Chapter 269 – 26. Only the Strong Survive (9)
A thick, acrid smoke spread.
The spectators finally realized it when it cleared like a smoke screen. Even though his skin was tanned, his fighting spirit, which he did not want to back down from, was worth praising. The image of the duke bent on one knee and supporting his body with his beloved sword was dangerous for anyone to see, so the match was almost decided.
“Cheheuk, cahehe…”
An exhausted Arno gasped for breath. On the other hand, Rom, who was still standing tall on his own two legs, immediately responded to the remnants of soldiers who tried to save his master. Despite the offensive of fifty or so knights, he did not blink an eye and steadily knocked down three or four every second.
“Protect Valorant!”
“You have to buy some time!”
A mediocre attack only burned the enemy’s fighting spirit. Therefore, it was the arms and ankles of the knights that were scattered like blood. Even though being crippled was more fearful than dying to those who pursued only the path of swordsmen all their lives.
“The Baron is moving!”
“Bind his feet at all costs!”
From fifty to forty, from forty to thirty, from thirty to twenty, there was no law to stop.
“Whoa… !”
Of course, because of that, Rom also had a burdensome look. He had to hit the next attack without even having time to get sick after the season of dragon attack. His heavy breathing and sweaty appearance made us guess that this duel would not be easy, even for an invincible knight of Lumiere.
But why?
A strange sign was caught in Arno’s eyes, who managed to hold on to his clouded mind and raised his head. Its weak but clear name was Awakening. Following Rom’s movements with wide eyes, he couldn’t contain his astonishment.
‘What happened?’
His lightning-infused sword almost burned the surface of his skin. Even so, the man who had nearly defeated nearly a hundred knights was back to full strength before he knew it. The charcoal black had not been erased, so it only looked black, but the body had already recovered from its injuries for a long time.
‘It’s getting faster. Getting stronger Even his breath, which seemed short of breath, regained calm before he knew it.’
Yongmaenggong’s pupils shook greatly.
‘That’s like, Alexandre’s…’ …’
It was an unparalleled growth. Isn’t it true that the owner of a talent that is out of the standard has never crossed the line of fire all along? Except for the former life that became friends with the large army of Empire Ruth only for Madame Lemoang.
Aside from public fame or grandiose nicknames, Baron Ardennes hadn’t needed to raise his powers until now. It meant that Albenis Aragon, whom he faced in Limousin, and Yusuf Nasr, whom he defeated at Grand Mande, and even strong men comparable to them, were not perfect opponents.
‘Was it you?’
However, at this moment, he showed signs of rising to a higher level while dealing with me and about a hundred Knights of Somerset. It’s not like it’s not, but in Arno’s eyes, Rome was far beyond the days when he was enjoying his prime.
Should I be happy?
In a way, the baron’s flowering was a reward for them. Because it meant that a man who couldn’t help even the mightiest people on the continent like Giraseong would not be able to stand up to them unless he reached such heights.
‘Was it really you, Romuald of Dior?’
But Arno was not pleased. With devastated eyes, he painfully looked at the sword body that seemed to have descended in front of him.
‘The vessel of my body prepared by Alexandre… !’
And as it should be, the shimmering street shook his head in frustration at the teacher’s wicked smile.
‘Continue your will, Arnaud LeBlanc.’
‘… Master.’
‘You asked me to learn. He vowed to do whatever it takes to revive a family whose past glory was fading to shame. That’s why I tolerated your bug-like talents and taught me my swordsmanship and resourcefulness.’
Right in front of me, nine knights were struggling. While recognizing that, it was gradually decreasing to eight or seven. Even so, Arno couldn’t bear to move.
‘Are good karma welcome and bad karma reluctant?’
‘Anyway, this is so despicable… !’
‘I hope I didn’t hear it wrong. To think that this Alexandre’s disciple would babble about nonsense like a kid who had never been through a war would say. The person who slaughtered countless enemies who went to the battlefield in order to survive holding on to a tiny bit of hope discusses morality?’
He was only hesitating, haunted by an old nightmare.
‘Don’t look away, face it straight. You are already a great villain It’s a murderous demon with no way to save it.’
‘I know my true nature!’
‘However? It’s okay to slaughter hundreds to help your family rise, but would you mind sacrificing thousands for this task? Please don’t make excuses that the number of people is different. There is nothing more disgusting than utilitarian hypocrisy.’
Looking back, it was an inevitable choice to rebuild a family stained by greedy people. If it weren’t for the help of the deceased millennial, there would be no LeBlanc family today.
‘If you want to look at the world, do so with cool-headed ideals, not with petty morality. I even planned to die myself to fulfill your long-cherished wish. The challenge to God is like that. Only those who know how to step on and conquer the ethics established by common people are qualified.’
‘The hottest seat in hell will be waiting for us.’
‘I’ll be glad to welcome you. So now do what you have to do first. Kill them and prove that you are worthy of inheriting my legacy!’
‘Keuugh, keuaa… !’
Starting from the day he killed innocent people, he participated in numerous evil deeds. But that was hardly the price Arnaud LeBlanc really had to pay. It was a truth I realized the moment I hurt others for my own selfishness.
‘I am a man who does not deserve to be happy.’
‘I’ll find that qualification.’
Joanna of Baron Pierre.
‘I am a man who does not deserve to be happy.’
‘Does not matter. I need you.’
Henrietta of Aquitaine.
‘I am a man who does not deserve to be happy.’
‘… Yes, me too.’
Foreign witch Kenna.
‘It’s painful and embarrassing. But I can’t even turn it back. When I close my eyes, I always hear the agony of the people I killed. It’s self-employed. What else would I do I’m a person who shouldn’t laugh and rejoice. Atonement is the same. Being ashamed of being wrong and hating not being good doesn’t suit a hungry ghost or an animal.’
Bravery is a falsehood. Arnaud LeBlanc, who has been plagued by guilt all along, has only one wish for salvation. A man who is neither brave nor fierce like the reputation around him, so he harms himself every night. And mixes his body.
‘I know that even death is a luxury.’
With a woman from Britannia, an island country with the same pain as mine.
‘But God, if you are still looking down on us from this earth, please hear this demon’s prayer.’
Standing up with a white sword, Arno ran forward. Just in time, the last knight was stabbed in the side by the baron’s invisible sword and was about to fall. It was now one-on-one, so there was nowhere to get caught or backed off.
‘I hope, Kennaman…’
The duke, whose lips were bleeding, displayed the best swordsmanship I know. What was left of him, who had already been eroded by the past, was not the dignified and dignified personality of a brave man, but the madness of Arno, a pitiable and painful sinner.
“Dior… !”
Rome, who had regained her composure, responded with her puzzled face. I didn’t even know that the other person’s name was referring to Alexandre, not me.
“Kill! If not, I will kill you!”
It was quite unfamiliar to see Yongmaenggong suddenly scattering murderous intentions. Those who knew him both inside and out, either because they couldn’t follow the swift battle with their eyes or because they couldn’t hear the pervasive noise, were also involuntarily trembling at the sound.
Chae Chae, Chae Chae!
However, no matter how much I cheered up, the limit was clear. The body that had been rusting for a long time groaned even if it had been awakened. Even though the momentum of the sword was more fierce than the first, the power couldn’t catch up with it.
Strength? Definitely pushed
Speed? One or two beats behind.
Technology? I’m afraid I’ll barely be on the same level.
Experience? It’s not an opponent that can be reversed with something like that.
‘If I can’t kill, I’d rather die…’ … !’
Arno’s urgent gaze suddenly turned to the podium. Looking at Henrietta, who was forcibly watching her brutal duel tied there, as if remembering something, she pulled her body back for a moment. Her baron, who had never thought that would be the case, sprinted towards her with all her might while tilting her head.
Eventually, the distance widened enough.
“… !”
Rome belatedly realized the Duke’s intentions. However, even if I had superiority or inferiority, a man who could fight me on an equal footing threw his best at winning, so there was only one way to stop it.
‘Kill him.’
I knew that I was not a great man to kill the woman who had once been my wife. In other words, Arno was about to commit suicide at the hands of others. To save even the precious witch, realizing that he could not kill the enemy who would be used as a vessel for his master to resurrect.
If I don’t die here, she will risk her life for me.
“It doesn’t work.”
But suddenly, like those words, there was a short flash. From there, the brave ball that was running to cut Henrietta’s head flew to the far end of the stadium and crashed. A cool sound resonated loudly around there, a step later.
Wedge liquid!
Faster than sound. But not Rome. The criminal’s gaze lasted as if the duke turned away for a moment, but the talented witnessed it clearly.
“Your duel is over, Arnaud LeBlanc.”
“Kuhhhhh… !”
“If you really want to die, I’ll finish it with my own hands.”
An elderly man holding an intangible sword stormed into the battlefield where blood and flesh were rampant. He smiled and waved at the disciple who had blinked at the unexpected meeting, and did not care even though the civilians, including the Court Baek, seemed to have invaded a fight that had not yet been decided.
“However, if there is no one to stop it.”
So, finally, aiming the invisible blade at Arno’s neck, which had become a super-corpse sword, he looked at the eastern camp. When the witch with her scarlet hair and her freckles walked up to me with her cold expression, she finally smiled with satisfaction.
“I knew it would.”
“… Oliver.”
“It’s been a while, Princess Freckles.”
She groaned happily.
“No, Kenneth Somerset… !”
The name of my dear real quicksword.
