There was no waste in the Black Knight's charge.
He was reminiscent of a well-trained racehorse.
As if repeating the same motion hundreds of times, he naturally made his run-up, then stepped onto the launching device at a perfect angle.
His body soared into the air.
Unlike ordinary knights, there was no sense of being pushed by a spring. The Black Knight controlled every single movement himself.
"Damn…"
And Yuri, watching that sight, gave a bitter smile.
The moment the Black Knight's body lifted off, he understood.
He was coming straight for him.
Yuri filled his whole body with the power of chaos. Then, embedding the subtlety of the Whirling Vortex into his sword aura, he formed a fractal.
"He's coming."
The first contact was intense.
A blast resounded, and the wall shook as if it might collapse.
When the Black Knight and Yuri clashed, the two sword auras fought for dominance, then soon warped and collapsed together.
The aftermath slammed nearby knights into the wall or sent them falling beneath the ramparts.
Yuri gripped the railing and held on.
Briol's knights who fell outside were slaughtered by the Imperial army, and the reverse was also true.
With the screams of the unlucky victims as a backdrop, Yuri rose to face the Black Knight.
The eyes beyond the mask were calm.
"Black Knight."
Yuri spoke first.
"We met at the Imperial Capital, and now again here. Have you been well?"
His tone was like greeting an old acquaintance after a long time.
The Black Knight also nodded.
"Of course, and you seem well enough yourself."
"For now."
"It must be because the Lord watches over you."
"Seems like He's not watching today."
"Who can say."
Through the slit of the mask, Yuri saw the Black Knight close his eyes.
Dust from the battlefield had settled on his long eyelashes.
"The Lord never misses a single soul, always watching."
"Even the two of us?"
"Of course."
"And if one of us dies today?"
Lifting his sword, Yuri asked. The Black Knight also raised his blade.
"Then it is simply the Lord's will."
At the same moment the words fell, the two swung their swords at each other.
Each time their blades met, Yuri felt a pain that rattled his bones.
The Black Knight's sword was without bias in any one area. Power, speed, precision, density of mana, depth of skill, and understanding of the blade — every aspect was perfectly balanced.
If one were to give it form, it would be an enormous, flawless hexagon.
Yuri was of a similar type, but the Black Knight surpassed him.
Like a machine.
And so, there was scarcely a gap to exploit.
To defeat such an opponent, there was only the orthodox way — to possess a hexagon even larger than his.
But that was nearly impossible.
No matter how sharply Yuri had grown, he could not bridge the gap of years the Black Knight had accumulated.
Yuri's lips curved upward.
"The Lord's will, huh…"
He thrust his sword toward the Black Knight as he spoke.
"Black Knight, I have a confession to make."
A shattering sound rang out as the two blades met.
"Speak."
"I…"
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly.
"…don't believe in any god!"
Then, kicking off the railing behind him, he charged forward again.
The energy of chaos surged from his whole body.
His sword aura was no longer white. A murky energy rose acridly, and every possibility in existence swirled around him.
The possibilities for defeating the Black Knight did exist. However small, they were not zero.
To find that trajectory, Yuri moved desperately.
"There is no need to lie to yourself, my friend."
The Black Knight spoke thus, swinging his sword to meet Yuri's.
"I can feel your faith more than anyone else's."
It seemed like a light swing, yet every time they met, Guilty was pushed back.
In power and speed, there was no part in which Yuri did not fall short.
They might both be among the Ten Strongest, but this was a level far beyond Yalta's.
This was the true strength of one of the Ten Strongest.
Yuri was driven back hard, slamming into the railing and coughing up blood. But he staggered back to his feet at once.
"I really don't believe."
"You're deceiving yourself."
"I could prove it right now. Should I curse at the sky?"
"The Lord is not one to be insulted by a few words."
"Dog of a god…"
"That is like a child's tantrum."
"Bastard…"
"Tsk, tsk."
Yuri kept talking.
Because he knew he couldn't win with the sword alone.
He bought as much time as possible while glancing around. He needed someone's help.
Whether his signals worked or not, reinforcements for Yuri arrived.
"Your Highness, I will assist you!"
Einzer Eustam joined the fray.
Laurent and Jared also tried to approach, but Yuri stopped them.
"Stay back."
"Your Highness…"
"The wall is narrow. More people will only get in the way."
Yuri pointed with Guilty at their surroundings.
"This is war. Keeping the others off me is how you help."
"Understood!"
Jared shouted. Laurent looked regretfully at Yuri, then turned back and swung his sword at the Imperial soldiers again.
Yuri looked at Einzer.
"Sir Einzer, I'm counting on you."
"Yes."
He was a knight hardened by countless battles. Stronger than Laurent and Jared.
Though they'd never fought in sync, against the Black Knight, he would be more help.
"To fight one of the Ten Strongest alongside you, this is truly an honor."
"I'd take dishonor over fighting any day."
"Truth be told, so would I."
"No helping it."
"No helping it."
As they spoke, the Black Knight raised his sword again.
No more words were exchanged.
Yuri and Einzer also fell silent.
There was no need for discussion about how to coordinate.
Against such a mighty foe as the Black Knight, plans were meaningless. Every moment, they had to move desperately, led by their instincts.
And that was possible only because Yuri and Einzer's skill levels were so high.
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly.
The movements of the Black Knight and Einzer flowed organically in his sight.
While loosely aware of the Imperial army and Briol's knights around them, Yuri focused on the two men's movements.
The wall was not very wide.
And, Yuri and Einzer had the Black Knight surrounded front and back.
Because of that, the Black Knight's focus was greatly divided.
"Hoo…"
Yuri took a deep breath.
Einzer was the first to swing his sword. His sword aura flew toward the Black Knight.
The Black Knight leaned back to dodge.
Yuri did not miss that moment and charged.
But then, the Black Knight leapt onto the railing, deflected the attack again, and in an instant claimed the space behind Yuri.
His speed was tremendous, his movement like the wind.
"Uh, Your Highness?"
"Sir Einzer."
Facing Einzer, Yuri awkwardly exchanged greetings, then turned back.
The Black Knight was walking toward them at an easy pace.
Now that the encirclement was broken, the two fighting together was no longer very efficient.
The Black Knight charged.
Yuri and Einzer continued their coordinated attacks as best they could, within the limits of not hindering each other's movements.
"Kh!"
"Guh!"
Two swords against one, yet the one attacking more was the Black Knight.
It was as if he wielded three, even four swords, pressing the two, while Yuri and Einzer could do nothing but defend.
From time to time, Yuri would risk danger to aim for an opening, but the Black Knight blocked easily, as if he had predicted it.
"Damn it!"
In the exchange of attacks, the Black Knight's blade sliced across Yuri's forearm.
Fortunately, he did not drop Guilty, but pain flared every time he tried to put strength into his arm.
The Black Knight's sword moved deftly, cutting both men here and there. Gradually, Yuri and Einzer's feet became trapped, their movements slowing.
Then, the Black Knight's sword began to carve freer trajectories.
Wounds multiplied quickly.
Before long, Yuri and Einzer were battered and collapsed where they stood.
The Black Knight walked toward them with steady steps.
Yuri drew up his mana.
The power of chaos rose from his body.
He still had the strength to fight the Black Knight. Until the castle fell, he intended to struggle.
"Hoo…"
Sensing Yuri's resolve, mana also surged from the Black Knight's body. The sword aura he raised was pure and clear.
The Black Knight's sword aura thrust toward Yuri like an awl.
It was dangerous.
"Yuri Briol."
The Black Knight called him.
Yuri answered.
"What, you bastard."
The tip of the Black Knight's sword wavered for an instant. Yuri continued in the same blunt tone.
"What? About to die, and you think formal speech matters?"
"..."
"You've noticed the Emperor's gone mad too, haven't you?"
"..."
"And yet, you spout about God while carrying out an invasion like this? Hah. Black Knight, go confess to your God and apologize."
Yuri kept talking.
It was to buy time.
"If invading an innocent country is God's will, then I simply won't believe in that God. But you, Black Knight — what? Watching over? Where do you get off spouting such hypocritical nonsense…"
All the while, he drew up as much of the chaos energy as possible.
This was a power even he could barely handle, so he had always kept it restrained.
But this time, he resolved to unleash it beyond what he could endure.
It was then.
"My apologies."
The Black Knight spoke.
"But this cannot be helped. I can only pray the Lord is watching…"
His voice was heavy. It seemed he too felt the weight of his conscience.
Yuri tried to keep him talking, to create a chance to shift the situation.
"There's no such thing as something that can't be helped, Black Knight. End this tragedy with me."
"You're using honorifics again…"
"That's right. It seems I misjudged you. Black Knight, let us end this fight…"
But the Black Knight did not put down his sword.
"A task is a task."
And he stepped toward Yuri.
Yuri clenched his teeth, ready to detonate the chaos power he had been building.
But then.
At that moment.
Yuri turned his head.
The Black Knight also turned his head.
Einzer, standing beside them, and the countless knights fighting desperately along the wall, all looked in the same direction.
Not a single sound was made.
Suddenly, silence fell over the battlefield.
Yuri opened his mouth, then closed it again. And then, he began to laugh.
Something was approaching.
And there was no need to explain what it was.
Any knight with a sword would have the same name come to mind.
"He's here."
One of Briol's knights, having regained his senses, muttered.
"He has arrived."
His figure had not yet appeared, but everyone on the battlefield understood who the owner of this presence was.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The moment that shout rang out, the sound of a horn echoed from within the castle.
And then he appeared.
Like a bird, he descended from the sky.
A man with black hair and black eyes, his face expressionless.
The King of Briol, and the strongest swordsman of this era.
Fiore Briol.
He landed on the wall.
"..."
Fiore's gaze swept once across the battlements.
The faces of Briol's knights brightened, while the Imperial knights instinctively took a step back.
His gaze turned slowly, until it reached Yuri.
Yuri deliberately made a pitiful expression.
"..."
Fiore turned his eyes away again, to face the Black Knight.
The two locked eyes for a while.
The battlefield where killing and dying had raged suddenly seemed to stop.
"Black Knight."
Fiore spoke.
His voice was not loud, yet it rang across the entire wall.
"Leave. If you do not, I will kill you."
The Black Knight did not answer.
Fiore placed his fingertips on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Answer."
Then, the Black Knight spoke.
"Impossible."
That ended the conversation.
Fiore's beloved sword, Northern Wind, began to reveal its pure white blade.
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