WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 756: A Madman of a Different Caliber

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The Minotaur's mass, its physical size fused with formless momentum, was terrifyingly immense.

Most of the Cursed Ground's residents fell to their knees and chanted the demon god's epithet where they sat.

"Black Sun, Black Sun."

The strange thing was that the human, less than half the size of that bull-headed Demon Creature, looked just as large in their eyes. No, perhaps even a little larger than the bull-headed monster.

By all appearances, Enkrid should have spilled everything inside him, his organs and blood alike, and been sent flying to one side. But he had not.

Clang!

A tremendous crash rang out. The scream of metal striking metal spread as a shockwave.

Enkrid knew after the very first exchange.

'Knight-level.'

Why could the Cursed Ground not be destroyed? The answer was obvious and simple.

There was not enough strength.

The place was filled with monsters no human could withstand, even one who had grasped Will.

The Minotaur wielding two swords was one of them.

After one exchange, the Demon Creature and the man put distance between themselves. The bipedal bull retreated, drawing its right hoof back.

Enkrid stood with Duskforge raised at an angle to shield his face. A brief standoff.

Everyone knew they would clash again immediately.

Sunlight slanted across the violet-stained ground. The sun vanished beyond the ridge, soon bringing darkness with it.

A damp warmth clung to the surroundings, as though they had spent the whole day in the middle of a swamp. The humidity was high. It was summer, and this region was commonly called the borderlands of the Cursed Ground, which likely made the air feel all the more unpleasant.

"...Do we not need to help?"

Romen asked from behind.

Just seeing the Demon Creature had given him goosebumps and made every hair on his body stand on end.

It felt like a higher-order creature than the Demon Creature he had faced in the Gray Forest at the City of Aoara. Even more so than the Ghoul Jerix.

A single roar from that creature made him feel as though part of his body's freedom had been taken away. Had he faced it himself, he would have died the instant they met. That much was obvious without a second thought.

'A monster.'

He had to help at once. Enkrid could not be left to face it alone.

That was the thought behind his question.

"Leave it. You'll only get in the way."

Rem said it without looking back. Even so, his eyes never left the two who continued fighting.

Everyone was the same.

The Holy Knight who wielded divine power.

The swordsman who looked lethal at a glance.

The person whose presence was so faint they were difficult to sense.

The elf and everyone else simply watched.

Romen quickly realized that the emotions in their eyes were not concern or worry.

'Why?'

Frog went over to Romen's side and puffed out her cheeks. It conveyed anticipation, enjoyment, and exhilaration, though Romen had difficulty reading Frog's expression.

He had no Frog companions or friends. Frogs were not a populous species to begin with, and it was exceedingly rare for them to be led by others.

Elves were unfamiliar to Romen as well. They were not a species commonly seen in the City of Aoara.

The elf seemed just as strange to him.

As far as Romen knew, elves were said to rarely show emotion, yet a fragment of feeling appeared in those eyes. There was no need to confirm it. That, too, was anticipation.

Fell and Ropord were the same.

Their palms were not sweating, but they watched while clenching and unclenching their hands and shifting their feet, as though they were imagining themselves in that situation.

There was no thought of defeat.

That was what their actions and bearing said.

If things went wrong, any one of them would step in. They were prepared to step in if Enkrid was in danger.

But before that, what lay within them?

Anticipation for whatever the man before them was about to show.

That atmosphere naturally settled over Romen as well.

'What on earth is he going to do?'

Becoming a Knight was astonishing enough, but beyond that, he inspired such unwavering faith in others.

'Is this something I need to learn too?'

Knight Aoara had always shown him her back.

Even at the brink of death, she had shown her life and the values she protected.

She had never once broken the oath she had made as a Knight. She had left with a smile.

He remembered Aoara's final battle. The battle in which she burned away her life against the Balrok Fragment.

Enkrid reminded Romen of Aoara in that moment.

"Oa."

Romen murmured.

Enkrid's Duskforge and the Minotaur's blade met once more.

Boom!

A tremendous crash rang out. It sounded as though a landslide had sent a massive boulder rolling down. Dust rose from the ground, scattering violet soil in all directions.

Romen saw Enkrid's sword tremble.

That tremor soon became a ripple, drawing up formless Will and settling it within the blade.

In the heart of the Cursed Ground, where moonlight had yet to reach, light scattered along the sword's edge. It exploded and burst, painting countless images across the darkness as though it were a canvas.

Though he could not see every path the sword drew, Romen felt overwhelmed.

* * *

'I could die at any time.'

Seeing the bull swordsman's skill made those words all the clearer in his mind.

He had heard them long before becoming a Knight. If one chose to live by the sword, one must never forget that a stray blade could kill them.

Moo, muh!

The bull unleashed a broken, fragmented roar. Even that roar was part of the attack.

A savage killing intent, similar in nature to Pressure, took shape and tried to bind his body.

Enkrid ignored that battle cry with boiling Will. At the same time, the bull twisted its waist and swung an arm.

The blade that followed carried a heavy, swift strike. It was the intense, fast sword Ragna had always shown.

Breaker.

The calculation was already complete. He blocked with Duskforge, twisted his body, and leaped.

Enkrid pivoted on his left foot, rotated his waist, and redirected the force through his blade. Using the force transmitted through the blade, he pushed himself sideways.

The blades met with a light sound.

Ting-ting-ting.

Breaker and the Sword of Chance were perfect partners.

No, in truth, every sword technique could complement another somehow.

Enkrid had already reached that conclusion.

The bull held two swords. The instant the first strike was blocked by Duskforge, it swung the second.

Even with Will-enhanced Dynamic Visual Acuity befitting a Knight, the bull's second blade looked blurred.

That blurred blade cut through the place Enkrid had occupied moments ago. Had he not pushed himself sideways while blocking the first attack, it would have been difficult to defend against.

Afterimages split along the path of the bull's blade, remaining vivid in his vision.

It felt as though he had stepped into a watercolor painting soaked through with water.

Every delicate, precise line was blurred and distorted.

Enkrid became one of those blurred lines and swung his sword.

At the same time, his thoughts split apart.

Those divided thoughts looked back on his past life.

Never lower your guard. Never lose focus. Focus all your attention. Do not let your body stiffen. Allow everything necessary to win. Neither body nor mind can be rigid. Cultivate flexibility. Conscious actions are stiff, while unconscious actions are smooth. Repeat, and repeat again, until it becomes ingrained in your body. Never forget that today's training creates tomorrow's you.

Everything he had learned whirled through his mind.

In that instant, Enkrid knew what he could do now.

Something Aoara had shown him before.

Something Ragna had demonstrated.

Something he had achieved once himself.

Light gathered on the blade. Formless strength took tangible shape.

He struck at the Minotaur's swinging blade with the method of Vortex. Enkrid pivoted on his left foot and twisted his waist as a vortex of light burst forth, splitting the bull's head apart.

Holding his breath, Enkrid hauled Duskforge back with as much force as he had used to swing it upward.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The Demon Creature's thick cervical vertebrae, caught on the blade, were dragged free by the force, tearing through muscle and skin.

Thud.

The Demon Creature, resisting the pull, dropped to one knee first. Enkrid stepped back and shook his blade clean.

Black blood splattered across the ground. The Demon Creature, having lost its head, cervical vertebrae, and part of its spine, swayed back and forth like a pendulum before collapsing.

Thud.

The enormous body struck the ground with a thunderous noise. The sound split through the silence that had settled over the surroundings.

As the Demon Creature fell, black blood gushed through its split head and torn flesh.

Enkrid looked indifferently at the Demon Creature's corpse and thought.

'If the applied techniques of Will can be systematized, they can be taught. And if they can be taught, they will be easier to learn.'

He organized what he had realized while splitting his thoughts during the fight.

'The beginning is to bring unconscious Will back into conscious awareness.'

Ultimately, Will had to take tangible form and manifest through one's weapon or outside one's body.

Just as he had shown moments ago.

'That does not mean handling Will well is enough.'

Without foundational swordsmanship and days of training, it was a path one could not reach. Proper methods and physical conditioning could not be neglected either.

'Without this much effort to begin with, one cannot even dream of making Will tangible.'

He had been slow to learn, someone who had to check and hammer at every path step by step before he could climb it. He was talentless, but that lack of talent had given Enkrid something new: observation, the contemplation born from it, and the knowledge to establish new things.

The fight had been neither long nor short.

Ruagarne went beyond excitement and spread four fingers wide over her Heart Armor. Frog's 'thing' moved and quivered wildly.

Gurr, gurr, gurr.

Her cheeks puffed up on their own, revealing how deeply she had been moved.

Without realizing it, Fell drew Idol Slayer halfway from its sheath.

'I want to fight.'

If someone asked why, Fell would ask whether a reason was necessary.

Reasons did not matter. Fell simply wanted to fight. To cross blades. The only thing filling Fell's heart was the desire to pit Idol Slayer against what Enkrid had shown moments ago.

"Stop that. It will be a long time before your turn comes."

Fell sensed the Barbarian standing behind them.

How should Fell describe it?

Rough and ferocious. Fell felt as though they had put their head into a lion's mouth.

That was the Barbarian's momentum.

"Lord Father."

A faint shape appeared behind Audin as he quietly murmured a prayer.

Divine power boiled up and took form. Fell was not the only one whose desire had risen.

Ragna, gripping Ilchul, asked, "Can you use tangible Will whenever you want?"

It was not a question to gauge anything. It was a question to confirm.

He was asking about making Will tangible.

"Yeah."

Enkrid gave a brief reply, then began wiping Duskforge's blade. Sinar approached his side.

"There is no comparison with how you were when I first saw you."

There was admiration in her words.

"Someday."

Ropord murmured.

While Fell had been consumed by desire, Ropord had realized that they could not yet match Enkrid.

That did not mean Ropord would be consumed by frustration or Despair.

Most of those present knew the path Enkrid had walked. They knew that his beginning had been at the low-rank level even within Naurillia's soldier classification system.

Even viewed kindly, the road he had walked was a path of thorns.

Having exerted himself fully, Enkrid had worked up a decent sweat. Looking around with a clear mind, he saw the eroded residents staring at him in surprise, their eyes wide.

The ferryman asked whether protecting them was truly right, or whether Enkrid would kill them all.

'People slowly changing beneath a demon's influence.'

But none of it had happened yet. If they could escape the demon's influence, their violet skin might return to normal.

As for treating those who had lived in the Cursed Ground for so long and been eroded by it, Ann would be thrilled.

Her dream was of an Elixir that eliminated every sickness in the world. Whenever she saw a new illness, her eyes blazed.

Watching from beside her, one could not help thinking that Ann also deserved to be called a madwoman.

Enkrid did not expect repentance or remorse from them.

He did not believe people bound to this place by their ancestors' choices could be blamed.

Many thoughts crossed his mind, but only one remained clear.

'Can they be saved?'

He merely intended to answer that question.

Even if he failed, he would not sink into frustration or Despair. He would simply try whatever he could.

An attempt that might amount only to desperate flailing and struggling.

At a crossroads where only two paths were forced upon him, Enkrid chose a third.

He walked toward the village center. There, a symbol shaped like a black sun stood openly in place.

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

He was the one who had just slain the Demon God's Cleanser.

No one could say anything. No one could step forward. They only watched in shock.

Enkrid regarded the demon god's symbol indifferently.

'If both mind and body change because of what they worship...'

Then all he had to do was change the conditions.

With a whoosh, Duskforge cut through the demon god's symbol. The round wooden panel bearing the black sun fell to the ground.

It was only a carving.

"Ah..."

Several startled residents let out cries like screams, but what had already happened could not be undone.

Enkrid had cut down the demon god's symbol.

"Audin, let us deal with the buried relic."

"...As you say."

They then decided to burn away the relic planted by the demon with divine power. The village had now been thrown into danger.

The Cursed Ground's residents, faced with that terrible truth, stared at Enkrid with stunned expressions.

"What are you planning to do?"

Fell asked in passing.

What would happen after cutting that symbol was too obvious. Fell wondered whether Enkrid, unwilling to kill the residents himself, intended to use Demon Creatures to do it instead.

The Shepherds of the Wilderness despised Demon Creatures.

Using Demon Creatures to pull off a scheme?

If that was Enkrid's intent, Fell would consider leaving immediately, beyond merely being disappointed.

A group that used Demon Creatures to kill people.

Then Enkrid said something no one had expected.

"From now on, this land is mine. I will make this place Border Guard territory."

He meant he would change who protected them.

If worshipping the demon god was the problem, then could he not become this land's symbol himself?

It was not something an ordinary person could think of.

Rem tilted his head. He had seen so many of Enkrid's mad acts that he had become somewhat accustomed to them, but this was madness on a different scale.

What had Enkrid just said? Border Guard territory? This land? It was not the heart of the Cursed Ground, but neither could it be called outside the Cursed Ground.

"Then, instead of the demon god, worship the captain?"

Rem muttered, and Enkrid blinked.

Did it really need to be interpreted that far?

"That is not what I meant..."

He tried to speak, but Audin's voice rang out as though embracing the surroundings.

"May the Lord watch over us."

He respected the will of the leader who guided him, wearing a gentle smile.

"In place of the Lord Father, you shall become the center of this place."

No, it was not that extreme.

Enkrid could not bring himself to say it. All the panicked residents around him looked at him. Hundreds of eyes were fixed upon him.

Ragna had no interest. Enkrid would handle it himself. It was none of Ragna's concern.

Whether these people lived or died was outside Ragna's interest.

What mattered more was what Enkrid had shown moments ago.

The village representative trembled with horror at the severed symbol, hands shaking.

But the representative did what had to be done. The demon god's symbol had been cut down, and the Cleanser sent by the demon god was dead.

Zhoroslavb dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

To survive.

Had Krais seen the situation, Krais would likely have demanded to know what Enkrid was thinking. Had Crang seen it, Crang would have been dumbfounded.

Crang might even have said that if Enkrid wanted to play king here, Crang would hand over the throne.

In any case, Enkrid had completely ignored the ferryman's intent and declared himself the ruler of this village. What mattered had not changed.

If protecting them would cause a problem, then he would remove that problem.

"As expected, my betrothed is a madman of a different caliber."

Sinar's admiration was the sentiment shared by them all.

Footnotes:

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