WeTried Translations
Translator: Hydrogen B
Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 168: The Red Banquet (7)
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An opening that lasted only an instant.
The mages on the rooftop, their bodies shredded, toppled backward.
For a moment, time seemed to slow.
His five senses, strengthened by mana, had sharpened to their limit. Amid a slowly falling rain of vivid blood, Kyle drew Yurian's sword without hesitation. Across from him, the green-robed mage raised a hand, eyes wide with shock.
Quick reflexes. Did that bastard reinforce his five senses with mana to stretch out his perception of time too?
Kyle was not particularly surprised. It was only natural if the man was among the King of Russel's closest mage aides. Kyle had already seen the mage use Hallucination once. If the mage had failed to react, that would have been stranger.
In battles between high-ranking knights, moves and countermoves were exchanged more than ten times in a single second.
Kyle took in every detail around him with his heightened senses. Perhaps it was thanks to all his training. At first, Kyle had struggled to use Prisia's mana to kindle even a tiny spark, but now it ran freely through his entire body at his command.
Of the three rooftop mages, two were seriously wounded. The sharpest of them had only minor injuries.
In front of him were the two knights from the room earlier and one mage. Behind him, two unfamiliar knights were rushing in.
The rooftop mages could not join the fight immediately. He only needed to worry about those below.
Kyle made his decision in an instant. Within the stretched-out flow of time, he drew up Prisia's mana once more.
Blade Storm.
Kwoooooosh!
A storm of razor-sharp wind swept out from Kyle.
His black cloak snapped wildly like a flag in a gale.
Formless blades shot through the alley, blanketing both ends. It was the wide-range Wind Magic he had relied on most since the Northern War, before absorbing Prisia's Dragon Heart.
The green-robed mage raised both hands.
A translucent wall of mana appeared in midair. The invisible blades bounced away before reaching it, scratching the alley walls.
Kagagagak!
Bright red sparks flew everywhere.
The two knights blocking Kyle's path were no exception.
The two knights charging from behind staggered a beat too late. Blades of wind swept over their armor. They instinctively twisted their bodies, but could not keep their footing from breaking.
Kyle slipped into that gap.
Shk!
Using the momentum of drawing his sword, he spun in a full circle.
Star iron, gleaming white even beneath the sunset, severed the first knight's neck. The knight's blank eyes flew through the air along with their severed head.
“You bastard!”
By then, the second knight had closed in.
A roar that could have been either a scream or a battle cry thundered through the alley. The knight's sword shot straight toward Kyle. The Kingdom of Russel might have weak military strength despite the wealth it had accumulated through trade, but this was still a knight sent by the king. The knight was faster and more precise than Kyle had expected.
But that was all.
Kyle did not evade.
Instead, he wrapped wind around both legs and stepped inside the knight's attack. Yurian's sword, wrapped in Prisia's mana, flashed beneath the crimson sunset.
Shraak!
Bright red blood burst out again.
The second knight, their upper body deeply cut through armor and all, dropped to their knees with wide eyes. A moment later, the knight collapsed face-first into a pool of blood.
Two corpses now lay at Kyle's feet.
“This is...”
“This can't be. This can't...”
A suffocating silence fell.
It had taken only a few seconds. The two remaining knights muttered in hollow voices.
I'm a little dizzy.
Kyle spun Yurian's sword once and subtly frowned.
One Blade Storm and one use of Sword Aura. That was all, yet a faint dizziness rose within him, likely the aftereffect of using Prisia's mana. He could control it more freely than before, but his body still seemed unable to fully accept it.
And that had barely even qualified as Sword Aura.
The density of mana around the blade was noticeably lower than before. Even the intensity of its glow made that clear.
Still, the fact that his progress was faster than expected was some consolation. With the same amount of mana, its power and speed were on a completely different level from before.
“Who... who are you?”
Kyle had been looking down at the two dead knights when a trembling voice reached his ears.
He slowly raised his gaze.
The green-robed mage, who had been staring blankly at Kyle's feet, was now looking directly at him. None of the mage's earlier composure remained.
Anxiety. Confusion. Fear.
Kyle could clearly read the many emotions in the mage's eyes. The mage seemed deeply shaken that Kyle had not only used Wind Magic, but also instantly killed two knights with Sword Aura.
“How can a knight use magic of that level without chanting...?”
“There's no harm in learning whatever you can. Hallucination was a spell I used often.”
“...”
“Is that all?”
Kyle spoke provocatively.
The green-robed mage could not bring himself to answer.
The mage looked toward the rooftop dripping with blood. Of the three mages stationed there as a precaution, two had been rendered unable to fight. If they were not treated immediately, it would not be surprising if they died. Even the one with relatively minor wounds kept darting fearful glances between Kyle and the green-robed mage.
“If you have nothing else to say, let's finish this.”
Kyle lowered Yurian's sword.
The two knights swallowed hard. The surviving rooftop mage, the two knights, and the green-robed man exchanged looks in that brief instant.
Thud!
Kyle kicked off the ground.
His black cloak surged upward behind his rapidly accelerating body. As if prepared in advance, the rooftop mage uttered a shortened chant.
Almost at the same time, crimson flames poured down the exterior wall and rose to block Kyle's path.
Fwoooosh!
A wave of scorching air rushed over him.
It did not last long.
Razor-sharp winds spread out once again, shredding everything in front of him, including the flames. Rubble trickled down from the sliced-away wall.
“Aaargh!”
The mage on the rooftop, who had used Fire Magic and was preparing another spell, could not block the successive invisible blades. With a horrible scream, the horribly mangled mage fell from the building.
A beat later, the sound of bones breaking echoed behind Kyle.
At the same time, something distorted the view as it approached through the columns of fire split apart on either side.
Air compressed to its limit.
Shockwave.
Baaang!
The shockwave spread with an ear-splitting roar, shaking the entire alley.
Kyle's black-cloaked figure collapsed helplessly.
Hallucination?
The green-robed mage, who had just used Wind Magic, widened his eyes.
Kyle's figure, which had been rushing toward the mage only a moment ago, was melting into the air. Hallucination, an Illusion Magic spell. The mage knew how to use it, so the mage was certain.
That made it even harder to believe.
He wasn't lying?
“Danger! Everyone, fall back!”
The green-robed mage shouted on instinct.
But something rippling and wavering nearby was faster.
One of the knights standing before the mage reflexively raised their sword.
Kang!
Clear metal rang out.
Kyle's vanished figure gradually regained its color, beginning at the edge of his cloak. The star iron blade reflected the sunset, glowing orange-red.
The knight who had blocked Yurian's sword involuntarily gritted their teeth.
What kind of strength is this?
The sword was heavy.
The knight had barely managed to block by sensing the flow of mana rather than relying on sight, but that inevitably delayed their reaction. Their stance naturally crumbled.
“Damn it...!”
“Block him!”
The knight grimaced and stepped back, knocking Yurian's sword aside.
Kyle stepped forward and continued the deflected sword along a single Sword Path.
One. Two. Three.
The more their swords crossed, the more vividly that strange sensation from before returned.
I can see it.
The path of the enemy's next strike.
The path I need to take.
Puk!
From the fourth exchange to the fifth.
Unable to block the final attack, the knight's head rose into the air, just like the first knight's had. A pointed blade slipped through the gap.
A headless body falling.
Blood scattering.
A blade flying toward him.
“Die!”
Shwaeek!
The last knight thrust their sword forward at full speed.
It was all as expected.
Kyle lightly tilted his head aside. The blade passed harmlessly beside Kyle's neck, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.
Kyle angled Yurian's sword and guided the last knight's blade outward. As he stepped forward, the knight's upper body was exposed along with their deflected sword.
The knight recoiled in horror.
Then countless possibilities rose before Kyle's eyes again like illusions.
Just as before.
From beginning to end.
Every possible movement the opponent before him could make.
Things that had not yet happened.
His head burned from the overload of information. His breathing grew rough.
Kyle carved his way through the countless possible future Sword Paths appearing beyond his vision.
The result was almost absurdly simple.
Shraak!
A single strike.
The final knight could not properly exchange swords with Kyle even once. The blade slipped perfectly through the future Sword Paths, cutting through the knight's upper body from the flank to above the shoulder, breastplate and all.
Bright red blood flowed between the split iron armor.
“I...”
“...”
“I... Cough!”
The last knight fell.
Kyle steadied his breathing and turned his head.
The green-robed mage, who should have been there, had vanished without a trace.
Kyle narrowed his eyes as he looked down the alley behind him. He could not see the mage clearly, but his senses, sharpened by battle, could distinctly feel the fleeing mage's presence.
Illusion Magic, Hallucination.
So it comes to this after all.
Kyle raised the corner of his mouth in a mocking smile and swung his empty left hand through the air.
Prisia's mana moved at his command, pouring out a barrage of invisible blades without sound, presence, or warning.
Kagagagak!
Just as he expected, the blades of wind did not reach their target.
Right before they did, they curved strangely and bounced away in every direction.
But Kyle could see it.
The faint outline of green robes revealed by refracted light.
He could hear the mage's ragged breathing.
Got you.
Thunk!
“Aaargh!”
The mage, who had barely blocked the blades of wind, was struck by an ice spike that shot through them and collapsed to the ground.
Kyle lowered his raised left hand and approached the mage with Yurian's sword in hand.
“W-wait...”
“...”
“Ghk... Just listen to me for a moment...”
Even as the mage crawled across the ground, the mage did not stop talking.
Kyle stopped before the mage. An ice spike Kyle had fired was embedded halfway into the mage's shoulder. The green robe was soaked with blood, slowly turning dark brown.
“Do you still have something to say?”
Kyle looked down at the mage.
The mage wheezed and looked up at him. The mage's gaze trembled as the answer came.
“If, if you kill me...”
“You'll regret it, I suppose.”
“Huh...?”
“Your status doesn't matter, no matter what it is. This is a remote alley in the city. Killing a few people isn't difficult. Isn't that why you waited until I left the estate? Because it would be easier for you to clean up afterward. Those were your own words, weren't they?”
The mage opened his mouth like a fool.
Strangely, no rebuttal came to mind.
This was an alley on the outskirts of Renavik, where few people ever came.
There was no better place to kill someone and erase the evidence. The mage's status and position as one of the King of Russel's closest mage aides meant nothing now.
They had both known what they were doing when they drew their blades. Begging for life now would never work.
Only death awaited the defeated.
All that remained was to accept the result.
Ah...
The mage looked at the bloodstained alley and the pieces of corpses scattered not far away. Blood splattered in every direction beneath the pouring orange light.
The bloodied star iron blade gleamed beneath the particularly deep hues of the sunset.
“Who... who are you?”
Half resigned, the mage repeated the question asked earlier.
“Kyle.”
“What...?”
“I'm not a knight of the Empire. Much less a knight of the Federation. Do I still look like an imperial noble who defected to you?”
Black hair and eyes.
An imperial accent mixed here and there with the distinct dialect of northern nobles.
Skill with both sword and magic.
And the name Kyle.
“N-no way...”
One person immediately came to mind.
Faced with a reality the mage could not believe, the mage's lips moved soundlessly.
Kyle lightly swung Yurian's sword.
Thud.
The mage's head, eyes still open, rolled across the blood-soaked alley floor.
Is that the end of it?
Kyle looked down at the mage's corpse for a moment, then raised his head and staggered.
A powerful dizziness washed over him all at once. The backlash from overusing Prisia's mana was finally hitting him.
Kyle twisted his mouth with a grimace.
Did I push myself too hard? I used Blade Storm and Prisia's Authority.
Still, he felt no regret.
The King of Russel and the moderate nobles had decided to kill him. That left him with no other choice.
Kyle bore too much on his shoulders to die here.
It was what needed to be done.
My personal revenge against those who had opposed sending troops to Hailen during the Northern War, too.
And judgment for those who still lived.
Kyle gave the dead green-robed mage and the corpses farther down the alley one last glance, then shook the blood from Yurian's sword and sheathed it.
Pure white flames rippled above his raised hand.
Sparks drifted down onto the corpses.
The white fire slowly and silently consumed the bodies of the dead. Unlike ordinary flames, it gave off neither smoke nor the smell of burning.
Kyle left the blood-soaked alley.
Just as he had when he fled alone four years ago, leaving his comrades behind.
Without looking back even once.
Footnotes:
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