow.
Puuuuuuuuuu-!!
Emily's horn sent out a signal announcing the attack.
The Northern Army was well aware of the flow created by the Warlord's step back.
The small wind Callias had created.
It would soon gather and gather to create a storm.
"Chargeeeee!!"
"Charge! Kill! Kill those bastards!!"
"Lord Callias has returned!! The Warlord dropped his axe!!"
"Right now! You bastards! Kill as many as you can, quickly!!"
As if they had completely forgotten the Patriarch's defeat, they shouted at the top of their lungs and charged.
A situation where everyone was advancing again.
In that gap, he found Brans and handed holy water to Bernard.
"Callias, how did you......"
"Right now, let's do what needs to be done first."
"Y-Yeah."
He sprinkled the holy water on Elberton's body and poured half of it into his mouth.
This alone should have saved his life.
It was a waste of holy water, but Elberton was not someone meant to die here right now.
If he died, the quest would fail.
On top of that.
'The situation isn't good.'
He had pushed the Warlord back in the middle to boost morale, but Elberton could no longer fight.
If the Warlord reorganized and charged again, he and Bernard alone wouldn't be able to block him. If that happened, the people here would eventually be annihilated and the quest would fail.
He couldn't back down.
"Callias......"
Elberton's voice calling him.
Various emotions surfaced in his voice.
Resentment, anger, sorrow, pity, and so on.
Things he had never possessed before.
They were Callias's emotions.
"So you have times when you lie down too."
A lump formed in his throat.
Elberton, vomiting blood, gripped Callias's arm tightly.
"That guy... There's an assistant helping him. If only he hadn't tied my feet... Callias."
Be careful of his back.
Saying so, Elberton handed over his sword.
"......"
Elberton's beloved sword.
Callias's eyes widened a little as he gripped it.
The Elberton he had set up wouldn't have handed this sword to anyone until the moment he died, but...
"Do you know?"
"What... do you mean?"
"Your name is the heirloom of our family. It was named after the Storm Sword, Callis."
He had never made such a setting.
However, in the eyes of the man handing over the sword, there was an undeniable sincerity.
"......"
Seeing Elberton placing the Storm Sword - Callis into his hands, his eyes suddenly burned with tears.
Gripping his trembling fists, he lowered Elberton's blood-stained hand.
Raising his head, leaving behind those affectionate eyes he had never received in his life.
It's an emotion that isn't mine.
But right now, it was mine.
From behind his back, a voice devoid of strength but full of conviction rang out.
"Go. Callias. Unleash the storm."
[Storm Sword - Callis]
Rank - Illusion (幻相)
Imbued Soul - Callis von Zervan
- The sword of the first Patriarch, Callis von Zervan, who conquered the North.
Unique Ability - Storm.
The hand pushing his back, Elberton's hand, didn't have the same strength as before.
Wiping away the tears flowing for no reason.
I held the Storm Sword.
Kangshingeom in one hand.
Holding the Storm Sword in the other, I strode through the gaps in the battlefield.
However, the divine power remaining in me was barely at one.
I immediately unfastened the bracelet.
Click.
The divine power inherent in Vivi's unclasped bracelet surged throughout my body.
Every single strand of hair stood on end, and pillars of silver light radiated from my entire body.
"Մեռնել!!"
The orcs surged again.
The knights and soldiers were in a stalemate again.
However, the Warlord, who had stepped back, started advancing forward again.
Emboldened by that, the orc forces began to pour in like a raging tide. Rushing in like a swarm of ants to sweep away the humans like a tsunami.
Before them.
I stepped forward to the vanguard without hesitation.
Kwaaang!!
The charging orcs in a single blow.
Bisected with the Kangshingeom.
A simple downward strike split the ground and burst the wave of orcs.
And immediately swinging the Storm Sword in my left hand, I swept away the burst wave.
Kwagagagagaga!!
A simple horizontal slash.
With a storm contained within it, a fierce wind blew like a typhoon.
Unleashing a swift sword technique while holding the Storm Sword - Callis. Swinging a swift slash invisible to the eye, the wind swirled and tore them to shreds.
Slash!
Piercing the orc's heart with the Storm Sword wreathed in a storm.
Whether they were warriors or grand warriors.
My power was that of a troll, and with it, I controlled the storm; there was nothing I couldn't match.
Storm Sword - Callis.
It was truly a sword worthy of a Phantom Sword.
With a single swing, it raised a storm, and the sword aura wrapped around it itself created micro-vortices, pulverizing anything it touched.
A sword that matched quite well with Eunhwapageom.
But the true power of a Phantom Sword wasn't just this much.
"Rage."
Huuuuuung-!
A fierce wind swept across the battlefield.
Catching its flow and pulling it towards me, a storm was created in an instant.
"Uh-uh, the wind suddenly... No, a typhoon, what in the world is this!"
The wind on the battlefield swirled violently.
The center of the wind was Callias.
It was blowing from him, holding the Storm Sword high.
'The true essence of a Phantom Sword lies in whether one can establish a domain or not.'
The storm, swirling like a whirlwind, bound the battlefield like a barrier.
A realm attainable from the Phantom Sword.
The Orc Warlord and Grand Warriors glared with fierce eyes at the wind that had begun to swirl.
They must have sensed it too.
The flow of the battlefield was changing.
If they couldn't regain the upper hand soon, they would be the losers of this battlefield.
"Զոհաբերել նրա արյունը!!"
Their fierce fighting spirit and ki began to ring loudly across the battlefield.
At that, the knights shrank back, and the orcs, gaining momentum, roared.
A cry of struggle.
Receiving it at the very vanguard, Callias condensed his divine power.
Even though he had burst the aura inherent in Vivi's bracelet, he could feel the divine power rapidly disappearing. There was no time.
'But I have to do it.'
A body grown heavy from the long battle.
Hands starting to tremble from the rapid use of divine power.
But ignoring it all, he gritted his teeth and poured divine power into the Storm Sword.
The Storm Sword spewed out wind like a roar.
Thrusting it into the ground, he declared.
"Now, the battlefield is my sanctuary."
The fierce wind emerging from Callis's blade began to envelop their surroundings.
"Uwaah...!"
"Lord Callias?!"
The wind, like a storm, pushed the knights away.
Soon, the fierce wind didn't push away those it touched, but tore to shreds anyone who came close.
The mindless orcs were torn apart without even knowing why within the sanctuary Callias had created.
The swirling storm devoured them.
In an instant, hundreds of orcs were torn to pieces within the sanctuary.
This was the true Phantom Sword.
The way to use the Storm Sword - Callis.
The screams of the orcs echoed within the sanctuary.
However, only its center was calm.
The only one not pushed back by the wind was Callias, the master of the wind.
-Krrr.
It was only the growling Orc Warlord.