Chapter 26

Chapter 26 The shockwave that spread from the center of the collision upturned the ground, sending dirt and dust into the air. Uwaaagh. In the front lines, knights wielding a greatsword and a spear were rolling on the ground, spurting blood in similar states. Before them stood Sir Teslon, a senior knight whose pallor had turned ashen as he steeled himself in front of them, while the knights with short spears and longswords who had rushed at Padrics back were also pushed back, gasping for breath. Just in time, it seems. Logan. Padric, who had been coughing up blood and sitting down, looked over at his eldest son who had somehow appeared by his side with a shaky gaze. How did he make it here? He had seen the mercenary troop appear at the rear, but he had not anticipated seeing Logan here, at the heart of the battlefield. To come from the rear to here Instinctively, Padric turned his head, and in his peripheral vision, he witnessed an incredible scene: enemy lines that seemed pierced in a straight line as if by a monstrous charge, and bodies strewn on both sides. Among the corpses were not only soldiers but also many of the Teslon knights. The gazes of those who remained were uniformly fixed on Logan. In the eyes of his allies, there was admiration; in the eyes of his enemies, tangible fear. It was then that Padric finally sensed a shift in the atmosphere of the battlefield. His sons presence here was no fluke or coincidence. And had he not seen with his own eyes? How Logan had deflected an attack aimed at him. When did he become so strong No, thats not whats important right now. Padric grimaced, pushing himself up. Im not sure how the battle is going With a pale complexion, Padric stood and grasped Logans shoulder. Your presence here means the tide is in our favor, right? That question stemmed more from hope than from a cool assessment of the situation. Fortunately, Logan had the response his fathers intense gaze was hoping for. Yes. Good. Well done. Patting his sons shoulder, Padrics touch felt reassuring. To Logan, his fathers awkward words and actions were unexpectedly heartwarming. * * * Sir Raul, a senior Teslon knight, gripped his trembling hand and forced himself to maintain composure. The internal injuries from blocking Padrics lance charge, along with the wound in his side, were getting progressively worse, but there was no time to attend to them. Rix, Trombel. Get ready, quickly. His growling voice focused the attention of his two subordinates who were spitting blood at the edge of their mouths. Padric MacLaine was no longer a big concern. He was more wounded than Raul from the collisions and cumulative damage. Theres no time! You four, take that man. Ill handle the Baron. What mattered was the assailant who with a single stroke had deflected the combined attacks of Panan and Ramston, knights who had rushed at Padrics rear. Even more baffling was that the enemy seemed hardly in his early twenties, a young man reaching the ridiculous extremes. Does that even make sense? A man in his early twenties deflecting the simultaneous attacks of two middle-ranked knights? When Raul was that age Twenty-odd years ago, he recalled the days spent toiling to become a knight, spinning his head to discard the distracting thoughts. None of that mattered anymore. This man will die here. A lowly burst of jealousy unconsciously turned into a murderous intent that exploded. However, Padric scoffed at his enemies, who were emanating killing intent. Of course, his injuries were not light. His left side was soaked with blood, and with each breath, the pain was sharp, and the taste of blood continually rose in his mouth. Yet even if his opponent was less injured, he was confident in his superior skill. Moreover, his son had shown a force far surpassing that of a middle-ranked knight. How he had improved so much in such a short time was beyond him He might not yet be senior-ranked, but average middle-ranked knights couldnt handle Logan. And certainly not four mid-rank knights who were already gravely injured. Padric was sure of this as he took a step forward. But Logan blocked him. His sons thinking was different. Ill take care of him. No, its too risky. Padrics voice was firm as he held back his son. Even if Logan had grown, his capabilities limits were clear in Padrics eyes. Logan may have looked outstanding among middle-ranked knights, but he was not yet at the senior level. Even if the man was injured, Logan couldnt possibly face the enemys senior knight. At least I am in better shape than you are now, Father. Gently pressing. Cough! Padric, caught off guard, forgot his dignity as he groaned in pain. At my current condition, I can even defeat you. Trust me and let me handle this. Logans eyes burned with intensity, showing no signs of backing down. Alright. There was no time to argue stubbornly. As Padric stepped back, he quickly ran calculations. Even if they were mere remnants, four middle-ranked knights, but they were also wounded. The red glow around Rauls sword deepened for a moment. Ugh?! Using the Force, Raul pulled the enemys blade toward him, surging forward, using his opponents primed strength to disrupt the balance, feeling the stagger. Its done! The center was compromised, the sword thrust forward. With full understanding of the enemys condition, Raul launched his decisive strike. Scrape! A clean slicing sound, but Rauls expression stiffened in despair. Just the hem of the robe?! Through the battle, he had slowed more than he realized while the enemy had sped up. Overlooking this difference was Rauls fatal mistake. Having shown a brief look of surprise, the enemy now laughed ferociously and resumed his offensive. Curse it!! Raul cursed his missed chance but it was too soon to despair. The swords clashed again, and he gritted his teeth, employing the same tactic once more. However, the opponent was not naive enough to fall for the same trick twice. Die! With a ferocious smile, the enemys sword burst with a golden shine, feeling the danger Raul hastily retreated. He quickly moved away from the reach of the blade, but it was futile. The swung enemy blade released four layers of gold waves that enveloped Raul. Impossible Quadruple Wave the first technique of the Divine Swordsmanship. An ancient secret technique that appeared in the world for the first time in a thousand years, unleashed its full power. A senior knight using tricks, huh. Staggering for a moment and then spitting out disdainfully, Logan raised his sword again. Then, he severed the head from the nearly-crushed corpse and impaled it on his blade. I, Logan MacLaine, have killed the enemy commander! Even as Padric hadnt yet finished his battle with the middle-ranked knights, the proclamation that echoed across the battlefield decided the outcome of the war. * * * At the moment when Logans declaration sounded across the battlefield, fissures erupted within Teslons last standing forces. But within those fissures was a grave misconception. The Viscount is dead? No way! It cant be! Now that I think of it, the flag has been missing for a while! The Viscounts choice to lower the flag and hide in unfavorable moments had bizarrely backfired. Logans action, thinking decapitating a senior knight was enough, had unexpectedly engendered an even more dramatic effect. Lets surrender! Are you crazy?! We need to save our skins! Faced with the increasingly dire situation, even the most loyal soldiers who hadnt fled and fought to the end became chaotic as their focus of loyalty vanished. Lets surrender! Dont attack! More than half of the remaining Teslon forces, numbering less than three thousand, declared their surrender on the spot, dropping to their knees. The first to feel the impact were the MacLaine soldiers who had been fighting against them, as the persistent enemies finally laid down their arms. Caught in the battles frenzy, or perhaps in fear, they had to acknowledge the changed situation. And amid them, with the loudest voice, was none other than Rick. Long live Lord Logan! A thousand cheers for the great Lord! While Ricks behavior was perhaps overly excessive as he even shed tears while shouting, many among those relieved to have saved their skin joined in his cries. Long live Logan MacLaine! Huzzah for our great Lord! The battle isnt over yet, you fools! Indeed, voices grounded in reality did attempt to awaken them, but the remaining enemy force had already lost its will to fight, only afraid to drop their weapons lest they be killed. Only a few strong remaining knights reacted a bit differently.