NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78
EP.78 Side Story, The Apostate (6)
The sun rises beyond the horizon.
The beasts march over the sunlit plains. Wrapped in fog, they move like waves. The knights, witnessing the wave of beasts, are stricken with fear.
Before disaster, humanity is powerless. The knights confront the truth they have been trying to ignore. They realize.
The frontline has maintained not through their efforts, but merely due to the caprices of fate. With a mere change in their whims, the frontline collapses.
‘The four disasters that destroyed the old kingdom.’
One of them, the Black Dragon, has been slain.
The Ancient Lich, Skebal, has been defeated.
Hope begins to stir. Perhaps, the knights think, but reality is far from easy.
‘…What are we?’
Just one.
‘Does it even matter?’
Their opponent is just a single Summoner.
That one commands a vast army. The future, swept away by the approaching wave of beasts, unfolds clearly before them.
The hearts of the knights germinate with fear.
The weapons they hold tremble.
However, they do not retreat.
Humanity is trampled before the disaster.
That is an unchanging fact. But, humanity possesses a sword to cut through the disaster.
A Hero.
The hero chosen by the Star stands with them.
With that one truth alone, the knights raise their weapons. For the sake of humanity, a single mission compels them to prepare for the sacrifice of their lives.
And at the forefront…
“I am Kuntel, the Sword Master.”
There stands the superhuman of swords.
The knight, who has reached the realm of superhuman with a human body, speaks. His eyes are sharper than ever.
“The outline of the operation is simple. The Wise One will bind the enemy, and the Hero will cut down the disaster.”
Kuntel speaks to the knights.
“To do this, we create a path for the Hero to run.”
He extends his sword’s grip.
The tip of the sword points toward the approaching Carapace Dragon visible even from afar. Pointing to the creature digging through the ground, Kuntel says.
“We draw its gaze.”
To become bait, sacrificing their lives.
“Load the crossbows!”
And the first bait will be him.
—
Glancing at the approaching wave of beasts that fills the horizon, Kyle adjusts his grip on the Holy Sword.
‘It’s heavy.’
Today, the grip feels especially heavy. His shoulders ache. His ankles throb. The fatigue of battle barely dissipated, and now he must take up the sword again.
But there is no time to complain.
“Huuh…”
As Kyle catches his breath and fiddles with the grip, someone approaches him.
“Are you ready?”
Raniel stands beside Kyle.
Kyle turns to look at him. In this desperate situation, he remains unchanged.
“…I think I’m okay. What’s going on?”
“I thought I should briefly explain.”
Raniel gestures to the knights lined up at the side.
They are loading harpoons into the crossbows. The harpoons are inscribed with circuits that Raniel presumably drew.
“We’ll shoot one harpoon. It’s been infused with all the mana it can hold… One will open the path, while the remaining three will draw in the Carapace Dragon.”
He points to the knights.
“After that, the knights blessed by Sara will charge… Remia will continue to support with Moonlight Arrows.”
“Raniel, what will you do?”
“I’ll make a deal with Balance right away. Not with mana, but by sacrificing my own body.”
He waves his hands.
“I’ll offer both hands and arms. I calculated that I can bind them for at least about 15 seconds.”
“…Is that so?”
“Kyle.”
Raniel calls out to Kyle.
His voice is the same as always.
“The knights will handle the Carapace Dragon along with Uncle Kuntel. Most of the beasts will likely be drawn to the knights.”
Raniel extends his finger.
That finger points beyond the horde of beasts.
“You just run straight ahead.”
“…”
“We’ll take care of the rest.”
Slowly, Kyle nods his head.
“…You said 15 seconds?”
“Yeah. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll sacrifice my legs too. You’ll need to survive over me.”
With that, Raniel shrugs.
“Still, I’d prefer you leave my legs intact if possible.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
As they converse, the swarm of beasts gets closer. The stench of the beasts pricks at their noses. The ground rumbles under their advance.
Bwoooong!
The sound of a horn reverberates.
With a clank, the crossbows are loaded. Countless knights glare at the beasts.
“Fire!”
And so, the war begins.
—
The crossbows release a burst of magical light.
Piercing through the crumbling fog, the harpoon strikes the hide of the Carapace Dragon. It does not embed deeply. But, that is enough.
Stimulus.
The spell inscribed on the harpoon shines brightly.
The vision of the Carapace Dragons narrows. They don’t heed the commands of their master, the Summoner.
Kieeeeeee!
The Carapace Dragon screams as it leaps.
Its narrowed vision fixes on the knights who fired the harpoon. The knights scatter immediately.
“Hold your formation!”
The commanders’ orders echo.
Among the dispersing knights, one superhuman leaps out. Sword Master Kuntel charges toward the Carapace Dragon with his sword lowered.
Sword Master Kuntel.
The knights blessed by the Saint.
The knights assisted by Remia.
Each takes on one Carapace Dragon. The three Carapace Dragons scatter. Two remain.
“AAAAAAAH!”
A voice of either a scream or battle cry resounds on the battlefield. The knights prepare for death. They brace themselves to sacrifice their lives.
“All glory to the Star!”
Only for the Hero.
“…”
Kyle crouches.
His gaze is fixed solely on Gletus. Piercing through the fog, reaching Gletus beyond the horde of beasts.
In his pitch-black eyes, starlight gathers, forming a ring.
A platinum light ring rises.
Kyle grips the Holy Sword like a spear.
With both hands grasping the grip, he begins to run. The first step feels light. Thud! Kyle strikes the ground.
Squeeeel!
A massive harpoon soars towards Kyle’s target. The harpoon, infused with ashen mana, is different from the others.
Point-Breakthrough.
The fog temporarily dissipates.
The flesh of the beasts splatters. But that is short-lived. As Gletus gestures, the fog fills in the gaps. The beasts pour out again.
“I make a deal.”
It is the moment.
“I offer both my hands and arms.”
Balance.
From behind Kyle, the snap of fingers is heard, clear even in the chaotic battlefield.
Chack!
Chains bind Gletus’s body.
The arm that had been about to swing halts. The fog freezes in motion.
For just a moment, stillness falls over the battlefield.
In that stillness, the Ashen Mage speaks.
“Go, Kyle.”
Kyle does not respond. He substitutes his answer with a powerful leap. Adding weight to his once-light step. The ground cracks with every stride.
Kyle dashes toward the opening created by the harpoon.
With each step, constellations gather. The gathered starlight draws a single line. The hero possesses a body blessed by the Star.
The Star dispels the fog.
In battle, a single superhuman stands out more than anyone else. The knights crashing into the Carapace Dragons see the light. The Sword Master sees the light as well.
The light accompanies them.
The fear in the knights’ hearts vanishes. They scream as they clash with the beasts.
Blood splatters.
Human blood mingles with beast blood.
Kieee!
Before the light, the fog gives up on gathering. Beasts burst forth from the mist. Dozens, hundreds of beasts block Kyle’s path.
Swish.
There’s no way to stop it.
Kyle thrusts the blade he has raised like a spear, slashing as he sweeps it wide. With one swing, dozens of beasts scatter.
Thud, thud, thud!
Beast innards and blood are strewn about.
Stepping on the gushing entrails, Kyle runs. Splash, the blue-black blood splatters.
‘This is where the 3 seconds end.’
Kyle does not let the sword rest.
He swings, thrusts, cleaves through beasts’ bodies, causing blood to spray as he moves.
The relentless blade becomes a blender for the approaching beasts.
Just like the Carapace Dragon grinds through the knights, Kyle grinds through the beasts too.
‘4 seconds.’
The beasts give up on resisting Kyle.
They overwhelm him in numbers. Dozens of beasts pile onto Kyle. The light from the Holy Sword is obscured by the beasts.
However, that is short-lived.
No mere beast bodies can block the light.
‘5 seconds.’
Shwaaaaak!
Kyle bursts forth from the mass of beasts. Drenched in beast blood, he continues to run. The corpses of beasts pile up behind him.
Kyle does not stop.
When beasts block his path, he cuts them down. There is no hesitation between the act of slicing and running. Kyle’s speed does not diminish. In fact, his body quickens.
Gradually, the fog disperses.
A beam of light reaches the disaster.
‘7 seconds.’
About half the time.
He finally arrives in front of Gletus. But something still stands in his way.
‘Carapace Dragon.’
The two Carapace Dragons guarding Gletus charge at Kyle.
Kyle does not slow his steps but thinks.
‘This is different from Rodimel Fortress.’
Weaker than the Carapace Dragons made from the Black Dragon. However, there are two of them.
‘How much time is left?’
Around 7 seconds.
‘There’s no time to stop and cut.’
Kyle makes his decision.
‘I’ll dash while cutting.’
He readies the Holy Sword and leaps toward the Carapace Dragons. Unlike the fortress, he’s gathered enough strength and has accelerated his body adequately.
He swings the Holy Sword downward like a spear as he leaps.
A burst of light explodes, crushing the skull of one Carapace Dragon. With the blast’s recoil, Kyle’s body lifts into the air. He slams one Carapace Dragon into the ground, but still, one remains.
Kieeeee!
The Carapace Dragon charges at Kyle, its jaws wide open. Kyle sees it. The jaws of the Carapace Dragon fill his vision.
‘Cut.’
The answer is always the same.
Kyle rotates in midair. The light stream drags him into the jaws of the Carapace Dragon.
Whaaat!
The light that had briefly extinguished now seeps out through the eye sockets of the Carapace Dragon. Along with the beast’s blood, a stream of platinum light surges forth.
KaKaKaKaKaKa!
The Holy Sword slices through the Carapace Dragon’s jaws. It tears through the hide and rips apart the neck as Kyle bursts out.
Thud.
With a splash of blood, Kyle jumps off the crumbling Carapace Dragon.
‘13 seconds.’
Two seconds remain.
And that 2 seconds are enough.
As he descends toward Gletus, Kyle swings his sword. He’s not aiming for the neck right away. First, defeating the beasts is priority.
The Holy Sword, snuffing out its light, aims for Gletus’s arm.
“…Huh?”
Gletus displays a look of confusion for the first time. She cannot move. She stands frozen, arm thrust into the air.
Kyle learned from the superhuman of swords.
The arm of a stationary opponent is easy to sever.
Swish.
The Holy Sword cuts through Gletus’s arm.
The darkened limb soars through the air. Simultaneously, the beasts that had filled the plains collapse.
The summoned beasts are flung back into the Otherworld.
The fog dissipates. There’s no time to check every detail. Kyle immediately proceeds to the next move.
The sword he had swung embeds into the ground.
Kyle’s toes touch the ground.
Kyle exerts force through his toes and raises his arm. He lifts his sword again. The point of the raised sword aims for Gletus’s heart.
15 seconds.
Time is up.
Gletus moves. However, it is already too late. Kyle’s blade is inches from her.
Kyle senses victory.
A chill runs down his spine.
In that moment.
Kyle’s instincts scream.
—
“…How strange.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Raniel, did you defeat Gletus too? As far as I recall, you only took down the Black Dragon.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“But in this situation, it doesn’t look like Gletus has a way out.”
“I think so too.”
Raniel laughs.
“She stopped moving, lost her arm, and there are no summoned beasts left to defend her… I really thought it was over.”
While fiddling with her broken fingers, she lets out a sigh.
“If that thing hadn’t shown up, we could have defeated Gletus.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The Apostate, the operation to subjugate Gletus. Just as we were on the brink of success, we found ourselves face to face with it.”
What is it?
In response to that question, Raniel answered.
“The Death’s Blade, Ganikalt.”