WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 90

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Prey and Hunter (13)

White flame traced a smooth half-circle along the moving sword.

A beat later, the severed head rolled across the ground.

"Impossible..."

Someone muttered from atop the wall. No other voice followed. In the eerie silence, the sound of the head rolling carried clearly into the distance. A cool wind crossed the canyon beneath the early evening sunset. No one dared speak.

What did I just see?

The baron blinked like a fool. Everyone else's reaction was much the same. The knight had died instantly, but even the barbarians who had been smirking as if they might rob the trading convoy at any moment, along with the count's soldiers, could not follow what had just happened. As gazes continued to pour in from every direction, the flame clinging to the sword slowly died away.

"Who the hell are you?"

A barbarian strode out from among the frozen men.

"I am Targal of the Azarak Tribe..."

He was just about to continue.

The blade suddenly shot forward with frightening speed. By the time the wet sound came, the sunset-stained blade had already pierced the barbarian's chest. Kyle, who had reached the barbarian in an instant, twisted the hilt half a turn.

"Kugh!"

The barbarian's eyes bulged as he vomited blood.

"Shoot!"

Kellan, who had first stepped forward in Kyle's place, quickly drew his sword and shouted.

At the same time, the rangers who had slipped out from behind the freight wagons disguised as a trading convoy released the bowstrings they had already drawn. Dozens of arrows flew at once toward the barbarians and the count's soldiers. Those who failed to react were struck and fell in heaps.

"It's an ambush! They aren't a trading convoy!"

"Cowardly bastards! Kill them all!"

"Everyone, take cover!"

The barbarians and the count's soldiers gave different orders. While the soldiers hid behind the tents of the camp they had already built, the barbarians, their eyes wild with rage, charged toward the freight wagons. As if on cue, soldiers and mercenaries with blades stepped out in front of the rangers. Kellan tightened his grip on his sword as he glared at the men scrambling onto their horses.

Rumble!

A roar burst from the rear of the procession. Golden lightning crashed into the front of the barbarians. In the blink of an eye, the lightning spread out, swept through the barbarians, and tore through the camp beyond them. When the startled men looked back, a woman in a white robe stood with one hand extended forward.

"A m-mage!"

"Don't be afraid! We can win! Keep drawing!"

The checkpoint soldiers, who had seen Elysia's wind block arrows in an earlier battle, shouted at the top of their lungs. The arrows fired again knocked mounted barbarians from their horses. Kyle briefly exchanged glances with Kellan behind him.

Go. I will hold this side.

He understood the meaning without words. Kyle gave a small nod, then turned forward. A considerable number had died in the first ambush and Elysia's spell, but many enemies still remained.

Kyle was not particularly worried.

Numbers did not always decide the advantage. Especially with a force of fewer than a thousand, one or two skilled knights or mages could easily turn the tide of battle.

Just as wyvern knights had done.

Just as they themselves had done.

Kyle knew that well because he had always fought on unfavorable battlefields. Members of the Knights of Ash commonly fought two or three other Imperial knights or mages alone. Kyle himself had not been much different. That was why he could make the best judgment.

Their total force was smaller, but their ranger strength was superior.

Break through the center as quickly as possible.

Pak!

Kyle kicked off the ground. His black cloak whipped violently.

He cut down the barbarians brushing past him with single strikes and advanced without stopping into the middle of the camp.

"H-He's coming!"

"Stop him! Stop him!"

The faces of the count's soldiers shooting arrows from behind the camp tents filled with despair. The sight of him approaching in a straight line, scattering blood everywhere, was grotesque beyond words. Terrified, they fired arrows at him. Kyle struck down every arrow flying his way with his sword.

Clang, clang, clang!

There was no need to use magic against attacks like these. The moment he deflected the fifth arrow, Kyle lopped off the head of the barbarian blocking his path, then used the falling man's body as a foothold and leapt high.

The count's soldiers looked up as Kyle soared for an instant. As he fell, Kyle took in the state of the surrounding battlefield at a glance.

The barbarians were still charging toward the freight wagons, having lost all reason. Most of them were brought down by arrows and magic. The few who survived were sent flying by Kellan, the soldiers, and the mercenaries before they could kill the rangers.

What remained was...

Pulled down by gravity, Kyle landed lightly in the exact center of the camp. He did not rush at the soldiers surrounding him or swing his sword. He simply pushed the ring's mana down beneath his feet.

Blade Storm.

Kwaaaaaa!

A spell that allowed maximum slaughter with minimum mana. In an instant, streams of compressed wind shot out in every direction from beneath his feet. The tents set up here and there were torn apart, poles and all, by the savage blade wind. Campfires scattered sparks, spreading half-burned firewood and ash everywhere.

Between them, pieces of human corpses and fountains of blood shot into the air.

"Baron!"

The knight standing beside Baron Daren shouted at the top of his lungs. The soldiers watching the fight from the wall were all looking at the baron as one.

"This is our chance! I don't know who they are, but we must help them at once!"

"Our forces?"

"Other than the ranger unit that went scouting east, our current numbers are barely..."

"I see."

The baron looked up at the red-stained sky. It did not last long. Lowering his head again, he added with determined eyes.

"Open..."

"..."

"Open the gate. There is no need to mount up. No need for arrows either. Everyone, charge those barbarians and traitors."

"Did everyone hear that?"

"Open the gate! Hurry!"

The soldiers on the wall shouted down to the soldiers below with all their strength. A moment later, the heavy western gate opened with a groan.

"Did you all hear?"

The baron's knight at the front said as he looked back.

"Clear out every last one of those barbarian bastards and traitors!"

"Charge! Charge!"

"Kill them all!"

Waaaaaaa!

The fortress troops poured out at once from beyond the tightly shut gate. The booming shouts of countless soldiers bounced off the canyon walls and echoed in all directions. The barbarians and the count's soldiers, who had finally come back to their senses, glanced behind them and went pale.

"The fortress bastards came out!"

"It's the rear! Block the rear!"

"Aaaagh!"

Resistance was useless. The nearly three hundred barbarians and count's soldiers were being crushed from front and back as if hands were tightening around their throats.

The rangers by the freight wagons kept firing arrows without pause, while the fortress soldiers who could not do the same gripped swords, spears, and daggers and stabbed to death anything in their way, as if venting all their resentment. In the middle of it all, Kyle's sunset-colored sword flowed in gentle waves.

***

The battle ended in an instant. Not a single barbarian or count's soldier blocking the fortress's western road survived. The same went for the knights commanding them and the barbarian captains.

As the heat of battle slowly cooled, the soldiers began collecting the wounded and cleaning up the surroundings. Their casualties were far lower than expected. Rangers with heavy faces carried the bodies of the few unlucky soldiers who had died. The wounded each received simple treatment.

"These sons of bitches. They were keeping all this good stuff for themselves?"

"Hey! Look at this! Isn't everything in here gold coins?"

"It really is."

"Then can we eat properly tonight? With drinks too?"

"We've practically been starving for days..."

The fortress soldiers skillfully looted the dead. The spoils and food hidden away by the men who had robbed passing convoys were no exception. Whether regular army or barbarian tribes, the people of the duchy were used to such things, as harsh as the land was.

"Kellan! Is that really you?"

While the soldiers handled the aftermath, Baron Daren came outside to learn the identity of the trading convoy. Then he froze in surprise. At the head of the convoy was a familiar face. Behind him stood regular soldiers of the same duchy.

"It has been a while, Baron."

"Hah... Am I dreaming? I was preparing to charge out ready to die, and not only did help appear out of nowhere, you were with them too."

The baron, who had run over in a rush, wore a bright expression unlike before. It was no wonder. The savior he met at the edge of death was a knight he had always been friendly with.

"An ambush disguised as a trading convoy. Excellent. I can't believe we never thought of such a simple and effective method."

"Have you been unharmed all this time, Baron?"

"Thanks to you, yes. If not for you, the corpse in this canyon right now would be me, not those barbarians. I should say the heavens helped me. The timing is truly strange. More importantly, the one behind you is...?"

The baron, who had been pouring out the joy of their reunion for a while, glanced slightly behind Kellan, toward Kyle, who was speaking with Jade and Elysia. Kellan was one thing, but the force that black-cloaked man had shown while tearing through the enemy camp alone was still deeply engraved in his mind. He was curious why such a skilled man was traveling with Kellan.

"I have something to tell you about that..."

"Ah, right."

The baron made a face as if he had only just remembered. Looking around, he called one of his knights.

"Did you call, Baron?"

"Something has come up for a moment. May I leave the rest to you?"

"Of course. Do not worry. I will handle it."

At the knight's words, the baron signaled Kellan with his eyes. Kellan turned back. Just then, Kyle was looking at him. When Kyle gave a small nod, Kellan nodded back.

"Leave the aftermath to my soldiers and follow me for now."

Kyle's group, including Kellan, followed Baron Daren into the fortress. Since it was a fortress made of high walls, the interior could not be compared to the checkpoint. It could not match Ligrid Gate or the fortress there, but it was large enough to block this canyon, and it had everything it needed.

"Sorry. I would like to offer tea, but we don't have the luxury right now."

Kyle, Jade, and Elysia were guided to a fairly orderly reception room and sat on the sofa. The baron sat across from them. Once Kellan finally sat down beside Kyle, the baron opened his mouth again.

"So... what happened? As someone whose life was saved, I am grateful, but I don't understand how you, who are supposed to be guarding the checkpoint on the auxiliary trade route, brought troops all the way here."

Baron Daren leaned forward slightly and glanced over Kellan and Kyle's group. He looked like he had a great many questions to ask.

"Was there perhaps an order from His Grace the Duke? I did send a request for support..."

He trailed off and looked at Kellan. Kellan shook his head.

"No. It was my own decision."

"Your own decision? What about the checkpoint under your command?"

"I left the scout captain and the remaining half of the troops there. The Krakes cavalry unit roaming nearby was nearly annihilated as well."

"The Krakes Tribe's cavalry unit was annihilated? Surely..."

The Krakes Tribe, which Great Chieftain Zakan had originally led. If it was that tribe's cavalry unit, they were elites among elites. Their skill was one thing, but they excelled so greatly at guerrilla warfare that even a much larger regular army could not easily catch them.

Then only one answer remained...

"I am Kyle."

Kyle met the baron's gaze and spoke with appropriate politeness.

"And the people beside you...?"

"My companions. Jade and Ellie."

The baron's eyes quickly swept over the three of them. A mercenary in a black cloak that resembled the color of his hair and eyes. A man with dark brown hair and striking features. Finally, a mage who appeared to be a woman, with the hood of her white robe pulled low.

"Are you perhaps mercenaries?"

The baron asked carefully. Even at a glance, the atmosphere around them was unusual. Most of all, their performance in the battle just now was so overwhelming that even that word felt insufficient. Especially Kyle, who had cut down the count's cherished knight with a single stroke.

"Yes."

"May I ask your ranks?"

Kyle glanced at Jade. Jade shrugged and showed his golden Mercenary Badge. The baron's eyes widened.

"Gold Rank..."

"Jade is Gold Rank, I am Silver Rank, and Ellie is a mage from a Magic Tower without any particular mercenary rank."

"I see. One Gold Rank, one Silver Rank, and a Magic Tower mage on top of that. With that level of strength, it makes sense that you would accompany Sir Kellan."

Baron Daren looked briefly puzzled that Kyle's rank was only Silver, but he quickly regained his calm expression. Then he asked what he was curious about again.

"So, to return to my earlier question. What is your objective? Why did you accompany Sir Kellan, and how did you know the fortress was in danger? Did Kellan hire you after realizing the fortress was surrounded?"

"That is..."

Kellan could not continue. Kyle answered in his place.

"We intend to cross the duchy. As quickly as possible."

"Cross the duchy as quickly as possible? But as you know, an official order came down from the capital. All checkpoints and fortresses are closed. To begin with, with barbarians spread all over, you cannot pass..."

"That is why we accompanied Sir Kellan."

"What...?"

The baron narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Give us supplies and troops. We will kill Great Chieftain Zakan and the traitorous Count Barkan."

Kyle said it calmly. The baron's mouth fell open blankly. His eyes, filled with shock and disbelief, stared straight at Kyle.

Kyle quietly looked back at the baron's face.

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